Short term Xanax - am I dependant?

[[Fa...]]

Hi all,

I've been prescribed Xanax for years now, but mostly only took it for flying. Over the last few months, I've been taking 0,25mg a few times/week. 

Then a few weeks ago, I started getting vertigo. I thought it was another symptom of anxiety so I took my xanax every day for about 4 weeks. No more than 0,5mg/day. At no point did I feel like I needed to take it. I typically took it in the morning and felt calm all day. I didn't feel it wear off or feel more anxious later in the day. But when I finally got to my GP and she diagnosed me with vertigo and gave me different medication for it, she didn't feel comfortable prescribing me more Xanax because I took it every day for 4 weeks and she thought that was a bit much. I was fine with that, I didn't feel like I needed it. But I took my last one on Monday and on Wednesday I had extremely high anxiety. I just can't tell whether it's withdrawal or just my regular anxiety. I've had that kind of anxiety many times over the 10 years or so I've been dealing with this, but I did feel it kind of came out of nowhere. I took a 0,125 last night and it really helped.

So now I'm really confused. Is it possible to become dependent on it in that short a time, when you really didn't feel like you were? Or am I just hyper focusing on this dependency thing and feeling more anxious because of that?

I don't really have much choice but to stop entirely. I only have 2 left and my GP is refusing to give me more, so I can't taper. I can cut them in quarters and make them 8, but I don't think that will help me. 

[[Re...]]

Hello @[Fa...], Welcome to BenzoBuddies,

I am really sorry for your situation with your GP. Yes, it is possible to develop dependency after a few weeks. The relatively short term use is definitely on your side, but it is hard to predict how you are going to react to this cessation. Hopefully you won't have significant issues. 

I wonder if your prescriber is willing to work with you if you encounter problems during your cessation to give you a bit more supply. This would calm you and you could do a faster, but symptom led taper. 

The 0,5 mg and 0,25 mg only seem to be really tiny doses, but these are very potent medications and these "small doses" already have a significant effect on us. I am telling this not to scare you or make you more anxious, but to help you understand why tapering with doses like 0,125 mg or even less definitely makes sense. 

Going cold turkey with these medications can be an "intense experience", I believe it is worth avoiding that even after a few weeks of continuous use, just to be on the safe side. 

I hope our Buddies will share their thoughts and insight very soon. 

Take care @[Fa...]! 

 

 

 

[[Fa...]]

Thank you so much for your reply!

I just don't know if what I'm dealing with is my regular anxiety and I'm just going through a bad patch, or if it's withdrawal.

I just can't sleep. I haven't had more than 3 hours of broken sleep for the past 5 nights and again that's not out of the ordinary for me, but it doesn't usually last this long. I am so tired, yet can't sleep. And I think that's making my symptoms feel so much worse. One good night's sleep and I think I'd feel so much better.

Today I'm back to feeling hot and sweaty, fatigued, teethering between hunger and nausea. But last night I had a few hours of feeling pretty calm. That's why I don't know whether this is withdrawal or not. Ugh, it's so annoying! I can't believe I was so careless.

[[Re...]]

@[Fa...]Many people have the same question as they are going through cessation. 

The other symptoms you mention, the hot feeling, fatigue, nausea, insomnia are common withdrawal symptoms, but might aswell accompany anxiety. 

If you try to compare these symptoms and sensations to the ones you were feeling before beginning Xanax, that might answer your question. Having said that, try not to focus on these as it becomes a vicious cycle then, if possible, try to distract yourself. 

 

[[Fa...]]

Yeah, they're really no different than before. I've always had these symptoms of anxiety. Sometimes just stronger than others.

I will say, there are a lot of moments during the day where I genuinely don't think it's withdrawal and I feel just fine (though technically I'm only on day 2 so I don't know how hard I would feel it yet). Like right now, I'm chill. I'm pretty calm. I have an upset stomach, but I stopped Pantoprazole a few days ago after 9 months so I think that's a bit of rebound after that and needs to settle down.

But you're right, I need to do what I always do with anxiety and ignore it. Do something else. If I just sit down and focus on the symptoms, they're not going to go away