Dry cutting Xanax looking for buddies

[[Lo...]]

Lori. I’m so sorry you are going through that. I totally feel your pain and can empathize. I’m curious was your taper easier when you were at higher doses and then got hard as you got lower?

 

To be honest, I was never "okay".  However, dizziness and insomnia were truly my worst symptoms.  I could handle those.  But now?  Physical pain (constant) and all the other symptoms has gotten so bad.  I thought that as my body adjusted to cuts, things would get better.  They had for many friends/buddies of mine.  I didn't see this amount of dysfunction coming!  NEVER!  I just don't know whether to pound through, updose a little, or what?  I'm not living at all.  I'm just existing.

 

 

[[Lo...]]

Missing many members of this thread and hope all are doing well!

 

Bumping so I can find you guys!

[[Te...]]

I'll be following this thread, I never thought that It would take this long to taper, crossover and heal from 20 years of Xanax

prescriptions, I'm off Benzo's for 41 days now and I'm finally starting to turn the corner if I'm healing then everyone will heal.

 

 

Time is the great healer too bad we can't buy time.

 

Stay Strong Everyone no one gets left behind.

 

Kindest Regards

Terry

[[Lo...]]

I'll be following this thread, I never thought that It would take this long to taper, crossover and heal from 20 years of Xanax

prescriptions, I'm off Benzo's for 41 days now and I'm finally starting to turn the corner if I'm healing then everyone will heal.

 

 

Time is the great healer too bad we can't buy time.

 

Stay Strong Everyone no one gets left behind.

 

Kindest Regards

Terry

 

Terry,

 

I don't know how I missed this!! So happy for you! If you see this, drop back in and let us know how you are! 

 

Pearl and Julia, I'm moving back to this thread for a bit until the other that I created over 6 months ago gets sorted out. I don't have a ton of patience lately. I guess I'm not thrilled with change these days. Too much going on. Hope you both are doing okay! Please keep in touch.

 

Love,

Lori

[[La...]]

Hello Everyone!

I haven’t been on here long, but I see many familiar names here.  My doc is forcing me to “direct taper” from Xanax, and he isn’t even cooperating by giving me lower dose tablets, so I can cut.  If anyone has any suggestions for dry-cutting 1 mg Xanax, I will be following! 

[[Lo...]]

Hello Everyone!

I haven’t been on here long, but I see many familiar names here.  My doc is forcing me to “direct taper” from Xanax, and he isn’t even cooperating by giving me lower dose tablets, so I can cut.  If anyone has any suggestions for dry-cutting 1 mg Xanax, I will be following!

 

Hi LadyLake.

 

You're doctor seems extremely unethical! It makes zero sense why he is forcing you to taper yet not providing you with the necessary medication to do so. It's just as easy to write a script for .5 mg tablets as it is for 1 mg tablets. I continue to be frustrated and furious that doctors can be so careless and irresponsible when it comes to helping patients. Ugh!  Have you brought him any literature on safe taper schedules? It might be helpful. Just a thought. From experience, once you get lower in your daily dose, using 1 mg tablets can be very challenging.

 

I started a methodical taper at 4 milligrams. 1 mg = 4 x's per day

3.75 mgs= I used the 1 mg tablets but halved one.

3.5 mgs  = halved another dose using 1 mg tablets

Etc.

 

 

I continued splitting 1 mg pills until I got to 2 mgs. At that point, my doctor switched me to .5 mg pills and .25 mg pills to help me make it more exact since I was struggling to make accurate cuts! It helped a ton! Additionally, cutting .25 mgs from each dose was too much of a percentage the lower you get. You have to really slow down at that point.

 

I had tried the weigh and file but found it too tedious since many of the pills were a different weight (yes, from the same bottle!). I was simply lucky that my doctor would prescribe anything that I needed to help. I'm currently using only .25 mg pills and am now cutting those in half.

 

The only other method is to try the liquid titration. Unfortunately. Most of us on this thread have stuck to dry cutting. You might want to take a look on the liquid titration boards to see if someone can help if you choose to go that way. Additionally, some others may be able to chime in who used 1 mg pills the entire time. I'm so sorry that I couldn't be of more help.

 

Keep us posted!

 

Fondly,

Lori

 

PS: Feel free to print this out to show your doctor my response and signature (taper rate).  Maybe it will help if he sees that this CAN be done with the proper milligram pills! I used to bring my doctor posts two years ago and it helped because he understood how committed I was... as well as how little he knew! .... Now, instead of HIM trying to figure anything out or dictate my taper, he sees my progress and gives me anything I ask for. He trusts me... as he should! My current script is 1/4 of what it used to be. Proof is in the numbers. 

[[Lo...]]

Just curious to see if this is still active at all. 

 

Lori

[[Zu...]]

Why the heck not. I might be stuck with a xanax taper so let's keep it alive!

[[Ho...]]

Why the heck not. I might be stuck with a xanax taper so let's keep it alive!

 

Being "stuck" with a xanax taper doesn't have to be too bad. I've been doing OK (don't read the small print LOL!). I think I messed myself up when I started to taper too fast and got switched to a different manufacturer, but I'm on the right track now. Especially since I got switched to a different manufacturer again, and these pills work better. I had been switched before with no problem. Now I know, pink pills OK, yellow pills bad (0.5 mg alprazolam pills). At least for me. Another person on here said the yellow pills were OK, and the pink pills were bad! So really it's all about what works for you.

[[Zu...]]

I currently have both yellow and pink 0.5mg because the pharmacy ran out and gave me 1/2 of each. The next month will be interesting..

[[to...]]

Hey Lori,

I had to look for this thread too!!!  It is a shame that a thread that helped so many is now hard to find.

 

Anyway - I hope all who are here will do well.  Tapering is hard but if done slowly you can do it. 

 

Happy 2020!!

Julia

[[ci...]]

Heh!..

I'm here too!  8)...fervently reading everyone's posts..wow, this is sure a long thread!!

 

Question for Lori above....how did you space ur doses throughout the day?

 

 

I am at about 3 mg day... :crazy:...but I believe you are/were tapering at about .25 every week or so?..I have a stash of lotsa orange .5's which I have been cutting into .25's...I DO have a stash of valiums 10mgs but am gonna try to just direct taper from X.....did u space out ur doses with .25's or with the .5's?

 

Questions, questions...Ive been looking or benzoh8ter as well, but not seen her around..;/ :-\

 

Anyhoo, if there is any info u can divulge about ur doings throughout the day, would surely much be appreciated by myself ( and prolly oodles of other folks reading this LONGGGGGG thread)

 

Lindy      (from Calif....Land o' fruits n' nuts)

 

 

[[Lo...]]

Heh!..

I'm here too!  8)...fervently reading everyone's posts..wow, this is sure a long thread!!

 

Question for Lori above....how did you space ur doses throughout the day?

 

 

I am at about 3 mg day... :crazy:...but I believe you are/were tapering at about .25 every week or so?..I have a stash of lotsa orange .5's which I have been cutting into .25's...I DO have a stash of valiums 10mgs but am gonna try to just direct taper from X.....did u space out ur doses with .25's or with the .5's?

 

Questions, questions...Ive been looking or benzoh8ter as well, but not seen her around..;/ :-\

 

Anyhoo, if there is any info u can divulge about ur doings throughout the day, would surely much be appreciated by myself ( and prolly oodles of other folks reading this LONGGGGGG thread)

 

Lindy      (from Calif....Land o' fruits n' nuts)

 

Hi Lindy!

 

I'll try to answer your questions as best as I can right now while a bit under the weather (Flu).

 

1) due to the short life of Xanax, it's easier on the body to space evenly throughout the day. I always dosed 4 times per day which is how it was always prescribed.  When I was on 4 mgs., it was as following:

 

1 mg at 9:00 am

1 mg at 1:00-2:00 pm (I wasn't a stickler back then for exact 4-5 hours)

1 mg at dinner @ 6:00 pm

1 mg before bed 10-12:00 pm

 

I stuck with this throughout  my taper until I made a HUGE mistake at .75 mgs and switched to dosing only 3 times per day - spacing each dose out longer. I got ahead of myself thinking I was nearing the final lap of my taper and that dosing less would make cutting the doses easier as I got further down. Again, this was a huge mistake. I was suffering needlessly with interdose withdrawal and it essentially left me in a terrible state. At the time I also continues cutting at a rate of .125 mgs every few weeks which was far too much for my central nervous system to handle!  Oh, if I could only go back in time. But I hope I can prevent someone else from making that mistake while still tapering what is considered a high dose. In my defense, I had been tapering for over a year and assumed .75 was nothing compared to 4-6 mgs. I was wrong! Spacing doses that far apart while on a significant dose produced horrible physical symptoms that could have been avoided!

 

I'm back to dosing 4 times per day after a slight updose once I was at .5 (went back up to .75) and I feel so much better!!! My body thanked me 10 fold!

 

2). I did not do a crossover to Valium. I tried 3 years ago when I was gearing up to tackle the taper. At that time everyone was pushing Ashton Method on me and that's all I knew. I didn't even realize that I could do a direct taper from Xanax. When I experienced a paradoxical reaction to Valium, I thought that all hope was lost! I actually put my taper on hold for almost a year because of it! Although I lost time, in hindsight, it was okay for me.  I had been offered Klonopin as a backup crossover and I'm so glad that I didn't take it. To me, it turned out better to stick with the devil I knew. Personal preference.

 

3) Benzoh8ter (Kristin) is a good friend of mine. She completed her taper @ 16 months ago and is doing well. She isn't on here much these days as she's busy living life! She'll be the first to tell you not to go as fast as she did but she's okay! We keep in touch.

 

If not for this darn flu, I'd be reducing away but my body needs all the sleep and rest it can get right now. I hope to be back at it within a week. My taper (signature) is below.

 

Wishing you the best of luck and I hope that I was able to help a little.

 

Fondly,

Lori

 

 

[[Lo...]]

Hey Lori,

I had to look for this thread too!!!  It is a shame that a thread that helped so many is now hard to find.

 

Anyway - I hope all who are here will do well.  Tapering is hard but if done slowly you can do it. 

 

Happy 2020!!

Julia

 

 

Will be in touch soon! Coughing my fool head off! Lol!

[[Bu...]]

Hi all,

 

I've been doing a slow direct taper from 2mg of Xanax.  I am stuck on 1mg (.25 four times a day).

I've been trying to get to .75 without much success. I've made it some days and others not so much. 

 

If I have to updose, I do.

 

So could these random muscle aches be from this?? I've woken up on some days feeling like I was beat up. 

 

 

 

 

[[to...]]

Hey Lori,  Sorry you are not feeling well.  The flu really sucks.

 

I have a question for you and anyone else that may have an answer.  I have been taking pink Greenstone .5 mg's and have been cutting them in half to get .25's and cutting the .25 mg's in half to get to .125 mg's.  My new doctor prescribed the .25 mg's and they are white but still Greenstone.  Today I started taking them.  I am doing a cut today and this is what I will be doing:

1.375

.50 pink and .125 white  (normal amount )

.25 white

.25 white  (cutting .125, was taking .375)

.25 white

 

After I took my first dose this morning, within an hour or so I started feeling bad.  I have been shaky, stomach hurts and just do not feel well.  I took my second dose close to noon and it was .25.  My face is a little puffy and my tongue does not feel right.  Could this new dose pill from the same manufacturer have this kind of effect so fast?  I am wondering too if because when my husband was cutting the .50 mg's if the dose was so off that now that I am getting the real dose if this is doing this to me.  What do you think?  I am a little anxious about this and do not know if I should keep takng the white pills or go back to cutting the .50mg's.  I am thinking about calling express scripts, where I get my meds from, and ask a pharmacists.  This really sucks because I am planning on making my cut from my 3rd dose of the day and if I am feeling this bad already, I do not know if I should make a cut today or wait to get used to these new pills or change back to the pink ones.

 

Any help would be appreciated.

 

Thanks.

 

Julia

[[Pa...]]

Hi Julia,

 

Are the new tablets scored?  I've heard many members say they've felt odd when switched to a new manufacturer.

 

Pamster

[[to...]]

Hi Julia,

 

Are the new tablets scored?  I've heard many members say they've felt odd when switched to a new manufacturer.

 

Pamster

 

Hi,

Yes they are scored.  Its the same manufacturer but different milligrams.  What I have been taking are .50 mg and broken down to smaller doses.  The new one is .25 mg.

[[Pa...]]

I'm sorry Julia, my mistake.  Calling the pharmacist sounds like a good idea, not sure you'll get much out of it, but at least you'll feel like you're doing something.  I'd sure hold off on the cut though, hopefully you'll feel better in a day or two.  As for going back to the pink, won't you need to eventually use the white ones so you can taper lower?  It might be good to tough it out now so you don't have to live in fear this will happen again when you need to make the switch.

[[to...]]

Hi Pamster,

I did call the pharmacists and she said it sounded like I was having a reaction.  My throat is feeling strange too.  I have had all these symptoms before as my brain thinks it is allergic to things it is not - that started when I was cold turkey-ed 3 years ago.  I have taken a benadryl and we will see if it helps.  Its been an hour since I took it but my throat still feels a little funny but I can drink water and eat so I really think it is anxiety and maybe the new pills doing this. 

I am going to hold off for today on the taper.  The pharmacist suggested I use the pink pills for the rest of today and see if my symptoms go away.  If they do then it is the pills.  If not, I will take it from there.  I will call my doctor if things get worse. 

You are correct, I will need the .25's as I keep tapering but will have to cross that bridge when I get to it. 

Thanks for replying to me.

 

Hugs,

Julia

[[Pa...]]

I'm so glad you called the pharmacist, my goodness, I didn't think about using the pink ones for the rest of today! It sounds like you're working through this, but it's pretty scary, you probably feel like your throat is getting ready to close off.  It's good you can eat and drink, I'm glad you understand your body so well and you're smart to listen so carefully.

[[to...]]

I'm so glad you called the pharmacist, my goodness, I didn't think about using the pink ones for the rest of today! It sounds like you're working through this, but it's pretty scary, you probably feel like your throat is getting ready to close off.  It's good you can eat and drink, I'm glad you understand your body so well and you're smart to listen so carefully.

Hi, thanks  for your kind words. After being on this journey for quite some time.  I've learned a lot about my body.  I usually know when to worry.  I have been worried today.

I am better now.  My throat still has a tickle but I've been drinking lots of water so I know I'm ok. It is scary when you think your throat may close. 

 

I'm not sure what I'm going to do tomorrow but I do know that for the first dose of the day I'm going to use the peach pills.  I may try the. 25 white pills for my second dose of the day and see what happens. 

Thavhs to all that responded.  Needless to say.  I didn't make a cut today. 

Hugs,

Julia 

[[Mi...]]

Keep going, you are doing great! Proud of you, you will look back and be so happy you are off of xanax.

[[Lo...]]

I'm so glad you called the pharmacist, my goodness, I didn't think about using the pink ones for the rest of today! It sounds like you're working through this, but it's pretty scary, you probably feel like your throat is getting ready to close off.  It's good you can eat and drink, I'm glad you understand your body so well and you're smart to listen so carefully.

Hi, thanks  for your kind words. After being on this journey for quite some time.  I've learned a lot about my body.  I usually know when to worry.  I have been worried today.

I am better now.  My throat still has a tickle but I've been drinking lots of water so I know I'm ok. It is scary when you think your throat may close. 

 

I'm not sure what I'm going to do tomorrow but I do know that for the first dose of the day I'm going to use the peach pills.  I may try the. 25 white pills for my second dose of the day and see what happens. 

Thavhs to all that responded.  Needless to say.  I didn't make a cut today. 

Hugs,

Julia 

 

Hi Julia!

 

So sorry that I, just seeing this. Remember when we spoke last when I said that all hell broke loose for me when I switched to the white pills and I didn't want to say a lot about it because I didn't want to plant that though t into your head? We spoke of exactly this topic. It's really late right now but I will try my best to reach you tomorrow. Hang in there!!!

 

Love,

Lori

[[to...]]

Hi Lori,

Yes I do remember and I tried to not think about it and consciously I was not thinking about it but apparently the ol brain decided to keep that thought and showed me who is boss - AGAIN!!  lol

 

But - I will get through this.  Have not been taking the white ones and feel better.  When we can connect, I will talk to you about how you got through it and what you did and i am sure that will help me too.

 

I hope you are feeling better.

 

Love and miss you!!!  :smitten: :angel:

Julia