Long Term High Dose Xanax Effects
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I began taking Xanax in 1982. I have been abusing it more and more over the years. I can now take 14 mg and not even tell it. I can stop taking it with no withdrawals. It's like I am immume to it. for the past two years I have been experiencing a lack of cognition, forgetfullness and general fatigue. It does not matter if I stop the Xanax for a couple of months, I feel like the deficeit is permanent. Can Xanax lead to permanent brain damage?

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Xanax is very, very addictive! You need to wean yourself of of it. Never go cold turkey, ask your doctor to help you to stop. He/she will tell you how much to take each day untill you won't go through any withdrawls, they can kill you, and have many people who just go off of it, without tapering off first. Best of luck to you, I know what it's like to get addicted to xanax, it was hard to wuit. But just listen to your doctor, and you will be just fine. I am at the point now when I can take it when I really need it.

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I could use a friend. Would you be willing to talk to me? Email me. Thanks!

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I have taken xanax for over 20 years now. It started when I had ear surgery and they destroyed my balance center. This was the only thing that stops my head from spinning all day long. I carried on a normal life, working, having babies, marriage etc. I take .5mgs 4 times a day and I never take more..six doctors ahve told me to take 1 full mg 4 times a day but I refused. I know my body is used to the meds since I get jittery when they wear off but my worst thing is that I cannot walk straight and dizzy all the time without it. My condition is so much worse that I went on disabiltiy last year and when i ask if I can stop the xanax my doctors all yell at me that I am not an addict, I am not loopy or runnign to get more of them and not increasing my dose. I am not sure if going off them would help my life at all or they are necessary to maintain a normal balance as they tell me they do.

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If you have no resistance built up to these medications, yes it could definatly kill you. You would go into resperitory arrest.

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I just read that there is no evidence that Xanax can damage your live. However, someone with liver problems already may metabalize the drug differently, causing more of the theriputic level of the drug to be in your blood stream. Sorry for the misspellings.

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baby girl I suggest u speak with somebody ASAP don't ever think about hurting yourself it isn't worth it u have so much out there in this world looking up @ u just keep your head up and talk with someone if u need someone to talk to please dont hesitate to contact me and I will gladly give u my info so we can k.I.T even though I dont know u but we can chat ya woman to woman talk get some things off your chest I hate to see another woman loose her life we need to stick together well post back girl and we'll talk more chao take care and I will keep u in my prayers......

:>smile wink chao

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I am 36 years old. I began taking Xanax in 1998 for panic attacks. I was started on (3) .25mg per day. Over the next few years it gradually increased to about (3) 1mg per day, then as my tolerance increased so did the dosage, Anyways in June of 2011 I was taking approx 12mg per day every day. I know this was a lot. I quit pretty much cold turkey! Went through about 3 1/2 months of HARD withdrawels in a rehab facility. Now I know this is not recommened to the average person. Also this put a serious financial strain on my life near the end. Today I go to the gym every day, I feel very physically happy, not 100% emotionally, but im sure it might take some time. Anyways wanted to give some hope to anyone out there that might be stuck taking this medicine. I am now over 11 months off this!!! And moving forward and trying to rebuild my life...:)

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My 23 year old son passed away in his sleep because he mixed methadone pills and xanax. I have been on xanax for years. I'd like to get off of it but my panic attacks are too bad. Without the xanax I can't leave home. I don't abuse it and normally take less then the doctor prescribes.

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Yes it can definetly effect your brain the main thing it ruins is your memory, which l think is terrible once your memory is half gone like mine l now need to right everything l've got to do and buy ect, best of luck matey and keep positive.

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i really need help!
I had a panic attack 10 days before for the first time and the doctor gave me 0.25 mg xanax thrice a day and lexapro 20 mg once a day at bedtime.
i took xanax for three days, and lexapro for only first two.
Then i checked internet and saw so many scary topics about these drugs.
I quit them right away, but now i feel so many symptoms like, anixety all the time, sweating, heart beating, i have gone pale in a last few days, feeling unreal all the time etc etc.
Its my sixth day after quiting them completely, have i done something wrong?
i am a non smoker and non drinker, never into drugs before as well.
since i only had xanax 0.25 mg three times a day for three days and lexapro 20 mg for first two days, am i going to get any dangerous withdrawl syptoms, fatal ones???

PLease help me, god bless you!!!

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bman, what I hear is you went from 1.5 mg a day to 12 mg a day with alprazolam. In my interpretation, this is tolerance. In my experience, with that benzo, they quit working their magic, after brief usage, thus, many increase the dose, as I did. IMHO, Pfizer/Upjohn Xanax will turn on you, sooner or later, of course dose dependant. Most individuals, I have formerly counseled, and myself, a recovering Xanax addict, of three 2 mg bars a day, 24/7, I ended up taking the tablets, only to fend off the withdrawal. hot and cold sweats, extreme mood swings, prounced tightness in the chest, tachacardia, cognitive distortions, cloudy thinking, and, situational depression, when my last dose wore off, I would wake up in the middle of the night, craving more alprazolam, thus, had two Psychiatrists, filling out 100 count scripts, or 50 1 mg scripts with 4 refills, and life was hell, why? FEAR of running out. The buzz for me escaped me in about 4 to 6 weeks of original usage, but, I had a history, as I stated earlier on this very forum,of C-II addiction to sedatives, decades earlier. What lesson did I learn? the brain does not forget. I craved stronger sedatives, in 1990 to 1996, but, my favorites, "Doriden 500mg", "Tuinal 200 mg", "Quaalude 300mg" "Mandrax 275mg" Soper 300mg, "Parest 400mg" (the latter 4 all removed off of the USA market, Schedule I, Methaqualone, and, I did not have the resources, "the money" to travel to Spain, to get, Pallidan (methaqualone) or Germany, Norm-Nox, (methaqualone) or the last country to manufacture that highly addictive hypnotic, Switzerland, "Toquilone compositum" by Medichemie Pharmaceuticals, removed it off of the Swiss marketplace
in late 2006. It has vanished from the world forever, as has, Glutethimide, as I was ignorant, that, after it was withdrawn, by Wm Rorer in 1992 (USA) but was available by prescription in Romania, until the year 2006, when Ranbaxy Pharma bought out Terapia Pharma, and withdrew the "controversial Doridan sedative". Again, I had the desire, but not the cash, the language skills, and fortitude, to travel to UK to, get the still produced Tuinal, Seconal, and, Nembutal, by Lilly and Abbott, as it was as rare as the Louisiana "Whooping Crane" by 1996, and, as recently as 2009, Seconal, is still available in the United Kingdom (manufactured in Ireland), and Seconal, is mfg in the USA, under a special license, by Marathon Labs, as Lilly stopped making the fast acting Seconal Pulvules many yrs, ago. "The domain of Psychiatrists & terminally ill patients, or, perhaps, the rich and famous"
Dcat, I realize many posts are 3 yrs old, I hope you are still alive, it took me 11 months to detox outpatient, off of only 6 mg of Xanax, and it was the worst withdrawal, I shall never forget. I am afraid of that benzo, IMHO.
Dcat, perhaps, the psychiatrist, meant when he said you will never "be happy again" is that, if you successfully withdraw off of Xanax, then substantial abstinence with a support group, and start back, IMHO, the "happy, warm fuzzy feeling, will only last 7 to 10 days, and, then, you will not be happy, as tolerance sets in, and, you will live to fight off the withdrawals, or in your special case, just get depressed, from massive doses, with or without alcohol. alcohol with alprazolam, only extends the euphoria, for a very brief time, and is dangerous, taking both in self medicating high doses.
Shawn, I am cautious to comment, due to my ignorance of the forum rules, but to go to sleep and not desire to wake up, I am familiar with, (in my case it was a Major Depressive Episode, caused by a Divorce, or Major Career loss, i.e getting fired) for two weeks in a row, of symptoms meeting all criteria in the DSM-IV.
I will only state that Abbie Hoffman, I quote from May1, 1989 PEOPLE magazine, pg 110, had a dx of Bipolar Disorder, "quote......had been taking Lithium, previously...the Bucks County Coroner, finding that Abbie had ingested a lethal mix of of alcohol and 150 phenobar bital pills, ruled the death a suicide. (Abbie Hoffman, was one of the Chicago Seven, and a former co-hort of Yippie Jerry Rubin, Tom Hayden, and Bobby Seal.
Promethazine, a anti-vomiting medication, aids in reducing the vomiting for individuals, such, as those with a dx of intractable vomiting, New Mexico and Deleware, under tight restrictions, authorize the use of medical cannabis, for those state citizens, with that horrible disorder, as well, as PTSD.
I hope this wall of text has been broken up enough to not give anyone a headache, if so, I have more of a learning curve ahead for me. I apoligize in advance.

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I would like to share my experience with my neighbor who had taking xanax for about 4 yrs. This woman was originally prescribed xanax because of having difficulty sleeping. She was having kidney dialysis 3 times a week, and probably weighed less than 100. Lbs. I watched a steady deterioration as she grew increasingly obsessive. Gradually the obsessiveness changed to paranoia. She complained a blurred vision and went to serveral eye doctors in an attempt to correct the problem. Soon after this she was unable to distinguish letters from numbers and even became unable to dial a phone number. The paranoia was often accompanied by hallucinatiopns at this point. I am convinced it was all stemming from abuse of xanax. I lcontacted her relatives who were unwilling to step in---i also contacted her nurses at the dialysis center as well as her social worker. Nothiong was done as far as changing her prescription for the xanax. She is now in a nursing home and i believe some of the damghe may be irreversable. I is my. Belief that xanax is a very dangerous drug when taken for long-term or when debilitated, as was my neighbor.

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almost any amount close to that high can kill. however i have taken 150 0.5mg klonopins and 200mg of oxycontin... as well as 400mg of phenobarbital... and drank 2 40 oz's at the same time. this eventually lead to me having a serious overdose where i threw up and was suffocating on my vomit. doing anything like this is stupid. i spent 5 days in the ICU coughing up blood. i went to rehab after this and am now clean. CHILDISH GAME WITH ADULT CONSEQUENCES!!!

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Guys, it's all about drug tolerance management. All these drugs were created for a reason. They have positive effects on people's lives when used correctly. The problem is, human nature prevents us from using it correctly. We naturally always want more. 1 xanax turns into 2, 2 turns into 4, before long you'll be taking wayyy more than you ever wanted to, just because you always want the drug to kick in. Too bad our livers aren't bullet proof. We will develop a tolerance to everything.
I have been prescribed to Xanax for 3 years now, 2mg daily. It's changed my life for the better. I've done plenty of research before taking it and heard so many stories about addiction. I prepared myself mentally to prevent being addicted. Let me tell you, 2mg daily does not mean you should take 2mg every day! You WILL become tolerant no matter what. Soon enough, you won't feel it. What I do is take them when necessary, but EVERY week, I detox a little to gain back my tolerance. For example: on sundays, when i have the last human contact, I detox. That way, i know on Monday, when I take a xanax, it'll kick in that much stronger.
Xanax has the power to positively impact your lives, you just need to be responsible. Know your limits, get a feel for your tolerance. Manage it. In a world full of drugs, it's the only way to survive.

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been in benzo withdrawals for over 8 months now quit after 24 yrs of beening on and off of xanax. The first 4 months were like if somebody did surgery on my head and took my brain out.i could not function at all im surprise i didnt burn the house down.i just want to know when is this going to end.e-mail if anybody knows

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@ Jay, Do you have a family doctor that can run tests on you? I think what you're experiencing(pain and vomiting) is due to another problem besides cocaine withdrawl. I don't mean to scare you but the symptoms you explained reminds me of pancreatic cancer. If you don't have a family doctor maybe the next time you go to the emergency room ask them if the can screen you for it. Again I don't want to scare you but just want ya to get checked out.

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dcat,'
I see your post is over 2 yrs old, but, I identified with what your psychiatrist said to you, with some conditions, unique to me, from my long history of long term benzo + hypnotic use, as well, as very long term abstinence. I took a 1st cousin to Xanax originally, called Roche Valium, for nine (9) years, in my early 20's to early 30's, I also, during this era, got on "binges" and, took, Lemmon Quaalude, for about 3 yrs, why? my Valium tolerance over the 9 yrs rose to as many as 80 mg a day, and, I got in on the Methaqualone (disco bisquit) scene, just prior to our USA government banning that very addictive sedative. I made a about face, went to inpatient treatment, and abstained from all DEA controlled substances, even alcohol, for 23 years in a row. Due to a combination of a devasting Divorce, burning out in 2 career fields, including, the Substance Abuse Specialization field, (now I am not age 34 but I was a 57 yr old male, despondent & depressed, & heartbroken, I started self medicating, with the benzo's, from International Operating Pharmacies about 4 or 5 yrs ago. In the meantime, being married to a RN, and obtaining two college degrees, I discovered, while I am in my good behavior of 23 yrs without Benzo's, or high powered sedatives, (Placidyl, Quaalude, Nembutal, Tuinal, Doriden) nor one sip of alcohol, nor one drag of marijuana, or nicotine, a Psychiatrist, I consult due to mega difficulty focusing in a college classroom, gives me a dx of Attention Deficit Disorder, and, being abstinent so long, I began taking Ritalin, then later Dexedrine with Adderall, closely monitored, by my Psychiatrist, from age 45, until, this very year. (17 yrs use of C-II stimulants, taken as directed) I have tried, since late 2006, for the past 5 yrs, lots of Roche Valium, from IOP's in Mexico, Argentina, Germany, South Africa, U.K. & the Philippines, + Pfizer Xanax, & the EU version Tafil, Bromazepam (Roche Lexotanil, from Pakistan, to Argentina, to Spain) hard to find Pfizer Halcion, (Philippines & South Africa) and even some generic diazepam made by Actavis, from the UK, lots of them, RatioPharm diazepam (Germany), Pak 10 (diazepam from South Africa) even blisterpack Roche Rivotril (clonazepam) from the UK, Germany, South Africa, and even, Romania, & Bosnia, and, the bottom line, is that, all I ever got, was sometimes nothing, many times drowsy, but no classic, "Valium or Xanax warm fuzzy lift" I alway got, during my 9 yrs of pill popping decades ago. I even solicited my Dental Surgeon for 16 USA 5 mg fancy artwork Roche Valium, with the cut-out V, to compare my series of benzo's from all over the world, (ordering only 50 to 60 at a time) and I concluded these two things .... in the past 5 yrs.
A. The overwhelming majority of the IOP's sold me diazepam, alprazolam, triazolam (Halcion), Clonazepam,
temazepam (Restoril), "especially blisterpacked 10 mg Roche blue Valium, that were not "sugar pills" but were on average about 50% strength from their advertised price and milligram content, with the rest with bulk fillers, either 2/3 in blisterpacks "very authentic looking" or sometimes in baggies, unmarked, and, I never received, the distinctive relief from anxiety, coupled with the distinctive "buzz" that is a worldwide feature of especially Valium & especially Xanax, even bought once off the street, some Mylan alprazolam, straight out of the prescription bottle, but, all I felt was that, sensation of a little relief from anxiety, but, "no more buzz". The expensive $3.00 per pill I paid my pharmacist, one time for 16 five milligram rare V cut Valium was a learning curve for me, they were stronger than any benzo, I have bought on the net, in 5 yrs, but, only lasted about 2 hrs. I even broken my 23 years of "no alcohol, washing down some Valium with Vintage 2000
Dom Perignon Champagne, and for the last 10 months, have drank "7 Deadly Zins" of one bottle of white Calif
Zinfandel with two 2 mg Roche Clonazepam, or two ten mg Roche Valiums, from Mexico to Germany, to UK produced, Actavis generic Diazepam, and, I still can't fall asleep, 50% of the time, if I do, I wake up, after dosing off.
B. Only my trusted contact, in the field of Cosmetology, whom I resorted to buying Cannabis from, aids me in, getting a smile on my face, about 50% if the time, after, another 23 yrs of total abstinence, and climbing many mountains, of financial success, worldwide travel to exotic resorts, and ultimate failure. I am convinced, that the IOP market, since I began my journey in 2006, mainly to keep the records off of the Prescription Monitoring Program in 40 states now, has increasingly become proliferated with diluted meds. I have been ripped totally off, amazingly, only four times totally with 100% fake pills, in 5 yrs, once for Upjohn football lavender Xanax, from Europe, once for Generic Diazepam from Pakistan, and once from, Pfizer 100 mg Viagra from, Pakistan, & once from Roche Lexotanil from Argentina.
C. I will conclude this catharsis, of venting is good for my soul, but I realize very wearing on the reader, that, I once had a article from the professional journal Anals of Psychiatry, or, maybe it was, "the Journal of Psychopharmcotherapy" from the late 1990's, that tested,
a control group of abstinent former recreational male and female drug users, who had been abstinent, for like 4 or 5 yrs, and, a "control group, of equal members in age, gender, educational status, marital status, who, had no history with alcohol "dependency" and/or poly pharmacy dependencies, and, they were given unmarked capsules some with the real thing, like a controlled substance, like,
Librium or Phenobarbital, or, Wyeth Lorazepam, and 50% received, on both groups, sugar pills, and, those with a history of addiction, were "disappointed with the double blind test, why? the study selected hard core cases of previously addicted Mandrax/Quaalude/Valium addicts, vs. those with no history of any Methaqualone or Valium tolerances, and, Group A, with the addiction history, were craving more, of the pills, "they were chronically unhappy" even with given a white capsulel filled with a controlled substance (mild tranquilizer) and the Group B, all they felt was :"lethargic, and varying degrees of drowiisness, and no craving, for "give me more pills" only yawning. the conclusion of the study stated, that Group A, the "theory" was that, the brain never forgets, the intense euphoria, from downing a pill, even after yrs of sobriety, and, more studies were needed, but the scientists belief,, were that the brain structure had somehow been permanently altered, with the heavy recreational users, and, the brains of the innocent same age, some gender, same socio-economic status, and IQ's and college education, of the adults with no previous addiction to Methaqualone, or specifically the benzo Valium, were indeed altered, and the patient charts, often showed relapses, and multiple, interpersonal relationship failures, and job changes, thus, the Psychiatrist that addressed Forum member "dcat" may well have truly meant what he said, that once, you are on something, like a addictive medication, for a good while, if you take a break, (in my case a long break) you will indeed likely not be happy again, meaning, you will not re-experience the relief of true anxiety or psycho-neurotic relief, once you stop the mood altering med, then, start over again.

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I would recommend eating more food. And say on a healthy eating schedule. But don't take food so far that its another addiction. AdAm

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Alcohol and Xanax withdraws are the only two substances that you can die from. so I suggest all of the users in this panel to proceed with your further abuse with caution!

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Id imagine if taken for long periods, considering I was using for only a handfull of years & after nearly 4 being clean, according to my doctor, my brain is still in "recovery & not quit working properly just yet" as far as mood & anxiety goes.

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