Xanax taper from 5mg

[[Da...]]

Hi everyone, My name is Em and I am here with concerns regarding xanax withdrawal. Have been taking it on and off for 19 years. Six years ago I was at .5 mg 4x a day and was having issues between doses, so entered an in house detox program. They tapered me with librium over a three week period. I stayed clear for less than a year and eventually was back at .5 mg at night combined with 300 mg. Neurontin. In the last 6 months my Dr.has pulled back on prescribing patients. So, tapered back to .25 and then after two weeks 1/2 of that. Waking with racing feelings and high anxiety. So, I increased Neurontin to 600 mg. Recently I have been rotating days that I take xanax, one one one off. It has been about two weeks now. I was suggested to switch to a small dose 3mg of valium for a couple of weeks in lieu of xanax. Then the 600 Neurontin for one month then cut back to 300 mg. Use Melatonin for better sleep...My Gyno was prescribing and my primary told me to just stop xanax, not that high of a dose. I disagree, felt all sorts of problems with the whole process. Any suggestions here?

 

[Guest [Mi...]]

Hi, Dandylion.

 

Welcome to benzobuddies. Glad you found us. 

 

You will find a lot of information and support here.  You were wise to not just stop the Xanax. Many people find that a slow taper makes the withdrawal process much easier.

 

A good resource about benzodiazepines is the Ashton Manual. Here is a link to the manual: Professor Ashtons Manual  It’s great for learning about these meds and for taper plans. Ashton recommends reducing between 5 - 10% every 10/14 days.

 

You'll find a great community of people here who will support and encourage you. Feel free to check out the forum and to post to any of the dedicated boards.

 

In addition to the Ashton Manual, here are some other resources:

 

For tapering advice, post here General Taper Plans

 

For support with any symptoms you may have, post here: Withdrawal Support

 

Please add a signature (history of medication/doses etc). It will help members give you relevant advice. This link will show you how to Create a signature

 

Please let us know if you have any questions.

 

~ Mind

[[De...]]

Hello Dandylion,

 

Welcome to the forum from me too 

 

I'm sorry to hear that you felt the need to reinstate the xanax after having been benzo free. This isn't unheard of though as many members make several attempts at tapering before they are successful, I'm sure that with a careful taper plan you will succeed this time.

 

I'm sorry to hear about your situation with relation to your prescription, it sounds like your first 2 cuts this time were very large, much greater than what is recommended and this will almost certainly be the reason why you are suffering so much. It is generally recommended to reduce  by no more than 10% of the current dosage every 10/14 days and your first and second reductions were a 50% drop in dosage. Also I would try to make a point of taking the xanax every day rather than taking it on alternate days to ensure that you keep a steady level of the benzo in your bloodstream. Inconsistent dosing will cofuse your brain and can contribute to interdose withdrawal symptoms (between dose withdrawals)

 

With relation to crossing over to diazepam, a gradual crossover is advised to allow time for the valium to build up in the bloodstream before the xanax is completely withdrawn. Should you decide to do a gradual crossover the valium equivalent dosage for the xanax dosage you are now taking, assuming you are still taking 0.125 mg, is 2.5 mgs. Perhaps it would be an idea to copy the relevant pages from The Ashton Manual to show to your doctor, many members here have done that very thing as a lot of doctors dont appear to be benzo wise. Mind has given you a link to Ashton.

 

Finally it is normally recommended to taper from one drug at a time beginning with the benzodiazepine which in your case is the xanax. Many members wait a few months after finishing their benzo taper before commencing a taper from their other medications. I will give you a link to The Neurontin (Gabapentin) support group here where you can find other members who are tapering from this particular group of drugs :

 

 

http://www.benzobuddies.org/forum/index.php?topic=84267.msg1488709#msg1488709

 

 

 

I'm glad you found us and I wish you success with the taper.

 

Debbie