Jack,

Thanks for the info, and the reassurance. I only take my anxiety meds at night time, they help me to find my "off switch," since this is when I have the tendency to overanalyze things to the point to where I can't get to sleep at all. If I did manage to fall asleep, I would wake up having panic attacks, weird, irrational thoughts would creep into my head (I'd have feelings that something horrible had just happened to someone in my family or to one of my friends) and I wouldn't be able to get back to sleep. This was something that I suffered with for years before I even knew what was wrong with me.

But most of the time, I wouldn't even get to the point to where I could fall asleep, because that's when the "I wonder why, I wonder if, why can't I, why are things this way, etc." questions would start and after that, no sleep for me. I just chalked it up to me being a worrywart and tried OTC sleeping pills, but nothing seemed to be effective for what was going on with me.

It's almost as if the stress that occurs during the day hits me all at once as soon as I try to get some sleep. It's something that I've never been able to explain, but after I started experiencing panic attacks during the day, the doctor that I was seeing at the time prescribed me Xanax, with the directions to take one in the morning and one at night.

At the time, I was working with children, so dosing myself in the morning wasn't an option, plus, as you pointed out, there's no way that I could drive a vehicle while taking it. So I was just sticking with my nightly dose and the effects from the meds lasted long enough into the next day to where I stopped having panic attacks during the day and also getting a good night's sleep.

Now, since my recent aggravated injury and relying on hydro for pain (which I take in the morning and thankfully don't have the drowsy side effects from taking it), I was afraid of taking my Xanax at night because I didn't want any unwanted or potentially dangerous side effects. I don't take the hydro every day.

Like I said earlier, it's like my "last resort" option for pain, and since I've been taking Xanax for about 4 years now, I know the dangers of what could happen if I suddenly stop taking it at all, but I haven't had any really horrible side effects from not taking it other than not being able to get to sleep at night and the panic attack I mentioned earlier.

I've heard horror stories about people taking seizures, hallucinations and twitching. All that happens to me if I don't take it is that I can't sleep and my anxiety & panic disorders aren't under control.

Since I don't have med insurance, I really don't have a doctor to talk about these things with, other than the doctor that 2 of my sisters work for, but I haven't mentioned the fact that I'm still taking Xanax or started taking hydro to any of them because if it were up to him, I'd be on Zoloft (which I've been on before and doesn't work for my anxiety & panic at all) and a non opiate painkiller for my back condition (which would be fine with me, if any of them actually worked!!).

That's why I pay an arm and a leg for meds through OP's, but it's good to know that it's OK to take them both, since your doc has told you that it isn't dangerous to do as long as you're not going to operate a vehicle (which I would never do, anyway).

Sorry for the rambling, and thanks for the info/advice. It puts my mind at ease, believe me, but I'm still going to do some research about it on the net, which is something that I probably should have done a long time ago, considering that I've probably caused myself some unnecessary pain & anxiety by worrying about taking them the same day.

Thanks & Take Care

,

Eeyore