XANAX Support Blog: If you're tapering Xanax/alprazolam, join in the discussion!

[[Ch...]]

if you take magnesium and such for support, you could try taking those doses about the time your interdose withdrawals usually show up....that will help

 

I tried magnesium for the burning mouth (on advice of a GP in another country who is a friend of my husband). It made it worse.  :'( I have a referral to an oral specialist who is a 'Professor' a new dentist I saw proudly pronounced, but I don't know if it is woth going. If no one knows what causes BMS and knows no cure (except Klonopin to relieve symptoms) I can't see much point. I asked my GP and he said to hold off going for a while even though he knows this specialist and says he is a good doctor.

 

I am in the middle of having elevated liver enzymes etc investigated too. Oh how lovely it is to probably have the delightful Non Alcoholic Fatty Liver Disease. Even though apparently 1 in 5 of the population has it.

 

I hadn't been to my dear old GP for 2 1/2 years so now we are catching up quite often to check everything out. At first I told him I was going to come every week, like a date, until I waded through all my ailments. Luckily he is a nice man and always cheers me up. I'm a bit short on social occasions with people my own age. He's like a rent a friend. My old psych was like that too. Same age, same taste in music. He liked my way of thinking and said I had a good sense of humour. It was like my fortnightly day out! It helps that they are both attractive men too. 

 

I saw this reference to 'burning mouth' and it jarred a memory from more than ten years ago.  My mom (who took Temazapam for sleep and had for years) and I both were having burning mouth issues.  Her dentist formulated some liquid compound for her to swish and spit out.  She gave some to me and we both agreed it was barely a minor help.  I wonder if the burning mouth came from the benzos?  I don't have it anymore and she is gone now.

 

Challis

 

P.S.  Hi Xana and welcome back…  missed you. 

[[Be...]]

sorry vega, this is confusing I know.. I messed up  writing this paragraph..

 

  I would try this,,,, divide the 1mg pill into 1/4ths the best you can..

then take the smallest 1/4th and try to divide it in half... that would be .0125 (a half of a .25 pill)

even if it crumbles, separate the crumbles into two tiny equal  piles the best you can.. and leave out the smallest pile....and put the larger pile in a bottle by itself..

 

it should read like this "separate the crumbles into two tiny equal pils the best you can.... leave out the smallest pilel and PUT IT in a bottle to save,, use the larger pile in your dose...

 

that would make your cut a .0125...

 

 

[[...]]

I saw this reference to 'burning mouth' and it jarred a memory from more than ten years ago.  My mom (who took Temazapam for sleep and had for years) and I both were having burning mouth issues.  Her dentist formulated some liquid compound for her to swish and spit out.  She gave some to me and we both agreed it was barely a minor help.  I wonder if the burning mouth came from the benzos?  I don't have it anymore and she is gone now.

 

Challis

 

P.S.  Hi Xana and welcome back…  missed you. 

 

Thanks Challis.

 

A different dentist from my usual (awful) one suggested trying one of the new 'moisturising' mouthwashes (Biotene). I bought some. You can use it 5 times per day. Hasn't been successful. He said it might not work. This guy was suggesting removing my amalgam fillings etc - he had all sorts of (expensive) plans for me.

 

How long did your BMS last? From what I've read it seems some people get relief after 2 years, some 7 and some never. I've had it for about 2 years. I just thought it was from Valium withdrawal. Maybe that was a coincidence. Who knows.

 

Did yours go away while you were taking benzos or when you quit? It would be enough to make me try quitting again just to get rid of it.

 

Thank you for the welcome back. I'm glad you missed me. 

 

Xana

[[ve...]]

No tritration as a whole two slow. I need to rapid taper but 8 did too much I took the rough quarter and almost all symptoms gone. Ill take a half tonight before bed and that will be .75 ill keep doing this for 5 says or so like juliea originally suggested I just was too worried about being really accurate. Thank you for all your help benzy

[[Be...]]

I dont think you have to worry a lot about being real accurate...just guestimate, and try not to cut more than you have to at a time....

[[ve...]]

You guys have great information. Yes I am dependant but I figured since it was only a month Im trying the rapid. Especially with the infor youve provided I have a route to do that.

[[ve...]]

.75 is where im staying this week lot less painful. I think I can handle the .25 drop just light headache but earlier before I t9ok the .25 was toooo much

[[ve...]]

But as always im always open to youre guys' input i just dont know.

[[Be...]]

you might very well be perfectly OK with a more rapid taper Vega...

 

I would still try to do the smaller cuts though, just to be safe..

 

you can always slow down if you start experiencing problems that you dont wanna have to deal with..

[[ve...]]

Ill remeber that thanks for the support benzy. Before  I found this site and you guys I was afraid. No I just get alil worried every now and then. I think .75 will be ok but when I get lower ill probably split the .25

[[Ma...]]

Just to let y'all know, Benzy's been put on a temporary break....... :'( :'( :'(

[[...]]

And I can add that I think it was completely unwarranted. He was the one being verbally attacked. Continually. IMHO

 

Oh, and I'm being watched. I have a cute green triangle under my avatar which says 'watched'. It is a new feature. I am the only one who can see it.

 

Xana

[[Ch...]]

I saw this reference to 'burning mouth' and it jarred a memory from more than ten years ago.  My mom (who took Temazapam for sleep and had for years) and I both were having burning mouth issues.  Her dentist formulated some liquid compound for her to swish and spit out.  She gave some to me and we both agreed it was barely a minor help.  I wonder if the burning mouth came from the benzos?  I don't have it anymore and she is gone now.

 

Challis

 

P.S.  Hi Xana and welcome back…  missed you. 

 

Thanks Challis.

 

A different dentist from my usual (awful) one suggested trying one of the new 'moisturising' mouthwashes (Biotene). I bought some. You can use it 5 times per day. Hasn't been successful. He said it might not work. This guy was suggesting removing my amalgam fillings etc - he had all sorts of (expensive) plans for me.

 

How long did your BMS last? From what I've read it seems some people get relief after 2 years, some 7 and some never. I've had it for about 2 years. I just thought it was from Valium withdrawal. Maybe that was a coincidence. Who knows.

 

Did yours go away while you were taking benzos or when you quit? It would be enough to make me try quitting again just to get rid of it.

 

Thank you for the welcome back. I'm glad you missed me. 

 

Xana

 

I can't remember how long it lasted, but I know it was at least a couple of years.  I don't know when it stopped, I forgot about it until I saw your post.  I haven't had it for at least a couple of years now, so maybe it was tolerance related.  My mother's could also have been tolerance related as she didn't up her Temazepam dosage after a certain level.

 

[[Ma...]]

And I can add that I think it was completely unwarranted. He was the one being verbally attacked. Continually. IMHO

 

Oh, and I'm being watched. I have a cute green triangle under my avatar which says 'watched'. It is a new feature. I am the only one who can see it.

 

Xana

 

Sorry, Benzy wasn't on a break.  He just has the Green Triangle as well.  That's all I want to say about it, but just wanted to correct the misinformation I gave.

[[mr...]]

Ever watch "Friends"?

 

Ross & Rachel's "on a break"?

 

That's what comes to mind LOL every time I hear the phrase "on a break" :laugh:

 

How's my xanax buddies doing today?  It's quite quiet on a Sunday afternoon here!

 

(...okay, who else got a little tripped up in reading "quite quiet" above?!  Oops )

[[Mo...]]

Monique:

Hey Xana, I have burning mouth syndrome also.  I have seen a oral pain specialist that keeps up with all the latest research and has written some papers on it.  It is a very confusing thing to deal with.  Mine started with my anxiety and panic attacks.  Has your GP tested you for everything that could cause it.  Defieciency in certain vitamins, etc.  If not I would try that first.  I know some people that was deficient in B 12 and started taking it and it went completely away.  There is aso BMS facebook site that has a lot of good info on it if you haven't seen it yet.  Take Care

 

I have been tested for B12 and my levels were fine. So what does your oral pain specialist suggest you do about this horrible complaint?

 

I made the mistake last week of saying it gets worse when I get worked up about something. My GP said, 'Yes, it can be caused by anxiety and depression.'  Once they put things in that basket you are doomed! I have had plenty of anxiety and depression for years and years but never had this BMS with it. From what I've read, it is not known whether the anxiety/depression causes it or whether people get depressed from having it.

 

 

I tried saliva stimulant because of the dry mouth but I had horrible side effects.  I also did Klonopin swishes by taking 1 mg Klonapin and add a little water in mouth and swish around for 3 minutes and spit out.  This is suppose to calm down the nerves in your mouth without getting much of the drug into your body.  I didn't think it helped to much so I stopped it.  He said they use to think that one of the causes was anxiety and stress but they don't think that anymore. I know people that their burning went away when their stress got better.  If can be caused by vitamin deficiencies, hormonal issues, and also dental procedure causing damage to nerves.  It is when for whatever reason  the nerves in the mouth start misfiring.  I have read that Xanax can cause dry mouth and can cause the burning feeling so I am hoping that once I get off the xanax it settles down. 

 

 

 

[[...]]

Challis:

 

I can't remember how long it lasted, but I know it was at least a couple of years.  I don't know when it stopped, I forgot about it until I saw your post.  I haven't had it for at least a couple of years now, so maybe it was tolerance related.  My mother's could also have been tolerance related as she didn't up her Temazepam dosage after a certain level.

 

Thanks for that. I guess I will just have to hope mine just goes too.

 

Monique:

 

I tried saliva stimulant because of the dry mouth but I had horrible side effects.  I also did Klonopin swishes by taking 1 mg Klonapin and add a little water in mouth and swish around for 3 minutes and spit out.  This is suppose to calm down the nerves in your mouth without getting much of the drug into your body.  I didn't think it helped to much so I stopped it.  He said they use to think that one of the causes was anxiety and stress but they don't think that anymore. I know people that their burning went away when their stress got better.  If can be caused by vitamin deficiencies, hormonal issues, and also dental procedure causing damage to nerves.  It is when for whatever reason  the nerves in the mouth start misfiring.  I have read that Xanax can cause dry mouth and can cause the burning feeling so I am hoping that once I get off the xanax it settles down.

 

Thanks for that info. The Klonopin 'swishing' sounded good as you wouldn't be absorbing very much. My doc seems to think Klonopin is worse than Xanax so I don't know whether he would be inclined to support my trying this.

 

A friend at my Fibromyalgia support group suggested that it could be due to 'dry mouth' when I told her that gum chewing is the only thing that stops it in its tracks. The chewing stimulates saliva production. This sounds logical but I don't feel like my mouth is particularly dry. I drink lots of water. A time when it was REALLY dry was when I had sleep apnoea before I used a CPAP machine. I would wake in the morning with a tongue that felt like a slab of dry leather and breath that would knock over a horse. Strangely enough, I had no BMS then and was taking more Xanax than I do now!

 

I sometimes think it could be related to the Fibro as that is neuropathic pain too. I don't suppose you have that do you? Does chewing gum help? You can't do it all day though because your jaws get tired out! 

[[Mo...]]

 

 

 

 

I sometimes think it could be related to the Fibro as that is neuropathic pain too. I don't suppose you have that do you? Does chewing gum help? You can't do it all day though because your jaws get tired out! 

 

No I don't have Fibro.  Chewing gum does help sometimes however for me it seems to make it worse after stopping so I try to stay away from it.  One thing that does help is a few drops of tabasco sauce in a little water.  Swish it around your mouth and spit out.  It burns for about 5 minutes and than no burn for a few hours.  Tobasco depletes the substance P in your mouth and these are the receptors for pain.  Do you get it everyday? 

[[...]]

No I don't have Fibro.  Chewing gum does help sometimes however for me it seems to make it worse after stopping so I try to stay away from it.  One thing that does help is a few drops of tabasco sauce in a little water.  Swish it around your mouth and spit out.  It burns for about 5 minutes and than no burn for a few hours.  Tobasco depletes the substance P in your mouth and these are the receptors for pain.  Do you get it everyday?

 

Yes I do get it every day. Low level in the morning but it ramps up through the day, getting worse and worse. What about you?

 

I will be buying some tabasco sauce to try that. A few hours respite would be good - especially in the evening when I am sometimes driven to taking fairly potent painkillers which only help a little bit.

 

Thanks for the hint! 

[[Mo...]]

Officially forced to jump off at 4mg. Made the mistake asking my doctor for help getting off of xanax a couple weeks ago and she replaced my script with 5mgx60 valium.

 

This will be an interesting month.

[[mr...]]

Officially forced to jump off at 4mg. Made the mistake asking my doctor for help getting off of xanax a couple weeks ago and she replaced my script with 5mgx60 valium.

 

This will be an interesting month.

 

ANY way you can fight this? Or find a different doctor? Not trying to scare of course, but this could potentially be very ouchie.

 

Do what you believe is best for you, of course   This would just be unacceptable for me, personally Hope you can figure out something else to do! We're here to support, whatever your outcome!

 

Mrs.

[[ba...]]

Officially forced to jump off at 4mg. Made the mistake asking my doctor for help getting off of xanax a couple weeks ago and she replaced my script with 5mgx60 valium.

 

This will be an interesting month.

 

I agree with Mrs.  Find a new doc ASAP.  With your history, you are potentially at risk of life threatening seizures.  While you may be one of the so called "lucky ones", why take the chance?  In my opinion, you need to educate yourself with no delay. 

 

I wish you the best,

 

 

 

[[Mo...]]

I've been a patient under pretty much every doctor at this medical center , they are pretty tight knit so I would need to go to a psychiatrist to get another prescription. Even then, I'm not sure what dose they can start me on.

 

I'm apathetic towards the whole situation, I don't know whether that is just me or the withdrawal.

[[Ma...]]

I've been a patient under pretty much every doctor at this medical center , they are pretty tight knit so I would need to go to a psychiatrist to get another prescription. Even then, I'm not sure what dose they can start me on.

 

I'm apathetic towards the whole situation, I don't know whether that is just me or the withdrawal.

 

I believe that apathy is a symptom of withdrawal.  I feel that we experience unusual apathy in the face of serious life situations; it's a detachment of sorts and not really "us".  It's an effect of the drug.

[[VC...]]

Officially forced to jump off at 4mg. Made the mistake asking my doctor for help getting off of xanax a couple weeks ago and she replaced my script with 5mgx60 valium.

 

This will be an interesting month.

 

Hi MoveForward, you really deserve better treatment than this, and suffering due to one doctor's ignorance is just not right. If you  have to go to the psychiatrist to get what you need for stability and future tapering, please do so. Surely he/she would not force a cold turkey. Just want you to be well...