Congratulations on your sobriety! Mixing Xanax and alcohol causes brain damage. Hopefully in your case it is temporary. Allow your brain to recover to a healthier state. It would be in your best interest to consult a doctor about your feelings. Whatever you do do not use this to launch back into your addiction. PLEASE! All the best!
I agree with the last post. Seriously give it some time!!! It does get better. I speak from experience.
This account has been deactivated.
Well GEES! I know you’re trying to help, but it seems kinda harsh to just jump out and say that! I most certainly don’t feel brain damaged! I just feel a slightly different sense of reality right now. It seems as though I spend *more* time with introspective thought. I have no intention of using again, but it would certainly help if people wouldn’t jump to the “brain damage” conclusion so quickly! That kind of suggestion doesn’t much help the way that I feel! And I’m fairly sure living within my thoughts that it isn’t that type of scenario. I’m not trying to be rude - but I also deal with generalized anxiety disorder and I didn’t really want the possibility of permanent brain damage floating around inside my jungle gym of thoughts… so I’ll just *pretend* you didn’t say that! Thanks!
i am currently thinking about going to rehab for xanax but i also have anxiety so im scared to come off the xanax. do you think rehab was worth it? does it help not to use it anymore?
Oh 100 % absolutely YES. I can say (with a VERY firm understanding of being a ’slave to the pill’) that I am absolutely thrilled to have come off of the xanax. It became a gigantic part of my life…. where will I get it? - when am I going to run out?
It’s not obsurd to think this way. The pills took me by the hand…
I will say, with as much emphasis as can be typed, PLEASE DON’T TRY TO TAKE YOURSELF OFF OF IT. I made this mistake, and it only increased my problem. My anxieties only worsened when I tried and failed to do this myself. I simply thought to myself that I had given my all - been thru hell trying - and still needed them, if not more than before. Rehab does medically take you off of this. That absolutely doesn’t mean that you won’t have to participate - but they know what they’re doing. They won’t let you “die” - this was my biggest fear. They give you exactly what you need to ABSOLUTELY make sure that you don’t die. I know to some who may read this, that it seems obsurd to think this… but I also know exactly (first hand) - all about the kinds of crazy notions, fears of people staring, fears of death, can’t breathe feelings - … and although I had to deal with being uncomfortable for ONE WEEK OF IT, I am all the better for having gone to rehab, and what’s the one week to the rest of your life?
Had you told me a year ago that I would be living today, free of xanax, I would probably have laughed in your face. But here I am…….. and SO glad I went.
I really am scared cause i have very very very vry bad anxiety but i also want to live a sober life… you have helped me alot thank you and if you have any advise to help me get through it i would really love to hear it!
How long have you been taking the xanax? I took them for ten years…. that’s ten years of my life I won’t get back, but I’m on my 4th sober month right now, panic attack free, and I truly cannot believe it. If someone had told me six months ago that I’d make it thru one DAY without taking xanax, I probably would have laughed. Think of this…… there was a time in your life that you didn’t NEED it. Can you imagine this again? Because that person that doesn’t need it still lives in you. It IS still there… it IS do-able. Now that I’m off of it, I don’t think some one could pay me enough to take it again. I still get anxiety from time to time, but it is nothing like it was before. It’s very manageable and I don’t want the damned pills any more. WHEN you get through it, (and it will happen), you too will look back at your time on them, and smile at your own accomplishment in getting them out of your life. You can do this. If I did it (taking anywhere between one and five bars a DAY for ten YEARS) then any one can do this. I know how bad the anxiety gets. Trust me. It got so bad for me at one point that I never wanted to leave my house!
And now I’m here. I’ve been to hell with the anxiety… I know how that feels. But I also know what right now feels like. And I couldn’t have done this without help. That’s what the rehabilitation centers are for… to help. And it worked. And it will for you too. Please feel free to e-mail me at any time if you have more questions - I’ll give my # to you if you just want to chit chat! You can get thru it. Promise. (email removed)
Im feeling really bad right now i just got home from detox the hospital only had me there for 4 days with meds and now i have nothing and i feel like im going crazy my anxiety is worse than it ever was before and im really starting to doubt comming off it i cry all the time my heart never stops pounding does this ever get better i mean is there someone out there who has been through this who can tell me when the withdrawls will stop or get better i dont want to relaps i HATE xanax but this is horrible! Someone please i need help with this!
It does get better. I don’t know how to tell you that and to make you believe it, I know how you are feeling right now. I wish I could talk to you on the phone to help!
The first withdrawals (the parts you are dealing with right now) will subside within seven days. You will most likely have a second set. NOT TO WORRY. I had a second set as well… they last about two days, but when you get thru these you are IN THE CLEAR! And you can start moving forward! Think of it this way… it is not going to be fun. Not for the next few days, and then not for two days right around the 10 day mark. But - YOU WILL NOT DIE. I know these feelings can SWALLOW YOU…but you WILL BE ALRIGHT. Please. Get through the next two weeks, just take it one minute at a time. These feelings DO GO AWAY!!! (I didn’t believe it either! Then it happened!!!) They DO NOT last forever, you ARE NOT going crazy. You’ve programmed your body into needing this, and it will take a few days of hell to program it back! But you CAN get through it.
You are at war with yourself. That’s simply how it is… you have to “win” by not allowing yourself to take a pill to get an immediate feeling of “better”. The true “better” is around the corner. Don’t give in! You will come out the other side. Write to me - I’ll send my # if you need it. My mail is the same as my user name - then “at” yahoo dot com. I think that’s the only way I can get an address to you! I’d like to help if I can.
Meg
AAGH! My bad. My mail is megganliz, then the # 8, THEN at yahoo dot com. If I just type it out on here they erase it. Hopefully you got this. I check it often. Do write!
Meg
I have been addicted to xanax, meth and anything else i could get and i say i am addoicted because the addiction never goes away. i used for 11 years everyday since i was 14 years old. i have been clean for 3 years and it took about a year for the mind fog to go away , that not right feeling in your head. my cravings still come from time to time but the life i have now keeps me clean. having to have an escape from reality everyday made me miss out on a large amount of my life. i can’t even remember christmas from some years or my own birthdays hell i couldn’t figure how old i was for two years.
This account has been deactivated.
My sister is going through this now…day 7….she (the person) is not quite there yet and she keeps describing it as like a movie or commericial that she is in. She still cannot think coherently and we are afraid of permanent brain damage also. She was up to taking 90 xanax in 9 days which sent her into seizures, hospitalized, released after 4 days and sent home cold turkey like a zombie. We take turns taking care of her and it is exhausting…up all night. Could more be wrong?
This account has been deactivated.
I know exactly what she and you are going through you can never be 100% certin that there isn’t anything more wrong with her so you should contact your family doctor and maybe consider having a C.A.T. Scan done depending on what your doctor says. I went through detox/rehab for 4 days and like your sister was sent home cold turkey, my body went into shock and i ended up right back on xanax taking even more than i had ever taken which was about 5-10 .5mg pills a day but i made up my mind that i was coming off it no matter what and i did it’s very much mind over matter no matter how she is feeling, she has to keep telling her self it will get better and i promise you it will i had very bad withdraws for about 4 months after that i was foggy for another 8 months but after that you start to clear up and feel better than you ever felt before. I was on xanax for about 6 years after my brother died and i devoloped very very bad anxity but i am fine now i have my anxity under control and i live a happy normal life with out any meds. During my experence with this i too felt something more was wrong with me and i went to every Emergency room in town and begged for them to find something after blood work, cat scans, full phyicals, a spinal tap and many many more tests they found not one thing wrong with me and told me it was all apart of the withdrawls. I hope this has helped you and that your sister starts feeling better very soon.
how much xanax were you all taking to go to rehab?
This account has been deactivated.
I have been taking Xanax off and on for about 15 years. I have .5 mg pills.
Now, I usually split one pill in half, (.25) and take 1, (.25), in the morning and one, (.25) at night. I went 30 days 2 months ago without taking ANY. I also find that just having the pills near me and not taking them is almost as good as actually taking them. Just knowing that they are there in case of a panic attack is sometimes all I need. Sometimes I only take one, (.25) a day, and sometimes not any.
I really don’t see the addictive feature of this drug, for me anyways…. By the way, I don’t drink alcohol at all, (AA). I guess you could abuse them, but I just don’t see it. If you do, by all means, don’t take them. Good Luck.
This account has been deactivated.
I am going through the same things. its really ******* crazy how u feel ur living in a god **** movie. dont **** with it stay off it as soon as possible. i cant control my behavior sometimes or am i just thinking this.people brought up seizures and i think ive been having them. i feel like everyones staring at me. it comes n goes. now i heard brain damage from someone……. how long do u have to take it n alcohol b4 this brain damage crap comes up? i hope i didnt **** it up.parden my french. my head doesnt feel right do i see a doctor or wait. i drank 2 days ago. even when i listen to music i go into this other world n i try to stop it but cant. advice please thank u.
I just got off Xanax,i had taken them from time to time, then it became every weekend, then why not monday too, tues, and wednes- and so on. I had been on them heavy for about 5 days straight… I had my last bar on last saturday.. On sunday “mother’s day” first day without them.. I started feeling funny, kinda like i was in a bubble. Then my arms didnt feel “real” my heart was racing, and thought of my death was closer then ever. I calmed down called my dad.(Who has been on Xans for 15 years) He told me I was withdrawling. I still feel like life isnt real and im just a chapter in someone book, Even when i look at the sky is just doesnt feel “REAL” nothing does, not people, conversations. NOTHING. even writing this is a little weird. I see that Im not the only one that feels like this. I wonder if life as i know it, will ever go back to “NORMAL”?
This account has been deactivated.
I just switched from Xanax to Valium WHY? Cause I was a dang drunk on Xanax! Can someone explain why I would pound a 1.75 Liter of Vodka in 5 days (Weekly for 4 months) why I was on Xanax and now that im on Valium I don’t even care to drink… I got drunk, loud and obnoxious not to mention at 4pm every day I started drinking at work just to get “The fix” Xanax is the devil for me! I took a 1 week break from .50mg 2 times a day and it didn’t phase me as far as withdrawls… So I went to my doctor and told him I need something diff. and Valium was his suggestion! works for me as far as my anxiety WAY better! I think Xanax was too week and didn’t last long enough for me so I turned to the bottle for an extra kicker for the Xanax…
This account has been deactivated.
xanax doesnt cause brain damage at all if used right ..like your doctor prescribed it ..im 38 yrs old and i have agoraphobia ..plus severe panic attacks …and paxil never ever helped me ..it caused me suicidal thoughts …plus zoloft too didnt work ..neither did prozac ..so my doc put me on a benzodiazepine …that helped …so now im 38 yrs old still on it ..ive been on it 15 yrs …as long as you do not drink with it you should be ok ..from steve
My sister has different medical conditions along with depression and panic attacks. She was prescribed Xanax 1mg twice daily and has been taking it for a yr or 2. This placed on her a total of 17 medications daily. (pain medicines, blood pressure medicines, etc) Way too many medications that probably interacted with each other. She injured herself when she envisioned that someone was chasing her and trying to attack her. She had to go to the ER and ended up on the pysch ward. They are trying to wean her off the meds and she is completely talking out of her head….crazy nonsense dialogue with sometimes having to be restrained. It is only day 3….is this normal while detoxing….how long does this behavior continue or has she taken so many meds that there is permanant damage?
This account has been deactivated.
2007 started on .5mg klonopin for anxiety, which was understandable because I was a pre-med student suffering from constant panic attacks. 2008 began studying for MCAT and by the time that was over was at 2mg Xanax plus drinking. 2009 up to 3mg Xanax as well as drinking heavily just to not go through withdrawals. Oct. ‘09 pretty much had no choice but to go to an inpatient rehab center that was part of a hospital to be monitored for siezures while I winged off. The assholes there which I believe is common practice only give you enough Ativan to keep you from siezing or dying which in my case only took 3 weeks before I was completely cut off. You can believe me or not I don’t really care, absolute indescribable misery. And I honestly with everything I had in me didn’t want to relapse. I ended up cutting my wrists twice and pretty severly when withdrawals got so bad and I would have rather died than keep living in the grips of Xanax. After 3 years of having a prescription and admitably drinking heavily it took 7 months before I felt about normal again. By the grace of Jesus Christ almighty I’m through with that crap it’s 2011 and I still go to at least 3 AA-NA meetings and life is so amazing now without that crap. Don’t worry not in med school obviously not cut out for that pressure. And like I said don’t care if you believe me or not but please don’t take the stuff on a daily basis for extendid periods, you have no idea what you are in for
This account has been deactivated.
It takes about a year for PAWS (post acute withdrawal symptoms) to alleviate. I have just over 13 months clean, and this has been a great issue of mine. My drugs of choice were xanax, adderal, cocaine, and all pill forms of opiates (a garbage head, basically) and I mixed these all together in cocktails at high dosages. I felt very out of place, did not know myself, felt very uncomfortable in my own skin. Could not concentrate, did not know what I was talking about, sleep issues, anger, my nerves were just SHOT. I think that I most likely have permanent brain damage to the language areas of my brain because I was VERY sharp with the English language, grammar, spelling, spoke very well. I am still told I speak well and write well but I feel like I am not even paying attention most of the time and I find myself spelling very simple words wrong, using words out of context, and repeating words. I wish you the best of luck and the intensity of your feelings will eventually lessen. Stay strong and push through, the grass is MUCH greener on the other side.
This account has been deactivated.
Ive been on xanax for about 10 months now and i have upped my dosage to about 5-6 mg a day. I dont like the drug but feel that I cant do without it. It has made me react and act in ways that are mot my normal self. I forget very often and I dont realize consequences. I dont know what to do right now but Im afraid of not having it. My body or I should say my panic and anxiety keeps wanting me to take it to feel better. Im lost on what to do and I dont know where to turn from here.
This account has been deactivated.
I am taking Xanax for about 3 years — sometimes up to 6 mg per day plus some drinking — like Vodka with cranberry juice or whatever. Perhaps a 1/2 pint per day. I am scared to death because I have enormous insomnia since I was a child. I have always faught addiction — vicodin, adderall, because I was so lathargic without a “crutch.” Now doctors say biophren (like a lesser potent diazapram) will ease my longing for liquor but I am still ridden with severe anxiety. I am up for three days at a time. I will not go to rehab for reasons that are severe — people I help to care for….I am needed here. Plus two rehab centers hurt me horribily and od’d me on Zyproxa and Prozac to the point that I had to go the outside emergency room in Florida and Illinois. I cannot trust rehabs. They will not enough help me with my severe migraine headaches in order to go to group after detox. How can this be allowed. One nurse told me just go kill yourself you complainer. I was awe strucked. So someone please help me!
This account has been deactivated.
candp
lafise
megganliz
staytrue2urhear
MYSTILEE2
destiny_198
bfitzpa
Rosiebu
pacificcoasthwy
hamilto
awktjwelj
jmmruggier