So a little backstory before my question: I had a stomach disease back in April of this year that caused a lot of abdominal pain and anxiety which made it very hard to sleep. My GI specialist or Gastroenterologist (stomach doctor) prescribed me Alprazolam to help with my sleep. I got 0.5mg tablets with 3 refills and they worked absolutely great! It felt like a weight had been lifted off my shoulders. I’ve had anxiety for most of my life and never knew there could be such a perfect solution. I also have suffered with panic attacks since high school and after taking the Xanax during one, I realized they work perfectly for that too🙏🏼Once I completed all my refills, I messaged my doctor on his online portal website saying how beneficial these pills have been for me and that I was out of refills. He then sent in another prescription to my pharmacy for 5 refills.

Okay, now for the question. Obviously this cycle is not going to continue forever. A GI specialist is not going to continue to prescribe me these benzodiazepines. I have to see an actual psychiatrist soon to talk about my panic attacks and every-day anxiety. What should I say to them to make sure they know I do not want to lose this prescription and that I’m not just in there trying to score Xanax for recreational use? Also, how can I hint that I need to up my dose since during most of my panic attacks I’ll need 1-2mg to calm myself down. 

Any advice or input is appreciated! Thank you all in advance🙏🏼👏🏻