The Xanax Club, Let Us Know How You Are Feeling Today

[[wi...]]

I think Xanax is the worst of the benzos.  I pray we all get off this crap as heal up as much as possible.

Enzo, sorry you are having a time of it.

[[Ki...]]

Hello,

 

I am new to the board and have a few questions, hoping the community that has been dealing with Xanax tapers can help.

 

Background:

I only take one dose per day at night.  I am currently at .25 mg 1x per day.  Because of the Inner dose w/d symptoms, I start to feel symptoms later in the afternoon (anxiety type symptoms, blurred vison, muscle aches, dizziness.)  My symptoms, while uncomfortable, I don't consider them to be bad enough to keep me from working during the day (from home) and leaving the house for errands and some social activities in the evening (dinner out with wife, friends, etc).  My sleep has been actually very good and consistent.  I would probably rather be home on couch, but I try to stay active and not shut myself indoors.  Because the symptoms are tolerable, I don't want to switch to a benzo with a longer half life, because I don't want to introduce a new drug.  I have been told my taper schedule to date has been aggressive.  I don't drink alcohol or take any other meds except Ibuprofen occasionally. 

 

Question:

When do you know when it's ok to cut? 

Do you wait for completely symptom free windows?  I don't believe I will ever have symptom free days because of the 1 dose at night and the fact that it's Xanax!

How long do you go between cuts?  If your basing it on how your body feels and you always feel some symptoms, do you cut when symptoms are mild.

If you are dry cutting a pill with a razor blade, how do you store the dose until it's time to take it?

Being able to function is subjective.

I want a successful taper so I can get rid of the dependence on this drug, but I struggle to know when to drop my dosage and for how long.

 

Hopefully, if I am not articulating my questions effectively, you get the gist of where I am currently.

 

 

[[To...]]

  WINDOWS, They Open, They Close, They Come on Fast, and They leave real Slow. Wish that I could see into the Future to predict Which way I need to retreat to!!!!!

  The question is, is it an indication that the end is near, I can only tell you that for me, the windows started coming more frequently, and for longer periods, and for the MOST part (not always) the waves were not as severe.  I'm sure others will chime in here.

  Just holding out for some better days. Had a one day Window, that was great. But now, it's raining outside, can't ride my bike, and that is 2 negatives. But the 1 positive is that I can say hello to my BB and try to sooth some of your questions and thoughts. If my brain keeps on working properly, lol.

    Try to have a great day My BB. And in all, stay focus on where you want to be in the Future.

 

Rocket.       

hello what symptoms did you have?

[[...]]

Hi, just putting my thoughts here. Have you considered splitting your dose to get rid of the interdose withdrawal symptoms? I ended up splitting my doses into four. I was originally on 2.5 per day and after one year of tapering got it to .5 and have been holding for another couple of years. I was cutting my dose once a month and holding for that month. I was never symptom free but just waited until I felt I could handle another cut. I also found the cuts to be cumulative so go slowly if you can. You can see in my signature that I went kind of fast and probably cut too much each time. I store my doses in one of those pill boxes that have the days of the week on them with slots for every day. Good luck with your taper!

 

 

 

 

Hello,

 

I am new to the board and have a few questions, hoping the community that has been dealing with Xanax tapers can help.

 

Background:

I only take one dose per day at night.  I am currently at .25 mg 1x per day.  Because of the Inner dose w/d symptoms, I start to feel symptoms later in the afternoon (anxiety type symptoms, blurred vison, muscle aches, dizziness.)  My symptoms, while uncomfortable, I don't consider them to be bad enough to keep me from working during the day (from home) and leaving the house for errands and some social activities in the evening (dinner out with wife, friends, etc).  My sleep has been actually very good and consistent.  I would probably rather be home on couch, but I try to stay active and not shut myself indoors.  Because the symptoms are tolerable, I don't want to switch to a benzo with a longer half life, because I don't want to introduce a new drug.  I have been told my taper schedule to date has been aggressive.  I don't drink alcohol or take any other meds except Ibuprofen occasionally. 

 

Question:

When do you know when it's ok to cut? 

Do you wait for completely symptom free windows?  I don't believe I will ever have symptom free days because of the 1 dose at night and the fact that it's Xanax!

How long do you go between cuts?  If your basing it on how your body feels and you always feel some symptoms, do you cut when symptoms are mild.

If you are dry cutting a pill with a razor blade, how do you store the dose until it's time to take it?

Being able to function is subjective.

I want a successful taper so I can get rid of the dependence on this drug, but I struggle to know when to drop my dosage and for how long.

 

Hopefully, if I am not articulating my questions effectively, you get the gist of where I am currently.

[[Ki...]]

Thanks for your input SSR.  I haven't thought of splitting the dose, probably because the dosage is pretty small already.  Is there a liquid dose that I can switch to, so I can get more accurate dosage? 

 

 

Hi, just putting my thoughts here. Have you considered splitting your dose to get rid of the interdose withdrawal symptoms? I ended up splitting my doses into four. I was originally on 2.5 per day and after one year of tapering got it to .5 and have been holding for another couple of years. I was cutting my dose once a month and holding for that month. I was never symptom free but just waited until I felt I could handle another cut. I also found the cuts to be cumulative so go slowly if you can. You can see in my signature that I went kind of fast and probably cut too much each time. I store my doses in one of those pill boxes that have the days of the week on them with slots for every day. Good luck with your taper!

 

 

 

 

Hello,

 

I am new to the board and have a few questions, hoping the community that has been dealing with Xanax tapers can help.

 

Background:

I only take one dose per day at night.  I am currently at .25 mg 1x per day.  Because of the Inner dose w/d symptoms, I start to feel symptoms later in the afternoon (anxiety type symptoms, blurred vison, muscle aches, dizziness.)  My symptoms, while uncomfortable, I don't consider them to be bad enough to keep me from working during the day (from home) and leaving the house for errands and some social activities in the evening (dinner out with wife, friends, etc).  My sleep has been actually very good and consistent.  I would probably rather be home on couch, but I try to stay active and not shut myself indoors.  Because the symptoms are tolerable, I don't want to switch to a benzo with a longer half life, because I don't want to introduce a new drug.  I have been told my taper schedule to date has been aggressive.  I don't drink alcohol or take any other meds except Ibuprofen occasionally. 

 

Question:

When do you know when it's ok to cut? 

Do you wait for completely symptom free windows?  I don't believe I will ever have symptom free days because of the 1 dose at night and the fact that it's Xanax!

How long do you go between cuts?  If your basing it on how your body feels and you always feel some symptoms, do you cut when symptoms are mild.

If you are dry cutting a pill with a razor blade, how do you store the dose until it's time to take it?

Being able to function is subjective.

I want a successful taper so I can get rid of the dependence on this drug, but I struggle to know when to drop my dosage and for how long.

 

Hopefully, if I am not articulating my questions effectively, you get the gist of where I am currently.

[[Pa...]]

Thanks for your input SSR.  I haven't thought of splitting the dose, probably because the dosage is pretty small already.  Is there a liquid dose that I can switch to, so I can get more accurate dosage? 

 

 

Hi, just putting my thoughts here. Have you considered splitting your dose to get rid of the interdose withdrawal symptoms? I ended up splitting my doses into four. I was originally on 2.5 per day and after one year of tapering got it to .5 and have been holding for another couple of years. I was cutting my dose once a month and holding for that month. I was never symptom free but just waited until I felt I could handle another cut. I also found the cuts to be cumulative so go slowly if you can. You can see in my signature that I went kind of fast and probably cut too much each time. I store my doses in one of those pill boxes that have the days of the week on them with slots for every day. Good luck with your taper!

 

 

 

 

Hello,

 

I am new to the board and have a few questions, hoping the community that has been dealing with Xanax tapers can help.

 

Background:

I only take one dose per day at night.  I am currently at .25 mg 1x per day.  Because of the Inner dose w/d symptoms, I start to feel symptoms later in the afternoon (anxiety type symptoms, blurred vison, muscle aches, dizziness.)  My symptoms, while uncomfortable, I don't consider them to be bad enough to keep me from working during the day (from home) and leaving the house for errands and some social activities in the evening (dinner out with wife, friends, etc).  My sleep has been actually very good and consistent.  I would probably rather be home on couch, but I try to stay active and not shut myself indoors.  Because the symptoms are tolerable, I don't want to switch to a benzo with a longer half life, because I don't want to introduce a new drug.  I have been told my taper schedule to date has been aggressive.  I don't drink alcohol or take any other meds except Ibuprofen occasionally. 

 

Question:

When do you know when it's ok to cut? 

Do you wait for completely symptom free windows?  I don't believe I will ever have symptom free days because of the 1 dose at night and the fact that it's Xanax!

How long do you go between cuts?  If your basing it on how your body feels and you always feel some symptoms, do you cut when symptoms are mild.

If you are dry cutting a pill with a razor blade, how do you store the dose until it's time to take it?

Being able to function is subjective.

I want a successful taper so I can get rid of the dependence on this drug, but I struggle to know when to drop my dosage and for how long.

 

Hopefully, if I am not articulating my questions effectively, you get the gist of where I am currently.

 

Xanax is available in a concentrated solution from the manufacturer.  https://dailymed.nlm.nih.gov

[[Lo...]]

I took my last little bit of Xanax on Mother's Day morning, May 8, 2022, after a 5+ year taper!

 

I'm still highly symptomatic but no worse than I was a week ago.  Even better, the past three nights, I've slept 6-7 hours which was unheard of just a few months ago.  The muscle issues of stiffness, rigidity, and pain is my worst sympton that has been with me for well over a year now.  It started the first time I got under 1 milligram and never left - often getting much worse with every reduction.  I know it's the taper because on two occasions a year ago when I took a rescue dose, it vanished for about 24 hours.  Hence, I'm going to be patient with it. 

 

Years ago when I envisioned my jump date I thought I'd be jumping up and down with a celebration!  Instead, there is a quiet feeling of peace and gratitude.  I have such a long way to go to feeling "healthy" again but the knowledge that it's all 100% healing from this point forward is enough for me right now. 

 

For the newbies on this forum who see this, I can't stress this enough.....  If I can do this, ANYONE can! 

 

Fondly,

Lori

 

 

 

[[ba...]]

Congrats Lori. Wishing you a rapid and tolerable post recovery. Good Work.

[[Gi...]]

Congratulation Lori! Fantastic job!  I finished mine 2 weeks ago today.  Taking that long year+ break during the pandemic lockdown really helped me too.  It sounds like our current symptoms are similar.  I still have insomnia and get anywhere from 5-7 hrs of broken sleep - but it's doable.  And I have this constant muscle tension - my muscles just under the skin feel kinda hot and cold at the same time.  I have to consciously relax them, but it's really not that big of a deal because I've been living with it forever.    I recently found out I'd been over medicated on my thyroid meds for the past 6 years.  Reducing the Cytomel really helped a lot with tension, palps, and anxiety, so overall I'm actually much calmer than I've been in years.

Best wishes on your full recover!  Keep us posted. 

[[wi...]]

OMG...I would kill for just 3 hours of solid sleep!

[[Lo...]]

Thanks, Baddove.... I hope you're doing okay!

 

Widesky:  My sleep really suffered early on and midway through my taper.  It got better as my taper progressed. I had a few cuts that brought back the dreaded insomnia but never to the levels suffered in the earlier stages.  Praying yours gets better as well!

 

GitFiddle:

CONGRATULATIONS to you!!! 

It's rare when we find someone on the same exact med (albeit difference dose) for the same length of time!  .... And most especially as long as us!  I'm so happy for you that you made it through this journey as well! 

 

This muscle stuff is sheer torture!  For a year I've been saying that if it would just let up, this taper would be very tolerable.  Mine is relentless and on really bad days it affects my entire body but most especially the muscles in my abdomen, the front of my neck/throat, shoulders, and tendons in my feet!  Over a year ago my doc thought it was arthritis.  But we all know that arthritis doesn't completely resolve itself with a .25 rescue dose of Xanax!  I can only pray that it eases up as time goes on.  However, I also have to admit that I'm not always so patient! 

 

Please keep in touch!  And again, a heartfelt Congratulations!!!

 

Fondly,

Lori

 

 

[[Un...]]

Hi all,

I’m feeling hopeless today. I’ve been on X for 8 years. I’m currently on 0.25mg twice daily. I’m in tolerance and interdose withdrawal. I feel sick most of the time. I’ve spent too much time online reading horror stories and am terrified of starting my taper. I also don’t know if I should taper the x directly or crossover to Valium. I’ve read that the Valium can cause depression and I have a history of it. I really need support and guidance. I feel so alone.

[[Pa...]]

Hi all,

I’m feeling hopeless today. I’ve been on X for 8 years. I’m currently on 0.25mg twice daily. I’m in tolerance and interdose withdrawal. I feel sick most of the time. I’ve spent too much time online reading horror stories and am terrified of starting my taper. I also don’t know if I should taper the x directly or crossover to Valium. I’ve read that the Valium can cause depression and I have a history of it. I really need support and guidance. I feel so alone.

 

How many times a day are you dosing?

[[Un...]]

Hi Pamster,

 

Twice. 6am and 4pm.

[[Pa...]]

Hi Pamster,

 

Twice. 6am and 4pm.

 

Many of our Xanax users will dose 4 times a day, do you think this would help? 

 

I've read from members that Valium can cause sedation and depression but most times when they get used to it, this passes.  I'm sorry you're terrified, I was lucky when I quit because I had no idea what I'd done but I can see how it would make it worse to know up front what you're facing.

 

The thing about doing this is, you're already miserable and we know there's only one way out and that's through so getting a plan and taking action while scary can be empowering.

[[Un...]]

Thanks fo4 responding, Pamster. You give good advice and I appreciate it.

[[Pa...]]

Thanks fo4 responding, Pamster. You give good advice and I appreciate it.

 

If you do decide to dose more often, please give your body time to adjust because it will likely see any change as a reduction so don't start a taper right away. 

[[ba...]]

Hi Pamster,

 

Twice. 6am and 4pm.

 

Many of our Xanax users will dose 4 times a day, do you think this would help? 

 

I've read from members that Valium can cause sedation and depression but most times when they get used to it, this passes.  I'm sorry you're terrified, I was lucky when I quit because I had no idea what I'd done but I can see how it would make it worse to know up front what you're facing.

 

The thing about doing this is, you're already miserable and we know there's only one way out and that's through so getting a plan and taking action while scary can be empowering.

 

 

  If you go from 2 doses, I would not advise going straight to 4. The individual reductions will be harsh. I suggest  you go to 3 doses, not 4 to start if you want to try this. If you do , and acclimate to it, you can consider further spreading your doses. If you are on .25x2, 4 doses would equal 16.5 mg x 4. That is a reduction of half of what your body is now expecting per dose. I am concerned the period of acclimation could be harsh.

 

Also, if your afraid, I suggest you wait until your fear calms down. You can do this by reading positive stories, and also, prepare yourself with coping tools. I would start those tools prior to making a change, hence, you already have a behavior to turn to to distract and cope.

 

You want activities/distractions that help calm you down. That means engaging your parasympathetic symptom. I go through hell tapering, and it is my "tool  Box" which has about 25 options in it I use to cope and get through the wd.  Without the tool box, I would be in constant pain. Using those things gives me a break.

 

I know this is awful, we are all here to support you.

 

We may suggest different options. Keep in mind these are suggestions.

 

I strongly suggest you find coping skills, start doing them, and see them as your best asset , even over the xanax to cope. That is the most beneficial  suggestion I have for you. More so than changing how often you dose. Prepare for the tapering with a "tool box."

 

The possibility of a cross over to Valium is a different discussion. Many people do not find it as beneficial as hoped. This is because xanax hits many more receptors in your brain than valium. It is individual. Each of us react differently to medicinal changes, and we don't know what will happen until we make those changes.

 

Pam brought up a good point. No matter what you do, there is an adjustment period when making changes. Again, I stress prepare with POSITIVE not horror stories and build your tool box.

 

 

Be well

Dove

 

 

 

[[Pa...]]

Thank you baddove, your advice is sound and based on your experience, something I lack so I appreciate your intervention. 

[[Un...]]

Hi Pamster,

 

Twice. 6am and 4pm.

 

Many of our Xanax users will dose 4 times a day, do you think this would help? 

 

I've read from members that Valium can cause sedation and depression but most times when they get used to it, this passes.  I'm sorry you're terrified, I was lucky when I quit because I had no idea what I'd done but I can see how it would make it worse to know up front what you're facing.

 

The thing about doing this is, you're already miserable and we know there's only one way out and that's through so getting a plan and taking action while scary can be empowering.

 

 

  If you go from 2 doses, I would not advise going straight to 4. The individual reductions will be harsh. I suggest  you go to 3 doses, not 4 to start if you want to try this. If you do , and acclimate to it, you can consider further spreading your doses. If you are on .25x2, 4 doses would equal 16.5 mg x 4. That is a reduction of half of what your body is now expecting per dose. I am concerned the period of acclimation could be harsh.

 

Also, if your afraid, I suggest you wait until your fear calms down. You can do this by reading positive stories, and also, prepare yourself with coping tools. I would start those tools prior to making a change, hence, you already have a behavior to turn to to distract and cope.

 

You want activities/distractions that help calm you down. That means engaging your parasympathetic symptom. I go through hell tapering, and it is my "tool  Box" which has about 25 options in it I use to cope and get through the wd.  Without the tool box, I would be in constant pain. Using those things gives me a break.

 

I know this is awful, we are all here to support you.

 

We may suggest different options. Keep in mind these are suggestions.

 

I strongly suggest you find coping skills, start doing them, and see them as your best asset , even over the xanax to cope. That is the most beneficial  suggestion I have for you. More so than changing how often you dose. Prepare for the tapering with a "tool box."

 

The possibility of a cross over to Valium is a different discussion. Many people do not find it as beneficial as hoped. This is because xanax hits many receptors in your brain than valium. It is individual. Each of us react differently to medicinal changes, and we don't know what will happen until we make those changes.

 

Pam brought up a good point. No matter what you do, there is an adjustment period when making changes. Again, I stress prepare with POSITIVE not horror stories and build your tool box.

 

 

Be well

Dove

 

Thank you so much. Noted about the dosing and possible implications.

I definitely spend too much time in the forum and the FB groups reading about suffering and not enough on success stories. My pharmacist is really pushing the crossover to Valium and I’m torn.I know they mean well, so I’m not disparaging them.  I need to think on it more and be prepared that if it doesn’t work out, it’s just going to prolong everything.

 

That is a great suggestion about the coping toolbox. I have already started tapping, as well as the DARE app. Is there anything in particular you suggest? I will do a search as well.

 

Thanks again for the the thoughtful response. It’s much appreciated.

[[ba...]]

Untethered:

 

here is an entire thread on coping techniques:

http://www.benzobuddies.org/forum/index.php?topic=79096.0

 

Breathing is crucial, and we often overbreathe or underbreathe subconsciously which causes physical distress.

 

The crucial practices to correct this include meditation (any kind you want. I am going to challenge you to learn a few, and then try mala bead meditation.  It takes time and practice and can feel very boring, but it is fantastic for meditation combined with long lasting breathing. The practice is long, but if you hang in there, you will hit the "zen" spot and find yourself completely caught up.)

 

Regular daily beathing exercises.  A basic breath is 4 seconds in, hold for 7 seconds, release for 8. There are many forms of breathing practices, again YouTube.

Yoga (it doesn't have to be exercise focused, but "calming" oriented.)

 

You tube has zillions of videos in this area.

 

Also, Singing from your diaphragm loud immediately forces you to breathe properly, and it also feels good.

 

Next comes movement. Make a daily practice of at least 20 minutes of some activity. Try different things to not got bored. Even if you don't feel very well, you can lie down  and do reclined yoga poses. Again, you tube has many  just for this purpose.

 

Personally, i am a pretty intense Yogi, but  I have built up my practice over several years. I can not do as much as i could before wd, but, I do it at least twice a week. I used to hit the gym a few times a week, but haven't gone in about 2 months. I am in a setback, and cardio is not for me when I am not feeling well.

 

If we spend all our time in bed and sitting, it doesn't help. A walk. Running the vacuum. Lying on a mat when we are too dizzy and doing a restorative yoga. The purpose is too loosen our muscles. Benzo's are muscle relaxers, and we need to counter the tightening effect. So, move every day in whatever capacity you can. Standing up and swinging your arms around is a easy fix for a tight chest. Riding a bike is very good as well. You can control the intensity an duration.

 

One more thing, engage as many senses as you can. Smell, touch, sound, feel. The more you engage your brain, the more the wd will diminish when using any practice from a tool box.

 

I hope that's a good list for you! Researching these things could be an alternative to looking at horror stories.

 

here is a 5 minute bedtime meditation that is just lovely to get you started:

 

-Dove

[[Un...]]

Untethered:

 

here is an entire thread on coping techniques:

http://www.benzobuddies.org/forum/index.php?topic=79096.0

 

Breathing is crucial, and we often overbreathe or underbreathe subconsciously which causes physical distress.

 

The crucial practices to correct this include meditation (any kind you want. I am going to challenge you to learn a few, and then try mala bead meditation.  It takes time and practice and can feel very boring, but it is fantastic for meditation combined with long lasting breathing. The practice is long, but if you hang in there, you will hit the "zen" spot and find yourself completely caught up.)

 

Regular daily beathing exercises.  A basic breath is 4 seconds in, hold for 7 seconds, release for 8. There are many forms of breathing practices, again YouTube.

Yoga (it doesn't have to be exercise focused, but "calming" oriented.)

 

You tube has zillions of videos in this area.

 

Also, Singing from your diaphragm loud immediately forces you to breathe properly, and it also feels good.

 

Next comes movement. Make a daily practice of at least 20 minutes of some activity. Try different things to not got bored. Even if you don't feel very well, you can lie down  and do reclined yoga poses. Again, you tube has many  just for this purpose.

 

Personally, i am a pretty intense Yogi, but  I have built up my practice over several years. I can not do as much as i could before wd, but, I do it at least twice a week. I used to hit the gym a few times a week, but haven't gone in about 2 months. I am in a setback, and cardio is not for me when I am not feeling well.

 

If we spend all our time in bed and sitting, it doesn't help. A walk. Running the vacuum. Lying on a mat when we are too dizzy and doing a restorative yoga. The purpose is too loosen our muscles. Benzo's are muscle relaxers, and we need to counter the tightening effect. So, move every day in whatever capacity you can. Standing up and swinging your arms around is a easy fix for a tight chest. Riding a bike is very good as well. You can control the intensity an duration.

 

One more thing, engage as many senses as you can. Smell, touch, sound, feel. The more you engage your brain, the more the wd will diminish when using any practice from a tool box.

 

I hope that's a good list for you! Researching these things could be an alternative to looking at horror stories.

 

here is a 5 minute bedtime meditation that is just lovely to get you started:

 

-Dove

 

 

Thank you so much for this. I just had 1 more question for you. It’s in regards to adding a 3rd or 4th dose. If I’m currently on 0.25 twice daily (0.5 total), does that work out to this:

 

0.166 per dose  if dosing 3

0.125 per dose if dosing 4

[[ba...]]

You weigh your pills.

 

Lets say the average is 128, so 2 pills equals 256.

 

Divide the weight by 3. In our example, that would be a dosage weight of 85 per dosage.

 

you will have to use your scales to do it. If you don't have them, most of us get them from amazon. Frankly, they are a pain in the ass, but its what we have to create the weights we need. Don't obsess over getting a perfect  number (say 85) it is very hard, get as close as you can.

 

If you don't have scales or know how to cut your pills, this video will help. I am sure others may chime in:

 

I bought a high end file from Amazon, not a drug store model. It does a much better job. The cheaper files can sometimes release small chunks.

 

The brand is Mr. Green.

 

You can use the powder to make your own capsules along with some other equipment. 

 

I hope this helps.

[[gr...]]

bad dove,

can you say a little more about the mala bead meditation?  how do you do it?  is there a good video?  what have you noticed in terms of its benefits....thanks so much

 

grace

[[ba...]]

This is a great intro to mala bead meditation:

 

there a re many videos on meditative phrases. Also, you can listen to any music you like while doing this meditation.

 

I like to play any work by this young monk when I mala mediate, the music is ethereal.

 

Doing it with music requires several senses. (tactile, audio, and structured breathing with vocalization. the more senses we engage, usually the better the experience.)

 

Depends on your own tastes!

 

In terms of benefits, first it is a breathing exercise with a meditative focus (counting and chanting) Second, it can take 30 minutes if you finish the cycle. Gradually, we teach our bodies to go to the "zen " spot and be able to maintain it.

 

It's like starting an exercise. It's hard at first, but with continues practice we get stronger, and even start to reap benefits.

 

Hope that helps

 

-Dove