I am currently taking Strattera for my inattentive ADD (80 mg). Okay, it really works for me but I have been taking it for years and told my doctor I wanted to try a stimulant so I could be more "awake" (I can be very daydreamy & in my own head). She prescribed a small dose of Ritalin and it really, on top of making me more "together" & motivated, calmed me down(I can be very apprehensive and nervous at times). But I would always crash around 4PM and if I took it for more than three days I felt bummy so I stopped after a couple of tries to get it going.
Anyhow, my doc is going to be away for 6 wks and alot of stuff is going on at my work and I was totally TOTALLY stressed out so she prescribed Xanax XR. I am not keen on benzos....I am afraid of abusing them...but w/the XR, since it is extended release, the effect is subtle and I don't really feel like "I WANT MORE!" but I want to get off it as soon as she gets back....which leads me back to:
Has anybody else found the stimulants relaxed them? I really think this may be the route to go for my ADD and anxiety but I wanted to hear what others experiences were.

Taking benzos for anxiety has a low abuse risk. People who
abuse them usually take the largest dose they can without
falling asleep.

Well, yes and no for my stimulant meds. Of course I am the type who revolves around anxiety as a focusing mechanism when left to my own devices ;), so in some ways, yes, my meds decreased my anxiety by improving my focus. Once focused I lost the need for the constant anxiety, but for me that's one rough old habit to break!

I can still fall into anxiety spirals and I take the occasional Xanax if I NEED it, but usually I first try to determine whether my anxiety is created by me out of the need to focus, or if it comes from elsewhere.

Has anybody else found the stimulants relaxed them? I really think this may be the route to go for my ADD and anxiety but I wanted to hear what others experiences were.Yes, my Concerta helps me relax -- when I first started this huge knot in my stomach relaxed. Off it tend to be more uptight, reactive and have more twitches. Everybody is a bit different though, ya know!

Scattered

In the 2005 Nursing Drug Handbook, it says that Xanax XR is a schedule IV drug which means it has "less abuse potential than schedule III drugs and limited dependence liability". Under the Nursing Alerts under Xanax XR it says, "Dont' withdraw drug abruptly; withdrawal symptoms, including seizures, may occur. Abuse or addiction is possible."

Those two statements seem a bit contradictory to me, but it seems like reasonable caution is prudent.

Take care,
Scattered

Scattered, when I saw your post I had to check some more sources, because I couldn't believe that Xanax is Schedule IV. I'm still amazed. I've known people who were massively addicted to Vicodin, which is Schedule III. Although opiates are known for their addictiveness and unpleasant withdrawal symptoms, it's pretty much impossible to die from quitting them. Xanax and other benzos, OTOH, are well-known to have *potentially fatal* withdrawals.

Ritalin is Schedule II because it's supposed to cause high physical/psychological dependence. Maybe it's because of my ADD, but when I moved and went without it for a few months, I felt nothing more than some fatigue along with, obviously, recurrence of my ADD symptoms. And I've certainly never heard of anyone dying after quitting the stuff.

It seems like the scheduling system is kinda backwards.

Ritalin is Schedule II because it's supposed to cause high physical/psychological dependence.


There is a very serious danger of abuse if not taken as perscribed. Snort or inject the drug and it's in your brain instantly. This is a different delivery system causing a high with a crash afterwards. Ingest the drug at the prescribed dosage and it's one of the safest drugs out there...no high, no crash It's also one of the most effective drugs period, in treating symptoms.

Scattered, when I saw your post I had to check some more sources, because I couldn't believe that Xanax is Schedule IV. I'm still amazed. I've known people who were massively addicted to Vicodin, which is Schedule III. Although opiates are known for their addictiveness and unpleasant withdrawal symptoms, it's pretty much impossible to die from quitting them. Xanax and other benzos, OTOH, are well-known to have *potentially fatal* withdrawals.

Ritalin is Schedule II because it's supposed to cause high physical/psychological dependence. Maybe it's because of my ADD, but when I moved and went without it for a few months, I felt nothing more than some fatigue along with, obviously, recurrence of my ADD symptoms. And I've certainly never heard of anyone dying after quitting the stuff.

It seems like the scheduling system is kinda backwards.Agreed! I was pretty amazed too -- I checked three times to be sure I had read it correctly. :eyebrow: System definately has glitches!


Scattered

Adderall is the perfect anti-anxiety drug for me, even helps put me to sleep at night. A while back, I moved to a new state and saw a new doc, who put me on a slightly higher dose and a better dosing schedule, and for the first few days I was calm to the point of almost being sedated.

As for the benzos, they're odd drugs with regards to the addiction issues. They're not necessarily that addictive in terms of causing compulsive use, prolly comparable to alcohol just judging from their pharmacodynamics. However, they have the worst withdrawal profile of just about any class of drugs. As was mentioned earlier, sudden benzodiazepine withdrawal from regular, 24-7, high-dose use can sometimes be fatal, and also carries the possibility of seizures and other nasty stuff. However, this is usually only a problem for people who are using the stuff in very high doses continuously without coming down for long periods of time. It is unlikely that someone who is using these drugs occasionally in therapeutic doses would experience any serious withdrawal effects, though.

The main reason to avoid benzos, actually, is that they can cause memory issues. It is not uncommon for people to report that they have difficulty remembering things that happened while under the influence (Ambien, which is not a benzo, but targets similar receptors, has also been known to cause some amnesia issues). For this reason, really strong benzodiazepine drugs such as Versed are used in surgical anaesthesia. Anyways, people with ADD have enough memory issues already without adding short-term amnesia to the list. A low enough dose might avoid such effects, but I'd worry more about the memory issues than I would about the withdrawal issues.

Thanks for all the feedback. The Xanax XR is really making life easier --- things don't irritate me as much >>>or rather I have not been "anticipating" being irritated.
I think I am going to go forward w/dropping the Xanax when my doctor gets back and looking into stimulants...see I think I anticipate alot of stress because I am always thinking of the numerous variables in any given situation and I think that non-stop thinking is what gets my anxiety up.
I thought in the car today...yeah, the Xanax helps but it really doesn't do much in the way of focusing (or remembering, like Hyperion said).

And then aren't benzodiazepams central nervous system depressants?

I am no pharmacist, but isn't this in direct contrast to taking a stimulant?

I know you can have different illnesses that need different meds but if you really think your problem is the ADD would you want to mix the two (depressants and stimulants)?

I am taking adderal xr 20 mgs a day and xanax .25mg as needed, mostly at night when my adderal wears off and I have axiety attacks. I take it with my lunesta mostly, because lunensta has lost it immediate effects.