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Comedian & Actress Sarah Silverman was on 12 Xanax a day as a teenager


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According to this story, Sarah Silverman was taking over a dozen Xanax a day when she was a teenager.  I would love to know how she got off them, because at my worst I was taking about three .5 mg of Xanax a day.  She was put on Xanax at 13 and the psychiatrist who prescribed it ultimately wound up hanging himself.  Here is a link to the article: https://nypost.com/2019/10/10/sarah-silverman-i-took-16-xanax-a-day-as-a-teen/

 

It references a half hour documentary,  "Laughing Matters | The Funny Business of Being Sad | Documentary," which is viewable on Youtube:

.  In it some describes a panic attack as being the inverse of an orgasm.  The one thing that the documentary got wrong is that it implied that comedian Sam Kinnison died of a drug related problem.  He was a drinker and drug user, but he died in a car wreck.
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she said in the video it was 4 xanax 4 times a day, correct me if im mistaken

 

Doesn't matter unless you know the dosage. Sounds like a lot.

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The psychiatrist, who later killed himself, prescribed her 4 pills of Xanax 4x a day which is actually 16 pills per day. The Post can't do math.

 

Here's the quote:

“They just upped the dose … until I was taking four Xanax four times a day.”

 

Here she says she switched to Klonopin!

 

"Silverman credits success in her struggles to Klonopin — a drug often used to treat seizures and anxiety — and fellow comedian friend Mark Cohen. When she was hired for “Saturday Night Live” in 1993 and dealing with depression head-on, she says she nearly quit the show — until Cohen recommended a psychiatrist."

 

I think it is wonderful that people in the public eye are being more forthcoming about their mental health struggles. It bodes well for reducing stigma and feeling less alone.

 

Edit: There certainly needs to be continued openness by more public personas. Often they will give one interview and there is no follow-up or no furthering of the issue.

 

However, it is worrisome that Sara Silverman is on Klonopin and has been been on Benzos since she was 13 years of age. We have to keep an eye on this sweet girl. I met her once outside of the Hollywood Improv on Melrose and she is wonderful; so kind and fun. It's terrible that eventually she may be in a world of hurt she cannot even comprehend. Cuz as we know, benzos work until they don't, and then it's hell on earth.

Hope she is one of the lucky ones.

 

 

 

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Good catch with the math, Tatertot91.

 

It is not clear whether or not Sarah Silverman is still on Benzos.  I would love to know how she managed to get off that high dosage.

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I didn't know that about Sarah Silverman. Here's a good article: https://www.glamour.com/story/sarah-silverman-on-i-smile-back-and-battle-with-depression

 

I went through several therapists. The first one hanged himself. Irony? Yeah. Another one kept upping my Xanax until I was taking 16 a day. Four Xanax, four times a day! I saved all the bottles in a shoe box because I thought, Well, at least if I die and they find this, they'll know what happened. I was a zombie walking through life. And then, a few years later, my mom took me to a new psychiatrist, who got me off meds completely over the course of six months. I remember taking that last half pill at the high school water fountain and finally feeling like myself again.

 

Instead I got a prescription for Klonopin, which blocks panic attacks. It saved my life, even when I was fired from SNL at the end of the season (as it turned out, I didn't know myself well enough to make a real impression). I eventually weaned off Klonopin, but to this day I have a bottle of seven pills in my backpack that I never touch because just knowing that they're there is all I need.

 

Since then I've lived with depression and learned to control it, or at least to ride the waves as best I can. I'm on a small dose of Zoloft, which, combined with therapy, keeps me healthy but still lets me feel highs and lows. The dark years and those ups and downs—chemical and otherwise—have always informed my work; I believe being a comedian is about exposing yourself, warts and all. But my stand-up has evolved along with me, from the dumb, arrogant vessel I used in my Jesus Is Magic live show and The Sarah Silverman Program to my persona in my current show, We Are Miracles, who feels more honest because she's really just me talking.

 

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I didn't know that about Sarah Silverman. Here's a good article: https://www.glamour.com/story/sarah-silverman-on-i-smile-back-and-battle-with-depression

 

I went through several therapists. The first one hanged himself. Irony? Yeah. Another one kept upping my Xanax until I was taking 16 a day. Four Xanax, four times a day! I saved all the bottles in a shoe box because I thought, Well, at least if I die and they find this, they'll know what happened. I was a zombie walking through life. And then, a few years later, my mom took me to a new psychiatrist, who got me off meds completely over the course of six months. I remember taking that last half pill at the high school water fountain and finally feeling like myself again.

 

Instead I got a prescription for Klonopin, which blocks panic attacks. It saved my life, even when I was fired from SNL at the end of the season (as it turned out, I didn't know myself well enough to make a real impression). I eventually weaned off Klonopin, but to this day I have a bottle of seven pills in my backpack that I never touch because just knowing that they're there is all I need.

 

Since then I've lived with depression and learned to control it, or at least to ride the waves as best I can. I'm on a small dose of Zoloft, which, combined with therapy, keeps me healthy but still lets me feel highs and lows. The dark years and those ups and downs—chemical and otherwise—have always informed my work; I believe being a comedian is about exposing yourself, warts and all. But my stand-up has evolved along with me, from the dumb, arrogant vessel I used in my Jesus Is Magic live show and The Sarah Silverman Program to my persona in my current show, We Are Miracles, who feels more honest because she's really just me talking.

 

 

Thanks for the article, Terry! It really illuminates her struggles, like how she got off Xanax and how she was put on Klonopin and how she successfully got off that as well. It is refreshing that she speaks about still dealing with depression as well and that she does her best to keep it at bay.

 

(I was on Zoloft once but it gave me a serious rash and I grew lots of blonde facial hair! I had to get off that fast.)

 

Its a relief to have her speak about tapering off benzos because hopefully anyone reading this that needs to see that message, does.

 

So many comedians are the sad clowns, but I am so grateful they are out there speaking truth and know how to make it funny! It really is a public service!

 

 

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