I am having a VERY hard time with Xanax withdrawal.

[[je...]]

Hi Everyone,

 

I am having a very bad time with benzo withdrawal. I am entering my eighth week of being taken off Xanax cold turkey. I was in a hospital and the doctor there did not think I was going through withdrawal so he did not taper me.

 

Here I am weeks later and I am in horrible shape. I am part of an out patient program at a much better hospital but it seems things are getting worse. I am very dizzy and having really bad head rushes. I am in such bad shape that it is hard to leave the house and go to my program at the hospital.

 

Can anyone give me some suggestions for what the doctors at the new hospital can do to help me have an easier time with the withdrawal? I went to a neurologist and she said she could not help me. Any suggestions would be GREATLY appreciated.

[[Ch...]]

Oh man, I am so sorry.  That's a whopping amount of Xanax to cold turkey from and it's hard to believe any doctor would do this, especially after 15 years.

 

The good news is that you will eventually start to feel a bit better.  It takes a long time for the central nervous system to recover from the shock of cold turkey withdrawal...but time is the best healer.

 

I'd like you to read this piece that speaks to this better than I ever could:

 

Recovery Tips

 

1. Recovery from bei ng an accidental addict to benzodiazepines is serious business. It takes time for the central nervous system to heal and for neurotransmitters to stop being sensitive. None of us had the faintest idea that this kind of situation lay in front of us. So we are dealing with shock at what has happened as well as the real physical and mental/emotional symptoms of withdrawal.

 

2. Recovery is not linear, as it is with other illnesses or injuries. If we cut our hands, we can actually see the cut heal and the pain diminish over time. In benzo withdrawal we can be well one day and very sick the next. This is normal and we have to look at our healing differently.

 

3. Recovery is an individual thing, and it is difficult to predict how quickly symptoms will stop for good. People expect to be completely better after a certain period of time, and often get discouraged and depressed when they feel this time has passed and they are not completely better. Most patient support programs tell clients to anticipate 6 months to a year for recovery after a taper has ended. But some people feel better a few months after they stop taking benzos; for others it takes more than a year to feel completely better. Try not to be obsessed with how long it will take, because every day you stay off benzos, your body is healing at its own rate. If you do not follow this particular schedule, it does not mean there is something wrong or you are not healing. Even if you are feeling ill in some respects, other symptoms may disappear. Even people in difficult tapers see improvements in symptoms very early on. So don’t let these time-frames scare you. The way you feel at one month will not be how you will be feeling at three months or at six months.

 

4. It is very typical to have setbacks at different points of time (these times can vary). These setbacks can be so intense that people feel their healing hasn’t happened at all; they feel they have been taken right back to beginning. Setbacks, if they occur, are a normal part of recovery.

 

5. When people are in recovery, they have a lot of fears. One is that they will never get better. Another is that their symptoms are really what they are like — perhaps what they have always been like. Both of these fears are stimulated by benzo withdrawal. In other words they are the thought components of benzo withdrawal, just as insomnia is a physical component.

 

6. There is no way around benzo withdrawal and recovery—you have to go through it. People try all sorts of measures to try to make the pain stop, but nothing can shortcut the process. Our body and brain have their own agenda for healing, and it will take place if you simply accept it.

7. When you are having a bad spell, healing is still going on. People typically find that after a bad spell, symptoms improve and often go away forever. Try to remember this when times are hard.

 

8. There is no magic cure to recovery, but you can help yourself by comforting and reassuring yourself as much as possible. Read reassuring information, stay away from stress, ask your partner, family and others for reassurance, and go back to the things you did at the beginning if you are experiencing really tough symptoms.

 

9. When we start to feel better, it is very typical to try to do too much. We are grateful to be alive and we have energy for the first time in weeks or months. But this can be a dangerous time. When we do to much and take on too much too early, it re-sensitizes the nervous system. It doesn’t prevent healing in the long term, but it can make us feel discouraged. So try to pace yourself, even if you are feeling good.

 

10. You do need to respect your body during recovery, although you don’t need to make drastic changes to your lifestyle. Exercise, in any form is critical—even if you can only walk around the house or to the end of the block. Eating well and avoiding all stimulants is crucial. Regular high-protein snacks can help with the shakes and the feelings of weakness we have during withdrawal and recovery.

 

11. Recovery is all about acceptance, but this does not mean passive acceptance. Set small goals for yourself that are achievable. Try to keep exercise happening. Work at your recovery even if that means accepting you are sick—for now. You wouldn’t be hard on yourself if you were in a traffic accident and had injuries; you would work at rehab. Try to take the same attitude and approach to benzodiazepine withdrawal.

 

 

 

We're here to help you through this... we all have tips that helped with symptoms and coping.

 

[[je...]]

Thank you Challis99. I am going to a good hospital and they want to help me. I am in a recovery program there. Most of the people are getting over alcohol or opiate addiction. I am doing group and individual therapy. Talking about it helps. I guess the hardest part for me is not having anyone there who is in benzo withdrawal. I am going to print up what you just sent me and carry it with me. I think reading it when I get down will be a huge help. I feel very alone right now but I am very grateful I found this site.

[[be...]]

Well, I have no other opinions to offer after reading Challis' post.

[[Ch...]]

Well, I have no other opinions to offer after reading Challis' post. Except to add that a C/T off the ton of Xanax you were on is criminal/inhumane to me.

 

 

[[je...]]

I am having a hard time with what happen but there is nothing I can do about it now. The damage has been done. Is there anything my doctor can giver me that is not a benzo that would help? If he put me back on benzos and tried to taper me I would be in the same situation - right?

[[lo...]]

I am so sorry I see we were on the same dose, my doctor is heading to cutting me fast I started my taper in hopes of helping the withdraws. xanax is a monster and even a taper I am having withdraws, not as bad as you. (((((((hug))))))) I have read many people going back on what they where taking I would suggest trying that, allow your mind and body to heal that dose is so high, and I think it should be illegal to just cut people off benzos, especially the ones that want to taper and heal. please keep us posted. I can tell you from my experience and I'm only 5 days in I was at 8-10mgs a day a 2mg bar every 4 hours like clock work. my first cut where to my 2 middle doses and I took half of the end section off and I have had bad waves but nothing too bad, body zaps are pretty annoying. good luck 

[[je...]]

lostdaydreaming I wish you luck with your taper. Please take it slow. There is no reason to rush it and you don't want to wind up feeling as horrible as I do. I am going to talk to my doctor about going back on Xanax and doing a taper. Has anyone here ever done that? Does it help or make things worse?

 

I am really worried about the next few months. I am suppose to go back to work on 11/8 and there is no way I can work feeling this way. I can't even drive a car. I feel like I am under the influence and would hit someone. If I lose my job there goes my health insurance when I need it the most. I feel like my life ended last month when I was taken off the Xanax. 

[[ru...]]

Maybe ask your doc for Valium, 5mg twice a day and taper slowly off that. Has to be better than the hell you are living now and you may be able to function at work. Damn doctors, probably gasp when he hears you mention Valium after feeding you mega Xanax 

[[je...]]

Hi Ruger58,

 

I am not going to the doctor who put me on the Xanax anymore. I have a new doctor at the hospital where I am enrolled in the program. I am just wondering if the new doctor will let me go on a benzo. I am not looking for any fix, I just want to be able to return to a somewhat normal life. I am having so many horrible physical and mental issues. I didn't have the choice of tapering off Xanax. That choice was taken from me by a bad doctor. Now I want to regain my life again.

[[lo...]]

lostdaydreaming I wish you luck with your taper. Please take it slow. There is no reason to rush it and you don't want to wind up feeling as horrible as I do. I am going to talk to my doctor about going back on Xanax and doing a taper. Has anyone here ever done that? Does it help or make things worse?

 

I am really worried about the next few months. I am suppose to go back to work on 11/8 and there is no way I can work feeling this way. I can't even drive a car. I feel like I am under the influence and would hit someone. If I lose my job there goes my health insurance when I need it the most. I feel like my life ended last month when I was taken off the Xanax. 

 

I am trying to go slow, but my current doctor is trying to rapidly cut me and I am having a hard time finding  doctor that will work with me.

 

I think going back on xanax and tapering would be okay. We are very close to dose and how long we have been on it. I hope you feel better, I'm not using anything else benzo wise during my taper. I do have vistaril for anxiety and sleep I haven yet to need to take it.

[[Di...]]

Hi Ruger58,

 

I am not going to the doctor who put me on the Xanax anymore. I have a new doctor at the hospital where I am enrolled in the program. I am just wondering if the new doctor will let me go on a benzo. I am not looking for any fix, I just want to be able to return to a somewhat normal life. I am having so many horrible physical and mental issues. I didn't have the choice of tapering off Xanax. That choice was taken from me by a bad doctor. Now I want to regain my life again.

 

Maybe you could ask your new doctor to put you on 5mg valium twice a day, and see if that would help so that you are not in such an extreme state.  He might be open to the idea.  Never know if you don't ask.

 

So sorry you are feeling so bad. 

[[lo...]]

lostdaydreaming I wish you luck with your taper. Please take it slow. There is no reason to rush it and you don't want to wind up feeling as horrible as I do. I am going to talk to my doctor about going back on Xanax and doing a taper. Has anyone here ever done that? Does it help or make things worse?

 

I am really worried about the next few months. I am suppose to go back to work on 11/8 and there is no way I can work feeling this way. I can't even drive a car. I feel like I am under the influence and would hit someone. If I lose my job there goes my health insurance when I need it the most. I feel like my life ended last month when I was taken off the Xanax. 

 

 

I am hoping to either talk to my doctor and get him to change his mind about a slow taper or hopefully find another on this high of a dose and for so long no doctor even wants to see me, i hope you find a good answer soon and can get you life back and start to heal

[[je...]]

Today has been another bad day. I only slept four hours last night. There is constant pressure in my head that won't stop. I am very dizzy, it feel like vertigo. When I lay down or get up too fast I get horrible head rushes. They way I describe it to people is that I feel like I was spun around sent on my way.

 

I am really disappointed in myself for not going to my recovery program at the hospital today and yesterday. I have been in it almost four weeks and I have missed half of it due to my physical condition. I did put in a call to my doctor/psychologist today. He will be at the hospital tomorrow and will meet with me. I am having bad agoraphobia. That is a big reason why I have missed so much time in my recovery program.

 

I will bring up putting me on Valium 5mg twice a day. I have never taken Valium before. How does that dosage compare to Xanax?

[[Ju...]]

According to The Ashton Manual, it takes 20mgs of Valium to make up for 1mg of Xanax.  So, 10mgs of Valium per day would equal .50mg of Xanax.  My opinion is that this isn't nearly enough to touch a withdrawal from the amount of Xanax you cold turkeyed. 

 

Plus, there are other factors at play and this is the length of time you have been benzo free.  There is a generally accepted 2-week window of opportunity where a benzo may be reinstated and the person 'may' get some relief.  After this period of time has passed, it's truly a crap shoot as to whether or not relief can be gained or a worsening of symptoms may also occur if reinstatement is carried out past this window.

 

Here is what the Ashon Manual Supplement says about this:

 

"Reinstatement / Updosing

 

A dilemma faced by some people in the process of benzodiazepine withdrawal, or after withdrawal, is what to do if they have intolerable symptoms which do not lessen after many weeks. If they are still taking benzodiazepines, should they increase the dose? If they have already withdrawn, should they reinstate benzodiazepines and start the withdrawal process again? This is a difficult situation which, like all benzodiazepine problems, depends to some degree on the circumstances and the individual, and there are no hard and fast rules.

 

Reinstatement after withdrawal? Many benzodiazepine users who find themselves in this position have withdrawn too quickly; some have undergone 'cold turkey'. They think that if they go back on benzodiazepines and start over again on a slower schedule they will be more successful. Unfortunately, things are not so simple. For reasons that are not clear, (but perhaps because the original experience of withdrawal has already sensitised the nervous system and heightened the level of anxiety) the original benzodiazepine dose often does not work the second time round. Some may find that only a higher dose partially alleviates their symptoms, and then they still have to go through a long withdrawal process again, which again may not be symptom-free.

 

Updosing during withdrawal? Some people hit a "sticky patch" during the course of benzodiazepine withdrawal. In many cases, staying on the same dose for a longer period (not more than a few weeks) before resuming the withdrawal schedule allows them to overcome this obstacle. However, increasing the dose until a longed-for plateau of 'stability' arrives is not a good strategy. The truth is that one never 'stabilizes' on a given dose of benzodiazepine. The dose may be stable but withdrawal symptoms are not. It is better to grit one's teeth and continue the withdrawal. True recovery cannot really start until the drug is out of the system.

 

Pharmacologically, neither reinstating nor updosing is really rational. If withdrawal symptoms are still present, it means that the GABA/benzodiazepine receptors have not fully recovered (see above). Further benzodiazepines cause further down-regulation, strengthen the dependence, prolong withdrawal, delay recovery and may lead to protracted symptoms. In general, the longer the person remains on benzodiazepines the more difficult it is to withdraw. On the whole, anyone who remained benzodiazepine-free, or has remained on the same dose, for a number of weeks or months would be ill-advised to start again or to increase dosage. It would be better to devote the brain to solving individual symptoms and to finding sources of advice and support. Advice about how to deal with individual symptoms is given in the Manual (Chapter 3)."

 

There is also evidence that going back on a benzo after withdrawal may cause a kindling phenomena to occur.  When this happens subsequent withdrawals may be more severe.

 

I would weigh my decision to take a benzo again very carefully.  I've seen many folks hope for relief only to find themselves with no relief and back on a benzo, dependent again and facing a difficult withdrawal.

 

I'm so sorry you're in this spot jethaze. 

[[lo...]]

:'(

 

xanax is a evil monster. i could not imagine the c/t w/ds

 

[[je...]]

Thanks for the info Juliea. I am wondering now what I should do. Is there anything I can suggest to my doctor that will help me?

[[Ju...]]

Thank you for the info Juliea. I am really wondering what I can do now.

 

You're eight weeks free of a high dose dependency.  This is a great deal of healing time under your belt.  This is two months.  After the benzo is removed, there is a period of acute withdrawal.  I believe you're in this phase right now.  I wish I could tell you now long the acute phase lasts, but it varies greatly from person-to-person.  For some folks acute ends around two months, others 3 months and some do stay in acute longer.  Some folks don't have an acute stage post taper.  Most people don't recognize when their acute withdrawal ends except by looking back in time.

 

I do believe this though, whether we cold turkey or taper, we will all recover.  But recovery takes time.  The symptoms you're experiencing are temporary.  They will eventually abate.

 

Have you experienced any days where your symptoms let up any or any days you felt relatively well?

[[Ju...]]

Is there anything I can suggest to my doctor that will help me?

 

You could certainly ask your doctor and see what the doc recommends. 

 

I took some supplements to help with sleep and also a couple of meds.  (Doxipen, Vistaril, Melatonin, L-tryptophan, SunTheaine, and Valerian)

 

I've got full bottles of everything but Melatonin and SunTheaine, those I bought several times and were all that seemed to help me. 

 

Time away from the benzo is the healer, IMO.  I hope you can get some relief.