Xanax - talk to me about dependency

[littlebirds]

My doctor will only prescribe 15 pills of .25 ml each month. She does not think that i need anymore and does not want me to get dependent. But here is the thing... I am going though a massive stressful period of my life (that should hopefully be resolved in 6 months to a year) and my symptoms are off the charts. Because I am an administrator and have to look so put together all the time, I swear I have just internalized everything which has resulted in really uncomfortable body burns and pains - which of course gives me this obsessive feeling that I have some horrible disease or something (even though all things - including fibro - has been r/o).

Xanax makes me sleepy, so I do not anticipate needing more than .25, 1x/day (or maybe twice a day on weekends when not needing to drive), but feeling like that might help calm my mind and body some. I can't imagine that this would cause a dependency? I have never been dependent on a drug, so not sure what it takes. I am thinking of maybe switching doctors, but don't want to seem like I am shopping for scripts.

[All1Spirit]

Two problems: one is that one dose a day is enough to cause dependence in some people - it only took me 4 weeks. This is why the PDR says two weeks maximum. Second one dose of a short acting benzo will cause interdose rebound and potentially increased anxiety

[nillson]

Hello,

It was not easy to hear this from you.
Do you think taking pills daily is good? It's not good at all and you'll need to know that maximum once in a week is good and you'll need to act in the way so that you'll be happy as you wish.
You'll need to take pills only prescribed by the experienced.

[meganrose90]

I also became dependent on xanax after only a few weeks. My doctor prescribed me .25mg for anxiety attacks while I was starting Paxil (which ended up not working for me). I now take .5mg everyday. I tried to stop once, but I couldn't and it has only been about a year.

[insights]

I also became dependent on xanax after only a few weeks. My doctor prescribed me .25mg for anxiety attacks while I was starting Paxil (which ended up not working for me). I now take .5mg everyday. I tried to stop once, but I couldn't and it has only been about a year.

I suggest you see your doctor, explain that you are having difficulty quitting Xanax and ask him/her to prescribe the equivalent dose of Valium (diazepam), about 10mg,  in 2mg tablets instead. Give yourself two weeks at 10mg to stabilize then start reducing the dose by half a tablet every 2-4 weeks until you're down to 2mg/day at which point you reduce by a quarter of a tablet every few weeks. A pill cutter is more accurate and often less bloody than a knife for cutting tablets.

Valium has a very long half-life which smooths out the peaks and troughs making it much easier to quit than Xanax.

Ian

[littlebirds]

Thanks for the replies. Geesh... Hooked after a few weeks from one .25 per day? I did not know that could be possible. That is frightening! And no, I don't like taking a pill a day. At all. I have to choke down ibiprophine. I also don't like having panic attacks daily - in turn feeling very uncomfortable with the physical pain of it all. I have these triggers that get me to this state and then doing my job, which is high profile, just really sucks when I feel this way, but hearing about how addictive they can be, I will be holding off on these and leave them for extreme emergencies!
Ian... I always thought Xanax was the new name for Valium? Again, little do I know. Wish my doc would talk with me about this.

[insights]

but hearing about how addictive they can be,

Benzodiazepines aren't addictive. Your body adapts to their presents and will rebel if they are discontinued suddenly so you need to give it time to adjust. A lot of drugs cause similar reactions. Many cardiovascular drugs, antibiotics if taken long term, even vitamin C can cause rebound scurvy if taken for any length of time at high doses.

OTOH, when abused, aspirin can become so addictive, in the true medical sense of the word, that some are unable to stop taking it even after requiring repeated surgery to fix stomach and upper bowel injury. Sadly, for a few only death stops them (Hirschowitz BI, 1998).

Ian... I always thought Xanax was the new name for Valium?

Both Xanax and Valium are benzodiazepines. You may become just as dependent on Valium if you take it daily for more than a month or so. The main advantage  of Valium is its long half-life which tends to lessen the withdrawal effects somewhat.

Ian

[Lonecricket]

I'm of the belief that starting at such a low dose is indefinately going to cause dependacy.