The linked article comes from an unlikely source– Vogue magazine — but it’s definitely worth a read. It’s an exceptionally well-written account from the novelist Martha McPhee of her long experience with the mega-popular sedative.

Quitting Xanax: One Writer’s Story

Some of my own observations after reading:

  • It sounds as if she may have suffered from an anxiety disorder at a fairly early age (GAD?) but the trigger for her involvement with Xanax was a panic attack she experienced as a young mother. She consulted her family doctor, who recommended the benzodiazepine. Nothing unusual there. Xanax and the other benzos were the treatment of choice for several decades, largely because they proved to be far safer than the barbiturates that preceded them.
  • She acknowledges that we live in an anxious era (like you hadn’t noticed), and that has spawned an industry that seems determined to find a drug for every complaint.
  • A quote: “I never took a lot of Xanax. The dose was so small that doctors rarely saw anything amiss.” That’s because they had been taught that dependence followed the appearance of drug tolerance. Evidence was usually in the form of a patient who had begun to use higher or more frequent doses to achieve the same benefits once gained from the smaller dose. With Xanax and other benzos, reports began to emerge of a “low dose withdrawal syndrome”, where some users experienced significant discomfort from withdrawal, even at lower doses.
  • At the time, it hadn’t occurred to her that something could be wrong with her Xanax use. Her reasoning: if “the doctors weren’t concerned, then why should I be?” As it turns out, she probably should have paid less attention to the doctor’s opinion in this instance.
  • McPhee still sees a place for Xanax, used properly. I’m sure that’s true, but it does appear as if some users are especially vulnerable to problems. Maybe they would’ve better off looking at alternatives to Xanax.
  • I’ve heard repeatedly that if a patient simply follows the prescribed directions, they can’t possibly get in trouble with a medication like Xanax. Based on my experience with addictions, I find that naive. After all, addiction isn’t just about the medication, it’s about the person using it. And people differ, including genetically, in their response to the same medication.

Sometimes those differences aren’t immediately apparent– until it’s too late.