Need Good Advice Please

[[sa...]]

Hello,

 

I am on 1.5 mg of Xanax a day. .5 am , .25 around 1:30 pm, .25 around 6:30pm & .5 around 11:00 pm.

 

I unknowly was taking around 3 mg a day back in March & April. When I went back to my 1.5 mg a day I started feeling bad withdrawals. I now need to take it consistently everyday and have become dependent.

 

The mornings are tough, but thank god that the afternoons I feel almost normal. I want to taper.

 

Please help.

[[me...]]

Hello sal43, and welcome.  We're glad you found us.  It's very easy to become dependent on Xanax, and it's also very common to need more and more over time to get the same effect.  This is called tolerance.  We generally recommend tapering off at a rate of about 5-10% every 10-14 days, though individual rates do vary. Here are a few links you'll find useful:

 

Withdrawal Support (during your taper).

 

The Ashton Manual is an authoritative source on what to expect in withdrawal and recovery.  Dr. Ashton is an expert in the field.  She describes and explains withdrawal symptoms, and there is also a section with withdrawal/taper schedules.

 

Please take the time to Create a Signature.  This will allow others to see where you are in the process so they can better support you.

 

Again, welcome!

 

 

[[sa...]]

I have a lot of questions, but is it possible to do a slow taper with low withdrawals?  Everytime I hear horror stories it really scares me.

 

How would you suggest I taper after looking at my dosage?

 

I will create a signature later.

 

Thanks.

[[me...]]

I have a lot of questions, but is it possible to do a slow taper with low withdrawals?  Everytime I hear horror stories it really scares me.

 

How would you suggest I taper after looking at my dosage?

 

I will create a signature later.

 

Thanks.

 

Hi again,

 

I'm not an expert at slow tapering, never having done a really slow taper, but I do know that while tapering slowly tends to produce fewer symptoms, having some symptoms is normal.  Most people have mild to moderate symptoms, which go away after a few weeks or so.  A few have more severe symptoms, but even those are temporary.

 

One of our administrators, Juliea, tapered successfully off Xanax, and here's a link to her withdrawal schedule:

 

http://www.benzobuddies.org/forum/index.php?topic=95403.0