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Xanax out of boredom + when depressed - advice

Pinkpuff

Pinkpuff

Bluelighter
Joined
Nov 17, 2008
Messages
570
So here's the deal, I have a xanax prescription for my anxiety. My anxiety is mild-moderate, depending on what's going on around me etc (people's levels of anxiety fluctuate, at least mine do..), and I am supposed to take it once in a while, when I feel anxious. However, I don't get anxious that often, and I take it a lot just out of boredom or recreationally. That's never been a problem, but lately I have been overdoing it a bit, not just for fun but because I have been feeling more depressed than usual and xanax evens out my mood... A few things have happened with my family that shook me up, and I'm not good at handling unusual situations.

Anyways, I was wondering if xanax addiction can develop even if I am not taking it specifically for anxiety? And also, what can I do to feel more motivated when I'm not on it and not to think about taking it all the time? My lack of motivation in the past few days has been extreme, I hope it's just a phase... I still take my .5 mg that I always have, and have not developed a tolerance. However, I feel more dependent on it and I want to be able to slow it down a bit.
 
Hey pink, I'm prescribed the same dose, for the same description of symptoms.. actually O.o, and I notice that I'll catch myself taking them more often because I'll get in those off days that malinger on a little too long ;P. What I do is just take an out of sight out of mind tactic for two days, and really stick to it. and try to focus more socially, or devote more time/brain space for a hobby. Start a book if you haven't read in a while or don't usually, maybe. :) After that, usually that little pull they start to build dissipates, and I can go back to taking them therapeutically prn, or recreationally on a weekend or w/e :).
 
Benzodiazapine (Xanax, Valium, K-pin) tolerance and physical addiction certainly will develop over time in ALL habitual users, in fact, recreational use often causes a more rapid onset of WD due to typically increasing dosages and decreasing intervals between use. There is no way around it, and if you don't know much about benzo withdrawal, I suggest you look it up! The symptoms of quiting your alprazolam "cold turkey" can be deadly (i.e. seizures+vomiting).

As far as motivation goes, just try be happy! I hate to sound cliche, but mind over matter. I assume you have to do homework and chores and whatnot? These things can be tedious but it really helps to think about things in the long term, in other words, try to think how doing all of these things will help you out in the long run. If you are looking to go the synthetic motivation route, I would look into amphetamine pharms such as Adderall or Dexedrine. These will most likely aggravate your anxiety no doubt, but you may find that your newfound robot-like sense of work ethic may outweigh the down sides. Also, the first few times you use the stuff it will probably elevate your mood quite noticeably. Some signs of this will be increased talkativeness, happiness, feelings of content, energy, alertness, focus, sight, appreciation of music, friendliness, and much more... Did i mention talkativeness? Lol I hope this helps.
 
Your body has no idea why you're taking the drug so it's going to react the same way irrespective of why you're taking it - the more frequently you take it the more risk there is of you developing tolerance and suffering withdrawals when you don't take it.

Xanax is a bit over the top for mild-moderate anxiety, so I'd really try to take it only when your anxiety levels are high. It's really easy to start taking it when you're not even anxious at all and before you know it start feeling withdrawals when you don't take it.

You don't mention any form of therapy. Now is a good time to explore your options for developing the coping skills you lack, because ultimately you need to be able manage anxiety and keep it at normal levels.

While Xanax will lift your mood, giving yourself a reason to take it other than when you're anxious is really just setting yourself up for further dependence on it.

Giving your day structure is often helpful when you lack motivation. Create a basic routine and stick to it whether you feel like it or not. The reality is that life is full of mundane things which simply have to be done whether we feel motivated to do them or not and once we start neglecting them things can fall apart very quickly, overwhelming us even more.

Also take a look at setting some short-term goals. When you're not feeling motivated long-term stuff often seems too daunting so it's good to set some relatively easy short-term goals and give yourself some "wins". Success is often a good motivator in and of itself.

And talk to your doctor about any significant changes in your feelings, such as feeling more depressed than usual or feeling depressed more often. It's much easier to treat new symptoms when they first emerge than once they become firmly entrenched.
 
Just not a good idea IMO.... Xanax needs due respect its so easy to fall victim to dependance on it... trust me Save it 4 when u need it or ur tollerence will skyrocket and then ur gonna have to back to ur GP/ psyc whatever and front up..Take it from those who have been there or are where ur @!!
hope things look up 4 u soon hey<3
 
Yah, in retrospect I should not have assumed you had NO tolerance and mentioned cold turkey. If you feel withdrawal would be a problem in your situation it's clearly not the best route. Best of luck staying in moderation^^
 
Thanks for the responses!
I don't know if this makes a difference, but I don't take it everyday. If I do take it several days in a row for some reason, I'll take some time off it. I got really worried about the withdrawals you guys are talking about! I already knew about them (I always do a lot of research before I start taking anything) but reading about it here, directed to me, made me open my eyes a bit. It's been hard to stay off it, but I'm going to have to tough it out.
 
Megalum said:
Yah, in retrospect I should not have assumed you had NO tolerance and mentioned cold turkey. If you feel withdrawal would be a problem in your situation it's clearly not the best route. Best of luck staying in moderation^^
Click to expand...

I don't think withdrawal is something that could happen to me now, but I'm sure that if I kept going at the rate that I was it could potentially happen. It's better to stop a behavior before it becomes a real problem, so that's what I'm trying to do.
 
Tolerance is avoidable with benzodiazeoines and even skipping a few days with regular use will produce it abit. Alprazolam is maybe the worst common benzo to become addicted to from what ive seen. I have known people that have felt withdrawal only 6 hours after their last dose for fuck sakes! Granted this was after years of being prescribed high doses. If you have to take a benzo try and atleast get clonazepam or valium. Xanax is only for panic attacks anyway really because it's so fast and short acting.

So yeah if you gotta take it make sure you keep taking breaks atleast. Ive gotten lucky with benzos since ive been on clonazepam about 5 years with no problem. My tolerance pretty much maxed out at 4mg's a day even though im prescribed 6mg's. I take 6mg's or sometimes more if im manic or just edgy.
 
Lolie said:
There's a great post here about other techniques you can use in combination with or instead of benzos to manage your anxiety.

http://www.bluelight.ru/vb/showpost.php?p=8945269&postcount=48

The "rating scale" thing is a really excellent idea - using the other strategies first if the anxiety is mild and the benzos first only if it's extreme.
Click to expand...

Thank you for posting that!
I try my best to not take my xanax unless I really need to, so I probably take it once or twice a week. I'm going to therapy to try and figure out how to deal with my anxiety. That and cutting out caffeine has really helped me.

I don't really take it recreationally because I literally don't feel any different from "normal" when I take them. Like, they're not "fun" pills for me at all but they're a lifesaver when I'm having really bad anxiety. Pot is my fix for boredom.

Anyway, good luck on cutting down! From what I've read on here, benzo addiction sounds not good.
 
^^^

I was put on Xanax prn for panic disorder many years ago and while I found it great for stopping a panic attack dead in its tracks, I never got any of the "good" feelings from it which others talk about either. I guess that was a blessing in disguise because if it had made me feel chill or floaty I would probably have abused the fuck out of it.
 
^^ Haha yea, not many people I know can take low doses and feel a buzz... I'm lucky (or unlucky..) enough to feel floaty every time. This is day 3 for me, without too much craving (have been keeping myself busy), so it's going pretty well.

And thanks for the chart Lolie, I will keep that bookmarked!
 
Xanax is the last drug you want to be taking on a regular basis. Its only use should be as-needed for panic attacks. Most say that xanax is the worst benzo to withdraw from after long-term use.

I don't like xanax, personally. I'll take it if it happens to be around, but I find it the least pleasant.
 
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