Can i work as a firefighter while taking xanax my wife has stage 4 breast cancer and the stress was giving me anxiety. i was prescribe .05 mg xanax 2x per day i feel it has helped me. however i don't know how my employer will feel about it

Hello. : Hello. I do not know that answer to that question. Here is the problem, a medication like xanax (alprazolam) is mood altering. It can make you sedated or slow your reaction times. This could make you less responsive and less effective as a fire fighter. You are in a high risk profession, so you need to be fully aware and awake. If you were a diver or a pilot in the military, being on this type of mediation (benzodiazapine) would render you unsuitable for the job. My guess would be that there are guidelines for health restrictions in your area. The most responsible thing to do is to talk to your employer about it. I am very sorry about your wife's illness. Take care.

Despite : Despite the side effects of medications like xanax (alprazolam) such as motor impairment due to its sedation properties, you would be surprised at how many people take it and still function; i believe it depends on multiple variables (e.g. How often one takes such medications, dose, other medications taken with it, age of patient, type of job). It'll lessen your reaction times, due to anti-anxiety effects and being that you are in a high risk job i'd look at other treatments available for your anxiety. There is tolerance phenomena to deal with using these kinds of medications as well.