Anonymous wrote:Judgemental SOBs, MYOB, and for those who suffer anxiety, please respond.

I tried to last night, but my Internet died.

I take Xanax for high stress situations (flying and needles, both of which are rare for me), and I have instructions to take them as needed for panic attacks. My psychiatrist said that if I felt like I needed one to get through the day, we needed to talk about different therapies because it is addictive and such a wonderful feeling to go from anxiety to calm that it's easy to get hooked before you realize that you are dependent on it.

OP, I don't know what stresses you're under, or what other ways to cope your life allows, but from the defensive tone of one of your responses coupled with what I have been told, I worry. Take care of yourself.

This is one of the most alarming threads I have *ever* read on DCUM because it is doing a profound disservice to those who need medication for physiological reasons -- short or long term. I have diagnosed anxiety disorder (third generation -- my mother and grandmother lived with it in a crippling fashion) as well as depression and a long history of other psychological conditions that have included life-threatening ones. I have had to take benzos as well as other meds at various times -- once for a five year period, once for a one month period, and recently for the past three months (i.e., the Xanax). I take .125 mg twice a day (sometimes not at all) right now. Whether one calls this mother's little helper or a life saver is up for debate. I work closely with four doctors (two for chronic medical conditions, one internist, one psychiatrist) and we all agree that the psychiatrist does the prescriptions, which ensures that things are in reasonable order. When the time comes that the Xanax is not needed, I will go off of it under a doctor's supervision.

My mother was addicted to alcohol and benzos for years and has been sober for 21 years but is still under medical care for major depressive disorder and is on four psychotropic meds, so I am well aware of the challenges of addiction. Generally, my mother's physicians and we (her family) as well as my mom agree that the alcoholism was rooted in the attempt to self-medicate (her father was bi-polar and a closeted, functional alcoholic as well, btw).

I am also well aware that psychiatric challenges like anxiety, depression, and other disorders are crippling. I have shared my family's story and mine so that someone suffering whose physician has prescribed Xanax won't fear that s/he will take it and become addicted and never come off: it can help. It's not for everyone -- but not everyone has some of the challenges that I've described here. Please be a little less quick to judge unless you've lived through some of the reasons people are referred (responsibly) to medication.

Thank you. Well said.

Well said, 13:44. Thanks for sharing your story. Also, dependency and addiction are not the same thing.

This is one of the most alarming threads I have *ever* read on DCUM because it is doing a profound disservice to those who need medication for physiological reasons -- short or long term. I have diagnosed anxiety disorder (third generation -- my mother and grandmother lived with it in a crippling fashion) as well as depression and a long history of other psychological conditions that have included life-threatening ones. I have had to take benzos as well as other meds at various times -- once for a five year period, once for a one month period, and recently for the past three months (i.e., the Xanax). I take .125 mg twice a day (sometimes not at all) right now. Whether one calls this mother's little helper or a life saver is up for debate. I work closely with four doctors (two for chronic medical conditions, one internist, one psychiatrist) and we all agree that the psychiatrist does the prescriptions, which ensures that things are in reasonable order. When the time comes that the Xanax is not needed, I will go off of it under a doctor's supervision.

My mother was addicted to alcohol and benzos for years and has been sober for 21 years but is still under medical care for major depressive disorder and is on four psychotropic meds, so I am well aware of the challenges of addiction. Generally, my mother's physicians and we (her family) as well as my mom agree that the alcoholism was rooted in the attempt to self-medicate (her father was bi-polar and a closeted, functional alcoholic as well, btw).

I am also well aware that psychiatric challenges like anxiety, depression, and other disorders are crippling. I have shared my family's story and mine so that someone suffering whose physician has prescribed Xanax won't fear that s/he will take it and become addicted and never come off: it can help. It's not for everyone -- but not everyone has some of the challenges that I've described here. Please be a little less quick to judge unless you've lived through some of the reasons people are referred (responsibly) to medication.

Anonymous wrote:
I highly recommend Cognitive Behavioral Therapy--there are books you can buy and practice on your own. Some of the exercises there provide me with immediate relief when I get stuck in an unhealthy thinking pattern that leads to anxiety.

I've also heard acupuncture can be very beneficial for anxiety if you are looking for other treatment options.

CBT is great...when done in a non-judgmental way. But, in the beginning, a person may not be at the point where CBT is effective.
Some of these responses show the lack of understanding and empathy for people suffering with mental illness. So, they SUFFER alone.
Xanax has been shown to be non-addictive when it is being used by people who need it. The problem comes when people use it when they don't need it,

Folks ignore the posters who have no direct experience and are just here to try to shame people dealing with very real suffering. There are many .of us who have posted about our direct experiences.