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Posted 1/22/2009 2:21 PM (GMT 0)
Hi,

I have noticed that some of you are on xanax. I'm sure you are aware of the possibility of addiction. I say this because I was addicted to it and I didn't even know I was.

The doctors at the health clinic prescribed it for severe anxiety and it worked instantly and better than anything else... and they kept prescribing it for about two years. It would not have been an issue to be dependent on a prescribed drug if In fact they had the sense to NOT decide that SOMETIMES they didn't want to give it to me.

I always knew I felt terrible if I didn't take it on time and when they screwed around with my script or whatever I had to "chip" the pills so I would not get sick. I was, in effect, a junkie.

It was not until the last doctor I dealt with at that clinic forgot to write the number of pills on the script. I walked 5 blocks to the pharmacy only to be told they could not fill it. I walked back to the clinic only to be told The doc was in a meeting and could not be interrupted.

It was friday. I had no pills, I was withdrawing and I had to go home and brace myself. I have never been through anything so horrible in my life and hope to never go through anything like it again!

It took almost 4 months before my brain was ok enough for me to even go out in public and even after that it was touch and go.

I'm not trying to scare anyone but I do want to say please please be careful!
Posted 1/22/2009 3:36 PM (GMT 0)
Hi,

Fascinating b/c my doc so wanted me on it and I just said no but NOT b/c of addiction fears. He claimed it has no addiction whatsoever, gotta love it!!! I am confused as to your problem. Was it actually physical pain with no pill? I had always thought the problem would be psychological. I do use valerian root when I am stressed and need some help. I have had no problems but like anything respect it is a drug even if natural.

Patsie
Posted 1/22/2009 5:20 PM (GMT 0)
I have been on xanax for 12 years, and, yes, I am most likely "addicted" to it. But as my dr and psychiatrist said, "we dont call it an addiction", because I do not increase my dosage ever, and never ask for a dosage increase. Xanax has literally saved my life. I was nearly hospitalized several years ago for a deep depression and severe anxiety. It was the only med that worked for me. The drs have told me I will have to take it for the rest of my life, and if it means leading a normal life,
then I have no problems with taking it. It is very important that a dr and a pharmcist make sure you have enough pills, before you go thru withdrawal. That is their responsibility, because withdrawl from xanax can be very severe. I hope you find some answers
Posted 1/22/2009 9:16 PM (GMT 0)
It's funny that you would bring up xanax.. I was just talking about it today with my dad.. my husband was just recently put on xanax, and he seems to be doing wonderfully on it (so far, so good anyway): less anxious and he even seems less angry (has had some anger issues his whole life).. he's just.. calm, which is GREAT! And I was actually considering asking my psychiatrist at my appt. tomorrow to try it out on me, which I was planning on doing even before they put my husband on it.. just because of the fact that I am weary about meds and would like to only be on something that I don't have to take daily, just whenever I feel I need it.... is there any other meds out there like that, where you can take whenever you need something, besides xanax?

Thanks!!

-Jenna (JCgurl)

______________________________________________

21 years old

Fibromyalgia, Bipolar Disorder, OCD, Irrational fears

"You can't be brave if you've only had wonderful things happen to you." -Mary Tyler Moore

Posted 1/23/2009 3:19 PM (GMT 0)
Hi,
I was on this a few years ago. It was for severe anxiety. I was having panic attacks so bad that there was no time in between them and I could not live that way. The doctors at the clinic I went to were just like they are everywhere else it seems. They give you a drug and the next doc that comes to take his place argues with you about it or gives you more.

In my case It was a little bit of both. I think it is a very effective and powerful drug. It made my life live-able. It was when I did not have it that I had the problem. As long as you trust that your docs can keep on it then its a life saver really.

I never increased my dosage either. I never took more than I should have but at times I had to take less just to get through a short script.

The withdrawal that I have described to people has been compared to heroine withdrawal. It is something I will never forget and I really wasn't confident I would ever come through it.

We are expected to be responsible with our meds. I really would like to think that doctors would be even more responsible but it is not always that way.
Posted 1/23/2009 3:20 PM (GMT 0)
OH AND.....any doc that says xanax can't be addictive is a QUACK!!!!!
Posted 1/23/2009 3:24 PM (GMT 0)
amen...seen alot of heartache with that drug.Granted it helps folks,but the addiction factor is scary.I have a brother-in-law that takes 10-15 of the purple ones a day,not to mention his other meds.

Posted 1/23/2009 3:40 PM (GMT 0)
Also as far as taking it to make you feel calm or whatever wasn't why I was on it. I was in a severe painc mode that for some reason would NOT stop for weeks. I was worn out and afraid when I dragged my *** to the clinic.

When I took that first pill I could not believe it. The panic just disappeared and I felt a sense of peace and calm. I liked it. It was a med that helped. My life began to revolve around having enough pills for the week. God forbid I should leave the house and forget my pills. It could not happen. I had to take it on time or bad things started to happen.

There was no way I would have stopped taking it if I didn't have that doctor screw up my script on a friday. By that next wed I was so sick I asked to be taken to the ER.

The doctor there told me I was not having withdrawal and that I was overreacting yet he prescribed phenobarbital (?)
The pharmasist who filled it took me aside- the only person that give a crap- and asked me why I was on this...I explained it as best I could and he said I had not seen the end of this and that it can push people to the edge and that I needed to be strong to get through it. he said I could call if i needed to. He told me the new drug was just like the old drug and to be very careful.

I didn't take it. I figured If I was that sick then I did not want to take the 10 pills the ER gave me and then go through this again.

I just rolled up in my bed and sweated, cried, drooled, snotted, clenched my teeth, crawled to the toilet and back, had vivid nightmares and a brick in my stomach. I couldn't talk right or see straight or eat. I lost about 15 pounds. I looked skinny.... but sick...like a skinny, drug addict with a gaunt face and glassy eyes. I didnt know what I looked like. My friends kept an eye on me and after it was over I was able to have them tell me what they saw.

That part took about a month. there was three months after where I felt "fragile" Like it could all happen again. The panic and anxiety were back and I had to wait for the antidepressants I had to kick in.

I am not even a person who drinks or does drugs. I smoke cigs. And I felt like there was no reason for me to ever know what it felt like to come off a drug like that.


Anyway it really sucked and I just don't want anyone to go through that.
Posted 1/23/2009 4:10 PM (GMT 0)

telula68 said...
OH AND.....any doc that says xanax can't be addictive is a QUACK!!!!!

AMEN to that. My Dr. was very open and honest with me about xanax. I take less than what she wrote the script for and ONLY in a panic situation. She has me on clonazepam, the longer acting version at night for sleep/ She also wants to wean me off this eventually. Her weaning plan could take a year, as she knows my body is sensitive to everything.
Posted 1/23/2009 4:41 PM (GMT 0)
everyone is different when it comes to meds. i dont LIKE taking the xanax, and i was very ashamed when i had to. I tried prozaz, pamelor, and ativan and nothing worked as well as the xanax. i was afraid i was going to be called a "druggie" and never even told my family i was taking it. it saved me from the pscyh ward at the hospital and am living a normal life. Am I an addict? No, I am not. I am just another person who has severe anxiety due to many things in my life. Would I like to get off it it??? Yes, I would, but the both drs agree that it is the best med for me.
I am no longer ashamed that I take xanax. so those who are on xanax and are being monitored correctly by a dr, we are NOT addicts. also, I only take

.50 mg a day, so that is not a lot!!!!

Posted 1/23/2009 5:32 PM (GMT 0)

smilewinkgrin  Tootiebug58 said...
everyone is different when it comes to meds. i dont LIKE taking the xanax, and i was very ashamed when i had to. I tried prozaz, pamelor, and ativan and nothing worked as well as the xanax. i was afraid i was going to be called a "druggie" and never even told my family i was taking it. it saved me from the pscyh ward at the hospital and am living a normal life. Am I an addict? No, I am not. I am just another person who has severe anxiety due to many things in my life. Would I like to get off it it??? Yes, I would, but the both drs agree that it is the best med for me.
I am no longer ashamed that I take xanax. so those who are on xanax and are being monitored correctly by a dr, we are NOT addicts. also, I only take

.50 mg a day, so that is not a lot!!!!

I'm glad you're not stressing about what people think of you taking the drug. I make jokes to my friends about it now :-) I do think that Dr's should be honest with their paitents about the possibilities for addiction if this drug isn't taken as directed. My primary Dr first gave it to me after the death of my brother and he didn't give me any info. I was popping 3-0.5mg pills a day....way too much for me.

Once I went to my psyc Dr she put the breaks on that and told me to use the smallest dose that worked for me. Xanax helps me alot and I am careful not to overdo it. I just purchased the Lucinda Bassett series and I'm hoping that will give me some additonal coping strategies, but I'll keep using my xanax when I need it. smilewinkgrin

i Just wanted to add that this is NOT the type of drug you should stop taking cold turkey. It could lead to seizures and other serious side effects. You should always work closely with a Dr you trust and you feel has your best interest in mind.


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