Tingling in hands and feet during withdrawal process from alprazolam?

[[Bo...]]

Hi,

Thankful for all those sharing their stories that help get us through this. I have started having pins and needles in both hands and feet or one at different times. It's becoming more often. I have been on alprazolam 16 years. for 15 of them .5 3 times a day, 1 year 1 mg. 3 times a day, then last march started a withdrawal from the 3 mg. I am now at .5., .125 in the morning, ,375 at bedtime. I did the last cut 2 weeks ago, .062 at the afternoon. I believe that's when it started to be more pronounced. I also went to emergency room yesterday with blood pressure of 195/95 with headache. Haven't had this before. I am 69 and have not needed it before, but will most likely be on it. Any input would be much appreciated.

Thank you!

[[Br...]]

Hello @[Bo...] and welcome to BenzoBuddies!

Congratulations on tapering off alprazolam. When you say you started your taper in March, do you mean 2023 or 2024?  Please tell us more about your taper. What percentage cuts have you been aiming for?  

Tingling such as you describe is known to be a withdrawal symptom. Blood pressure spikes are also often reported during withdrawal - I had this too and it was frightening. I ended up increasing my blood pressure medication and it helped bring it down which gave me some peace of mind.

Here are two lists of withdrawal symptoms:  Benzodiazepine Information Coalition list of withdrawal symptoms and The Ashton Manual Ch.III Withdrawal symptoms

Seeing your symptoms listed can be very comforting.  

It's a personal judgment call whether to check out symptoms that concern us.   We need to feel a level of comfort with how we approach this.  As I mentioned above, I didn't feel comfortable simply chalking my blood pressure spikes up to withdrawal.  I'm an older person and it didn't seem prudent.  As for the tingling in your hands and feet, only you can decide, based on your comfort level and thoughtful consideration, about whether to check in with your doctor about it.  

We're glad you found us!  

[[vo...]]

Bonelet, I feel your pain on this. I'm 67 and going through the same thing as you with the pins and needles and other sensations also in my legs. It's really uncomfortable. Were you already on blood pressure medication or not?

[[Bo...]]

Brighterday,

Thank you for responding.

I'm sorry, meant to say March of 2023. My psych nurse has been wonderful and is letting me control my taper, although she wouldn't switch me over to a longer acting benzo to taper. It started off with .5, then .25, then .125, and now I am at .062 taper. I haven't had any problems with blood pressure until this...that I know of. Today my blood pressure is reading 130/70. I also went on a very low dose of generic bentyl. I have been having spasms in my stomach. When I look back, I think it was when I made the cut to .56. I held there about 6 weeks, but made the cut to .5  2 weeks ago, and I think that's when the tingling started to increase. 

[[Bo...]]

benzosecondph,

Thank you for responding. Are you having the pins and needles in legs only, or hands and feet also? How long ago did they start, and is it after getting to a low dose of your original dose? No, I'm not on blood pressure meds, have never needed before.

[[vo...]]

Bonelet, I only have the pins and needles in my legs and feet along with burning - like someone holding a match stick around them including my toes and bottoms of my feet. I'm guessing it started about 6 months ago. Alot of weird sensations began about a year ago and I've been journaling them as I have added new sensations over the last year. I tapered too quickly - did it within a two week period. You're doing the smart thing by tapering the way you're doing and letting your body adjust. I really hope this works for you and you don't get a lot of other issues from going off alprazolam. I never thought this med could cause so much damage.

[[Br...]]

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

I am now at .5., .125 in the morning, ,375 at bedtime. I did the last cut 2 weeks ago, .062 at the afternoon.

 Please tell me if I understand correctly: you were taking three doses each day totaling 0.562mg and two weeks ago you stopped taking the afternoon dose of .062mg.  Is that right?

[[Ca...]]

My blood pressure went thru the roof in rehab and I was put on two BP meds for it. Now doing a slow taper it often drops too low. I don't take any BP meds now. I have had the pins and needles and pains in my legs. And millions of other symptoms.

[[Bo...]]

Brighterday,

Yes, what you said is correct. I have been taking my BP 3 times a day starting yesterday, and it is back to normal. The pins and needles have also let up. I am planning on cutting another .062 next Sunday. Can you please give me input on if I should do it in the morning or the night time dosage?

Thank you so much.

 

[[Bo...]]

voluntas,

Thank you for responding, how much was your dosage that you withdrew in 2 weeks from? Was that a year ago, and you keep getting new sensations? I am so sorry they keep popping up.

[[Bo...]]

Carol jean,

Thank you for responding, how much are you withdrawing from, and where are you now with it?

[[vo...]]

@[Bo...] I was on xanax for 40 years and at 6mg for the last 14 years. I have numerous sensory sensations - I started with vibrations running through my entire body including in my throat and akathasia. Then over the course of the last 9 months or so, "spot" itching all over my body as well as "spot" burning all over, like someone holding a match stick to all different parts of the skin on my body. Clothing - almost every day in the afternoon, clothing feels uncomfortable touching my skin, mainly on the trunk of my body. If I move any part of my arms or trunk, the clothing makes my skin crawl both in back and in front. I literally have to either hold my clothing still or put a blanket around me and hold it tight to my body. My skin feels like there is something crawling on it. When my hair touches my face or neck, I get the same type of feeling. Even if it is a single strand of hair. I have numbness and tingling on my back - I get this intermittently and it comes and goes in different parts of my back. I have to lean against something to get it to stop. This goes on for hours. The right side of upper jaw senses anything hot or cold. It's not a toothache. I had xrays to be sure it wasn’t some type of infection. I have wicked insomnia, even while taking ambien. Unexplainable gastrointestinal issues that my GI doctors can't figure out. It sucks.

 

[[Bo...]]

voluntas, I am so sorry you are going through this. I can relate to the different sensations you have, and the gastro, but they are all at a much lower level. I can't even begin to imagine going off that fast after being on them that long. I so hope they lessen soon for you. Thank you for sharing with me.

[[vo...]]

16 minutes ago, [[B...] said:

voluntas, I am so sorry you are going through this. I can relate to the different sensations you have, and the gastro, but they are all at a much lower level. I can't even begin to imagine going off that fast after being on them that long. I so hope they lessen soon for you. Thank you for sharing with me.

If the psychiatrist had told me what could happen if I weaned off that quickly, I probably wouldn't have done it that fast, but also, having been on the drug for four decades, I probably would have gotten these sensations anyway since my neurotransmitters had years to readjust to them. If I didn't have the Ambien to counteract they sensations, I don't think I could handle it. So my ride isn't over. At some point I'm going to have to face the same music with the Ambien.  lolol

[[Bo...]]

voluntas, you have a great attitude ✌️

[[vo...]]

@[Bo...] I have to! Xanax ruined my life, friendships and I lost two of the most important family members I have - two sons. There's no way to go but up from here and get the most I can out of the rest of my life. I treasure every day. And I want to help everyone I can to stay away from these torture pills.  Hence why I posted the meme I did. 

[[Ca...]]

Bonelet -- I tapered from 40 mgs of valium and a mg of clonapin stating feb 2022---I came off the clonapin rapidly by increasing the valium and then have been microtapering the valium first by 1.37 mgs a month and now 1 mg a month; I am at 13.7 and have been in horrible tolerance withdrawal for almost the entire time.

[[Bo...]]

Carol jean, 

So sorry for your tolerance withdrawal. Thankfully it sounds like whoever is prescribing the valium is allowing you the time to come off the valium. I can't even imagine what it would be without the slow taper.