"i am about to turn 50 and my life of anxiety has been a recent and unpleasant downward spiral. i ended up in the emergency room twice with soaring blood pressure, flushing and heart palpitations plus overwhelming feelings of panic. i live daily with either anxiety or small panic attacks, they are debilitating and have affected my ability to continue work on my degree. after my last er visit a doc felt i was having panic attacks and directed me to seek help at a mental health clinic. i&#039;ve tried several anti-depressants and i have not tolerated them well. xanax (0.5 mg) has gotten me through many a day and night and i prefer this medication over all the others. it decreases the anxiety very quickly and helps to maintain a sense of normality."