# First time Xanax use, freaked out, panic attack, not good!



## AlexanderG (Nov 25, 2009)

So, the Dr recently prescribed me Xanax for social anxiety situational use, suggested a very low dose - 125mcg (had to split a 250mcg tablet for this).

Last saturday I decided to test it. 

9.35am - down the hatch with some water following breakfast.

9.55am - a deep buzz hovers over my chest, my neck tightens, my tongue feels like it is swollen and is partially numb, my heart rate increases, and a surge of something goes up my neck and buzzes around the top of the back of my skull. I felt dizzy, and couldn't trust myself to walk without the possibility of falling over. 

10.00am - I sit on the couch, thoughts rush through my mind. I had plans to go out, to test this drug socially, but I knew I could not leave my home. I think for a second should I dial the paramedics, is this going to kill me. I take some deep breaths and tell myself this is just a panic attack. 

10.10am - I lay on my bed hoping this episode would pass quickly. I don't want to sleep for fear of never waking up again. I eventually drift off into a light sleep and awake at 12.15pm feeling ok and ready to go out for the day.

The rest of the afternoon I felt ok, no noticeable social anxiety but then again it effects me worst when I am at work - and based on this trial, there is no way I could take this stuff on a work-day.

Anyone else experienced similar with this medication?

Hmm, what next, I suppose my next trial will be a Beta-Blocker. What do you think?

Thanks for reading.


----------



## soaringfalcon11 (Jun 7, 2009)

Wow. That dose isn't even recommended by the manufacturer. Were you feeling apprehensive before taking it?


----------



## AlexanderG (Nov 25, 2009)

Yes sir, I was somewhat anxious about trying it. 

Dr did not even want to prescribe it, gave me a lecture about it being one of the most addictive drugs on the market, etc.


----------



## hightimes2 (Apr 13, 2009)

125mcg? 

Lol take .5mg or 1mg and come back and tell us how u feel

Or u had an allergic reaction (doubtful)


----------



## UltraShy (Nov 8, 2003)

hightimes2 said:


> Or u had an allergic reaction (doubtful)


I think every drug comes with a warning about how it might cause an allergic reaction if you bother to read the whole (seemingly endless) list of warnings. Of course, as you said, allergic reactions to benzos are doubtful. I've never actually heard of an allergic reaction to benzos, so I too would deem it possible (anything is possible), but not at all likely.



> Yes sir, I was somewhat anxious about trying it.


Placebo effect perhaps? What you expect can greatly influence what you get. I remember reading about one study where researchers got volunteers flying high on what they believed to be pot. Except what they thought to be pot had as much drugs in it as lawn clippings, showing how powerful the placebo effect can be.


----------



## soaringfalcon11 (Jun 7, 2009)

UltraShy said:


> Placebo effect perhaps? What you expect can greatly influence what you get. I remember reading about one study where researchers got volunteers flying high on what they believed to be pot. Except what they thought to be pot had as much drugs in it as lawn clippings, showing how powerful the placebo effect can be.


I'd bet this is what happened. Our thoughts and notions are very powerful...after all, it's the reason for our SA. It has also been proven that people with high stress are much more likely to suffer heart attacks, etc.


----------



## AlexanderG (Nov 25, 2009)

Interesting, thanks for your comments.

However I must say - after this experience there is no way I would try it again, the feeling was terrible. 

I wonder if Valium would produce a similar result?


----------



## meyaj (Sep 5, 2009)

AlexanderG said:


> Interesting, thanks for your comments.
> 
> However I must say - after this experience there is no way I would try it again, the feeling was terrible.
> 
> I wonder if Valium would produce a similar result?


Valium is, in my opinion, the worst of the commonly prescribed benzos. Clonazepam is a nicer choice in IMO if you're going for a long-acting benzo.

Your doctor is totally right about it being one of the most addictive drugs on the market (to the know-it-alls: yes, Xanax has been shown to be quite reinforcing), but to be more technical, I think what he meant and probably just thought it'd be less confusing for you by putting it the way he did, is that Xanax is easily one of if not the easiest drug on the market to develop a physical dependence to, and ditto with it being one of if not the most dangerous when it comes to withdrawals. It can be a powerfully effective drug, but it needs to be respected because it DOES ruin lives.

That being said, 0.125mg of Xanax is generally considered a sub-therapeutic dose. Your anxiety about taking the drug is probably responsible for everything that happened to you (pretty much a panic attack), and the funny thing is, had your doctor not told you to take such a stupidly low dose, it probably would have worked like it's supposed to and stopped the panic attack from occurring in the first place! So I wouldn't give up just because of a single bad experience, because judging by that dose, I would bet everything I have that what happened to you had nothing to do with the drug.

But still, I would recommend trying clonazepam instead, if only because the addiction/dependence issues are somewhat less. Xanax should really be the last choice when other benzos don't seem to suffice, not a first-line option. Xanax is short-acting though (a few hours), while clonazepam lasts for a good half-day or so, so it's important to be okay with that, although something to keep in mind is that shorter-acting drugs tend to be harsher when they wear off, especially with prolonged use. Lorazepam is a good substitute if you want something short-acting like Xanax, but it tends to really affect the memory (and nobody wants that) so I'd personally find it preferable to stick with the longer-acting clonazepam.

Valium is the other benzo that makes up the bulk of prescriptions for anxiety/panic attacks, but it's weak and doctors often give the most ridiculous doses for it. It's longer-acting as well, and so given the choice, I'd always go with the clonazepam.


----------



## UltraShy (Nov 8, 2003)

meyaj said:


> Valium is, in my opinion, the worst of the commonly prescribed benzos. Clonazepam is a nicer choice in IMO if you're going for a long-acting benzo.


I'll toss in my opinion, Valium isn't used nearly as often as it should be due to the stigma it still has from being over-prescribed way back 30+ years ago when it was "Mommy's little helper" and "Executive Excedrin." Valium has a bad reputation that it doesn't deserve and the medical community seems to think that by not using it today they can make up for their sins of handing it out like candy in 1975. Xanax, similarly, has a bad reputation due to being a household name. Klonopin doesn't suffer from this reputation problem much because you first have to be able to ID something before you can have a view on it. It's hard to have a negative (or positive) view of it when most folks wouldn't know if a Klonopin was a drug or a car part: "Yeah, your car will work just fine, ma'am, after we replace the broken Klonopin."

Drugs that are well known often have negative reputations. This is like how OxyContin is "Hillbilly Heroin" and a "plague on our nation," while a substantially similar drug like MS-Contin isn't deemed evil by most folks as the media failed to tell them MS = morphine sulfate, so they have no idea what it is.



meyaj said:


> Your doctor is totally right about it [Xanax] being one of the most addictive drugs on the market...


Please refer to DEA scheduling. Xanax is a C-IV drug just like all other benzos. C-IV is the lowest level of controlled substance, meaning that even the DEA deems it to have limited potential for abuse, addiction, etc....



> Lorazepam is a good substitute if you want something short-acting like Xanax, but it tends to really affect the memory (and nobody wants that) so I'd personally find it preferable to stick with the longer-acting clonazepam.


All benzos can effect memory (and Versed is medically used specifically to prevent recall). Though I personally have never noticed any memory problems with Xanax, Klonopin, Valium, nor Ativan.



> Valium is the other benzo that makes up the bulk of prescriptions for anxiety/panic attacks, but it's *weak*...


Well, sure if you're talking about some doc who gives out of 2 mg pill that's a joke. At equivalent doses it's not "weak," and by equivalent I mean 1 mg of Xanax = 10 mg Valium.


----------



## meyaj (Sep 5, 2009)

UltraShy said:


> Drugs that are well known often have negative reputations. This is like how OxyContin is "Hillbilly Heroin" and a "plague on our nation," while a substantially similar drug like MS-Contin isn't deemed evil by most folks as the media failed to tell them MS = morphine sulfate, so they have no idea what it is.


I dunno about where you live, but OxyContin is handed out like candy here while MS-Contin, while technically available, is so underused that even my GP said he's never prescribed it, and he's given me plenty of OC's and Dilaudid in the past.

But... to a certain degree I agree with your sentiment. Just ask any psychiatrist with a significant amount of clinical experience though, and it's no secret that Xanax is particularly reinforcing and, largely due to its short half-life has some of the worst and most dangerous withdrawals. Sure... Midazolam could in theory be worse, but who the hell gets prescribed that stuff on an outpatient basis anyways?



UltraShy said:


> Please refer to DEA scheduling. Xanax is a C-IV drug just like all other benzos. C-IV is the lowest level of controlled substance, meaning that even the DEA deems it to have limited potential for abuse, addiction, etc....


Since when was DEA scheduling the absolute authority on what is and isn't addicting? Come on... you can't really be that big a tool. LSD is schedule I, does that mean you seriously think LSD is more addicting than benzos, ketamine, etc? One of the requirements for C-IV is: "Abuse of the drug or other substance may lead to limited physical dependence or psychological dependence relative to the drugs or other substances in schedule III." Really now? Benzos may lead to just LIMITED physical dependence? Are they off their rockers?! By definition, they're saying that LSA can lead to more severe physical or psychological dependence? Guess what, the scheduling isn't entirely accurate, doesn't follow it's own rules half the time, and is, at best, loosely based on scientific findings. You should know better than this.

Hell, GHB is in TWO different schedules, the only difference being that the schedule III GHB has a brand name! Does the brand name somehow make it less addictive?! Opiates are in a harsher schedule, and an opiate dependence isn't nearly as dangerous as a Xanax dependence.

Now I know you're going to try and nitpick this and say that addiction isn't the same thing as dependence, so let me stop you right there. I'm fully aware of this and even pointed out in the post you're trying to rip apart that the doctor probably only used the "addicting" terminology because he gets the point across easier to most (uninformed) people and doesn't want to bother having to explain the distinction. He doesn't need to be giving every single patient a lesson on the difference between addiction and dependence. *Shocker* I was for the most part talking about dependence all along.



UltraShy said:


> All benzos can effect memory (and Versed is medically used specifically to prevent recall). Though I personally have never noticed any memory problems with Xanax, Klonopin, Valium, nor Ativan.


Are you drunk and looking to pick fights or something? 
I'm AWARE all benzos can affect* memory, but some to a greater degree than others. Of the big 4 benzos prescribed for anxiety, lorazepam is generally considered the worst for this, although the hypnotic benzos are obviously worse (AND BEFORE YOU NITPICK THIS TOO, I KNOW ALL BENZOS ARE HYPNOTIC TO SOME DEGREE AS WELL)



UltraShy said:


> Well, sure if you're talking about some doc who gives out of 2 mg pill that's a joke. At equivalent doses it's not "weak," and by equivalent I mean 1 mg of Xanax = 10 mg Valium.


Yes, there are docs that do prescribe 2mg, and yes, it's a joke.

And of course if you give an equivalent dose it won't be "weak" but good luck getting an equivalent dose. According to this chart, for instance 2mg clonazepam would = 40mg valium, which in my experience is a pretty close approximation.

So basically, the highest dosage unit of valium (10mg) is equal to the lowest dosage of clonazepam (0.5mg), and even by your own admission, clonazepam is more likely to be prescribed these days.

So SERIOUSLY, which do you think a doctor is going to be more likely to start you off on? A single 2mg klonopin pill, or 4 x 10mg valiums? The latter is rarely if ever going to happen, but 2mg klonopin isn't that unusual. Thus, if you're looking for something for something strong and effective, Valium is just a poor choice. Catch my drift?

And just to finish off with a bit of my own opinion... Valium is by far the ****tiest of all the benzos I've tried, and I've done quite a bit of Valium. The only reason I don't list it in my sig, along with a bunch of other benzos, is because I had only been attempting to self-medicate with it, and I only list things in my sig that have been legitimately prescribed to me for SA or other psychiatric issues.


----------



## euphoria (Jan 21, 2009)

0.125mg of Xanax seems a very low dose, I doubt you'll feel much off it. If you'd taken a more normal dose, that panic attack probably wouldn't have happened. Keep in mind a lot of people need over 10 times that amount for anxiety relief.


----------

