Sarah Silverman was taking 16 Xanax a day as a teen

10 October 2019

Sarah Silverman was taking "16 Xanax tablets a day" as a teenager.

Sarah Silverman

The 48-year-old comedienne has revealed she was put on the anti-anxiety medication - usually prescribed for short term management of panic disorders - at the age of just 13 and was told to take four tablets four times a day.

Speaking in a new documentary called 'Laughing Matters', according to the New York Post newspaper's Page Six column, she said: "I was put on Xanax at 13. They just upped the dose ... until I was taking four Xanax four times a day. The psychiatrist who originally put me on it hung himself.

"I mean, I can't just skate by that -- it's crazy."

Sarah has always been very open about her health issues and recently opened up about an awkward mammogram appointment she had earlier this year.

She claimed at the time: "I had a sh***y time at my mammogram appt today. I have to get an ultrasound after my mammograms because I have dense breasts (insert joke here) and this radiologist - the same man I had last year - I do not like him and here is why:

"He opened my gown and put gel on my breasts and smeared it around with his bare hands. Then he started talking to me about my chest X-ray (I also got a chest X-Ray) and was pontificating with my boobs just out and covered in gel and cold and finally I said "Hey-can we either talk about this when I'm dressed or WHILE your doing the ultrasound? I'm not comfortable with my breasts out just shooting the s**t with you"

"Okay so - he smears the gel on with his hands and NO GLOVES on and when he glides the ultrasound wand thing over my breasts he drags his fingers on them and it f***ing bothers me. Again, AS I TOLD HIM LAST YEAR, I said "Hey! Do you need to be touching me with your fingers?" He said "No". And he pulled them off of me. Then he added "I do that for balance." I said "Well I believe in you and I think you can do with without your fingers on me". (sic)"

The 'Wreck-It Ralph' star didn't think the incident was sexual in any way, but thinks it is her doctor's responsibility to "be aware" how "vulnerable" women.