how xanax is working . . . .

iVillage Member
Registered: 02-19-2007
how xanax is working . . . .
13
Mon, 02-26-2007 - 9:39am

Anxiety is new for me - three weeks now. I'm still trying to figure it out.

I sleep well, but I do wake up wondering how my day will be, which I never used to do. I used to feel in charge of how my day would go. Now I wake up thinking, great, another day stuck here alone with no way to get out. When do I get my life back?

I'm fine here at home, doing yardwork, or being driven somewhere. I've been walking on my treadmill and doing a light workout at home to get those benefits. Cut out caffeine and Splenda, and I'm not medicating with chocolate any more, either! (doc wants me to lose a few pounds to see if that helps my bp)

But I'm definitely having trouble going into places (store, restaurant,etc.). I'm afraid to drive more than a mile. Even on xanax. Sat. night I did okay, was able to eat out with dh, feel tentatively okay, walk around a bit, then got dizzy and started to panic. Yesterday, felt fine, said let's try lunch out, got in the restaurant and had to leave within minutes. That's with having taken two 0.25 mg xanax so far that day. So I guess my triggers are inconsistent, or my reaction is, or it's not a high enough dosage, whatever?

My doc put me on a beta blocker to regulate my bp/heart rate (toprol xl). That helps with the palpitations. I see him again in two weeks. The anxiety med is not really working in my opinion - or will the xanax just take the edge off and not really help me get my function back? Am I wrong to expect it to work like magic? :)

I'm not sure whether I need to ask my doc to try another anxiety med, or what. I'd appreciate any thoughts or ideas from your experiences.

Thanks! AJ

Pages

iVillage Member
Registered: 03-22-2003
Wed, 02-28-2007 - 7:30pm

One thing that has worked great for me is meditating.

Sheri Ann

iVillage Member
Registered: 02-19-2007
Thu, 03-01-2007 - 10:29am
Thanks, Sheri Ann. I have done some meditation but not on a regular basis. I like it better in a group, like when we used to do it in my yoga class. I'm going to look into getting a DVD that might help, like one of those guided imagery ones where the speaker kind of takes you into a different place in your head. My mind is so cluttered with junk, it tends to run like a tickertape most of the time, so I have to really get relaxed and focus on my breathing, as you said. Great tips! Hugs, AJ
iVillage Member
Registered: 03-22-2003
Fri, 03-02-2007 - 4:29pm

This is on the "Finding Your Best Life" board, this is the "grounding visualization" http://messageboards.ivillage.com/n/mb/message.asp?webtag=iv-bhbestlife&msg=13.1&ctx=256


There are some other great ones over there, too, you might want to take a peak!


Sheri Ann

Pages