Xanax

JCM

Is anyone on Xanax as a treatment?  I am on Lexapro 10 mg & have Xanax to take nightly.  If I don't take it is get really anxious during the day & can't sleep at night.  I self weaned in early fall & realized I needed to go back on the meds last month.  When I was on them the last time my OB was a little weary of giving me the Xanax towards the end.  He would give me 30 & I never needed anymore before the prescription was due so I was using it only as prescribed.  TIA

GabbyG

Did you have to taper down the dosage when you went off the xanax in the fall? When some people go off benzos, even a low dose, they have anxiety symptoms come back with a vengeance, and sometimes other nasty withdrawal symptoms as well.

 I take a very low dose of a different benzo, clonazepam, before bed between .125 - .25 mg. I don't take an SSRI like Lexapro, though when I first presented with anxiety Zoloft was prescribed to me. I just never filled the prescription. I take St Johns Wort instead, which acts a bit like a mild SSRI.

I have taken xanax before for acute anxiety prevention - for getting on an airplane. Xanax is often prescribed for panic attacks.  It works fast, but leaves the body in just a few hours. Clonazepam is a longer-acting benzo with a much longer half-life. If you feel like a benzo is really right for your anxiety, you may find that you'd be able to take a smaller dosage of clonazepam than you do the xanax.  I like how just a little bit at night alleviates my anxiety for the whole entire next day. And, I have no side effects like temporary memory loss like I do with xanax.

Many doctors are loath to prescribe benzos because physical dependence develops quickly and withdrawal can be brutal. My psychiatrist is less concerned, as long as my dose is low. They work on anxiety - they work extremely well.

JCM

In the fall I didn't taper off of them on purpose but some nights I felt like I didn't need it so I wouldn't take it & those nights became more and more frequent.  I did however taper off the Lexapro on my own on purpose & think it went pretty well.  I think I was feeling pretty good not having to take the anxiety medication that I jumped too quickly & also stopped the Lexapro. My OB is the prescribing doctor of my Lexapro & the Xanax.  I am seeing a therapist weekly but no psychiatrist.   

Thank you for responding.  I didn't know that Xanax caused memory loss but now I googled it specifically it's all over the place.  My memory has been horrible lately & I was starting to worry about it.  I hope I won't need it for too much longer. I hate having to request a refill it makes me anxious :-)! How ironic is that?