I got off Xanax awhile ago and I was surprised by the lack of side-effects. I don't know what hidden effects it had on my body, of course, but it was remarkably easy to get off of.
I had a different experience. I took Xanax and Ativan without a prescription as a way of self-medicating before I was diagnosed with bipolar disorder. I was in my early 20s, the disorder had just manifested, and on top of that I was going through my teenage rebellious phase a little late. I took it for about 3 months off and on, usually 1 or 2 a day (though I did take a handfull once with a bunch of whiskey and danced for 3 hours with a positively acrobatic gay guy). I realized pretty quickly that I was becoming dependent upon them and so I stopped cold turkey. The withdrawal wasn't too bad, but it was definitely there. My insomnia was terrible and I was really depressed for about 3 days.
That sounds really rough. I'm not looking forward to getting off my antidepressant. I have a feeling it will be quite unpleasant. With xanax I wasn't at a high dose and it was the extended release type, so I'm not sure if that made a difference.
It wasn't too bad. It wasn't nearly as bad as withdrawal from the meds I was eventually prescribed.
When I first developed symptoms of bipolar disorder I refused to take meds. Mom mom had run the gamut of pretty much every antidepressant, antipsychotic, upper, downer, and out into the unprescribed territory of heroin and coke. I saw what the drugs did to her when I visited her in the mental hospital, and to me, as a little kid, what I saw in there was worse than the illegal drugs. When I was 12 I was prescribed an antidepressant to treat PTSD. Already at that age I was wary and worried about what it might be doing to my developing brain, and I took it only for a week before refusing any more. (I think I was also aware that the prescription was a bad way of treating my specific trauma as well, though my understanding of the situation and the options weren't as clear as they are now.) This antidrug mindset, also fueled by all the DARE nonsense we were force-fed at school, stuck with me until college. I started to learn about drugs and to make up my own mind, and tried a few things, but I still refused to take prescription meds for the bipolar disorder, even after I was officially diagnosed. The Xanax experience was actually part of what prompted me to seek medication as treatment.
When the bipolar started to get really bad, I started taking Lamictal, a mood stabilizer, and Seroquel, an antipsychotic, as prescribed. I took them for 2 years. I think at the time they were the right choice for me. I had two depressive episodes severe enough that I was contemplating suicide, several hypomanic episodes, and one manic episode so severe that I stayed up 6 days straight with no sleep. At that point it was pretty obvious that I needed medication.
However, after two years of taking them regularly I realized that they were having a negative impact on my life. I quit both cold turkey and at the same time, and the withdrawal was horrendous. I didn't get out of bed for 3 days. I had emotional and physical symptoms, including a horrible buzzing feeling in my hands and feet. It was just awful. I've been off them for a year, though, and much improved because of it. (My withdrawal was nothing compared to watching my mother withdraw from Effexor, though, after seeing what torture that "medicine" causes, it makes me ill that it is legal.)
That's not to say I think my meds were a bad idea, just that as a day-to-day management drugs are not right for me. If I have another truly severe manic or depressive episode, I would take them again to control it, but not every day.
I use to be hooked on pain killers, but that a different story then getting high because of high stress levels you want to mellow out for a bit.....
No, I think that's why most people get high. At least most everyone who's use of drugs is problematic.
