31 years old. struggling

[[wo...]]

hello, i had several health emergencies that were very painful like severe eye pressure shingles followed by a death in the family followed by a series of muscular conditions/spasms as well as a life threatening allergic reaction that i almost died from.  the physical pain got me started on 0.5 xanax bc it would relax my body enough to eat and sleep.  its been a 4 month old long time of relying on it and now im trying to withdraw and experiencing all kinds of issues.  just want support

[[Pa...]]

Hello wolfgodddess92, welcome to BenzoBuddies,

 

I'm sorry to hear of the many challenges you've been living with, not to mention almost losing your life, I can completely understand why you'd reach for help.  It sounds like your body has grown dependent on the Xanax, it doesn't take long, what is your dose now?  We suggest reducing by about 5-10% every couple of weeks or whenever your symptoms settle down enough to reduce again but we hope those who have been on the drug for a shorter time can go faster, this isn't always the case though.

 

I'll provide some links to help you get started but please keep talking to us, we want to help.

 

Pamster

 

Colorado Consortium Benzodiazepine Deprescribing Guidance

 

Planning Your Withdrawal (Taper)

 

Withdrawal  Support (during your taper)

 

Ashton  Manual symptom list

[[wo...]]

thank you so much for your kindness.  my body definitely did become reliant and it was unintentional.  it varies.  at first i was taking less than 0.5 then i was taking 0.5 then i was taking 0.5 and a half then i was taking a 0.5 multiple times throughout the day and night just so my muscles could relax enough to even eat food as i suffered a throat spasm for months and i tried all the natural remedies in the world even stretching the area but nothing would work like xanax.  basically my body is completely failing me ever since i got covid last year been one problem after the other.  in actuality my dosage never exceeded 0.5 2 or 3 times x a day im a newbie to xanax but even that small amount i can totally feel the effects.  my skin has completely changed and my eyes have sunken in.  the skin issues are so intense since ive been off xanax for a few days ( severe burning and prickling as if i have a sunburn but no visible rash) i am visiting a dermatologist today but im worried they wont help me.  im having a hard time figuring if my skin issues are a result of shingles complications which can stay in your body for years i read or allergies or the xanax.  these are hard times for me i couldnt celebrate my 31st birthday bc i was in urgent care…2023 is rough so far but i wont give up hope thank you for the resources will check them out

[[Pa...]]

Burning skin is a withdrawal symptom but I can see you might not be able to differentiate between it and your shingles outbreak.  Just something to be aware of, your central nervous system is in upheaval right now due to your body's dependence on the Xanax so supplements and medications can be problematic because we never know how we're going to react.  What helps one person can hurt another so before taking whatever medication your dermatologist recommends, you might want to do a search here ask other members for their experience.  What I found that works the best for the symptoms I dealt with was time, nothing else did any good.

 

It sounds like Covid is the gift that keeps on giving, you sound so miserable.

[[or...]]

hello, i had several health emergencies that were very painful like severe eye pressure shingles followed by a death in the family followed by a series of muscular conditions/spasms as well as a life threatening allergic reaction that i almost died from.  the physical pain got me started on 0.5 xanax bc it would relax my body enough to eat and sleep.  its been a 4 month old long time of relying on it and now im trying to withdraw and experiencing all kinds of issues.  just want support

 

Hi WG, and so glad you are here.  I am new here as well and it's been the most helpful place for me.  Please feel welcome to message me even though I am new as well but I think with just what I've learned so far I can be encouraging, and supportive to others.  Don't hesitate to ask me questions and if I don't know the answers I am good at finding them Denise