<p>I have taken Xanax for years but only a extremely small dose as it makes me very sleepy. Never had a problem with addiction (and I have a somewhat addictive personality) nor have I ever experienced a problem with weaning myself off of it - though I don’t take it more than once a day. I can go for months without taking it.</p>
<p>I have spoken with numerous physicians on the ‘addictive’ issue of these drugs. They are among the most highly prescribed drugs out there. They have the potential to be addictive but that doesn’t mean every person that takes them will become addicted. In fact, the percent that become addicted is probably very small. Alcohol has the potential to become addictive but not every person who drinks become addicted.</p>
<p>You have to use common sense - if you feel yourself becoming dependent on them, talk to your physician about other options. Cognitive therapy is also a good tool to combat anxiety.</p>
<p>I know Ativan has the effect that you’re looking for on a lot of people. I agree with the poster who suggested trying samples to see how they affect you. I’ve tried Ativan for anxiety, and it just made me sleepy, and for a lot of people with psych drugs it can seem arbitrary when one works and the other doesn’t. A lot of benzos can make people tired too, though, so be aware of that if you need to be alert. Best of luck.</p>
<p>It’s a good drug for short-term use – such as what you’re contemplating (although you may need to avoid driving).</p>
<p>Unfortunately, I took it long term, back before the disadvantages of this were recognized. You build a tolerance to it, which means that it doesn’t work as well after a few weeks or months as it did in the beginning. Eventually, it basically becomes useless. But at the same time, you develop a physical dependence on it, which means that it has to be tapered gradually to avoid medically serious risks (seizures), and even then, you experience unpleasant discontinuation symptoms (lots and lots of insomnia, in my experience).</p>
<p>Taking a drug that is no longer working and then feeling bad when you discontinue it is a lose-lose situation. Thus, long-term use is not a good idea. But short-term is a whole different situation.</p>
<p>I have been thinking about you, and hope you are doing well. Has it been 2 years? Wow.</p>
<p>I dont take meds, but many of my patients do. One of the reports with short acting meds like xanax is that it is in and out of your system in a few hours, and when it wears off, xanax can cause rebound anxiety. That is, when it is wearing off, there is a bit if an increase in anxiety-based symptoms (eg chest pounding, jelly legs, heart racing, etc) so the patient thinks they are having a worsening of their symptoms and then feels the need to take another pill. This can lead to the increasing use of, and potential dependence on the meds. How about considering a longer acting benzo like klonopin?</p>
<p>Crabbylady, I’ve been thinking about you, too. Are you still living in Alaska? How are your daughters doing? Did you ever take that trip to Italy? I don’t have any advice on anti-anxiety drugs, but with you the best in getting through the trial.</p>
<p>Crabbylady - I take Ativan sometimes for PMS when I am hating everyone in my house. Then I suddenly realize that I am the one with the problem - not them.</p>
<p>I think side effects may be different with each individual. But I don’t seem to have any. </p>
<p>Maybe you should try it and see what you think. Try it before the trial so you know how it affects you. You should be de-stressed somewhat, but still able to think clearly. It wouldn’t hurt to just try it and see what you think.</p>
<p>Crabbylady,
Please come here to vent and for support during the trial. I cannot imagine what that will be like for you. I wish you strength and best wishes. </p>
<p>As for the meds, if you try them and aren’t feeling particularly stressed at the time, you may find them a little sedating. They may feel less so, however, when the adrenalin is pumping.</p>
<p>Hi there Crabbylady! Sorry you are facing another rough time.</p>
<p>Each of the Benzo’s are slightly different, in terms of half life. I’d never recommend one over another without knowing other meds that you take. </p>
<p>I’ve taken a tranquilizer a few times in my life–death of family member, doing legal stuff with ex, and public speaking. Most important for me was taking appropriate dose, as I didn’t want to get sleepy when giving a speech. My personal opinion is to take a very small dose the first time and see how that goes.</p>
<p>crabbylady … hugs and cyber support. we still light a candle for you now and then.</p>
<p>My mom took Ativan when going through a horrible divorce. It helped her sleep and stop the downward spiral of negative thinking. The only symptom she reported was dry-mouth… but I really believe that dry mouth came from her finally sleeping so hard she had her mouth open all night.</p>
<p>Good luck with getting through. (meant sincerely, not sarcastically since it could be read both ways)</p>
<p>My mom also took Ativan, while going through her cancer treatment. Two of her sisters had already died of cancer and she was so tense and anxious she could not sleep or even sit still for a minute; she was pacing. The Ativan made a huge difference and she was the most mellow we have ever seen her. I’m not exactly sure how long she took it but she decided to stop after a weird episode where she sleepwalked out of her apartment and knocked on a neighbor’s door. I believe she quit cold turkey. Even so, Ativan helped her enormously while she was on it. Best of luck to you in this difficult time.</p>
<p>My thoughts and prayers are with you, crabbylady. Please report that. I was considering asking for anti-anxiety meds to get through just a little civil trial. I’d love to know what works for you.</p>
<p>Both drugs could make you sleepy, so it would be good to take a dose or two at home in the evening after you have no driving requirements and see how they affect you.</p>
<p>I have been taking a half to one milligram Ativan for over 5 years, and it has helped me to stay asleep at night.I have tried Sonata, Ambien , and Lunesta for sleep and feel groggy in the AM. I started having frequent anxiety attacks about 10 years ago, and took Zoloft for awhile ,eventually weaning off them after several years .I use just the Ativan now at bedtime.I haven’t had any panic attacks in years.I think just knowing you have something like Ativan at home can give you security that if you have an attack, there is something you can take.Yes, I have prescriptions for all this !Good luck</p>
<p>crabbylady, I hope you are able to get through this trial without too much overwhelming pain. Have you seen the interview of Dr. William Petit after the jury returned a guilty verdict against one of the men who killed his family? He was asked how he got through the trial and he said it was the only thing he could do for his family, so he did it. He did excuse himself from the courtroom when some of the more horrific photos were introduced into evidence. Perhaps you can do the same?
Sending good thoughts your way.</p>
<p>I know I’m not alone in hoping you stay strong. I also hope justice is served.</p>
<p>If you are just now asking about Xanax after all you have already been through, then I’d say worries about addiction are probably misplaced in your case. I like the idea of using a very small dose. Good luck!</p>
<p>Totally agree with this. I missed your post about why you were asking about Xanax. I use it frequently when I am feeling anxious about a particular event (including giving presentations and job interviews). The trick is to find the right dose that won’t make you sleepy. I have .5 mg tablets and generally only use a 1/4-1/2 tablet at a time. A 1/2 tablet will make me sleepy. A 1/4 tablet is usually just right to combat the anxiety but still remain functional.</p>
<p>Try it ahead of time to see how it effects you. Bless you and good luck.</p>
<p>Sending healing thoughts your way… (And I took a Xanax equivalent when I had to take a long, long flight. I did a trial run ahead of time, and found that it had only a mild effect on me. Useful and calming, but mild.)</p>
<p>Some of these drugs, like xanax and benadryl, I think are anticholinergic and can cause “mild cognitive impairment” in some people. Guess foggy, tired, groggy are in the same group of side effects.</p>
<p>I’m not at all a medical person, but in the past year have had to take a number of meds daily and have noticed problems with memory and being able to figure things out at work. It’s scary, actually. So am doing research alot to try to see what’s causing it. Just realize that different drugs affect people in different ways. (And not sure why they list “upset stomach” and “dry mouth” as side effects, but mild cognitive impairment doesn’t seem important enough.) I agree with what others have said; best to try it out beforehand.</p>
<p>My thoughts are with you as you go through this.</p>