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

[[ba...]]

Hi peeps

 

I hit the sensation of all day DP/DR yesterday, it is still here today. I have had small bouts of it, but not like this. I did recently make a cut, but I can't up dose back, my Dr cut my dosage, I would run out. I can't see him upping my dosage.

 

Also, an intense stresser is currently present in my life, wont be resolved until January, and may get worse.

 

I am aware that we get new symptoms, and they do tone down in time, have gone through spells of awful symptoms that are intense enough to keep me housebound before. They did gradually subside.

 

My question is, anyone else? How long did it last? And, how did you get through it?

[[Bl...]]

Only a few months ago I was at .5 and thought I'd be finished

 

Congratulations Lori on you achievement!  It’s encouraging!

 

Did your sleep problems begin after you went from dosing 4 x daily to 3? - So far I haven’t had a problem with sleep.  I was going to try to stay at 4 x till I get below.0625. Wondering if that might help avoid insomnia. Maybe there’s no escaping it no matter what we do?

 

Hi BlessedHope!

 

To answer your question... I've had crazy periods of insomnia throughout my taper. But please keep in mind that I've been on Xanax (as prescribed) for 21 years. Early on in my taper I was so terrified of what I had learned was happening to me that I think I got so far inside my own head thinking that I was doomed and would never, ever heal from this... and because of this I think some of my horrible insomnia was psychological.

 

That being said, eventually I had some good days, weeks, etc.  However, I completely ignored the advice of listening to my body versus time frames (I plowed through reductions even when I wasn't sleeping at all along with debilitating physical pain) which was beyond foolish!  Once I did the slight updose and hold, sleep returned!

 

If you are still sleeping well at this point in your taper, I see zero reason why that would change. My only advice to you is to adhere to the advice of myself and so many others before us... (and I so wish I had!) ... that is to listen to your body! If things are going well than by all means, keep going at your pace. If symptoms start ramping up, that's simply your body telling you to slow down until it adjusts. Your body is looking out for you. It knows what's best!

 

You're going to be fine! Wishing you the very best!!

 

Fondly,

Lori

 

Hi Lori.  Thank you for the encouragement!  I've been on Xanax for 20+ years,  4x daily, also, only at a much lower dose.  I started my taper at .75.  Nonetheless,  I'm still totally dependent and in constant tolerance withdrawal.   

 

I agree with you that fear and worry is our biggest deterrent.  Ashton strongly warns against it. 

 

I'm proceeding with extra caution because I also have ME/CFS (have had it for 33 years but have been on X for the past 20).  Many benzo wd symptoms are nearly indistinguishable for some of my ME symptoms, so being tuned into my body is my #1 priority.  Thanks for the reminder, because some benzo wd experts I've read advise pushing through symptoms up to a point.  I don't want to take that risk, so I'm doing very small cuts 10-14 days apart - but will hold as long as necessary if I'm still feeling any wd symptoms.

[[Po...]]

Hi baddove,

 

I’m sorry you have the DR/DP symptom. I haven’t specifically had that but I have had many symptoms pop up and go away during my taper. And I know how frustrating it is when another one comes out of the blue. I just had this new thing pop up where I feel like the scenery is moving at a different pace then I am when I am driving in my car. It makes me nauseous.

 

Are you feeling any better today?  I hope it goes away soon for you.

 

Keep us posted!

Pearl

[[ba...]]

Hey power pearl.

 

It is better today, not as intense.

 

I had the visual distortion sxs. Things would wave, undulate, tilt, turn upside down, and it was very disturbing. It's the vestibular system that causes the visual distortions, along with dizziness and vertigo. It was pretty bad for a couple of weeks, then fizzled out. I just get dizziness and vertigo now. There is a support group in here for people "floating."

 

-Lets all do the best we can in spite of what our bodies are putting us through.

 

 

[[Fi...]]

I attended an NCAA men's basketball game this past weekend with my family (3 days & 2 nights). Had a great time & our team won. Best Wishes

[[to...]]

Hi all, 

Hi PowerPwarl - way to go - you are doing so well!  I am so happy for you!  I am still working on this day by day but am doing well.  I think making the smaller cuts is helping me alot.  Thank goodness my husband can cut my pills down to .125 for me as I am taking .625 am, .25 noon, .375 afternoon and .25 at night.  Its strange but it is working for me right now.  Noticed that Lori has not been on in a couple weeks.  I hope she is doing ok.

 

Take care and I am so glad you are doing well.

 

Hugs and love,

Juliia

[[Zu...]]

Hi all, I am new here.

 

To briefly explain. I've taken alprazolam 1mg every morning for about 6-7 years or so. I wasn't aware of benzo addiction, and I guess I didn't notice interdose withdrawal because I just figured this was me. Once I learned more off various searches and then finding my way here, I am now in a constant state of anxiety and depression due to being held hostage by a stupid pill and I'm not one who prefers to solve problems at a snails pace.

 

I am hoping to find a doctor that will help me taper properly, but I am afraid I may have to do this on my own.

 

Two weeks ago I started to only take .75 instead of the 1mg every morning. At day 8, i couldn't take it and called my doctor. He upped me to 1.5mg a day. Great answer..

 

It's only been a week, but I still haven't fully stabilized. Went from a few days of intense anxiety straight to depression today. Not being at work and being around family helps with that.

 

I decided to buy a scale today and it should be arriving tomorrow, so I have a few questions.

 

10% of 1mg is easy enough, but it quickly gets complicated to continue a 10% reduction as the dose lowers. Has anyone dry cut on xanax alone, or did you need to really work at the extremely small doses? Is it better for me to continue my 1 time a day schedule because my body is used to it, or would it be more beneficial to try and break this up into 3 doses? Since xanax is so potent, how long does one wait in between drops? Finally, I am scared. Seizures, strokes, death. All of this scares me to hell. Is tapering still safe if done at doses you can handle or should I expect a few ER visits? I know the last one is hard to answer but any personal experience with xanax tapering would be absolutely appreciated.

 

Happy holidays all and thanks.

[[Bl...]]

Hi all, I am new here.

 

To briefly explain. I've taken alprazolam 1mg every morning for about 6-7 years or so. I wasn't aware of benzo addiction, and I guess I didn't notice interdose withdrawal because I just figured this was me. Once I learned more off various searches and then finding my way here, I am now in a constant state of anxiety and depression due to being held hostage by a stupid pill and I'm not one who prefers to solve problems at a snails pace.

 

I am hoping to find a doctor that will help me taper properly, but I am afraid I may have to do this on my own.

 

Two weeks ago I started to only take .75 instead of the 1mg every morning. At day 8, i couldn't take it and called my doctor. He upped me to 1.5mg a day. Great answer..

 

It's only been a week, but I still haven't fully stabilized. Went from a few days of intense anxiety straight to depression today. Not being at work and being around family helps with that.

 

I decided to buy a scale today and it should be arriving tomorrow, so I have a few questions.

 

10% of 1mg is easy enough, but it quickly gets complicated to continue a 10% reduction as the dose lowers. Has anyone dry cut on xanax alone, or did you need to really work at the extremely small doses? Is it better for me to continue my 1 time a day schedule because my body is used to it, or would it be more beneficial to try and break this up into 3 doses? Since xanax is so potent, how long does one wait in between drops? Finally, I am scared. Seizures, strokes, death. All of this scares me to hell. Is tapering still safe if done at doses you can handle or should I expect a few ER visits? I know the last one is hard to answer but any personal experience with xanax tapering would be absolutely appreciated.

 

Happy holidays all and thanks.

 

Welcome Zurek and congratulations on your decision to get off Xanax.    I'm still pretty new at this too and am 1/3 of the way through my taper.  So far, not too much trouble, other than being cranky and more fatigued than usual for a few days after each cut.

 

I've been on Xanax for 20 years - 4 x daily.  My total daily starting dose was .75 + extra as needed.  It took almost 2 months to get to .50.  I'm doing a dry taper using a jewel scale and razor to shave the pieces. 

 

When I started my doses were  am: .125; afternoon: .125; bedtime: .125 + .25;  middle of the night: .125. 

 

My first goal was to SLOWLY eliminate the  extra .25 at bedtime so all 4 doses were the same.    I also stopped taking extra as needed.  And finally,  I hadn't been taking them at regular times so I put myself on a 10:00 am/pm 4:00 am/pm schedule.  The middle of the night one isn't always exact, but close enough. 

 

I'm doing 5-10% cuts of each new dose every two weeks.  To get that calculation as they get smaller, here's an example using my iphone calculator:

 

  .50 + x 10 % = .05

 

Since 1/6 of a .25 mg pill = .042 mg I can get it pretty close using the scale and razor.    The actual weight of the pill on the scale is not the same as the  mg. dosage,  so I weigh each pill before splitting it.  I use my calculator to divide the weight and break/shave it accordingly. 

 

Now that I'm on 4 equal doses, I'm going to hold until the end of Jan. when I see my doctor (since I haven't discussed this with her yet, and I have other health problems).    I’ve made a chart to show her  what I’ve done and what I’d like to do.  I’m pretty sure she’ll support me since it’s such a conservative plan.  It’s important to have our doctors overseeing this.

 

Then I plan to cut keep cutting at a 5-10% rate off just one dose at a time - ,rotate to the next, and keep on until they're all even again.  Then start over and keep doing that until I'm down to 1/6th of a pill 4 x a day.  Then I'll start shaving and dropping the doses one by one. 

 

Have I totally confused you?  That probably didn't make any sense at all.   

 

I read Dr. Stuart Shipko's Xanax Withdrawal (available on Amazon Kindle for about $5.) and  it's been so encouraging that I'm reading it again.  You can do this, and it doesn't have to be scary.    Just back the truck up and go slooow - listen to your body.  Take breaks if you need to.  And don't let all the scary stories on here freak you out.  Worry is your biggest enemy.   

 

Best Wishes, and please keep us posted! 

 

[[Zu...]]

Blessed Hope, thank you for the input. I am planning to tell my doctor that I have grown a dependency on them and that I would like to be tapered off safely. Unfortunately I believe this doctor has a good reputation as a pill pusher so I am unsure how he will respond. I may very well end up in the hospital for a week just to get medically detoxed if he doesn't think I've actually formed a dependency. A lot of these uncertainties are what make this difficult as I just want to be supported while going through this. I feel as if I am one of those people that won't have as hard of a time as others doing this aside from my episodes of DP/DR, panic, depression, insomnia and vision problems. Others seem to have it much worse.

 

My doc currently wants me to start Trazodone, but I've been reluctant to take it as I want to heal, not cause further damage to myself. Fortunately cannabis does seem to help with the withdrawls I was having during the taper, but I am fearful that it may be much worse once I actually come off the drug and survive the initial serious symptoms. PAWS is never out of the question unfortunately and that's something else I can't deal with. Having to maintain a job and go through this is going to be rough as I am so unproductive while tapering. Mainly due to the panics and intrusive thoughts. My biggest issue is that I already have HBP and I know going through this could make that significantly worse. I just don't know how I am going to be able to do this without a possible inpatient detox. Once I know I'm past the initial acute withdrawl phase it will be easier to rest my mind knowing the serious withdrawl symptoms will pass. As I said just scared to even think of the hell I am about to go through. Money is of course an issue as well. I can't afford trips to the ER on a regular basis.

[[Bl...]]

I may very well end up in the hospital for a week just to get medically detoxed if he doesn't think I've actually formed a dependency.

 

My doc currently wants me to start Trazodone, but I've been reluctant to take it as I want to heal, not cause further damage to myself.

 

Zurek,  I really would encourage you to do your homework before deciding a rapid in hospital detox.  Those folks are often the ones who have the most difficult time with PAWS.  There are lots of stories here on BB about this.    If you're patient and willing to take it much slower than you first started, you might find that keeping yourself busy at work will actually benefit you.

 

Please read the Ashton Manual and Shipko's book if you can.  Ashton promotes crossing over to Valium (a longer acting benzo) and a lot of people have done this successfully, but some have more trouble with Valium.  Shipko, on the other hand,  specializes in Xanax withdrawal and believes a straight Xanax taper works best for his patients.   

 

Trazodone is an older medication and is in a different class than SSRI's (like Paxil, Prozac, etc).  which are much harder to discontinue.  Used in small doses (50 mg is the smallest)  Trazodone can be quite effective for sleep, anxiety, and depression.  I didn't have any problem coming off Trazodone after using it for 2 years (long ago).  On the other hand,  I took Prozac for 2 years and had awful wd symptoms afterwards.  Every one is different.

 

My husband took Trazodone (50mg) for 15 years for insomnia and weaned off without any trouble.  For insomnia, he now takes full spectrum CBD oil (150 mg) and it works much better than the Trazodone and doesn't make him groggy at all.  Just gives him a very natural sleep. 

 

Again, please do lots of reading before you decide to go the detox hospital route.  It's generally advised against within the benzo community.

 

Wishing you well.

[[Zu...]]

I understand completely about the risks involved in a rapid detox. I just do not know how my doctor will handle this. He may choose to continue me on xanax, change me over to a longer acting benzodiazepine, or just cut me off completely. It seems it's harder to get prescribed benzodiazepines these days and my doctor did warn me that they're addictive, so I just am preparing for the worst. hell, he may even fire me as a patient for not wanting trazodone and just continuing on xanax. I've never abused them, but without having a script for so long he is likely going to view me as an addict looking for a fix instead of a patient that just wants to be done with these forever. I only have 20 days worth of my dosage left and even though I am assuming, it just seems like many doctors do not care about rapid tapering or detox, and though my mother says he is a good MD, I just don't know at this point until I call the nurse and let them know my thoughts. Were I a long time patient of his, I wouldn't be so worried about it.

[[Bl...]]

I understand completely about the risks involved in a rapid detox. I just do not know how my doctor will handle this. He may choose to continue me on xanax, change me over to a longer acting benzodiazepine, or just cut me off completely. It seems it's harder to get prescribed benzodiazepines these days and my doctor did warn me that they're addictive, so I just am preparing for the worst. hell, he may even fire me as a patient for not wanting trazodone and just continuing on xanax. I've never abused them, but without having a script for so long he is likely going to view me as an addict looking for a fix instead of a patient that just wants to be done with these forever. I only have 20 days worth of my dosage left and even though I am assuming, it just seems like many doctors do not care about rapid tapering or detox, and though my mother says he is a good MD, I just don't know at this point until I call the nurse and let them know my thoughts. Were I a long time patient of his, I wouldn't be so worried about it.

 

Holding a good thought for you.  Try not to worry.  Please keep us posted. 

[[to...]]

Hi all,

I agree with Blessed Hope, the hospital detox can be a horrible experience. They get you off quickly but then once you get out, you are left to deal with the withdrawal and usually want you to go on some other kind of medicine.

My experience with my PDOC is that when I went to him in January and said I want off this drug, he didn't want me to. I insisted because the Xanax had turned against me and was causing me so many other medical issues. To this day, he hadn't changed my prescription at all even though I have gone from 3.5 - 4 mg a day to 1.5 mg. I've asked for smaller doses of the pills so they're easier to break into smaller doses but he's refused. He still prescribed.50 mg, take 2 three times a day.

I've recently moved to another State and will be going to a new primary care physician and he'll either work with me to complete my tapering over the next few months or refer me to a PDOC. I'm hoping he'll work with me.

I've got a notebook that I write down every single dose I take every day and I'm going to take that with me to show the doctor what I've been doing and talk about what I want to do.

I wish everyone well and remember you're never alone.

BB has helped me so much.

I also agree not to let the horror stories upset you. Not every person has a horrible taper.

It's not easy but go slow and do small cuts and I've found that my body let's me know when it's time for the next cut.

Love and hugs

Julia

[[to...]]

Dears,

i've been on xanax for the last 4 years with daily dosage of 1mg .. in the last six months i went down to 0.5mg ... i didnt notice much difference because i seem im always on withdrawal ( taking 0.5 morning and then waiting 24 hours till the next ) , maybe im harsh on myself and i didnt know why i always feels ugly symptoms..

Now my question : shall i go for Ashton tapering or i can reduce to 0.25mg and jump off this poison ?

P.S: im taking xanax along with other antidepressant for GAD and depression , anxiety still , so the depression but i cant tolerate the bad memory and degraded cognitive that makes me fail to learn anything !

 

Appreciate your inputs

Hello,

I hope you are doing ok. For me, there's no way I could go 24 hours between doses or I would have terrible withdrawls.  I take 4 doses a day. My highest dose is my morning dose as it's usually been around 12 hours since my last dose from the night before.  I plan to get down to .125 and consider jumping from that or maybe half of that.  I wouldn't jump at .25. We all want off this poison but going slowly let's our CNS recover better which will make it easier to recover.

Good luck and best wishes.

 

I hope everyone is doing well and have a nice holiday season.

Hugs,

Julia

[[Nc...]]

Hi guys, 33 y/o male 7 years + recovering heroin addict. High anxiety for past few years. Pain in chest for quite some time (told its Costochondritis, inflammation of cartilage where ribs meet sternum). Anxiety for quite a few years and not really dealt with, came to a head beginning of August with a bad panic attack and heart palpitations while on vacation. Have been having the palps for some time leading up to this.

 

Took a 5mg Valium after a couple days to finally relax a bit and picked up some Xanax shortly after. After about a month I was taking 1mg 2x daily. It worked unfortunately. Now after a few months of taking this daily I realized, oh shit I’m ending up dependent on these.

 

Still dealing with anxiety/panic attacks, more so now that I realize I’ve gotten myself into drug dependence again. Got advice to start taking .5 4x daily instead of 1mg 2x for starting to taper. Was felling good and started taping to .5 3x a day and started doing cardio 45 mins daily.. thought I was heading in the right direction fast until I had palpitations on the elliptical that would not go away after leaving, sent me into a good panic attack and ended up going to ER. Been super anxious since with some palpitations and pretty upset in general.

 

Felt much better taking 1mg 2x daily, should I return to that?

[[ba...]]

This is where you listen to your body. What was working best for managing symptoms is the better place to be.

 

The reason for adding doses is to minimize interdose withdraw. I, too, am on xanax. When I added an extra dose, by cutting from the other doses, I never got relief, the doses were too small. I gave it a week, and was steadily getting worse.

 

A tip for heart palps: sit or lay down with your eyes closed and do some deep breathing. It calms down your nervous system.

Think Yoga.

 

 

[[Nc...]]

I just assumed it would keep me more at a steady level but it seems like the other way around. As far as tapering, would it the same, two doses and start with tapering one of them? I am willing to pay the piper a little more now if it will help later. I’m about a week or so into this schedule but am also having more anxiety because I may not be able to get my hands on more.. currently not doing this with a doctor, trying to change this now.

[[ba...]]

When we first start to taper, it is very common to learn through trial and error what works best. The only way to know is to try. And, at different points in the taper (usually when the reduction is getting significant, or we have been at it a while, and are stuck,) changing the way one doses it is not unusual either.

 

You could do both doses, or 1. I am currently just reducing 1 dose, and am about to add the reduction to the second dose. That does not mean that is right for you. Some people do better with keeping the same amount of medication consistent, some don't.

 

Also, our bodies give us bad days and good days, no matter what we do. A bad day or 3 does not mean there is anything wrong with the taper. Also, any cut is usually felt within 3 days. This is why it is good to wait about a week after a cut or change to see if it is leveling out. If you are getting worse and worse after a week, then it wasn't the right cut or the right time, and you can backtrack and try something else.

 

Visit this forum, they will be able to give you more information:

 

Planning Your Withdrawal (Taper Plans)

[[Nc...]]

Would .5 4x a day from 1 mg 2x be considered a cut? It seems like me doing the half milligram three times a day just seem to catch up to me in A negative way

[[Nc...]]

Sorry I’m a little scatterbrained I guess what I’m asking is it in my best interest to be breaking my dosing to four times a day for tapering purposes and letting my body adjust to that

[[ba...]]

Your fine. We are all scatterbrained in here, yet we manage to communicate. The only way you will know if splitting up doses is to try it. Wait a week or two. If it's steadily getting worse, resume what you were doing before.

 

Try things, your body will tell you what it can cope with.

[[Nc...]]

Thank you, and by the grace of god one of my doctors is willing to work with me on this until

I find a psychiatrist. That lifts a huge weight off my shoulders.

[[ba...]]

If I gave you any peace, then I am doing this right. Thank you. Best of luck on finding a good medical provider.

[[Bl...]]

Thank you, and by the grace of god one of my doctors is willing to work with me on this until

I find a psychiatrist. That lifts a huge weight off my shoulders.

 

Nc000 - congratulations on your previous victory over heroin.  You’ll get through this too. I’m glad you found a doctor to help you in the interim.  Hopefully your medical doctor will check to see if there’s  any underlying treatable conditions causing so much anxiety.  Thyroid, sleep apnea, etc. can cause heart palpitations, anxiety, and panic attacks.

 

You might consider trying coQ10 for the palpitations.  Some benzo withdrawal experts recommend it.  I’ve had palps for decades and take it and believe it helps.

 

Best wishes!

[[Nc...]]

Blessedhope thank you.. are your palpitations what caused your anxiety? Or vise versa

 

And thank you I will look into that for the palpations