Working with Your Physician
Before taking any medication, make sure you are fully aware of all the potential side effects and limitations of any drug you are prescribed, and xanax particularly. It is your physician’s responsibility to (1) obtain a complete history of your symptoms, (2) inform you of your diagnosis as well as the possible side effects and limitations for any drug you are asked to take, and (3) obtain your written informed consent to try out a medication.
As added protection, look up the prescription of a medication you’re considering in the Physicians’ Desk Reference (PDR). Your physician probably has a copy in the office, or you can look up the drug in the reference section of your library or search for the particular drug online.
Your responsibility is to fully inform your physician about any other drugs or supplements you are currently taking. Withholding information could lead to being prescribed a drug that interacts in a dangerous way with what you are already taking. It’s also impor- . tant to tell your physician about any allergic reactions to drugs you’ve had, if you are pregnant, and if you are taking any over-thecounter medications or herbs.
Once you’ve exchanged this important information both of you will be fully informed, and you can make a mutual decision about whether taking a particular medication is in your best interest. If your current physician is unwilling to take this kind of collaborative approach, I strongly urge you to find another doctor-one who will. (See post 12 for more information.)
While anti-anxiety drugs may work well for you, use them safely by
• Educate yourself about Xanax
• always asking to take the smallest dose that achieves the prescribed effect
• never taking more than is prescribed
• asking for drug literature from your pharmacist and reading and heeding it
• reevaluating their use periodically by asking your healthcare practitioner for a liver function or other type of test to determine negative side effects when you’ve been on the drug for more than six months
• never changing dosages or stopping a drug without gradually weaning yourself off it; always work even more closely with your health-care practitioner in this case.
