Does Xanax actually help you put your panic/anxiety in order or does it just help you doze off?

I have used Xanax twice in my life. For a few months when I was going through a divorce years ago, and, when I travel long distances by plane. It just takes the edge off your stress, mellows you out, and while you may fall asleep if you’re ready to anyway, it is not like a sleeping pill. It’s a nice little drug, but, some people can get addicted, talk to your doc.

No, it actually lowers your anxiety. Benzodiazepines (the drug class Xanax is in) enhance the effect of the neurotransmitter gamma-aminobutyric acid (GABA), which results in sedative, hypnotic (sleep-inducing), anxiolytic (anti-anxiety), anticonvulsant, muscle relaxant and amnesic action. GABA is the chief inhibitory neurotransmitter in the central nervous system.

Here is how I experience Xanax..

If I’m not anxious, it makes me sleepy in a very unpleasant way, like how delirium feels. So, I don’t use it recreationally.

When I need it, when I’m supersuper anxious, I have a giant knot in my stomach keeping me from being able to breathe normally, pulse and heart are racing, can’t eat, can’t sleep, can’t think, can’t function. At this point, I turn to Xanax or alcohol. They both have a similar effect, though of course the Xanax is so without getting intoxicated (so, staying clear-headed).

The knot begins to unravel. My body begins to relax. I start to be able to breathe again. It feels f-ing amazing, the relief after such huge anxiety.

It does not solve anxiety long-term, it’s simply for acute anxiety.

I’ve taken .25mg three times, all before big meetings. I get incredibly anxious speaking in front of people and I am also extremely non-confrontational. When I get anxious, my face flushes and I look and feel flustered… the xanax smoothed over the anxiety, without making me sleepy or fuzzy-headed and resolved the physical outward symptoms of that ‘situational’ or acute anxiety.

The few times I’ve taken it, I went out like a light.

My Xanax Rx is for .5MG. If I need to just take a little of the edge off or am taking it preemptively in anticipation of an anxiety producing situation, I only take half a pill. If I’m in a massive panic attack, I take a whole one. In each instance, I’ll feel drowsy for about 15 minutes. If I just work through that without falling asleep, I’m alert again and the panic has eased considerably.

If I’m not anxious at all, but am having trouble quieting my mind enough to go to sleep, I take a whole pill and purposely go to bed within that 15 minute drowsy period, and it does allow me to sleep.

I only use it when I fly, which I hate, or have a lot of dental work done, which I also hate. When I fly from LA to Sydney, it is a 14 hour flight, I take a couple before I get on the plane and I feel great. We will be flying along and I think I don’t need those pills, I feel fine, I am not anxious at all. So I don’t take the next scheduled pill. That is the pill itself talking. Because as it starts to wear off, I start looking around and I am thinking holy cow, I am in a plane, over the ocean, miles from either shore, wtf am I doing here!!!! Then I take a couple more and in a short period of time, I feel fine again and wonder why the hell I take those silly little pills!

Does that answer your question, heheheh!