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xanax vs. valium

I have had problems with my anxiety on and off.  Lately its back and I have also experienced panic attacks.  My doctor gave me Xanax .25 mg to try but I feel like when I take it, it actually makes my anxiety worse. I felt more anxious and felt like it made my chest feel funny making it harder for me to breathe. My mother has a prescription for Valium 5mg and she told my to take half of one of her pills which I did and I feel like that helped me better. My questions are: Has anyone felt their anxiety to get worse when taking xanax? and Do you prefer or think Valium works better than Xanax?
I'm looking for answers from people who use the pills for medical purposes (anxiety relieve) not from people who use them for recreational drug use.
Thanks for your time
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Avatar universal
Thanks for your comments, I think I'll stick with the valium because it seems to be helping and probably will talk to a counselor or therapist for a little bit..whatever it takes to make myself feel normal again is what I'll do..i appreciate all comments :)
Helpful - 0
1666691 tn?1303754348
I prefer xanax,valium made me more anxious,I think these meds have different effects on different people if you feel valium works better for you ask your doc for it instead of the xanax.Lily
Helpful - 0
Avatar universal
My doctor put me all the way up to 150 mg of effexor and it made me worse. I've only tried xanax once recreationally so I don't really know the side effects. But my doctor reduced me to 37.5 mg of effexor and 20 mg of celexa (citalopram) plus 5 mg twice a day of clonazepam.

I have found that the clonazepam has helped a lot, although I have been feeling extremely tired. But at least I don't have a constant knot in my stomach or get panic attacks.

I was on diazepam (aka valium) to help me reduce my dosage of effexor as I had bad withdrawal symptoms. The diazepam was temporary though, you're not supposed to be on it for more than a few weeks....
Helpful - 0
1568041 tn?1311615212
Medecine is subjective.....xanax, like any other med, can work great for some but not for others. So yes it can cause your anxiety to get worse. Call your dr and tell him they arent helping you and see if you can get him to change your prescription. You want something that works or else whats the point? Good luck
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Arlington, VA
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Arlington, WA
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