Alprazolam 1 mg Daily

[[ki...]]

Hi all,

New to this board. I am joining because my doctor has started to take a different approach to treating anxiety than he did 20 years ago. My quick background: I have had anxiety and panic attacks for about 30 years. My doctor put me on xanax about 25 years ago. I was also on a variety of anti- depressants over the years (zoloft, paxil, celexa, wellbutrin) but I took myself off all of those. However, as you all know, the xanax is addictive and I have not tried to get off. Honestly, xanax has been a great help to me and has helped me to get through the ups and downs of raising my kids, working etc. Now when I go in for my tri-annual checks to discuss my meds, my doctor is always telling me I need to get on some SSRIs and off the xanax. I guess with all the drug problems doctors are now against any addictive drugs. I take less than 1 mg each day. If a panic attack occurs, or I anticipate a stressful situation, I take a .5. Anyway, I am terrified that I would have to be hospitalized to come off xanax. I really don’t want this and am not looking to go off the meds but it makes sense I should try. Is anyone on this board still on xanax or something similar? Can anyone give me any advice about how to proceed?

I should mention that I suffer from a lot of health anxiety, so please don’t post responses about people dying on xanax. It will just set my situation off.

Thanks to all.

 

[[pi...]]

Hello killaney,

 

Welcome to Benzo Buddies! More and more doctors are reluctant to keep patients on benzos long term.  For a long time not much information or studies were available to show the long term effects like memory issues and cognitive decline.

 

I understand how you feel and that they seem to work for you.

 

To be honest, hospitalization for benzo withdrawal is normally just a detox, cold turkey, often with adjunct medications added in.  If you want the withdrawal process to be as easy as possible on your central nervous system then a very slow taper would be recommended. Try not to be afraid of this process, it is doable with a sensible taper plan.

 

Generally, a reduction of no more than 5-10% every 10-14 days is suggested. I'll give you a link to the General Taper Plans for additional information.

 

I'll also give you a link to the Ashton Manual. It is an excellent resource about these types of drugs and how to withdraw. The manual was written by Dr. Heather Ashton , an expert in the field.

 

You will have to decide what is best for yourself and your wellbeing.  Many people who have anxiety and panic have found other ways to deal with this problem. You'll find some caring and knowledgeable members here that will offer support and encouragement to you. This forum was my safe haven while going through withdrawal.

 

General Taper Plans   

 

The Ashton Manual

 

pianogirl