Ok so I went to my neurologist today(a renowned neurologist in the country) and wrote down all my symptoms. Basically I have sensitivity to jolts, head pressure sometimes, tinnitus, broken sleep, anxiety etc. he confirmed its PCS and it's been 4 months since the injury. His opinion has been same over and over again that all my symptoms are anxiety related(don't know how much it's true, but I feel he is right partially because I know it's not ALL anxiety related. He says there is nothing physically wrong with me and is adamant on it ( then why tinnitus doc? )

Well he had prescribed notryptiline 25mg to me before and I took it for 20 days. It gave me a racing heart and shivering body so I stopped it for 2 days and faced the worst withdrawal symptoms, started again and have been taking half of it once a day since 2 days. He told me to stop taking it and prescribed alprazolam(0.25mg) for a month instead.

What can I expect after taking alprazolam? Is it safe? Is it addictive? Will it make my tinnitus worse after I stop it as it's a benzo? Also Is it safe to again stop taking notryptiline as I have been taking only half a pill once a day since 2 days? Or I should take 1/4 th of notryptiline for a few more days and then stop ?

Finally, is alprazolam really needed? I mean I know I have some anxiety which may be causing my symptoms but I am not kind of devastated right now and I am pretty much doing ok and giving all this time. My sleep is broken but I don't want to unnecessarily take sleeping pills and addict myself to them and again worry about withdrawal symptoms. I would rather keep them as my last resort. I may be wrong about it and this drug may prove miraculous for me. Is it worth it? Please advice..

It appears trying an anxiolytic would be worth it. Calming your mind may help you deal with the tinnitus. I don't know dosages for Xanax but when I was prescribed Klonopin, I only took 1/2 the prescribed dose and did well.

Anxiety can make any PCS symptom worse, so reducing your anxiety should help reduce your other symptoms. Or maybe just stabilize them so they do not spike.

My best to you.

BUT if I had my time over again no way would I have popped that damn pill into my mouth day after day. I still wonder if withdrawing from it contributed to my grand mal seizure in 2012 and my husband is convinced it did. I stopped taking the Xanax daily around August 3 and had the seizure august 13. It causes physical dependence and my husband is a DDO and in their seminars many experts now say it is more addictive than heroin. I have since taken it again this year as recommended by GP and suffering withdrawal again as we speak. It's the pits

Maybe that's true..but my dosage is low and my duration on it is also less just one month...I just take half of 0.25mg pill after lunch and a full 0.25mg pill after dinner..it's doing wonders for me I swear...I am getting the necessary sleep for recovery and I think it's worth the risk at this point of time..withdrawal symptoms are less worrisome than an incomplete brain recovery in my opinion...do you still think I will have problems even if I will very cautiously taper off of it in the end? Mark what's your opinion on this?

I have taken up 4 milligrams a day of xanax. I have never had a problem taking or coming off of it. What I have always been very tolerant to medication and not the addictive type. Half of .25 xanax is almost nothing. Thank God so little is helping you. You will be fine

Hey if it works for you that's fabulous, the low dose over a short period should be ok. It's if you take it for longer and a higher dose, I was on 1mg for over 12 months. And, everyone is different, we all have different metabolisms and handle things differently - emotionally as well. I can tell you truthfully that Xanax combined with my painkiller keeps my panic attacks and severe muscle spasms under control but I recognised addiction symptoms this year and stopped it. I'm positive I'm suffering with rebound now and I did taper off this time rather than just stopped. My husband warned me about this drug when I began it and I scoffed at him and said it won't happen to me. Now, I know better.

All I'm suggesting is you be mindful of the power of this drug and if you find yourself thinking " I will just take a Xanax and be better" and think about increasing your daily dose, then consider it is time to discuss it with your GP. If you don't get that urge and you don't continue the drug longer term, or think about holding some back for the off chance in the future in case you need it, then you are good with it and have it under control. Truly, I'm just saying be careful, nothing else. I'm not wanting to upset or cause undue angst.

Have you tried taking L-Tryptophan and L-Theanine ? I take them both twice a day and it appears to keep the anxiety at bay. I do this with my doctor's support. It may be a way to continue anti-anxiety support when you stop the Xanax.

PamelaJune,
What is a DDO ? Have you suffered a brain injury ?

I've been carrying Xanax in my purse (not the same bottle..lol) for 5 years....ever since my daughter had emergency heart ablation. My PCP is the one that writes the prescription for me...I have severe small fiber neuropathy that started after my chemo ended (also type 2 diabetic). I've never been one to need pain meds or anxiety meds but these have come in handy many times over.

She gave me .5 mg but I cut them in half and only take .25. I am thankful that the low dose works for me. I don't get a high feeling just a relaxing feeling. I also use it for breakthrough pain when my vicodine doesn't get it.

I agree that this small amount if it helps would probably not be hard to get off of.

Please keep us posted

Debi from Georgia

How is it that people who are not part of the PCS/TBI community find these threads to post comments ?

The interaction of meds and PCS recovery issues is unique to those with PCS/TBI. Generic recommendations from those outside the PCS/TBI community should be considered carefully.

mark that is a great point. Every medication I am prescribed is taken within the context of how it will affect my head injury and interact with the medications I takefor the various symptoms of that head injury.