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Mental Health (Expert Forum)
Xanax long term weird effects
Answered by
Roger Gould, M.D. - Mental Health, Wellness
Questions posted in the Mental Health forum are being answered by Dr. Roger L. Gould, author of the Mastering Stress and Depression program and affiliated with the UCLA. Department of Psychiatry. Topics covered include anger, attention deficit disorder (ADD) , bipolar disorder , dementia , electroconvulsive therapy (ECT) , learning disabilities, memory, obsessive compulsive disorder (OCD) , panic , personality disorders, phobias , post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) , schizophrenia , stress , transitions, and work problems.
Xanax long term weird effects
by maniee, Jul 23, 2005 12:00AM
I have been taking Xanax for over a year now. I take it to sleep (having had sleeping prolems for years and tried all sorts of sleeping drugs like halcion and imovane, i realised it was the anxiety that stopped me from sleeping so i chose xanax to relieve it). Only with time the dose increased rapidly to 1.5 mg every night (1mg to start off, 0.5 after 30 minutes). It's been 10 months now. In february I had a non-related operation (successful full excision of a dermatofibrosarcoma in my back) but the stress of getting over it made my xanax intake double at times.
For the past couple of months i've reduced back to 1.5 every night, with the odd 0.5 a couple of times a week during the day.
Last week I started feeling weird. I had a dizzy spell thrusday and friday, and felt exhausted. Ever since I've been feeling lightheaded and exhausted. I am also stressed and depressed for no reason. My mind is a blur, I have short term memory loss. I sometimes feel confused or cannot find my words. Absentminded. Overall I feel like I'm burning up. This may be unrelated but I also have sluggish digestion, and a general low level of resistance (frequent colds, coughs etc..).
The feeling I have had for a week is that of withdrawal and anemia combined with extra aniety. However I got tested and I am not anemic.
It is difficult for me to work or function normally with all this.
The odd thing is that for 2-3 months now my xanax intake has been the same. I thought I had some sort of balance with my 1.5mg and never felt any side effects for 10 months (a part maybe for the memory loss) but it seems the xanax has taken its toll ?
I am trying to pinpoint the problem here. My doctor said it could be the xanax and that I should reduce. As I am anxious I am looking for answers to explain all this. Is it the xanax? or something else? I would much appreciate your opinion on the matter as it is causing me a lot of concern.
Thank you for your time
For the past couple of months i've reduced back to 1.5 every night, with the odd 0.5 a couple of times a week during the day.
Last week I started feeling weird. I had a dizzy spell thrusday and friday, and felt exhausted. Ever since I've been feeling lightheaded and exhausted. I am also stressed and depressed for no reason. My mind is a blur, I have short term memory loss. I sometimes feel confused or cannot find my words. Absentminded. Overall I feel like I'm burning up. This may be unrelated but I also have sluggish digestion, and a general low level of resistance (frequent colds, coughs etc..).
The feeling I have had for a week is that of withdrawal and anemia combined with extra aniety. However I got tested and I am not anemic.
It is difficult for me to work or function normally with all this.
The odd thing is that for 2-3 months now my xanax intake has been the same. I thought I had some sort of balance with my 1.5mg and never felt any side effects for 10 months (a part maybe for the memory loss) but it seems the xanax has taken its toll ?
I am trying to pinpoint the problem here. My doctor said it could be the xanax and that I should reduce. As I am anxious I am looking for answers to explain all this. Is it the xanax? or something else? I would much appreciate your opinion on the matter as it is causing me a lot of concern.
Thank you for your time
Doctor's Answer
by Roger Gould, M.D., Jul 25, 2005 12:00AM
, Jul 25, 2005 12:00AM
One very likely explanation is that your basic anxiety has diminished, so you need less xanax, and the old dose is actually an overdose for you. The reason I say that is because your symptoms sound like too much xanax, and you reduced voluntarily, and easily, meaning after the operation you had less anxiety to deal with.
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forget how to do it,also my ears ring alot since cutting down.I have other things going on to which are to hard to explain.
relationships. i am curious to hear what symptoms you have that are har to describe. thanks
My anxiety hit me hard about 5 years ago when I moved out on my own for the first time. My anxiety is social. I got over it for the most part except for the one thing that kind of stayed with me through out the last 5 years, my phone phobia. I HATE TALKING ON THE PHONE! I started taking xanax 3 weeks ago and it amazes how many people I actually want to talk to when I'm on it. I call everyone in my phone book & they all freak out because I am actually calling them and talking, LOL. It helps me be me without any shame. I notice the short term memory, but I think I have that anyway from all of my teen years smoking pot. That is the reason I have kept taking it. I actually have rekindled some old friendships by phone in the past few weeks. I have also noticed the need to take more and more of it. I went from taking a quarter of a bar, to half, to three quarters or a full bar if I want to goto sleep and then back to 1/2. I am not sure how long it will last though or if it will have any other side effects. I get real clumsy on it, I drop things, kind of like how you do when you are drunk, but I am a Dj at clubs, so I guess that doesn't matter as far as having to be professional, hahahha. For me it has just been to good to be true and I am actually waiting for it to fade or give me some kind of messed up side effect. I get amazing sleep deep sleep on it. I dont wake up tired like I have for years. I wake up feeling refreshed. I just don't understand why more people aren't on it and why it took me 14 years to go thru street drug after street drug and zoloft and paxil which didn't work for me to find the one thing that does. People say I need to watch out because Xanax is addicting and the comedian in me feels like say, "WELL DUH ITS ADDICTING, CUZ IT WORKS." I have been getting them from a friend for the past three weeks and I am looking to find a CHEAP LOCAL DOCTOR in Tampa who will prescribe me these pills. I already went to the free clinic and they dont prescribe these because of the fact that "they'e an addicting drug", once again DUH!
I am a professional and a family man, and I have a real problem.
Lately I have been taking between 2.5 and 4 .05mgtablets daily.
About 3 or 4 years ago, I beganhaving restless leg syndrome, and abot2 years ago, I began experiencing sporadic sharp pains in my face, like pin pricks.
I am trying to wean myself off, but am having much trouble,and am feeling constantly anxious.At night< I take whatever I can toself medicate myself to sleep. I really have a problem, and am quite concerned and consumed by it. Any suggestionsor websites would be appreciated.
I do not want tocheck into a detox facility because of my concern for my profession, medical records, and the time element.
Please...someone help me.
Has anyone felt the facial pinpricks or the restless leg syndrome sleeplessness yndrome?
I was just reading and it seems that benzodiazepines are of real worry and rightfully so. I was on huge amounts of klonopin, xanax, valium and ativan and got off them with no worries with my doctor. The greatest help is to express your concerns with your doctor. There is nothing to worry about or feel ashamed. You have done nothing wrong. Even if you are taking more than prescribed, which most all of us with mental illness have done, your doctor is your path to freedom.
That said, I have had the pin ***** feeling and restless legs. Restless Leg Syndrome is a hot topic recently and much research is being done. It is genetic so others in your family might have it. There are new non-narcotic medications for this that really work. There is a chance that your symptoms are related to short-term withdrawal called rebound. Xanax is a short acting benzo lasting just a few hours. After that period of time, your nerves rebound back to baseline and above giving several effects including restlessness, anxiety, and sensations of touch (like pricks, or insects crawling, etc.).
I am not a doctor, but sometimes an experienced patient knows too (and maybe better dare I say it). These topics don't get much play at appointments. My opinion is that the patient is afraid of being deemed an addict and the doctor is so afraid to be a facilitator that it becomes a less productive conversation.
wonder if dreemland is ok..that post concerned me..this chemical is dangerous...please beware that it is only for short term use..if that..
***@**** if u guys wanna talk peace out A town down lol
-BELLA-