XANAX question

Curtstl7 · Post by **Curtstl7** » Wed Jan 27, 2010 12:56 pm

i have taken xanax maybe 5 times in the past 2 years. i was thinking maybe if i just took one (.025 mg) every other night, maybe it will give my mind a chance to slow down for a bit and help me in the long run. because it seems to be the only thing that works for me (but i dont want to get addicted). any comments? or anyone do this? i dont really have panic attacks or one day is not worse than the other. im generally anxious 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, very few breaks in between.

Guest · Post by **Guest** » Wed Jan 27, 2010 2:27 pm

Hello, I am a xanax user and have been for 10 years. Most of those 10 years, I only used it as needed. And would take 1/2 of the .25 mg. People thought I was silly but that small of an amount did help me. Now I take a little more, .5 mg in 2009 due to overwhelming circumstances and stress that hit and I had never learned coping skills like I am now that I am doing the program. I hope to very soon began to reduce the amount back down to the .25 and only use as needed and eventually not at all.

So, yes, I have used it only on occasion in the past and it helped me like that and no, I don't believe I got addicted to it during that time. The only problem for me was I depended on it when I got stressed. Pluses and minuses I guess in it. Hope that helps. Take care.

Guest · Post by **Guest** » Wed Jan 27, 2010 4:20 pm

I use xanax also sparingly, in the same amounts both of you mention, sporadically half of a 0.25 mg tab. I saw my psychiatrist today and he put it to me like this, because I again expressed my feelings of stigma, weakness at occsionally needing anti-anxiety medication. "Your body is producing cortisol and adrenaline in high and constant amounts, which are chemicals just as xanax is a chemical." In a sense this is true. If we're always on totally revved-up mode with no break, then it's hard to have enough peace and quiet to allow for learning and growth. I still rarely use the xanax and when I do I totally beat myself up and just know I'm moments away from living in doorways and prostituting myself for xanax, but it just isn't true... we're not addicts here, except maybe addicted to anxiety. What you suggest sounds reasonable. But the xanax is an artificial break. A mask for the symptoms. Ultimately, we want to address the causes of the stress rather than spending our lives compensating for the stress.

Guest · Post by **Guest** » Thu Jan 28, 2010 4:15 pm

believe me cuttingirl i am working on a more permanent solution to my anxiety (i take no meds, am doing acupuncture every week which slowly but surely seems to be working). bbut once in a while, yes i would like to mask my anxiety lol

but just for a short while, just to kind of "take a break" if you know what i mean

Ms. Hopeful...yes that did help me, thank you

Guest · Post by **Guest** » Sun Jan 31, 2010 11:13 am

hey curtstl7
i was given xanas also as needed.25 the doc said i could take it up to 4xs a day. I have only taken one once or once and a while one in a half on some days. I dont think we can get addicted since Everyone i spoke to both doctors,psychiatrists and pharmacists say thats the smallest possible dose and theres No way toget addicted to such a small dose.if used the way they prescribe of course.
i am also a 24 / 7anxious person and now its stemming into Nervousness everyday i wake up. Its strange.
How do u feel? what is ur anxiety like?
I find im more anxious or nervous in the am and it takes half the day to get back to normal and then im worried about feeling that way for the rest of the day.

Guest · Post by **Guest** » Mon Feb 01, 2010 4:01 am

Hi, my name is calabashsue, I am really new to this forum idea. Let me start by saying I am an addict. I can become addicted to just about anything - as long as I THINK I am getting high, low, or just numbing my brain. I began with drinking. I progressed through most of the obvious easy to get stuff. I would use anything that I felt would alter my state of mind. I used drinking in the beginning (for about 10 years, because when I drank I was as good as all of you, maybe even better. I could do anything when I was drinking. I just fit in with everybody else. Anyway, I went to rehab for my drinking. I gave that up, and proceeded to the next mind altering substance-perscription meds - in the beginning it was pain meds. I felt even better with pills. And I wasn't falling down drunk. This was my white collar addiction. But that turned on me too. I was perscribed xanax in addition to pain meds. Now I would take anybody on-no one would cross me they were afraid of me. If they only knew. It got to where I was taking 100 pain and 100 xanax pills in a week (no lie). I was the best con artist there is around. Finley one of the 2 drs I saw each week in my home state, kept after me trying to convince me to go to rehab. Now I was terrified because he told me that withdrawing from xanax was going to be the worst. Worse then the pain meds, even drinking. It t took a couple of months, was working in another stated on TDY. But I finally agreed to go, but I wanted to go to a specific rehab in PA. I was there for 28 days and I have to say he was right about xanax withdrawal, the worst. Talk about black outs, I actually lost about a year of memories. I was bad physically and mentally. But I made it. I wish that my story ended in rehab. But it didn't. After awhile, I ended up being perscribed pain meds. I never used xanax again, I was afraid of it. Wish I was afraid of all substances. But I guess what I have learned about myself is that as long as a doctor writes a script, then it is okay to use pain meds. I did end up getting meds for panic and depression, I realized what road I was going down and I was at a good place in my life, so I detoxed myself and rejoined AA. I am on pain meds now (4 a day, and my husband holds the pills and gives me my meds in the AM. I broke my back in May of 2007 and to avoid surgery (which I was afraid of) my Orthopedic sent to me a pain clinic near my home here in NC. The pain was so bad, I was on strong long acting pain patches and taking another strong pain pill for flare ups. I actually got to where I thought surgery looked pretty good. I finally had a spinal fusion L 3-4-5 june 2008. It helped a lot, but I am still on some pain meds, which I will probably take for the rest of my lift. My husband takes care of the pills. This was very long. I don't know if this is okay or according to the rules. I just wanted to say that no matter what I took, it took me to the same place in the end - bottom. But xanax was a tough withdrawal. I do take an antidepression pill in the am. I am hoping that by working with the material, maybe joining in with the various forum's, I can eventually get off of everything. Thanks again for listening. Sue in Calabash NC.

Guest · Post by **Guest** » Mon Feb 01, 2010 6:44 am

I'm taking 1 mg twice a day - and now I'm scared to death about taking that much.

Guest · Post by **Guest** » Mon Feb 01, 2010 6:45 am

Everyone else talks about just taking .25 mg. and how hard it is to get off of them.

Guest · Post by **Guest** » Tue Feb 02, 2010 5:44 am

I take .5 mg of Xanax an hour or so before I go to bed every night just so I can relax and get some sleep. It's non-stop aniexty and agitation all day long for me. I rarely take anything during the day, I try not to unless it's been a rough day. I'm not sure if I'm addicted to them, but feel it's the only way to calm my mind and body before bed. I don't drink or have any other addictions.

Guest · Post by **Guest** » Tue Feb 02, 2010 6:13 am

If you have concerns about xanax, Please contact your doctor. Most good doctors , moniter their patients they prescribe xanax.
Xanax can be addictive, but then so can aspirin, nose spray, etc.
However , that certainly doesn't mean everyone that takes small amounts of aspirin or xanax will be addicted.
Discuss any comments, questions about any medicaton with our pharmacist or doctor. PLEASE dont search the internet or google. Although there are good sites out there, there are also horror stories, and for some reason, we who have or have had anxiety always manage to find the bad sites.
Its not worth your time or stress to do that.
Keep doing your program, be open with your doctor. Nelly