23 Years on Xanax - My Success Story - 1 Year Later

[[Th...]]

Congratulations!

 

I'm at the beginning of this journey. I have been taking 1 mg Clonazepam as prescribed since 2006. 

 

I tried cold turkey (MISTAKE!) and a rapid taper outlined by neurologist (BIGGER MISTAKE!!).

 

I have an appointment with a psychiatric nurse on Tuesday.  She has used the Ashton Method successfully with other patients. 

 

So, in your opinion, is it possible to keep working while tapering?  This is my biggest concern.

 

Again, congrats!

[[Pa...]]

 

 

So, in your opinion, is it possible to keep working while tapering?  This is my biggest concern.

 

Again, congrats!

 

I was able to work all but the first three weeks after my cold turkey, and grateful I could.  It wasn't pleasant but I'm very glad I had the distraction, if I would have had to be alone every day with only my symptoms to keep me company, it would have been so much worse. 

[[Gi...]]

Congratulations!

 

I'm at the beginning of this journey. I have been taking 1 mg Clonazepam as prescribed since 2006. 

 

I tried cold turkey (MISTAKE!) and a rapid taper outlined by neurologist (BIGGER MISTAKE!!).

 

I have an appointment with a psychiatric nurse on Tuesday.  She has used the Ashton Method successfully with other patients. 

 

So, in your opinion, is it possible to keep working while tapering?  This is my biggest concern.

 

Again, congrats!

 

Thank you!  I can’t answer that question for myself as I’m disabled due to another condition.  But like Pamster said,  distraction is really an excellent way to get through this.  As long as you’re able I’d say it’s a good  thing.  Best wishes! 

[[Th...]]

Congratulations!

 

I'm at the beginning of this journey. I have been taking 1 mg Clonazepam as prescribed since 2006. 

 

I tried cold turkey (MISTAKE!) and a rapid taper outlined by neurologist (BIGGER MISTAKE!!).

 

I have an appointment with a psychiatric nurse on Tuesday.  She has used the Ashton Method successfully with other patients. 

 

So, in your opinion, is it possible to keep working while tapering?  This is my biggest concern.

 

Again, congrats!

 

I echo the comments above that working while tapering is possible, and indeed probably favourable depending on the nature of your work. I CT'd last year when not working and it was definitely easier tapering this year with the distraction that work offered.

[[fr...]]

Congratulations!

 

Greeting Buddies.  I’ve already shared my success story with updates along the way.  You can find them here:

My Success Story - 23 Years on Xanax

http://www.benzobuddies.org/forum/index.php?topic=268464.0

And here:

“10 Week update: You're Never Too Old to Quit” http://www.benzobuddies.org/forum/index.php?topic=267802.msg3386361#msg3386361

 

I’m writing today to say Goodbye and to thank you for all the encouragement I’ve received.  I’m doing very well and at my age (71) it’s really time to move on.

 

Eventually,  Benzos became the CAUSE of my “generalized anxiety” and intermittent panic attacks!

 

I’m fully prepared for the possibility that I will experience anxiety and probably panic attacks in the future.  But I know what they are now and how to deal with them. I know that they are temporary and people have successfully dealt with these things for ages without turning to medication.

 

 

If you have not already done so, check out some of the Claire Weekes books.  They have helped me a lot in dealing with panic.

 

[[Gi...]]

Congratulations!

 

If you have not already done so, check out some of the Claire Weekes books.  They have helped me a lot in dealing with panic.

Thank you Frank!  I've heard of her books but have never read them.  Thank you for the reminder.  I'll have to check her out!  - I just found this good article that summarized her teachings and am happy to say that I’ve already been employing them. 😀 I’m sure her thoughts have been woven into the CBT and other things I’ve read. 

https://www.calmclinic.com/treatmentclaire-weekes

[[ji...]]

So happy you are doing well, Gitfiddle!  Thanks for sharing your story and give us all hope!

Praise the Lord!

Jimbabwe

[[Fr...]]

Gitfiddle,

 

This is an amazing story!!! I am so encouraged. I jumped almost 6 weeks ago after 5 years of Xanax use. I had no idea the things the drug was doing to me. Your story is awesome and I am so happy for you.

[Guest [...]]

Gitfiddle 51 , im so impressed with your success in beating the benzo nightmare.

 

I am also tapering from xanax, which I was prescribed in 1997. I was on them daily as well , for 25 yrs. Now Im in a  rapid taper by my gp and going through heck.

 

He expects me to be done with them by april of this year, mind you, ive only been tapering for roughly 4 short mths. But The rate hes prescribed is his own taper,  none of which he'll allow me to lead on my own schedule.

 

I hope i am able to get a better doctor who is benzo wise, but im in Canada and they are so uneducated here, its going to be like looking for a needle in a haystack.

 

Congrats on your success though, it does inspire me, even at this rate and despite the painful wd.

 

[[Gi...]]

Jimbabwe, thank you for the kind words- and yes, praise the Lord indeed! Best wishes to you!

Freshstart,  thank you and CONGRATULATIONS!  It’ll be rough for awhile but symptoms will ease up over time. Good work!

Moojoo- I’m so happy you’ll be getting off.  I’m holding good thoughts for you that you’ll find a doc up there who’s willing to work with you.  I took an exceptionally long time - but a year and 10 months of that was holding- I could’ve gone faster and would’ve still been okay.  Fingers crossed for you. ❤️‍🩹

[[no...]]

bump

[[Gi...]]

I'm bumping this for my 1 year update.

[[no...]]

I'm bumping this for my 1 year update.

Hi GF  how are you doing now?

 

 

Nova 

[[Gi...]]

I'm bumping this for my 1 year update.

Hi GF  how are you doing now?

 

 

Nova 

 

Hi Nova, Doing well, thank you! 😀❤️

I wrote a full update (in green) at the top of my original post.

[[fa...]]

Hi,  Your post give me so much hope and encouragement!  I've been on Xanax for 22+ years and am trying to micro taper off.  I will have to read that infomation you referenced as it will probably help.  I too do yoga and use the breathe for anxiety.  My doctor put me on xanax 22+ years ago while in the hospital waiting for open heart surgery at a very young age.  I'm especially impressed at how quickly you moved from .25 to jumping.  I'm really moving at snails pace because I get symptoms with each cut and the heart palpitations in particular really scare me.  Also I don't do well without sleep.  I am determined to stay the course so thank you for your post and congratulations on conquering this truly addictive med. xo Sue

[[Gi...]]

Hi,  Your post give me so much hope and encouragement!  I've been on Xanax for 22+ years and am trying to micro taper off.  I will have to read that infomation you referenced as it will probably help.  I too do yoga and use the breathe for anxiety.  My doctor put me on xanax 22+ years ago while in the hospital waiting for open heart surgery at a very young age.  I'm especially impressed at how quickly you moved from .25 to jumping.  I'm really moving at snails pace because I get symptoms with each cut and the heart palpitations in particular really scare me.  Also I don't do well without sleep.  I am determined to stay the course so thank you for your post and congratulations on conquering this truly addictive med. xo Sue

Thank you Sue for the kind comments.  I totally understand your concerns re heart palpitations as I have atherosclerosis and arrhythmias.  I’m on beta blockers for that and I think the beta blockers actually were a help during my withdrawal because they also help with anxiety.

You can do this.  Be sure to include your doctor if you can. 

Best wishes!

[[ei...]]

Hi Gitfiddle-51,

 

I need your advice. I am now taking 0.06mg of Alprazolam at night. (came from 0.125mg 3x a day last October 2022, for Panic Attacks during sleep after Traumatic Event).

 

Also now onboarding Prozac 15mg, started from lower doses.

 

I am not sure if my symptoms are withdrawal from Alpra or Prozac onboarding.

 

I plan to stay on 0.06mg or lower (1/4 of 0.25mg tablet) Xanax for months til the Prozac takes time to work. Is that a good plan.

 

 

 

 

[[Gi...]]

Hi Gitfiddle-51,

 

I need your advice. I am now taking 0.06mg of Alprazolam at night. (came from 0.125mg 3x a day last October 2022, for Panic Attacks during sleep after Traumatic Event).

 

Also now onboarding Prozac 15mg, started from lower doses.

 

I am not sure if my symptoms are withdrawal from Alpra or Prozac onboarding.

 

I plan to stay on 0.06mg or lower (1/4 of 0.25mg tablet) Xanax for months til the Prozac takes time to work. Is that a good plan.

Hi eiledon20.

 

I’m sure sorry for all of your tragic life events .  I’ve had many myself that I know contributed to my anxiety.  I really can’t advise you on your medications because we’re all so different.  You’d mentioned in your profile that you don’t tolerate SSRI’s well so maybe it is partly due to the Prozac.  Personally, I don’t tolerate SSRI’s either.  They cause great anxiety and panic attacks so I can’t take them. Just as well as I don’t want to be on psych meds.

 

Plus you are still weaning off the Xanax which also causes anxiety. Even though I weaned off very slowly, I continued to have some withdrawal symptoms for several months after taking my last crumb of Xanax.

 

You didn’t mention how long you were on Xanax.  For me, I was on it so long that I was convinced I could never function without it.  Not true. I’ve learned that Anxiety is part of life for everyone to one extent or another. Some of us have just happen to have a a harder time dealing with it from time to time. But that doesn’t mean we’re doomed to it forever. 

 

I still deal with bouts of anxiety even bordering on panic sometimes when I’m under stress.  What helps me is breathing, self-talk, prayer, positive thinking, and distraction.  The Anxiety episodes usually pass when I choose not to reinforce those scary thoughts . It takes work but it’s so worth it - and it’s how we have to learn to live if we want to be off these drugs.

Please keep me posted on how you’re doing. 🙏🏻

 

 

 

 

 

[[ei...]]

Hi Gitfiddle-51,

 

It's complicated.

 

I was prescribed the Xanax again last Oct. 2022. (After sister diagnosed 4th stage cancer). 0.125mg (1/2 tab 0.25mg) 3x a day or as the need to bring down the heart palpitation arises.

 

Then two weeks later, I was given Lexapro, 1/4 tab for a start.

Scared of being addicted, I tapered down Xanax slowly 1/4, 1/8 tab at night.

Upon reaching 1 tab of Lexapro, I had agitation, ringing in ears. Dec 15th Lexapro was stopped. So it's confusing which med caused the symptoms.

 

February 5 : Given Buspirone 5mg 3x a day. Not sure this helped

 

March 2:

Started Prozac 5mg (3 weeks) (anxiety/depression)

Prozac 10mg (4 weeks now)

Still taking some Xanax (1/8 tab, sometimes 1/4 at night. I might have done it wrong as there needs to be at least 2 doses per day?) to ease off the early symptoms of prozac anxiety. Don't all SSRI have this?!

 

I saw some mood improvements and concentration issues with Prozac.

 

Hard when one drug needs another drug to "onboard" as they say. I hated this.

 

But I still feel to this day that Xanax can also cause anxiety/palpitations when the hours of its effectivity has passed? My doc says my adrenaline is high and Xanax just calms it down. And I will not get addicted as it is low dose...Hmmm...

 

I still feel like some muscle got stuck in the left part of my head (due to the intense panic attacks awakenings at night?), and when I took the 5mg Prozac at the start, I felt it relaxed a bit. That's why I know I needed Prozac. Between Xanax and Prozac, I believe Prozac is easier to wean off.

 

Still struggling here...difficult to concentrate at times, obsessing about how to get well, bad thoughts...

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[[Gi...]]

Hi Gitfiddle-51,

 

It's complicated.

 

I was prescribed the Xanax again last Oct. 2022. (After sister diagnosed 4th stage cancer). 0.125mg (1/2 tab 0.25mg) 3x a day or as the need to bring down the heart palpitation arises.

 

Then two weeks later, I was given Lexapro, 1/4 tab for a start.

Scared of being addicted, I tapered down Xanax slowly 1/4, 1/8 tab at night.

Upon reaching 1 tab of Lexapro, I had agitation, ringing in ears. Dec 15th Lexapro was stopped. So it's confusing which med caused the symptoms.

 

February 5 : Given Buspirone 5mg 3x a day. Not sure this helped

 

March 2:

Started Prozac 5mg (3 weeks) (anxiety/depression)

Prozac 10mg (4 weeks now)

Still taking some Xanax (1/8 tab, sometimes 1/4 at night. I might have done it wrong as there needs to be at least 2 doses per day?) to ease off the early symptoms of prozac anxiety. Don't all SSRI have this?!

 

I saw some mood improvements and concentration issues with Prozac.

 

Hard when one drug needs another drug to "onboard" as they say. I hated this.

 

But I still feel to this day that Xanax can also cause anxiety/palpitations when the hours of its effectivity has passed? My doc says my adrenaline is high and Xanax just calms it down. And I will not get addicted as it is low dose...Hmmm...

 

I still feel like some muscle got stuck in the left part of my head (due to the intense panic attacks awakenings at night?), and when I took the 5mg Prozac at the start, I felt it relaxed a bit. That's why I know I needed Prozac. Between Xanax and Prozac, I believe Prozac is easier to wean off.

 

Still struggling here...difficult to concentrate at times, obsessing about how to get well, bad thoughts...

Eiledon20,

Yikes! That’s a lot of different SSRI’s to try. 

You are correct  that Xanax can definitely cause anxiety and palpitations between doses.  This is called interdose withdrawal.  It was happening to me for decades.  Your doctor is misinformed if he believes .125 mg x 3 daily is such a a low dose that is not addictive.  If you look at my profile you’ll see that it took me many months of very slow weaning to get off of that dose.

Rule of thumb for most of us here is to only wean off one drug at a time.

 

While I was weaning off Xanax I started taking Trazodone to sleep. I took it for about 6 months and when I went off of it I put my my Xanax weaning on hold until I weaned off the Trazodone. 

 

 

 

[[ei...]]

Gitfiddle-51,

 

Re interdose withdrawal.

 

Starting 3/10/22 you were able to bear without the two doses in the morning and noon and just took the evening only? How did you do it. TIA.

 

3/10/22 .125  (pm .125)

3/23/22 .113

4/12/22 .090

4/15/22 .078

4/18/22 .0625

4/24/22 .050

4/25/22 .040

4/26/22 .024

4/27/22. ZERO - Hallelujah! It's over

 

I am currently on crumbs at night, (0.06 or lower). Should I stay here until the Prozac side effects fades? It's complicated.

 

Thanks for support.

[[Gi...]]

Gitfiddle-51,

 

Re interdose withdrawal.

 

Starting 3/10/22 you were able to bear without the two doses in the morning and noon and just took the evening only? How did you do it. TIA.

 

3/10/22 .125  (pm .125)

3/23/22 .113

4/12/22 .090

4/15/22 .078

4/18/22 .0625

4/24/22 .050

4/25/22 .040

4/26/22 .024

4/27/22. ZERO - Hallelujah! It's over

 

I am currently on crumbs at night, (0.06 or lower). Should I stay here until the Prozac side effects fades? It's complicated.

 

Thanks for support.

Eiledon20,

My weaning experience wasn’t the nightmare some people here go through, but it wasn’t easy either.  My nervous system was in a bit of shambles for a long time during and after I finished weaning. But then I also have a lot of other serious neurological problems due to ME/CFS and neuropathy.

 

If you’ve been on your current crumb for more than a week or two, it is so tiny that most experts would advise to just drop it at this point, from what I read.  Have you read the page here in Stepping Off? http://www.benzobuddies.org/benzodiazepine-withdrawal-methods/direct-taper/

 

Then again, could the Prozac be not agreeing with you?

 

I don’t know how much discomfort is too much for you,  but all of us here agree that going off these drugs is very uncomfortable and we have to grin and bear it knowing that it will eventually pass and we’ll heal. But then it again it shouldn’t be be totally intolerable either.

[[ap...]]

Amen.

 

And praise the Almighty God.

[[ei...]]

Gitfiddle-51,

 

Thank you so much. I am stopping the crumbs.

[[ap...]]

Amen.

 

And praise the Almighty God.

👍❤️

 

Great Job!!! That's a Long Long Time !

 

And yes- Praise God