Posted by yxibow on August 23, 2006, at 23:55:01
In reply to Re: i'm freaked out, posted by rjlockhart on August 21, 2006, at 15:33:33
> Im on 6mg of Xanax and i am thinking im having trouble with recalling inforamtion, leaving things, i dont know whats happening, i just woke up a while ago from 2mg of Xanax after i got off work, i took 1mg after that, and now i dont even know what i am doing.
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> What about stimulants? can they reduce the effect of the benzo?
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> Matt6mg of Xanax is 60mg of Valium and 3mg of Klonopin which is a medium high dose in normal usage, so its not surprising that you are having some short term cognitive recall. That is the territory and bane of all benzodiazepines and their prior barbiturates and related compounds that affect GABA. On one hand, you are muted from the world, the anxiety is quelled, and on the other hand, you are muted from the world and your memory functions are quelled also. Its a catch-22.
The only way really is to reduce the benzodiazepine to a level where you can cover the anxiety enough but not affect your memory functions.
Its not a permanent phenomenon, and some of it people get used to and can overcome some but not all of the memory issues over time with a steady state dose of medication (Xanax does not come to mind as a medication I would take long term but that is up to you and your doctor -- its too immediately gratifying and its half life is terribly short, unlike Valium.)
So I wouldn't freak out about memory issues if you can get the level of medication straightened out. It's not intrinsically affecting your brain permanently nor changing your IQ forever or even temporarily. It is changing your immediate and short term memory. While it is generally a book recommended for older individuals, you might take a look at The Memory Bible by Gary Small, M.D. (UCLA) for tricks to work with your memory.
The one thing I would worry more especially with Xanax, is one's ability to drive or operate heavy machinery properly. Leave ample stopping distance, if people are leaving 2 car lengths, leave 3, because although you think you can stop, those crucial milliseconds are affected by benzodiazepines and some vehicles can take up to ten car lengths to stop 60 to 0. 2 car lengths or so is a norm usually in drivers' guides, so leave a little more and be safe.Best wishes
-- Jay
poster:yxibow
thread:678041
URL: http://www.dr-bob.org/babble/20060818/msgs/679521.html