Hi Lewie,

I would take your doctor's advice over your pharmacist's. Your pharmacist may have been speaking about interactions with other medications that he knows of that you take (if any), but he's not (as) familiar with your medical conditions, history, other medical information/contra-indications, etc. as your doctor.

Xanax (alprazolam) is in the benzodiazapine class of medications. As such it needs to be respected, as it has potential for dependence, tolerance, and abuse/addiction.

Above, did you mean GABA (gamma-aminobutyric acid) or gabapentin (Neurontin)? I have heard/read about gabapentin possibly causing cardiac dysrhythmia (arrhythmia/irregular heartbeat), but fairly rarely. OTOH, arrhythmias seem more common with GABA taken as a supplement for PN.

A List of GABA Supplement Side Effects
(list may not be complete/comprehensive)

Either way, if something worked that well, I would want to be sure it was the cause of my heart doing funny things before abandoning it—and to find out if there is another problem with my heart that I should be aware of.

Hmmm... ALL medications (and supplements) have side effects and risks, and everyone is different in responding to the effects—good and/or bad—of different meds.

Most—if not all—medications and supplements for PN are discussed pretty well in the PN Tips, Resources, Supplements & Other Treatments subforum—mostly in these two threads:

~~SUPPLEMENTS~~~ for Peripheral Neuropathy:

DRUGS (RX) ~~ Used for Treating Peripheral Neuropathy:

along with articles in medications for peripheral neuropathy

I would (and have) follow(ed) up on that information with my own reading/research, and then be able to discuss options with my doctor in a more informed way. I would tell him exactly what you said above about how the gaba/pentin (whichever it was) worked well, but you have concerns about possible irregular heartbeat, and how well the alprazolam works for you (with the same detail as above).

Our doctors need us to help them help us, and the best way we can do that is by giving them candid feedback about what works (and why) and what doesn't (and why). In the chronic pain forum, I often suggest articles/reading on how to talk to your doctor about chronic pain. The same advice (in the articles) can be adapted to talking to them about PN.

Doc