I went to my doctor for my med recheck, after being on 3mg alprazolam ER for 2-3 weeks. I told him it was OK the first day, very mild, very different, lasted long, but week. Everyday since then it's felt weaker, to the point that it now feels as if I take nothing. He decided to switch me to brand name because I mentioned that it was filled as generic, and I'd done better with brand name Xanax.

I was on 4mg Xanax daily for quite some time before this recent switch. I just told him that the alprazolam ER did NOTHING for anxiety. Can you imagine thinking it's OK for a person to go from 4mg Xanax to more or less nothing (although he probably thinks I'm exaggerating, since the med is in my body). I'm having major anxiety. Mini panic at times. I've only been able to go to interviews because I had some regular Xanax left. I forgot to tell him all this.

I took the brand Xanax XR today. It's no help. To make matters worse, he didn't even schedule a recheck.

I want to give this a try. Just to please him. Just to give him the sense that he is in control and that I don't always get what I want, when I want it.

I did try to generic. It didn't work. I'll now give the brand name a try. I'll have to call in a month for a refill. I guess I'll mention when I leave the message with the nurse that it's not helping at all. The nurses are horrible about giving messages, especially if it means more than just writing the regular script.

He may have a nurse call me back with a message. He may call me back himself, he's done that on rare occassions. I wouldn't mind actually going in for another appointment. I think we have some real issues to discuss.

I don't love the idea of being on medication, especially benzo's, since so many people look down upon them, but other meds have not worked. They help me. Maybe in the future something else will be released to help.

I'm surprised that he almost seems to be trying to cut me back on the Xanax. He was always so good about it before, even increasing when I didn't directly ask. I feel like I've been cut off completely right now. I don't think he realizes that, since it's technically the same drug, he thinks it should be helping.

I don't want to be manipulative, but I'm going to be honest. I know he'll ask about school I was in school for 6 months, stopped, and am trying to find a better one. He was so supportive, especially with my added workload of dealing with bad GAD.).

I'm going to tell him that I'm probably not going to any problem this summer or fall. My anxiety is uncontrolled and it's such a stressful and anxiety-provoking educational system and job environment. I've worked so hard to get into these programs... So, I'm going to settle for something easy and way below my abilities and current education level.

That's going to pull at his heartstrings. He's taken to a fatherly, yet respectful/peer type relationship with me over the past year. He doesn't want me to give up on my life because of this.

Hi Jealibeanz,
I have been having the same problem with Alprazolam XR! It just does not seem to touch my anxiety. I used to take just regular Alprazolam, but my doctor switched me to the XR, because it would help more. Not! I have been having the worst anxiety and panic attacks lately, and my nocturnal ones are back full force. I take 2mg of the XR, and it dosen't help at all. I'am sorry you are going through this. I'am going to bring it up with my Doctor when I see him next time. I have been miserable, and it scared me because I thought: Oh no! What if this is something more serious, because not even Xanax XR provides relief. I hope you feel better soon. And I hope to figure out why this med is not helping.

Take Care!

~NicoletteAshley

Yeah, it really doesn't help. I know doctors don't always understand because they don't take the medications themselves. In theory, it should work. Maybe not in the same manner, since it's not immediate and it's released slowly, but you would think it would relieve anxiety. In my experience, it does not at all. My normally very empathetic doc basically dismissed this. Well, you're lucky. At least you have a recheck. I don't. I'll have to call and whine to the nurses who don't care to give proper messages to the docs, if given at all.

So the extended release alprazolam comes in generic besides name brand and there was no difference in effectiveness. You were not given a regular alprazalam for break-thru anxiety? My wife just started the XR monotherapy and weaning off AD's because her anxiety problems. Will someone say something good about this med before she reads this thread?

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