Xanax and dizziness

Wed.15Dec152004
I have been taking xanax since Aug. of this year. I do not take them on a regular basis. I started having rapid heart rates dizziness, feeling like I was going to faint and shaking. I thought I was going yo have a heartattack. I was prescribed
zoloft and xanax. I did not like the side effects of zoloft. I usually take a half of a 0.5 to a whole one 2 or 3 times a week. They do help and I seem to sleep better.

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.