slow taper plan for newbie

[[jo...]]

Hi, I have no idea hoe to proceed.I need a slow taper plan for approx 1.5 mg Xanax.I created a signature, I think.Can someone help me, please? 

[[Ch...]]

Hi jobyn1. 

 

I moved your post to the Taper board, and I will reply because I also tapered from 2mg of Xanax a few years ago.

 

When I was tapering, I had only insomnia and anxiety until I reached the lower end of my taper and tried to stop at too high of a dose, so I'm glad you're here for help with a taper plan.

 

What size tablets do you have? 

 

Challis

[[jo...]]

I have 1mg tablets, thanks a ton for your help, I'm going to need it.

[[jo...]]

Another thing, my adrenals are shot due to undiagnosed thyroid and reactivated mono; I'm currently treating them, but this will be extra difficult due to that.They crash, and I crash and burn (meaning my thyroid).

[[Na...]]

IMO,

As far as the benzo goes, you MAY very well benefit from switching to Valium (if this is possible), which has a longer half life and the tablets are much more user friendly for tapering. They are available in 2, 5 , and 10mg doses. The equivant of 1.5 X would be 30mg V ( Ashton chart)

I say this with caution cause not all folks take well to V, but if you have been on a short acting benzo for 25 years you may be suffering from tolerance and interdose WD. How the whole Thyroid issue would play into this may factor as well.

Good luck 

[[ly...]]

 

 

jobyn,

 

I'm also tapering xanax and having a "not too bad" time of it.  I've been going slow ever since some ridiculously large/fast cuts.  You can learn alot from the mistakes of others!

 

Best of luck.  Let me know if I can help!

[[jo...]]

Thanks for the heads up you guys!I think my adrenal issues are due in part to my addiction, from what I can understand it creates a negative feedback loop.I have extreme low cortisol in the morning and extreme high at bedtime.Everything's backward due to the Xanax, and I can't hope to heal my adrenals until I can kick it to da curb, which is keeping me from getting optimal with my thyroid.

[[Ch...]]

I would ask my doctor for .25mg pills the next time you get a refill.  It'll be a lot easier to cut them into small pieces.  I was on Xanax for 10 years and dry cut all the way down without crossing to Valium, but I wasn't having much trouble with interdose symptoms as I dosed four times a day.

[[jo...]]

Therein lies the rub.For some reason, my Dr. started writing my script for 360 tabs; that would be for 1 or 2mg as needed, complicated and convoluted.I go to a state run facility, grateful for my Dr.; I followed her there from private practice, but it has its downfalls.

 

I found this site called "The easiest way to taper benzos."It recommends sanding the tablet with a file, have you heard of that? 

 

 

[[jr...]]

I tapered directly from Xanax so it is possible. It is my opinion that you will need a gemini scale ( https://www.amazon.com/American-Weigh-GEMINI-20-Portable-MilliGram/dp/B0012TDNAM/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1483711276&sr=8-1&keywords=gemini+scale ) and a notebook. weigh out 10 pills an get an average. If it were me , I would try dosing 3 times a day. you can cut your pills in two at the score line and take 1/2 of a 1mg. TID. weigh them on the scale and record the weight in your notebook. the next day , shave off .001 from one dose with a sharp knife. day 2 shave .001 from two doses and so on. this is a slow even taper and should result in minimum side effects. if sxs do ramp up, you can hold any time you want. Just keep good notes in your book. when the pills get too small to shave , just grind 10 pills into powder and weigh the powder on the scale. I mixed my powder with a little water and drank it. be sure to rinse the bottle and drink that too.

[[jo...]]

Hi jr50898, thanks for your response and time.Your taper seems a little fast for me, although you've given me some good ideas.The thing that concerns me most is; I've  always taken my Xanax at bedtime, so my body goes a long time between doses.Do you know the best way/time to split the doses, so I don't have such horrid WD's?I started taking it for insomnia, but now I take it pretty much to stop any WD.Would it be a good idea to split my does?Do you think???Will it make me go cray-cray, at night on such a small dose?I'm feeling a little nervous.😬

[[jo...]]

Also sorry, but what do TID and sxs mean?

[[jo...]]

After reading your post again, I see it's quite a reasonable taper.Thank you!

[[jr...]]

Hi jr50898, thanks for your response and time.Your taper seems a little fast for me, although you've given me some good ideas.The thing that concerns me most is; I've  always taken my Xanax at bedtime, so my body goes a long time between doses.Do you know the best way/time to split the doses, so I don't have such horrid WD's?I started taking it for insomnia, but now I take it pretty much to stop any WD.Would it be a good idea to split my does?Do you think???Will it make me go cray-cray, at night on such a small dose?I'm feeling a little nervous.😬

 

TID means three in a day

 

sxs mean side effects

 

I started my taper dosing 3 times a day at 8am, 2pm and 8pm. when you get to the lower doses , you may want to do 4 times a day. When I finished up my taper ,I was dosing 5 times a day. there is no therapeutic benefit when you get so low, you just wanna keep the sxs at bay.

[[Ch...]]

Hi jr50898, thanks for your response and time.Your taper seems a little fast for me, although you've given me some good ideas.The thing that concerns me most is; I've  always taken my Xanax at bedtime, so my body goes a long time between doses.Do you know the best way/time to split the doses, so I don't have such horrid WD's?I started taking it for insomnia, but now I take it pretty much to stop any WD.Would it be a good idea to split my does?Do you think???Will it make me go cray-cray, at night on such a small dose?I'm feeling a little nervous.😬

 

If it were me and I was having inter-dose issues and only dosing once a day, I would probably take my daily dose and split it up a bit.  I would try to save as much as possible for night time, but take crumbs during the day to help calm the withdrawal symptoms during the day.

 

It's likely that your sleep will suffer, but that's likely to happen as your taper goes forward anyway, as it does to the vast majority of people tapering a benzo.

 

 

[[jo...]]

Okay-thanks, jr50898, and Challis99, guess I'm in for the wild-ride.

[[go...]]

I too, am tapering from, only a once a day xanax. My dr put me on .125 mid day which has enabled me to taper from .75 to .31 currently. I cut about every 3 weeks. As I get lower, this is getting very challenging with 3 main symptoms: brain fog, high blood pressure and palpitations. My other,interdose withdrawal symptoms have all but disappeared. I am now attempting to go down to .25.

 

I also did a every 3rd day then every other days slide into the new cut dosage. Not sure this has been the best but it is what was suggested by both my main dr and a psychiatrist.Hope this helps...

[[Ch...]]

Okay-thanks, jr50898, and Challis99, guess I'm in for the wild-ride.

 

Not necessarily… this actually could be the most difficult part.  Tapering slowly from the Temazepam once you've stabilized is likely to be easier than dropping the Xanax at .125mg and dropping some Temazepam six days later.

 

Hang in there…we're here for you.

[[jr...]]

Okay-thanks, jr50898, and Challis99, guess I'm in for the wild-ride.

 

Not necessarily… this actually could be the most difficult part.  Tapering slowly from the Temazepam once you've stabilized is likely to be easier than dropping the Xanax at .125mg and dropping some Temazepam six days later.

 

Hang in there…we're here for you.

 

:thumbsup: