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PLEASE HELP with Xanax Anxiety Med Question

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Posted 10/16/2011 12:16 AM (GMT 0)
I really need some help.  I have been having panic attacks and a ton of anxiety for about a month.  about 2 1/2 weeks ago I went to my Dr and she gave me Xanax and Paxil.  I took the Paxil for about a week and felt like I was going crazy by day 7 so I tapered off of it in a day or two.  She gave me a prescription for Lexapro but didn't fill it because the Paxil scared me too much.    For the past week or so I have been taking Xanax, .25mg "as needed" up to 3 times per day.  For the past few days I have taken it about 3 times a day but don't want to take it anymore.  I can't sleep, have no appetite and although it seems to help some times I don't want to deal with my anxiety with medication and am scared to become addicted to anything like this.  I see a counselor every week and know i need to deal with this anxiety by confronting the source so am trying to get there

Anyway, I took one this morning around 9am and by 6:30 I felt like I was going to lose it.  I have been reading everything about tapering down off it and it is scaring me to death.  I just took a half of one .25mg dose.  I called the pharmacist and she said just to taper down for 2 or 3 days.  Does anyone know how long this will last for me, it has only been about a week that I have been taking it but I am feeling worse than when I saw my Dr in the first place.  Please help me, I hate feeling like this.  I have a family and small kids at home and I need to be able to function.  Anyone have advice or experience with how long I can expect this to last after only having been taking it a short time??

Thanks so much!!

Posted 10/16/2011 12:34 AM (GMT 0)
You should have continued the paxil, but took the xanax WITH it. One of the side effects of ssri's (paxil) is you get increased anxiety in the beginning. That's probably why she gave you the xanax too. IF you get increased anxiety at the start of an SSRI, it usually means that your anxiety/panic is going to respond well to the medication. I just started back on Zoloft for the 4th or 5th time now (can't remember) and my doc gave me xanax to take with it for the side effects. I take .5 three times daily as needed. But I only take it twice a day, unless i'm really bad, then i'll pop a half of one to hold me over until bedtime. The reason we get these side effects is,most of the time, we have a chemical (seratonin) imbalance in our brain, and the medication is trying to get to work on straightening it out. I'd trade a few weeks of feeling worse, to get relief from something that could last a lifetime anyday! If you were that bad on the paxil, i would definately try the lexapro. You have to give it a few weeks in order for it to start working. Best of luck with whatever you decide, Fox
Posted 10/16/2011 12:45 AM (GMT 0)
Thank you for the advice, the Dr said people have less sided effects from the Lexapro and so did my counselor. I just don't know what to do. This anxiety I am feeling is new to me. I am 40 years old and have had some "situational" anxiety in the past but has been bad lately, its mostly because of things going on at home and just stress. The Paxil made me feel like I was losing my mind, I started worrying I was going to die or end up in the emergency room. I couldn't stick it out because it scared me really badly, the same reason I didn't want to take the Lexapro. I feel like the Xanax is doing the same thing, all the stuff I am reading about it is probably making me more scared that I need to be but that is the way things have been for me lately. Overreacting to everything but I just don't feel like myself.
Posted 10/16/2011 1:20 AM (GMT 0)
First and foremost, people with anxiety and panic attacks should NOT look up side effects to meds or anything else! LOL! You will only make yourself worse by doing this, trust me, i've been there. You can actually talk yourself in to having some of the symptoms. I am 39 years old, I was diagnosed with GAD and Panic Disorder when I was 14, so yea, I know a little about it. ;) Do you mind if I ask if you could be starting perimenopause? The reason is, I have recently been diagnosed with PMDD and my gyno told me that i'm starting perimenopause. Him and my primary doctor both told me that with my disorders, it's going to magnify it by TEN! And they WERE NOT kidding! Also, for people who have never had anxiety problems, they can actually start having anxiety and panic attacks at the onset of peri. I'm just asking because we are close in age, and it may be something you might want to look into.
Posted 10/16/2011 1:40 AM (GMT 0)
Hello, yes I understand completely what you are going through, Katcar6 and I agree with fox7 about reading side effects on the internet about these  meds.  My experience was just like it about a year ago, and just like you I was prescribed lorazepam to take it with effexor, but, I didn't like lorazepam due to the feeling and so I continued using effexor and right now im in the weaning off process thank God.  Let me tell you what my dr told me before I actually started to take medication...all of the side effects are listed because of the lawyers and lawsuits, it doesn't mean you will get them so, it is true you will get better, but in order to get better, you have to go through a process and part of that process is first, getting over the fear of taking meds and two the increased anxiety the first days, you have to believe that you will get better, also Healing well is a great place for support and I thank God that I found it, it has helped all the way...

Posted 10/16/2011 1:44 AM (GMT 0)
You are right, researching this stuff has scared the crap out of me but also was glad I did because I decided I don't want to go down this road of medication for what is probably a temporary situation. I was sitting there at dinner tonight with my family sure I was going to end up on the floor having a seizure, it is crazy. I will talk to my doctor about it, I do think a lot of it is just situational and taking medication was a "quick" fix but realizing that isn't really the case. I have some personal issues I need to confront but am really afraid and for some reason lately it has all been getting to me. I'm not someone who has always suffered anxiety or depression for a long time so not sure I want to go through medication route, I can't get past how badly this has shaken me up. I don't feel like myself and want it to be over.
Posted 10/16/2011 2:18 AM (GMT 0)
Thanks again everybody, for now I am just going to taper off this stuff and try to confront the source of my panic, I know that is for the best in the long run. I was just hoping the medication would help give me the strength I need to do it
Posted 10/16/2011 3:54 AM (GMT 0)
Hi Kat and welcome! It looks like you have recieved some great input already, so I just want to welcome you and encourage you to keep posting here with us.

I am sure that you will find this a place of support, sharing and encouragement as you take these next steps in your recovery.

Great job, keep it up, and know that we are cheering you on!:)

Scaredy Cat

P.S. Fox...put my name on the guest list for that 'Peri-Party'...I'll bring the margaritas! Woo Hoo!
Posted 10/16/2011 4:12 AM (GMT 0)
Alrighty SC, will do! I'll bet if we search hard enough we'll find a bunch of others to join us in our "peri-party". LOL
Posted 10/16/2011 4:44 AM (GMT 0)
Tonight...we RAGE!

Oh, by rage, I mean we are just ill-tempered...I've got to be in bed by 11:00, or I'm no good tomorrow!

Hee hee, haa haa!

S.C.
Posted 10/16/2011 1:15 PM (GMT 0)
Hello KatCar,

you've been given some great advice...but at the end of the day you must be the one to make the final decision whether to medicate or not. You know your situation and your body better than anyone. You say you believe your anxiety and stress are situational...if this is the case then getting to the root of what's causing your stress and anxiety is a move in the right direction. You may need someone (counselor) to help you work your way through it. Meds are there for us when we need them but are not always what we need to get through what is hurting or troubling us as the time.

Please do taper off the Xanax slowly so as not to go through unpleasant withdrawal symptoms. Let us know how it goes. We all care about you.

Take care,

Joni
Posted 10/16/2011 6:40 PM (GMT 0)
Thank you all again for your support and advice last night. I was able to talk with my husband this morning about the issue which has been the source of most of my anxiety and he wasn't even upset. Said he was sorry that I have been making myself so anxious about telling him. We had a good long talk about many of the issues we have had over our 10 year marriage and think we both feel better, that there is hope for us to have a long and happy life together.
I felt like I was going to pass out starting and getting through the conversation but I am so glad I did. I still have the Xanax issue I will need to contend with but feel much more in control than I have in weeks. I have taken two half doses of a .25 mg tablet today, one was early this morning and another before I approached my husband for our talk because I was so filled with anxiety and felt like I wasn't going to make it through.

Going to see how I feel without any more today and will try for a half dose tomorrow and the next day and see how I feel. My anxiety has subsided alot. Thanks so much to cln777 also for "chatting" with me last night, I felt like I was going off the deep end but feel much better today.

Again, I appreciate the support and advice. I will keep you posted on how this tapering goes, now that I am not feeling totally paranoid it may be easier than I expected and was afraid of after reading up on it.
Posted 10/16/2011 6:46 PM (GMT 0)
Kat, glad to hear you are feeling better. Sometimes it helps just to get something off of your chest. I wish you luck with your xanax tapering. I don't think you'll have too much trouble because you were taking such a low dose anyway. Take care, Fox
Posted 10/16/2011 7:57 PM (GMT 0)
I hope so, still nervous about it though. Would still like to hear from others who may have been taking it for the same time frame and if they had trouble stopping it. Feel a little shaky and nervous, I have barely slept in about a week though so that could be part of the problem
Posted 10/16/2011 8:03 PM (GMT 0)
How long have you been taking it? And is it only .25 three times a day?
Posted 10/16/2011 8:13 PM (GMT 0)
A little over 2 weeks ago, I started on Paxil but after 7 days on that I felt like I was going crazy. The Dr had given me Xanax to help when extreme panic took over. As I tapered off the Paxil for a day or two I started taking the Xanax, mostly one .25mg per day. Toward the end of last week, Wed, Thursday and Friday I took 3 .25mg per day at the most, Yesterday I took 1 .25mg tablet and another half in the evening. Today I have taken 2 1/2 doses of the .25mg tablet and don't want to take any more. I am feeling a little shaky and nervous but am beginning to wonder if it is from the Xanax or could it be because I have barely slept in the past week. Was planning on trying to take just 1/2 of the .25 mg tablet tomorrow, I hope I can sleep tonight and then maybe I will be more clear headed. Most of what I have read seems to apply to people who have been taking it for months or years at much higher doses but can't find much info from people like me. The pharmacist said to just take half for a couple of days but who knows.
Posted 10/16/2011 9:02 PM (GMT 0)
You shouldn't have a problem at all, you haven't taken it long, and you haven't taken it consistently at the same dosage. Try going down to just 1 a day for a few days, then a half of one a day for a few days, then maybe a half of one every other day if you feel you need to taper. You'll be fine :)
Posted 10/16/2011 9:54 PM (GMT 0)
Thanks again. I do think this is somewhat situational, my anxiety started a few weeks ago when my Dad almost died and I haven't.been able to shake it. Didn't realize what I was getting into with the medication. My Dr gave me a prescription for Lexapro instead of the Paxil but am hesitant to take anything else after how I have been feeling. Not sure what to do, going to steer clear of the Xanax hopefully in a few days and see how I'm feeling. Gonna get back to the gym too and hope that helps. Seems strange that the tapering takes almost as long as I was on it. :)
Posted 10/18/2011 3:58 AM (GMT 0)
Hello KatCar06,

When I read your post, I knew exactly how you felt. I first started having anxiety about 2 months ago and my doctor ruled out everything. She prescribed Xanax and Paxil. After a week, I started to feel like a zombie! I was worst than when my anxiety first started, I felt like I had spiderwebs, wasn't hungry, felt like I was going to faint over, and just was a different person than myself. I decided that I needed to get off the medications because I didn't want to feel worse and didn't want to become addicted to them. It took me another week to get off the medications and decided to take a natural route. I now take vitamins and herbs every morning. I also exercise and try to keep my schedule the same everyday. At night, I like to take a hot shower with aromatherapy lotions and pillow mist. I also drink a sleepy time tea. Doing these things has helped me a lot. Thanks, for posting and making me feel like I'm not the only one going through this. :-)
Posted 10/19/2011 9:38 AM (GMT 0)
Kari,

Did u have any "withdrawl" symptoms when going off the Xanax. I am still
Taking it, took .25mg yesterday. I met with my counselor and he suggested
I don't suffer through these panic attacks right now and take the
Xanax when I need it. We are working on some
Serious stuff in therapy and its bringing out
A lot of me. I'm still nervous about going off it because I don't want to
Stay on it for long but this panic I feel is awful. One hour I feel fine and then WHAM I'm in full panic mode. I just hope this passes soon.
What kind of natural supplements are you taking??
Thanks! It is nice to know others are out there
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