jym626

Solution would be to take a .25 plus half of a .25 mg.

missypie

Ah, then I will need one of those sophisticated pill cutting tools like old people buy.

jym626

..or any small, sharp instrument. Actually many pills that are scored can be broken in half easily.

justforthis

I take 0.25mg Xanax on nights when I need to sleep after menopausal insomnia has kept me up night after night..(I always fall asleep easily but wake up from 1am-3am or 3am-5am). It works in that I then can sleep straight through the night...I don't use it nightly as don't want to get addicted. Have also used it on flights because I usually cannot sleep on airplanes otherwise. My sleep with Xanax is never so heavy that I can't be woken up easily.

missypie

To get to .25 I typically bite a .5 in half. So I guess I need a prescription for .25s that can be cut in half.

missypie

So, last night I was happily asleep by 10:45 pm, early for me. Between then and 11:30, my sleep was interrupted four times (2 phone calls and 2 family members) which left me wide awake at 12:30. Thinking of this thread, I took a Xanax....almost 10 hours have passed, and after 2 cups of coffee and some strong tea, I still feel very drugged.

So yes, try it at home before trying it on a trip.

cbreeze

From my experience with prescription drugs (I never tried Xanax), the cost per pill is about the same for .5mg, .25mg, but if you get the higher dosage and cut it, you save money.Cheaper to invest in a good pill cutter.

emeraldkity4

My doctor said he could prescribe Xanax for me next time I fly. I haven't tried it yet, personally I don't think they are strong enough for what I need. I really don't like flying and I would hate to take my return trip dose on the outgoing flight!
I generally have side effects before I can get to a theraputic dose with many meds( I think my liver doesn't process meds well- although i know am taking milk thistle) and I have taken it a time or two with little effect.

I was taking a med that needed to be cut, and I was using a xacto knife, but probably a pill cutter would work better.

mimk6

About four years ago I had my first panic attack on a plane during boarding. The airline attendant told me that women often have their first one on a plane when they are peri-menopausal. Then I had subsequent ones in hot crowded situations. I got a scrip for Xanax and used it to fly a few times and in a couple of other situations. It did the trick. You don't really want to have several panic attacks get a hold on you, because it's harder to get it under control, the more you've had because the stimulus becomes paired with the response. Now that I'm post-menopausal, I am fine on planes without it. Haven't taken one in quite a while. But I will take one next week when I have to have an hour-long closed MRI because during that period when I was having them, I didn't last five seconds in an MRI machine without panicking and having to leave and I think I could have trouble again without it. It's a helpful drug, but it is a highly-addictive drug, so be careful about that.

missypie

Intersting. My first and only panic attack was on an airplane, while pregnant, in the very center seat of a wide bodied yet.

emeraldkity4

I don't fly that often, but it is a somewhat recent development.

I had an MRI for my knee recently.
I think if I ever had to have an enclosed MRI I would need a handful of Xanax.
But one thing that does help me is aromatherapy. Lavender or clary sage. Oh, but you can't move at all. Maybe on my upper lip.

MomOf3Stars

I also take Xanax occasionally. I cannot stand the way it makes me feel (like you, very tired and disconnected) so I only use it in extreme situations like when I have a lot of anxiety (causes me to not be able to breathe easily), traveling (I cannot sleep in hotels), and before the dentist. I wish there was something else I could take but my Dr said that this is probably what will work for me (and I am guessing the fact that I don't like it enough to take it regularly is why they don't want to switch me).

SJTH

I take half a xanax before flying and it takes the edge off--I have also used 1/2 to get back to sleep when I have the menopausal 2 am thing, and have never felt drugged in the am. I don't do that very often. I have used the 1/2 xanax in situations where I've had to give a speech or am very nervous, and it helps to calm me down. Again--maybe 2x/year?

SJTH

And thank you to the pilot for posting: always helps to reinforce the "safety of flying" message!

emeraldkity4

Busdriver, thanks for posting- but my flying anxiety is also largely claustrophobia. I dont like elevators either and that is for a much shorter time.