Anonymous wrote:Its seriously addictive most doctors are not writing for this anymore.

Stop spreading absolute lies, and stop fear mongering! OP do not listen to this person.

OP doesn't it make you sleepy? I would think you wouldn't want it before work.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I get 1mg for the dentist.
It’s the off brand but makes me very sleepy. No way I can function. I get a ride to and from the dentist.

Isn't .05 mg enough for a cleaning?

I can do a cleaning without.
It’s any other dental work I have done I can’t handle.

There has been a big shift around all dependency-forming drugs, OP. Docs who do not specialize are getting much less willing to prescribe them—and you will see insistent patient advocates, as here, parroting the view that any amount of a dependency-forming substance is to be avoided.

Of the benzodiazepines, Xanax has the highest dependency-forming potential because it is the shortest-acting.

But as long as you have no personal dependency history, it’s safe for short intervals and in low doses (and the dose you have is low).

You should not mix with alcohol and especially not with opiates.

If you have a family history of substance use disorder, you should be very cautious about this class of medications and if you have a personal history you should not use them.

But with all of that said, benzodiazepines (including Xanax) work well and can be substantially life-improving in the short term when disruptive anxiety is the issue and they are not contraindicated.

There is no extra credit for struggling through without drugs.

Anonymous wrote:Its seriously addictive most doctors are not writing for this anymore.

Not true. Do you have first hand experience of either being addicted to it, or having prescribed it for people?

In small amounts and small doses, taken only occasionally it is not addictive at all.

Only in cases where people are on a daily high dose, does this happen.

I took Klonopin for a month during a very bad health scare and was fine.

Anonymous wrote:I get 1mg for the dentist.
It’s the off brand but makes me very sleepy. No way I can function. I get a ride to and from the dentist.

Isn't .05 mg enough for a cleaning?

Its seriously addictive most doctors are not writing for this anymore.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:
I’m on the edge of a mental breakdown, but I have a couple of projects I need to finish at work before I can take time off.

To get me through, I have some 0.5 mg Xanax. The bottle says I can take one in 24 hours, so I plan to take one each morning before work in an attempt to appear sane.

How long can I do this before I get addicted? I wish I could take some tonight and tomorrow morning!

talk to a doctor. Do not self medicate

You can't "self medicate" with a substance like Xanax at least not initially because your doctor has to prescribe them, it is a highly controlled substance. So again unless OP intends to buy them from a friend or dealer on the street, she is not going to get enough to "self medicate". Unless her MD is a drug dealer, and then her pharmacist would catch that.

Anonymous wrote:Don’t use drugs. Get through this tough period on your own and you’ll be so much stronger on the other end.

Don't listen to people that tell you to tough it out when you're here asking for advice on meds you've already decided to take. Meds are fine.

I have Xanax for "occasional use" for panic attack recurrence and recovery. I take one every 3 weeks or so (0.5). I'd be more concerned if I were taking it more regularly.

Anonymous wrote:
I’m on the edge of a mental breakdown, but I have a couple of projects I need to finish at work before I can take time off.

To get me through, I have some 0.5 mg Xanax. The bottle says I can take one in 24 hours, so I plan to take one each morning before work in an attempt to appear sane.

How long can I do this before I get addicted? I wish I could take some tonight and tomorrow morning!

talk to a doctor. Do not self medicate

I used it for anxiety to be able to sleep at night when I was caring for a sick/dying parent. It changed my life because I could finally relax and sleep, but I quickly became dependent on it - my Dr. asked that I not use it in that way. I find that it makes you sleepy and in my case it was addictive and had to stop taking it.

SSRIs/SNRIs do nothing for me. I take them, but I also take Klonopin for panic attacks.

I've done this for ten years. Never a need to go up in dose; no addictive impulses. If handled well, I think benzos are lifesavers.

A low-dose, short term course of treatment is likely fine. But have a plan for creating a long-term plan (maybe it’s SSRIs, maybe therapy, maybe lifestyle changes, maybe a combination). Even if your plan is to find and schedule a therapist in the next couple of weeks.

Have you ever had a hard time quitting other things? Some people are more susceptible to addiction than others, likely just because of how their brains work.

Hang in there, OP!

I get 1mg for the dentist.
It’s the off brand but makes me very sleepy. No way I can function. I get a ride to and from the dentist.