New Benzo Withdrawal User with Questions

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Hi. I recently decided to come off benzo's. I had initially used them to help me overcome marijuana withdrawal symptoms. Boy was that a mistake. Now I am on day 5 after getting off of them. I wasn't on for very long or a very high dose, but I am having some very upsetting withdrawal symptoms.

 

So for one month in November I was on Xanax .25 twice a day to help me deal with my anxiety. I was still using marijauna, but i typically would not use marijuana and xanax at the same time. Same with drinking. I would drink, but would not take the xanax if i was going to drink, although there were a few times i did not follow this rule.

 

Come December I had to up my dose because i was feeling anxious at work. So i doubled it... two in the morning, two in the evening. About halfway through this month I felt like i was read to stop smoking marijuana, Dec 19 to be exact. I had several binge drinking episodes through this, which i was using the xanax to treat the hangovers. After this i stopped drinking completely. Dec 21 to be exact.

 

So a couple times I had even gone up to 1.25 a day, but mostly it was .5 twice a day. I decided I wanted to get off the xanax after a week or so off the marijuana. I read all of the dangers of a quick taper or cold turkey, but since i hadn't been on high dose to begin with or for very long, i decided to taper faster. So through the period of a week i tapered down to .5, to .25, to none.

 

I am on day 5 of no xanax, and addition to my rebound / withdrawal anxiety (which i wasn't sure if it was from the marijauna or xanax), i have been having difficulty concentrating. It makes it impossible to get work done or any kind of focus. Mornings are worst. It is incredibly frustrating, and I am wondering how long it will be before my cognitive functions return to normal? I told my doctor about my xanax withdrawal symptoms, and she seemed surprised since i wasn't on too much for very long. I wasn't expecting this either.

 

Anyways I am wondering if anyone has tapered or come off a similar dose, and how long it took them before they were normal. Are there any tips, treatments, anything you can provide to make this process more bearable? So far I have been exercising, meditating, eating healthy, sleeping, and sober. It is a little difficult to read because my anxiety has eliminated my patience. I noticed that meditation has also been much more difficult because I cannot concentrate, however if i focus more on my breathing it becomes a little easier.

 

Does anyone have any advice? How long do you think it will be? It's possible some of the anxiety i am experience is from the marijuana withdrawal, but I can deal with that and it will go away, plus it's been long enough that i'm certain this anxiety is from the benzo withdrawal. Anyways I'm am more concerned about my inability to concentrate and when that is going to come back.

 

Thanks in advance, really glad to be a part of this group.

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Welcome to the forum!  We're glad to have you as a new member.  Congratulations on getting off xanax.  Your symptoms sound normal for the early stages of recovery, you're in acute withdrawal now, and mornings are often the worst time.  No one can predict how long it will take you to heal fully, but time itself is the healer, and you'll heal in time.

 

You'll find plenty of information and support here.  Our members have gone through all aspects of withdrawal, and you're likely to see  people who understand what you're going through and can tell you what has worked for them.  For those who are currently tapering, we suggest reducing no faster than 5-10% every 10-14 days, and some taper even slower than that.  One exception: very short-term users of a few weeks or less may be able to taper faster than that.  Having some withdrawal symptoms is normal, especially near the end of a taper and for a month or so after discontinuing the medication.  The most common symptoms are anxiety and insomnia, but these are temporary and will go away in time.

 

Here are a few links you may find useful:

 

Withdrawal Support Board

 

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 in Chapter III, 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!