There is Hope for a Rapid Turnaround

[[Hu...]]

Hi Guys:

 

I just wanted to post because a few weeks ago I was terrified starting my taper that I would be hurting for months to a year+ from reading all the boards online.  I jumped 13 days ago and feel 80%.  While I understand that a lot of people have a long recovery (my mom took close to a year). 

 

I was prescribed 3 .25 xanax a day for 2 years.  I know its a pretty low does but withdrawals definitely hit me if I forgot.  The second year I would take up to 2mg in a day. 

 

I decided just to use the xanax to taper instead of a longer acting benzo.  This may also factor into the quickness of the recovery.  I cut once a week as follows. 

 

Week 1 - Cut from 1mg/day to .75

Week 2 - Cut to .50/day.

Week 3 - Cut to .375/day

Week 4 - Cut to .25/day

Week 5 - Cut to .125/day

Jump

 

I immediately had windows and waves. Half the week I would feel better than I have since I started taking it and the other half pretty bad.  My symptoms were mostly muscle tightness, anxiety, pretty bad depression, tinnitus (still there), and a general feeling of despair.

 

When I jumped the first week was pretty bad but manageable, but the second week was significantly improved.  I kept insomnia to a minimum by taking a dose every night before bed.  If I had a REALLY bad day sxs-wise I would not be afraid to take an extra .675 to get through it.  I did that probably 5-6 times through out.

 

The only supplements I took was magnesium citrate and melatonin at night.  Mindful meditation has really helped as well, I do 20-40 minutes a day.  It really REALLY helps keep external stressors to a minimum.

 

I think that there are a lot of people this way, just they do not participate in boards/support groups because it is in fact short lived.  A lot of this healing process is your mind set and reading about short recoveries I feel can be beneficial to a lot of people.

 

I am a pretty active person but I did find that a hard workout or cardio would really flare up the symptoms.  I just started pushing myself again this week with minimal issues.

 

If anyone has any questions feel free to reach out!

 

Good luck everyone!