What happens so often over the years is that a person developps a tolerance to a medication and ''needs'' a higher dosage of it in order to have the same ''effect'' your doctor by changing you to xanax is trying in my oppinion to weave you off the librium by prescribe you xanax wich by the way is in the same familly as librium its a benzodiazepine.

The trouble with these is they are highly addictive and usualy prescribe for a short term basis.

Unless prescribe otherwise...addiction to these is on the rise and doctors should be more carefull prescibing them.

Hopefully this was of some help

Suffolk

Well, the first answer seemed pretty much on target.  These medications are good for short-term use, but you seem to have a lot of ongoing pressure in your life.  Xanax or librium are sedatives and will not help people function better, in most cases.  that being said, they are helpful for as-needed use, for a really tough day.  prozac and that group, classified as antidepressants, also work for anxiety disorders and do not have as many safety or addiction issues. 

Librium is an older choice and will tend to stay in your system longer.  but it can trigger depression, interacts with alcohol, and can lead to sedation or memory issues.  addiction is less common but quite difficult when it does occur. 

I would also think about signing up for an individual or family therapist, since your family situation appears quite demanding.  Kudos to you for taking on the role of parent in your 70's, but everyone has their limits.  Perhaps a focus on taking care of yourself and setting limits on new pressures would help to reduce the level of stress. 

Keep up posted and I hope that you find some relief out there.  the world can be really overwhelming, and there are thousands of xanax prescriptions written every day.  I just would be careful to work on coping skills as well and not count on whichever medication too much.