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I've been on Xanax since age 15 I'm 54 :( help

Addiction & Recovery | Last Active: Nov 17 11:16am | Replies (77)

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@sears

Sorry to hear you’re having health issues. Heart issues can be confounding for sure. It’s taken forever but I switched over to Valium 4 years ago and am now taking 1 mg. Valium. My doctor says it’s safe to jump off but I’m scared to death to do so. He’s so patient. This is the doctor I found after being abandoned. It took months to find another physchiatrist that would take a benzo patient over 65. I live in a very large city and couldn’t believe it was so difficult. The doctors that take seniors were booked 6-8 months out. It was a nightmare!! I swear I have PTSD from all this. I never dreamed I’d be going through this at my age for this long. If only I could turn back the clock. I would have never in a million years put that first Xanax in my mouth. Remember there was no internet in 1989 and information was not at our fingertips. The older folks have really gotten the short end of the stick on this benzo thing! I just keep plugging along and hoping for the best. You know exactly what I’m talking about. Wishing you well and hoping you find the best care that need and deserve. God bless!

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Replies to "Sorry to hear you’re having health issues. Heart issues can be confounding for sure. It’s taken..."

You are right , we did get the short end of the stick on these benzos, I also wish I never put one in my mouth, I'm glad you found a Dr to help you ,thats amazing, I'm in a tiny town in Indiana and well not one Dr will help me , honestly i thought about suing the company,i have called them and have emails from tge company,i just need the right kind of lawyer, i appreciate hearing something more positive than my situation and again Thank you for reaching out to me , stay safe and God Bless 🌹

Hi....you are SO right about getting the short end on the benzos! Oh yes....I realize how hard it is to get into a new Dr. Mine accepted me, because my husband was already a patient. Otherwise, he would NOT have.....the thing is, many things get overlooked with this Dr., but his Nurse told me that he has 2,200 patients! Anyway, when I was FIRST placed on Xanax....it was fine, it helped. The anxiety....the panic....was relieved. BUT....like most meds like this, it is stated that they should only be used for short periods of time. But everyone I know, who has been placed on it, or something sililar, has been on them for YEARS. At least I got away from the Dr. who prescribed so damn many!! I spoke with my pharmacist about my dosage....I guess I was just worried about being on it for so long. But as he said, Try and not worry, you are on such a low dose, 1 mg. a day is not bad and you have never agreed to an increase, so that's good right there. " I will probably be on it for the rest of my life.....and right now I just can't worry about it. I am now being scheduled for a 2nd open-heart surgery, so I guess I better just concentrate on that. It's always something!! Oh, I'll get through it all....LOL I'm more worried about Daisy, my Senior dog.....she's almost 18 & has so many health problems. I may have to go a few hundred miles to a University hospital for this.....tons of cardiologists around here, but no one wants to touch this surgery.....ugh. PLUS...even though I have decent insurance (United Healthcare/ Medicare with John Deere), they have made a ton of changes with who I can see and who I cannot. So now I just wait and see who they will send me to. Oh, does the Valium help you? I hope so!! I thank God that at least I am only taking 1 mg. daily of Xanax. I know several who take huge doses! You mentioned having PTSD over all you went through....or probably having it....I can very well understand that! I actually WAS diagnosed with PTSD......anything that causes unrelenting stress can cause it. I'll be fine, though.....and I hope you will be, too! I just want this surgery out of the way....the Drs. say one thing, then another....they need to make their damn minds up & just let me get it over with & heal up. I'm starting to think all this 'waiting' is because I have an HMO....I may o back to what I had before, Hammond Henry Health Partners.....and away from Unity Point/Trinity. Not dure WHAT to do. Anyway, sorry for yammering on....so many people have told me how crazy it is for these Drs. to keep dragging their feet....have a severely leaking valve and a bad aortic valve, but they want to take care of the leaking one as of now. I'm passing out too much. Boy....all the problems we all have....I feel for every one of you! It's nice to be able to come to a forum like this....and hear people's experiences. Anyway, I am so thankful that you found a Dr. and got off the Xanax....I wish you EVERYTHING good! I will stay on that 1 mg. for right now....it doesn't seem so scary in that amount. You take care now and God bless!