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Dr. Andrew Rynne
MD
Dr. Andrew Rynne

Family Physician

Exp 50 years

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Is Taking Xanax Advisable For Panic Attack While On Sertraline?

Hi, I had two or three glasses of wine and stopped drinking at around 10:30 PM (it is now around 2:30 AM). I am on Sertraline daily (low dosage, between 50 mg and 100 mg), and for some reason, am still having a panic attack right now. I am thinking about taking .5 mg of xanax (which I very rarely take -- only 4 times in my life and I am 25) but I want to make sure that doing so will not mix the benzo with the alcohol in an adverse manner. Please let me know how to proceed! Thanks! Kate
Tue, 25 Oct 2016
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General & Family Physician,  's  Response
Hi Kate,

I understand your predicament, as we usually advise you not to mix the Xanax with alcohol. The four-hour gap from the last alcohol makes it quite safe for you to take the Xanax. However if you are still wary, since you do not take the Xanax often, you might want to consider reducing the dose even further, some of my patients do well with just 0.25 mg. You can always top up another 0.25 mg again if you feel that it hasn't worked maybe after an hour or so.

Hope this helps, and all the best to you.

Regards,
Dr. Teh
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Is Taking Xanax Advisable For Panic Attack While On Sertraline?

Hi Kate, I understand your predicament, as we usually advise you not to mix the Xanax with alcohol. The four-hour gap from the last alcohol makes it quite safe for you to take the Xanax. However if you are still wary, since you do not take the Xanax often, you might want to consider reducing the dose even further, some of my patients do well with just 0.25 mg. You can always top up another 0.25 mg again if you feel that it hasn t worked maybe after an hour or so. Hope this helps, and all the best to you. Regards, Dr. Teh