Medications for anxiety.

[Ngikhona]

So at my appointment with my psychiatrist on Monday I was prescribed a change in medicine (switched SSRIs) and also prescribed some Xanax for anxiety and panics. My questions are: what sort of experiences have you had with Xanax and (if you take it on an as-needed basis, as opposed to a daily basis) how much do you have to take to calm down? My psychiatrist said he didn't want me to take it every day and I can take it as needed and he gave me some general guidelines, but I'm just not sure what to expect with how much I'll need or what it'll do. >_<

[Ghost On The Highway]

I was prescribed Xanax (as well as Klonopin, also a benzo) for anxiety and insomnia related to SSRI use. Usually it only takes one pill (.25mg) to calm me down, though I don't regularly have intense panic attacks. I'd recommend starting with a low dose just to see how it makes you feel, higher doses can cause mild sedation. I was feeling particularly awful yesterday and took five pills (1.25mg) -- I slept for 18 hours straight but experienced no side effects besides drowsiness. I believe the maximum dosage is supposed to be 4mg per day, though this may vary based on weight, indication, etc. Definitely don't take a dose like that without talking to your psychiatrist first.

[lostandalone]

I started off with a daily low dose, but that was increased during therapy. Noe I only take it as needed.

I had no side effects other than being tired. It helped to keep the anxiety driven feelings to a level I could control.

[ghostoverground]

I was prescribed .1 mg on top of some other meds, SSRIs etc, to take as-needed for anxiety, similar to you I believe. I found it to be pretty helpful especially when things were just out of control and I couldn't function because of my anxiety. I'm pretty small, only about [Edited: Please do not post weight numbers. It's against our rules.] lbs, so .1 mg was enough for me to feel an effect. It may vary though, I'm not sure. For me, .1 mg got rid of nearly all of my physical symptoms of anxiety and helped me relax enough to deal with whatever the problem was. It did make me a bit sleepy, so I wouldn't take it before you have to do something super important, but it wasn't so bad that I couldn't function, not even close. I've even performed while on it. I just wouldn't want to take a long test or something. That said it does help me fall asleep if I need to.

Overall I've had a good experience with Xanax. No complaints really, it does the job just about perfectly.