greygallowI have been on quite a few benzos for aniety/ panic attacks but so far have found this to be the best one yet. An overall even feel all day as u only have to take 1 every 12 hours. However, i'm only being presribed 30 a month, what about the other 12 hours in the day? do they ever prescribe 60 a month? I don't always have ativan or serax on hand to fill in the gaps (this is from previous precriptions that i didn't finish all of them) so what is your best advice on this one? Thanks for ur time! :)
Has anyone found anything better than xanax-XR for panic attacks and anxiety? It works great for me?
- Posted:
- 27 Nov 2011 by greygallow
- Topics:
- xanax, xanax xr, depression, tinnitus, anxiety, panic disorder, generalized anxiety disorder, dysautonomia
Details:
Responses (4)
pattishan6127 Nov 2011
Welcome to the site, you may not love my answer but here goes. I have suffered from anxiety/panic disorder for a long time and used to depend solely on the benzos, but while treating an opiate dependence, I had a great addiction specialist who helped teach me how to control it and what in my past and present was causing it and I am eternally grateful for this.It doesn't happen overnight but I am so much better now and I never would have believed it was possible. Also, some antidepressants can help. I personally am very sensitive to those but found that generic Prozac (fluoxetine) in the NON extended release 10 mgs per day also helped tremendously. I am not sure if they will give you 60 a month, but I will tell you the dr will say you are supposed to be asleep for part of those extra 12 hours so they don't think you won't be having anxiety and panic when you are asleep, so be prepared to hear that when you ask.
rvnew
MommaBear...28 Nov 2011
Grey, I have not tried the Xanax-XR but have been on Xanax from .25mg to 1mg 3x a day, Klonopin 2mg 2x a day, and Buspar 15mg 2x a day, and none of these have helped me. The Xanax was the best as far as a fast acting calming effect, but it didn't last very long. I started on 50mg Zoloft daily switched to 40mg of Fluoxitine (Prozac) and most recently Citalopram 40mg daily. I have yet to find the antidepressant med to keep me even throughout the day, so maybe that is why the other meds haven't worked well. I have tried therapy and it helped to some degree, but of course my therapist can't be with me 24/7 LOL. I have Depression, Anxiety, Panic Disorder and OCD. Any advice?
MommaBear92300
28 Nov 2011
P.S. As far as being asleep for the other 12 hours, I don't know many other sufferers that sleep without the aid of medication... I would ask...
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Superb answer from a super lady! Thank you patti! Your years of experience & experimenting have paid off for all of your readers, in spades. :)
from Wendy :)
Thank you Wendy, I hope I did NOT offend grey gallows, as that was not my intent. My intent was to answer the actual quetsion, has anyone found anything better than Xanax er to treat their anxiety?, and to sort of give them a short cut as to what I went thru, how I healed and hoped it might spur some thought in them. Medications work quickly to relieve awful symptoms, counseling is slower, but often the effect is much longer lasting, together they make a great team. Often too, undiagnosed conditions are making anxiety and depression worse, thyroid conditions or hormone imbalances are often the culprit, they are diagnosed by blood work, and then the person needs to go to an endocrinologist, but they get their ob-gun or doc in the box to write their refills when they really belong in the endocrinologists office. Wendy, you know I am a lowly hairdresser but hear medical problems all day long.
Expand this post...
People come in with what I know is psoriasis of the scalp and ask for a shampoo to treat it, but they really need a dermatologist. Legally I can't tell a person they have psoriasis, but I do try to get them to have the dermatologist look at it and ask them, does anyone in your family suffer from psoriasis, they usually say yes, and then tell me the gp told them it was dermatitis, which is inflammation due to an allergy, so they want some dandruff shampoo or mint shampoo to help. A gp is not the expert to treat scalp problems, the dermatologist is, but they don't want that hassle, so they ask me for specialty shampoo. It gets frustrating but I work in a department store salon where they can go over my head and complain if they perceive that I am being rude. Anxiety and depression often are hereditary and environmental, so, I just hope grey will gets some true long lasting relief. Patti
Darling patti~~~you're just a lowly hair stylist? Great balls o' fire, girl! I can imagine millions of women who'd disagree with your reckoning. Whatever would we do without you, patti? Especially here at Drugs.com!
I know you'd said previously about working in different salons these past years. Methinks it's time for a locale change again. Please try to find someplace that will appreciate your brains & guts & gusto, girl! You are a real treasure, a gem!
Love, Wendy :)
Dear Wendy, I finally did find a great salon recently where I am respected and fit in well. And it is in a department store so I now have insurance, yay! I had worked for them previously in another city but moved and just have had a difficult time. But now, I'm good, which also helped my situational depression. My therapist had been trying to get me to leave for over a year and I went to a second shop whe the owner knocked his wife around in the office behind closed doors, but it was really obvious what went on, every obvious. I only stayed there 6 weeks, but then new shop came into the picture. I am much better now. Patti
I just kicked a xanax addiction after years of being prescribed 2.5 mg per day and actually taking much more so that I would run out early every month (and have to go back to my doctor to beg for some additional pills so that I would not have a seizure). I had tried to quit before but had such severe withdrawal symptoms I felt like I had to go to the ER. I'm not a doctor so take this for what it's worth but I finally rid myself of my xanax addiction by SLOWLY reducing my dosage. By slowly I mean, I would reduce the dosage by .17 mg every couple of weeks or so (i.e., I would break a .5 mg tablet in half, then break THAT in half). I supplemented by taking a beta blocker (propranolol) as well as plenty of benadryl. For some reason this combination worked for me to take the edge off. I am finally xanax-free after 5+ years. I still have insomnia and some mild seizure-like twitches but I'll take those any day over the xanax addiction. It IS possible to get off this drug so keep trying. It will be one step forward and two steps back for a while but it is worth it.