Xanax Tablets
I went to a psychiatrist [name withheld] for a myriad of reasons, one of them being panic disorder. He prescribed me a low dose of Xanax for it.
It all seemed simple enough. Whenever I knew I was about to be in a stressful situation, especially driving, I would take one. When I felt fine, I didn’t. I used them as I felt needed.
Well, when my psychiatrist wrote me prescription after prescription for the medication, I finally told him I didn’t need any refills; I had plenty. He was surprised. He told me that I should take four tablets a day every day, regardless if I felt like I needed them or not. He said it has to build up in my system.
So I followed his instructions. Big mistake number one!
When I have panic disorder and take a Xanax tablet, I felt “normal” – calm but not drowsy. I was alert and functional. But when I took a tablet when I was not experiencing any panic, I felt a sensation of euphoria that I’ve never felt before. It was an incredible feeling. So I took four each and every day.
A fact about benzodiazepines: The human body builds up a tolerance to them quickly. The brain begins to expect the artificial chemical, so the threshold for panic changes. The liver also anticipates the dose of Xanax and has the proper enzymes ready to metabolize it.
After two or three months, the panic attacks returned even though I was still taking my four-a-day dose. What was the solution?
Simple. He doubled the dose. And now a pattern was set forth.
(To be continued…)
Filed under: Drugs, Health | Tagged: addiction, panic disorders, Xanax
Shannon – Very interesting experience with your psychiatrist – why would he set you up for a dependency like that? I can only imagine the frustration and anger that caused. My hubby has a social anxiety issue as well and finally sought help – he went to SEVERAL practitioners before he found one that he trusted and who he felt was really listening and perscribing based on his unique needs(vs. just writing a perscription or telling him it was all in his head, deal with it. Seriously.). Thanks for sharing, it is helpful to know that this was not just one person’s bizarre experience but that others may be experiencing poor treatment for MH issues as well.
–Jess
Hello Jessica,
I don’t know why he set me up for Xanax addiction. I just think there are many quacks in the psychiatric field. Luckily, I’ve found a great psychiatrist and therapist that are helping me to recover. I will talk about that in future posts.
Best wishes to you and husband!
Shannon