Need help please!

[[Me...]]

I have made the switch off 0.5mg Xanax extended release 3x a day ( I have been on it for 8 year) to 0.5mg regular release Xanax 3x a day. My question is if starting by cutting my middle pill in half to start my taper is that too much? I’m doing a straight taper and don’t want to cross over to any medication.

[[pi...]]

Hello @[Me...],

You don’t need to cross over to another benzo, many people taper directly from the medication they are on. 

We suggest reducing dosage by 5-10% every 10-14 days. I do think that your plan to cut the middle dose in half is too aggressive. After long term use it’s important to make the taper as easy on the nervous system as possible. Some people use a jewelers scale to help make the cuts more precise. 

How are you feeling now? Have you adjusted to the regular release pills?

[[Me...]]

So I would cut the middle pill by 5-10% first?? And I adjusted a lot better than I thought. It’s been about 3 weeks since I switched and the part I took longer to adjust to was night time since I was use to having the extended release for so long then after they left my system I would woke up here and there some nights not feeling so good. But honestly it was nothing too terrible 

[[pi...]]

I’m glad you are doing ok. It’s your choice which dose you want to start reducing first. I would suggest reducing the others in turn by the 5-10% rate. It’s best to keep an even level of benzos in the system while tapering. Good luck with your taper, I hope it goes smoothly.

[[Me...]]

So I cut each dose the same percentage at the same time? Sorry I’m a little confused by this method

[[Pa...]]

Hi @[Me...], if you cut one of your .5 mg tablets into quarters and take one quarter less of your midday dose, that would be about an 8% reduction to start your taper with, what do you think?  You could hold that for two or three weeks, depending on how you feel. 

Its a good idea to keep a good record of your reductions and it effect on your symptoms so you can use this information to decide on your next reduction.

 

[[Me...]]

Thank you so much! That makes sense and sounds less intimidating to me to start than a 50% reduction! Thank you for your help! I’ll start there and make sure to keep a journal for myself and come back once I’m ready for the next cut! 

[[Pa...]]

I look forward to hearing how it went @[Me...], just remember, this is an experiment we perform on ourselves so don't be discouraged if your symptoms tell you its time to go back to the drawing board.