Generic Xanax Generates Anxiety

I would like to add that anyone who has such a reaction to a so-called generic equivalent should report it to the FDA. https://www.accessdata.fda.gov/scripts/medwatch/medwatch-online.htm

When the Doctor prescribed alprozolam for me, I saw absolutely no change in my condition. After taking two refills, I quit instead of wasting my money. "Generics" is a good concept, if only it would work. Personally I truly believe the FDA and health insurer providers are co-conspirators in scam operation.

You want to ask your pharmacy which manufacturer of alprazolam they use. Stay away from that manufacturer! Ask them to either get another manufacturer or switch to a pharmacy who dispenses from another manufacturer. It's worth a try to use another brand, and might save a lot of money in the long run between costs of generic and brand-name. I think you would notice if the other manufacturer is or is not working for you right away...

I did work at a pharmacy tech, and am on alprazolam also. Some other meds I had did not work in generic form until my pharmacy got in other manufacturers. I've been there!

I experienced a severe depression early this year after discovering my only sister had Alzheimer's disease.

My doctor started me on the generic for Xanax, Alprazolam------starting with 0.25 mg, four times a day, and decreasing to 0.25mg twice a day in a matter of 10 days.
I have been on alprazolam now for three months, AND I AM FEELING FINE. No problems at all.

I plan on staying on the drug as long as I need (or longer) because I am now back to my old self--------all my activities------driving everywhere------able to laugh and have fun.

I have been taking generic Xanax for many years as needed, starting with the brand and later the generic. It is just recently that I have noticed that it is much less effective. I was glad go read the above article because I thought I was losing my mind. I have decided to transfer my Rx to a pharmacy that uses a different manufacturer to see if there is a difference.

I believe there are some serious differences in the manufacture of generic meds. My insurance company also charges an astronomical amount for the brand Xanax. My prescription is from Walgreen and is make by Purepac. They say they have been using this manufacturer for some time but that they had just merged with another company. Maybe it was an error in the "batch" but it is extremely important that all processed meds meet exact quality standards.

It never hurts to try a change to see if it works.

I only take Xanax occasionally to help me through difficult times (the death of my husband, cancer diagnosis and the like). I also was given the generic and instead of reducing my anxiety, I felt like crawling the walls. As someone else reported, a lot has to do with the manufacturer that the pharmacy used.

I was surprised to learn that CVS uses a different manufacturer every 3 months, always shopping for the best price for their purchases, whereas Wal-Mart and Walgreens have consistently used the same manufacturer for years. The same held true with my script for Atenolol, which I have been taking for 10 years.

I switched to CVS because of a promotion they had going and shortly thereafter developed 18 freckle/mole-like looking spots in my right arm pit. A biopsy showed that I was reacting to some med I was taking. My doctor told me to switch pharmacies but to call around to see who was buying from what company. That is when I learned what CVS was doing. I switched back to Wal-Mart and thank God, the spots disappeared after a few months. I also switched my Xanax script. The FDA in this country is a joke. You have to look out for yourself and ask a lot of questions!

As a Board Certified R.N., licensed in 7 States, now disabled and retired I have taken Alprazolam for more than 5 years. It is extremely helpful to me both for anxiety and to help me get to sleep. I didn't realize that I had an anxiety issue but did have moderate depression. My doc said she couldn't give me any thing more for depression and so I asked "what about something for anxiety?"

She prescribed Alprazolam and it has been just what I have needed for most of my life. I have no complications with it and find it helpful for a variety of life challenges. I could not recommend it more highly.

My doctor just switch me from Alprazolam to clonazepam--- for me it is wayyyy better--- last longer and no up & down feelings.

A couple points here. Drugs for panic attacks only LESSEN occurrences! Get some sort of counseling for true relief. I'm not going to tell you that it is easy. Taking a pill is easier. But for all the years I've been in and out of counseling, I've become overall more comfortable with myself and situations. I actually was able to realize I was having an anxiety attack (I've also had panic attacks) but I was able to say 'Whoa!' Much better.

ANY MENTAL disease is both biochemical AND environmental. Drugs do the first, counseling helps the second. Get them both somehow. Find a counselor you can afford and you are comfortable with.

Number two: Generics are proven to be equivalent to name brand drug if the parameters of the drug, absorption, maximum concentration and elimination are with --- 80% --- of the original. I used to do this kind of work (Great Boss! and, I will add, a very devout and kind Muslim). So perhaps you need 20% more of this drug. Some generics really don't work as well for some people, under certain conditions or by the whims of fate. The insurance companies have us by the short hairs by refusing to let us even have the brand name. Look around for alternatives, if possible. The group of drugs Xanax belongs to is VERY addictive.

Oh. Also believe wholeheartedly that the drug will work and you can over come this. I know you can.

I have problems with certain manufacturers of generic Xanax also. I take a VERY VERY low dose of Xanax as needed for anxiety, to give you an example of how little I use it, it took me over a year to use 60 .25mg tabs, and that's including the fact that I have to share with my cat sometimes (the vet told me to give her .125-.25mg for the long car rides between home and college, she offered to give me a prescription for the cat, but I figured why bother when I take the exact same dose).

I had always done fine with anywhere from .125-.5mg depending on the severity; most of the time I would take between .125-.25mg for my occasional small anxiety attacks, .375mg for my occasional-rare medium anxiety attacks, and .5mg for the very VERY rare intense anxiety attack. The frequency of my attacks tends to cycle somewhat, I think it correlates to either a manic, hypomanic, or mixed episode of my bipolar, which is controlled for the most part, but I still have the occasional episode. I'm generally pretty good about knowing how much I need to take, to take the edge off of the anxiety, it's all dependent on the level of my anxiety. If I took .5 on a day where I was having a very mild anxiety attack, I would be sleepy and feel drugged. However, if I was pretty much having a panic attack and took .5 it would take the edge off and allow me to relax long enough to try and get my anxiety under control using some CBT techniques I have been taught.

Well, I was in one of those cycles where my anxiety was bothering me a fair amount. So, I took .25 figuring that should take care of it. After an hour, I felt no improvement, Xanax is supposed to be a fast acting medication, I normally notice significant improvement after 20 mins, 30 mins max. This time, nothing after an hour, so I took .125 more, hour later, still no change so I took .125 more, I now had a total of .5mg in my body and was not really getting any relief. I tried my therapy stuff, but it just wasn't cutting it, so I broke down and took .25 more because I was at my wit's end, for a grand total of .75mg....that was the dose that finally cut if for a mild to maybe medium level anxiety attack. I've taken .75mg or higher like a total of 3 times in my life and each time it was because my anxiety had gone through the roof and around the block due to being already in a state of anxiety from just whatever when I was confronted with an extreme triggering event.

Anyways, I thought it was weird that I had to take that much, but I just thought that maybe my anxiety was worse than I thought it had been. However, a few days later when I had another mild attack, I ended up having to take .5mg. After a few more episodes of just feeling like my usual previous dose wasn't cutting it, I mentioned the problem to my mom who is an ARNP.

She casually asked me if the pills in this bottle looked any different than the previous bottles. I then realized that yeah, the pill was different, it didn't even split nicely, it crumbled slightly, when it's meant to be scored for easy splitting. Well, she called our pharmacy to find out if they had changed their manufacturer recently. They said yes. So when my mom told me this, I began to do some research online into the different generic manufacturers of Xanax.

I found that most people reported very high levels of success with Greenstone, and said that the one my pharmacy had just switched to was horrible. I looked into Greenstone a little more and realized why people reported absolutely no difference between it and the brand, Greenstone is a subsidiary company of Pfizer, the brand manufacturer of Xanax, it is what I think they call an authorized generic. My guess would be that Greenstone has the exact same composition as the brand, or is closer than any other company would be able to get.

So, I found a pharmacy that carried Greenstone. That was the 60 tab bottle that I had that lasted for over a year. Now, the pharmacy I got it from has stopped carrying Greenstone. I'm back to the search for a pharmacy that carries this elusive generic, or see how much the brand would cost with my insurance.

Some people may say that I should just get the cheaper generic and take a higher dose, but my mother and my PCP said that although I need more for it to be effective, we can't know for sure that I won't experience any withdrawals or other negative side effects from taking over .5mg for mild anxiety attacks that used to be cured by .125mg, and considering sometimes when I'm in a manic episode, I'll have a week where I need that low dose of normally .125mg 3-4 nights in a row and can stop after the 4th night when I no longer need it with no withdrawal symptoms, but .5mg 3-4 nights in a row could cause withdrawals if I didn't taper the med. Therefore, I would need more medication more often, something I don't want.

I already get looked at funny by the PA's at the school health center and any specialist I go see, when I tell them I take Xanax, even after I tell them that it took me 15 mo to go through ~50 .25mg tabs (60 minus the ~10 I shared with the cat), they look at me like I'm an addict or I must have drug seeking tendencies.

Greenstone LLC, is now the generic pharmaceutical subsidiary of Pfizer Inc.
Xanax brand is from Pharmacia & Upjohn Co.

Here in Tampa most if not all of the Eckherd Drug Stores have been bought by CVS.
I called CVS locally and they tell me they carry the Greenstone brand, Alprazolam.
My insurance no longer covers Xanax and I am forced to go generic.

The price is 10 times higher for the brand name.
I take 1Mg pills and they are about 27.00 for 90 and the brand names are about 270.00

I too feel that the generics are just not as potent or is it because I have been on them for so long.
About 6 years since a head injury causes insomnia. Now I need two to have a good nights sleep.
Even if shopping at CVS its a good idea to ask who made the Alprazolam so you will know.
Many druggists will order the brand you ask for.

I recently switched pharmacies for my generic Xanax. After this bottle I'm switching back. The manufacturer of the generic Xanax 0.50 from Walgreens doesn't work for me. It dissolves so fast that I end up swallowing most of it. That's why it is not as effective. And I just started a new job! Bad timing. My anxiety is out of control and and I am hating life.