Has anyone tried xanax?

[emms]

Hi all,
To cut a long story short I am sick of my social anxiety taking over my life. So I went to the doctor today and he prescribed xanax, this is a last resort I have tried lots of other different therapies but they haven't worked. Just wondering if they have any nasty side effects that I should know about.

I don't want to feel drowsy, as I am studying at the moment.

Thanks

Emms

[Guest]

Xanax is a medication that can make you drowsy as most meds in this category will with continuous use. The drowsiness can dissapear after a while when your body adjusts to it, but by that time if your taking it daily, it becomes addictive, so keep that in mind (thats why its recommended as short term use or once off type things).
Is it something you need to take daily? For once off, quick acting effects (like before a speech type thing) it can be very effective. Have you seen a psychiatrist or a gp? If meds are something you haven't tried before and feel this is the next step for you, a psychiatrist is better equipped to prescribe and monitor your symptoms and suggest alternative drugs, whereas a gp will precribe only things they're familar with. Thats been my experience anyway and just putting it out there.
:)

[Baburun]

MyBabyLeo pretty much summed it up, so I'll just add my own experience. I found Xanax was really good for 'as needed' situations, like if I knew I was going to be in some situation that would cause anxiety (grr at social anxiety) or started to feel anxious, I would chew up a tablet & they're quite fast acting which was really helpful.
The drowsiness is really the only problem, but if you keep to the lowest effective dose it's manageable.
The other thing, if taken in higher doses (so around 2mg or more) it can affect memory and also one's perception of time (which is really just an extension of the memory thing). Basically because the drug activates inhibitory pathways in the brain, it reduces "overstimulation" (anxiety), but also inhibits formation of new memories, so it can feel like time is passing really quickly because you're not forming short term memories as well. (I hope I explained that ok!).
But again, so long as you just take the minimum required dose, and not before you're about to study, it shouldn't be a problem.
& I'm sure you wouldn't, but you definitely don't want to mix with alcohol because the combination hugely amplifies the above effects.

The good thing is, unlike the antidepressents that are often prescribed for social anxiety (like Zoloft, Prozac, etc...), there aren't nearly as many side effects, and any side effects are only short lived.

Anyway, sorry this was so long, it's something I'm really interested in as I used to take it for social anxiety when I started uni a couple of years ago, & I would up studying a bit of pharmacology.

Another random fact- grapefruit/grapefruit juice inhibits the enzyme that metabolises it, so apparently eating grapefruit can lengthen it's effects.

good luck, I hope it helps for you! :)

[EsSjAy]

Hiya... I was presribed Xanax only a few months ago.... previously i took serapax when i needed it.... I find Zanax fast and effective and my saviour when i couldnt control my panic attacks or anxiety.... Lately ive been taking half every 2-3 days due to study, exams and lifes pressures at the moment and its getting me through... I am under the watchfull eye of my doctor and she is assuring me that i'll be fine...

[Bellini]

I used it once to go to the dentist. It did nothing :rolleyes:

I've since overcome my fear of the dentist using methods which don't involve medication. I recommend seeing a mental health professional as well, because taking medication won't actually resolve the problem. You can't take it forever - you need to fix the problem, and hopefully someone can help you on that journey :)