I was diagnosed with clinical depression. I was prescribed xanax by a psychiatrist. I overdosed on the medication the more I took the more depressed I felt my doctor n ever told me of this side effect. I went back told him of the overdose after getting out of the hospital. He prescribed again xanax. after a couple of sessions he gave me a 3 month supply 320 pills. I went through an episode started taking close to 14 pills a day. I had no more after a month and was feeling very ill. He would not take any of my calls. Six calls to be exact. Finally I threatened lawsuit he called back after 2 minutes yelling at me though I was very suicidal at the time becasue of how many pills I had taken. I went to the emergency room. Later spoke to him again. Went in he gave me a satandard supply one month. Now justy a few months later he has given me 320 pills again to whic I have become abusive once again. I wouldlike to know is this standard practice completely my fault or is he liable at all becasue I now have 320 xanax which I am exceeding the dosage again and very confused as to what i should do. Any help would be appreciated.

It may be wise to have your specific factual situation analyzed by an attorney in your jurisdiction. And you should have this done IMMEDIATELY so that you don't lose important rights. Many lawyers offer a free or low-cost initial consultation just for the purpose of determining whether they can help you. Don't be afraid to contact them. Our Lead Counsel Panels at http://www.lawinfo.com/law/ are a great way to find a lawyer in your area on the internet. Best of luck!

I certainly agree you need to consult a medical malpractice attorney in your state. "I overdosed on the medication the more I took the more depressed I felt my doctor n ever told me of this side effect. " I believe every prescription filled is required by law to include an information sheet for the patient listing side effects. However keep under consideration that the fact that because you did not take the prescription exactly as ordered it is likely you bear responsibility. I note you have been accepting this treatment for several months; what is to prevent you from obtaining another medical opinion? I suggest that you consult another psychiatrist since you feel you are not obtaining appropriate treatment from your present psychiatrist. I believe also that before you can claim malpractice has occurred you must have proof of injury--usually serious in nature due to the high cost of pursuing this type of litigation.

Please be careful. Xanax has ruined my life.

Please read a brief synopsis of my story.

Please decide if you are in danger or not, and/or decide if you should file a lawsuit. I have been told I should file a Class Action lawsuit, as well as a medical malpractice lawsuit. Frankly, I have been too depressed and anxiety ridden to pursue any legal action at all.

My story:

In the early 90s, due to some probable divorce related depression and anxiety, my Medical Doctor prescribed Xanax. I took Xanax only as prescribed, never more, sometimes even less.

I was kept on that ever increasing Xanax prescription for years and years. My anxiety continued to grow, and my Doctor advised me to "have a glass or two of wine" if I was heading for a panic attack.

I became more and more anxious, until I finally suffed a complete "breakdown" in March of this year (2007). I tried to kill myself, and was hauled away to a Los Angeles psych-ward by ambulance, for an unusually long 10 days, sleeping on a rubber pad on the cold floor.

Then, my well meaning girl-friend reached out to some 12-step friends, who naturally thought I was addicted, so I was sent to 40+ days of un-needed re-hab. My girlfriend, my soulmate, the one true love of my life, broke up with me while I was "inside". I lost business clients and many business opportunities and have not recovered careerwise. It doesn't seem that I will recover. My next loss may well be my home, which I can no longer afford to pay for.

After my breakdown, I was told over and over that one of the side effects of long term Xanax use is increased anxiety! This seems to be common knowledge among my many Therapists, Psychiatrists and even the Xanax addictics, but my Doctor never mentioned it.

Does anyone have a helpful opinion??

I thought it was prescribed to TREAT anxiety
Is it a matter of tolerance, and needing Xanax in order to avoid anxiety?
A glass or two of wine really might be better than Xanax.
But probably not more than that

i have heard of xanax overdoses, especially when they are mixed with alcohol. i think you need to contact a lawyer for a lawsuit for drug overdose. gene book and phyllis lile-king in North Carolina handle overdose lawsuits like oxycontin overdose and methadone overdose. they might handle xanax overdose too. take a look at www.methadonelaw.com . there is also a lawyer in florida who handles these.

frank

I just had a relative (in-law) die from Xanax overdose, wondering if we have any avenues for recourse in the US? My relative lived in a 'third-world' country and had self-prescribed Xanax several (?) months ago. Her depression/anxiety got worse and she spiraled out of control. She had 1yr old and 10yr old daughters, but she purposefully overdosed on Xanax ... She had been spiralling downward for some time, but nobody in her circle understood what was going on. She would pass out while walking down the stairs, or sitting in church - I mean pass out for an hour or more at the most illogical (and dangerous) times. She was found some hours after her last overdose, and went on to linger in an ICU for a few months. But her health just continued to deteriorate throughout her hospital stay.

The legal system in that country is a complete farce, so no point to pursue it there. Xanax is available over the counter there - the pharmacies will even deliver to your door - like pizza delivery! Her eldest daughter is an American citizen. If anyone can recommend a US lawyer or actionable advice, it is most welcome.

You can find an attorney through the locator service on LawInfo’s home page at: http://www.lawinfo.com/.

I've been taking it for years, I was deluded into thinking it was making things better primarily using to get sleep and to have it on hand when my dog died. My boyfriend had been insisting that it changed my personality. I refused to accept that. Although there were missing memory periods sleep eating. The hostility I missed until it became violence (against objects not people) The night she died when we came home I threw an iron planter through his windshield and I couldn't believe I did it either but he has left me. I got a prescription of 15 on the first and I finally quit using them and assure him that I'd only used one, then went and counted them and there were 8 left. I quit them because I found this description of side effects;
The major concern about alprazolam has been the so-called "idiosyncratic reaction". People taking alprazolam can become disinhibited, violent or have marked personality changes. So I had taken more because, I thought it could help me with the anxiety of the relationship loss when it has possibly destroyed the relationship. I'm not a violent person but I had moments of unexplainable rage and delusions BECAUSE of it.