xanax question

lori j

I always felt a let down & shakey when the xanax wore off, so my doctor switched me to Klonopin for my nerves & to help me sleep.

howard678

I will never forget the time, I was 18, when I got put in the back of a police car in a small country town. The first thing the officer said when he turned around and looked at me was, "Listen boy, you know everthing you have ever heard about southern sheriffs? Well it`s all true." I can apply that here. Everything you have ever heard about benzodiazepine withdrawal, well it`s all true. You are only one month in. Get out while you can.

Xanax is not a sleep medication. It is for people with severe debilitating anxiety/panic attacks and even then it is only for short term use. You may well be in for the ride of your life if you continue daily use and try to stop, especially if tolerance increases (it likely will) and you move to higher doses. I started the thread you mentioned and am still not out of the woods with benzo withdrawal. But will spend the rest of my life sharing my experience with these drugs. Keep in touch.

sflaboy25

i notice the same thing happens to me when i take xanax everynight to help me sleep...i usually take 1-2mgs. before bedtime and i never had better sleep in my life. one side effect of continued use on xanax is lowered mood and depression. to make sure this doesn't happen to me...i take xanax for a few nights...then for 2 days sleep without it. usually takine melatonin or ristoril during this time helps me sleep deeply. this way i can avoid the negative side effects from taking xanax everynight.
try cycling it like that and see how it works...ristoril is available in generic form and is really cheap so ask your doctor about that. i tried ambien and made me feel drunk the next day...xanax and ristoril does not due to the short half-life

howard678

Ristoril is a benxodiazepine like Xanax...

The risk of addiction and the withdrawals from hell is not worth it for a good night`s sleep, especially if over the counter stuff works. Benzos are designed for short term use to treat severe complications of anxiety. It is not a sleep med. It is outrageous that doctors prescribe it for that.

stolie

Hi, I agree Howard, although it was prescribed to me a while ago for anxiety/panic disorder, not for sleep. It was my own fault for taking it as a sleep aid, not any doctor's.

bradcure

I know that it wasn't your main purpose to use it as a sleep aid, but the best med for it is Ambien and it is completely non-addictive.

Jennita

To answer the question, yes, there are mini-withdrawals because of the rebound activity in the nervous system when the drug wears off. Ambien is not technically a benzodiazepine like Xanax but it only missed it by a receptor or two...it can become dependancy forming and also cause tolerance.

stolie

Hi, just wanted to let you all know I've been feeling a million, zillion times better since I stopped taking it. I've decided Xanax is evil and I flushed the rest of the bottle down the toilet the night after started this post. Good riddance.

brad cure

Use Xanax for quick panic attacks or short bursts of anxiety.
Use Xanax XR or Klonopin for whole day protection against all kinds of phobias ;-) And don't use neither for getting to sleep - use Ambien for that and you'll feel much better day and night.

Jennita

Good for you stolie! You will be better off in the longrun. I would be careful of Ambien; it missed being classed as a benzo by only a receptor or two...many people describe alot of simular problems with Ambien as benzos. Always be on the defensive when it comes to any drug that targets your brain.

Janik

Good for you Stolie, there's a bunch of us that function quite well without meds, welcome to the club.