ugh. benzodiazepines. i was dependent in my late teens, by prescription. klonopin. the tapering process was....not fun. at all. i even had to take midrin for the headaches from the pits of hell.

having said that, a Mother's Little Helper now and then never hurt anybody. Daily use...more of a mxied bag, especially over long stretches of time. High dose+daily use=Trouble, all too often.

14mgs/xanax? That's intense! I do recall reading that Xanax can help some forms of depression. An acquaintance in another country said it's still officially approved for that use over there, up to 9mgs/day or something crazy like that.

To the original poster...I'm glad the xanax worked so well and so quickly for you. I'm also glad your psychiatrist keeps you stocked.

Oddly enough, I've read here and there that Valium--still popular in many countries, but even now not all that widely prescribed in the US--may actually be the better benzo, for a number of reasons. Works fast, long half-life, doesn't induce depression as often as Klonopin, and a lot easier to taper than xanax, klonopin, ativan, etc.