Has anyone experienced GI, respiratory, and weight loss during Xanax taper

[[Su...]]

Doing dry cut taper of Xanax.

NEVER had a GI issue in my life! Out of nowhere I had GI issues when I hit tolerance after taking Xanax for at about 1 year....predominantly constipation with strange mucus and slight blood in mucus. Went through all the testing with specialist which indicated that my lower colon did have some inflammation, but it was not irritable bowel disease. I still have issues and my GI Specialist is stumped.

Can this be a result of taking Xanax?

 

Also having issues with breathing...shortness of breath...during periods of the day. I am a smoker. Last lung Xrays showed scattered COPD. But I have never had the occasional gasping for air feeling until I started Xanax. I also have had tremendous sinus congestion since taking Xanax, especially in the AM after waking...both appear to be getting worse as I taper. Has anyone else experienced this?

 

For the most part my slow taper is tolerable, although I do feel unmotivated, somewhat depressed, sometimes irritable between doses, tired, feel like I have a flu, but I do not. Muscle aches and pains. Restless leg syndrome occasionally at night. Sleep only 6 hours on 12 mgs of a prescribed antihistamine, Hydroxyzine, with my last evening dose of .25 mgs of Xanax. Morning Fog.

I was always an active person, now I just stay at home most of the time.

 

Losing weight has been an issue for me since I started Xanax due to loss of appetite and later nausea/vomiting and I CANNOT afford that ( I now weigh 89 pounds). Can't gain weight despite increasing caloric intake a bit, notice muscle wasting.

 

Funny, but I have been known to forget my Xanax dose when busy with computer work with NO anxiety issues...then I just try to space the other 3 doses accordingly.

Short term and long term memory are both excellent, as of now.

 

SICK AND TIRED OF FEELING SICK AND TIRED! FRUSTRATED! I JUST WANT THIS OVER AND MY LIFE BACK!

 

Don't know why I was prescribed this med as I never had panic attacks or ongoing anxiety. Just had a hard time after Neck surgery. It was my very first surgery with a lot of pain and of course I had a bit of anxiety. I had to withdraw from pain meds and muscle relaxants that were prescribed to me months before surgery and during recovery from surgery. That was fun! I am sure it contributed to anxiety, but not enough to be prescribed Xanax daily.  Now, I take no pain meds or muscle relaxants at all...just Tylenol. Never took antidepressants or prescription sleeping aides for any prolonged period of time, although I have had issues with insomnia since my 40's.

 

Just need some feedback from others as I continue my taper. I have a long road ahead of me, and I do hope it does not get real bad. I plan my next  one quarter of a pill cut in to my first morning dose in a week.

 

Thanks in advance!

[[Ch...]]

Hi Sun.

 

I tapered from Xanax, too, starting at 2mg.  Xanax, like all benzodiazepines, is a powerful muscle relaxer, so muscle and GI issues run rampant during use, taper and recovery. 

 

Given that your symptoms are what they are already, I might suggest making cuts of .0625mg instead of .125mg.  I think this might make the process easier on you.  If you have .25mg tablets, or your doc will prescribe them for you, .0625mg is 1/4 of a .25mg tablet.

 

Just my two cents… it's better to err on the side of caution than to make too big of a cut and try to recover from it.

 

Challis

[[Su...]]

Hi Challis,

You always reply, for that I am grateful.

 

I just changed my info as I inadvertently posted wrong... I am following your schedule of taper that you were so kind to give me a while back...I am tapering only .0625 mgs every 1-2 weeks.

 

I do believe most of my issues are related to tolerance and the initial 20% cut that my doctor told me to do plus the additional .125 cut....still feel ill.

 

Thanks for your concern and help!

 

[[Ch...]]

Hi Challis,

You always reply, for that I am grateful.

 

I just changed my info as I inadvertently posted wrong... I am following your schedule of taper that you were so kind to give me a while back...I am tapering only .0625 mgs every 1-2 weeks.

 

I do believe most of my issues are related to tolerance and the initial 20% cut that my doctor told me to do plus the additional .125 cut....still feel ill.

 

Thanks for your concern and help!

 

  I had to go back and look at your post history and find my reply to you, I had forgotten!  Yes, once we make a taper mistake the symptoms tend to hang around awhile, unfortunately. 

 

Well, even more reason to stick to .0625mg cuts.  I misread your post, thinking it said you planned to do a .125mg cut, glad you're not!

 

 

[[2t...]]

Although not proven I believe that Klonopin gave me shortness of breath and wheezing at night.

The doctor gave me an advair puffer that helps but I will try to stop this when I have finished my taper, bid not have this wheezing or shortness of breath until a few months into taking klonopin.

Also had a couple of flare ups of stomach pains including diarrhea and constipation, had this checked and everything okay so also think this is benzo related, I put together a list of medical things that have happened to me in the last 9 months of my taper and it is pretty long, most if not all I have never experienced before.

[[...]]

When I was on xanax i did lose alot of weight, shortness of breath, stopped breathing for a while during sleep my husband had to wake me up.

Anger issues, and a weird sound from my lungs during the first hours in the day. I'm not a smoker anymore but it felt like I had smoked a pack the day before when I woke up.

I got back on valium ( not a "good" drug) but I had to because of the troubles with xanax.all benzo are just evil.

I had the same experience  with mirtazapin. Sad - i did sleep well on mirtazepin but had to quit. Shortnes  of breath and no muscles at all on them.

 

We all react different to medicine. That's my experience.

 

 

[[Su...]]

ME2 and 2trusting

 

Thank you both for your input.

The very reason I am going to taper off Xanax are the tolerance level side effects...the weight loss, nausea, vomiting,  shortness of breath, GI issues, and overall sick feeling I began to experience.

At that point, I started to research Xanax and its long term side effects. Did I ever have a rude awakening!

After "enlightening" my doctor with beaucoups of documentation, we both agreed I need to get off this drug...I am very drug sensitive...always have been and thankfully I take very little medication.

Stupidly, I trusted my doctor to actually "listen to me" and not prescribe medication I really did not need and I am angry at myself for not doing more research on Xanax prior to ever taking it. Since I did not feel bad when I first started taking it, I believed there was no problem. I couldn't have been more wrong, but I am determined to get through this "Accidental Addiction" that happens to millions of people.

 

Take care

 

 

 

 

 

[[be...]]

It's always a rude awakening to find out what these drugs can do to us. It blew me away. Fortunately today I think the younger generation is much more proactive and aggressive about these things my kids sure are and no stone goes unturned when they or my grandkids are given a drug. Any drug! But unfortunately thinking your sxs are really very common so just knowing that should help you to worry less. I still smoke unfortunately but chest X-rays clear. Right now though soooo hard to quit. But you've been cleared with your Gi issues, your lungs for the most part so that's good even though the sxs are dreadful. Thing is to remember they are just that. Withdrawal sxs. Hope you're feeling better. Good times await us all. B

[[li...]]

I am also tapering from Xanax and my GI issues have been getting worse lately. I feel like I have trapped gas , or knots in my stomach, indigestion , constipation etc.... I hear that this is very common. I am doing my best to eat foods that my body likes such as brown rice and veggies , organic chicken etc....