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

[[Ra...]]

hi rabbit just helping my spouse put away the groceries and saw your message. i was taking between .075 to 1mg and im taking .05 right now. have considered reinstating but not sure pdc will go for it. he really seemed to think i could do that cut. but not really knowing how much to ask for i just agreed. it was my idea to quit.

 

Hi Bob, I think you mean to say you were taking between .75 and now you're taking .50mg.  Not to be disrespectful to your pdoc, but most of them have no idea about how bad w/d can be and how long a proper taper takes.  My GP thought I could come off of 3mg of Xanax in 2 to 3 months.  I politely told him he was insane and told him I expect it to take a minimum of 2 years.  I need to be functional so I can work. 

 

I would think a reasonable taper for 1mg of Xanax would take about 8 months.  That's just a guess, but you've been taking it for a while, so your body is definitely dependent.  Just my humble opinion, but I think you should rethink your taper schedule and get a new doc if that's what it takes.  YOU need to be in control of your taper rate, not your Pdoc. You need to taper at a rate your brain and body will accept, not an arbitrary rate selected by your Pdoc.  With all due respect, it's you having to suffer, not your doc.  I pointed this out to my GP and he is happy to let me taper at my own rate.  He admitted he hadn't had many patients taper off from Xanax, so he's just happy I'm going down and headed in the right direction.

 

Please reconsider your taper rate and seek a new doc if necessary.  You are at the beginning of your taper so it's important to get it right the first time so as to avoid any unnecessary w/d pain.

 

Warm wishes,

 

Rabbit

[[Ra...]]

thank you for your reassurance Mrs Rabbit, i hope you enjoy your Easter with your loved ones  

i feel ok right now 50-51 hours ago since last 0.0625mg xanax dose i walked a mile on the treadmill 30 mins ago and wow i felt great ! im having some chamomile tea soon and its beddy byes!

 

Sounds good Baby, enjoy your tea.  I had some today as well.  I'm praying your jump goes well and continued healing.

 

Hugs,

 

Rabbit

[[la...]]

Hi Lacey,

 

That is really good news to heart!  Glad you are enjoying yourself.  Please do keep us posted.  I'll be following your posts closely.

 

Hugs,

 

Rabbit

 

Thanks very much Rabbit, I'll be following your posts as well.  Best of luck!!

[[Ra...]]

Hi Lacey,

 

That is really good news to heart!  Glad you are enjoying yourself.  Please do keep us posted.  I'll be following your posts closely.

 

Hugs,

 

Rabbit

 

LOL, you'll be following them for a long time then    Thanks Lacey!

 

Thanks very much Rabbit, I'll be following your posts as well.  Best of luck!!

[[la...]]

Hi lacey im glad to hear that your enjoyin your benzo free life on vacation!!

are you still feeling any withdrawals after 10 days ? i havnt had any of a 0.0625mg in 2 days i actually feel ok now i just feel slightly tired since i been activating alot

 

I'm still having some withdrawal side effects, but atleast not enough to stop me going on vacation. 

 

I'de say fatigue is probably my biggest one.  Additionally, (and I don't know if this is withdrawal or just "me") I don't always feel comfortable talking in front of a group of strangers all that much.  However, the reason I was put on Xanax in the first place was social anxiety.  I mean, I don't have anxiety sitting at the poker table with 10 strangers, and making a little small talk here and there, or any with friends.  But, I'm not exactly 'outgoing' currently where I'de be joking around loudly or anything with strangers.  When I was on Xanax (until it turned on me) I didn't have any of that anxiety and was the life of the party in any social situation.  It isn't that bad though. 

[[sh...]]

Can anyone tell me how do you all come up with the taper weight so precise ? i tried breaking a .5 in half witch is easy but then tried to break half of a half and it just crumbled with a razor blade in anticipation of my next taper. also, I have no idea of the exact amount when just breaking halves an half in half. is there lower doses ? Cant seem to sleep again !

[[sh...]]

I didnt mean taper "weight" I meant doses. Thanks

[[Ra...]]

Hi Bob,

 

Xanax comes in .25mg pills making them ideal to taper with.  Right now, my doc gives me 1mg and .25mg pills.  It takes some practice to get used to cutting pills.  Make sure you are cutting on a very hard surface like tile or glass.

 

It is hard to get the cuts perfect so when folks say they are tapering .0625mg every 14 days, it's close, but not perfect cuts every time, so one time the cut might be .06 and the next it might actually be .068.  Very hard to get really precise.  Etown uses a filing method and a scale to weigh his doses, and he gets pretty accurate measurements that way.

 

I can point you to his method if you are interested.

 

Best wishes,

 

Rabbit

[[ba...]]

hi Lacey i hope your social anxiety is ok when your on vacation, the reason why i was put on xanax was i used to binge drink often 2-3 times a week a bad hangover from one of them gave me a seizure i felt bad for a month after that i fianlly saw a dr i told him i never want to taake dilantin again so he gave me xanax for the seizure it helped me with alcohol withdrawals i had too

[[sh...]]

Hi rabbit, couldn't sleep much popped awake about an hour ago and well you know how it is. yes I would like to know his method. seems like a scale wouldn't be a bad idea. hmmm might get one. thanks again. hope your night was restful and tomorrow is bright for you, Bob

[[Ju...]]

Hi shakeybob.  I agree with the other posters that your doctor has you on a fast taper.  I tapered 3mgs of Xanax by dry cutting, without a scale.  This took me 9-months.  Taper rates vary greatly from person to person due to each of our bodies being different in how we react to the dose reductions.  We taper by listening to our bodies, not by a preset schedule.

 

From 1mg to zero, I tapered all the way to zero by cutting .0625mg chunks of pill. A link to my detailed taper schedule is in my signature if you'd like to take a look.

 

The biggest thing that helped with my taper was having my doctor prescribe the .25mg Xanax tablets.  By simply quartering them with a pill cutter I bought at the drugstore, I was able to drop 1/4 of a .25mg per taper period.

 

This is how I listened to my body to cut down from 1mg to zero.

 

1.  I reduced my dose by only .0625mg

 

2.  I waited to feel the increased symptoms from the dose reduction, (usually felt this hit on day 4 or 5, some buddies feel this quicker and some feel this later)

 

3.  I waited until the increased symptoms from the cut settled back down, (this generally took 1-3 days but it could take longer depending upon the person)

 

4.  After I felt the all clear that my symptoms had settled back down, I cut again and repeated this process until I was free. 

 

I made 32-cuts to get free of 3mg of Xanax and I'm doing very well post taper.

 

I worked during my taper, but I telecommute from home.  Had I needed to be somewhere outside of my home for work, I would have had to taper much more slowly.

 

I saw a post that you made where you said that you worked.  I believe it's very important that you avoid a rapid taper because the symptoms that may emerge from doing so could throw a monkey wrench in your ability to earn a living.

 

I will post a link to the pill cutter I used in a few minutes.  Good luck Bob.

[[Ju...]]

For shakybob:  Here is a link to the pill cutter I used to get free.

 

[nobbc]http://www.walgreens.com/store/c/walgreens-cut-n'-crush-pill-crusher/splitter/ID=prod6210355-product[/nobbc]

 

Just copy and paste the link into your browser to see the product.

 

I've learned from several buddies, that all pill cutters are not created equal.  They complain of really uneven cuts, pieces of pill flying out of their cutters, the cutters breaking and etc.  I did not have these problems with this particular pill cutter. 

 

I broke the .25mg oval shaped Xanax in half at the score line with my fingers.  Then I cut the half in half with the pill cutter by placing the tip of the oval Xanax into the V of the pill cutter.  When cutting the pill, I SNAPPED the lid of the cutter very crispy.  The first few cuts I got a bit of powder and some crumbles.  But when I started snapping very crisply, my cuts were pretty even.

 

Some buddies taper even smaller chunks than .0625mg.  When dry cutting without a scale, to achieve this cut, they simply cut the .0625mg chunk in half. 

 

Welcome to the board Bob and good luck.  You can do this!

[[sh...]]

Thanks Again Juliea. I'm going to get one.. awesome looking out  Bob

[[VC...]]

Yeah, Juliea & Bob, my 2nd pill cutter was the charm! Sharper blade, held the pills in place better. Overall, it cuts so much better. 

[[sh...]]

hey V, I am going to get a pill cutter. thank you for the reply. I looked at your sig and it looks like you are indeed one who has put your mind towards being free. awesome job and keep it up we all can do it. Its going to take me some time but I do have a wonderful spouse and is behind me with encouraging support every single day. It makes me calm when I talk to her. This is something that will be far greater than I first expected and will take a strategy far more complexed than I originally thought. But who ever reads this IT is doable just like many buddies say, listen to your body but don't lose the LIGHT. keep it up !!!!! I have cut my dose from 1.5mgs to .5mgs in 3 weeks and don't recommend it. remember to have your strategy in place. If you have a great support at home and feel like tackling a larger cut then it may work. It is my own opinion that buddies should go very slow and listen to your body. Most of us didn't get in our own situations over night and shouldn't expect it to end overnight.. To all be steady,strong and just keep taking a step at a time. We will all reach the goal whenever we get there. And WE all will get there. Bob

[[sh...]]

One additional comment so any one who is thinking about a large cut. I talked it over with my wife and have come to the decision that my cuts were far to great. My insides are shaking with blurred vision, sleep problems, tinninitus, disconnection and slight depression. Why go through the extremes. They will probably still be there with a slower taper but much more manageable. I am up dosing back to a modest .75 and seeing if i stabilize at this higher dose so I can return to work and still earn a living while completing this journey. I still have to talk to my pmdc but if he doesnt agree i will find one who believes that i can do it just much slower. I dont want to return to 1.5 EVER. I was happy on .75 and didnt even know it. I should follow my body and when its ready make another jump. In this additional post I didnt want anyone to get me wrong HIGH cuts were not the right decision for me. talk to a pmdc that will help you in a way that encourages you to continue to decrease but in your bodies time frame, not what is says in some book. Best of luck to all. Bob

[[Ju...]]

Bob, you have a wonderful attitude!!  And you've got that right --- a book will never tell us a perfect reduction schedule for our individual circumstances because our bodies are all so different.  Books are only guides.  Even Professor Ashton who wrote The Ashton Manual stressed that her manual is only a guide, a reference if you will.  The very best reference in this journey is our body.  I'm so happy to hear that you've decided to re-stabilize on .75mg.  I believe this shows you to be a very wise person with great instincts about this process.  Good luck to you in your endeavor to become Xanax free.  Yes, this is definitely doable. 

[[ba...]]

this is the pill cutter i have you can see the razor on top part thats open it works okay it just takes a lil practice using to get accurate cuts

i use it mostly on the melatonin pills i have next to it

http://i845.photobucket.com/albums/ab13/nanananabooobooo/SSPX02541splitter_zps6e9a799d.jpg

[[sh...]]

Thank you for the kind words Juliea, though i'm really trying to be positive it is proving to be extremely hard. and Angel thank you for the pic of the pill cutter. My wife went out and bought me one after the posts. looks like yours. havent tried it yet but i have one. My hands keep shaking a sign that I really don't want to be noticed at work. If just that would stop I might be ok next week. One way or another Im going back to work next week, been of trying to get my pill popping under control. fixed one and will work on this one now. even though this one [zanex] is more widely accepted than pain meds on the job, so im ok with the longer taper and doing my job. How long should it take to really stabilize ? i have a few more days before I'm on the job. so its the big question in my head. I really think I can fake it if my dam hands dont stop shaking. up-dosed last night and will be doing same today. Cant help but think that only 3 weeks ago I was on 1.5mgs and really not sure im not in some weird rebound wds. will my body accept .75? I did feel pretty good on that dose but i have went a week now on .50 and will it remember that .75 is good ? dont want my mind to try and trick me into thinking if more is good then more is better. good question I think if after 3 weeks of being so far below 1.5mg will it accept the new .75.  I know no one is a doctor just thinking out loud. maybe someone else is feeling the same..Stay strong everyone.. One pebble at a time..

[[ba...]]

my benzo quitting was unsuccessfull i smoked too much ciggarrettes today my mom sent me on alot of errands i usually tend to smoke more when im driving so i smoked more than usual it gets me a bit anxious when i smoke so then i started feeling worse a Lil after i put that picture i had to take a tiny piece i cut, that didnt cut it so i took another that was around .125 , im dissapointed

 

[[Al...]]

Hello everyone. I just wanted to pop in for a min and say hello and Happy Easter to everyone. I'm doing very well and down to 3/4 of a .25 mg pill.  i'm doing a very slow and micro taper but its going great. very little if any sxs or w/d's. Life is pretty good and I stay very business with a small cleaning business I started about 3 months ago, and ebay keeps me busy a lot and helping mom all the time and everyone else  lol.. not much time left for me but thats a good thing.  being busy has been my best friend...I hope your all doing well and healing and moving forward in your lives. Your all always in my thoughts and prayers. I wish you all the best and hope you and yours are are well. Healing Hugs  deb 

[[je...]]

Lacey, Your taper looked just like mine. Glad you are doing well! That gives me hope!

[[No...]]

 

    Happy Easter to All ~

 

    Be strong, Have courage and LOVE LIFE.

 

    Notforme

[[ba...]]

hi Almostfreeisme, i wish you the best success in your cleaning buisness i used to work as a cleaner first i worked with a crew cleaning a big tall building in the evening 530pm-- 1030pm then after that i worked for another cleaning company to clean a bank by myself from 11pm-3am i set my own hours on the 2nd job since i had the key to get in

i enjoyed those jobs except i was a lil scared at the 2nd one being so late at night and being at the BAD part of town anyways i wish you the best in being successfull quiting the benzo you take happy easter

[[Tr...]]

I wanted to pop in and wish everyone a happy Easter! Today also happens to be my six month benzo free celebration. It's hard to believe I was a slave for over a decade and I've been free for six months. Some days it seems like a miracle. Yea!!!

 

Welcome to our little slice of the board Bob. I'm glad you're here! I have little to support my beliefs on, but if all things are equal, I think men have a slightly easier time of tapering than women. I also feel larger cuts, like the ones you've taken are better, tolerated at the top of your taper. The shorter your time taking Xanax, the easier your taper and jump. Again, just my beliefs.

 

I see you C/T from Norco. If you check my signature line, you'll see I had a Lortab taper.  Same, same. I can tell you I feel better today and have less pain than at anytime in the last ten years. It's wonderful and I know you'll be amazed at how great you feel. Hang in there!

 

I hope everyone is doing and feeling great today.