Dosing Schedule Tapering Off Alprazolam

[[id...]]

When you are tapering alprazolam, is it better to try to keep all your daily doses at the same amount? When i tapered down to 1 mg early last month (which is when i started having big problems) i was taking .125 mg at lunch, .125 around 4:00 PM, .5 mg at 7:00 PM, then .25 mg at 11:00 PM. i had been tapering at the rate of .125 mg per week. would it make any difference to take .25 mg at each dosage? or does the blood plasma level remain at the same level over 24 hours regardless of how you divide the dosage? 

[[el...]]

xanax has a short half life,(less than 24 hours, I need to go check) so some feel more comfortable spreading out the dose evenly. But if you feel you need it more at certain times of the day, it might be better to keep that dose a little higher. Play it by ear. 

[[el...]]

I can't find it. All I get is stupid pharmacy links. 

I think it is only a few hours.

Does anyone know the half life of xanax?

[[ja...]]

Ashton says 6 to 12 hours.  Janus

[[id...]]

my worst time of day is always mid to later afternoon. i tend to take the bulk of my dosage in the evenings. i guess that i feel at worst in the afternoons because the "loading up" dosage from the night before is wearing off by then. im getting ready to drop today, and my dosage will be as follows: .25 mg 9:00 AM, .25 mg 12:00 noon, .25 mg 4:00. .56 7:00 PM, .31 mg at 11:00 for a total of 1.62 mg. i have always tried to take the bulk of my daily dosage later in the day because i don't want to have problems sleeping. when i eventually get down to 1 mg again i wonder if it wouldn't be better to spread it out more than i did before. i do have some lunesta i could take to help with sleep if i take less at night than i did before.

[[el...]]

Mike,

lunesta and ambien work on the same brain receptors that benzos do  and they tend to hinder the tapering process. It's better to let your sleep recover naturally. Hard to do, I know.

Have you ever tried melatonin?

By the way, you won't necessarily get sleep problems as you reduce. Try not to expect them. My sleep actually improved the lower I got. I stll have a little bit of a sleep problem, but it's better all the time.

[[id...]]

Mike,

lunesta and ambien work on the same brain receptors that benzos do  and they tend to hinder the tapering process.

 

thanks, but in what way(s) do they affect xanax taper? 

[[ja...]]

Hey IdahoMike could you post a signature line so we know where you are.  CLick on  your name and go to Forum profile.  Click on modify forum profile and you will see down at the bottom where to add the dosage you started with and where you are now.  Janus

 

PS  Lunesta and ambien are called Z drugs and they are basically the new benzos for the 21 st century.  Their properties are similar as with benzos and they all can cause dependency in exactly the same way as the benzos--they effect gaba receptors.  It is just a new way to market the same darn drugs. 

[[id...]]

p.s.-i have tried melatonin. like i said in a previous post, i believe i am extremely sensitive to meds, etc. i believe i only took about 3/4 mg of melatonin for a handful of nights. it made me have vivid dreams, and i woke up feeling lousy. i think i read somewhere the melatonin only works if you have a melatonin deficiency. i spend lots of time in the sunlight, leading me to believe that my brain produces plenty of seratonin, which is in turn converted to melatonin.

 i dont believe that sleep would be an issue for me, im just afraid of cutting that night time dose down. the only time i had sleep issues was maybe a few weeks last october, when i was going through some depression for a short period of time.

[[ja...]]

You need to do what you think is best.. If problems come up the dosing time and amount can always be altered or changed in the future..Janus

[[el...]]

Mike,

lunesta and ambien work on the same brain receptors that benzos do  and they tend to hinder the tapering process.

 

thanks, but in what way(s) do they affect xanax taper? 

 

by effecting the gaba receptors, you aren't allowing them to heal and return to a non benzo state.

[[el...]]

the sunlight, leading me to believe that my brain produces plenty of seratonin, which is in turn converted to melatonin.

 i dont believe that sleep would be an issue for me, im just afraid of cutting that night time dose down. the only time i had sleep issues was maybe a few weeks last october, when i was going through some depression for a short period of time.

 

In that case you will most likely not have sleep issues, at least not long term. But if you have some bad nights, don't let yourself think it's not temporary, because the fear of not sleeping can lead to long term sleeping problems. On those bad nights, just relax into them and know that this too shall pass.