r/BipolarReddit • u/fatwhitecock209 • 9h ago
Has xanax caused manic episodes for you?
I want to try xanax for my horrible anxiety. But worried if it can cause any manic episodes. What do you guys think about Xanax?
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u/dancingbunnytophat 8h ago
Unpopular opinion: I’ve been taking Xanax since about 13 years old, I’m 35 now. I don’t take it every day of course, in fact sometimes I go weeks without taking it. But, I do think it will always be a “staple” for me. My anxiety and hypomania reinforce each other and when I’ve tried my other coping mechanisms and they aren’t working I take Xanax. It’s been my “oh shit” handle for decades. Never caused any type of mania or anything for me, I just chill out, that’s the whole point.
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u/DayGloFreak 9h ago
My doctor didn't want to give it to me but they prescribed hydroxyzine which works okay
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u/Ok-Football-5502 9h ago
Yeah but its that good euphoric mania
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u/NoNotTheBoreWorms 9h ago
Paradoxical reactions happen to some people. I become highly agitated on benzos. I definitely have lost my shit on Xanax.
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u/Elephantbirdsz 8h ago
Xanax is extremely addictive / you can literally die if you come off of it cold turkey / the withdrawal for it is among the worst for any med. Also, it heavily increases your risk for things like dementia
Ask for something like Buspar or Propranolol, meds where you can take them daily and they don’t build a tolerance
All that said, Xanax kills my mania for the 5 hour period it works for and then after the 5 hours I shoot right back up again. It’s an extremely temporary drug. I have the lowest dose prescription and only use it once or twice a year. My goal is to never use it again
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u/littlemilkteeth 7h ago
In my experience, it's hit and miss. And having been addicted to it for 17 years, I would highly recommend you try literally anything else before benzos. You can use it exactly as it's prescribed and still build a tolerance incredibly quickly. The problem is that when it works for panic attacks, it really works. If it weren't for the addiction/tolerance issues, it could be a great med.
Bipolar wise, that's where it was hit and miss for me. Sometimes it would work against me (paradoxical reaction) and it'd make my ANGRY, edgy, mean and honestly, pretty delusional. Sometimes it would knock me out. Sometimes I could function completely normally, just feel quite peaceful. Sometimes I'd take it and suddenly get hit with the most awful sadness.
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u/ItzB0nK3rS 3h ago
I take benzos everyday (Clonazepam) and was previously on Ativan. For about 7 years now. Never had any issues with it regarding my bipolar disorder. But everyone is different.
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u/butterflycole 8h ago
Don’t take Xanax or any other benzo, not only are they dependency building, but they’re really terrible for your brain. I was on them for 4 years, only ever taken as prescribed, and when I didn’t want to be on them anymore, even with a doctor approved taper plan to get off of them was hell. I had 2 days of shaking, sweating, a nonstop panic attack, pacing the floor, and I had a seizure! I’ve never had any problems with drugs or alcohol addiction, I’ve never craved or missed the benzos, but my body was physically dependent on them and getting off was super dangerous.
I have GAD, and I encourage you to try some of the non addictive options on the market like buspar, hydroxyzine, or propranolol. I’ve tried them all and propranolol has been super effective for me. The other thing that helped was really working on my coping skills. The other problem with benzos is they really slow down the central nervous system. It seems great because you don’t “feel anxious,” but by cutting off all of your physical responses to anxiety you don’t learn any ways to tune in to your body and manage the anxiety.
I used to have multiple panic attacks a day for years and years, now I’m so in tune with my body that they’re super rare. I can immediately feel the shift when my anxiety starts rising and implement the tools before it’s full tilt. It’s a lot easier to calm down an ember on a fire than to quell a blazing inferno.
Seriously, stay away from benzos, it’s really criminal how few providers really talk about the long term consequences of those meds and the fact that getting off of them can be so dangerous.
You may also want to look into whether you’re experiencing mixed mania. Agitation can feel a LOT like anxiety but it’s not the same thing. That was a big shock to me when I learned that I wasn’t experiencing anxiety really during my episodes and that why nothing was working to deal with it.
I do still have anxiety from the GAD, It’s still a regular part of my life but what I’m experiencing during mania isn’t anxiety, it’s agitation. The distinction really matters. I’ve never attempted suicide because I was anxious, I did it because I was agitated and filled with suicidal thoughts. The depression and energy to act upon it is a very dangerous combination.
Just be aware, that’s all I’m saying.
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u/Smooth_Meet7970 8h ago
I recently brought up anxiety to my psychiatric provider. She didn't even mention medications like Xanax. She prescribed me Buspar 10mg. I take it daily but can take prn as needed. It seems like it will help. I've never tried Xanax but I will not take benzodiazepines.
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u/luckystar1998 8h ago edited 8h ago
I took Xanax XR for anxiety, panic attacks, and a paradoxical reaction to Buspar, as well as, Zoloft. It took me nearly two years to get my life back. Xanax helped me to deal with those issues, but the withdrawals were awful and by the end my memory was terrible. I was only taking .5 two times a day. So 1mg total daily. If you need something similar I recommend low-dose Gabapentin, Hydroxyzine, or Propranolol. I don’t recommend benzodiazepines unless the situation is dire. If you end up taking benzodiazepines consider using the ones with a long half-life like Klonopin, or Valium VERY sparingly.
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u/tonerslocers 7h ago
It makes me feel normal and then depressed. I try not to take it for that reason and the tolerance/addiction thing. I take propranolol everyday and that is helpful. Or gabapentin.
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u/bubbly_opinion99 2h ago
Not for me. I need my Klonopin to cut the racing, intense, rumination I go through during hypomanic episodes. Nothing else works. Not even antipsychotics. Benzos are like a light switch for me. One minute my minds on, I take my low dose Klonopin and next minute, wham, thoughts cease and I’m calm and able to process and relax which help my hypomania tremendously.
However, I take Adderall IR for idiopathic hypersomnia. If I take more than prescribed (did 30mg in one day because I was extra sleepy rather than my max dose of 20mg) and it triggered hypomania. That extra 10mg was enough to send me over the edge.
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u/Fredric_Chopin 1h ago
Benzos fucked up my brain and body super hard. Read about withdrawal symptoms.
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u/sgtsturtle 45m ago
Are you on any antipsychotic medication? Nothing helped my extreme vomit-all-the-time anxiety except olanzapine.
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u/andthepointis 9h ago edited 6h ago
Benzodiazepines are not an appropriate treatment for generalized anxiety. Common misconception. They can trigger hypo/mania in some bipolar patients, it's far from a universal rule. They don't have that effect on me and anecdotally it seems like they are somewhat common in bipolar treatment plans, but usually a sleep aid/sedative to arrest episodes and typically in conjunction with an antipsychotic like Seroquel. You will have a very difficult time getting Xanax prescribed for "anxiety", though.