Benzos taking xanax throughout your life

[dev6strong]

I have a weak nervous system since birth. This results in the presence of neuroses, social phobia, stuttering, constant anxiety.
Also, in parallel, I have ADHD.

I started trying medications to treat anxiety.
At first I tried antidepressants, but all antidepressants had side effects: problems with sexual function, and, most importantly,
a multiple increase in ADHD symptoms (serotonin suppresses dopamine).

Pregabalin could not stop the anxiety completely, and then I tried xanax. Of all the medications, xanax was the one that helped me the most.
But I drank it carefully (for a few days) just to test its work and not get hooked on it.

Now I am considering the question to start taking it constantly, throughout my life.
There are a lot of contradictory reviews on the Internet: on the one hand, they write everywhere that it causes addiction and addiction, but on the other, for example, on drugs.com
in the "Anxiety" section, this drug is TOP1 in the treatment of anxiety, and some people write that they have been taking it for 10-20 years and everything is fine with them.

Is it possible to take xanax for many years?
Will there be any tolerance to the anxiolytic effect of xanax, will I need to increase the dose?
How will xanax affect my cognitive abilities?
Will xanax affect my ADHD?
I plan to take 0.5mg 2 times a day, morning and evening

 

[flakrun]

Hello there dev6strong.

As you probably know, a question like this should be discussed with a health care professional, as no one here knows your medical record, or anything about your health in general.

With that said, xanax is to be used short term, OR for panic attacks only. This is because of the addictive nature of the drug, and also you build tolerance quite rapid.

I would not recommend to use xanax as a long term solution to your anxiety issues. However i understand your point of view, and its true that some People do use it life long.

I would keep trying other solutions before i would pick up xanax for good.

 

[Rampage St]

So here’s my two cents.. take it for what it’s worth as someone who has struggled with anxiety my entire life.

Benzodiazepines are wonder drugs for people like us. They are like a heavenly bliss in a world filled with fear.

The problem lies in the fact that, like with all drugs, tolerance is a major issue. The 0.5 mg
Will become ineffective, and with daily use, the pills will begin to lose their magic. Eventually 2 mg will be needed to reach the same effect, and the higher you go, the more you risk addiction and withdrawal.

Benzos can be used long term but they carry serious risks. Addiction being the obvious one, but there’s many other less publicized negative side effects. You will have memory problems. You will lose interest in sexual things. Benzos are now being linked to early onset dementia and Alzheimer’s. You will be a slave to a pill. You will experience rebound anxiety - when you don’t take it your anxiety will be worse.

Benzos in my opinion should be saved for an emergency / panic attack like situation. But for most addicts this is not possible or realistic.

I think your best bet to conquer anxiety is more natural things. Exercise, yoga, meetings, support groups, healthy diet, etc.

The solution is never found in a substance unfortunately.

Some people can successfully take Xanax for 30 years at lower doses and find it beneficial - for me that was not possible. I ended up taking 6 mg of Klonopin a day, and lived in a dream like state for almost a year. I got off them and it was the worst detox of my life. I entered psychosis, I was hearing things that weren’t there, I felt a seizure was imminent for nearly a month, and I was in such a fog it felt like I was l completely detached from reality.

I never fully recovered since that. Wish you the best of luck

 

[Pickledlemons]

Is it possible to take xanax for many years?

Its possible but thats not really what its for, and will certainly lead to dependence. And one of the hardest dependencies to break. I would recommend against it, I know it seems appealing, and like its the easiest and most effective option but its also the most dangerous.

Will there be any tolerance to the anxiolytic effect of xanax, will I need to increase the dose?

Yes.

How will xanax affect my cognitive abilities?

It will affect that, at least at first and when you increase the dose... But you'll develop a tolerance for it pretty quick, at least in my experience.

Will xanax affect my ADHD?

I don't know. Usually a stimulant like methylphenidate or dextroamphetamine is prescribed for that.

 

[Burnt Offerings]

Yeah most patients who take Xanax never experience any problems with it. Some do, but most don’t, even over extended periods of time. Additionally, there are very few drug addicts for whom benzodiazepines are their DOC

On the other hand, it’s generally not advisable to take ANY drug every single day, if you can avoid it.

As with literally all drugs, there are risks associated with using Xanax or any benzodiazepine. You just gotta decide whether it’s worth it for you *shrug*

 

[dev6strong]

Then, which drug can have the same anxiolytic effect as 1mg of xanax, while this drug is not a benzodeazepine (lyrica and gabapentin are also not suitable). Antidepressants, or atypical anxiolytics like buspirone? Medications that can be taken for many years, without tolerance, addiction and side effects.

I will say even more, I had the idea of removing the right amygdala in the brain (responsible for fear). But the doctors in my country are absolutely incompetent in these matters and thought that I had some kind of mental problems, since I came up with such an idea. But after studying some reports of functional neurosurgery, when the patient's amygdala (and hippocampus, but it does not need to be removed) in the brain due to epilepsy, the patient forever lost the feeling of fear (and, accordingly, anxiety)

This Guy Had a Piece of His Brain Removed. Now He Can’t Feel Fear.

“I'm talking about the fear you'd feel when facing death or serious injury. That's the fear that was removed.”

www.vice.com

 

[Rampage St]

Then, which drug can have the same anxiolytic effect as 1mg of xanax, while this drug is not a benzodeazepine (lyrica and gabapentin are also not suitable). Antidepressants, or atypical anxiolytics like buspirone? Medications that can be taken for many years, without tolerance, addiction and side effects.

I will say even more, I had the idea of removing the right amygdala in the brain (responsible for fear). But the doctors in my country are absolutely incompetent in these matters and thought that I had some kind of mental problems, since I came up with such an idea. But after studying some reports of functional neurosurgery, when the patient's amygdala (and hippocampus, but it does not need to be removed) in the brain due to epilepsy, the patient forever lost the feeling of fear (and, accordingly, anxiety)

This Guy Had a Piece of His Brain Removed. Now He Can’t Feel Fear.

“I'm talking about the fear you'd feel when facing death or serious injury. That's the fear that was removed.”

www.vice.com

I wouldn’t go cutting parts of your brain out. Much like a lobotomy it could have horrific unforeseen consequences.

I’d suggest trying weight lifting, BJJ, or yoga classes

 

[CaptnRon]

Then, which drug can have the same anxiolytic effect as 1mg of xanax, while this drug is not a benzodeazepine (lyrica and gabapentin are also not suitable). Antidepressants, or atypical anxiolytics like buspirone? Medications that can be taken for many years, without tolerance, addiction and side effects.

I will say even more, I had the idea of removing the right amygdala in the brain (responsible for fear). But the doctors in my country are absolutely incompetent in these matters and thought that I had some kind of mental problems, since I came up with such an idea. But after studying some reports of functional neurosurgery, when the patient's amygdala (and hippocampus, but it does not need to be removed) in the brain due to epilepsy, the patient forever lost the feeling of fear (and, accordingly, anxiety)

This Guy Had a Piece of His Brain Removed. Now He Can’t Feel Fear.

“I'm talking about the fear you'd feel when facing death or serious injury. That's the fear that was removed.”

www.vice.com

Completely removing “fear” from the human psychi is working away from evolution and is likely counterproductive.

Life might not seem dangerous to the person who lacks fear, but what keeps them safe? What invokes flight or fight responses?

These things have been ingrained in us for millennia. Taking them away would likely lead to more people dying from being fearless of everything we’ve ever learned that can hurt us.

Stay good folks
Always, fair winds and following seas

 

[Keif' Richards]

You're dealing with a problem that everyone who takes Benzodiazepines will face. It's a delicate process, maximizing the benefits of these drugs while minimizing the potentially detrimental effects. If you ask yourself, "do I want to be anxious now?" the answer will invariably be "no".

0.5mg Alprazolam (Xanax) twice per day is nothing crazy. It's a dose sufficient enough (I believe) to produce tolerance if taken every day in this fashion. If you were to say, take the Alprazolam during the week and abstain on the weekends, you can greatly extend the viability of the drug. If you could do something like this i.e. take regular breaks from the drug, I could see it being beneficial to you for a few years at least. I think the overarching goal here is to use this time to try to figure out how to handle your anxiety without medications. This is different for everybody. Meditation, exercise, romance... the list goes on.

In short, blunt terms, you could probably take this dose every day for a couple of years, provided you do not increase the dose or frequency. If you take the holidays, I fully believe this could be stretched out almost indefinitely. The same goes for medicines like Amphetamine, in my opinion.

As far as the relation to ADHD, I'm not really aware of the relationship between the two. I can see how someone with acute anxiety could function more effectively without said anxiety. Taking too much leads to confusion, as we all know. The dose needs to be calibrated properly for this to work the way you want it to.

The bottom line is, if you're taking Benzodiazepines, tolerance/dependence will more than likely come into play down the road. Three months or so from now, when you're thinking of upping the dosage? Don't do it. Instead, figure out how to make the lower dosage work for you. Consider this advice and I believe you could continue to receive benefit from your medication.

 

[ninjapirateroberts]

Then, which drug can have the same anxiolytic effect as 1mg of xanax, while this drug is not a benzodeazepine (lyrica and gabapentin are also not suitable). Antidepressants, or atypical anxiolytics like buspirone? Medications that can be taken for many years, without tolerance, addiction and side effects.

I will say even more, I had the idea of removing the right amygdala in the brain (responsible for fear). But the doctors in my country are absolutely incompetent in these matters and thought that I had some kind of mental problems, since I came up with such an idea. But after studying some reports of functional neurosurgery, when the patient's amygdala (and hippocampus, but it does not need to be removed) in the brain due to epilepsy, the patient forever lost the feeling of fear (and, accordingly, anxiety)

This Guy Had a Piece of His Brain Removed. Now He Can’t Feel Fear.

“I'm talking about the fear you'd feel when facing death or serious injury. That's the fear that was removed.”

www.vice.com

Amygdala plays multifaceted role and is also involved social judgement, episodic memory encoding, effects on decision-making, and various other executive and social functions. It also helps us to survive and react in difficult situations. In context of ADHD, individuals have smaller Amygdala and Insula brain volume than neurotypicals. Smaller volume means more emotional responsiveness. In ADHD, Amygdala and Insula have stronger effects on nucleus accumbens (dopamine reward circuitry) than average brain, making their behaviors more sensitive to emotions, leading to impulsivity. “Removing” part of your brain doesn’t make it go away - it’s not that straightforward.

 

[flakrun]

Then, which drug can have the same anxiolytic effect as 1mg of xanax, while this drug is not a benzodeazepine (lyrica and gabapentin are also not suitable). Antidepressants, or atypical anxiolytics like buspirone? Medications that can be taken for many years, without tolerance, addiction and side effects.

I will say even more, I had the idea of removing the right amygdala in the brain (responsible for fear). But the doctors in my country are absolutely incompetent in these matters and thought that I had some kind of mental problems, since I came up with such an idea. But after studying some reports of functional neurosurgery, when the patient's amygdala (and hippocampus, but it does not need to be removed) in the brain due to epilepsy, the patient forever lost the feeling of fear (and, accordingly, anxiety)

This Guy Had a Piece of His Brain Removed. Now He Can’t Feel Fear.

“I'm talking about the fear you'd feel when facing death or serious injury. That's the fear that was removed.”

www.vice.com

I hope you are trolling. What do you think would happen to you if fear was not present at all? Nothing good i can assure you.

Fear is a very useful emotion. Unpleasent when irational, but without it, you would do some very stupid stuff or get yourself killed.

I hope you are not serious, or you need to read some books.

 

[dev6strong]

Amygdala plays multifaceted role and is also involved social judgement, episodic memory encoding, effects on decision-making, and various other executive and social functions. It also helps us to survive and react in difficult situations. In context of ADHD, individuals have smaller Amygdala and Insula brain volume than neurotypicals. Smaller volume means more emotional responsiveness. In ADHD, Amygdala and Insula have stronger effects on nucleus accumbens (dopamine reward circuitry) than average brain, making their behaviors more sensitive to emotions, leading to impulsivity. “Removing” part of your brain doesn’t make it go away - it’s not that straightforward.

I really liked your answer, I want to understand my problem and get answers to my questions, and you explain this topic to me in an accessible scientific language.

Yes, I also have a theory in my head that the cause of my anxiety is no longer psychological, but physiological (genetics, in other words, the genetically determined morphological structure of my brain, including the amygdala, insula, etc.). The result of all this is a "weak nervous system", because of which my psyche is prone to anxiety, the formation of neuroses, the inability to easily tolerate conflicts, to endure any nervous tension (problems with inhibition of neurons?). Strong benzodiazepines like xanax really help to reduce this anxiety so much that I start to feel like a normal person. If I don't take any medications at all, anxiety will absolutely not allow me to function socially normally. But many people in their answers above are categorically against xanax (they do not advise it to me), and only 1-2 gave careful advice to take it not every day, but situationally, take breaks, etc. My psychiatrist advises CBT, however, it seems to me that this is not a solution to the problem, since the problem is not at the level of the psyche, but at the level of the morphological structure of my brain, and this is removed only by changing its biochemistry, and only after that CBT is prescribed

 

[Señor Moreno]

Fear is a very useful emotion.

True. Fear and pain keep us alert and alive.
A pain&fear free life would be great, but probably also short