Xanax: Yay or Nay?
 

I used to take Xanax for anxiety. I have been dealing with extreme anxiety ever since I hit my head 2 months ago, so I finally decided it was time to start taking it again. I have been taking it for about a week or so.

I am prescribed Xanax on an "as needed" basis and take it once every other day, but I feel like I need it daily. I'm just scared it will cause long-term damage to my brain.

When I take the Xanax, I feel wonderful. My headache disappears, and I function on a level that is pretty close to where I used to be. On the days I don't take Xanax, I have a headache, nausea, dizziness, slight facial tightness, and a few other symptoms.

I am usually big on holistic treatments, so it scares me that the Xanax is working so well. Unfortunately, nothing else has helped me feel better so far except my anxiety meds.

Do any of you guys take Xanax, and have you found that it helps your concussion symptoms? Do you feel like it affects your brain in a negative way? I just don't want to turn into a zombie. I am probably over-analyzing all of this.

I am unsure of xanax but I understand your concern. Up until I was injured I rarely went to a dr. Did not need medications besides the rare antibiotic. Now I am on several and don't know if I will ever come off them. Ask yourself does it help your quality of life? If yes then talk to your dr and decide for yourself.

MWS,

Have you tried taking L-Tryptophan and L-Theanine to help with serotonin and GABA?

You can also try taking a smaller dose of the Xanax. When I was prescribed Klonopin ( a benzo like Xanax), I took half the prescribed dose with good results.

Are you taking B12 and other vitamins and supplements ?

Mark, I'm taking B12 and Omega 3s. Eating a very clean diet. I don't know much about the first two things you mentioned, so I am going to Google them to learn more (the tryptophan and theanine). Thanks.

Xanax
 

Just a word of caution, my husband is a DDO, of the many seminars they go to about drugs and their addictive behaviours that follow, Xanax is up there with heroin. I had horrid withdrawal symptoms when I decided to quit Xanax, very unpleasant. Use it with great care.

Pamela, how quickly did you begin to experience withdrawal symptoms? I can immediately tell when the med wears off, and I've only been back on it for about a week. Makes me a bit nervous. I feel like I am already having withdrawal symptoms, but that seems impossible for something that I've been taking for such a short period of time. I'm only taking 0.25 mg every other day.

I would strongly advise against Xanax.
My personal experience with it was horrible, I stopped taking it after about three weeks on it and went through hellish withdrawals for about two days.

Initially I was feeling much better when started taking it, for the first week or so, after that I noticed that I had to up the dose and had to take more doses during the day to the point where I had to take it every few hours (this is in a span of just three weeks). I figured out that I am getting addicted to it and stopped taking it right away, see the above comment about the withdrawal.

My doctor said that it wasn't a withdrawal since I was using it for only three weeks, maybe a flu or something. Well, let me tell you that must've been the flu from hell since I had all the indications of a withdrawal. Not sure if my concussed brain reacted differently to it, than a "healthy" brain would.

Anyway, here's my 2 cents on it. Try to stay with natural remedies, even though the anxiety seems to be overwhelming, trust me, coming off Xanax is way worse since any anxiety you treated with Xanax will be multiplied when coming off of it.

L-Tryptophan is needed by the brain to make serotonin. It is well understood by the body as it converts it to 5-HTP then serotonin and melatonin.

L-Theanine helps the body regulate GABA.

Both have very little risk if any at all. I take each twice a day. My Ivy League doctor knows the biochemistry of both and it in full support of me taking them.

You need a broader dose of B vitamins. A B-50 complex should be added plus D3. Your B-12 should be in the methylcobalamin form.

Amazon sells the L's at the best price.

I hope you give them a try.

As others have said, Xanax should be avoided if at all possible. Benzos are rough and should be limited to 30 days of regular use maximum. My doc took me off them as soon as possible. The Klonopin was just while we waited for another med to start to work.

supplements
 

Hi there

I also take L-thenine every day and L-troys (can't spell it) but the one Mark mentioned. I've been taking one L-theanine supplement for over 4 years to help with the anxiety in a female brain at middle age. I also use Gabba from time to time, but I think it makes me foggy now at times. I don't seem to need it so i don't take it

You can get these both at Amazon for not too much.

Here's wishing you some calm.

Sincerely,

poetrymom

You could try an antidepressant for your headaches. You could try breathing and relaxation techniques for your anxiety. I use Jean Marie Hays Deep Relaxation. You could try drinking a beer or wine at night to calm your nerves (if you do not have addictive or adverse side effects, I believe this is okay based on previous posts). Do not drink caffeine. You could identify your anxiety triggers and avoid them or take a nap if that helps you forget them.

I know how anxiety feels after PSC ... it's horrible. I used Xanax twice but no more than that because I was fearful of addiction and damage to the brain. I am bringing them on a plane trip coming up just in case, so I believe they are a good once in a while tool but no more than that. My anxiety went away slowly at about the 4-5 month mark. I still have episodes occasionally and I just sit them through or occupy myself with something else until they pass.

My neurologist told me to stay away from xanax for my PCS. It is bad for the brain and especially the healing brain. Talk to your doctor about possibly an antidepressant to help with anxiety. My Dr suggested zoloft.

Antidepressants do work well for the headaches, nausea, pain, anxiety, etc. It basically calms your nerves and brain down. I am on a combo of Strattera and Paxil.

Early in my PCS, I had a combo of Mirt for insomnia, and Paxil for anxiety. Now the insomnia, dizziness and nausea are gone, so I use Paxil. The Strattera is for the spaghetti brain I have had for years since childhood due to ADHD.

My brain is clear, relaxed, and I can focus at work without issues. Like you, I used to take Xanax but was wary of it, I only had it twice in my PCS duration.

I also was in therapy to talk about my PCS issues. After the visits, my brain would simply let go and relax. It was nice the mornings after the appointment.

I could remember my anxiety being so bad that depersonalization would strike, I would have to touch something to get a feel of being "here".

I felt also that the pressure in my head didn't help much at all, which adds more anxiety to the mix. Pain + anxiety = more anxiety.

My anxiety ended up mostly being physical symptoms to which my doctor found out all these years, my anxiety also caused my Acid Reflux I have had since childhood. As a child, I felt as if I couldn't swallow after a meal or something was in my throat.

I didn't understand it, and neither did my doctors until I got better from the antidepressants. I never used Nexium again.

Today, more and more research is being put into the brain. Especially with ADHD with co-occurring disorders. 70% of ADHD patients end up with Bipolar, Depression or Anxiety Disorders, which apparently I had.

As children, we can't tell what is anxiety. All we can tell is we are scared, nauseous, "our tummy hurts", sad, and we want Mom or Dad. We want to stay home from school, and we do, only to notice we feel 30 minutes later. And we don't why it happens. It just happens. Fight or Fright, oops I mean flight.

I wished so much back then, someone noticed it, and a lot of children lose out on treatment all because their parents say it's "normal". My ADHD was "normal". Me being talkative was normal, "it's a girl thing" they said, until I stopped paying attention and doing my homework, then they noticed. Uh-oh.

But the anxiety thing was slipped and my psych missed out on it. In the 90's, ADHD was misunderstood. Anxiety was misunderstood. Not enough research was done, even anxiety slipped past the fingers of parents. Children couldn't speak out. And forget about mood disorders.

We were hushed as children about it all. It was a shame to have a psych diagnosis. And ADHD, to other children, meant you were "stupid", "lazy", and way too "annoying". And anxiety was just to other beings was "Oh, Johnny will get over it. He's going through a rough patch."

Today, I am 23 years old, and recognize that it's real. Johnny's not getting over it, Sue can't stop talking and fidgeting, but the difference is real. Parents are now recognizing psychiatric disorders and ADHD. Dr. Amen has an article about anxiety and ADHD. And behold, brain injuries.

The standard line of treatment for PCS is caring for the pain and anxiety. But Xanax is not the way to go. I would say find an antidepressant, Mark's Vitamin Regimen, and relaxation techniques. Find ways to get your brain to simply "let go". You can do it. I know you can.

If I knew what all this stuff was back then, I would have gotten treatment. I just feel better then I have all these years.

A lot of great responses to your question. I thought I would add in a few comments of my own. Xanax (alprazolam) is one of the later benzodiazepines that came to market. There are many others (lorazepam, oxazepam, diazepam) but they all do the same thing by binding to a specific brain receptors (GABA) in different parts of the brain. Increased GABA activity seems to inhibit brain cell excitability. The effect on brain function depends on the dose and ultimately how much of the drug is bound to these receptors. At lower doses, they relax us. At moderate doses, they sedate us. At high doses they cause amnesia and respiratory depression (not good).

Xanax was marketed as a "fast acting" benzo which targeted those with panic attacks. In reality, their onset of action is similar to lorazepam (Ativan). Xanax also has a shorter elimination period from the body ("half-life"). The only problem with benzos with fast elimination time is that the withdrawal symptoms following prolonged use can appear within 24 hours. Then the challenge becomes trying to figure out which symptoms are from underlying anxiety and which are due to withdrawal. The only way is gradually reduce the dose (under medical supervision) until you're off completely.

There are other suitable alternatives to the pharmacological treatment of anxiety (regardless of the cause). The family of SSRIs (ie Citalopram) and SNRIs (ie Venlafaxine) can work extremely well. Of course, many non-pharmacological approaches have also been helpful.

In summary, some of your "next day" symptoms may in fact be withdrawal symptoms from a short acting benzodiazepine.

I forgot to mention one other point in my previous comment. Used properly, benzodiazepines (including Xanax) can be pivotal in allowing someone, disabled with anxiety, to regain function. They are generally a well tolerated family of medications with a low potential for adverse effects when used at recommended dosages. In the treatment of anxiety spectrum disorders, they usually are used however as an adjunct to other meds such as SSRIs and SNRI to name a few. Ideally they are used on a "as needed" basis during heightened periods of anxiety. Benzos do not damage the brain. However they can impair cognition, aggravate depression, cause dizziness and even cause paradoxical agitation in some people. People suffering from PCS need to be cautious about worsening symptoms when using these drugs. Seniors are especially vulnerable to the cognitive side-effects and are best to avoid them altogether if possible.

If you are using Xanax by itself to control your anxiety, you would do well to discuss with your MD about introducing a safer "daily" medication. Once established on the latter, you could then consider gradually lowering the dose of Xanax to avoid the unpleasant symptoms of withdrawal.

If your headaches improve with Xanax, I wonder if your anxiety may be triggering them. Thus by controlling your anxiety you are less likely to experience headache. Alternately, as mentioned in the last post, if you use Xanax fairly consistently, headaches could possibly be as a result of sudden withdrawal (kind of like what happens to some of us when we don't get our coffee). Good luck

I have used Klonopin (clonazepam) successfully. It is a bit slower acting and stays in your blood twice as long as Xanax so one can take smaller doses. I took it for 30 days while waiting for Celexa to take effect. I find Celexa much easier to handle side-effect wise than Paxil. I have 14 years experience with Paxil. My doc added Zyprexa to the Celexa after I went off the Klonopin and I am doing great on the combo.