Xanax and anxiety

I was first taking clonazepam for my Anxiety issues ans sleeping disorders since I came back from Iraq. This was back in 2004 and was switched over to Xanax in 2005 and have been taking it since. I am supposed to take 1mg in the morning, 1 at lunch and 2mg when I go to sleep. I am not addicted because I go days without taking it but now it seems to not help with any anxiety. I feel it makes it worse and now have trouble swallowing foods because my anxiety has been so bad. I do not know what else to do and tired of being a lab rat to these doctors.

ive been taking for 2 years im lightheaded all the time dry mouth and im more nervous and anxious when i take it. at first it was helping me.Now it just makes things worse and trying to stop it is hard.I'm trying to dose off of it now i was taking half of 1 mg a day then 1 mg a day now im trying to half the half and im just getting worse i wouldn't recommend taking alprazolam(zanax)yes it calms you down for a little bit bit in the long run its no good.Oh yeah have bad dreams on it(a side effect) and also wake up with racing feeling at night maybe 5 times a night.

THIS DRUG IS VERY ADDICTIVE IN THAT IT IS SO HARD TO COME OFF OF. I HAVE BEEN TAKEING IT FOR SEVERAL YEARS AND EVERYTIME I COME OFF OF IT I HAVE THE SAME SIDE EFFECTS. FILL DIZZY TUNNEL FISION NOISES AND LIGHT DISTURB ME TIGHT MUSTLES AND I MENTALLY JUST FILL BAD . IT LAST FOR ABOUT TWO WEEKS. AND YOU WILL FILL BACK TO NORMAL. NO MATTER WHAT THE DOCTORS SAY ABOUT LOWERING YOUR DOSAGES IT IS STILL JUST AS HARD. I WOULD SUGGEST IF YOU GET OFF OF IT DONT GET BACK ON IT. JUST BECAUSE YOUR HAVEING A BAD DAY IT DOES NOT TAKE LONG TO GET BACK INTO YOUR SYSTEM. THE BEST WAY TO DEAL WITH THIS HORRIBLE SIDE EFFECT IS PICK YOURSELF AND MAKE YOURSELF GO. I KNOW ITS YARD BUT IT WORKS.

I had back surgery sevral years ago & now need another. Then I had a major heart attack & had heart surgery. I live on pain medication for my beck & take a handful of pills daily for my heart. I am only 47 years old.
I have had problems sleeping for sometime lately have been very stressed. My Doctor put me on Xanax about 2 months ago. At first I slept & felt well but lately I feel overly emotional. I will cry over anything or nothing & just have this feeling like I'm going to die.
I'm wondering if this is a side effect of the Xanax.

I have been taking Xanax for mod. anxiety for about 5 months usually only .125 mg twice a day and I seem to experience lightheadness when I miss a dose> Is this normal on such a small amount? it seems the lightheadedness is making me more anxious and I'm just trying to figure out if the Xanax is causing this

I've been taking xanax for 12 years now. I take .5 mg 3x daily. It has enabled me to live a normal and productive life. I was finally able to finish college, socialize with people, and function like a normal adult.

What disturbs me are the doctors who won't prescribe xanax because of its addictive quality. So what if it's addictive?! I think most people who live with debilitating anxiety would much rather live a normal life and be addicted to a drug than to live with panic, fear, and irrational thoughts their entire lives.

As far as side effects, I sometimes feel tired, especially when I take one at night, and the withdrawal is very unpleasant. However, I'd rather live with these side effects until something better comes along.

For those of you that are trying to get off of xanax and are having a hard time: good luck and god speed. But don't demonize a drug that has helped countless people feel normal again.

diarrhea and nausea anxiety, and like an elephant on my chest,

I've been taking Xanax for about a year. For the first 8 months I would only take it very occasionally, but I have admittedly increased the dosage over the past few months to 0.25 every couple of days to 0.5 every day for the past two weeks. Over the past 3 months I have noticed a marked increase in anxiety and paranoia (exactly what I'm trying to fix). Lately I have been experiencing dizziness, dry mouth, insomnia, weight loss, twitching in my legs, backside and other places, cramping type sensations in my left leg and the feeling that I have a 150kg giant riding on my shoulders, to the extent that I'm 110% convinced I have a neurological disorder. The doctors assure me no neurological disorder exists (and for whatever reason I don't believe them), and my wife is on the point of walking out. Xanax certainly gives you that instant hit of calm, no questions. But I never used to be THIS anxious, I'm not sure if this stuff is helping me long term.

I was given Xanax for anxiety.For 4 years i was using them to deal with everyday life.It worked until they decided to take me off with out winging me first.I was having bad withdrawls,so i did the only thing I thought I could,I street bought.After 2 years of that one day I woke up and looked at my self and really didnt know who I was,it was time to stop.I was able with help to get clean from them with help from friends but the memories I lost can never be regained.I sometimes do miss the way they made me feel so secure about myself ,but I have to remember what they took also.If I had the choice again to take them and feel so secure agian with taking them Id turn it down.The pleasure they give you doesnt even come close to the pain when youve done them to long.Be careful they can control your life, they did mine!

I have been taking zoloft for 6 months for ppmd as perscribed by my ob/gyn dr. I don'y feel like it is working and I notice I have signs of anxiety. I don't feel depressed but I was thinking of talking to my dr sbout xanax. I have tried it and it seems to take the "elephant off my chest." Any sugggestions.

I had been taking xanax on and off for years but they made me very irritable. depressed and I had dry mouth. I stopped taking them and was given another benzo for my anxiety. I took that for about 6 years but they stopped working for me. Now I am taking xanax again and this time I am getting the same side effects with additional ones. Such as increased appetite, horrible cravings for sugar and loss of memory. I am in the process of getting off the xanax, I hate them, they are a horrible drug. I am quite scared because the first time that I stopped taking them I ended up in the hospital with terrible withdrawals. My experience with xanax hasn't been fun. For people that are thinking of taking them for anxiety, depression, whatever, try something else first.

worked great for me for my anxiety. No side effects except drowsiness in the first week taking it, which later subsided. I take .25 three times a day.