Xanax

[[Sh...]]

Are there success stories of people tapering off of xanax alone? I am doing it now and am down to 1mg. Everyone talks about switching to a longer acting benzo but I haven't seen a success story for xanax alone. Thanks 

[[Je...]]

My benzo doctor said some people just stay with Xanax because they are use to it and they don’t want to risk switching over.

 

I did the switch and it worked fine but I think if it is working for you, then keep doing it.  You would probably just have to dose more throughout the day 

[[Sh...]]

Thank you 😊

[[Pa...]]

I've watched quite a few members successfully taper from Xanax and as @[Je...] mentioned, dosing more often can help, most will do 4 times a day. 

How fast are you going with your taper, slowing down is always an option if your symptoms are too intense. 

[[Sh...]]

Thank you for your response. I have been tapering a quarter when I do taper. I hold for a few months between each taper and so far it has not been as bad as it could be.

I read that the last part is the hardest so I may slow down even more this last mg. I have been paying attention to my body and when I sense the time is right I taper. I have only been taking my dose in the morning around 4am as this is when I was used to taking it. I do get some symptoms but it isn't as rough as some stories I have read. I am thankful that I have been able to cope for the most part.

I am ready to see what this last phase will be like. It can get rough but I push through. I keep everyone in my prayers because I know from past experiences how rough it can get. Thank you again for responding. 

[[Pa...]]

Excellent taper method @[Sh...], you're truly listening to what your body is telling you. 

[[Er...]]

I've been on 1.50 milligrams of xanax for 10 years. I need to taper very little very slowly to prevent withdrawal symptoms. I take 1 milligram then around 12 hours later I take .50 milligrams. I'm not sure how to do it safely. they say 10% reduction every 2-4 weeks is best but how much do you cut off the pill to equal 10% ? please help. thank you.

[[Al...]]

On 05/08/2023 at 23:41, [[S...] said:

Are there success stories of people tapering off of xanax alone? I am doing it now and am down to 1mg. Everyone talks about switching to a longer acting benzo but I haven't seen a success story for xanax alone. Thanks 

I switched from 30 mg Tem and .5 X  to Val 15 mg and have been successfully tapering and I'm down to 2 mg V.  No problem with the switch.  X has a short half life and V is longer so I think ya don't feel the interpose withdrawal but Ill leave that to the experts here.

[[Sh...]]

I'm a bit nervous to switch to something else because I don't want to chance more than I already go through. I make big cuts like .25 for example but I hold there for a couple months or so until I feel as though I can make the next cut. I'm not sure how to go lower than that unless I go back to the .25mg pill and make cuts with those. My plan is to do that once I get down to .25mg. I too wouldn't mind knowing a precise method to cutting less. I've dealt with the inderdose withdrawals for so long I'd rather take my chances with those. I'm 43 and have been on meds since 25. I've had some harsh withdrawals. I'm sure I've been on over 30 meds in this time span and now I'm down to just the xanax. This is the only reason why I want to stick with it. If anyone wants to chat and support each other through the process please feel free to reach out. We are in this together. ☺

[[wi...]]

@[Sh...] Hi and welcome to BB.

I was a long term user (26yrs) of xanax and topped off at 2mg.  I ended up switching to diazepam after tapering one year of the xanax.

Every benzodiazepine is a new kind of drug we introduce to our system, and each of us react differently.  

If I could do things over again, I would have never switched to diazepam as it made me severely depressed, and I had to stick with that diazepam because I was not going to switch back to xanax and shock my CNS again.

It sounds like your instinct is to stay with the xanax.  Follow your gut.  You are doing a good job with tapering so why not stay the course.  Just perhaps slow the taper down if it heavy symptoms present a problem.

I just want people to remember diazepam is not a miracle pill for everyone with regards to tapering.  You can get a genetic test done to see if you are a fast or slow metabolizer of diazepam.  How one metabolizes the drug is important to half life and how you should be dosing.  You can google more on this I'd imagine.

God bless you and I know you will make the right decision. 

[[da...]]

I tapered off Xanax using the liquid titration method (1mg Xanax dissolved in 2ml vodka, then add  98 ml water). This makes 100ml, and you can use this to slowly work your way down at your own pace and comfort (100ml, 99ml, 98ml, etc). Let your body and symptoms guide you. 

I did not switch to another benzo. I just worked my way down. I took my dosage at night to allow me a good night of sleep, and this allowed me to handle the mild daily symptoms. I kept pushing forward, and was when I finally reached 0.02mg (2ml), I just jumped and quit forever. 

 

[[Pa...]]

13 hours ago, [[E...] said:

I've been on 1.50 milligrams of xanax for 10 years. I need to taper very little very slowly to prevent withdrawal symptoms. I take 1 milligram then around 12 hours later I take .50 milligrams. I'm not sure how to do it safely. they say 10% reduction every 2-4 weeks is best but how much do you cut off the pill to equal 10% ? please help. thank you.

Hi @[Er...], welcome to BenzoBuddies,

It would help us to know what size your tablets are, most can split their tablets to begin with depending on their symptoms so they ask their doctor for the lowest milligram possible.

For those who need to go slower, there is dry titration which consists of crushing your pills and weighing on jewelers scales, or shaving them into piles or using a razorblade and eyeballing them or there is liquid titration.  You can get your dose compounded, and Xanax actually comes in a liquid formulation from the manufacturer. DailyMed (nih.gov)

know this all sounds complicated but once you get the hang of things it becomes second nature and if it keeps you functional, then its worth it.

Feel free to start a thread of your own so we can discuss this in detail, we're glad you found us and hope we can help you get started.

Pamster

[[da...]]

On 12/08/2023 at 03:39, [[E...] said:

I've been on 1.50 milligrams of xanax for 10 years. I need to taper very little very slowly to prevent withdrawal symptoms. I take 1 milligram then around 12 hours later I take .50 milligrams. I'm not sure how to do it safely. they say 10% reduction every 2-4 weeks is best but how much do you cut off the pill to equal 10% ? please help. thank you.

 

I tapered off Xanax using the liquid titration method (1mg Xanax dissolved in 2ml vodka, then add  98 ml water). This makes 100ml, and you can use this to slowly work your way down at your own pace and comfort (100ml, 99ml, 98ml, etc). Let your body and symptoms guide you. 

100ml equals 1mg, 99ml equals .99mg, etc. 

I really enjoyed this approach. It was very simple, and I did not have to bother with shaving pills, cutting pills, weighing the powder, dropping things, etc. 

 

[[or...]]

On 05/08/2023 at 20:41, [[S...] said:

Are there success stories of people tapering off of xanax alone? I am doing it now and am down to 1mg. Everyone talks about switching to a longer acting benzo but I haven't seen a success story for xanax alone. Thanks 

If you can tough it out @[Sh...] I know I wouldn't switch because I this C is taking it's toll on me even with the small cuts I do.  Any other benzo would have to be tapered off of, and a longer-lasting benzo could be harder.  I tried just 11% off my C and had a very bad seizure or TIA, the doctors never found anything with all their tests, so they couldn't or wouldn't say.  The C was never brought up by them as a possible cause.  They knew, both my cardio and MD, that I was on it, and how long I'd been on it, 35 years.

I do believe many doctors are just not aware of the effects that can occur in withdrawing from a benzo.  Many are finding out though now, Denise

[[tr...]]

Hi @[Sh...]Im on the same boat, i am not really looking into switching over to another drug and rather stick it out with the xanax. I bought a pill cutter and i'm taking a .5 in the morning and i break the other .5 in half for my afternoon dose. Someone suggested a jewelers scale and someone else suggested i ask my doctor for the .25 pills instead. It will be easier to cut the .25 pills but I won't know what excuse to give my doctor and I don't want her to know i'm tapering myself.  How many mgs are your pills now?  

[[Sh...]]

I still have the one mg pills too and want to ask for the .25 mg. I told my Dr that I wanted to come off the xanax and luckily she said she would support me. Unfortunately her mom passes and she is about to retire so I'm not sure how its going to go after she leaves. Feel free to PM me and we can chat more because I don't see too many that want to stay on the xanax to taper. It's good when I can talk to people who are sticking it out with xanax. Thanks for responding. 

[[Sh...]]

On 07/09/2023 at 10:01, [[o...] said:

If you can tough it out @[Sh...] I know I wouldn't switch because I this C is taking it's toll on me even with the small cuts I do.  Any other benzo would have to be tapered off of, and a longer-lasting benzo could be harder.  I tried just 11% off my C and had a very bad seizure or TIA, the doctors never found anything with all their tests, so they couldn't or wouldn't say.  The C was never brought up by them as a possible cause.  They knew, both my cardio and MD, that I was on it, and how long I'd been on it, 35 years.

I do believe many doctors are just not aware of the effects that can occur in withdrawing from a benzo.  Many are finding out though now, Denise

Thanks Ms Denise. I appreciate your advice. I believe we are making the doctors more aware of what's going on with these benzos. I'm sorry you are having such a hard time and I understand it completely. I think that's why my gut tells me not to switch because it could enhance more symptoms. Talk to you soon🙂

[[Pa...]]

7 hours ago, [[S...] said:

I still have the one mg pills too and want to ask for the .25 mg. I told my Dr that I wanted to come off the xanax and luckily she said she would support me. Unfortunately her mom passes and she is about to retire so I'm not sure how its going to go after she leaves. Feel free to PM me and we can chat more because I don't see too many that want to stay on the xanax to taper. It's good when I can talk to people who are sticking it out with xanax. Thanks for responding. 

I think most members taper from their original medication, even Xanax.  If its too much for them then they explore crossing over.  You may have mentioned it somewhere but how many times a day are you dosing, are you dealing with interdose withdrawal?