Filling xanax script ten days early?? Somebody please help me

[Mickle1]

So i am prescribed xanax for anxiety, and I have run out. i have one repeat left. me thinks I'm ****ed. Should I call my pharmacy and confess to them that I have ran out? Please help if you have been in a similar situation.

thanks

[Piper]

@Mickle1, maybe, maybe 2 or 3 days early but in my experience 10 days won't happen.
Unless you could find a mom and pop to do it, which would look suspicious in itself. If you
call the pharmacy and confess, all they will PROBABLY do, is call your doctor tomorrow for
authorization. Really don't know if the doc's allowed to even OK it. Anybody else out there
know RX law better than I do?

[miffytherabbit]

So i am prescribed xanax for anxiety, and I have run out. i have one repeat left. me thinks I'm ****ed. Should I call my pharmacy and confess to them that I have ran out? Please help if you have been in a similar situation.

thanks

Hello @Mickle1

I have been in a similar situation, but not for many years. When I had my first breakdown in 2000, I was prescribed 1mg x 2 a day in the early stages, and found this wasn't enough to help dampen down my anxiety. Consequently, I upped the dose without informing my doctor to three a day, and, of course, ran out early.

My best advice would be to make appointment to see your doctor. If you are running out early, it could be that the dose you're being prescribed isn't right, and that it needs titrating upwards to a higher dose. If your doctor is willing to do this, it could solve the issue you are having with running out early.

Also, with short or short-ish acting drugs like Xanax (Alprazolam) or Lorazepam, there can be problems with inter-dose craving and inter-dose anxiety. This is because the drug is short acting and it's blood levels in your system begin to fall before your next due dose. This in turn can easily lead people to take more than prescribed simply to allay the discomfort of the inter-dose anxiety.

Xanax is not used by doctors in the UK, because it has the potential to cause significant issues, mainly due to it's very short half-life. It's not uncommon for people to have to dose four or even five times a day in some instances, and it is a benzodiazepine that seems particularly vulnerable to rapid-dose escalation. Certain doctors will follow the dose-curve of Xanax and some individuals can end up taking 10-12 mg a day.

If you are struggling with the dosing regime of Xanax, it might be worth considering asking your doctor to switch to a long-acting benzodiazepine, such as Clonazepam, or Diazepam. These drugs don't cause the same interdose craving/anxiety issues to the same severity as Alprazolam, because they stay in the system for longer.

There is no shame in approaching your doctor and saying that the dose of Xanax you are taking isn't quite right (which it evidently isn't if you've run out). The pharmacy can't change very much, whereas your doctor holds the authority to make decisions regarding your care and medication.

Best wishes

Miffyrabbit. ^_^

[Mickle1]

thanks for the responses I take a very high dose 2mg twice a day. The thing is I have asked for early refill (which my doc says yes to) a bunch of times so far.

[Piper]

@Mickle1, I steer clear of xanax as far as benzos go just for the reason that @miffytherabbit stated. The half life of the drug is too short, and I tend to want
to eat them like candy as they wear off so quickly. I've had the best success with
valium, with klonopin a close second as they both have much longer half lives. I
don't feel the need to "take another", and both keep my anxiety under control as well
as xanax and for longer periods of time. Don't know why docs in the US are so hot
to prescribe this drug. I've refused them before and asked for a longer lasting benzo.
Thanks miffyrabbit!

[Mickle1]

ya it sucks piper. i've been on xanax for about eight years now. Hmmm I'm wondering what I should tell the pharmacy. Should I tell them that I have ran out or... is that a no no. Also my doctor is on vacation right now which only adds fuel to the fire.

[alumni]

You can ask your pharmacy for a refill, but with your doctor unavailable, I seriously doubt that they would fill it that early without an authorization from the physician's office.
The pharmacist is not going to be impressed with a story about how you did not take the pills as prescribed.
You've received some good advice about discussing this recurring situation with your doctor, however, as an aside, I think it is really irresponsible prescribing high doses of this drug to anyone for eight years.
You are apparently dealing with the exact reason why it is a bad idea.

[COHANICK]

Dont refill them until the appropriate date. That infuriates doctors and you could lose your script all together.

[miffytherabbit]

ya it sucks piper. i've been on xanax for about eight years now. Hmmm I'm wondering what I should tell the pharmacy. Should I tell them that I have ran out or... is that a no no. Also my doctor is on vacation right now which only adds fuel to the fire.

Is it the case that the dose you are taking is no longer as effective as it was, and to compensate you are taking a consistently higher dose? Or are you taking more Xanax on too of your normal dose when you are experiencing stressfuls periods?

In both cases, as other people have mentioned, Xanax is an incredibly difficult drug to control, when it comes to usage. Is there another doctor at the clinic your doctor works at who you could talk to? My fear is that once a Xanax dose-escalation gets a grip, it can easily start getting out of hand, and long-acting benzodiazepines are much, much more controllable. If you could speak to a doctor, even of it isn't your regular doctor, you could potentially solve more than problem.

There is a psychiatrist on YouTube who does these weird little videos about psychoactive drugs, called Doctorofmind, and he has one on Xanax. It's well worth watching, because he really does pull apart the drug and reveal it's pitfalls.

It's only my humble opinion, but I doubt after so many years in Xanax, I doubt you are getting much therapeutic benefit from it. Switching to a long-acting benzodiazepine could also signal an opportunity to perhaps lower the overall dose of benzodiazepine you are taking. Having had a benzodiazepine dependency myself, being freed from them and the worries of running out of meds and the preoccupation that goes with taking them is very liberating.

Miffyrabbit.

[Mickle1]

Ok so I won't call the pharmacy. \What should I do about withdrawals do you guys think? I have remeron and trazadone to sleep. cheers

[BuckeyeFan]

Considering the dose you're on I'd be trying to find some benzos. Go to the ER if you have to. There are no comfort meds for high dose Xanax w/d's except for benzos themselves. Or else get some overnighted from a SY site but you really should find some benzos somewhere or you're probably going to suffer.

[Mickle1]

can you shoot me a pm with a sy site??? I don't know what to do.

[alumni]

ER could be a safe alternative unless you've been a "frequent flyer" there over time.
Otherwise you could try to have a heart-to-heart conversation with a nurse in your doctor's office.
You may be facing a potentially dangerous situation with abrupt withdrawals from this drug.

[Piper]

@Mickle1 I agree with @BuckeyeFan about going to the ER or finding an urgent care. There are only two withdrawals that will kill you - alcohol and benzos. I would think
they would give you enough to get you through until you can see your doctor.
Unfortunately I don't think you have enough posts in to even PM, let alone enter the
senior section. IMO I would get some real medical care asap. A lot of people can come
off of them with no MAJOR problems, but I'd think chancing that would be a huge crap
shoot. Please get some medical attention. Piper

[BuckeyeFan]

can you shoot me a pm with a sy site??? I don't know what to do.

I can't really recommend any but I'm sure someone can help you. 4mg for eight years is not going to be fun. Look around the site a bit and you'll find what you need. Make sure to keep updating and let us know how you're doing.

[Mickle1]

hey piper I do believe I can recieve pm's i just can't Respond back. I think that I will call the pharmacy and just ask them, not even mentioning that its early and just see what they say. And if they mention its early. Sheet I don't know what to say.

[Piper]

@Mickle1 I'm fairly new here too and unfortunately don't have access to any of
those overnight emailers. I think soliciting one is a no no also. If you happen to get
PMed by an Honorable or Eminent Member that's a different story. The quickest I
know of would be at least 4 days, and that's if everybody's on their game. My last
order didn't go down that way.
Try the pharmacy, see what happens and then PLEASE get medical attention. We
care!!!

BTW If you put the @ symbol before the name of the person you want to post to
they will be alerted and be able to come back to the thread.

[Molecular]

I feel for you. Went through something similiar myself recently. For a couple weeks. I ended up getting a list of psychiatrists and calling a lot of them. Was able to get one who would see me that night and I explained the situation. He ended up prescribing a month supply. I agree with the advice to call and find out if there is another doctor who is covering for your regular one. I would not call the pharmacy. They will not fill it that early. Personally, I have never used an SY and I am not a senior member. I do know of some, though. Read and search different areas of this site.

[miffytherabbit]

hey piper I do believe I can recieve pm's i just can't Respond back. I think that I will call the pharmacy and just ask them, not even mentioning that its early and just see what they say. And if they mention its early. Sheet I don't know what to say.

@Mickle1

What ever you do, PLEASE do not suddenly cease medication from this drug. Xanax in particular has such a short half-life that within a day it will have completely washed out of your system, leaving it incredibly vulnerable.

If you have been taking 4mg of Xanax day for several years, which is the the equivalent of 80mg of Diazepam, you are way above the safety "watermark" and you are at an extremely high risk of life-threatening seizures if you stop Xanax suddenly, taking your dose, length of time on the drug and circumstances into account. Not only that, but you will experience intolerable psychiatric side effects, such as uncontrollable anxiety, panic, anguish, fear.

If you are going to run out soon, please, please get some professional help, go the ER, a doctor or any clinician who can help you. They will not allow you to be without a drug on which your body is physically dependent.

Miffyrabbit. ^_^

[Mickle1]

@miffytherabbit yeah I know bud, I've been through the withdrawals before its no fun, unctrollable shaking and fear was the worst. I boghtt a six pack of beer to make me feel at ease but I know tommorow, my anxiety is going to be a hundred times worse.

@Piper thanks man haha. I really hope my package arrives tommorrow. I ordered on the
2nd so I hope it shows up, I will be extremely relieved.