Need help tapering Xanax...and surviving

[[Cl...]]

Hi,

 

I've been taking .25 mg alprazolam for about 1.5 years, maybe 2, to help me sleep at night because of restless leg syndrome. I am miserably ill now from tolerance to the drug and I need to taper off.

 

This happened to me about 15 years ago with ativan (given for insomnia) and it took a very long time to be well again. I cannot believe I let this happen again. I've just been so miserable with the restless legs; I threw caution to the wind.

 

Would like to be able to ask for help with figuring out a reasonable taper. Hoping to somehow continue to be functional. I have to work.

 

Thanks for letting me join the community.

 

Clarity

[[Ch...]]

Welcome to BenzoBuddies, Clarity.

 

Let me tell you, I hear you on this.  I was put on a benzodiazepine for RLS related insomnia and was mostly on them for the best part of 30 years.  I have pretty advanced RLS and still rely on Requip to control it, which got much worse during my taper and for awhile after I was off Xanax(alprazolam).  So, for quality of life, I decided to take the Requip, even though I know it has its drawbacks, it isn't even comparable to benzodiazepines as far as drawbacks.  And as far as I know, no serious drawbacks to Requip.  I'm not suggesting you take Requip, that's for you and your doctor to talk about, but personally, I wish I'd been given Requip for the RLS long ago, rather than a benzodiazepine.

 

Anyway, here's a link to General Taper Plans where you can ask about going about your taper.  Hopefully I can help, and others willl offer support, too.

 

When you have a chance, I highly recommend that you take a look at The Ashton Manual, which is an authoritative source on what to expect during withdrawal and recovery, authored by Dr. C. Heather Ashton, who is an expert in the field. It provides a great deal of information that can be very reassuring during any stage of this process, including a list of common symptoms with helpful explanations on the reasons for their existence.

 

Please take some time to Create a Signature. This will help other members understand your history so they will be better able to support you.

Go to the top of the page and select Profile, then choose Forum Profile, insert drug history/timelines into the text box and click Change Profile.

 

Challis