Will Xanax help if you have depression and anxiety? Will it make your depression worse? There are so many questions you need to clear up before you make a decision. If anxiety drives you crazy, we hope this article will help you to feel normal again.
What is Xanax? How does it work?
Xanax belongs to a group of medicines known as benzodiazepines. This drug affects your brains. It works with chemicals that are responsible for the feeling of anxiety. Xanax is prescribed for patients with panic disorders, depressions and anxiety disorders.
This drug is a fast acting. It helps people to calm down, relieves them from a panic attack or the feeling of severe anxiety. Xanax returns disorders under control. Some patients say that Xanax doesn’t take panics away for a long period of time. Sometimes this medication even carries with it a risk of dependency. This fact should be discussed with your physician.
Dosage
Xanax should be taken exactly as it is prescribed to a patient. Larger amounts of medicine and long-term treatment can be unhealthy. Keep in mind that Xanax can be a habit-forming drug. That is why you must be checked by your doctor once in a while to make sure you get the best results from Xanax without side effects.

Side Effects
Xanax pills can cause allergic reactions, hives, breathing problems, the swelling of the face, tongue or throat.
Xanax might lead to severe side effects (no fear of danger, hallucinations, yellow skin, tremors, urine absence, fainting, depression, thought of suicide, convulsions, etc.) or less serious side effects (the feelings of dizziness, frustration, amnesia, sleeplessness, lack of coordination, increased sweating, changes in appetite or weight, lack of sex interest, etc.).
Other side affects can also occur. If you suffer from Xanax side effects, you can call your physician or to FDA (1-800-FDA-1088).
Fighting Depression
Xanax isn’t classified as an antidepressant; still it reduces symptoms of depression. At the same time these tablets can cause negative mood changes, for example, lethargy. Xanax’s effect on each patient is unpredictable.

The studies show that Xanax can be very effective for users who have an overlying anxiety. Alternatively, this drug has increased or created depression for other patients. This is the result of Xanax’s tranquilizing effects.

True antidepressants work much better helping to reduce depression. Many physicians suggest their patients to try SSRI (selective serotonin reuptake inhibitor).

Xanax’s effects have a quick action. This drug is approved for about two months use at a time. As for SSRI, its action is not as fast, but this medicine alters moods for a longer period of time.

Get a Second Opinion

Unlike real antidepressants, Xanax might cause dangerous withdrawal symptoms. If your physician prescribes you Xanax for depression and you are not sure about this decision, talk to other specialists (doctors, pharmacists, nurses) to get a second opinion. Discuss all the warning, detailed side effects, health conditions required for Xanax treatment, dosage recommendations (in case of overdose Xanax can cause coma), and drug integrations. Only when you get all the necessary information, analyze it and make your decision.

If your depression is real, Xanax might not be a good idea for you.

Antidepressants are used in unconventional weight loss treatments by people, who failed to succeed in traditional ways of losing weight. Anti-depressant drugs are among the new tools used in weight loss programs. The drugs, which prevent seizures, although have not yet been approved by the FDA for use in weight loss programs, are used by many doctors to help their overweight patients.

But the fact that such drugs have not yet been approved by FDA for weight loss is not the only problem with their use. When you decide to chose using antidepressants for weight loss, you have to remember that drugs, such as Adderal (used for treatment of attention deficit disorder), Wellbutrin (used for treatment of depressions) or Topamax (used for treatment of migraines and seizures), usually give serious side effects. Such drugs can sometimes cause insomnia, heart problems, aggression, fatigue, and hyperventilation. Some of such drugs can even cause increase in suicidal attempts.

Antidepressants help people control their food cravings, thus help reduce weight in obese patients, as weight loss is a very common side effect of many of these drugs. Such drugs are especially effective, when combined with a healthy nutrition diet and physical exercises. But the main disadvantage of the use of such pills, is that many people use them simply because they don’t want to lose weight in a regular way, by eating healthier food and exercising. Such drugs are available for purchase on the internet, so in many cases you do not even need to consult your doctor to purchase them, but this way you can pick a wrong dose or combine the drug with other medications, which might be not allowed.

I do not advice you to do this treatment yourself. If you want to exercise off-label use of some medicine, consult with your doctor first. He should be informed about other drugs you are taking and about the results you want to achieve from this medication. Self-treatment in the case of using anti-depressants for weight loss is not a very good idea, as it can do more harm than good to your health.

You should also be aware that there are lots of antidepressants, which actually will make you gain weight, not lose it. Among them are: tricyclic antidepressants, MAO inhibitors, Remeron and some other. But antidepressants, which involve selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors and Wellbutrin are likely to cause weight loss. It is unknown, how antidepressants cause weight gain, but it can be caused by certain affect of metabolism and appetite.

If you are choosing the right antidepressant for weight loss, first consult your doctor. The first medication, which you should consider is bupropion, which works for weight loss with limited side effects, but also gives insignificant weight loss. If you require more serious and visible results, ask your doctor about Adderall or Dexedrine, which is often prescribed for loosing weight (traditionally used for treatment of deficit disorders), but it should be used with cautions, as the medication is highly addictive. Another option is antidepressants, which increase metabolism, like dopaminergic antidepressants, such as pramipexole, selegiline and other. Such medications influence the functions of thyroid, thus reduce the prolactin levels, which help increase metabolism. If you want a medication, which will help you reduce the cravings, Reboxetine might be your choice, as this medicine increases the norepinephrine levels, which reduce appetite. SSRI medications are not the best choice for antidepressant weight loss. Do not try such medications as Prozac, Paroxetine or Lexapro, as they will only make you gain more weight.

If you decide to use antidepressants for weight loss, don’t forget to combine this kind of treatment with healthy nutrition diet and regular physical exercising. We recommend you to consult your doctor and not start managing your overweight with antidepressants without his advice.