Aa
xanax addiction
I have been taking xanax for many years, it started with very low dosages and sometimes I would break it in half and take half in the morning and then other half on the way home from work, but now I am on 2mg. and I usually take 2 or 2 and half a day depending on the day and the stress, it helps me drive better otherwise, I get panicky when I am driving or when I am stressed at work, it really helps me, but I cant stand the feeling when it wears off , then I get heart palipations and all kinds of side effects and I dont know what to do, I dont want to go off all together, but I want to be able to not take it and function without having high anxiety or panic attacks. Please help me.
I cannot say it any better! I believe greenlydia is spot on. For me, long term relief with anxiety came from understanding it and being able to confront it. In my opinion, we tend to continue to fear what we do not understand, so when we learn about something it takes that veil of confusion and fear. Anxiety is a pain in the you know what, but it is a challenge, and a challenge that you can confront and deal with quite effectively in my experience. In fact, for me, I am actually thankful for it looking back on it now. It has made me a much more patient and understanding person and has also made me a better father and husband.
You will get through it....it is tough and it can seem VERY daunting at first, but as with anything put before us, the small steps we take start to add up quite significantly as we work on getting through it.
You will get through it....it is tough and it can seem VERY daunting at first, but as with anything put before us, the small steps we take start to add up quite significantly as we work on getting through it.
Cj had great advice and I'm just going to add a few thoughts to his post.
(Excuse me if I jump around a bit........I haven't had enough coffee yet)
First, please understand that a powerful benzo like Xanax should not be used for everyday "stress." I Do understand from your post that you also have anxiety and panic.........I mentioned that only because you said that you sometimes take it when you are stressed at work.
Taking ANY benzo will help, or completely eliminate, the symptoms of anxiety/panic. But that is ALL they are doing......simply masking what is really going inside us. Until you truly accept and understand this, then you will, as so many of us have found out, remain on a treadmill that gets us nowhere, while we continue to pop our pills.
When we get sick and tired of feeling this way and , when a pill becomes a psychological nessesity to get out of bed and face another day, then it's time to step back and take stock. At this point we must be brutally honest with ourselves and decide how we want to live our lives. If you want freedom from the anxiety and panic and freedom from dependence/addiction to the pills, then we have to commit ourselves to seeking recovery. When we understand the root cause of our anxiety, and deal with it through the help of a qualified therapist, we no longer need the meds to keep the scary stuff in the closet.
Alternatively, if you and your therapist decide that remaining on a benzo is more beneficial than not, the two of you could discuss switching you to a longer acting benzo such as Klonopin. (I'm not saying this is the best choice for you, it's just a very common long acting benzo and was the first that came to mind)
Xanax is very short acting. It is completely out of your system in 4-6 hours. That leaves many hours of the day when you are not "covered." Klonopin, and other long acting benzos will cover you 24 hours a day. You will not have the crazy ups and downs that Xanax can produce in some people.
If the decision is made to switch you to a long acting benzo, please make sure the person who is guiding you in this transition knows what the hell they are doing. This person needs to totally understand about "equivilancy" of different meds. This means that even tho Xanax and Klonopin (or whatever drug) may all be in the benzo "family," it by no means implies that 2mg of Xanax is completely equal to 2mg of a different benzo. Same principle as any medication. I could be taking a 500mg antibiotic twice a day, and you could be taking a 50mg antibiotic once a day. Both are antibiotics, but their EQUIVILANCY is miles apart. Your therapist must know this as well as the fact that Xanax is perhaps the most difficult benzo to withdraw from and must be done VERY slowly over a very long time. Many respected psychiatrists as well as medical journals state that a person who has been taking 4mg of Xanax for 3 years can be successfully weaned in about 6 weeks. Well, who am I to argue with a learned psychiatrist, but I can tell you from some ugly personal experiences, that while they CAN get someone to STOP taking Xanax in that time frame, that person is FAR from being "THERAPEUTICALLY WITHDRAWN" from that medication. The difference is massive. It's night and day. It's success vs failure.
And there are also some of us out here who have been through years and years of therapy to deal with our anxiety and the crap in our closets, but like Humpty-Dumpty, we may be more or less put back together again, but we will always have a few "cracks" in our shells and require meication for the rest of our lives. And that's OK, too. As long as you've given therapy it's best shot to rid you of the cracks...........there is no shame or failure in needing a medication to live the best life we can. Nobody thinks twice about the person who needs insulin or medication for epilepsy or high blood pressure or a hundred other medical reasons. It is EXACTLY the same with psychotropic meds.
And for some people therapy just does not work. And if they remain on meds for the rest of their lives, and they are happy and functioning well, then I say "if it ain't broke, don't fix it!"
You wrote.........."I dont know what to do, I dont want to go off all together, but I want to be able to not take it and function without having high anxiety or panic attacks."
You DO know what to do. You need to consult with a therapist and figure out what you ARE going to do. You say you don't have time and I say you need to find the time since this is your MENTAL HEALTH we're flippin' like a burger on the barbie! We can ALWAYS find time for the really important stuff in our lives. And this is important.
You're stuck between a rock and a hard spot, Toots. Thousands of us have been exactly where you are. Hundreds of people on this forum are where you are.
And where YOU are right now is being faced with chossing Door #2 or Door #3.................because you're already behind Door #1
(All those in favor of me giving up coffee, raise your hands)
Really wish you luck
Peace
Greenlydia
(Excuse me if I jump around a bit........I haven't had enough coffee yet)
First, please understand that a powerful benzo like Xanax should not be used for everyday "stress." I Do understand from your post that you also have anxiety and panic.........I mentioned that only because you said that you sometimes take it when you are stressed at work.
Taking ANY benzo will help, or completely eliminate, the symptoms of anxiety/panic. But that is ALL they are doing......simply masking what is really going inside us. Until you truly accept and understand this, then you will, as so many of us have found out, remain on a treadmill that gets us nowhere, while we continue to pop our pills.
When we get sick and tired of feeling this way and , when a pill becomes a psychological nessesity to get out of bed and face another day, then it's time to step back and take stock. At this point we must be brutally honest with ourselves and decide how we want to live our lives. If you want freedom from the anxiety and panic and freedom from dependence/addiction to the pills, then we have to commit ourselves to seeking recovery. When we understand the root cause of our anxiety, and deal with it through the help of a qualified therapist, we no longer need the meds to keep the scary stuff in the closet.
Alternatively, if you and your therapist decide that remaining on a benzo is more beneficial than not, the two of you could discuss switching you to a longer acting benzo such as Klonopin. (I'm not saying this is the best choice for you, it's just a very common long acting benzo and was the first that came to mind)
Xanax is very short acting. It is completely out of your system in 4-6 hours. That leaves many hours of the day when you are not "covered." Klonopin, and other long acting benzos will cover you 24 hours a day. You will not have the crazy ups and downs that Xanax can produce in some people.
If the decision is made to switch you to a long acting benzo, please make sure the person who is guiding you in this transition knows what the hell they are doing. This person needs to totally understand about "equivilancy" of different meds. This means that even tho Xanax and Klonopin (or whatever drug) may all be in the benzo "family," it by no means implies that 2mg of Xanax is completely equal to 2mg of a different benzo. Same principle as any medication. I could be taking a 500mg antibiotic twice a day, and you could be taking a 50mg antibiotic once a day. Both are antibiotics, but their EQUIVILANCY is miles apart. Your therapist must know this as well as the fact that Xanax is perhaps the most difficult benzo to withdraw from and must be done VERY slowly over a very long time. Many respected psychiatrists as well as medical journals state that a person who has been taking 4mg of Xanax for 3 years can be successfully weaned in about 6 weeks. Well, who am I to argue with a learned psychiatrist, but I can tell you from some ugly personal experiences, that while they CAN get someone to STOP taking Xanax in that time frame, that person is FAR from being "THERAPEUTICALLY WITHDRAWN" from that medication. The difference is massive. It's night and day. It's success vs failure.
And there are also some of us out here who have been through years and years of therapy to deal with our anxiety and the crap in our closets, but like Humpty-Dumpty, we may be more or less put back together again, but we will always have a few "cracks" in our shells and require meication for the rest of our lives. And that's OK, too. As long as you've given therapy it's best shot to rid you of the cracks...........there is no shame or failure in needing a medication to live the best life we can. Nobody thinks twice about the person who needs insulin or medication for epilepsy or high blood pressure or a hundred other medical reasons. It is EXACTLY the same with psychotropic meds.
And for some people therapy just does not work. And if they remain on meds for the rest of their lives, and they are happy and functioning well, then I say "if it ain't broke, don't fix it!"
You wrote.........."I dont know what to do, I dont want to go off all together, but I want to be able to not take it and function without having high anxiety or panic attacks."
You DO know what to do. You need to consult with a therapist and figure out what you ARE going to do. You say you don't have time and I say you need to find the time since this is your MENTAL HEALTH we're flippin' like a burger on the barbie! We can ALWAYS find time for the really important stuff in our lives. And this is important.
You're stuck between a rock and a hard spot, Toots. Thousands of us have been exactly where you are. Hundreds of people on this forum are where you are.
And where YOU are right now is being faced with chossing Door #2 or Door #3.................because you're already behind Door #1
(All those in favor of me giving up coffee, raise your hands)
Really wish you luck
Peace
Greenlydia
thank you, no i dont see a doctor for this, I did a few times but I dont have the time now.....
Have you been able to get counseling with this situation? Benzos like Xanax can definitely become addictive and be hard to come off in my opinion. Coming off of it extremely slowly through the help of a doctor that knows about these types of meds is important in my opinion. Do you see a psychiatrist or have access to one? Also, are you in or continuing therapy for your anxiety alone? In my experience, it definitely is a challenge coming off of a benzo like Xanax and there is rebound anxiety and withdrawal symptoms, but understanding this and also gaining more knowledge to deal with your anxiety can help get through this process. I usually advise people to remain patient with the process, even though that is sometimes the last thing we want to hear when we have to deal with anxiety/panic. You WILL get through this...it does take time and effort and of course it is not easy, but there is help you can get and we are also here to listen as well....keep us posted and ask as many questions as you like.
Have an Answer?
You are reading content posted in the Anxiety Community
Find out what can trigger a panic attack – and what to do if you have one.
A guide to 10 common phobias.
Take control of tension today.
These simple pick-me-ups squash stress.
Don’t let the winter chill send your smile into deep hibernation. Try these 10 mood-boosting tips to get your happy back
Want to wake up rested and refreshed?
