Drug Ratings for XANAXAverage Rating: 3.9 (900 Ratings)
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Results are sorted by Date Rating Was Added Key to Ratings: 1=LOW (I would not recommend taking this medicine.) |
Charts & graphs: Reviews Summary for XANAX | Top 10 Adverse Effects (reported to FDA)
| RATING | REASON | SIDE EFFECTS FOR XANAX | COMMENTS | SEX | AGE | DURATION/ DOSAGE | DATE ADDED |
  | F M | | | | |||
| 5 | sleeping/ anxiety | helps alot with anxiety--makes me very relaxed. 2 at bedtime helps me sleep through the night. No hang-over in the morning. | F | 47 | 90 days | 1/9/2008 | 4 | Anxiety | Drowsiness | Originally was prescribed .5mg as a calming alternative to alcohol use. Calmed me, but I enjoyed feeling of a few beers more. Cut down alcohol use anyway, but used xanax when seriously anxious only. Last several years use rarely durng day(2-3x/mo.) Now use primarily for sleep aid - 1/2 tab before bed. Wake groggy if taking the full .5 mg dose. | M | 53 | 12 years | 1/7/2008 | 4 | Anxiety | None | Helps for anxiety. I only take .25mg as needed. | F | 33 | 10 years | 1/6/2008 | 3 | anxiety, lack of sleep | felt emotionless and my sex drive decreased....when i quit cold turkey it was hell...back on it but lower dose and hopin to taper down and quit within next 2 months | u have 2 be careful with this drug...do not take it long term bc u will be hooked for life and will need some heavy detoxin to get off it...u dont realize your body is addicted until u try 2 stop..i over did it but went a week without it, which was hell, and am on lower dosage and i find i dont need to take it as much..take it only when u have a true anxiety attack, otherwise u could be in trouble in long run...it is good if u have will power to only take when necessary | M | 28 | 7 months | 1/5/2008 | 5 | Anxiety at night | Makes me sleepy, but that is why I take it. Other than that, NO side effects whatsoever. | I guess it depends on each individual, but I have not found this drug to be addictive. I had tried so many other things for my anxiety and nothing else ever helped. I have been on Xanax for over 3 years. I cut my .25 mg in half, believe it or not, and that is all I have ever needed for sleep. I take it nearly every night--some times I do not need it. Since I was little, I have always had problems sleeping. Xanax finally allowed me to get the sleep that I was missing. Very effective drug. | F | 37 | 3 years | 1/4/2008 | 5 | anxiety, sleep | I love it. If I get an anxiety attack, I take a pill. I take 2-3 per day, per night and I sleep like a baby and it calms me down. I don't care about things anymore like I used to. It's a wonderful drug! | I don't ever want to stop taking it. I must say though, the medication is addicting. I have tried not taking it at night and I am up all night. That isn't good. | F | 38 | 2 years | 1/3/2008 | 4 | tinnitus | None to date | Take .25 mg. at night before retiring. Helps me make it through the day with this awful ear noise. | F | 58 | 1 years | 1/2/2008 | 5 | Anxiety, Sleep Problems | None. | I started taking Xanax recently so I can't speak of any long-term side-effects but it has worked WONDERS for my nightly sleep. I told my regular physician that I was having a hard time getting to sleep (I work 40 hrs/wk and am a grad student) and he recommended this. I am taking the 0.5mg dosage once/night. Why don't they allow refills on this Rx? It's a WONDER DRUG! I was taking 200mg of Benadryl every night (um, not good for the liver!) and it just wasn't working. Now I just take one of these and sleep a straight 8-9 hours/night. I didn't have a lot of luck with Ambien, but this stuff works great! I never take it during the day or when I need to concentrate. I was warned that it was "highly addictive" by another doctor, but we'll see. I am just relieved that I can finally sleep! | F | 27 | 15 days | 12/28/2007 | 4 | Anxiety | Addiction,Tolerance,Withdrawal | This was like a miracle drug for my anxiety however i quickly built up a tolerance to it and had to take ever increasing dosages to get relief from my anxiety. I became very addicted after a few months and I was only taking 1-2mg daily. I gradually stopped taking it and I had very bad withdrawal. It's hard to get off of this med! | M | 27 | 8 months | 12/27/2007 | 5 | | 12/25/2007 | 5 | Anxiety | None really little sleepy, but better sleepy than anxiety ridden. | The most effective bezo I have ever used. | M | 40 | 10 years | 12/24/2007 | 4 | anxiety | none - take a low dose throughout the day | F | 54 | 6 months | 12/22/2007 | 4 | Panic attacks; generalized anxiety | xanax is extremely addictive. | I am 30 and have been on xanax since I was 18. I now take 6 mg a day and cannot function without it. I take it in conjunction with 15mg of Buspar a day in hopes I won't NEED to take so much, but I still do. Both my doctor and I have reserved ourselves to the fact that I will be on it for life and that the past 12 years cannot be undone. Even on 6 mg a day, my anxiety is still not 100% under control. I would say its about 85% contained. When I began taking xanax, just one .25mg a day was all I needed. It certainly works- there is no doubt about that- it almost immediately relieves anxiety, but then wears off quickly. If you take it, just be careful- there are times when I wish I wasn't dependent on such a high dosage of a narcotic to just feel normal. If you aren't feeling physically addicted yet, I would talk to your doctor about safely weaning yourself off. | F | 30 | 12 years | 12/12/2007 | 5 | pannic attacks | none | I know allot of people talk bad about this medicine , But I think you have to take it like the doctor says. I was on 4 a day for awhile know2 no problems. And it has gave me my life back. I could not do anything leave the house, it was crazy. Much better. | F | 41 | 1 months | 12/10/2007 | 4 | anxiety | M | 57 | 10 years | 12/9/2007 | 4 | stress, anxiety, | More outgoing happy calm think before I react | This med makes me feel normal again. Ive suffered with nervous issues my entire life and even developed chronic urticaria. My nerves were shot from stress and anxiety since childhood. I was put on antidepressents about 7 years ago even though I never felt depressed. Paxil made me gain 30lbs. Zoloft made me angry. Lexaro didnt work at all. Xanax makes me calm and rational. No more jittery nerves. No more hives or pain from stress. Just feel GREAT. I take .5 in the evening and .5 in the morning. Still have the same life stresses but can manage to deal much better. | F | 37 | 40 days | 12/2/2007 | 2 | Anxiety/Agoraphobia | ADDICTION, grogginess | HIGHLY ADDICTIVE. I couldn't leave the house without taking at least a little chip of it. This was years ago, and I'm glad I came off it before I got even MORE addicted. I take Effexor XR now and my panic attacks are gone! | F | 28 | 3 months | 12/2/2007 | 5 | anxiety, insomnia | Wonderful medication. Cured lifelong insomnia. I don't care if I have to stay on this medication for the rest of my life. | I take .5 about 45 minutes before I want to fall asleep. It works like a charm. It gently lulls you to sleep...it doesn't give you that "oh my,I'm going to die" feeling that so many sleeping pills induce. I haven't had to up my dosage and I really don't understand why anyone would abuse this medication. | F | 25 | 8 months | 11/30/2007 | 3 | stress, anxiety | I would only take this for an acute panic attack. Not for regular use. I had some chest pains and felt a little too euphoric on this. | Probably the most addictive benzo, although obviously it helps some. | F | 31 | 2 days | 11/24/2007 | 5 | Panic attacks | None, other than making me a bit drowsy as it wore off. | This drug is a life saver and helped me get through the panic attacks I would have on airplanes (50 mg). I had no bad side effects. The trick is to only use it when you have to, and not to become dependent on it, as with any drug. I only use it for flying, so only as needed. It takes the edge off with no bad side effects. I cant say enough good things about it. | F | 46 | 2 years | 11/18/2007 | 5 | OCD/ Anxiety Attack | None yet. | This is a very helpful medication for Big Panic Attacks. Attacks in the way you think you are going to die, sweat, short of breathness, cauise of the desesperation of obsessive thoughts. 2mg of Xanax works inmediatly calming me down. I have 2 or 3 kind of situation a year where Xanax works very effective. .50 works fine to have a good day in job, full 2mg I will recomend stay at home. And as everything in life, there is a risk of addiction, but not something you can't handle. Very nice drug | M | 29 | 1 years | 11/6/2007 | 5 | Anxiety, angina | Some drowsyness if taken on an empty stomach. | Started taking this several years ago for air travel (.5 mg 1 hr before flight) and it worked great. Now that I'm older, I'm prone to minor panic attacks and chest pains associated with perimenopause and life in general. Just one pill a day makes me feel normal again. Since I've been using it almost daily, it does take an additional 1/2 pill for air travel to be most effective. | F | 50 | 15 years | 11/2/2007 | 5 | perimopausal sleeplessness | If taken after midnight, I would be groggy in the morning. Dry mouth during the night. | Zanax worked beautifully to help me fall back to sleep after a year of waking at 3 AM and being restless until dawn. I skipped a few nights here and there to see if I was dependant on the drug, but felt nothing other than the 3 AM wake-up. | F | 53 | 2 years | 11/2/2007 | 4 | Anxiety | Muscle Weakness | I have been taking .5mg xanax daily for about two years. My legs and arms have been getting so weak it was hard for me to get out of a chair or bed and walking was almost impossible. I thought I was just getting old. My doctor had no idea why I had muscle weakness. Last week I felt that I didn't need Xanax anymore and I stopped taking it. Then about 3-4 days later my cronic muscle weakness is totally gone. It must be the drug. I feel like I'm 30 years old. I will continue to use Xanax once in a while if I need to calm down. | M | 50 | 2 years | 11/1/2007 | 1 | BPD 1, GAD, SAD, Depression | Over a long enough span of time...you lose any sense of who you are. All side effects I list are from long term use though they surfaced in as early as a year: violent, increased mood swings, constant withdrawal, derealization, morbid, suicidal and very self destructive. | THIS DRUG IS NOT MEANT FOR LONG TERM USE!! IT IS NOT A WONDER DRUG!!! Search for other means before it's to late. | M | 23 | 5 years | 10/31/2007 | 4 | panic and anxiety | drowsy if I didn't get enough sleep. Some rebound anxiety after successive doses | Xanax worked wonders for calming me down, but . . . Be careful using it!! I never got addicted becuase I used it really sparingly, but even after a few doses in sequence, as little as two or three 0.25mg doses in a two day period, I felt some rebound anxiety. It was different than the original anxiety, just an unpleasant, overstimulated feeling. Mine was minor enough because of the low dose and duration, I could usually mask it with physical activity, or something else that required concentration, but if it had been much more intense, it would have been hell. There are plenty of stories on the web about xanax withdrawal, and it sounds really bad. So use it if you need it, but only if you really need it. And if you really need it alot, there are probably more appropriate options | M | 36 | | 10/27/2007 | 4 | anxiety | works well but lately have been developing a tolerance | It really hepls just use it cautiously | M | 29 | 4 days | 10/26/2007 | 5 | Anxiety | Relief! A little drowsy | This medication saved my life literally. I was so depressed and anxious that I was contemplating suicide. I suffered for a year before I saw someone and started Prozac (which was new) and then the Xanax. I was able to stop shaking and BREATHE. | F | 49 | 18 years | 10/24/2007 | 1 | Anxiety | Took .25 mg. Just 1 dose. First I got really sleepy and later felt sort of "rung out". I had no anxiety but felt emtionally drained. This lasted from 2pm till I went to bed. The next day I had some agitation. I had this same feeling once when I took a tiny bit of Klonipin. It's now 11pm and I feel high and can't seem to calm down. I don't have regular anxiety. I took this pill because I lost my job, was about to split up with my boyfriend that night and had some other trauma and was really distressed. I just wanted a little break from all the anxiety so planned to take the pill maybe a few days. I only took .25 mg. That's a tiny bit though I am ultra sensitive to drugs. Even with the agitation I'm feeling I can see how you'd get addicted to this stuff as there's something about it that makes you want more. My anxiety is gone...but I feel like I've had 300 cups of coffee and it's a horrible feeling. I will never be taking it again. | F | 44 | 1 days | 10/24/2007 | 5 | Anxiety attacks | headache (could be from not using caffiene anymore) | I've suffered from Anxiety attacks for years now. I'd taken these years ago at 1mg 2x a day. It was entirely to much for me. I'm a large man too. at 6'5" and 200 lbs, more than 1 mg a day, and I'm a tard. I take .25 at bed time and .5 when I have an attack now. It wors wonders for sleep. Gentle sleep and shuts off the rat race in my head thats a royal pain to deal with. Great drug, but do not abuse it. Its very easy to become an addict. Xanax addicts are pretty hard to be around. | M | 28 | 6 months | 10/22/2007 | 3 | Anxiety | Feeling like your drunk. | Agreed, Clonopin is a much better drug to take for anxiety. Both are not for the long term though. Lexapro, Zoloft or something is better. Xanax is temp. Your body will build a tolarance to it. Like alcohol. | M | 30 | | 10/17/2007 | 1 | Anxiety | memory loss and out of control behavior, no inhibitions, wild sex, addictive behavior. | I was having bad panic attacks and was prescribed this medication. At first everything was fine and I was taking the medication as prescribed, a few months later, I realized that I was abusing this medication, not intentionally, but I was hooked and my small dosage was just not enough. I realized there was a probblem when there was 3 days I could not account for, I spent (with a friend) $2000 on drinking and partying (which I do not remember, nor would have done, otherwise). I had wild sex with my boyfriend (thank god, because it could have been with anyone, I would have not remembered). I was not myself, doing things I wouldnt normally do. Sexual acts in public, etc. I do not live life on the wild side, so this was completely out of character for me. I quit Xanax and had the worst withdrawls. It was like I was Bi-Polar. My moods changed by the second and I was evil. This drug brought out the worst in me. I don't recommend it. | F | 24 | 1 years | 10/17/2007 | 5 | to help with insomnia | none | F | 34 | 2 months | 10/16/2007 | 5 | [annic attacks depression anxitey | none | It has really worked I have came a long way with it. I can get out of the house where I never thought that would hapen agian. able to hang out with friends and family. It has been working great. was on 4 times a day 1 mg now 3 times a day and really working | F | 40 | 8 weeks | 10/13/2007 | 5 | anxiety/depression | sluggish/sort of hung-over feeling the next day, occasional upset stomach next day as well | This is the best relief i have ever found for anxiety!!! It is a wonder drug!! Calms me down almost instantly-unties the knots in my stomach, clears my head of any obsessive thoughts I'm having. Unfortunately, effects only last about 4 hours or so. I take .5 mg when needed and can function fine awake (although a Red Bull does help at work) or sleep peacefully. I have tried 4 different anti-depressants and none have helped as much as the xanax does, although I find doctors seem to be extremely hesitant to prescribe xanax and way too happy to presecribe anti-depressants. Everyone seems so concerned about its addictive potential (which I can understand because I would love to take it every day). But with all of the side effects and horrible withdrawal symptoms associated with anti-depressants, it almost seems hypocritical. My withdrawal from Effexor was horrible! I think it's unfortunate that abuse of this medicine has given it such a bad reputation and made it so difficult to have | F | 35 | 3 days | 10/12/2007 | 5 | Panic Attacks | None.... | When a panic attack starts coming on I can take a xanax and it brings me back down to a normal state of mind. The shakes, racing heart and sweats subside with no feeling of being sleepy. It has been a wonderful drug to control this awful feeling that comes over me out of the blue. | F | 49 | 10 years | 10/11/2007 | 5 | | 10/8/2007 | 5 | Panic Disorder w/Agoraphobia | Never had any side effects | A total life saver. I was all but housebound before going on this med. I'm quite sure I am physically addicted, but if taking 2 little pills a day, 2 mg. total, makes my life nearly normal, then so be it. I'm grateful for this drug. Yes, 20 years later! | F | 50 | 20 years | 10/4/2007 | 3 | STRESS,anxiety, panic due to stress | Not much realy I feal it helps me to focus rather not only be able to concentrte on a main stressful problme which helps since I have 2 young children | I feel it has somehwat helped but I still hae my mood swings as all women do, It has made me regain focus on other things in life such as my children when I felt I used to somewhat neglect them and felt they were in my way alot when I was so focused and concentrated on one thing due to finanacial stress my physcia had me on zolfot, paxil, prozac,trlipital then 30mgcymbalta then upped to 60mg cybalta they were trying to treat me for depression which all those medications indueced my anxiety when they are not suppose to they then tried me on xanax which seemed to do OK I went to a psyciatrist which said I was not depressed just have an overwhelming amount of stress he then put me 1MG XR xanax taken every morning and 0.5 mg 2x daily which he up to 0.5mg 3x daily them seem todo just OK on my das I coulduse more but just take them as perscribed. I don't feel drowsy or anything just able to focus on mor than one thing in my life rather than my main problems! I no longer feel my kids are a | F | 27 | 3 months | 9/28/2007 | 3 | sleeplessness/anxiety | none | worked ok at first. Now 3 years later not so much. I take .25 at night. It seems to wear off after 3-4 hours. | F | 35 | 3 years | 9/20/2007 | 3 | bpd | M | 18 | 2 months | 9/16/2007 | 5 | Anxiety & Fear of Freeways | Tiredness, sluggish | I have really bad days where I can't even drive and I must take certain roads that cause me anxiety. This medication works wonders and I take it only a few times a month. I take a half of a .25 mg and it works well at that low dose for me. I don't know what I would do on the really bad days if I didn't have this. Probably stay home and possibly lose my job etc... I have never become addicted and I've used it off and on for 5 years. | F | 28 | 5 years | 9/10/2007 | 5 | panic attacks | I find myself yawning a lot when I take one. | Xanax is a wonder drug for me. I only need one mild dose pill when I want to attend a concert or fly. I would be unable to do those things if I didn't have Xanax. It has made it possible for me to attend concerts and go on trips and have a normal life. | F | 55 | 2 years | 9/9/2007 | 3 | anxiety/ocd | loss of libido/inability to orgasm/edgy/thirsty | I prefer clonazepam over xanax for my anxiety. Xanax makes me feel speedy: a feeling I am not looking for. I never experienced withdrawl from it like I do with clonazepam, but like all anti-anxiety medicines I think it's best to weigh the pros and cons and decide what works for you. I see a lot of DON'T TAKE THIS MED postings here, and that bothers me, and has scared me many times. There's a lot of guilt associated with these meds and mental problems- and no one needs to read scare tactics. It's situational. I can't function without my anti-anxiety meds, and would rather just read about different experiences as opposed to blanket statements about what's bad for you. Take care! & best of luck! | F | 32 | 2 years | 9/6/2007 | 3 | Loss of wife, insomnia | Confusion while tapering down my dose, insomnia, slept through my alarm several times and was late to work. | Several years ago I developed anxiety while driving. I tried Paxil and Zoloft but it only made me worse. I decided I would simply live with this problem and not take any meds since I was able to handle a reasonably long road trip of a few hours and prefer to fly anyway for long trips ( but, I still get anxious when I fly ). Two years ago my wife got very sick with a rare brain disorder. My anxiety came back with a vengence but I helped her through that horrible ordeal the best I could. When she finally died ( 10 mos ago ) I went of the deep end and couldn't sleep and was depressed. Even my favorite tricks of wine and 3mg of melantonin didn't help me sleep and I was a wreck at work. My blood pressure soared ( I was normal my whole life ). My Doctor prescribed Xanax and Zoloft where I could sleep like a baby - the best sleep I had in years and I could function again at work. I went back to exercising and within a few months my blood pressure was normal. So, in the short term both d | M | 41 | 10 months | 9/5/2007 | 4 | anxiety/panic...and general nerves | Sleepy hangover...some mild depression...but nothing heavy... mild forgetfulness but just like trying to remember something when you're sleepy | Very Useful...and in fact they keep trying to prescribe more to me but really I only need to break a .25 in half and lick about 1/16th off that to get the calming effect...unless I'm getting on a plane or something major... but it's pretty good | M | 52 | 6 years | 9/4/2007 | 5 | PANIC ATTACKS | none | F | 44 | 6 years | 9/3/2007 | 5 | Panic, Anxiety | Totally out of control feelings as though I could not breath, my heart rate would soar and I just knew I was going to die. More often than not...this would happen while driving. I now take a low dosage and most of the time I am good, but I do have to take a bit more when the panic episodes appear. | I had a friend who took 10 mg of xanax per day and drank at least 15 to 20 beers once a week. He did it for years and as far as I could see nothing happened...other than him making a complete ass out of himself and not remembering anything. | F | 43 | 2 years | 9/1/2007 | 5 | anxiety | drowsiness (obviously) | This med has saved me from being locked up at airports. I can't function in crowded places w/out it. I only take 1 mg at a time, and generally only take one a month or so, but it has made my life much easier. I've also found that when my PMDD gets really bad (i.e. wanting to hurt myself), it calms me down enough to where I can ignore the anxiety. | F | 23 | 1 years | 8/30/2007 | 1 | Panic Attacks | Extreme fatigue, feelings of uselessness, dry mouth. | I hated Xanax so much that I quit it the first day I took it. I can see why it's addictive, I felt as though I was in a drug-induced haze the whole time I was on it. It made me feel like doing nothing but just sit around and try to stay awake. To be honest,I'd take a panic attack over Xanax any day. I eventually stopped my panic attacks by cutting all caffeine out of my diet. | F | 23 | 1 days | 8/27/2007 | 1 | anxiety | Initially..great..never felt more relaxed, confident and happy. I thought that I had found something for anxiety that I should have found years ago; however, after being prescribed 3 mg a day for a year it was not working. My dose was upped which worked another year and then it stopped working. Trouble sleeping happened after several months and got progressively worse. I later became a "slave" to the pill and took it just to feel normal for a few hours only to wait for the next dose because it wears of very quickly. The WITHDRAWAL is horrible. I am getting off it because it is now a sugar pill and I would not wish this on my worst enemy. I constantly have muscle aches, flu like symptoms, horrible anxiety (100 times worse than initial anxiety) and depression about a week after I cut each dose..not to mention the insomnia. I used to sleep great but after xanax I wake up every night and take a while to fall back to sleep. | DO NOT TAKE THIS DRUG! People on this board have great things to say because they have not been on it long enough to get to the bad part. I do think it is great for short term or as needed but please do not take this regularly unless you want your life to change to the point that you are a slave to the little pill which will only give you a short period of relief followed by extreme agitation and panic. | F | 30 | 3 years | 8/24/2007 | 5 | Waking up in the morning but feel fine after a shower | Most men my age (43) report similar results. Great drug. I had lost several family member in a short period of time. Like most guys we don't express or release our emotions. 6 months after losing family members I lost my temper over a serious but not so serious incident. I was lucky I didn't serioulsy hurt someone. One of the biggest wake calls in my life. Something ws up. Doctor said you need to manage the anxiety. Took 1 pill and never felt better. Doctors response on revisit was people don't have anxiety they are just "underxanaxed." If you worry about the stupid little things and let the big stuff build inside you need help. Xanax will all cure road rage. Be safe and take care of yourself for once. Best wishes to all. one side note to the youger posters, try a sport first. Xanax should compliment your plan to reach balance, not be the silver bullet. Best wishes | M | 43 | 1 years | 8/23/2007 | 1 | Anxiety, panic attacks | Didn't notice any side effects | I gave this med plenty of time to try to help, but never really felt any benefits from taking it. Have switched to Valium, and so far, no benefits there either | F | 51 | 8 months | 8/19/2007 | 5 | anxiety | Drowsiness, coordination may be affected | I take this as needed for anxiety and it works great! I do take a small dosage(0.25 to 0.50 mg) "as needed" and do not take it often or when my symptoms are mild and relaxation exercises (deep breathing, stretching, exercise, etc.) will suffice. It has been very beneficial for me and my experience has been very good. I honestly couldn't ask for a more effective medication. I haven't had any side effects that were too bothersome or unmanageable. I do not recommend this if you have an addictive personality b/c you will likely develop a problem as many Doctors will warn you. If you need something for an extended period of daily use this is probably not for you unless you are under Doctor supervision, can recognize the signs of addiction, and can be truthful with yourself if you do feel you are becoming addicted. If you find yourself upping your dosage on your own or feeling like you need to take it more than prescribed you should be calling your Doctor to be evaluated and | F | 30 | 2 years | 8/14/2007 | 5 | Panic Disorder, Generalized Anxiety | Some fading of memory at higher dose | Xanax gave me my life back. I'm very young and went down a long road before I was perscribed this medication. Though there are reports about the addictive nature of this medication, I have never found a desire to take more than needed. Xanax calms panic and surges of anxiety like no other. It is fast working and effective at low doses. The biggest benefit was that it DID NOT begin to lose its effectiveness over time like the other benzodiazepines. | M | 20 | 2 years | 8/8/2007 | 4 | anxiety/panic, akathisia(recent) | sedation, confusion, memory loss at higher doses, the ususal for benzos. Side effects were very mild. The benefits greatly outweigh the risks/side effects. (for me anyway) This drug worked effectively and quickly in demising panic/anxiety symptoms. | only take this drug when you really need or if you have severe chronic anxiety/phobias/panic disorders that require long term treatment with benzodiazepines. Most literature suggests that xanax is the most addictive and most potent of the benzos, but also very effective. As of now, I take 0.5mg of the brand name version as needed and not on a daily basis. DONT' TAKE THIS DRUG WITH ALCOHOL OR OTHER SEDATVIES. Severe confusion, complete memory loss of the past days events may result. Additionally, combining 2 sedatives that depress the CNS increases risk of overdose from either substance. | M | 20 | 6 months | 8/2/2007 | 1 | anxiety | ADDICTION, drowsiness, memory loss, agitation, CNS damage, peripheral neuropathy, tinnitus | Xanax belongs to a dangerous subclass of benzo tranquilizers called "triazolo-benzodiazepines" (Halcion also belongs to this class). This type of benzo has a short half-life and binds tightly to the benzo-receptor complex in the brain. This potent tranquilizer works quickly and is very easy to get addicted to. You don't have to have an "addictive personality" as some claim, it can happen to anyone. The Upjohn-Pharmacia Company engaged in a campaign of fraud in marketing Xanax, including covering-up the end results of its 8-week clinical trials to hide its addiction potential. The chief clinical researcher for Xanax, Louis Fabre, MD, is now under investigation by the FDA for fraud and negligence (http://www.fda.gov/foi/nidpoe/n33l.htm). If you must take this drug, take it only for short periods of time at the lowest dose possible. If you are addicted, please withdraw only under a doctor's care. Do not discontinue Xanax abruptly, or it may result in seizures and/or de | M | 45 | 5 years | 7/31/2007 | 4 | Anxiety | The only noticeable side affect was almost instant sleepiness and minor drossiness that carried over to the next day. | I took this medication to deal with my kids, wife, school, and work and I must say it helped me get through the stressful times. I only took it as needed and not everyday and only when I felt a crappy day coming on. I would definitely not recommend this drug if you have to get up early the following mourning, you will just be too relaxed to want to do anything. | M | 22 | 365 days | 7/28/2007 | 5 | anxiety | Tiredness | I've been taking a a low dose .25 for occasional anxiety for 10 months and it's helped me tremendously. I get panic attacks at night and taking Xanax relaxes me and helps me sleep. I've heard it's addictive but I only use it when needed maybe once or twice a week and that works for me. I wake up totally refreshed and feeling normal instead of being up all night in panic. | F | 46 | 10 months | 7/27/2007 | 5 | Anxiety and sleep | Drowsiness at first | This medicine has saved my life although I wouldn't recommend it to anyone because it is highly addictive. I have a high tolerance to medicine so I take 1mg 3 times a day. Somedays I do take more. | F | 50 | 6 days | 7/27/2007 |