Can't take it anymore! Xanax?
#14366 - 07/18/03 02:09 PM
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rlan
Reged: 06/05/03
Posts: 161
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Ok, I've never been more frustrated before! I made an appt. months ago for this IBS specialist at the university hosp. in my state. At the appt. he basicly told me to "do what works for me." I understand that there is no catch all for IBS but it's still annoying to hear! When I tried to tell hime about the way I'm eating (Heather's book) he again said whatever works but I've never seen anything that says the order in which you must eat things. Anyways, he prescribed xanax as a way to calm my CNS. The dose was wayyyyyy to high and I was out! Now I'm on a lower dose but ever since then I have been constipated and have had gas all day everyday!
So, I called the dr. today and of course it's a nurse you speak to and this is why I'm frustrated. She told me to eat lots of fresh fruit, whole grain breads, and maybe try some OJ in the morning ("it might work but I'm not sure"!) I though you all might get a kick out of this! Sorry it's so long winded! Oh, and when I told her about how eating rice (rice pudding recipe and I add protein powder) is about the only thing that doesn't set off the gas she responded well if you're only eating white rice you'll def. be constipated! UGHHHHHHHHHH!
If anyone has suggestions or has an experience with Xanax please help. I'm becoming afraid to leave the house.
So sorry this is so long!
Thanks!
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It's a bad habit to start. I would not take it if I were you unless it is absolutely necessary. You must take it under the careful supervision of a good doctor that you trust. If you take a very small amount occasionally, it's fine. But it can be addictive. If you take it on a regular basis, you cannot just stop taking it or you will go into withdrawal and that will be worse than not taking it at all. If it knocks you out or puts you to sleep, you're taking too high a dose. Make sure you don't drive when you have taken a high dose like this. That can be dangerous! You will be too relaxed. How much did the doctor advise you to take? A friend of mine who is an internist calls it the alcohol drug because he says it does to your brain exactly what having too much to drink does. He also says it's a street drug and commands high prices per pill on the street.
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Hi - I did a quick search on Xanax and found it's usually meant for short-term use only as the dependency risk is high. It also has constipation as a possible side effect. Check here for more info web page
Sorry for the bum diet advice from the nurse. Wish that were a lot more uncommon.
Best,
Heather
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Heather is the Administrator of the IBS Message Boards. She is the author of Eating for IBS and The First Year: IBS, and the CEO of Heather's Tummy Care. Join her IBS Newsletter. Meet Heather on Facebook!
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Thanks so much for the info! The nurse has repeatedly said don't just stop taking it. The dose i'm on now is only .25mg and I am fine. But I'm frusturated that I questioned the dr. about dependency and he said don't worry. Also, never mentioned constipation as a side effect. sometimes I just don't know what to do. Meanwhile I'm on it and it's not helping at all. So maybe I should discuss going off. I cut my dose in half starting today as advised by the nurse! Thanks again!
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I think it would be a good idea to find another Doctor who is willing to listen and help you better.
I've understood Xanax to be a temp. drug. If you have problems with anxiety there are safer drugs to take without the addictive side affects.
Hope you are able to figure it out.
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I agree with Barbara. You have to find someone who will listen to you. I have the best GI in the world and feel blessed to have him in my corner. I've called him before just crying and he's always so compassionate and listens to me. He returns every call himself on the day that I call, even if he's on his way home at the end of a busy day. He put me on a very low dose of Elavil shortly after I started seeing him because he explained that the colon is the body's 2nd brain and that the low dose had been shown to help spasms of the colon. Don't feel you are alone in receiving a script for an antidepressant for your colon. I've heard of alot of IBS sufferers being put on them. Good luck!!! And remember you deserve to have a life free of pain. Blessings, Georgia 
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My advice to you is to tell your doctor you don't want to take the Xanax. Ask for his help in reducing the dose (take it very slowly) and get off of it NOW. Then find another doctor. I can't believe a specialist would prescribe it for IBS on your first visit. It should only be used as a last resort.
I don't mean to sound like a know-it-all, but I speak from experience. Several years ago, I went through a very TRAMAUTIC experience. I could not sleep at night. Even with prescribed sleeping pills, I was still unable to sleep. I was mentally and physically exhausted. I was fortunate to find a very good doctor who prescribed a low dose of the Xanax----on a very temporary basis until an antidepressant kicked in. Then he helped me to slowly wean off the Xanax. Even with his careful instruction, I had rebound anxiety and insomnia, and even had a night of hallucinations when I finally did without it. It scared the heck out of me! To think that some of these doctors prescribe it so freely makes me sick. It should only be used as a last resort. As one doctor told me, prescribing Xanax for everything is like using a Bandaid. It would be like a patient taking aspirin every day for a headache instead of the doctor trying to determine the cause of the headaches! It doesn't "cure" anything. It would be like you taking Valium everyday to deal with the stress of life. I don't mean to scare you because you are taking a very low dose, but it can be a very dangerous drug. I have two friends whose family members ended up in a rehab hospital because they could not get off of it. After taking it for awhile, their bodies needed more of it and as they took more of it, they became dependent on it. As Heather said, there are other safer drugs that can be prescribed. I don't know what your situation is, but unless this is the ONLY way you can make it through the day, I would get a second opinion from another doctor before I took the Xanax on a regular basis.
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I have never taken Xanax, but have taken wellbutrin and zoloft. I was currently switched from wellbutrin to Lexapro. Wellbutrin has constipation as a side effect too and I am IBS C. The Lexapro seems to work really well. The first few days I did feel funny but after a week it levelled off and I feel pretty good. I'm not IBS symptom free but it is helping. I started Heathers diet a couple months ago and I was following it too strictly for me and my constipation got worse. If I eat too much rice or not enough insoluable fiber I'm more constipated. It really is trial and error but if your constipated don't be afraid to add in more insoluable fiber (raisin bran, hummus and beans work well for me) Good Luck!
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Taking it one day at a time.....
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