long term effects of taking xanax

I am 22 years old and have been taking xanax fo 5 years now. the longer i take it the more the doctor prescibes and it to the point now where im taking two 2 mg a day. I feel like all the pills are doing is keeping me from having withdraws and I still have severe panic attacks. My Questions are what are the long term side effect of taking this medication and why doesnt it work anymore?

[Paxiled]

Xanax is short acting, and so the body builds up a tolerance to it.  That's why benzos are considered addictive -- you keep needing more to do the same thing.  Usually for long-term use they use klonopin, since it has less of a tolerance problem.  If you go off, do it slowly and carefully and under the care of a psychiatrist who understands these meds.

[abby10]

You've hit tolerance. Taper off very, very slowly with a longer acting benzodiazepine. See benzo.org.uk (Ashton Manual) or google the word benzodiazepine and find some benzo sites for a very slow taper plan. Cross over to klonopin or valium and taper off.

A doc put you on Xanax when you were 17!!!

abby