[Guiness187055]

I just started wellbutrin again and had the mother of all panic attacks. Took 1mg of xanax and bye bye panic attack. I only take it when needed and it is a wonder drug for panic attacks.

[Wild Coyote]

Many years ago, in the 80's, there was a trend of using high doses of Xanax.
I was new to anti-anxiety meds then. My then pdoc prescribed 14 mg per day.
I'd eventually ended up IP and that was one ***** of a withdrawal. Terrible.
I have not touched Xanax since and I have never been the same since.

I'll bet Xanax can be very helpful in lower doses and in the "right" situation.
I'm glad you benefit from the use of Xanax.


WC

[Sunflower123]

I take 2 mg Xanax ER daily to keep it in my system and I have 1mg .prn of Xanax and 2 mg .prn of klonopin (I can take up to 4 mg) when I'm having extreme anxiety or panic attacks. I agree it is a good drug but sometimes neither drug works. Maybe my tolerance has overcome it's effectiveness.

I agree. The times we've tried to cut off the Xanax or reduce it at my request the withdrawals are worse then any other medication I've come off of.

If anybody has had a better experience with other anxiety drugs I'd really like to hear about it.

Best wishes.

[rewrite05]

I've just been given a small one time rx of lorazepam for crippling anxiety attacks this week, hopefully just until my long term meds kick in. I've known a few people who've been in benzo hell and it's not a pretty place to visit from what I'm told so I'm definitely limiting my consumption of these.

I agree with the title of this thread, and truly think the key is having it PRN (as long as one isn't prone to keep lowering the bar...). The biggest problems are addiction and withdrawals, right? And with only periodic use your body doesn't come to expect it, you know? Eliminates acclimation therefore no withdrawals. That's my take on it anyway.

In the past I'd been prescribed it for a more regular use (while being in a particularly hard time), but was uncomfortable with that and was always running out of refill time without having gotten all the refills, lol. (I'm otherwise pretty good about compliance. This one was by far the biggest aberration.)

[still_crazy]

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.

[halus1]

Originally Posted by Wild Coyote

Many years ago, in the 80's, there was a trend of using high doses of Xanax.
I was new to anti-anxiety meds then. My then pdoc prescribed 14 mg per day.
I'd eventually ended up IP and that was one ***** of a withdrawal. Terrible.
I have not touched Xanax since and I have never been the same since.

I'll bet Xanax can be very helpful in lower doses and in the "right" situation.
I'm glad you benefit from the use of Xanax.


WC

14mgs? That's insane and he was too. (your doctor I mean)

At my worst I was up to about 8mg a day and my brain was essentially mush at that stage. I've forgotten whole sections of my life - or more accurately never remembered them to begin with. It's called anterograde amnesia - you don't lay down the memories properly.

Daily use of benzos is very risky indeed.