How Much Xanax To Take For Panic Attacks. A benzodiazepine, Xanax is also referred to by its generic name alprazolam and is used to treat anxiety disorders including panic disorder. GABA receptors are modulated by benzodiazepines, and these receptors have CNS-inhibitory actions (Central Nervous System). The issue with Xanax, like with other benzodiazepines, is that using this drug carries the risk of addiction.
Although Xanax has a quick beginning of action and is quite effective for treating panic attacks, it also carries the risk of addiction. You can get tolerant to Xanax’s effects, which means you will require increasing doses to have the same clinically proven anxiety alleviation. Another issue with Xanax is that its short duration of effect makes it possible to experience rebound symptoms between doses as a result of the drug’s blood levels decreasing sharply. When the blood level dips between doses, the condition you are seeking to treat may actually worsen since these rebound symptoms might manifest as intensifying panic episodes.
Due to its limited duration of effect and probable issues with rebound symptoms, I do not suggest Xanax for panic disorder. Even worse, if you skip doses of Xanax, you can experience anxiety, irritability, shaking, sweating, nausea, and weariness as a result of withdrawal. In order to avoid the withdrawal symptoms, you must continue using the medicine, which may lead to dependence on Xanax.
It is possible to prevent these Xanax withdrawal and rebound effects by abstaining from Xanax altogether.
How Much Xanax To Take For Panic Attacks
Long-acting Klonopin is the greatest option for a benzodiazepine if one needs to be provided for the immediate treatment of panic attacks (clonazepam). Even if you do take Klonopin, your doctor will have also prescribed an SSRI (Selective Serotonin Reuptake Inhibitor) for you to take concurrently. When the SSRI starts to work for your panic disorder a few weeks later, you will taper down and stop using Klonopin. Rarely are benzodiazepines administered by themselves to treat panic disorder.
If you really must take Xanax, it can be started at 0.5 mg three times per day for panic disorder (however I strongly advise AGAINST using Xanax). If more is required, it can be raised to 1 mg three times each day. Once more, I don’t advise you to start using Xanax because it has a significant potential for addiction and is linked to withdrawal and rebound symptoms. Given its lengthy duration of effect and lower propensity for rebound and withdrawal symptoms as compared to Xanax, Klonopin is the benzodiazepine of choice to start simultaneously with an SSRI for the treatment of panic disorder. Weeks later, when the SSRI starts working, the Klonopin can be tapered off and stopped.
The key takeaway is that Klonopin is the best option if a benzodiazepine must be administered for panic disorder and that Xanax is a bad choice for this condition. The first line of therapy for panic disorder is still SSRIs. Given the efficacy of SSRIs, benzodiazepines are nearly never used by themselves for panic disorder.
