Stupid question about Xanax

[freefallin]

Some of you may remember my thread from a few weeks back. I went to the doctor yesterday and handed her a list of the problems I've been having. She essentially went "Anxiety causes all of this" and handed me a prescription for Xanax, which really made me feel dismissed. Yes, I know that I have issues with anxiety attacks, and I understand that I was a nervous wreck when I went into the office. But I've been having neurological symptoms long before I developed the anxiety issues..the neurological issues, if anything, probably caused the anxiety issues. I'm not trying to say she's doing her job wrong, but I don't understand why she focused on the anxiety when I told her I've been having excruciating pain in the back-right of my skull, difficulty finding words, cannot concentrate on anything for more than a few minutes, pee every like 30-40 minutes, feel like there's liquid moving around in my brain, feel like I'm about to pass out or lose control of myself whenever I'm in the presence of strobe or otherwise flashing lights, and can't stand still very long because my balance is out of whack and I sway/feel unbalanced when I stand still.

But anyway, my question is: does anyone know, if I do have a brain tumor, if taking Xanax can cause any type of adverse or even deadly reaction? I don't know much about this stuff..I just know it works by reducing your brain activity, so it does in some way alter your brain. I figured I may as well try it and see what it does since I have it, but I'm worried that I shouldn't be taking brain-altering drugs if I have something wrong with my brain.

Thanks.

[sajjad3]

Freefallin what you got in the end.what was the problem with you.and how you feel now.

[freefallin]

Thanks for the responses. I can relate to the two sets of symptoms feeding off of each other.

I think I've decided not to take the pills for now. I was reading about how they can trigger seizures, and seeing how I already suspect that I may be having nocturnal seizures or something (lately when I'm about to nod off to sleep, I suddenly bite my tongue, and it keeps happening if I try to go back to sleep...I also will sometimes fall into a dreamlike state a few seconds/minutes after closing my eyes, and I know normal dreams don't come on that quickly in the sleep cycle), I'm afraid that these things will trigger a full-blown grand mal or have some other nasty side effect that could potentially kill me.

I feel like it was really irresponsible for her to just hand me a prescription for brain-altering drugs without doing any testing aside from an EKG after I handed her a 1 1/2-page list of symptoms I've been having.

[tiredbuthappy]

I don't know all of your details- I owuld take your specific details to your local pharmacist and make sure. But I can share my experience and what I have read.

First off, many many people who are diagnosed with brain tumors are prescribed xanax to help them get through. I took it for the months leading up to surgery, and started recently to take it to sleep. At first I was very resistant because I don't like taking meds, but my primary pointed out that I should suffer when there is something that can give relief. We knew the cause of my anxiety, so it wasn't like I was taking it for no known reason. She predicted I wouldn't have trouble coming off of it after surgery, and she was right. I took it for 3 months.

I started taking it to help me sleep 2 months ago. My primary is not thrilled with this, but she told me that sometimes I may have to do things she's not thrilled with. The only reason she does not want me taking it to sleep is because you can become dependent on it and not be able to sleep without it. Well, I was never able to sleep without it anyways.

I will also share that my neurological symptoms are very obviously exacerbated when my anxiety spikes. Similarly, my anxieties increase when my neurological symptoms increase. Who wouldn't get anxious when their hands don't work like they're supposed to or when you can't spit out a sentence? Anyways, they do feed off of each other. Treating one helps control the other. So, treat the ones that can be to give the other symptoms and your body a rest. I am working on long term solutions for the other problems (OT) but that is a very long process.

[freefallin]

I'm not taking any other medications; that's not my concern.

No. She did an EKG and look in my throat and ears for about 1/4 second, but she said she's gonna schedule me for fasting labs.

[rumpled]

Questions about specifics like that - go to a pharmacist - your pharmacist - and talk to him/her and also bring a list of everything you take (OTC and script) as well as when and why you take it. She or he can tell you about adverse reactions and any interactions much better than we can - although lots of information is available on line.

Did your doc do a basic exam - reflexes, eyes etc - and some blood tests at least?