xanax...

[englishlad]

i recently recieved xanax 1mg for anxiety and i was just curious if it is ok to double up by taking 2...sometimes my anxiety gets very intense and sometimes 1mg doesnt settle me down enough...what is the maximum dosage that xanax is prescribed in? is taking two 1mg tablets too much? i only did it one time and it really helped..i just wanna make sure im not overdoing it...

[Roger Gould, M.D.]

It's not too much if you can tolerate it without getting sleepy, but you have to be very careful about becoming too dependent on xanax..It's easy to get addicted, and very difficult to stop the addiction.  You must use this medication selectively and carefully while being monitored by your doctor.

[cantlivenotknowing]

I think you need to carefully consider increasing your xanax dosage. It is a very addictive drug and the withdrawals are worse than the cure from what I've heard. I take .25 mg at night and also feel that I could increase the dosage, but at this time I am not doing so. I do find that if I split the dose in half for the day, that I will not experience the ebb and flow of anxiety as much. It takes a few hours for the drug to settle into your system, so instead of taking 1 mg at once, you may want to take .5 mg twice a day. You may already be doing that, but if not, you may want to try that out before you increase the dose.

[Slappy3243]

Do not self-medicate. Consult your doctor before increasing the dosage, especially since xanax can be habit forming.

[AJC]

It isn't too much but it is more complicated than that. It is the long term where you will lose. How much do you take a day ? What frequency? Do you know why you are anxious? Is your lifestyle or job killing you? first of all, if you are not taking care of yourself you will be anxious. In this case I would change the lifestyle and slow down on the meds. But if you are like me and have a genetic predisposition you may need a benzo. Here's the catch= They are addictive so you should always use the least amount possible. also, you can break them up and take .5 then another .5 then another .5 if you still really need it. But please try to taper down to as low as you can. Benzo's can be managed but it takes more dedication than a kung fu master. Benzo's are our friends so please don't abuse them or we lose the benefit of having some relief. Another thing to consider, is that if you are taking that much maybe you need something else part of the time like another med or something. Consider your lifestyle first. I know it sounds hollow and stupid but at least sit down and think about it before they put you on some mind altering med that really f#@*s you up.  Good luck!

[sparkeler]

If you feel that 2mg works better for you, then take it.  Just tell your doctor you don't feel as though the 1mg settles you down.  I usually take 1.75mg when needed because 1mg doesn't work for me either.

[chicagopsy]

From a medical point of view, even 2 milligrams of Xanax is a relatively low dose.  I have had patients on as much as 5 and 6 mgs. per day.  The real problem may lie in the nature of your anxiety.  

If 1 mg of Xanax worked for you at first but is not effective any more then increasing the dosage should calm your anxiety, but if you find later that even the 2 mgs. doesn't seem to work and you want to increase the dose again - well, you can see the problem in constantly increasing the dose.

Xanax, in my opinion, is a very good drug for panic attacks; its onset of action is quick,  but its active metabolite is short-lived, about 6 hours, making it a less effective medication for long-term or generalized anxiety.  

Valium and Klonopin are both in the same family of drugs as Xanax and tend to be more effective on generalized anxiety.   These are all benzodiazipine drugs and are safe when taken responsibly but they do have a potential for abuse, so I urge you to talk to your doctor before initiating an increase in your Xanax dose.  These are extremely helpful meds when they are prescribed properly and taken as directed.

[sweetsister]

Xanax is a lifesaver.  I have been taking it for five years after thyroid cancer surgery.  I have been on a dosage of .05 mg. three times daily and more when needed.  I suffer from PTS, and generalized anxiety disorder.  I have started a slow wean from my friend Xanax because I want to see if I can do it.  Do not be afraid to take it, but do so in a responsible way.  My therapist told me once (and I am sure all of you have heard this but sometimes we need to be reminded)--we are all wired differently in our brains and some of us really need the benzo drugs for life just as diabetics need insulin.  I simply believe--- take it if you need it and don't be ashamed.  Good luck and remember we are all on the same journey, just traveling down different roads to get there.

[deucewild]

i take 4 mg of xanax as it does wonders for me been on it for 4 yrs

[hmats911]

I ended up in the hospital a few years back because my body was completely numb, I had tingling in my arms and legs, my teeth killed and ended up pulling 5 of them to figure out what was wrong, they thought I had MS or Lupus and it ended up when they tried Xanax and Zoloft that everything went back to normal. I have been on Xanax .5 mg 4x a day for the past 5 years. It works but it is so addicting when I miss a dose my mind gets foggy and Im dazed and dizzy. I wish I never got put on this stuff, eventhough yes it does work wonders but when I run out I feel like Im a drug addict searching the house for the bottle I have hidden from my son. There is a place in St.Louis,MO for people with horrible anxiety that seems to really make a dramatic difference. It is intensive 5-5 weeks of 2 hrs a day of therapy and it has changed peoples lives. I am waiting for new insurance to take advantage of the program but I have talked to people that had anxiety worse then me that now are off of their mediciation and know how to cope as the medicine is just a bandaid. I have worked from home because when I work in an office or drive for a long period of time I get very anxious and dizzy and feel sick to my stomach.
My son has the same issue and that is how I found this place he is 17 and not sure if he is ADHD/BPolar but he suffers from panic attacks and can barely make it at school and self mediciates with marijuana.. so they will not put him on xanex as some use as a subtance for abuse .i sent him to rehab and had him then put on prozac which is making him very irritable and moody, angry/sad/happy all at once and he throws up and gets shortness of breath so now we are trying Neurontin. Has anyone ever tried this medicine or have any suggestions?


I am enclosing the link, hope this helps.

http://www.slbmi.com/anxiety_center/index.htm

[Sobriety]

I TOTALLY AGREE W/LAST POST-I AM MED STUDENT/ ADDICTIVE DISEASES... YOU ALL ARE SO MISTAKEN FOR CALLING IT A WONDER DRUG... THIS IS A BANDAID AFFECT.... WHAT ABOUT PAXIL??? ESPECIALLY THE PTSD PATIENT??? ALSO ADJUNCT THERAPY W/ PSYCHIATRIST!!! I AM CURIOUS TO KNOW HOW MANY IF NOT ALL OF THE PATIENTS ON THIS FORUM ARE NOT.... HAVING WEEKLY THERAPY... SEE... YOU ARE AT RISK OF FATALITY WHEN STOPPING THIS BENZO ABRUPTLY!!! SEIZURE PRECAUTIONS NEED TO BE INTACT!!!! YOU 4-5 YEAR ALPRAZOLAM VETERANS WAAAAAAAAATCH OUT WHEN DONE, I HOPE YOU NEVER MISPLACE MEDS ETC... WHY NOY TRY OTHER MORE THERAPUETIC OPTIONS????? I JUST TOOK A GUY TO DETOX/TREATMENT FOR OPIODS/ BENZO'S!!!! BEST WISHES....
PS THE DIEBETIC ANALOGY NOT SO  MMMNNNNNN.... WELL THE DIEBETIC DOES GET THERAPY FROM M.D. REGULARLY AND HAS TO AVVVVVOID SWEETS!!!! THINK!!!!

[loyd6785]

I have been on xanax (1ml.) for 6 years. When I first started I had no
idea what I was getting myself into. My doctor put me on this drug 6
years ago since that time I have lost them a few times and even had
them stolen from me, each time I ended at the ER with withdrawals so by
this experience I realized that I was a prisoner of this drug, and just
excepted it. Now my worst nightmare has happened, I just got a letter
from the doctor that was prescribing this drug to me that said, he
would no longer be my doctor, with no expiation as to why he made this
decision. When he prescribed this medicine, I did not know that it was
so addictive, I have read, and heard many horror stories about the
withdrawal of this drug as well as experienced some of it when mine got
missing and I ended up in the ER. I have had somewhat of a hard life,
especially this last year, as a lot people have, yet things were
looking up for me, just a little, now this. I am so angry at this
doctor for put me on a drug that I would be a slave too, and now with
no expiation cutting me off just like that. Now I have to pay the price
of what looks like a horrifying experience that I am going to have to
go though on top everything else. Am unemployed and don't have the
money to go doctor shopping, so that I can continue to get this
terrible drug until I can get off it safely. What should I do? I'm on
the verge of a panic attack right now over this dilemma!

[Sobriety]

GO TO ER AND THEY WILL PROBABLY GIVE YOU ATIVAN PROTOCAL FOR DTOX/ OR BUSPAR DEPENDING ON LENGTH OF TIME FROM LAST USE...THEN.....SEEK TREATMENT FOR ADDICTION.....SORRY IT'S THE ONLY THING THAT WILL PROBABLY WORK...IT'S NOT JUST THE DRUG IT'S OUR ADDICTIVE BEHAVIOR THAT NEEDS ADDRESSING.
BEST OF LUCK...

[NAST Mom]

C9:  I have been on Xanax for over a year.  I have just gone off two days ago.  I was on Zoloft also.  My last day on Zoloft was 8-31-06.

I waited two months before tapering off Xanax.  I have been having Zoloft withdrawals since 9-1-06.  Now I am off Xanax.

What should I expect?

I go to weekly seesions with my psychologist (Ph. D.) too!

Help, please!

[ebfilms]

Hello, I just read your message. I have a question regarding Xanax. I currently take half 1mg Xanax (half blue oval) for sleep. I would like to taper to half .05 (orange pill)for sleep, and slowly taper from there. Should that be okay, and will I still be able to sleep? Thanks.

[HubbysBabydoll]

XANAX IS BAD NEWS, WITHDRAWALS ARE WORSE THAN COMING OFF OF HEROIN !

Blood prssure can go way up or way down, both dangerous, seizures are VERY likely, cold chills, hot flashes and clamly cold and hot sweats ! You have creepy crawlys, you cannot sleep, you get paranoid, more nervous and pabic attacks are WORSE when you come off of Xanax !

IHAVE SEVERE CONSTANT DAILY PANIC ATTACKS and I have had since I was 25 years old, am now almost 46 !

Back then Xanax was caled, "THE WONDER DRUG", it tool place of the very addicting Valium ! WHAT A BIG MISTAKE FROM THE FDA !

XANAX IS EXTREMELY ADDAICTING ! I went into a detox ceneter just for Xanax, XANAX FREE SINCE 1984 I SO PROUD , I have a life.

DO NOT TELL ANYONE TO GET ON IT UNLESS YOU KNOW WHAT IS DOWN THE ROAD LATER, 5mgs may work for a few years at 4 tabs a day, but in a few more years you will double  the 5 to 10mgs and still take it 4 times a day and so on, it just goes up and up and then you have withdrawals while taking Xanax as you get immuned to it, the old dosage no longer work, your taking 10, 10mgs a day and still having withdrawals !

GET OFF NOW, in a detox ceneter that weens you off within 14 days, they give you a seizure tablet to calm you, also to keep you from having seizures.

I NOW TAKE "BUSPAR", non addicting and I have had NO panic attacks that have came all the way out : ) in 7 years since I have taken Buspar !

ASK YOUR DOCTOR ABOUT BUSPAR & GETTING OFF OF XANAX. YOU CANNOT GET OFF OF IT ALONE, NOT & STAY OFF AND NOT GET OFF SAFELY WITHOUT MEDICAL ATTENTION DURING ALL OF WITHDRAWALS FOR 14 DAYS !

XANAX STAYS IN YOUR FATTY CELLS AND TISSUES FOR ONE WHOLE YEAR AFTER YOU ARE XANAX FREE !!!

VERY ADDICTIVE & DANGEROUS DRUG, I ALMOST DIED, SOMETHING OUT OF "NOWHERE" TOLD ME IF I DID NOT GET OFF "IMMEDIATELEY", I WOULD DIE & I WOLD HAVE ODED, GONE TO SLEEP AND NEVER WOKE UP !

GOOD LUCK, PLEASE GET OFF BEFORE YOU ARE IN TROUBLE BEFORE YOU KNOW WHAT HAS HIT YOU ! THEY SHOULD TAKE XANAX OFF THE MARKET YEARS AGO !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

KLONIPIN IS A SEIZURE MED BUT ALSO A BENZO AS XANAX BUT NOT NEAR AS ADDICTIVE, MAYBE YOU CAN TAKE THAT WHILE WEANNING OFF OF XANAX WITH YOUR DOCTORS APPROVAL OF COURSE !! BUT DETOX A NA MEETINGS KEEP YOU OFF IT ! I STILL AT TIMES HAVE A BURNING IN MY STOMACH WANTING XANAX AFTER HAVING ZERO XANAX since 1994 & I WILL NEVER, EVER TOUCH OR LOOK AT XANAX AGAIN, NEVER EVER !

BEST OF LUCK & MANY PRAYERS,
Suzanne

[longsuffering]

I have been on alot of different meds over the years, nothing is 100%  I did wort off most of the panic attasks through meds and avoidance. I have wondered if xanax maybe a med I can take when I have a panic attack. I work in a demanding stressful job at times and I must be alert, would a low dose of xanax work for me? My doc has never even mentioned xanax as treatment. I take busphar (2 a day) and celexa , have taken prozac, and others. I am still  depressed at times and suffer from panic attacks at times. I fear traveling long distances alone, I fear the attack. I am a grown man sometimes it is very hopeless.