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        New Message Board Archives >> Medications, Treatments, Therapies 2005 >> Xanax and Shadows...
        
(Message started by: Melissa on Dec 10^th, 2005, 2:12pm)

Title: Xanax and Shadows...
Post by Melissa on Dec 10^th, 2005, 2:12pm

Ok, after trying everything under the sun this morning to rid myself of these blasted shadows, I finally broke down and took a .5mg Xanax because my anxiety was becoming quite elevated due to the shadows and my 2 kids. Well, 20 min. later I was a lot calmer and my shadows disappeared. Has anyone else had this happen to them?

thx,
mel

P.S. I'm agitated again, but it's because my kids won't freaking SHUT UP! The shadows are still gone though, but I wouldn't doubt if maybe they are due to a residual tension after an attack(s) at night?

Title: Re: Xanax and Shadows...
Post by catlind on Dec 10^th, 2005, 2:54pm

Mel, I had that very thing happen to me a couple of weeks ago. I went back in to talk to the doc and she gave me 3 more refills to help with the shadows during a high cycle and over the holidays.

I asked her if it would be that it was calming the trigeminal nerve, and she said that it was more likely coming from the seratonin and norepinephrine levels being affected.

Not sure why it worked, don't really care, it worked :)

Cat

Title: Re: Xanax and Shadows...
Post by floridian on Dec 10^th, 2005, 6:51pm

A few other people here have reported improvement after taking benzo's like xanax - I think Karla was one, and there was atleast one other.

Title: Re: Xanax and Shadows...
Post by Melissa on Dec 10^th, 2005, 8:23pm

Well, not too long after I had my shadows go away from the Xanax, I laid down to take a nap and slept 3 hour uninterrupted without any pain. After I woke up I felt a bit out of sorts and within 30 min. the shadows returned. I then decided to take a 1/2 pill of xanax (.25mg) and they've seemed to lessen once again.

I think this evening before bedtime along with my Kudzu, I'm going to take another full pill (.5mg). I'll update in the morning as to how that affected my nighttime hit(s).

Cat- it's hard to get refills on that stuff because of the addictive factor. I was shocked when I had called my doc to let him know I went into cycle with my anxiety escalated, and he called in 60 pills for me (no refills).
All things considered, I thought that was great. All I want is a full freaking nights rest in order to help get past my anxiety again, sheesh! ;)

Title: Re: Xanax and Shadows...
Post by catlind on Dec 10^th, 2005, 10:46pm

Mel, you are correct about their high addictive qualities. Xanax doesn't take long and doesn't take much for a person to become addicted, especially in a situation where it both lessens anxiety and alleviates shadows.

My doc gave me 36 pills with 2 refills, .5mg. After all hell broke loose back in the fall with my grandmother dying, helping a murderer, erasing a VHSC tape of the last xmas with my dad alive, being diagnosed with pheochromocytoma (false positive) etc. etc. I was at the end of my rope and my doc wasn't in. The other doc I saw put me on the xanax at 2mg 2-3 times a day as needed. I was in LOOPY land!!! I had no idea it would have that effect on me. When I got back in to see MY doc she put me on the smaller dose. If she hadn't I wouldn't have taken anymore, as it was I was breaking them in half and quarters. Because it affected me so badly I take them very reluctantly and only when I absolutely have to.

I took it after shadowing at about a 4-5 all day and the kids were just about due home from school and I knew I wasn't going to be a very nice Mom, so I took it to help with the bitchiness, and to my surprise, not only did it help me not be bitchy above my norm ;) it killed the shadow. I haven't tried it a second time though, so not sure if it works beyond that one time incident.

Let me know if it helps you at night, lately sleep hasn't been of any quality at all and in very little quantity.

Cat

Title: Re: Xanax and Shadows...
Post by nancyc on Dec 10^th, 2005, 11:08pm

I have the opposite effect with benzos...as soon as I relax on them, i get slammed! Weird how some meds help some, and hurt others...the damn beast pisses me off.....smiles,nancyc

Title: Re: Xanax and Shadows...
Post by Melissa on Dec 11^th, 2005, 8:40am

Didn't help worth a crap for sleeping. Still got slammed last night. BUT, I take 1 .5mg pill each morning to help with my anxiety from losing sleep and it helps the shadowing immensely. For the rest of the day if they get worse, I just hit the tea (or coffee) and excedrin migraine to take care of them. I am now just accepting that no matter what I do, I'm gonna get hit at night. I'd reach for my trex to kill it, but I'm trying this cycle med free because I am on enough stuff as it is right now. Right now I'm going to update my other thread to reflect my decisions on what I'm ingesting each day.

Shake me and I'll rattle Mel.

Title: Re: Xanax and Shadows...
Post by forgetfulnot on Dec 15^th, 2005, 12:40am

Any Dude's take this on a regular basis. I do and have had strange changes in my unspeakables.

Lee

Title: Re: Xanax and Shadows...
Post by RichardN on Dec 15^th, 2005, 2:30pm

I've been taking .25mg morning and mid-afternoon for about 14 mos. During that time, my attacks have become less and less frequent. Don't know if that has anything to do with it or not.

Also, during this time I have been on the water/water/water regimen, and seemed to notice more shadowing on those days I didn't keep the water consumption as high.

However, if you read my post "Cancer, Chemo and Clusters" in Headache Specific, I was thinking the chemo might have had something to do (somehow) with my lessening attacks . . . . who knows? But I'm certainly not bitchin' . . . VERY grateful for any and all CH PF days.

Be Safe, PFDANs

Richard