I found out my 90-year-old father has been taking Xanax when he's feeling anxious, which seems to occur more and more lately. The problem is, he's driving after taking it. One day this week, he drove over to pick me up and I noticed he acted like he was in slowwwwwwww motion and he would slur his speech. I warned him that an accident of any kind, his fault or not, was sure to bring scrutiny. Police and potential plaintiffs most times assume that all 90 year olds are on a tons of medications. I told him that he should call me to drive him, or, talk to his doctor about an alternative medication that will help him with anxiety and depression, but still be OK to drive. He is pretty healthy for his age and takes a small dose of blood pressure medication and something for cholesterol. He isn't diabetic, but has tendencies which he controls with a good diet. He has never smoked or used alcohol. Is there a medication we should look into? Thanks all!
I'm not a med pro but I agree. There are so many other options that could help without the sedating side effects. He's 90? Might be time to switch doctors... just a thought.
Some members on here say a small amount of a benzodiazepine (Xanax's class of meds) called Ativan in time of severe anxiety is helpful and doesn't make them too "out of it." I sometimes take a small amount of my Valium and feel fine to drive. It's my opinion that docs can commonly prescribe too high of a dose than is needed to just deal with the anxiety, and it's more like you're taking a sedative, not an anxiety-reliever. There's a difference.
Does he take Xanax every day and for how long and what dose? That information can help you figure out how to help him slowly transition to SSRIs. Some people still take the benzos along with SSRIs but only take them at bedtime due to sedating effect. That may be another option -- where he can continue to take a dose of the Xanax at bedtime but rely on SSRIs for anxiety relief during the rest of the time.
Does he see a geriatrician? Doctors who specialize in older people tend to be up-to-date on how older bodies respond to different drugs. You and Dad need to discuss this with a doctor. I just found a list of 71 anti-anxiety medications! Keep in mind that if one doesn't work, or has undesirable side effects (like becoming sleepy) the doctor can try another one. What works extremely well for some people doesn't work at all for others.