# scared of addiction to Xanax



## nogo (Dec 18, 2006)

I'm new to this group. I was 'sent' here from IBS-C for depression. I am taking Xanax for stress related depression and Zelnorm plus Amitiza for IBS-C. I also take Ambien every night to sleep, otherwise I'm up all night. My question is this, how easy is it to stop Xanax and ambien? I'm scared to death of addiction###! nogo


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## 17284 (Feb 23, 2007)

xanax is known to be difficult to stop. yuo have to taper off VERY slowly, otherwise you get breakthrough symptoms. not sure about ambien.


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## Gutguy22 (Jul 6, 2004)

If you're that scared of "addiction" I'd say you probably don't have much to worry about. You do get physically dependent on it, so if you take it on a regular basis you can't just stop cold turkey. You'll have to taper off it. Some people can go faster than others, everyone is different. I've known people that can reduce their dosage fairly quickly and others who need to cut pills up over a period of months. Anyway, it isn't like you'll suddenly become a lunatic while you're on them though, as long as you don't go cold turkey. I personally found Paxil a lot worse to get off of than xanax.


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## 18336 (Feb 28, 2007)

be careful, consult with your doc. if you are worrying about it , it may already be a problem, anti anxiety meds are like alcohol when they break down in your system, believe me i know i went thru a whole 3 day a week course on this for a solid 3 weeks. Jumping off those is like quitting alcohol cold turkey, it should not be done without supervision from your doc. Dosing down slowly is what he will probably do, and depending how long you've been taking them may have to offer another med, to help with withdrawals if u have any symptoms of that. Jeez these anti's should only be prescribed for as needed not 3x a day every day of course people will become dependent, it amazes me, docs should know better. They hand them out like a quick solution. Antidepressants is better alternative. They can make you feel crappy going on and off, but at least there is less risk.


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## 21185 (Dec 31, 2006)

What dose are you on with the Xanax. Yes a high dose every day can cause a dependence. It is a benzo and benzos are addictive. However, I could not tolerate Xanax and had to be taken to the emergency room as I had an absense seizer and think it was drug related.Also took ambien. Long term use is not necessary addictive. I used it for up to a year, but you will have breakthrough insomnia for awhile, but should go away.


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## Gutguy22 (Jul 6, 2004)

> quote:Jeez these anti's should only be prescribed for as needed not 3x a day every day of course people will become dependent, it amazes me, docs should know better. They hand them out like a quick solution. Antidepressants is better alternative. They can make you feel crappy going on and off, but at least there is less risk.


I disagree with some of this. People become "dependent" on SSRIs and SNRIs as well. You're basically dealing with semantics. The difference is there is a risk of abuse of benzos, while people don't tend to pop extra SSRIs/SNRIs because of longer half-lives and the different neurotransmitters involved. It is unlikely that you would become completely tolerant to a daily dose of a Benzo however. BTW, SSRI/SNRIs often "poop out" as well. IMO, the merry-go-round of SSRIs that docs use on people can be just as dangerous, if not more so, to patients in the long-term. Depends on the situation. Although there is some evidence that by continuing trying SSRIs you have a decent chance of finding one that helps you. There are also possible permanent problems associated with SSRI use - probably rare, but not non-existent. In addition, I think the brain zaps, etc sometimes associated with SSRI/SNRIs can be more unpleasent than the symptoms associated with a slow benzo taper.There is a pervasive benzo phobia out there, mostly because they can be sold as "street" drugs, while SSRIs aren't. Nevertheless, I find the way docs dish out extremely powerful dosages of SSRIs/SNRIs like candy is much more frightening then the *usually* more cautious way these days that benzos are prescribed. And often they suggest very fast tapers of SSRIs, and when people start having withdrawal effects they'll say "oh, it isn't withdrawal, you can't be phsyically dependent... the real reason you feel awful now is because the drug was working!" which in many cases is complete BS.


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## 21185 (Dec 31, 2006)

> quote:There are also possible permanent problems associated with SSRI use - probably rare, but not non-existent.


Hi ya:I've been on Paxil on and off for years. What kind of long term affects have you heard of?


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## 14486 (Mar 20, 2007)

> quote:Originally posted by nogo:I'm new to this group. I was 'sent' here from IBS-C for depression. I am taking Xanax for stress related depression and Zelnorm plus Amitiza for IBS-C. I also take Ambien every night to sleep, otherwise I'm up all night. My question is this, how easy is it to stop Xanax and ambien? I'm scared to death of addiction###! nogo


Nogo,My psychiatrist one year ago told me I was addicted to Xanax and weaned me off it with Valium. I definitely was on a dose that was much too high for me (1 mg 5x a day). However, benzos are the medications I find the most relief with. And believe me I have tried a lot of meds. Currently I am back on benzos but in a low dose which my current psychiatrist says he's going to monitor very carefully. I take Paxil 10mg and Clonozepam .5 mg in the morning and Clonozepam .5 mg and Benadryl at night to sleep. Plus I take Zelnorm and Prevacid for IBS. The past few days this has been working for me. If you have any more worries or questions just ask me, because like I said I've learned a lot about a lot of medicines and their side effects and dependencies.


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