![[dr. bob]](/dr-bob-sm.gif)
Dr. Bob is Robert Hsiung, MD,
bob@dr-bob.orgShown: posts 1 to 11 of 11. This is the beginning of the thread.
Posted by Pluto on November 28, 2006, at 3:37:12
Hi
I am in a very stressful situation now. I have left my home and native land for an assignment in a entirely different country. I left my family behind..Stress in the workplace..
I can't function fully because grieving thougts are constantly attacking me. My wife, kids...when I recall them in my mind, I feel terribly depressed. Sometimes I feel like ending up this assignment and go back home and joining them, but this is very crucial for my future.
I pop up Xanax 1mg and if one is not enough, I add up another one too. However Xanax brings relief words can't describe. But I am worried. Am I an addict? Is it too much to take 2 mg of Xanax only to dissipate sorrowful thoughts and concentrate on work? A long two year project is ahead. Will I be get addicted to Xanax to the point of never being able to get off if I go like this?
Can anyone help? Is there any other med to help dispel sombre thoughts? 40 mg of Prozac which I am on now doesn't help. MAOIs are not available here in this place.With Love
Percy LahS
Posted by med_empowered on November 28, 2006, at 4:12:07
In reply to To Dissipate grieving thoughts... Xanax?, posted by Pluto on November 28, 2006, at 3:37:12
officially, xanax and other benzos aren't supposed to be used for this sort of thing...eventually, you'll need to face up to what's bothering you.
Unofficially...yes, you can use xanax or most any other tranquilizer for this. Its not the best long-term solution, but..I guess we all have to find a way to cope. Xanax doses vary widly, from .25mgs a couple times a day up to 2mgs a couple times a day, which means doses can go from 2mgs/day (or less) to 10mgs/day (possibly even more). Keep in mind that taking a whole lot of xanax can make you stupid, and that xanax has a very nasty withdrawal syndrome after prolonged, high-dose use. Have you tried Valium?
Posted by Pluto on November 28, 2006, at 4:52:01
In reply to Re: To Dissipate grieving thoughts... Xanax?, posted by med_empowered on November 28, 2006, at 4:12:07
> officially, xanax and other benzos aren't supposed to be used for this sort of thing...eventually, you'll need to face up to what's bothering you.
Hi med-e,
I am facing up what is bothering me now. And eventually when this is over, I am sure I will not be in need of a tranquilizer like Xanax. This is a tough situation which will only pass as time being. And to win this course, I need Xanax, though in smaller doses. (2mg is small isn't it?)
>Have you tried Valium?
Yes. Once in the past (years apart) to help me sleep. I didn't like the way it made me feel. Like shutting from the outer world. Xanax is fine. Not making me numb, but makes me social, and a nice person too.
It is only a matter of a couple of years to the maximum. Will Xanax lead me to a point where there will be no return?
Still concerened....Thanks for the input
Percy
Posted by stargazer on November 28, 2006, at 9:54:38
In reply to Re: To Dissipate grieving thoughts... Xanax?, posted by med_empowered on November 28, 2006, at 4:12:07
Dosage for anxiety is usually 0.25 to 0.5 mg up to 3 times/day, max daily dose 4 mg.
Xanax is a short acting med so it kicks in and dissipates in a few hours (I don't know it's half life) but it is designed to treat anxiety quickly and then to leave your system quickly. Perfect drug for treatment of brief, short lasting episodes of anxiety.
It sounds as though you need a longer acting medication for the daily stress you are under. That is usually best accomplished with a higher dose of Prozac or something that lasts longer than Xanax.
Do you have a pdoc who prescribes the Prozac? Perhaps the dosage of Prozac can be increased to help with stress, rather than taking Xanax at larger doses, more frequently. A few times a day at lower doses may be OK for a short period of time, but eventually you should be on something else.
I took Ativan during periods of med adjustment where my antidepressant did not control my anxiety. Once the dose was adequate, the anxiety component of the depression is minimized and the use of Ativan (or Xanax) can be used sporatically, rather than routinely.
Good luck...SG
Posted by Quintal on November 28, 2006, at 10:38:47
In reply to To Dissipate grieving thoughts... Xanax?, posted by Pluto on November 28, 2006, at 3:37:12
>But I am worried. Am I an addict?
I think you probably have the answer to that question in mind already, you may looking for reassurance to the contrary?
>Will I be get addicted to Xanax to the point of never being able to get off if I go like this? Will Xanax lead me to a point where there will be no return? Can anyone help?
I was taking doses of Klonopin up to 20mg a day (equal to approx. 20mg Xanax) in addition to opiates at the beginning of this year and have now withdrawn completely. There is always a way to get out of addiction so I hope you do not let that problem overshadow the benefits of the Xanax you're taking.
>However Xanax brings relief words can't describe.
Sounds like a good idea to keep taking it then, so long as it keeps you mentally well and functioning.
> Is there any other med to help dispel sombre thoughts?
I can make suggestions of course, but I'm not sure if you have access to certain meds. I wonder if clomipramine (Anafranil) - an older TCA drug would help?It is a powerful antidepressant and has some anxiolytic properties. It is also more activating and stimulating than most other TCAs.
Opiates are another option if you have access to them, but I suspect the potential legal consequences of addiction and dependence would be greater than benzos? I find taking the maximum dose of OTC painkiller tablets containing codeine helps dispel negative thoughts and dysphoria.
Good luck.
Q
Posted by Phillipa on November 28, 2006, at 14:35:02
In reply to Re: To Dissipate grieving thoughts... Xanax?, posted by stargazer on November 28, 2006, at 9:54:38
Seriously did the anxiety from start up really go away ? Love Phillipa
Posted by zmg on November 28, 2006, at 15:00:21
In reply to Re: To Dissipate grieving thoughts... Xanax? » Pluto, posted by Quintal on November 28, 2006, at 10:38:47
I'm with Quintal on this. Benzodiazines are certainly habit forming, but if used carefully they can be very helpful. You might look at sustained release (Xanax SR). If not now certainly when you're titrating.
Addict seems like a pretty hard word. I guess I was (almost 2 years taking 30-40 mg Valium) but honestly, aside from the issues I've mentioned in other threads, I've been off benzos for almost a month now and don't remotely feel the kinds of cravings I did for either nicotine or Ritalin (2 drugs I'd definitely say I was addicted to).
Maybe other people have had a harder time? Quintal, I'm curious if it was difficult for you?
Posted by blueberry on November 28, 2006, at 16:30:16
In reply to To Dissipate grieving thoughts... Xanax?, posted by Pluto on November 28, 2006, at 3:37:12
If xanax improves your life to where you can function, then that's what meds are supposed to do. If you need it for a long time, a fellow babbler in my benzo thread recently said it has been 20 years on xanax at 3mg. People struggle for years and decades to find meds that improve their mood and ability to function. If you've already found it, consider yourself blessed.
Longterm dependence can be dealt with if you ever want to get off. A good strategy is to take a long acting benzo like klonopin, in the background, while weaning off the xanax. And then once xanax is done, it is easier to wean off of klonopin because of its long half life.
If you go the route of an antidepressant or something else, just keep in mind that you will suffer lousy withdrawals getting off those too. It's not as if benzos are the only meds that are very uncomfortable to get off of. Side effects from antidepressants are generally more numerous and more intrusive. My vote is to go with whatever works and live life while its here.
Posted by med_empowered on November 28, 2006, at 17:35:41
In reply to Re: To Dissipate grieving thoughts... Xanax?, posted by blueberry on November 28, 2006, at 16:30:16
hi. I didn't mean to sound so harsh in my previous post. I like the Klonopin+xanax idea someone else suggested. Antidepressants could help, but they can also prove alot trickier than benzos, so maybe xanax is a good call, at least for the time being. If BuSpar is available, you could try 5mgs 3X daily (to make it easier to remember, you could take a buspar and a xanax @ the same intervals). I just suggest this b/c you might get more anti-anxiety coverage that way, w/o having to up the xanax any.
Posted by Quintal on November 28, 2006, at 18:19:38
In reply to Re: To Dissipate grieving thoughts... Xanax? » Quintal, posted by zmg on November 28, 2006, at 15:00:21
>Maybe other people have had a harder time? Quintal, I'm curious if it was difficult for you?
Yes, benzo withdrawal was difficult for me. I quit cold turkey from 20mg Klonopin (and 400mg tramadol) hard though it may be to believe. I think my tolerance was much lower than 20mg though, I'd just been abusing it for a few weeks at that dose for complete oblivion really.
I had a few minor seizures but came to no harm because I wrapped myself up in a duvet most of the time. I was also taking Lamictal as a mood stabiliser, so I guess that helped prevent more serious seizures?
No benzo taper for me. My GP referred me to the local addiction clinic, but I thought it might dangerous to try and drive there even if I could have prized my hands from the mattress long enough to get to the car. When I finally did go I was put in a tiny waiting room with the heroin addicts from the local sink estate queuing for their methadone prescriptions. It made me angry considering the pain I was in because those people had never had a legitimate prescription for opiates in the first place, yet here the were entitled to free methadone and state benefits (my GP expected me to go out and find work two weeks after taking my last benzo dose - sadistic sense of humour that woman).
So yes, for anyone trying to withdraw I would recommend using the slow taper method and switching to a long acting benzo as blueberry suggested. Valium is most commonly used for this purpose due to its long half-life. Heather Ashton has some good withdrawal strategies and tables of how to substitute one benzo for another etc. I not a big fan of her position on benzos but she does seem more compassionate than most to people trying to withdraw - emphasising that it must be at the patient's own pace and comfort to be successful. She gets bad press around here, but if my GP had truly been following her advice to the letter it would have saved me much of this suffering.
Q
Posted by theo on November 29, 2006, at 22:04:57
In reply to To Dissipate grieving thoughts... Xanax?, posted by Pluto on November 28, 2006, at 3:37:12
Xanax XR taken morning and bedtime would be a better solution for longer periods of use in my opinion.
This is the end of the thread.
Psycho-Babble Medication | Extras | FAQ
Dr. Bob is Robert Hsiung, MD,
bob@dr-bob.org
Script revised: February 4, 2008
URL: http://www.dr-bob.org/cgi-bin/pb/mget.pl
Copyright 2006-17 Robert Hsiung.
Owned and operated by Dr. Bob LLC and not the University of Chicago.