Review: Xanax

Not too long ago I was having an episode of anxiety that was occurring quite often. My doctor put me on Xanax (Alprazolam), which is a drug used in the treatment of panic disorders. I had horrible side effects! I could hardly walk without falling down; my tongue felt thick and I could hardly talk. No one seemed to be able to understand much of what I said. Did they help my anxiety? I don't know, because I was too zoned out to remember! I didn't take them for long because I didn't like the way they made me feel. Now, I am just curious, but why does a medication have to have all these bad side effects to help someone with anxiety? I would not say that I was helped; I would say I was sedated to the point of not knowing if I was even on the planet; however I felt I had to hang on to keep from flying off!

I spoke with my doctor and told her how they were making me feel, and she suggested I take the OTC medication Benedryl. It works perfectly for when I do get those periods of anxiety that I feel I cannot get through without something. I have only had to take that 3 times in the last few months. For me, Xanax just postponed me from feeling my feelings without doing anything to really help me. I also have found that getting involved with living relieves my stress, and I don't need to take a prescription medication.

In my opinion it is far too easy to get drugs like these. You just go to the doctor and say you are nervous, anxious or depressed and out comes the prescription pad. What did people do 50 years ago? I believe people dealt with life back in the times of our parents and grand parents. They didn't run to the doctor with everything. Ours has become a generation that cannot function without pills, it seems. The problem is that medications, such as this one can cause dependency. If you stop taking it abruptly after continued use, you will have withdrawal symptoms. Cough syrup containing codeine did that to me. I had terrible headaches when I stopped taking cough syrup.

There are some people that could not function without medications, such as Xanax. This review is not targeted toward them. I am speaking from my own experience; taking Xanax was not a good experience for me. I feel that physicians should take more time evaluating their patients before prescribing pills. I sometimes think they will write a prescription because that is what they think we want, rather than to find the cause of what is making us anxious in the first place.

I hope that people will think twice before taking drugs like Xanax on a regular basis. It is too easy to become addicted to, and it is easy to sell on the street if someone has the mind to do so.