reinstating?

[[...]]

Hi, im chris, I really need some advice, I was taking xanax for only about six weeks for moderate/severe social anxiety. About 2 mg total(spread out during the whole day) the first 3 weeks, then got between dose withdrawals. the fourth week i was at sometimes 3mg total throughout the day because i was now having to take 0.5-1mg in the middle of the night as i was waking up every night in withdrawal. During week 4 i found out about benzo withdrawal and tried to c/t which i did for 3 days until a buddy told me i had to taper this stuff so i started only at 1.5 mg and dropped 0.5mg every 3 days, this took 2 1/2 weeks, way too fast.  Its now been 2 1/2 months and the symptoms are probably half as bad as in the beginning, though its hard to tell when they come back. It seems like in the last month or so, they have gotten noticably better, 3 times theyve just dropped in severity almost overnight, and this seems to happen every 1 1/2 or 2 weeks. I can almost say that much more of the day and week is "good" than bad, but still, Ive been stuck in the house for almost 3 months now, suicidal thoughts are many times in the week, and Im so close every day to not being able to go to into work. I feel like im only surviving on the hope that ill be able to really function 2 months from now. Ive heard that I shouldnt try to start it again but at this point im really doubting i can keep this up, Ive got a house and two jobs. Maybe starting back on valium and tapering it really slowly? If anyone has tried this or has had a similiar exp. any advice please.

[[Th...]]

Hi Chris,

 

Since you have been off for over 2 months, it is not recommended to re-instate at this point. It will get better. You will have some good and bad days, it the nature of the withdrawal. You have to try to push through the bad days. How were you coping with your anxiety before you starting taking xanax? You really need to try to deal with it by other means, this "poison" will only mask your anxiety and the longer you take it the less effective it becomes and you will need more for it to work. It is better if you get some help through cognitive behavior therapy to deal with the anxiety. Others will by to share their thoughts and experiences. Hang in there!

 

T2

[[tr...]]

Hi Chris,

 

 

T2 is right, reinstating at this point is a not a good idea, often reinstating doesn't work and you end off worse than you were.  This will get better, you just to ride it through.  I know it's much harder than it sounds but you have had some good signs of improvement and they will continue to come.  You're tired of all this and it's understandable, this process is pure torture, but the only way out is to continue on the path you are now. 

 

I can't give you a time frame when this will be over, everyone is different but it will end and you will heal.  Hang in there and don't start the drugs again, it will only bring you misery and I would say you've had enough.  Keep in touch here on the forum and read others post, you'll see what you are going through is normal and it will end.

 

Ts

[[TP...]]

Sounds like you are improving so you really need to hold onto that. This will pass and down the road you'll surely be better off if you stay away from benzos altogether. As Theresa and TS have said, reinstating would probably not be wise at this stage.  :thumbsup:

 

Good luck.

 

Tony

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hi, thanks for the encouragment to stay away from trying to take them again, im really just at the point of losing my mind here, i only took the stuff for a relativly short time i guess and i cant believe im having such a hard time with this, I had taken them in the past maybe 3 or 4 times but only for a day or two at a time.  maybe that has some part in all this, crazy, it is just beyond me that a drug with the capabilitiy of doing this to a person could be givin to people, at least inform the damn docs of how to correctly stop the stuff, mine was like "just take the least amount you can each day", i was never even warned of any posible consequences of taking this garbage, i guess im a bit nieve for not thinking there would be.

 

Can anyone tell me though, seeing as i am having relativly somewhat good days and it seems like it is healing at an at least noticable rate, I cant really say fast, but does it continue to get better and better or can it just kinda slow down and stay the same for awhile? If it does keep getting better like it is I could almost see being out of this in maybe 3 months or so. Is this being to optomistic?

[[...]]

 

has anyone also had full recovery from the inner shaking and burning and anxiety. Ive heard you can get like ptsd from this if its really severe and seeing as i really just c/t mine was bad, should i really believe everything that i hear about this withdrawal? I dont want to, how can you not fully recover unless there is permanent damage, which supposedly there isnt. this is unreal

[[Th...]]

Hi crm,

 

Healing is different for everyone. Most experience good days and bad days, but the good ones seem to increase the longer you are off of the drugs. It should get better and better. You need to try and control your anxiety because it feeds on itself and makes things worse. Try drinking some chamomile tea, that seems to calm my anxiousness some (I use two bags). Also Calms Forte by Hylands (an otc sleep aid) helps to bring calm to the anxiety but overuse will decrease its effectiveness. Exercising also can help. Hang in there!

 

T2

[[el...]]

 

 should i really believe everything that i hear about this withdrawal?

 

NO!  

It sounds to me like you are well on your way to a full recovery. I can't give you a time line, or pattern, as we are all very different depending on our chemistry and makeup. But you seem to be faring well, especially for doing a ct.

 

[[TP...]]

 

has anyone also had full recovery from the inner shaking and burning and anxiety. ... how can you not fully recover unless there is permanent damage...

 

Yes people do recover completely and and no the damage is not permanent.

[[ge...]]

Hi crm,

 

I reinstated after being two years off, and I wish I hadn't done so. I did this because of the return of my Graves' disease and because I had a paradoxical reaction to Ambien. I now feel quite miserable and I wish I had not reinstated. I am tapering like a turtle and I am anticipating a two-year taper filled with misery. Since your symptoms are improving, consider yourself lucky and try to stay off the benzos. Reinstatement works for some folks. It definitely did not work for me. I am housebound most of the time and sometimes I don't feel much like living either.

 

Love,

Genie

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hey, I broke down last night and took 1 mg xanax, i was going to loose my job, Ive been in a rapid withdrwawl/ c/t for 3 months now and i think im getting worse. today i only took .05 in the morning and the same about 5 hours later, and it was really just enough.  I did the rapid withdrwal from 3 mg a day, originally only taken for a month though.

 

So this is in hopes of calming my system down long enough to gett an antidepressant working and then taper slowely, but even if the antidepressant doesnt work, Is there a possibility that if i stabalize on xanax, get some klonipin as soon as possible, and then slowly taper,and be able to stabilize that i could at least minimize these withdrawals? has anyone tried this and had success. Or i give up while im ahead, move back in with my parents, and wait to heal, probably years right? not positive thinking i know

 

What the hell do people  going through this do to get by for however long this lasts? How do people survive, just sit and wait to heal?

[[el...]]

Hi,

 

I am assuming you mean you took .5 twice, not .05 twice?

Ok, now are you sure you want to remain on 1mg? As I understand it, you just updosed once yesterday?

And you have been completely off for 2.5 months?

I'm not going to tell you to not reinstate, as this is your personal choice and it is based on some very severe symptoms. But if you decide to do this, I would at least suggest you only reinstate to half this amount. And by resinstating after 2 months, it may not bring the relief you are seeking. Only time will do that. 

By reinstating you are undoing so much work, I just hate to see it. But I do understand your pain. IF you do, we will help you with a slow sensible taper.

Have you already started an AD, or just thinking about it? This is something to consider very carefully, as for some, it may cause more problems then it will cure at this point in a wd. But this is something you need to discuss with your doc.  And he needs to know your benzo wd/ct history. 

 

 

please don't get discouraged. It won't be years, ok? You just are feeling very low right now and hopeless. These feelings are a side effect of your wd.  You are going to make it thru, and it won't take years, really.     

 

[[...]]

hey,really thanks for getting back to me so soon, yeah it was .5 in the mornig and .5 aftreenoon and now .5 around 6:30 tonight, last night i was just so worked up and sick I tried only one half but had to do the other makin it 1mg, but that was dumb and not again, i need to keep this dose as low as possible, just enough to deal with the AD cause it tears my system up being in withdrawal, sorry for asking so many questins and not really being able to contribute much right now but this plan of trying to wait out a c/t is just tearing me up. Heres one thing I can add, to anyone who reads this, you may be bad, maybe worse than i am, but coming into this I had moderate/severe social anxiety, maybe consider yourself lucky that youre able to have some fun and go out if you push yourself, as for me though, withdrawals from a drug that can produce social phobia/agraphobia, this just couldnt get any better, you may feel bad , but at least you can talk to others about things other than this situation, long hard lonely road but ill make it one day  

 

  But is it possible to stabilize again, which it seems that i have on .5, whereas in the beggining of this mess i was at 1 mg,

and then taper in hope of minimzing withdrawal, thanks for feedback, everyone here seem to be the only ones who realize how bad you can be in withdrawal, and i know im probably not the worst

[[ge...]]

Hi,

 

As I said before, reinstating did not really work for me. It helped a bit with my anxiety, but it caused a whole slew of other symptoms which make me feel sick and agoraphobic every day. However, if you need to work and you came off your benzo too quickly, maybe reinstating might help you. However, I am very wary of antidepressants because they can actually CAUSE anxiety and they can make your withdrawal symptoms worse. Why did you think an antidepressant would help you?

 

If you go to "Google.com" and "Google" most antidepressants, you will find that anxiety is one of the side effects of antidepressants. It's a different story if you have tried one already and found that it calmed you. Still, I would err on the side of caution. Reinstating AND adding an antidepressant to the mix might not be such a hot idea.

 

Love,

Genie