Intro

[[Th...]]

I'm a 48 year old male who has been taking 1 mg of xanax for roughly two years after a cancer diagnosis.  The cancer appears to be in remission at this point and my reasons for taking the medicine seem to be dwindling so I am trying to taper off.  Having a rough time of it.  Cut my dose to .5mg outright and a few weeks in am having rebound anxiety, stomach issues, night sweats, depression, hot and cold spells, difficulty exercising (I run 20 miles/week normally), amongst other things.  I am hopeful that I can stabilize at this .5mg soon and then take a much slower approach.  Any thoughts/support would be welcome and much appreciated.  I won't give up.

[[ma...]]

Hello TheFighter Welcome to Benzobuddies!

 

We are very glad you joined our community. That’s great news, to hear, that you are in remission.  I am sorry you are now having a tough time with benzo withdrawal.  You are a true fighter, and you will come through this!  Benzodiazepines need to be tapered slowly!    We can help you with support, encouragement and taper/withdrawal information.  In general it’s advised to cut your daily dose by somewhere between 5% and 10% every 10 - 14 days.  It’s okay to go slower than this, whatever feels comfortable, the aim is to try to keep symptoms manageable.

 

I would suggest that you familiarise yourself with the Ashton Manual, It is a great resource for understanding the effect benzo’s have on our body.  It provides tapering and withdrawal information and includes a list of common symptoms 

 

You will find some very valuable support and information on the forum.  Our members are happy to share their personal experiences with you and support you.. Please feel free to browse the boards and post questions to any of the dedicated threads.

 

I'll leave you a few links:

 

The Ashton Manual. 

Withdrawal Support

General Taper Plans

 

We have dedicated board dealing Anxiety issues, I'll leave a link, you can connect with others, you may find something that will help you.

 

Anxiety     

 

Please take time to add a signature (history of meds/doses etc) it will help members give you relevant advice.  Go to the top of the page and select PROFILE then choose forum profile then insert drug history into the text box and remember to click change profile

 

Welcome aboard

Magrita

 

[[Th...]]

Thank you Magrita!  One question for you: do you think I will stabilize at the .5mg at some point here?  I really just don't know how this works. 

 

 

[[ma...]]

Thank you Magrita!  One question for you: do you think I will stabilize at the .5mg at some point here?  I really just don't know how this works.

 

Benzos need to be tapered slow and carefully,  50% cut is far too much.  You might stabilise, but If it was me I would get back on a stable dose for a week or so and then slow taper. 

 

Magrita 

 

[[Th...]]

Thanks for the advice Magrita!

[[Ma...]]

Hey Firefighter, so sorry to hear what you have been going through with the cancer, sounds like you are in remission, did I understand that correctly?  That's fabulous!  You are very welcome here at bb and we will help you all we can.  There are lots of very experienced people to help.  I agree with Magritte, you have made a very big cut.  If that was very recently, I would go right back to 1 mg and start down slowly.  What would be a big help, go back to moderators post that has the profile link, click on it and look down.  It will have a place for your drug history, that will give us the big picture and help us give you the best advise.  Reading the other threads will give up lots of good information.

There are quite a few different ways to taper, to read about those, go to the Homepage and scroll down until you see the taper threads.  Welcome again Firefighter, love Mary ♥️