amysticalsoul

Hi everyone. I am new to this website so i will introduce myself..My name is Kim, i am a 40 year old mother of 2 teenage children one in which just started her first year of college..10 Years ago i lost both of my parents within 4 months of each other, to cancer. Ever since then i have been battling anxiety and panic disorder. I have been on all types of anti-depressants the latest being lexapro and on benzos from valium to klonopin, and now the latest being xanax. I am afraid that i am becoming addicted or at least dependent on the xanax and i am scared...i dont want to have to go to rehab and leave my children thinkin there mother is a pill head. There father died 6 years ago of an overdose of fentanyl. Im looking for support and advice about what you all think. I am prescribed the xanax 4 mgs a day and sometimes thats all i take or less and then other days i take maybe 5 or 6 mgs if the anxiety is really high...please help.....

Lightning Bug

Xanax was my drug of choice. It is very easy to get sucked into its clutches.
Consult your doctor - withdrawal from it can be very dangerous.

I am sorry you are feeling scared. It is scary. (((hugs)))

Do you abuse it? Take more than you should? Can you go a day without it?

Lightning Bug

Pardon my manners! Welcome to SR - it is good to have you here. There is a substance abuse forum here too. You can search the archives and find all the Xanax related posts.

Pamel

I never knew about pills till I had a devastating injury in 2004. They seemed to be the answer to my dreams until I found how they turned on you, that you needed more and more. That's when I did my research and found out how addictive they are, with increasing little return. De-toxed myself, but it did bring me back to an "old friend": alcohol. Still fighting that one, but better each day (again).

I have no help, just some ESH. Hang in there.

Anna

If you are concerned you are becoming addicted to Xanax, then talk to your dr. Take action and deal with the issue before it gets worse. There is lots of support here at SR, so please let us know how you're doing.

Lightning Bug

I transferred my addiction to Xanax to alcohol. Yikes! I am fighting that battle too, Pamel.

But, I am happy to say that I was able to stop Xanax - haven't had any for more than 2 years.

Pamel

Good grief, good for you!! I have met more people who have lost their brains to Xanax (thank God I never was prescribed THAT one). Alcohol, while deadly in w/d, is still so much better than this "pill cocktail" that they are handing out. My Doctor (because of a very significant pain injury : 3 operations and nine incisions later, is "trying" everything on me. It seems that doctors have an endless supply of "handouts". Mine has given me everything from Lyrica to whatever the latest drug is. I have finally stop taking them ALL, because I think I am a "test" case.

Sorry, but I want to be drug (and alcohol) -free. Not easy to combat in today's world.

amysticalsoul

I can go some days without taking any xanax but very few days are like that...If by abusing it you mean that i get high, then no...but i have taken more than prescribed on some days as i said in my initial post...Thanks for all the advice and help...i have talked to my doc about this and he says that im not getting addicted..I dont understand..he doesnt know how i feel..guess they just wanna keep us coming back...

Lightning Bug

Why do you think you are getting addicted? Can you pinpoint the reason?

amysticalsoul

Just because it seems to be taking more than usual at one time to stop or help the anxiety....and so i end up on some days taking more than the prescribed amount...ive been on it so long that im sure i couldnt just stop without going to detox and i dont wanna have to do that and leave my kids...

joygirl

amystical soul!

I was once on xanax. And some other scripts. Go to your doctor about the xanax. I thought it was the least dangerous of all the pills I took, until I quit taking it. You will need your doctors help with that one. I wish you the best!

joygirl

I didn't go into a detox center, I did it at home with my doctor's guidance. I had to take more over time, too, because I developed a tolerance. Eventually, it didn't work at all, but paradoxically, it made me more anxious! Whew! Glad to be done with that!

amysticalsoul

Like i said, i have spoken with my doc about my fears and he blows them off...hes the one that prescribed the xanax in the first place, but he says he doesnt see any evidence of addiction..im not buying off the streets, my scripts last me the amount of days they are suppose to, and im not getting them from any other docs...so to him that means im fine, i guess.....

joygirl

There are other, nonaddictive, meds for anxiety. And non medicinal ways to combat anxiety. I know the pills are easier. But that xanax was like a monster to me.

joygirl

If you think its a problem for you, its a problem for you. I had a dr. like yours. I had to go to a different doctor for help. Some just like to prescribe.

Lightning Bug

My opinion... You built up a tolerance - therefore the need for higher dosages to achieve the same effect. This does not necessarily mean you are addicted. You take it as you are supposed to, it is just not working as well as it used to in controlling your anxiety.

Being dependent on it is another story. Your body is used to having the drug, so if you were to stop you would go into withdrawal. Not recommended to do that without the doctor.

hellomynameis

Its been my experience that normal people don't ask themsevles if they are becoming addicted to pills...addicts do.

Do some more research on this forum on xanax or benzo addiction and look at other websites as well.

Your doctor doesn't know you and doesn't care that you are addicted until you are asking him for more pills before your script is out. And you will end up getting more pills than you need by hook or by crook before you can name what is going on with you.

Name your problem then look for help...and good luck...we love you here...and you are not alone!

joygirl

I agree with earthsteps. Only you know how you feel about it. If you wish to stop taking it, we'd love to support you! Read some other posts about xanax. There are plenty.

jaynie04

Hi, I am newly sober (58 days) off of alcohol and benzos (the drugs you mentioned are benzos).

From what I understand they both attach to the same receptors in the brain, and you should be under medical care to help you taper.

In respect to your doctor's opinion, I would suggest that you get another opinion, preferably from a substance abuse counselor. I got out of rehab and visited a doctor (I have fibromyalgia and lupus) to talk about my conditions. I told her at the outset that I had detoxed off of alcohol, klonopin and ambien, and that I was a recovering alcoholic. She mentioned Lunesta, which is NOT a drug I should be taking.

I am lucky to have a good psychiatrist and therapist. But I realized that here was another doctor, a rheumatologist who, while excellent at what she does, does not understand addiction.

PS: Welcome!

Eleni58

My opinion: if you are exceeding the recommended dosage, you are abusing the drug. Did you tell your doctor that you are sometimes taking more than you should? Perhaps he needs to adjust the strength and dosage or put you on something entirely different. Does he feel you really need to take the drugs? Does he have the goal of weaning you off them some day or is this for life?