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Discussion => Drug safety => Topic started by: sweetbro on November 18, 2012, 05:40 am

Title: does regular use of xanax make you depressed?
Post by: sweetbro on November 18, 2012, 05:40 am
I find that the times i use xanax that the next day and even the next few days after using it i become very depressed. usually takes about 4 or 5 days before the depression starts to lift.

i dont get much recreational benefit... i get zero euophira or "chill out" stuff.. only sleepyso i only use it to sleep but even still i find the whole usage even it internottently for a few days in a row  0.5 or 3mg bars and stopping gets me depressed and i dont get much in the way of other withdrawal.

anybody else have this problem?
Title: Re: does regular use of xanax make you depressed?
Post by: dirtybiscuitzz718 on November 18, 2012, 08:03 am
Yes , they will have many many after effects on you, depression being very common, along with rage. They are not very nice little pills. Based on what you've posted I would suggest you stop all use of them unless its an absolute must. Like a panic attack, or insomnia. just my opinion, good luck!
Title: Re: does regular use of xanax make you depressed?
Post by: blowdrobro on November 18, 2012, 08:07 am
went from 8mg a day down to 1-2 MG a day less then a year ago. I can certainly attest to bouts of depression. Some days I have to take it even if I'm not feeling any anxiety, just to stay well. I feel like an H addict sometimes =/.
Title: Re: does regular use of xanax make you depressed?
Post by: TK1991 on November 18, 2012, 05:50 pm
Sorry to piggyback on this thread, but I have a question.
I was looking to replace my dexedrine prescription with small amounts of methamphetamine (oral obviously) and was considering using xanax (0.5mg) in the evenings if I have trouble sleeping or any comedown symptoms I am not already used to with dex. Based on this thread should I consider valium or something instead? Or is this depression only noticed at higher (2-3mg) doses?
Title: Re: does regular use of xanax make you depressed?
Post by: organon on November 19, 2012, 01:31 am
Its always interesting to see how many of us have such vastly different reactions to the same substances. I really enjoy Xanax and it definitely gives me a great carefree feeling and actually helps elevate my mood. I think everyone's individual pharmacology is so different that we have to try different things to find what works for us. I would advise discontinuing anything that makes you depressed and if this was something prescribed to you by a Dr. definitely let them know its not working so they can get you something else. If this is just rec use you might just have to experiment with some different things to find the one your looking for.  Xanax treats me great but i can't even ever feel Valium of klonopin even if i take a higher dose but i have friends who are the opposite of me
Title: Re: does regular use of xanax make you depressed?
Post by: asdfsquared on November 19, 2012, 02:02 am
organon, he's referring to depression following benzo use.

and sweetbro, I actually have the exact same thing. I went on a 10 day benzo binge awhile ago, they are still affecting me after not taking them for 8 days. I was legitimately sick for 5 days, could barely leave my bed for a few days. Finally felt better this Wednesday, but my GABA receptors were definetly not healed. On Friday night I went out and had a drink and a half (that's it, 1.5) and could still the after effects from that single drink messing with my GABA Saturday night. It's Sunday night now, and my GABA is still messed up. I can't feel it when I'm sober, but I can feel it when I take painkillers. If my GABA is out of whack from a hangover or benzo crash, I find I can't enjoy opiates, and small doses tend to make me sick. I think my case is somewhat special and I am particularly sensitive, but I am staying away from benzo's for quite a while, and would recommend the same to you.

Since I stopped taking the benzo's I haven't felt like leaving the house, hanging out with people, or doing anything really. Which is rare for me, I'm typically a very active person.

Complete abstinence for a few weeks will cause the after effects to completely fade, and you'd be surprised how great you can feel without those horrible little buggers dragging you down.

I would recommend drinking chamomile tea (or sleepytime tea is even better) and taking a melatonin to fall asleep instead. They don't work nearly as well, but the melatonin will help knock you out, and the chamomile contains a mild GABA agonist that will stop a minor dependence from affecting your sleep.
Title: Re: does regular use of xanax make you depressed?
Post by: Ben on November 19, 2012, 02:14 am
Individual differences are huge indeed, and it also matters why you are taking a substance in the first place.

Xanax is drug  that allows -some- people to have a better life, walk around wherever they want to without feeling constant fear and such. It can make the difference between living as a recluse and being an outgoing person.

However, like all benzondiazepins, xanax has both anxiolytical and sedative properties. The latter can cause depression, or at least a lack of motivation of doing anything at all.

Something like xanax is dominantly anxiolytic, whereas diazepam is all over the place, and nitrazepam is mostly sedative. If you want to use any of these substances, look at the reason you want to, and choose one with the desired action if you can. Using something like xanax to get a good nights sleep works, but it may affect you in other ways too, especially since you need to be taking large(ish) doses to make the sedative effect dominant.

If all you want is to sleep, i'd suggest looking into shorter acting, sedative, benzos like oxazepam or mogadon. Alprazolam really is not the drug of choice to use in these cases as tolerance against its sedative effects will develop quickly.
Title: Re: does regular use of xanax make you depressed?
Post by: AGB on November 19, 2012, 03:34 am
i use them for panic attacks. Tolerance builds up.

Benzos are not nice pills. Use them only for emergency rip cords, otherwise you will start having memory problems.

just... be careful.
Title: Re: does regular use of xanax make you depressed?
Post by: TK1991 on November 19, 2012, 03:49 am
If all you want is to sleep, i'd suggest looking into shorter acting, sedative, benzos like oxazepam or mogadon. Alprazolam really is not the drug of choice to use in these cases as tolerance against its sedative effects will develop quickly.
Thanks, any recommendations for brand names or vendors here on SR?
Title: Re: does regular use of xanax make you depressed?
Post by: Ben on November 20, 2012, 02:04 am
For nitrazepam / mogadon?

PILL Poppers has listings for these tablets at reasonable prices if you are ordering a few hundred of them. If you just want to try, i'd suggest ordering some from any reputable vendor that offers them in smaller quantities. I don't know what country you are from, but if there is a domestic vendor you could probably order a sample (1 strip of 10 mg tablets) at a reasonable price just to find out if its a drug for you.

Oxazepam seems to be impossible to obtain from SR though. This is a bit of a pity since its a fairly nice sedative benzo with a short halflife. It is commonly prescribed for short term treatment of sleeping problems or anxiety in holland, but i guess its not much of a success anymore internationally.

Personally i've found alprazolam to be a much more effective anxiolytic, leaving nitrazepam as the compound of choice for a short-acting hypnotic.
Title: Re: does regular use of xanax make you depressed?
Post by: monamine on November 21, 2012, 07:23 am
Regular long term use of benzos can definitely cause or at least make pre existing depression worse.It doesn't happen to everyone but it's at least fairly common. I was on benzos (mostly Xanax and Klonopin) for a few years for anxiety and I was depressed as shit and barely left the house. I'm not sure the cause, but increased utilization of GABA (benzos don't increase GABA they just make what you have more effective by binding to a site called epsilon) can indirectly decrease dopamine. (Opiates have the opposite effect on GABA which is partially responsible for the dopamine rush and the nervousness that some people get from them.)It was difficult as hell, but getting off of them was definitely one of the best choices I've made in a long time.

The depression can last after you get off them, but how long it lasts usually depends on long you've been taking them. If you're still feeling down after several months clean, you probably have a pre-existing depression.

Title: Re: does regular use of xanax make you depressed?
Post by: PunkA$$Kidz on November 21, 2012, 07:51 pm
I went to rehab for opiates and benzos and the first two weeks where hell. In all honesty I would take a opiate addiction over a benzo addiction if it wasn't for the cost because once you have been clean off opiates for a month + cravings and even thoughts of use subside so much, but benzo cravings last much longer (i guess due to much longer half life)  I asked my doctor how long I would have these benzo's cravings and he told me two to three months where as once I stop doing heavy opiates the cravings reduce quiet a bit after two to three weeks. 
The past two weeks I have been on a pretty heavy benzo binge, averaging 5 mg to 10 mg a day last night i took 9 mg xanax and only 1mg today.  if you are going to take them just be prepared for the rebound anxiety when you come off of them because you basically go from feeling no emotions to being flooded with feelings you haven't felt in a long time (depending on how long you used) and the best way (atleast for me) to come off xanax is to have some longer lasting benzo's such as k pins of valiums and taper your self down.  For short term binge over a few days, for long term binges I would taper 3 - 4 weeks.  Like coming off the binge i have been on i'm going to take 1 mg xaxax and 2 mg k pin today, 1 mg k pin tomorrow, and .5 mg  k pin for the next two days and then just deal with the what ever happens. shouldn't be to bad. Just know xanax addiction is nasty and IMO is just as bad as opiate addiction (benzo W/D can kill and and really fuck your brain up, Opiate W/D sucks for a few days you feel like complete shit physically have cravings for a few weeks and then realize that the high isn't worth the hell you have to go through once you stop) 
 Just my two cents.  Every one is different just be safe especially if mixing benzos and (name drug here) i have lost many friends to those combos.  I would say if you like using xanax for recreational use, for a week or so and then stop for a week or two so you dont develop an intense addiction and also to still be able to enjoy the effects of say 2 mg.
Title: Re: does regular use of xanax make you depressed?
Post by: derrible on November 22, 2012, 12:19 am
Hi Sweetbro,

I do know the feeling you describe, though my own experience with Xanax was initially bliss. My job requires a lot of presentations in front of large groups of people, so I took them just before to quell my anxiety. Though some say it decreases neuronal firings and thus brain activity, I felt I was always smarter and more well-informed during these presentations because my anxiety tends to curb intellect even more, I suppose.

After awhile, I was taking quite a bit. It was only until I got to 2mg a day that I started feeling depressed, even with the Prozac I take daily. Despite all the drugs I've done (and you could probably name it and I've tried it) I've NEVER been addicted to any drug (except caffeine) before I took Xanax. I quite cold turkey and that was a hellish goddamn experience. I decided to get some more and taper off, which was excellent. Despite my anxiety, I don't think I'll be having Xanax again. It has obvious utility in the short term, but it fucks you up if you get addicted. I'd rather be addicted to heroin, lol.

Here's something I wrote in my journal during withdrawals, just to give you and idea:
" Circuitry collapsing, sending shockwaves to a nether toe or foot.  Sleep is an LSD overdose nightmare, a replay of negative memories, a cinematic horror filled with jump cuts and palpable, colorful emotion. Neuronal firings circle like sharks to gain entrance to a single, terrifying vision somewhere in gray matter storage, they glide. Waking hallucinations of those nightmares follow me. Harsh whisperings from nowhere--from yourself even though you aren't making them--are the most terrifying feeling.  My medicated body is ironically a wounded body."

Anyway, I just thought I'd share. I hope this helps.
Title: Re: does regular use of xanax make you depressed?
Post by: Ben on November 22, 2012, 02:10 am
I suppose there are a couple of things do distinguish between here:

- dosage: normal clinical dosage of problems like anxiety is in the order of 1, perhaps 2 mg a day, definitely not in the order of 10.
- withdrawal: which will only occur if you stop taking your regular doses

If you are continuously taking a clinically recommended dose of xanax (say, 3 tablets of 0.5 mg a day) you will experience neither problem. The question should be if xanax will cause depression under those circumstances.

In case you have a habit of 10 mg/day and quit that cold turkey, i'm sure the 'side effects' are severe, if not fatal. This scenario is not in any way comparable to someone taking a prescribed dose over a long period of time.
Title: Re: does regular use of xanax make you depressed?
Post by: sweetbro on November 22, 2012, 02:22 am
well id been off the xanax cold turkey for a whole 2 and a half weeks a few weeks ago and i didnt get much withdrawl symptoms except for anxiety
 i was taking either .5 or 1mg bars once at night.... at the end of the first few days i really felt better and could feel my ssri lexapro was working really strong and well.. i was doing good.
 

but about 5 or soemthing  days ago i went back on them, stupidly searching for a recreational effect and i took 10mg each night for 3 nights and then 2mg the forth day and 4mg last night

now i really do feel fucked up.. i feel that "first 24 hours without a drug" which i call "commitment day". im feeling anxious, jittery and very tempted and tonight i might have a headache.


ive got 7 2mg bars left and plan to resort to either .5 or 1mg of each if withdrawals do become unbearable.. if its too bad i might go and get a medically assisted detox.. but i think after a few days i should be right.. the first 48 hours are the real testing time. im prepared for the worst and i know what severe xanax withdrawls can do to people although ive not experienced them



so for anybody tempted on trying them i advise not too.. they are just teh fucking devil and if you have moderation control problems with other drugs let me assure you xanax will get you hard and fast.. its fucken nasty shit. the devil in fact..
Title: Re: does regular use of xanax make you depressed?
Post by: Ben on November 23, 2012, 01:41 am
I'm sure that if i took 10 mg a night for 3 nights in a row, i'd be pretty miserable on day for (provided i actually wake up before day 5).

You must have developed a terrible benzo tolerance though - most people will be out cold within an hour of ingesting 5 mg alprazolam, even those used to taking 1 to 2 mg a day.

Taking such high doses could surely cause side effects that normally aren't that pronounced, perhaps even depression. There probably will not be much research data on that though, as the maximum prescribed dose is about 3 mag a day, taken at times distributed during a 24 hour day, which is quite different from taking 3 mg in a single serving.
Title: Re: does regular use of xanax make you depressed?
Post by: sweetbro on November 23, 2012, 08:20 am
ended up splitting a 2mg bar last night but took them both.. had horrible sleep.

this is my first day not doing it.. im about 24 hours into cold turkey detox so far

i have 6 bars left and depending on the severity of symptoms i will take one if i really go fucked and Monday morning i'll request a "medically supervised detox" from my doctor... but if i can survive till Monday that will be 3 days plus and withdrawals should be fully kicking in by then... if i feel fine on monday i know i can hack it. im sure i'll be fine
Title: Re: does regular use of xanax make you depressed?
Post by: monamine on November 23, 2012, 07:14 pm
Xanax has such a short half life that if you can you should switch to something longer acting to taper a little. I was only taking a few mg's a day, but it was for years and Klonopin taper is the thing that finally helped me kick them because the rebound anxiety is what got me. Although the short term physical withdrawal is terrible, after you lose the tolerance you don't get cravings anywhere near as bad as opiates or something. I never took them really recreationally though, just for anxiety.
Title: Re: does regular use of xanax make you depressed?
Post by: moonflower on November 23, 2012, 11:05 pm
regular drug use of ANY kind has the potential to make you depressed if you become too dependent on it, especially drugs that interfere with your brain's natural chemistry.
Title: Re: does regular use of xanax make you depressed?
Post by: demonspeeder on November 23, 2012, 11:06 pm
One thing I like about ordering through silkroad is that it helps me by ordering only a small amount at a time. I'll only order 5-10 xanax  and won't order anymore until I've been out for at least a week (but I usually wait even longer.)  I feel that if you have a whole month's worth supply of them you will be more tempted to abuse them so I try not to give myself that opportunity.
Title: Re: does regular use of xanax make you depressed?
Post by: Ben on November 24, 2012, 02:27 am
That's a matter of control, i suppose.

If you had a problem with drinking alcohol, it may help to purchase only a limited amount every day, after which you either have to stop drinking or go out to buy more.

With benzo's that probably is not that easy since the minimum quantity sold is often a strip of 10, and you'd pay a lot extra for shipping if you bought them by the single strip.

I'm not that familiar with recreational use though. I'm happy to take one or two just to take the edge of, but never felt like taking much larger doses of xanax (or any other benzo) because it would make me feel any better beyond the normal anxiolytic/hypnotic dose. I suppose its comparable to the 'oh, lets have another' thing with alcohol.

I suppose that there is a downside with keeping a small dose of benzo's around: the constant idea of 'what if i run out?!', which would be a source of anxiety in itself.