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CAN I JUST TAKE XANAX????

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Posted 8/24/2014 3:13 AM (GMT 0)
eyes Hi guys just wanted to know can I just take xanax alone?????? I hate meds im just starting on lexapro just want my life back not with all these meds!!!!!! Im going to ask my doctor anyway lexapro without insurance is 80 bucks for thirty, but xanax is only nine dollars and change WOW!!!!!!! But I heard xanax is a addictive smhair
Posted 8/24/2014 7:23 AM (GMT 0)
Do ask your doc... some people take Xanax as needed, but there is a strong likelihood of dependence as benzodiazepines are addictive and there can be withdrawal symptoms when you stop taking them.

I've been taking lorazepam (Ativan), another benzodiazepine, twice a day for years. It recently lost its effectiveness so my doctor upped the dosage after instead trying an antidepressant to which I reacted very badly. I'm concerned about dependence but I'd rather take it forever than live with the nasty physical anxiety symptoms I get without it.

Xanax isn't something you'd be likely to take regularly because it's strong and fast-acting but doesn't stay in your system very long.
Posted 8/24/2014 7:43 AM (GMT 0)
in my experience xanax is effective for who felt anxiety + slight touch of depressive effect of combo. its fast acting. ask your dr. before take xanax
Posted 8/24/2014 10:52 AM (GMT 0)
I am on Paxil but it is not working yet. My docs do not want to prescribe benzos, even temporarily. My 91 yr. old mother is visiting for a week. I wake up every morning at 3 a.m. with anxiety symptoms quite horrific. I am supposed to struggle through them, according to my doctors. My mother is on Xanax so i took one of hers, .25mg. i had a great day with my mom. I woke up this morning at 3 again with the anxiety symptoms. I have a few Lorazapams left. I tried one of those. I am better than normal but not great yet. I have an appointment with my doc this week. How can I convince her to give me a small prescription to any benzo so I can enjoy the rest of the week with my mom and possibly start my job again, being middle school, where school starts this week?
Posted 8/24/2014 2:04 PM (GMT 0)
Xanax is clearly a depressant and a downer, it will not help with depression it can actually make it worse, that is why people with depression always get a ANTI-depressant for depression/anxiety, and if you are lucky a benzo for the anxiety attacks.
Posted 8/24/2014 3:08 PM (GMT 0)
2S.,

Ask your doctor about short term use.

My advice? Use with caution, and for a short duration while you are looking for long term help through therapy.

For anyone who has had addicition issues in the past/present any benzo use can't be considered...

...but if taken as directed and in conjunction with working with a therapist/phsycologist, it can be a helpful step...especially for those sufferering from severe panic episodes.

Best wishes on your decision. I hope that you can get your answers and treatment plan in place soon...keep us posted.

S.C.

Posted 8/24/2014 8:28 PM (GMT 0)
the thing i like about xanax is that it stops the anxiety/panic..the thing i don't like is that it does not prevent. I was able to stop xanax with out a problem and on my 4th day of taking buspirone 15mg. I have not taken xanax as my doc wants me to stop due to me wanting to get pregnant . I have experienced panic attacks that peak high but only last a few seconds so this is an improvement.
Sorry, i went on a tangent but xanax can be addicting, it also depends on the way you are wired. I am not a fan of ativan as i tried this and to me it was so gratifying that i noticed and stopped using it as i did not want to become addicted to it. I was on cymbalta for many years panic free anxiety free a normal functioning person. thought it was time to ween off of it and had withdrawal (flu symptoms) and got through it and was fine for few days and BAM! panic attacks were back so as i can not be on cymbalta if i am trying to get preggers, i am starting over.

I hope this was helpful and sorry for the tangent, my first time posting!
Posted 8/25/2014 12:06 AM (GMT 0)
I have been on Paxil for 6 weeks. Still trying to get that to work. I am going to a therapist, an acupuncturist who also prescribes Chinese herbs. I am spending a fortune but still cannot get out the door early in the morning to go to work. I have never had an addiction issue. I don't smoke. I drink a little wine very seldom.

My morning symptoms are purely physical, not anxiety attacks so to speak. They do however make me crazy. i haven't woken up feeling good since last October. i am frustrated but not depressed.
Posted 8/25/2014 7:53 PM (GMT 0)
I have taken Xanax daily to get me out of the vicious fear-panic cycle that a lot of panic attack people get in. I took a relatively low dose of .5 3x daily. Only had to take it that way for about 2 1/2 weeks. I still take it daily, but I only take .25 a day unless I have a panic attack. I am not addicted to it, as I don't take enough to totally take the anxiety away. But I am dependent on it for when I have panic attacks. Usually my panic/anxiety goes in cycles where I will experience it for a couple months then it will go away for years. It's sticking around a little longer than usual this time, so I am contemplating an ssri.
Posted 8/25/2014 8:01 PM (GMT 0)
I wish I could get my doc †o let me take the .25 mg once a day. That is doing it for me right now. I will have another conversation.
Posted 8/25/2014 8:14 PM (GMT 0)
Circus, are you seeing a primary care physician or a psychiatrist for your meds?
Posted 8/25/2014 8:17 PM (GMT 0)
I remember when I first saw a psychiatrist when I began this journey (wayyyy back when there were dinosaurs)....and my first psych told me that she had patients (at that time) where she prescribed Xanax exclusively.

So it isn't unheard of. It may not be popular. It may not be advocated. You may hear a bunch of cautionary tales. And more importantly, you'll probably hear your doc tell you 'no' to this.

Buuuuut, that being said, I do know of people who only take Xanax and do just fine and dandy.

It's a conversation to have with your doc.












M.
Posted 8/25/2014 8:25 PM (GMT 0)
I have been on Paxil for 6 wks. with wicked side effects and no help. We tried Prozac before that and Fluoxitine. All had bad side effects and no help. I get instant relief with the Xanax and no side effects. i can go a day without it when I don't have anything special to do and live through the early morning anxiety symptoms. I am 59 yrs. old. This is the first time I have dealt with anxiety issues. I have had other health problems for 2 yrs. I have resolved them and am left with the general anxiety disorder.

Your input is encouraging. I will remember it when I am being scolded by my doctor for taking the Xanax. i don't care. My 91 yr. old mother is visiting for one week and I want to enjoy her visit.
Posted 8/25/2014 8:31 PM (GMT 0)
To answer the which doc question. I am seeing both a psychiatric nurse practitioner and a regular nurse practitioner, and they have different opinions of what I should take. I thought they would work together to figure out the best game plan. My primary says that I have to make the decision and stick with one of the doctors. She is not my favorite person in the world right now. We really don't get along. I only started seeing her this spring when I had unresolved health issues from my other doctor. i was looking for a fresh approach. The anxiety cropped up later.
Posted 8/25/2014 8:43 PM (GMT 0)
Thanks guys!!!!!!! I really love the support that comes from this site!!!! Hugs;)
Posted 8/26/2014 1:11 AM (GMT 0)
I think psychiatrist are much more likely to prescribe Xanax. My primary will do it, reluctantly. I am more likely to "have my way" with the pdoc. Haha!
Posted 8/26/2014 12:05 PM (GMT 0)
I hope that is true.
Posted 8/26/2014 12:10 PM (GMT 0)
My Psychiatrist hates giving out xanax(or so he says)something with the government cracking down on it or some such nonsense, I live in Florida and we have had a really big problem with prescription medications, so supposedly they closely monitor doctors.

In my theory if a Psychiatrist is prescribing it, and it is a drug for a mental condition, that they have the green light.

When I was seeing my primary care physician I wasn't aware anxiety was considered a mental condition, that's when she told me I would have to see a Psychiatrist, so I did and I have been seeing him almost two years.
Posted 8/26/2014 12:25 PM (GMT 0)
I am thinking of switching over my care at this point. My primary wants me to switch to Effexor. I want to see what the psych doc say s about. My primary got all bent out of shape when I said I wanted to get a second opinion.

I will have to make a strong case to my psych doc. She likes patients to struggle through getting on Paxil. i have been doing that all summer.
Posted 8/26/2014 12:28 PM (GMT 0)
Omg circus dog your better than me good luck ;)
Posted 8/26/2014 2:08 PM (GMT 0)
Xanax should be used as a tool to get one to their objective, which should be a life without anxiety, as I told Circus Dog in an earlier post, I used it exclusively for over ten years, but
I did not use it as a daily med, I used it to shut down panic so I could work, my group
therapy taught us to try and deal with the panic first, then resort to the drugs, learning to
taste the panic before taking a drug will allow you to realize it is not a fatal condition and
over time you will become stronger, one day you will just tell panic to bring it on and while
it may not be fun you will know that you can defeat it, I haven't used Xanax but one time
in almost three years. "No one will become an addict taking benzos as dr. prescribed".
Peace. Larry ***
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