I don’t take this lightly, I’ve tried therapy, hypnosis, etc. and nothing works. I know the reason I do it, but it doesn’t help me not be anxious as hell. One psych. I saw said I would probably be just as crazed when I fly, if I were in the cockpit. (I fly just fine).
I will literally buy an airline ticket for a destination 2 hours away by car-I’ve done it. All someone has to do is mention they’ll be driving me over an hour away, and I start planning an exit strategy. I have no idea when this started, I have never (knock wood) been in a serious crash.
So my doctor, who’s been thru this with me, and knows I’ve tried everything, gave me a script for Xanax. I am a little frightened of it, from what I’ve read, but my friends, who seem to take it often, tell me not to worry as long as it’s only for the occasions that I am a passenger.
I understand that Xanax is addictive, and I dislike downers, and I esp. don’t want to sleep on an uncoming road trip that I won’t be able to get out of.
Depends on how much you ride in a car. I take when I fly - works miracles. It’s one of those medications that work. You can’t be anxious while taking it.
But it is very addictive and not easy to get off of (I also took it years ago for an anxiety disorder). In my opinion, it is a magic bullet.
I took xanax for quite some time when I had uncontrolled panic attacks (so frequent and intense that I couldn’t function). I still now get an annual prescription for a dozen pills (it’s like a safety blanket at this point, I like to know I have them in case I get horrible flashbacks, etc), although I seldom take it.
I think it is definitely worth a try, because it’s possible the way to stop being anxious on car trips is to have a few trips where you aren’t anxious (because of the xanax). If you are concerned about the strength of it, you could take 1/2 pill and then re-evaluate 15-30 minutes later.
I don’t doubt it’s ability to be addictive, but it wasn’t a problem for me. If you are really concerned about that, is there someone you trust who could keep them for you and only dole them out for trips?
OP, you don’t say if you also drive a car yourself. (Or else I missed it.) Do you? If so, do you have anxiety with that too?
My brother had a similar problem when he was a teen-ager. He got horribly car-sick every time he rode in a car. As soon as he learned to drive himself, the problem vanished.
I’ve occasionally read similar stories about people who were nervous about flying, until they got into a small two-seater plane and got a few flying lessons.
I’m not sure I follow you. You get anxious as a passenger in a car, but will take a plane? Is it the length of time? Length of time might be relevant, but in general - if I’m reading this correctly - are your concerns mainly addiction and falling asleep?
For addiction - it is highly unlikely that for short term occassional use you will get addicted. I know more about opiates, but if the same rule of thumb applies - don’t take for more than 14 days. You should be able to stay well under that.
For sleep - some people get knocked out with these. I can take them no problem, but many can not without appearing drunk/slow. The easy way to tell this is to tak it ahead of time. Do not wait til the day you need it to find out how it effects you. If you are super scared - cut it in half and if that isn’t enough - take the full amount.
This is a godsend for some people in your situation. Give it a shot, but do it BEFORE your trip.
If you only need it for one or two car trips a month, addiction is not anything to worry about. If you need to take it every day, that can become an issue. Try a half dose next time you’re a passenger on a short trip and see how it goes. I know lots of people who have xanax for occasional use like you, and it’s really not a problem unless they forget to take it when they need it!
Guess I’ll do some naysaying. I know a couple of people that use xanax.
It’s just as you say- the drug eliminates all worry, and that’s an addictive effect.
So be cautious with it, don’t start taking it for daily crises like paying the utility bill.
The drug takes away ‘concern’ along with ‘anxiety’, from what I can see.
So it would not be good to take while driving. But as a passenger, not a problem.
Used occasionally for one specific purpose, it might be a useful tool.
Overall though, a better solution will be to address the internal source of the anxiety.
Of course you know this already- don’t let xanax distract you from that goal.
Naysaying over, thanks for reading.
If you are thinking about anxiety drugs, consider cannabis.
It might possibly be a better choice for some folks than xanax.
I would not consider cannabis unless you are already very familiar with it. It will make some people very anxious all by itself, especially since its not always possible to measure a dose.
I think xanax would be a good solution, unless you know yourself to be an addictive personality. Taking one occasionally will not cause most people to get addicted. If you find that you like it a lot and start taking it for other reasons, you might want to stop.
Have you talked to your doctor about CBT? This sounds like something that it would be well suited for. It takes some effort, but allows you to deal with the problem, instead of just covering for it. What happens if you have to take a road trip, and are out of pills?
True. Also can cause something like motion sickness in some people.
Still, for some others it might be a better choice.
I fully admit that the people I’ve seen using xanax were not necessarily responsible people.
But,
Long ago a friend told her mom, in relation to cocaine,
“If I could just say no, I wouldn’t have a problem”.
Not for car trips in my case, but for dental work. Years of built-up terror (well deserved, I’m extremely tough to get numb) and I went to a new dentist who said that they could give me a combination of nitrous and Halcion (another benzo) and I’d be zoned, relaxed, and much easier to numb. After a couple of sessions doing that, I’ve graduated to the point where I can just use nitrous for fillings etc. (though I did the full Halcion + nitrous recently, as I was having a lot done).
So basically, a couple of sessions using Big Drugz to get me through the worst of the anxiety, and I can now deal with dental work much much MUCH more easily. Hopefully the same would happen with you and driving.
I’ve assured the dentists I’ve seen since that first one (first one who really took the pain/terror thing seriously that is) that really, they WANT me stoned out of my gourd, it makes it easier on me and them. The person driving you might feel the same - it’s got to be unnerving as hell to have someone clutching at the dashboard and gasping at every lane change.
As far as addiction: If you’ve got a small quantity on hand, and use only for driving, I’d say the risk is basically zero. When I was consulting with a doctor for something else (for which Klonopin / clonazepam is one treatment option) he said that compared to narcotics, the benzos are harder to get addicted to (but harder to get off once you do).
I don’t know how much one gets loopy / sleepy on Xanax (or how long it lasts), so depending on what you need to be doing at the end of the 2-hour drive, that may be a concern. If you are, say, meeting the new in-laws or a client, it might not be a good idea. With the Halcion, I’m basically listing a few degrees off vertical within 20 minutes of taking it, and even 4 hours after taking it all I want to do is go to bed and sleep it off.
Xanax is incredibly addictive, but as long as you don’t start using it with regularity you’ll be fine. It’s not a recreational drug, so you don’t have to worry that you’ll love the effect so much that you can’t stop using it ; people who do get addicted to it are generally suffering from other issues such as depression, constant social anxiety, addiction to other drugs, etc. and value the relief it gives them from their other symptoms. If you don’t have anything like that going on in your life, you should be fine. That said, there are far better, gentler options. Oxazepam, for instance, is an anti-anxiety drug in the same family but has far less side effects and addiction potential.
As far as making you sleepy or stoned enough to spoil your road trip, it shouldn’t, but it might do. It depends on how you react to it. Taking a test dose when you’re not doing anything important would be a wise idea, as it’ll give you an idea as to how strongly the drug will effect you.
edit ; don’t trust the 14-day rule of thumb suggested above. Benzodiazepines are far more addictive than opiates, and taking any kind of benzo regularly for fourteen days and then stopping will be a pretty unbearable ordeal.
I have had panic attacks and anxiety and I have had xanax on one (memorable) and possibly one other occasion. It was the best drug that I have ever had. I can’t imagine meth being as powerful with me. My Pshrink offered to write a prescription for me and I had to quickly turn her down. That stuff is so good, I could see myself getting hooked on it.
No, but only because Xanax is probably the most dangerous benzodiazepine. If you must use one, use one that has a lower addiction potential. Sure, some people don’t get addicted, but why take the extra risk?
But, honestly, phobias like yours are so treatable that I suspect that you did not have proper therapy. Especially since you seem to think that planning escape strategies is an indication you are panicked. That’s actually a step along the way to freedom from all this.
Furthermore, there are studies showing that SSRIs can be just as effective–they just take time. And since you can control whether you are in a problematic situation, you are in a great position for that sort of thing. And SSRI + therapy works better than either of the two alone.
Just make sure that that the therapy you get is CBT–Cognitive Behavioral Therapy–specifically using systematic desensitization, aka graduated exposure therapy. Avoid flooding-based therapies, and only use psychoanalytic or other talk therapies as an adjunct.
BTW, I have a ton of experience in this area. Riding in cars is still something I’m working on. But it’s a lot better than it used to be.
I took my benzo to keep from having sleep panic attacks. And all taking them did was make it where I was more scared of going to sleep whenever I was anxious. It kept me from learning to get over that.
