Q. Hi, I am 18 years old and have been prescibed Xanax many times. When I thought I had been on Xanax too long and feared bad withdrawl symptoms I stopped immediately cold turkey. It was easy to stop but I felt like crap for about a month (dizzyness, slight confusion, ect), but now I am completly back to my old self. I would like to go on Xanax again for a long period of time. I have heard from a few people that you can switch from one anti-anxiety med to another without feeling any withdrawl symptoms from stopping the first medication. I was curious if say I went on Xanax for about a year and was up to about 4MG a day, then I started a different anti-anxiety medication. Would I beable to start that second medication at a low "starting dose" and feel the same effects as if I had just started it since I have a low tolerance to that new drug, or would I still need high dose to feel the effects felt by the Xanax. Thanks for your time.
danfiveo@yahoo.com

A. Most anti-anxiety medications belong to the same family of benzodiazepines. Drugs in this family include Xanax, Valium, Klonopin, Ativan, and others. It is likely that tolerance to one will result in tolerance to the others since they all work by enhancing the actions of GABA, a neurotransmitter in the brain. It is also very likely that the longer you take these medications the less effective they will become, requiring higher doses and possibly even raising your levels of anxiety.

Benzodiazepines are not meant for long term use in controlling anxiety. I suggest switching to Buspar or one of the SSRI antidepressants for long term anxiety maintenance. Before making any changes please consult your doctor.

Anna