Xanax XR titration by skipping dosages/days?

[[3e...]]

Has anyone ever tried titrating down from Xanax XR .5 mg when at .5mg BID, by slowly stopping one .5 tablet tablet every other day;

then 2 days between, then 3 days between, or some similar combination?

[[Ju...]]

Titration as we define it in this section of the board is to liquify the benzo and taper off slowly.  What you are describing is a dry cut, general taper method.

 

And no, I do not recommend skipping days of dosing during a taper.  The brain likes consistency, even with Valium which has a very, very long half life.  Xanax XR's half life is no where near Valium's long half life and as I said, I would not do what you are suggesting even with Valium.

 

A very slow and even decline in blood levels is what a person strives for in a benzo taper and this is simply not possible with .50mg Xanax XR tablets, for the vast majority of folks tapering off of any benzo, Xanax included.  Skipping days is not a good plan in my opinion.

 

.50mg of Xanax is equivalent to 10mg of Valium.  What you are suggesting would likely send your spouse into acute withdrawal.

 

I'd get the .25mg regular Xanax and taper them slowly away all the way down to zero as tiny as I could manage cutting the pills.

[[3e...]]

Thank you very much for your clarification, greatly appreciated.

[[Mo...]]

I am almost at the end of the process of titrating off of Xanax XR Bid.  My p-doc told me that some of his patients have quit Xanax XR by taking every other day instead of switching to regular Xanax.  He didn't recommend me to do this however he was just given me options.  He said his patients that switch to regular xanax to finish tapering usually have a easier time with withdrawals.

 

Monique