Have not started taper yet - night tremor-shakes

[[Mr...]]

Help please. Went to sleep 10-10:30 last night. Woke up t midnight with uncontrollable shaking and felt cold while I was burning up. Is this just symptom of dependence?

[[de...]]

It's a symptom of withdrawal. 

 

Dee

[[Ca...]]

Yes, as Dee says, Its a typical WD symptom (SX).. -Not just Benzos either..

If uou have been on a steady non reduced dose, It could be a SX that accompanies Tolerance... Or possibly Interdose WD as I see you have been investigating...

 

Before getting too far into tapering ideas, it would be good to hear on how your Drs visit went, and if that affects your options...

 

Two questions, and sorry if you said, How many days were you at half dose..? And is there a rough time line as to how things have (partially)  improved..?

 

My best wishes...

 

[[Mr...]]

I spoke to my Dr yesterday and took my wife with me. I think he was pretty oblivious to Xanax dependence. He initially told me to just start cutting my usage in half. I brought some literature for him to read in which he skimmed over. I think I finally got the point across to him that I have only two options. I got to a detox and get all screwed up and I taper off slowly. I am taking a 1mg pill before bed as prescribed. I convinced him to prescribe me the lowest dose .25 so it will be easier to taper. He was concerned with the amount of pills that would be and seemed hesitant. He ended up prescribing me two weeks work (60 pills) 2 in the am and 2 at night. I'm not sure if I will get side effects from switching to this regimen from one a day but seems it should make the dosage more even through the day. I thought of even maybe .25mg 4 times a day. He referred me to a Psychiatrist he knows who was next door to him so I see him in a couple weeks. In the meantime I'm looking for a backup of more knowledgeable Dr. on this but here in Indiana so far no such luck. There are a couple potential in Cincinnati which would be a manageable drive.

 

Any help or tips is greatly appreciated.

[[Mr...]]

Oh, answer to your second question Cantfly. I only half does 1 day and I had rebound anxiety and numbness/tingling.

I guess a good question I should ask is how long after you do a taper do you get te side effects. Maybe everyone is different.

[[Ca...]]

I spoke to my Dr yesterday and took my wife with me. I think he was pretty oblivious to Xanax dependence. He initially told me to just start cutting my usage in half. I brought some literature for him to read in which he skimmed over. I think I finally got the point across to him that I have only two options. I got to a detox and get all screwed up and I taper off slowly. I am taking a 1mg pill before bed as prescribed. I convinced him to prescribe me the lowest dose .25 so it will be easier to taper. He was concerned with the amount of pills that would be and seemed hesitant. He ended up prescribing me two weeks work (60 pills) 2 in the am and 2 at night. I'm not sure if I will get side effects from switching to this regimen from one a day but seems it should make the dosage more even through the day. I thought of even maybe .25mg 4 times a day. He referred me to a Psychiatrist he knows who was next door to him so I see him in a couple weeks. In the meantime I'm looking for a backup of more knowledgeable Dr. on this but here in Indiana so far no such luck. There are a couple potential in Cincinnati which would be a manageable drive.

 

Any help or tips is greatly appreciated.

Maybe you can do a deal with your Dr.. You use a bigger tablet (and pill split or better, -make a liquid), and He doesnt hassle you about speed..??!!  Sheesh, the things we have to contemplate..!!

 

Seriously, I guess its going to depend on a a Dr with a realistic approach, -and how you personally respond to reductions...  Despite the shake up from the sudden drop, things could go quite well... You may have even managed 20% cuts, we dont know...

Its just that we have to be aware that it could be a bit more involved than first expected...

 

Let us know how things go...

 

[[Ca...]]

Oh, answer to your second question Cantfly. I only half does 1 day and I had rebound anxiety and numbness/tingling.

I guess a good question I should ask is how long after you do a taper do you get te side effects. Maybe everyone is different.

You got it... Everyone is different, -by a mile...  You might get an indication closer to the end...

 

So you dropped to 0.5mg for 1 day, and went back to 1mg... How many days back at 1mg, and how much have you improved, if at all..??

 

Oh, also is there any other med/drug history, alcohol, illness, etc.  That might come into play..??

 

 

[[Mr...]]

I dropped .5 for one day and that same night I have a mild sense of rebound anxiety. really not that bad but it woke me up in the middle of the night and could not get back to sleep. I'd say I'm back on 1mg for around 10 days now. Only started getting pretty bad withdraw symptoms about 6 days ago. Before that I had no idea I had a problem.

[[Mr...]]

Oh, forgot to mention. No other drug history or anything. In fact the whole anxiety issue that caused me to take this drug was new to me. I just kind of freaked out.

[[Ca...]]

Thanks.. -Got it..

 

It is worth noting that you havnt returned back to pre reduction status, and may or may not be an indication of a level of sensitivity developing..

At about 50 days on med (correct??), pls be cautious as to how long you wish to wait to taper, another 10 days for your wife to get back is 20% extra time on med at this dose...

But its also important that you are ready, and working your own timeframes as you know your situation and how you feel best...

 

But first things first, see how the dose split helps...

 

 

[[Mr...]]

Yes, I want to start ASAP. Is what I can expect after first taper something I could handle myself? Not sure what to expect.

[[Ca...]]

Yes, I want to start ASAP. Is what I can expect after first taper something I could handle myself? Not sure what to expect.

lets see how you go in the next couple of days..? (With the dose split) -and with a reasonable % reduction things should be fine... There may be symptoms, but I wouldnt expect anything too serious.. Usually its symptom intensity that guides us down...

 

[[Mr...]]

I'm do.se splitting tomorrow at 9am. Tonight was my first experience with some relenting symptoms. Took the last single 1mg dose at the usual 9m however I really started to crater around 7pm. Since I single dose a 9pm the last two nights . Has been challenging and getting worse. Hope this dose split will help. Not looking forward to tomorrow. I'm sure these are withdraw symptoms since I have always maintained this dose. Do I tough it out until this cycle passes before I begin my taper?  Dumb question! Got no choice. Actually had a rather normal afternoon and go 1-2 hrs of shuteye with my three dogs laying on me licking me all over, What a relief they are. Getting ready for a rough night tomorrow.

[[Mr...]]

My dose split went pretty well. I good most of the day and get mild symptoms in the evening. I'm planning on starting my taper tomorrow since my daughter who is an RN will be with me the next week. I was planning a 15% but am hedging on that and maybe will start with a 10% instead. I had a little taste of the wave a couple days ago. not too fun. Hope to keep focused and maintain. Peace

[[Li...]]

Hi MrDetermined,

 

You know you don't have to dose even amounts right?

 

Taking 50% in the morning and 50% at night may work well for you, but you can adjust around with those .25 Xanax.

 

I was taking half my dose in the morning for a while, but it wiped me out. It worked better for me to take 1/4 my daily dose when I got up and the other 1/4 around lunch time. It took some experimenting to get what worked for my body which ended up being 4 even doses at approx 7 and 11 am and pm. I do know some members who go 50/50, 25/50/25, 25/75 and so on.

 

It's good you figured this out earlier rather than later and that you are hitting it head on. All the best with your taper. LA

[[Mr...]]

Thanks Lilyann, I did not know that. So when I start to taper they do not have to be evenly tapered between those 4X a day doses as long as I get the right amount in a 24 hr period?

[[oc...]]

Help please. Went to sleep 10-10:30 last night. Woke up t midnight with uncontrollable shaking and felt cold while I was burning up. Is this just symptom of dependence?

 

Before I started tapering I had some pretty rough stuff going on with me. I have not figured out what it all was but i have some theories.

 

I had burning tongue, dry mouth, vibrating nervous system/insomnia

 

since I have been getting off the medicine a lot of this has cleared up - other stuff has started since I have been goign thru WD.

 

 

Good luck

[[Li...]]

That's right Mr. Determined! Those who started benzos for sleep often stack it heavier at night. Some do it even amounts like you mentioned. You just want the correct amount for the day as you said.

 

I was on three 1 mg per day. I went to two per day - morning and night. The mornings were ragged, so I split that dose out for three times at 25/25/50. Then I split that night dose too. That has worked the best, so I'm sticking with that for now.

 

If you're feeling wavy, it's worth playing around. You can always go back to the original dosing if you want.

[[Ca...]]

I kinda didnt want to mention it, as its a small thing..

 

Weighting your daily doses as suits is a good suggestion..

But I would just add.. That wherever there isnt a trade off with ones comfort for the day, I would try to keep the doses closer to evenly spread, than weighted towards one dose..

 

Like I said, -a small and probably secondary consideration, that might apply most at low dose for short half lives... -and med sensitive people..  Not a thing to worry about now, Imo..

 

It was mentioned that tapering from tolerance can, given a bit of time, change things for the better, -to an extent... That was my experience on a similar med, and also reported on for benzos.. I think Colin discusses it in a "sticky thread" too...

Sometimes it can be hard to push on with a bit of faith...

 

Hope that was clearer than mud... Sorry, my head is spinning a bit..