Help Needed | Alprazolam

[[...]]

Hi! My name is Yasmin, I’m 29 and I have been taking alprazolam for 5-4 years. I started at 0.25mg, went up to 0.5mg and I was on 1mg for the last two or three years. All of this without medical advice from a doctor.

Due to my recently diagnosed bipolar disorder, I started seeing a new psychiatrist and she recommended that I stop cold turkey and prescribed trazodone 150mg to take instead of alprazolam. She asked me to start at 50mg and go up if needed.

I only take alprazolam at night, so I started with 50mg of trazodone at night to help me sleep. It didn’t work and I went up to 100mg, which took longer but I fell asleep. The next day was a living hell with either side effects from trazodone or withdrawal of alprazolam or both.

I reduced to 50mg of trazodone and despite feeling awful and taking longer to fall asleep, it’s not as bad as it was with the 100mg day.

It’s been 3 days off of alprazolam and 5 since I started trazodone (I took 0.25 of alprazolam one night) and I’m feeling awful still.

Is there a timeline for when the withdrawal effects will leave me? I would like to know if I’ll keep feeling horrible for too long. Is my doctor right about going cold turkey and prescribing trazodone?

I appreciate any help or information.

Current symptoms: dizzines, slight lost of balance, nausea, dry mouth, headaches, fatigue, my whole body feels like jelly.

[[Pa...]]

Hello @[...], welcome to BenzoBuddies,

Its dangerous to stop this medication cold turkey, there is risk of seizure.  I would advise you to call your doctor to ask about tapering the Alprazolam rather than stopping it cold turkey.  Please cite the FDA's black box warning.

Withdrawal symptoms from a cold turkey cessation are brutal and can last for many months, the safest way we've found to rid ourselves of these drugs is a slow taper but symptoms will still be present for most.  

For your information, Trazodone cannot take the place of a benzodiazepine, they're a different class of drug,  with totally different methods of action.  Your doctor doesn't appear to be educated when it comes to benzodiazepines and the risks involved in deprescribing too quickly.

We can help you if you decide to go back on the medication and taper, and we can help you if you decide to continue with your cold turkey.  I quit that way too and recovered, so all hope isn't lost.

Let us know what happens, we care.

Pamster 

 

To address the serious risks of abuse, addiction, physical dependence, and withdrawal reactions, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) is requiring the Boxed Warning be updated for all benzodiazepine medicines. Benzodiazepines are widely used to treat many conditions, including anxiety, insomnia, and seizures. The current prescribing information for benzodiazepines does not provide adequate warnings about these serious risks and harms associated with these medicines so they may be prescribed and used inappropriately. This increases these serious risks, especially when benzodiazepines are used with some other medicines and substances.

Benzodiazepines can be an important treatment option for treating disorders for which these drugs are indicated. However, even when taken at recommended dosages, their use can lead to misuse, abuse, and addiction. Abuse and misuse can result in overdose or death, especially when benzodiazepines are combined with other medicines, such as opioid pain relievers, alcohol, or illicit drugs. Physical dependence can occur when benzodiazepines are taken steadily for several days to weeks, even as prescribed. Stopping them abruptly or reducing the dosage too quickly can result in withdrawal reactions, including seizures, which can be life-threatening.

 

 FDA requiring Boxed Warning updated to improve safe use of benzodiazepine drug class | FDA

[[Mi...]]

Hi @[...]

My Advice: get a new psychiatrist immediately.

In my opinion, a very very strong opinion, you should get back on the alprazolam as soon as possible. I’m not sure why this psych would tell you to take trazodone (I guess because it helps sleep and doctors are taught it is not dangerous). However, this psych was clearly not educated on the extreme ramifications of going cold turkey on a benzo.

Please educate yourself. I highly highly recommend you gradually taper off of the alprazolam slowly, otherwise things could ramp up quite fast.

Please take a look at the Benzodiazepine Information Coalition page, as well as Dr. Josef Witt Doerring’s YouTube page. I believe those to be the best sources of knowledge for someone in your position.

Please take this advice into consideration. It’s sort of personal with me because I’m a victim of a doctor telling me to rapid taper my alprazolam.

Hope this helps!!! Let me know if you have any questions.

[[...]]

9 hours ago, [[P...] said:

Hello @[...], welcome to BenzoBuddies,

Its dangerous to stop this medication cold turkey, there is risk of seizure.  I would advise you to call your doctor to ask about tapering the Alprazolam rather than stopping it cold turkey.  Please site the FDA's black box warning.

Withdrawal symptoms from a cold turkey cessation are brutal and can last for many months, the safest way we've found to rid ourselves of these drugs is a slow taper but symptoms will still be present for most.  

For your information, Trazodone cannot take the place of a benzodiazepine, they're a different class of drug,  with totally different methods of action.  Your doctor doesn't appear to be educated when it comes to benzodiazepines and the risks involved in deprescribing too quickly.

We can help you if you decide to go back on the medication and taper, and we can help you if you decide to continue with your cold turkey.  I quit that way too and recovered, so all hope isn't lost.

Let us know what happens, we care.

Pamster 

To address the serious risks of abuse, addiction, physical dependence, and withdrawal reactions, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) is requiring the Boxed Warning be updated for all benzodiazepine medicines. Benzodiazepines are widely used to treat many conditions, including anxiety, insomnia, and seizures. The current prescribing information for benzodiazepines does not provide adequate warnings about these serious risks and harms associated with these medicines so they may be prescribed and used inappropriately. This increases these serious risks, especially when benzodiazepines are used with some other medicines and substances.

Benzodiazepines can be an important treatment option for treating disorders for which these drugs are indicated. However, even when taken at recommended dosages, their use can lead to misuse, abuse, and addiction. Abuse and misuse can result in overdose or death, especially when benzodiazepines are combined with other medicines, such as opioid pain relievers, alcohol, or illicit drugs. Physical dependence can occur when benzodiazepines are taken steadily for several days to weeks, even as prescribed. Stopping them abruptly or reducing the dosage too quickly can result in withdrawal reactions, including seizures, which can be life-threatening.

 FDA requiring Boxed Warning updated to improve safe use of benzodiazepine drug class | FDA

Thank you for answering me so quickly, Pamster.

The lowest dose I can find is 0.25mg and the pill is tiny, so I'm not sure I can cut it in half to taper off. It should be known I'm in Brazil.

It's been 3 days off of alprazolam, if there were any seizures they probably would have happened by now, right? Should I try to keep it off? I'm not sure who to trust right now. It seems that my doctor failed me on this area but she is helping in others, like stabilizing my humor. 

[[...]]

9 hours ago, [[M...] said:

Hi @[...]

My Advice: get a new psychiatrist immediately.

In my opinion, a very very strong opinion, you should get back on the alprazolam as soon as possible. I’m not sure why this psych would tell you to take trazodone (I guess because it helps sleep and doctors are taught it is not dangerous). However, this psych was clearly not educated on the extreme ramifications of going cold turkey on a benzo.

Please educate yourself. I highly highly recommend you gradually taper off of the alprazolam slowly, otherwise things could ramp up quite fast.

Please take a look at the Benzodiazepine Information Coalition page, as well as Dr. Josef Witt Doerring’s YouTube page. I believe those to be the best sources of knowledge for someone in your position.

Please take this advice into consideration. It’s sort of personal with me because I’m a victim of a doctor telling me to rapid taper my alprazolam.

Hope this helps!!! Let me know if you have any questions.

Hi! Thank your to replying to me.

I'm not sure who to trust now, my psychiatrist seemingly failed me on the alprazolam but she is helping a lot with the bipolar disorder, she was the first that prescribed meds that actually are keeping me stable, so... 

She said that in cases of hard insomnia I should take the smallest dose I have available (0.25mg) but not continuously like I was taking 1mg every night for the past 3 years.

It's been 3 days off of alprazolam and I'm not sure if I should keep going or just start from scratch and lowering my dosage...

[[Pa...]]

[[PE...]]

[[Re...]]

Hello @[...]! Welcome to BenzoBuddies!

I was on 4,5 mg Xanax a day for 12 years. I did a short taper, 3 months that ended last June (2023). I did not have information about tapering. I do not want to scare you, but I will be realistic: I survived after the 3 month taper, but it has been really awful. I still can’t work. We all have different symptoms regarding severity and length of symptoms, some people have it more difficult and some people less, mostly depending on the dose, length of taking the drug.  Your recovery time and quality of life during recovery may be vastly affected by the type of cessation you use (tapering, rapid tapering or cold turkey).

I can not tell you what to do, it depends on your personal experience and support system. There are people come off these drugs without issues, sadly we here on this forum, mostly, are not those people. I, for example, have been in the process of withdrawal for 8 months, the improvements are very slow. I came off too fast and I did not reinstate. I also did not taper slower at lower doses, that was a big mistake.

I know the 0.25 mg tablet is very small, believe me many people have this problem. But, there are precise scales and methods , like solving the tablet in liquid that can help you with this. There are many helpful members on this forum, really, and various sources of written information (Benzo Information Coalition).  

Others here told your options very well already, I am sharing a difficult personal experience and my thoughts on this. Please don't be scared, many people go through this process or taper successfully, if they can do it, you can do it!

Should you decide to rather continue with tapering, feel encouraged to post it here about strategies and methods:

https://benzobuddies.org/forum/120-benzodiazepine-taper-strategies/

Edited February 15 by [Re...]

[[...]]

20 hours ago, [[P...] said:

I'm not sure if you're out of the woods as far as seizures go, that's why its important to speak with a doctor but yours doesn't seem to understand these medications.

The decision to reinstate and taper or to continue your cold turkey should probably be based on your symptom severity and your functionality.  If you can't take care of your basic daily needs then it might be a good idea to reinstate and taper but if you can function, and your symptoms are manageable then you might want to continue with your cold turkey.  Both choices will most likely involve unpleasant symptoms for an undetermined amount of time, but recovery for those of us who will be affected by this process is typically a year or more. 

Symptoms can wax and wane, our recovery isn't linear so its difficult to trust in our recovery, it happens but its  painful and slow so its important to learn all you can, try to keep positive and do what you can to lessen any stress.  

My I ask about your bi-polar diagnosis?  I'm wondering if you've always had the symptoms or if they've come on while being on the alprazolam?  The reason I ask is because benzodiazepine dependence and tolerance can mimic other disorders and conditions and many of us have been assigned labels which aren't valid, we're simply suffering from side effects of a drug.  I don't know if this is true in your case but I wanted to make you aware. 

My symptoms are really uncomfortable for me, personally, but I am able to function daily, although I'm doing things a bit slower. I work from home and have family available to help me around, so I'm going to keep going without alprazolam.

My bipolar diagnosis is based on symptoms ever since the childhood, genetics and environment history. I was diagnosed by my psychologist after two years of therapy and then I went to the psychiatrist for proper med prescription. ♥

[[...]]

12 hours ago, [[n...] said:

Hi. I did like you doing a CT because a taper didn't work out for me. But i wasn't really functioning in any way and had my mom fully understanding what i was going thru and would have called a ambulance if I was having a seizure. 

The first two weeks is the toughest are the acute phase. If you decide to keep on be sure to inform your family and friends so they can check on you as a full blown seizure can be dangerous. 

I was close to having one but i been before but never had one.

You seems being better than you should so you might be ok.

Good luck and welcome to benzobuddies:)

Oh, thank you for replying! I was getting discouraged by reading all the comments and I was actually scared. I never been close to seizure in life and my family and friends are all aware. 

The symptoms are getting (very) slowly better so I'll keep going CT. 

 

[[...]]

10 hours ago, [[R...] said:

Hello @[...]! Welcome to BenzoBuddies!

I was on 4,5 mg Xanax a day for 12 years. I did a short taper, 3 months that ended last June (2023). I did not have information about tapering. I do not want to scare you, but I will be realistic: I survived after the 3 month taper, but it has been really awful. I still can’t work. We all have different symptoms regarding severity and length of symptoms, some people have it more difficult and some people less, mostly depending on the dose, length of taking the drug.  Your recovery time and quality of life during recovery may be vastly affected by the type of cessation you use (tapering, rapid tapering or cold turkey).

I can not tell you what to do, it depends on your personal experience and support system. There are people come off these drugs without issues, sadly we here on this forum, mostly, are not those people. I, for example, have been in the process of withdrawal for 8 months, the improvements are very slow. I came off too fast and I did not reinstate. I also did not taper slower at lower doses, that was a big mistake.

I know the 0.25 mg tablet is very small, believe me many people have this problem. But, there are precise scales and methods , like solving the tablet in liquid that can help you with this. There are many helpful members on this forum, really, and various sources of written information (Benzo Information Coalition).  

Others here told your options very well already, I am sharing a difficult personal experience and my thoughts on this. Please don't be scared, many people go through this process or taper successfully, if they can do it, you can do it!

Should you decide to rather continue with tapering, feel encouraged to post it here about strategies and methods:

https://benzobuddies.org/forum/120-benzodiazepine-taper-strategies/

Thank you for replying.

I'm not going to lie, reading everything has made me feel very discouraged, scared and question my doctor, which is unfortunate as I believe she is a good one (I have been to many, many horrible psychiatrists, including the one that gave me alprazolam freely). 

I mentioned that the symptoms are getting very slowly better, so I'm going to keep CT unless it becomes unberable. For now it's just extremely uncomfortable. 

My family and friends are on the watch for seizures and I have help around the house, thankfully. I'm still managing to work and take care of myself and the pets, so it looks like I was somewhat blessed.

I hope you're able to go back to work and live your life fully, benzo free soon. ♥

[[Pa...]]

[[PE...]]

[[...]]

On 21/02/2024 at 07:49, [[n...] said:

Good to hear. Please keep on updating

 

On 15/02/2024 at 22:58, [[P...] said:

I'm sorry about your bipolar diagnosis, but I'm relieved to know it isn't the result of a misdiagnosis.  

I'm amazed you're functional, but you know, some people can stop these drugs with little to no problem, you may be one of the lucky ones even though you don't feel great. 

I think I mentioned I quit cold turkey too and recovered just fine, so please don't fear, you got this!

Update: it’s been now 15 days without alprazolam and I stopped taking trazodone, which was the culprit of many of my symptoms. I still feel a slight cranial pressure and some dizziness but not like before.

BUT 🤡 Because I used alprazolam to sleep and that was what the trazodone should help with, I’ve been having insomnia. My psychiatrist suggested to go back to the smallest dose I have available but I am very concerned that by doing so and trying to tamper I’ll suffer again.

I’m not sure what route to take.

 

[[PE...]]

[[Pa...]]