I was recently prescribed alzopram 1mg for my anxiety disorder. I filled the script on Wednesday. The dosage calls for 1 pill twice a day as needed.

Heres the problem: every freakin time I take one, I fall asleep within an hour!! I thought this med was supposed to help me with my anxiety not a sleeping pill or something!! Seriously, I am out COLD within an hour of taking each does. I'm a college student so this week it doesnt matter, but I cant have this next week once classes begin?

Any suggestions? Is this not the right med for me? Is it a bad batch of pills? Thanks!

Perhaps the dose is too high for you...
Some people are prescribed .25, so maybe you should 1/4 your pills.
Better yet, discuss with your Dr. who prescribed them.
Maybe they'll change your Rx.
(I think xanax is by far the strongest benzo out there. Wouldn't touch it with a 10 foot pole, but that's JMHO)

kts

Call your doctor and tell him/her about the 1 mg pill knocking you out and ask for a lower dose. Xanax comes in doses that start off at .25 mg, so your doctor might have started you off on a dose that is too high for you. Or, if the pills are scored, use a pill cutter to half them or quarter them (don't try that if the pill isn't scored; if it isn't scored, that usually means it wasn't/isn't meant to be cut). But, get with your doctor and see what he/she says.

Yeah, they are scored so Im gonna try taking a half pill today. I've never dealt with anything so powerful so before! I've been on hydrocodone and percocets for pain in the past but never has anything just flat knocked me over like these did. I went out to the grocery store with my girlfrind and couldnt even push the cart straight! Serious serious stuff here. Then went home and passed out before dinner was ready....Thanks for the advice

Do you know what brand of generic your taking, or the markings in the pills?

Yeah the marking is: gg449 and they are white.

bottle says 1mg alprazolam.

Also says: may cause drowsiness, but the word "may" is the understatement of all time LOL

never seen gg449, i seen gg249 which are sandoz 2mg.

sorry you are right its gg249, [censored] print is so small i coudl barely read it


BUT more importantly did you say TWO MG?

And is Sandoz a particularly potent generice?

This whole thing is starting to make sense: someone made a mistake somewhere

sandoz are average strenght, if you are not use to taking them they do have a punch. gg249 are 2mg white long and scored. cut it in smaller parts, use for anxiety, or some people use them for relaxing/followed by sleep.

1 Mg American distributed generic Xanax is BLUE!! If your pill is scored 4 times you for sure have the 2 mg ones!!!!The .25 Xanax and the 2MG xanax are both white. If you have a white pill, you either have .25, or like straw said, 2mg. But you DO NOT have 1mg!! This is a fact if indeed you did receive these from your local pharmacy, assumming you are in the US.. 1mg is blue. Been on them for about 3 years now from my local doc..Have seen every generic under the sun. If indeed you do have the 2mg, don't say anything about it, because in the long run it will save you money from having to get it refilled so soon. Just break it in half!!! BTW, if I take a 1mg without eating right away, it doesn't knock me out like you were saying. But if I take it and eat immediately afterwards, I am out like a light too. If it's 2mg, you got double the drug for the same amount of money. Assuming you got 60 if you are suppossed to take 2X a day and the doc writes for a 30 day supply at a time like mine does, next month if these are 2mg, you shouldn't need to get it refilled. Cause you'll have the other 60 from breaking them in half!! Their screw up will save you money!! Don't we ALL LOVE saving money??

Well, I took both with food yesterday, so maybe that had something to do with it. I'm gonna go with you guys and just take halves from now on. Its a 60ct., so in theory now i have 120 of the 1mg pills?

On a side note, is this med better to take without food? Should I take on a completely empty stomach or before I eat, or several hours after i eat?

Yes, you actually did end up with 120 1 mg!!! Good for you. It usually works the other way around, you get less than you should!!
You know what, in my own experiences with this drug, if I take it right before I eat is when it hits me way too hard. But if I take it after I eat, on a full stomach, it doesn't seem to even work at all. (it's almost like it's lost in your meal in your belly. haha) If you do not want to get knocked out, take it about 2 hours after you eat. Or I find if I take it about an hour b4 I eat it's not so bad either. Try all three and see what works for you. But first things first, make sure you cut that sucker in half or no matter when or how you take it, it's going to knock you out cold!!Taking without any food at all and just a drink of water to wash it down doesnt work for me either. If I do take it on an empty stomach, I will drink a glass of Orange juice, or a can of pop (or"soda" depending where you are at in the godd ol' US)with it. It seems like it makes ot deslove more quickly and actually take away your panic. Well, now that I have given you my daily regimen of how I take my Xanax, I hope something that I have said helps you!! I hope you all here on DB has a great PAIN And anxiety FREE weekend!!!

Well so much for that. Took a quarter bar at 3pm, then took a quarter bar at 9pm after returning home from dinner with my girlfriend. Laid down to watch a movie and next thing I know its 1 AM. Is it possible that alprazolam has no effect on some people and just puts them to sleep? this is RIDICULOUS!!

PS I got a full 9 hours of sleep last night and wasnt tired all night. I get this euphoric feeling about 15 min after taking each pill then within an hour I'm out cold. I'm on spring break right now so its cool, but when school starts next week, I'm screeeeeeeeeeeeeewed

Continue spliting the dosage up in, you will build a tolerance before you know it.

My advice, not that it's worth anything, BUT...
Perhaps Xanax is NOT the "best" benzo for you.
If you are still nodding off after only a 1/4 tab, clearly, this is NOT a good thing...
If I were you, I would call the prescribing Dr., explain your "dilemma' and perhaps dicuss the other benzos available.
Clearly, nodding out is NOT a good thing, and your Dr. really needs to know what you are going thru..which, basically s*cks big time, IMO.
There are a plethora of benzos, maybe she can supply you w/ samples til you find one that *works* for you.
We are all different, our body chemistries will react differently. What works for one, can really mess up another...
Again, talk to your PCP, it may be a series of trial and error, but WELL worth it when you find the one that works for you.
We are NOT health professionals here, merely throwing out suggestions for you.
But, please remember, benzos are NOTHING to fool with, or self-medicate with.
Yes, we share our personal experiences, but we are all different, no guarantee that what works for Mary, will work for Joe.Contact your PCP, be honest, and therefore nothing will come back later to "bite you in the arse".
We offer suggestions, BUT - ONLY a "trained , educated person in field", CAN & WILL BE able to help you. What is offered her, is merely advice, nothing more, nothing less.
Suggestions, maybe, but, AGAIN,we have also stressed the importance of re-contacting your PCP - As, "Self Medication" can be VERY DANGEROUS!!
Way too many people learn the "hard way", sadly.
Better safe than sorry, How true!!

A trained health care profressional can, and will address your problems, meanwhile documenting your experience in your chart..
Best wishes,
kts

I read a very distrubing article on how benzos change the way our brain works and there is no turning back for long term users ,here is a pratial copy of article ,please tell your take on this .I really want to taper off my 6mg daily intake of alprazolam ,B/4 that I was taking one 10mg valium in the evening to help with sleep ,I realized I had a problem when I tried to stop doing that after a few years ,could not belive at just one pill daily I would become dependant ? However I was ,then I started with the 1/2 life xanax ,however I did not know their potency was much more then the valium ! Read what this article has to say about long term benzo use ! >>>>#1The research is very clear on this issue. If you are a very long term benzo user, most likely you will never be able to taper. The brain changes caused by this drug are irreversible. This has been pretty well known for the past twenty years, if not longer. These Doctors just have to come into the year 2006. Its very bad medicine to try to force long term benzo users to taper, especially if the use is not problematic.<<<
I kind of find it believeable ,I have tried cutting down on my xanax intake and even at 6mg daily ,I found Iam having many restless nights of sleeep ,yet if I take one more 2mg pill ,I sleep very good with out the contsant waking up tossing and turning ,what is it with his drug that contstantly makes you need to up the dosage. Because of availabilty I cannot stay at a increased dosage ,however if I had access to them Iam sure I would .I started the benzos for insomia ,the xanax I startd taking during the day ,as I went thru a very stressful time in my life with the sudden death of a very close relative in a auto accident ,then at the same time my company was going bankrupt ,and my marriage was a mess .The combination of all these things made just leaving the house a struggle .The Doctors at my HMO ,put me thru he|| trying many differant anti depressants ,that made my nerves and my insomia worst .They refused to perscribe me any benzo related medication ,yet this was the only medication that kept my stress and anxiety in check ! I had to turn to OP's ,however the most I can get scripted is three a day of the 2mg bars, many times I come up short by the end of the month ,I do not ever double dip, dont need any additionial troubles ! RANT over
Thanks NF

I know this drug is bad news from personal experience. I too was prescribed by my doctor for stress originally then sleep. There is a taper program that does work but I have never been able to completely get off of it. Best I can do is .5mg a night. I believe you taper down 10% for two weeks at a time. It makes it bearable to do it this way. Maybe you can at least get down to a lower dosage if you want. Good luck and I agree I was livid when I read about it a few months ago. Dru

Do you have a link for this article on benzo long term use.Thank you

I think most questions about benzo use and withdrawal can be answered here:

http://www.benzo.org.uk/FAQ1.1.htm

Straw:
I concur with your assesment of sandoz. I find it weak as well. Have you found any place that sells a different type fo generic?

JB

My friend/neighbor is reading this thread with me and since I am not expierence with Xanax or any other benzo's for that matter, wants me to ask you guys what the brand is that is shaped like a football and is purple??

She said she thinks they are made in the US and if not they were many many years ago?

What mg are they?

Last she is wanting to know who carrys those?

She says they are very strong almost like a 2 mg???

She has a written script for the 2 mg Xanax that she needs to get filled but she is looking for who carrys the purple ones locally or maybe online.

thanks!

I think the purple footballs are 1 mg and made by Upjohn (actual brand name Xanax and not a generic). The 2 mgs are the infamous scored bars that can be broken down into 4 .5 mg doses. Some IOPs have the peach 1 mg bars that can be broken down into 4 .25 mg doses.

If she has a script, she should be able to take it to a local pharmacy and ask the pharmacist not to sub the script with a generic (ask for brand only). The brand purple footballs will cost more, but if they work for her, it might be worth the extra cost.

she was wondering if any IOP's carry them? She lost her Tenncare when they did all the cuts and hasnt takem the script to the pharmacy in fear of the price and not having enough to pay for it. Doesnt some of the IOP's carry the purple ones? Thanks

Don't you just love our health care system these days? Oh, our tax dollars at work....or in your case and your friend's case, our tax dollars NOT at work.

The only IOP I know of that carries the purple Upjohn footballs is Starlite (from my own personal experience and Joseph's meds, at least for someone with a high tolerance for any type and class of meds, they are the real deal and work like a charm for me). They have the 1 mg Upjohn Xanax, 50 for $60.00, and the Pfizer 1 mg extended release (Xanax SR), 50 for $55.00.

I know that some people have had problems with getting their meds from Starlite and Joseph in the past, but it seems that most of his packages (now that he has employed a better packaging system) get to those of us in the Southeast and along the East coast.

Brand name Xanax 1mg is blue, not sure who makes the purple ones. I have taken the brand name 1mg for a long time. Here is a link to a picture.

http://www.thegooddrugsguide.com/gallery/images/t_xanax.jpg

Yup, 1mg Upjohn blue "footballs", very good quality, about the best i've tried, 2nd only to Argentina brand Alplax Gadors.

How long ago was it they were in the USA being purple?? she is in her early 30's so i was just curious how long ago they were purple. Is there a difference in potency in the 1mg blue ones and purple ones? She says the purple ones are as twice as strong as the blue ones? I have no clue to this at all if i take 1mg of xanax i am out for days...lol