Lois, How long did it take you to get used to Xanax. I got a 30 day supply a couple of months ago but stopped taking them because they made me sleep. They are 0.25mgs and I even tried splitting them in half with the same result. The doctor then gave me a sample of Cymbalta to take a night but they made my insides feel real jittery the next day. I haven't bothered with either of them for quite a while but the way DH is lately I am thinking I might need to take something, especially today!
Jean, right away. I just take .25 mg. at bedtime when I am grateful for help sleeping. Occasionally I have extra stress during the day and take another one (I split a .5) but they don't really cause me a problem with sleep. I would suggest talking with your pcp about something else that won't cause you disagreeable side effects. More importantly is the antidepressant I take of a morning, either celexa or Lexapro. I had taken the Lexapro for a year or more and last fall asked pcp to change me to celexa because it has a generic. He did so and the last time I was in my blood pressure was up- lower 91 so we decided to go back to the Lexapro and see if bp was still up. He said he thought Lexapro was better than celexa. If you are not taking an anti-depressant mornings I would check with pcp about that to go along with the xanax? at bedtime. Good Luck. Lois
I had the same problem with xanax, causing drowsiness. He switched me to Ativan, and that was just calming, didn't cause the drowsiness. Some anti-anxiety meds CAN make you jittery. I went to the library & looked in the PDR (Physician's desk reference) and one of the side effect of something was increased anxiety, jittery feelings. Whatever that was, got off it right away. Each person's body is different. I have been blessed with the Lexapro & from time to time the Ativan, I/2 tab. Don't need the Ativan now, but too early to cut back on the Lexapro. (Actually switched from Lexapro to Celexa, a generic in the same family.) Don't want to take any chances.
I, too, tried Cmbalta and took it for about 6 weeks. The Dr. thought it would help with the cronic pain that I have. It made me jittery and I could not sleep so I stopped taking it. Now I take 1 zanax before going to bed and it helps me relax enough to go to sleep. I have had to have a sleeping pill for years to sleep and I feel that zanax is safer to take.
DH takes Ativan 4 times a day and it calms him but does not make him sleepy. My Mom occasionally takes 1/2 of a .25 mg of Xanax because it make her drowsy too. I take Klonopin and it does a good job of keeping my anxiety under control.
If you just need something to help with sleep, try sleep aid tablets containing Doxylamine Succinate. (generic Unisom) My son told me he took 1/2 tap leaving Japan & didn't wake up until they landed. I tried them, & they work great. You have to wean yourself off xanax, and they should really be used for anxiety. Try the Ativan for anxiety if the Xanax makes you drowsy. Try generic Unisom (non habit forming) if you need help to get to sleep. Just a suggestion.
word of caution -xanax is highly addictive and has some very nasty withdrawal symtoms. had a BIL took xanax a long time daily and went into shakes seizures when he took himself off for a week. be sure to ask dr how to wean off it later. divvi
I have taken Xanax for over 20 years with no problems but I have been very careful with it. Due to kidney disease, thyroid problems and high blood pressure there is very little over the counter medication that I can take. I take the Xanax occasionally for sleep and occasionally for anxiety. It makes me sleepy if I lay down and relax and let it, but I do not get so sleepy that I can not function if I take it in the day time for anxiety. I think the key word is occasionally. I may take it every day or every night (rarely both) for a week if things are going badly, but on the other hand, I also go a week or more with none if things are going smoothly. Moderation seems to work for me.
I often hear about people taking a sleeping pill at the beginning of a long flight. This is NOT SAFE. What if there is an emergency and you need to be able to get yourself out of the plane? (like that US Air plane that had to land in the Hudson River) or what if the pill affects you longer than you think, and you are half-asleep and groggy at your destination, maybe a place you've never been before, in a foreign country? And besides, you might sleep through one of those "delicious" airline meals. :-)
Shanteus, Unisom doesn't help you sleep through a hurricane, a tornado, or through a landing on the Hudson (which happened only a few blocks from my son's apartment in NYC!) You will awaken if there is trouble. Now, if you can sleep through an airline meal, which I found out by accident that SouthWest no longer serves coast to coast & I was starving, so be it. (Bring your own meal, it's a long flight from NY to LA)
I have never needed anything to sleep on an airplane. I fall asleep before take off! Same with trains. Which works well with Penn station being your end point from Princeton to NYC, but not the other way around.
I took xanax to help me sleep. I was supposed to take 1/2 to 2 tablets as needed. At first, 1/2 tablet worked, then I started needing 1. Also, at first, I only needed it sometimes. Then I got to the point I needed it every night. I decided I might be getting addicted, and asked the doctor for something else. Now I take doxepin.