Xanax during breakup?

[amberjadej]

I went through a very unexpected/sudden breakup on Saturday. I was feeling so depressed/devastated and it was affecting my life. I didn't wanna eat or do anything, literally cared about nothing and cried basically all day and saw no way out of how I was feeling.

 

My doctor said they could give me a 30 day prescription of low dose Xanax. I've taken two over the past two days and feel SIGNIFICANTLY better.

I'm still sad but it's manageable and I can imagine dating again (I'm not ready yet but I can at least realize I'll have to date again without bursting into sobs). I still miss him a lot and wish it hadn't happened but this is manageable.

My question is, will this help me over the next month to deal with the shock and to process or will once I stop them will I go right back to feeling like I did, basically back to day one?

[CDJ]

The way I understand the role of anti-depressants in helping to cope with trauma is that they essentially act as a superficial fix, like a layer on top - lifting your mood, making you feel 'better'. Of course, the core problems may still exist and need to be resolved, but the anti-depressants at least alleviate some of the pain whilst you can go about the proper healing process. Think of it as lifting a table whilst you sweep and clean up underneath it - when all is well, you can start putting the table down and come off the medication!

 

But, this must be done in consultation with your doctor. They will know when the right time to come off them will be, and will help you to manage it.

[loveweary11]

Xanax?!?!

 

That's not an antidepressant!!

 

That's a VERY highly addictive sedative I've seen ruin countless people's lives.

 

Flush every single pill RIGHT NOW and see a competent doctor.

 

An antidepressant is a drug like Zoloft.

 

You are taking a highly addictive sedative that is for anxiety/excitability.

[K2z]

Xanax was indispensable during my harsher periods. It can be addictive, especially with high doses over long periods. Set yourself a taper schedule once you are through your prescription. Xanax can not become a way of life... but for the high points of panic, it can take the edge off.

[Brando]

I go to therapy once a month, whether life is good or bad at the time. When things get bad (like a breakup) I go once a week. It is especially good for me as I am a guy and it's tougher for me to let everything out to my guy friends. So, I can go see a professional and just blurt everything that's in my mind. It has been really helpful.

Reading the science behind a breakup has given me a different perspective and helped me understand why I am feeling the way I am.

My therapist suggested I see my doctor and get Xanax or an antidepressant, but I am a little skeptical on prescription pills. Also, as weird as it sounds....I kind of wanted to feel it out and embrace the pain.

Anyway, I did finally decide to go the natural route to help take the edge off. St. Johns Wort and 5HTP in combo has helped me a lot. **Should I say consult your doctor before taking supplements??**

Exercise, therapy, supplements, healthy diet, sleep aids!!!!, journaling have all helped me.

It's been about 3 weeks after a friendly, but messy and drawn out breakup for me (broke up 3 months ago and we both tried to work it out until 3 weeks ago). Really we both just broke each others hearts over and over for 3 months. The pain comes in waves now. The pining and replaying events of the relationship are slowly fading. Accepting that this person is gone doesn't seem unbearable anymore (at times I am also very optimistic and excited about the future). I still have thoughts that she will call or text or be at my house when I get home, but those thoughts too are fading.

I am healing. It's not my first rodeo haha so honestly the grief is just annoying at this point. I know I will come out fine, just as you will!!!!

Edited January 27, 2016 by Brando
grammar

[marky00]

Hey .

 

I'm real sorry to hear about your pain.

 

I tried anti-depressants (not Xanax or sedatives) and can honestly say anti-depressants doesn't work for heartache.

 

I distinctly remember my heartache not improving at all during the time I tried anti-depressants.

 

For some, it may help with with the ruminating thoughts or if after you ruminate for several weeks, you might need them to get your brain back to a better chemical balance. But for me, I found the opposite. I found the anti-depressants gave my brain more "energy" to just ruminate more. The only way the ruminating slowed was when I let the natural depression process take effect. When you get depressed, your brain isn't capable of thinking as much, its a natural self-defense mechanism.

 

But in answer to your question, there is no real free ride here. Your brain has to go over and over about things, work through it and you do eventually become numb to some of the thoughts. Medication delays that process so you will end up having to do it later.

 

Having said all this, I still think if your feeling better, maybe stick with them for a while. But, I think you still need to be in a place where the brain is still processing things. Maybe it will happen at a more gentle pace which would be the best case scenario.

 

The only anti-depressant I know of that might numb you enough to be of use is Prozac, its hardcore and so old but I took it many years ago and when your on that stuff, u literally don't care about anything. You feel pretty spaced out for the first week and by the end of the second week you start to stop caring about things. It has a really long half life but. It can stay in your system for months once you stop it.

 

The modern day ones like Lexapro and Zoloft aren't anywhere as strong as Prozac. I was trialing Lexapro and yeah, in my case it made things worse.

Edited January 27, 2016 by marky00

[frigginlost]

When my ex wife walked out on me after nearly 20 years of marriage, my world collapsed. I was prescribed Xanax and Zoloft. The Xanax was used sparingly over the first two weeks after the split and it helped immensely. I only used it when the anxiety was so bad I thought I was going to die. Zoloft was prescribed for 6 months, but I only used it for a month and a half.

 

As mentioned earlier, antidepressants block the feelings of depression but they do not allow you to feel the pain needed to heal. It just covers the feelings. As soon as I stopped taking Zoloft, the feelings of hurt returned. At that point, I decided that I was not going to be a "pillbilly" for the rest of my life and decided to ride out the pain.

 

In order to truly heal, you have to let yourself go through the hell of healing properly.

[Nickr3023]

I went through a very unexpected/sudden breakup on Saturday. I was feeling so depressed/devastated and it was affecting my life. I didn't wanna eat or do anything, literally cared about nothing and cried basically all day and saw no way out of how I was feeling.

 

My doctor said they could give me a 30 day prescription of low dose Xanax. I've taken two over the past two days and feel SIGNIFICANTLY better.

I'm still sad but it's manageable and I can imagine dating again (I'm not ready yet but I can at least realize I'll have to date again without bursting into sobs). I still miss him a lot and wish it hadn't happened but this is manageable.

My question is, will this help me over the next month to deal with the shock and to process or will once I stop them will I go right back to feeling like I did, basically back to day one?

 

I can speak from very great experience here. After my breakup I became addicted to painkillers (tramadol), and xanax. I however have struggled with anxiety my entire life so the xanax I was used to. The xanax high won't last forever. Unfortunately your body gets used to it and you need more and more to feel the same effects, that's why it's not an anti-depressant. Once you get taken off of it, the withdrawal can be rough depending on your body and how it reacts to drugs. It's a benzo, and you can get the same feeling from pot, which is much safer. If you truly feel that awful, which I think all of us here know the feeling. Go to counseling/therapy, it's helped me immensely with realizing that all the things I was struggling to cope with were normal, and that the breakup wasn't all my fault.

 

As for anti-depressants. I was put on Zoloft and Klonopin (which is another benzo like Xanax, but is stronger I believe), and that first week on those and withdrawing from Tramadol was the worst of my life. I immediately went back to the doctor and they switched me to Paxil and back to Xanax. My grief and sadness is still there, I can still feel things, granted it's only been 2 weeks so the anti-depressants haven't fully kicked in yet, but I can feel myself leveling out. There unfortunately is no easy way out of this. Counseling and AD's will certainly help you, but you're still going to go through all the stages of grief as everyone does when you lose someone you love. If you have any questions don't hesitate to ask, as I'm pretty open about the mistakes I've made and trying to help people out.