How do you get a prescription for Xanax from your doctor?

Answer 1

tell your doctor you have bad panic and anxiety attacks- including shaking hands, random sweats for whatever reason...say your very consious of your looks and your have a pimple or something. very easy to get prescribed

Answer 2

If you think you need this anti-anxiety medicine, you describe your symptoms to your health care professional and they will determine what, if any, medications would be best to treat your individual symptoms. Counseling can be more effective than medications for some situations and people.
I am adding a concern here due to the comments at the end of this entry. Xanax (along with all benzodiazepams) is a highly addictive drug that you should be very careful with. Obviously, if you truly suffer from severe anxiety or a panic disorder, you need to seek medical advice to get a prescription from your physican. I am not sure if you are asking what kind of doctor can prescribe the drug, but any licensed practitioner can write you the prescription, including your family doctor.

If you are asking what symptoms you must display in order to be prescribed xanax, a diagnosis must first be made that would require an anti-anxiety med, which is what Xanax is. Physicians use specific criteria to determine mental disorders, and there are several anxiety disorders that fit that bill. Just for the record, a panic attack itself is not a codable disorder, and although it is clinically associated with different mental disorders, it in itself is not enough to get a prescription. It is kindof a sub-disorder to other anxiety disorders, if you will.

So....there are several anxiety disorders (either with or without panic disorder), which include Agoraphobia, Specific Phobia Disorder, Social Phobia, OCD, Posttraumatic Stress Syndrome, Acute Stress Disorder, Generalized Anxiety Disorder, Anxiety Disorders due to medical conditions, Substance Abuse Disorder, and a catch all category called Anxiety Disorder Not Otherwise Specified.

So what qualifies a person to be diagnosed with an anxiety disorder? I would suggest you get a copy of a DSM-IV-TR because each of the disorders I mentioned above have different symptoms and different criteria. For example, if a person claims to have panic attacks because they wake up in the middle of the night terrified, that is not enough to be diagnosed as a panic attack. Instead, diagnosis criteria says that person must have a minimum of four (4) symptoms out of 13 listed -- palpations, sweating, trembling, sensations of shortness of breath, feeling of choking, chest pain, nausea/abdominal distress, derealization, dizziness/lightheadedness, fear of going crazy, fear of dying, numbness/tingling, chills/hot flashes. If you don't exhibit at least 4 of those symptoms, you will not be diagnosed with panic attacks. Although the criteria are different for the anxiety disorders, that should give you the idea. Agoraphobia has its own set of criteria in addition to those listed above for panic disorder, but can also be diagnosed without the panic attacks with 3 criteria. Regardless of which anxiety disorder you are talking about, there is never just one simple problem allowing for a prescription -- there are at least 3-4 different problems that must be present in order to PROPERLY be diagnosed and medicated.

With that said, I would like to caution you with regard to this med because it is abused and people tend to minimize the dangers involved, as well as the likelihood of dependence (as evidenced by the author at the end of this page).

If you do end up taking the med, I would like you to know that there are many drug interactions with Xanax, but specifically, stay away from other benzodiazepams, antidepressants, antihistamines, and definitely stay away from alcohol and caffeine. Also, cigarettes and contraceptives reduce the effect of the drug. If you take herbal remedies, make sure you stay away from kava kava, valerian, and chamomile because they all can increase CNS depression. This drug can be transferred to the placenta/fetus, and passes through breast milk, and because it is a highly addictive drug, the baby can become addicted as well.

Finally, side effects. Please note that the major side effects of Xanax are depression, confusion, dizziness, drowsiness, lethargy, headache and hangover.

Just be careful and thoughtful of the long term effects this drug (or any) will have on your body. No drug, no matter how good, is without side effects.

While Xanax can help with anxiety issues, you need to realize that it can also be addictive. Better yet would be to go through some talk therapy with a licensed mental health counselor to see if you can identify what triggers your anxiety. My physician did give me a limited prescription to use in those instances when I could not work through the anxiety. The initial prescription in 2006 was for 20/2mg tablets and I still have about 16 left. A properly prescribed anti-depressant can also help alleviate some levels of anxiety so I would recommend that you start there.

List symptoms to your doctor of panic attacks or panic disorder. blah, blah also explain extreme pressures at work and home.

This is quite easy to do.

I had no trouble getting prescribed to them AND persuading them to up my dosage 4 times. Then again, I actually NEEDED them at the time for my Anxiety and Acute Panic disorder, but its not really that hard to fake if you're convinced that getting it will somehow make your life better. If you don't get Xanax, you may be presribed to something just about as good like Klonopin, Valium, or Ativan

Most doctors are idots. Don't let them fool you with their big words and fancy schmancy certificates and stuff on the walls of their office. Their just people. They wanna figure out whats wrong with you and what you need to be happy. Their looking mostly for key words youuse when describing your symptoms and physical tendencies as you talk to them. Act a little. If Lindsay Lohan can do it, so can you! Imagine you actually DO need them.

YOUR GOAL IS TO CONVINCE YOUR DOCTOR THAT YOU PANIC OR FREAK OUT EVERY DAY ABOUT NORMAL STUFF THAT MOST NORMAL HEALTHY PEOPLE DO NOT PANIC ABOUT!

KEY WORDS AND THEMES TO MENTION TO YOUR PSCH OR WHOEVER PRESCRIBES YOUR MEDS...

- I'm so anxious and worried all the time!

- I just get SO stressed out about everything that going on in my life!

(and then list at least 2 SPECIFC EXAMPLES, like work or school or driving, normal people stuff that people don't normally freak about about)

- I panic all the time and get scared for no reason

- When I panic or worry, my heart beats really fast, I feel numb or like I'm being suffocated, my mouth gets dry, etc.

- I think about dying a lot and I panic

- My anxiety keeps me from functioning every day at work etc.

- I can't sleep at night because I'm so anxious

The most direct way to ask for Xanax? ASK FOR XANAX!!! Or at least suggest it, say a friend you know uses it and it seems to work, etc.

First off, doctors are not idiots about this kind of thing. Any idiot can go in there and say the stuff listed above, and many try. In school they teach you to look for signs that someone just wants the drug to misuse it. One of these way is to tell the doctor that you want a specific drug when you go in for your first visit without the doctor diagnosing you. This is due to the fact that you have diagnosed yourself with a disorder in order to get prescribed a powerful drug.

the 2nd paragraph of the 1st answer states that xanax is an antidepressant...this is incorrect...XANAX IS A SCHEDULE IV (controlled substance) BENZODIAZEPINE (drug class) FOR ANXIETY. this is a SERIOUS drug & should not be taken unless absolutely needed. IT IS ADDICTING. as an RN, i have witnessed many patients (who have not given an accurate drug history) suffer through withdrawal symptoms-& they are NOT pleasant!

** You are correct about my 2nd paragraph...simple typo and I corrected...it is NOT an anti-depressant!! It is an anxiolytic. :-) thanks!!

Answer 3

Tell your doctor you have really bad anxiety and trouble sleeping

Answer 4

What syptoms would require the use of xanax

Answer 5

Xanax are prescribed for Panic disorder or panic attacks.

Answer 6

the way you can get xanax prescribed is if you have an anxiety problem

Answer 7

A pyschatrist or other doctor.

Answer 8

IF you have anxiety