70 days on Xanax low dose.help with quiting

[[tr...]]

Hello,

Iv been taking .25 to .50 of xanax a day for about 70 days for anxiety and panic attacks. From what iv read is that is a low dosage. I wantnto stop i dont want to be addicted to benzos as i have started reading how hard the withdrawal is. Iv only taken  about .12 today.

I'm starting to feel warm and kinda itchy sunburn like..with the short amount of time taking xanax any body know how hard the the withdrawals will be? Any recommendations to make them easier?  And any suggestions for a medication that helps with anxiety that is not addictive that works?

 

Thank you

[[Pa...]]

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

First, not everyone will experience difficulty getting off of these medications, so hopefully you won’t but its best to taper slowly to hopefully minimize withdrawal symptoms.  Have you ever missed a dose and felt uncomfortable, this might be an indication that your body has become dependent.  You mention you’re feeling some burning, this is a symptom so it likely you are dependent.  

I would suggest restarting your normal dose until we can help you formulate a plan, we would hate to see you become non-functional by tapering too much too quickly.

We recommend reducing your dose by about 5-10% every few weeks or whatever your symptoms will allow.  We hope to see those who have taken the drug for a short time taper a bit faster but that will depend on your symptoms.  It’s best to start off slow so you can get an idea of where you’re at.

I’m sure I haven’t addressed all of your questions, so let’s keep talking.

@[Pa...]

[[tr...]]

Thank you for your reply.

I will take your advise and tapier down slowly.

 

I didn't realize how dependent your body gets on benzos. I wish I would of looked into it before I started taking them. They did help when I had the panic attacks and anxiety.

 

[[vo...]]

20 minutes ago, [[t...] said:

 

I didn't realize how dependent your body gets on benzos. I wish I would of looked into it before I started taking them. They did help when I had the panic attacks and anxiety.

Me too. But I feel like the w/d symptoms are worse than any panic/anxiety attack I ever had - at least that's how I feel about it now. Do you feel that way?

[[tr...]]

Yeah the anxiety seems constant but this is my first day of tapering down .. I took less meds yesterday not on purpose but started feeling the itchy skin and started feeling hot then in the morning had severe anxiety so I took a small amount to knock the edge off I took some b1 vitamin and Calm brand magnesium helped for a little while..

[[tr...]]

I didn't realize I was dependent till yesterday when I didn't take my usual dose and started feel hot and itchy and anxiety then started reading about benzo detox  then that got me more anxious..lol didn't realize the effect on the body it has when you stop taking them.. 

[[vo...]]

I didn't know this was going to happen either. I wish we were warned of this possibility, but I probably would have opted to take the pills anyway, thinking it wouldn't have been this bad.

[[tr...]]

3 minutes ago, [[v...] said:

I didn't know this was going to happen either. I wish we were warned of this possibility, but I probably would have opted to take the pills anyway, thinking it wouldn't have been this bad.

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

Hi @[le...]

As a former anxiety and panic disorder sufferer i can tell you 100%, you can completely eliminate anxiety loop and health anxiety without medication, i did it and mine was colossal. Check for Claire Weekes "Self-Help for Your Nerves: Learn to Relax and Enjoy Life Again by Overcoming Stress and Fear" i did that and i am free of it all. You can check some of the content in youtube and following the Accept, Allow and Let go rules you will find major improvements really fast. I was taking 20 years of AD and lots of benzos and never got rid of my disorders until i cut it from the roots and i did that without any meds, just therapy, cause what is good about anxiety is that is all in your mind and so only your mind can defeat it for good. Believe me that is as simple as, when you stop the fear you stop the anxiety, fear is the gasoline of anxiety and panic, no fear no panic. I know is easy to say and hard to do but it takes some time, i took me 2-3 months to slowly improvements but i finally made it and so can you. Even now in my worst time of WD i dont get any panic attacks or anything bigger than mild anxiety caused by rebound but it makes the journey much easier without it.

I agree with what all buds said here, not worth it risking the benzo ways even if is not daily, i was one of the victims that started by taking it couple of days a week and when i had a big crisis one month of daily use was all needed to hook me up in hell.

Benzos should be only be used as a single time use for a real emergency and not for sporadic use or even short time use.

As one good friend of mine says, benzos are like a snake hidden in the high grass ready to poison you when you least expect it.

 

[[tr...]]

Voluntas how long have you taken benzos?  

[[vo...]]

17 minutes ago, [[t...] said:

Voluntas how long have you taken benzos?  

50 years. Since I was 17 years old. 40 years on xanax and 10 years in the middle somewhere on something else.

Edited Thursday at 23:30 by [vo...]
clarification on xanax

[[tr...]]

That's a long time are you tapering trying to quit? If so how long have you been trying?

 

[[tr...]]

3 minutes ago, [[v...] said:

40+ years. Since I was 17 years old.

Your about the same age age me I am 56

[[vo...]]

5 minutes ago, [[t...] said:

Your about the same age age me I am 56

lol! I wish I was your age! I'm 67, soon to be 68. There was about a 10 year gap that I didn't take xanax - I was on a different benzo, but I couldn't tell you which one as it was so long ago. :-)

[[vo...]]

17 minutes ago, [[t...] said:

That's a long time are you tapering trying to quit? If so how long have you been trying?

I went off completely on 7/30/23. I tapered for two weeks. I wanted off of it bad because of the hallucinations I was having taking them. The doctor didn't warn me about acute withdrawal symptoms. Apparently, going off sent my body into shock - it wasn't used to not being fed benzos since I was a teen.

I should add this - unfortunately, I asked for sleeping pills because I wasn't getting any sleep so I was prescribed Ambien. It doesn't work to help me sleep much, but it's helping me a little with the benzo withdrawals - a nasty vicious cycle of drugs right? I'm only prescribed a little. My doctor won't increase the dosage and I'm fine with that.

Edited Thursday at 23:37 by [vo...]
Ambien

[[tr...]]

Just now, [[v...] said:

I went off completely on 7/30/23. I tapered for two weeks. I wanted off of it bad because of the hallucinations I was having taking them. The doctor didn't warn me about acute withdrawal symptoms. Apparently, going off sent my body into shock - it wasn't used to not being fed benzos since I was a teen.

If I am feeling this way just taking xanax for 70 days I could not imagine what it would be like for 40+  sending positive thoughts your way

[[vo...]]

Just now, [[t...] said:

If I am feeling this way just taking xanax for 70 days I could not imagine what it would be like for 40+  sending positive thoughts your way

Thanks - I guess we all get affected in our own way, no matter how long we're on it. These drugs are no good for anyone.

[[tr...]]

That's what iv been thinking how they are aloud to sell them

[[vo...]]

Just now, [[t...] said:

That's what iv been thinking how they are aloud to sell them

The big pharma industry is a money making machine. It's all about the profit. You are fortunate to have this group to help you taper down. They have very good advice in this group. I wish I had found it a year ago.

[[vo...]]

@[tr...] I hope you are using other ways to cope with your anxiety, so that you have those "tools" in place to help you get completely off and then continue to use those "tools". I go to the gym now, practically every day and walk on the treadmill, do weight lifting, the pool, hottub and sauna. It pays to be old - lol - I get my membership at the YMCA for free. I look forward to going at 7:00 every morning. I do have bad days, like when my legs are like jelly and I feel like I'm bouncing on my feet. When I get those two symptoms I can't go. I want to start doing other things too. I find the more I keep my mind busy, the less my symptoms bother me. It's all neurological (thank God) but all the symptoms definitely feel real. The burning, skin crawling, etc.

[[Js...]]

Welcome to BB @[tr...]

I am glad you caught it at 70 days and it is a low dose, as well as being conscious of the importance of a taper to minimize the stress of withdrawal.

2 hours ago, [[t...] said:

Hello,

Iv only taken  about .12 today.

I'm starting to feel warm and kinda itchy sunburn like..with the short amount of time taking xanax any body know how hard the the withdrawals will be? Any recommendations to make them easier?  And any suggestions for a medication that helps with anxiety that is not addictive that works?

Thank you

Itchy is a common symptom.

Withdrawal symptoms vary. In terms of making the symptoms lesser during a taper, the best thing is diet, exercise, and equipping yourself with knowledge.

Reading all potential symptoms can magnify anxiety (during withdrawal it's good to keep that in mind), it is best to have a support system; you may find the first thing you google is a lot of rehab clinics and detox centers near you giving you information; I am not too keen on those.

I rely on the ashton's manual and information I find here.

I too was on Xanax, but roughly 3 years ending at a steady 4mg.

Good luck on your taper and I congratulate you on your awareness and courage to get off this darn thing!

[[tr...]]

1 minute ago, [[v...] said:

@[tr...] I hope you are using other ways to cope with your anxiety, so that you have those "tools" in place to help you get completely off and then continue to use those "tools". I go to the gym now, practically every day and walk on the treadmill, do weight lifting, the pool, hottub and sauna. It pays to be old - lol - I get my membership at the YMCA for free. I look forward to going at 7:00 every morning. I do have bad days, like when my legs are like jelly and I feel like I'm bouncing on my feet. When I get those two symptoms I can't go. I want to start doing other things too. I find the more I keep my mind busy, the less my symptoms bother me. It's all neurological (thank God) but all the symptoms definitely feel real. The burning, skin crawling, etc.

That's what I'm feeling now burning skin. Thanks for the advice and help. This has kept my mind off and feel less anxious just texting and reading

[[vo...]]

1 minute ago, [[J...] said:

Welcome to BB @[tr...]

I am glad you caught it at 70 days and it is a low dose, as well as being conscious of the importance of a taper to minimize the stress of withdrawal.

Itchy is a common symptom.

Withdrawal symptoms vary. In terms of making the symptoms lesser during a taper, the best thing is diet, exercise, and equipping yourself with knowledge.

Reading all potential symptoms can magnify anxiety (during withdrawal it's good to keep that in mind), it is best to have a support system; you may find the first thing you google is a lot of rehab clinics and detox centers near you giving you information; I am not too keen on those.

I rely on the ashton's manual and information I find here.

I too was on Xanax, but roughly 3 years ending at a steady 4mg.

Good luck on your taper and I congratulate you on your awareness and courage to get off this darn thing!

Well said and good advice!

[[tr...]]

5 minutes ago, [[J...] said:

Welcome to BB @[tr...]

I am glad you caught it at 70 days and it is a low dose, as well as being conscious of the importance of a taper to minimize the stress of withdrawal.

Itchy is a common symptom.

Withdrawal symptoms vary. In terms of making the symptoms lesser during a taper, the best thing is diet, exercise, and equipping yourself with knowledge.

Reading all potential symptoms can magnify anxiety (during withdrawal it's good to keep that in mind), it is best to have a support system; you may find the first thing you google is a lot of rehab clinics and detox centers near you giving you information; I am not too keen on those.

I rely on the ashton's manual and information I find here.

I too was on Xanax, but roughly 3 years ending at a steady 4mg.

Good luck on your taper and I congratulate you on your awareness and courage to get off this darn thing!

How long did it take you to recover ?

[[vo...]]

2 minutes ago, [[t...] said:

That's what I'm feeling now burning skin. Thanks for the advice and help. This has kept my mind off and feel less anxious just texting and reading

@[Js...]gave you good advice. I kept a journal of all my symptoms over the last year and when I developed them. THEN I read the Ashton Manual and saw all my symptoms!  There weren't even any new ones that I didn't have. I really hope you keep your positive mindset and I hope that because you haven't been on it too long, that your body doesn't react terribly. Just keep doing what your doing!  Your liver will thank you too! I don't read much about that, but all these drugs we take are processed by our liver - another good reason to want to get off the drugs.

[[Js...]]

1 minute ago, [[t...] said:

How long did it take you to recover ?

Hmmm. I am a little over 30 days completely sober.

I would say I am 75% back to pre benzo? 

My biggest regret was not tapering longer. I did a 1.5week taper which is absolutely not recommended