<p>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.</p>
<p>So yes, try it at home before trying it on a trip.</p>
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<p>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.</p>
<p>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. </p>
<p>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.</p>
<p>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.</p>
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<p>Intersting. My first and only panic attack was on an airplane, while pregnant, in the very center seat of a wide bodied yet.</p>
<p>I don’t fly that often, but it is a somewhat recent development.</p>
<p>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.</p>
<p>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).</p>
<p>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?</p>
<p>And thank you to the pilot for posting: always helps to reinforce the “safety of flying” message!</p>
<p>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.</p>
<p>I’ve taken xanax for flying and sleeping for about 15 years. I recently experienced some horrible panic attacks after a hysterectomy and used it daily as needed for a few months and had no problem discontinuing it when things calmed down. I’ve never had to increase the dose. I have a rx for .5 mg but I rarely take more than 1/2 (.25mg) and often even take a 1/4 of one and rarely more than once a day. Normally I take it to help me sleep, very occasionally during the day if I feel an anxiety attack coming on. I can take a small amount every night for months on end and then stop at will with just a few nights of insomnia.</p>
<p>Interestingly, I no longer need to take it when I’m flying. Through the use of Xanax, I’ve been conditioned not be anxious when flying and find I don’t need it anymore.</p>
<p>You will hear lots of people talk about how addicting Xanax is and it definitely can be. The trick is to not take it three times a day every day. Your body quickly adapted to the drug and you will start to need it just to feel normal. If you take it only as needed (e.g. for flying, sleeping or when you feel anxious) and don’t increase the dose, you will be fine. If you find you need it all day, every day then you probably need to be on one of the SSRis.</p>
<p>I agree about the clausterphobic aspect being one of the harder aspects of dealing with flying! The news stories about planes sitting on the tarmac…yuck! I think I fear that more than the flying. I wonder if the airlines really realize how difficult that can be to deal with.</p>
<p>MomLive, I too managed to de-condition my fear of flying using Ativan. After a few years of good flights with Ativan, I had some good flights without it. But all it took was one or two bad, bumpy flights to bring me back to taking it before flying again. </p>
<p>I agree that if you only take it occasionally, to fly or when facing a really stressful situation, the likelihood of addiction should go way down.</p>
<p>OP, here–still haven’t experimented with my Xanax. Waiting until I can have a friend ‘on call’ May be unnecessary, but I’m still a bit nervous about taking it. I appreciate the insight each of you has offered.</p>
<p>There are two legs to my flight: the first is almost 5 hours long, the second is just over 1 hour; not much layover in between the two. Due to the size of the aircraft on the second leg, I’m most concerned about that leg although I can be sure the first leg won’t also be stressful for me.</p>
<p>Will I still have the benefit of the Xanax by the time the second flight takes place or will I need to take a second dose?. I’ve been told that some people take a quarter of a pill more frequently in order to maintain an ‘even keel’.</p>
<p>A second concern, I must rent a car and drive (fortunately, not a long drive) to my final destination. Is driving typically a concern?</p>
<p>I agree to trying it at home to see how long it takes to take affect and how long it lasts. My experience has been that it works fairly quickly, but depends on your situation of how long it lasts.
My daughter took 1mg for about 15 years starting when she was five for anxiety, but everybody’s metabolism is different.
The proper dose should relieve anxiety but shouldn’t be sedating enough to interfere with driving.</p>
<p>masslou, you said, “I’ve recently experienced a serious emotional trauma and have been feeling like the walls are closing in on me from time to time.”</p>
<p>As a marriage and family therapist, I have to ask – in addition to the Xanax, are you or have you considered talking with someone? Sometimes people don’t “click” with the first counselor and have to try more than one. Developing a therapeutic relationship with a trained and licensed counselor can be tremendously beneficial.</p>
<p>I had my first serious panic attack at the end of October. At the time I had been unemployed for 15 months and my husband, due to a mini-stroke last March, had become very short-tempered. I was able to get in to see my primary care physician that afternoon and he prescribed Xanax. I started out a .25 mg tablet at bedtime and cut this by half when that made me dopey. I went back to a full tablet in late January when I had to take a job for which I really wasn’t suited or lose what was left of my unemployment. I’ve now found a much better job and am contemplating going back to half a tablet with the goal of coming completely off and taking it as needed. I’ve also been working with my long-time psychologist and am glad my life is finally settling down a bit.</p>