The Long Hold Support Group

[[be...]]

do you guys feel that long holds while on small doses still help?

below 0.2K / 4MG V or so

ashton calls for jumping below 1/2mg V

I am essentially wondering if longer holds below those amounts will make the jump easier or just prolong this nightmare

Hi LOB. I'm with lynn on this one. My theory is to give the body time to eliminate the reduced dose and aclimmate to the lower levels. I plan to hold at least for a couple of months at the lowest level before jumping. That way the plasma levels will be at the correct dose.  --V

Agree with Lynn and Valley, I am going to "Walk Gently off", I do not use the {{{{{Jumping}}}}} word as it seems like I may hit hard when I land. LOL, but just my preference "Gently".

[[ba...]]

Posted this in subsitution plans, but hoping some of you here have experience or links regarding using xanax XR to taper from regular xanax.

 

My doc wants me to start taking xanax xr to taper off the short acting xanax. I can not pursue it if I really don't  want to and stay with just the regular xanax. Have an appointment Nov 4 to talk about it.

 

I tried it a year ago, and it was a nightmare. I was in constant panic, functionless, and felt like a zombie. I don't  remember how I reduced the regular xanax, unfortunately. After 2 weeks, I quit using the xr and went back to just regular xanax, and started feeling sane again.

 

Has anyone done this? Advice?

 

I am at 5.5 of short term xanax, He is thinking 1 mg of xanax xr (tried .5 xanax xr before, it was too low.) His idea is that within 4-7 days of Xanax xr, I cut 1 mg of the short term xanax

 

Really need input. How do you take the short term xr differently while introducing xanax xr?

Less doses, smaller doses?

Need guidance and advice.

 

Has this worked for anyone?

[[ly...]]

 

 

I only went the other way - from XR to regular.  That took a little adjustment and I only did this when I got below 1mg - since XR does not come lower than .5mg

 

It makes sense that XR would smooth out interdose wd.  I gather your pdoc is contemplating a 1 for 1 dose gradual substitution?  Based on your prior bad experience with XR I can understand your concern.  What was going on when you tried it before?  Was the exchange similar or all at once?  Were your sxs the same?  Perhaps 2 wks was not an adequate trial(?).

 

If things are intolerable it might be worth another try.  You probably would have to do your best not to get overly anxious about it and ramp things up with anxiety.  That would make it difficult to know what is causing what.

[[ba...]]

 

 

I only went the other way - from XR to regular.  That took a little adjustment and I only did this when I got below 1mg - since XR does not come lower than .5mg

 

It makes sense that XR would smooth out interdose wd.  I gather your pdoc is contemplating a 1 for 1 dose gradual substitution?  Based on your prior bad experience with XR I can understand your concern.  What was going on when you tried it before?  Was the exchange similar or all at once?  Were your sxs the same?  Perhaps 2 wks was not an adequate trial(?).

 

If things are intolerable it might be worth another try.  You probably would have to do your best not to get overly anxious about it and ramp things up with anxiety.  That would make it difficult to know what is causing what.

Yes, my pdoc wants to do a 1:1 substition, but not gradual, perhaps that was the problem.

 

I do not have comprehensive notes on the XR experience from a year ago. I do know I was dosing at 4.5 mg at that time, but that is all. Unfortunately, I purge notes after 6 months, so don't know what I did dosage wise with the regular xanax. I assume I followed my docs instructions to wait 4-7 days, then cut 1 mg, that is his standard model.

 

I did note in my book that I felt like a complete zombie, was having continuous panic, and did not leave the house for 9 days (extremely unusual for me, even in the worst wd, I ride my bike or something, as you guys all know.) For me to be housebound for that long, I must of been in hell. That is all I know. I had my doc take me off, and went back to short term xanax, I know I went back to just  being interdose wd, not the horror I was in after that change.

[[ly...]]

 

 

I guess I am not understanding the substitution/dose.  Did you take 4.5 regular PLUS 4.5 XR?  Total 9mg for 4-7days then cut 1mg every 4-7 days?  Or did you add 1mgXR while dropping 1mg regular, staying at the same total dose?

[[ba...]]

I did not keep my notes, so I don't know. I assume I dropped 1 mg of the 4.5 short term I was on at the time with the addition of the 1 mg xr. So it would of been 3.5 regular (instead of 4,5) and 1 mg xr.

 

But, I don't know! I am pretty confident, I cut the dose, as I generally do as instructed, it makes sense given my following of protocol. It may not have been the whole 1 mg of regular at once, but gradual. Again, I don't have the record for how and how much I cut. And, I have no idea where or how I cut the 1 mg of regular xanax. I just wrote in my notes what torment it was, and I wrote a letter to my pd and made an appointment. Those are what I found. In the letter, I state that I was a complete wreck, a zombie, in constant panic, and unable to leave the house. We stopped it after that, and I went back to 4.5 mg of regular xanax, I know I felt tremendously better.

[[ly...]]

 

 

Ok.  I was just wondering as I was unclear.  Certainly a doubling of your dose would have brought on all manner of problems.  I can't explain why the XR would cause what you went thru.  Some are extremely sensitive to any change.  I just don't know what to say.  I might try the XR if things were bad and not improving.  Perhaps it is just a matter of adjustment.  I wish you were having an easier time with your taper.  You'll have to decide what is best for you vis a vis the present situation.  Hoping for the best 

[[...]]

Hi all, nearly a month into my hold..... Still feel crappy, shaky , hard walking burning, tingling, a bit depressed today. Feel horrible after I take my V dose, especially the morning one, and ,y symptoms seem to get worse as the day goes on.

I'm afraid In case I'm one of those people who find Valium toxic.... But how would I know ? I found K horrible. I actually liked Xanax and Ativan better, but I can't imagine switching now and risking feeling worse, inter dose WDs etc. at least I don't get those on V. So many variables it's impossible to know.

 

I am hopeful that I will feel better further down, but meantime , I suppose I'm just going to have to wait it out..... This sucks    but planning to stay the course with my hold and hope I start to feel better.....

Hugs to everyone today 

[[Va...]]

Hi all, nearly a month into my hold..... Still feel crappy, shaky , hard walking burning, tingling, a bit depressed today. Feel horrible after I take my V dose, especially the morning one, and ,y symptoms seem to get worse as the day goes on.

I'm afraid In case I'm one of those people who find Valium toxic.... But how would I know ? I found K horrible. I actually liked Xanax and Ativan better, but I can't imagine switching now and risking feeling worse, inter dose WDs etc. at least I don't get those on V. So many variables it's impossible to know.

 

I am hopeful that I will feel better further down, but meantime , I suppose I'm just going to have to wait it out..... This sucks    but planning to stay the course with my hold and hope I start to feel better.....

Hugs to everyone today 

If I were to search through this thread and find what I posted at 1 month, I know I said the exact same thing. As soon as I would dose I would get hot flashes and feel worse. I also felt that it was the meds that were toxic when it was just withdrawal related as it resolved the longer I held. Hang in there! --V

[[ba...]]

Hi all, nearly a month into my hold..... Still feel crappy, shaky , hard walking burning, tingling, a bit depressed today. Feel horrible after I take my V dose, especially the morning one, and ,y symptoms seem to get worse as the day goes on.

I'm afraid In case I'm one of those people who find Valium toxic.... But how would I know ? I found K horrible. I actually liked Xanax and Ativan better, but I can't imagine switching now and risking feeling worse, inter dose WDs etc. at least I don't get those on V. So many variables it's impossible to know.

 

I am hopeful that I will feel better further down, but meantime , I suppose I'm just going to have to wait it out..... This sucks    but planning to stay the course with my hold and hope I start to feel better.....

Hugs to everyone today 

 

 

Going through the same thing. Every dose feels bad, some are intolerable, as if were in cold turkey. The current dose is one of those very bad ones. I thought maybe the hiorris doses were toolarge? My scale is crap, so I cant get an accurate read, still its not a huge variable.

 

I have been thinking xanax is toxic for me, it never makes me feel good, and 1/3 of the time it makes me much much worse.

 

Seeing I'm not alone helps, sorry others are suffering, but it makes me think this hell is normal.

 

Still staying on taper.

If I were to search through this thread and find what I posted at 1 month, I know I said the exact same thing. As soon as I would dose I would get hot flashes and feel worse. I also felt that it was the meds that were toxic when it was just withdrawal related as it resolved the longer I held. Hang in there! --V

[[...]]

Thank you Valleyum......  I'll hang in there and try to trust that it will improve . Hope my doc will keep prescribing .... She probably will.

Baddove, I'm so sorry you are going through hell too. We have to Belive it will change . ((((Hugs)))

[[ba...]]

Wow, my post was a mess, I am in deep. Hold on fellow friends, this will resolve eventually, if I can say that in this condition, that's something.

[[an...]]

I agree Begood.  I like being able to live my life as well.  The holding works for me.  I suppose we are all different in how we react to these drugs.  Lynn is right, some have to taper off quickly due to the drug being toxic to them.  On the other hand, the long holds seem to help many others.

Hi Anne, I was just going to ask Valley to put an SOS out for you, been worried, how are you doing, I think you said once that you Teach so I am sure you are busy, but I miss when our Peeps are not around. Glad to see a post today.

 

Hi Begood,

 

Thank you for asking.  I am doing well.  Last night, I did have a bad BP spike which was accompanied with chemical anxiety.  I have not had the anxiety in a long while.  I ended up taking a rescue dose, and I felt better within the hour.  I think I might have made a mistake when measuring my afternoon dose--for some reason I did not measure enough.  Today went very well.  Just a few "blips" here and there.  I have not posted much lately due to being very busy with work.  We will be finished with the semester in a few weeks though.

 

I hope all is well with you.  You are such a kind supportive person.  Thank you for that.

 

Enjoy the evening.

Anne

[[...]]

Wow, my post was a mess, I am in deep. Hold on fellow friends, this will resolve eventually, if I can say that in this condition, that's something.

 

Hang on Baddove. , you'll get through this , ((( hugs)))

[[Sh...]]

Having one of those days where I'm worried and scared that I'm stuck like this. Really want my brain back. I miss the old me. I dont know If I'm going to make it back to the old me.

[[be...]]

Having one of those days where I'm worried and scared that I'm stuck like this. Really want my brain back. I miss the old me. I dont know If I'm going to make it back to the old me.

Hang on, you are off, and it is going to take time for the Brain to catch up and completely heal, keep as distracted as you can, as you have said that helps you a lot, there is no way to know how long it will take, but put your seatbelt on, and try to do the best you can, it is not your fault, it is timing and we have no control how long it may take our Brains to heal.  

[[Va...]]

Having one of those days where I'm worried and scared that I'm stuck like this. Really want my brain back. I miss the old me. I dont know If I'm going to make it back to the old me.

You'll make it through! This is just the storm before the calm. 

[[Sh...]]

Im trying. God im sick of the dead/emotionless feeling in my head.

[[an...]]

Im trying. God im sick of the dead/emotionless feeling in my head.

 

Shamo,

 

It will get better.  You have already seen improvement over the last few months, and you will continue to improve.  I understand how you feel though.  I have been feeling great lately, but the last few days have not been so good.  When experiencing symptoms, I always feel that it will never end.  But, it will for both of us.

 

Take care and try to do something fun over the weekend.

Anne

[[Sh...]]

Thanks for the kind words guys. Its like...I can stay positive for a while. Ill make a week. And then Ill collapse and be fed up. Then Ill make another week. Its the constant battle that just wears you down. Going to bed each night thinking that was another crap day. I wake up each morning and dont even have the expectation to be better anymore. I just accept my life is shit with this. I used to remember what normal felt like and id hold on to that. But ive forgotten now.

[[Kl...]]

Anyone have endometriosis here?

[[Sh...]]

CC always love your positivity on this forum. Always helping and supporting people.

 

I know I have a great life in front of me. Waiting there for me. I have a lot of potential and tools to do great things once I get there. It's just the getting there part. I do all the right things to keep me going. I exercise a lot which promotes healing and is a proven way to recover from brain injuries. It's just really really difficult to keep going day after day when your mind has been taken over by bad thoughts that aren't really yours. You're constantly battling against them and pushing them away. This nightmare rolls on and on.

 

I'm sorry but you even mentioning that this could take 2 years is like a dagger to me. I feel like ive reached the end of my rope already and I'm only 4.5 months off.

[[Ho...]]

CC always love your positivity on this forum. Always helping and supporting people.

 

I know I have a great life in front of me. Waiting there for me. I have a lot of potential and tools to do great things once I get there. It's just the getting there part. I do all the right things to keep me going. I exercise a lot which promotes healing and is a proven way to recover from brain injuries. It's just really really difficult to keep going day after day when your mind has been taken over by bad thoughts that aren't really yours. You're constantly battling against them and pushing them away. This nightmare rolls on and on.

 

I'm sorry but you even mentioning that this could take 2 years is like a dagger to me. I feel like ive reached the end of my rope already and I'm only 4.5 months off.

 

Shamo,

 

i don't think it should take 2 years, but even if it did, I think you would be experiencing improvements during that time so that each month will slowly look better and better. I think you are doing all the right things. I've often wondered if some form of counseling could be beneficial for you? Yes your symptoms are from withdrawal, but maybe they could give you some ideas for coping techniques for the intrusive thoughts. It sounds like you are able to shove them to the side at work, so there's got to be a way to do that at home too? I'm just throwing that out there as an idea. I just don't want you to give up. Keep hanging in there!

 

Hope

 

Hope

[[in...]]

Im trying. God im sick of the dead/emotionless feeling in my head.

i feel same, its effecting everything, i can barely work, have not done my quickbooks in 4 moths, i have no memeory left except old looping thoughts, its effecting kids, spouse, life, ugh, dp/dr, eye problems now, ugh, i so

feel your pain

INP

[[Va...]]

CC always love your positivity on this forum. Always helping and supporting people.

 

I know I have a great life in front of me. Waiting there for me. I have a lot of potential and tools to do great things once I get there. It's just the getting there part. I do all the right things to keep me going. I exercise a lot which promotes healing and is a proven way to recover from brain injuries. It's just really really difficult to keep going day after day when your mind has been taken over by bad thoughts that aren't really yours. You're constantly battling against them and pushing them away. This nightmare rolls on and on.

 

I'm sorry but you even mentioning that this could take 2 years is like a dagger to me. I feel like ive reached the end of my rope already and I'm only 4.5 months off.

I really believe you'll feel markedly better at 6 months.  --V