My son's mood has been very strange lately & he seems to need so much more sleep, severe episodes of depression also. His behavior had me search his room & I found these pills, Xanax. I confronted him & he says they are his friends and laughed it off. Has anyone ever heard of these & are they ever abused?
202037
I found this info on Xanax: SIDE EFFECTS: Drowsiness or dizziness may occur. If any of these effects persist or worsen, notify your doctor or pharmacist promptly. Tell your doctor immediately if any of these unlikely but serious side effects occur: mental/mood changes, slurred speech, clumsiness, trouble walking, decreased/increased interest in sex. Tell your doctor immediately if any of these highly unlikely but very serious side effects occur: yellowing eyes or skin, signs of infection (e.g., persistent sore throat, fever). A serious allergic reaction to this drug is unlikely, but seek immediate medical attention if it occurs. Symptoms of a serious allergic reaction include: rash, itching, swelling, severe dizziness, trouble breathing. If you notice other effects not listed above, contact your doctor or pharmacist.
413197
My brother took Welbutrin for a nervous disorder and it absolutely did not help him,if any thing , it made the condition worse if you're taking it,Stop.
656897
There are  a lot of different views on children taking meds for anxiety, depression, attention span disorders; some are negative and some are all FOR a child taking meds to control their disorders. I think it's up to YOU the parent who has to deal with the child and the issues that accompany their disorder. If you are comfortable with your child taking meds and he/she is improving then I don't see a problem with that so long as you are made well aware of the possible side effects of the meds on your child. And if the medication is improving their quality of life I don't see why this would be a "bad" thing. It's solely up to you. We as parents need to decide what is best for our kids. Don't let people tell you that what you are doing is wrong or bad. It's all about what will work for your child for them to have a normal life. That's what's important. Take care.
626441
Like all the others that answered yes and gave reason! I agree with all of them!! I have the experience! My boyfriend is bipolar and suffers from depression anxiety, anger,and he also has a sleeping disorder! Me on the other hand haven't been diagnosed for any of that except that i have a mental illness called epilepsy! My son is 2yrs old! Were all healthy and happy!! It just takes support like everyone has said!!! Don't stereotype us!!!
89639
I didn't think so, but go to the site I've included below. It lists all the possible side effects. Most of them are not common or not severe. I do know that it can become addictive if you take too much for too long a time. In other words, you can become dependent on it so that it's hard to stop or so you need more and more for the same effect. But I assume your doctor is monitoring you. I take it, too, for the same reason. Have you tried asking your doctor about particular anti-depressants that help to prevent panic attacks? These include Zoloft, Welbutrin, Prozac and others. They are not addictive. I use Xanax only for the times when my nerves are edgy, and I use Zoloft for the daily control for my panic attacks.
519506
xanax,  as i take it to\nthis depression group im in , few takes it to,\nhttp://groups.yahoo.com/group/CHRONIC_DEPRESSION_ANDPANNICK_ATTACKS/  your welcome to join.& any one Eles To!!
68075
I take Xanax myself..not that often though...yes it is a good medicine for anxiety at least for me it is..i don't notice any side effects really...just the tiredness and drowsiness that comes with it..I wouldn't recommend taking it then going any where..however I'm not a doctor and so I would check with your doc before you take anything..I'm not a doctor...but my experience has been good with is so far..it seems a lil bit mild...i'll usually take a half of a pill and that seems to do me just fine...my mom and i both take it through prescription but we do not use it that often..hope this helps.....i take paxil as well for anxiety and depression and that helps a lil bit to...remember though consult with your doctor before doing anything or taking anything:)
430229
My 18-yr. old son was given Lexapro, and it caused him to be so confused and delusional that we had to admit him to a psych hospital for 4 days.  He's been dignosed as bi-polar, and that may be why the Lexapro affected him so badly, it's contra-indicated for bi-polar disorder.  Scary stuff, and I've since heard from others that they've had bad experiences with the drug too.  As for your son's vision going black, the same thing happens to me if I stand up too suddenly, and it is related to blood pressure - mine has always been very low.
223905
I have delt with this almost my intire life... It is hard and I am just now working my self thro it. that is almost imposibul.I am just now 27 and I still have times were I sit on the side of the bathtub looking at my self in the mirror thinking i am so so allful and wanting to die. I can completly justtifi it in my head. Every one would be so much happier with out me around. You have to get to the point were you dont care. yOu just want to live your life. It dose help me on bright days to just go out and look at the bright sky and Thank god for this day.NO DRUGS EVER helped me I have been on about 4 diffrent kinds;Lexipro,Zoloft,Buspar,Xanax. truefully the only thing that ever helped was a small dose of Vicoden that is a pain med. BUt I loved every one and myself. I dont know what eles to tell you.Make your self dress and styled exactly how you want. If you are old enoff Join FLYLADY.com it helps with cleaning, but you might be able to apply some of it to your daily life. That has helped me so very very much!!!
51518
I feel your pain, and share your view in general on medications. I have a daughter, now 8 years old who has ADHD. They told me when she was six that she needed to be medicated and I absolutely refused to consider it. I thought that medication was being used way too often and I was not about to put her on it. Well, things continued to get worse for her, me our family as we tried to control her behaviors without meds. She started losing her friends, doing poorly in school, and her brothers started to resent her for the behaviors she would act out and ruin our family outings. I finally agreed about 6 months ago  to try her on the lowest dose possible to try to make things a little better. Now, I regret not doing it sooner. She is by no means perfectly behaved or on task, but she is now able to do her school work with minimum redirecting, sustain friendships, and has control over her behaviors. This medication has not altered her pesonality or put her in to a dazed state like I thought it would. It really has just helped her to be able to live a more normal life. She still has her times when she doesn't want to listen, do homework and pouts or cries, but it is now within reasonable limits. I agree that medication should not just be handed out like candy, but sometimes the child really does need it. With proper monitoring and dosage your son should be fine. The only side effect my daughter has had is a little weight loss, but even that tapered off after the first 2 months. She is a much happier child now, and it is a much more peaceful house. I wish you luck with your son, and in making this decision, as I know it is a hard one to make. I fought it for 1 1/2 years. Good Luck.
541242
You may develop a tolerance for them and a 'normal' dosage won't work. You may develop a dependency on them. There are many health problems you could encounter such as liver damage. You know they aren't prescribed as a sleep aid don't you?
557571
Buspar blocks certain neurotransmitters in the brain associated with anxiety. As with any medication you can over do it if you take too much. however ,it is not a controlled substance like Xanex or Klonopin. I was on it before and it did not help me but my friend also takes it and it helps cut down her nervousness. So every person is different . About the weight issue, it seemed to make me gain weight but like every medication it depends on the person and how they react to that particular pill.
208758
You must get in contact with another doctor, if you have been taking xanax for all that time and now don't have it I am guessing your system will be sick without it, like going cold turkey.\nMaybe those other doctors do think you need to stop taking it, but this is not the best way after so long.\n  I hope you can find someone sympathetic in your area that will deal with this in a much more empathic manner
345422
Hi,  I answered you the other day.  I'm afraid you want what all famlies want...straight answers...specifics...I spent years explaining to people that with babies, and with problems like Molly's, there are no straight answers.  It is impossible to predict because every baby and every circumstance is different.  Is the baby alert?  Does she suck?  Pheonbarbital will (especially at first) make her more sleepy.  She may recover completely, or she may  be prone to seizures and need medication all her life.  Most docs keep babies on Phenobarbital for at least a year, then , if there have been no seizures, they decrease it and gradually take the baby off it.  This was done successfully for my granddaughter.  Is she breathing well on her own, or is she on a ventilator?  The docs are cautious about giving specific answers because !.  they don't know yet, and 2. babies always surprise us.  I have occasionally seen a doc give a family a poor prognosis...and he was completely wrong...so they usually don't do that.  It is hard to accept that there are no straight answers at this time...but it is true.  You may email me if you like ..with any questions.  CAN'T  RESPOND to your email thru Yahoo answers system...need your email address if you would like response from me.  gmacharlie7@yahoo.com
267859
You don't mention your son's age or why he was given oxycodone.  It is highly addictive.  I would recommend that if your son is a minor, you take the bottle and hand them out to him as needed and by the directions on the bottle.
564026
I started suffering from panic disorder after my father's death - I heard this can happen after a traumatic event.  I had them for 5 years, tried all kinds of medications until finally they put me on xanax.  That is the ONLY thing that worked for me.  I did get addicted and had to get help to get off (as I was on them for so long) BUT if the panic attacks came back, I would go through that again if I had to - the xanax addiction -- because panic attacks are absolutely horrible.  I said to someone that had them "yea, you feel like you're going to die" and she said "no, you know you're going to die" -- she went to the ER with every single episode.  People - unless they've had them can never ever understand as the feeling is unexplanatory.  I feel for you big time and hope you can get some help quick for them because I FEEL YOUR PAIN.  People think panic attacks mean you are panicked over an event but that isn't the case - they come on at all times and for no particular reason.  I'm glad you brought this up.  It might help people who don't understand, understand how serious they are.  BEST OF LUCK TO YOU.  As for the xanax - it is worth it - just not too many doctors wanting to give it out.
282317
Hello:\nThis answer is in response to your question posted about anxiety, xanax and trazadone.\nTrazadone is an atypical anti-depressant, quite ancient in pscyhopharmacology. It was originally used strictly for depression, but the main side effect was sedation and drowsiness. Many doctors today now use it to help people suffering from insomnia, however it will give you a hangover effect the next day, some people worse than others. If you have been on trazadone for a while, more than a few weeks, you will want to taper off the medication. I dont know what dose you are on, usually somewhere between 50 and 150 mg at night. Taper from 150 to 100 for two weeks, then taper down from 100 to 50 for two weeks, then taper down from 50 and break the pills in half so you get 25 mg and take that for a week. That way you wont have the side effects of coming off the med too quickly.\nNow as far as xanax (alprazolam) this is in a group of sedatives called "benzodiazapines". They have been around a long time, and have been used for ages for anxiety disorders, generalized anxiety, panic attacks, insomnia. The problem with this class of drugs are that they are controlled by the DEA which means they have potential for abuse, tolerance and addiction. Be careful with this class of drugs though, they really cause sedation. I dont know what dose you were given but as a physician I never start someone any higher than 0.25 mg one to three times per day depending on how bad their symptoms are. These will definately cause sedation, incoordination, dizziness, loss of balance and you absolutely cannot drive or operate any machinery until you know how your own body is going to be affected by them. They are wonderful drugs if used as prescribed and used appropriately. They are falling out of favor with new drugs like Effexor-XR, paxil, zoloft, cymbalta, all of which are used for depression, anxiety and panic attacks, and sometimes obsessive compulsive disorders. I would talk to your doctor about your symptoms and you both can make a decision together as to the appropriate therapy for your symptoms. A lot of physicians are becoming "scared" to prescribe the benzodiazepines because they are DEA controlled and the docs are afraid they will lose their licenses if they over prescribe them. My point of view on these drugs are that if a patient really needs them, then it is in the doctors oath to help the patient. The benzodiazepines include not only xanax (alprazolam) but valium (diazepam), ativan (lorazepam), halcion (strictly for sleep because it so incredibly sedating, dalamane (also for sleep but bad hangover effect the next day) and klonipin (clonazepam). They all act in the same fashion but some work very quickly some work very slowly on the body.\nWhen I do use one of these drugs for anxiety disorder or panic attacks, I usually use xanax very low dose or klonipin at a low dose to take ONLY AS NEEDED when you feel an attack coming on. The benifit of xanax is that is rapid acting (half an hour) as opposed to klonipin which takes an hour or so. The best thing is discuss this with a physcian you feel comfortable with and who is amenable to prescribing this class of drugs.\nI hope this helped answer your questions and alleviate some of your concerns.\nRegards,\nWarren Shaffer, M.D.