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

[[Ra...]]

Mrs., what a wonderful post and good news to hear.  I will be watching with the utmost interest.  I agree about husbands.  Mine too is very supportive and I couldn't do this without him.  Enjoy every blessed moment Mrs.  Please keep us posted and Happy Mother's Day to you!

 

Love,

 

Rabbit

[[VC...]]

Way to go, Mrs. 

 

Grinch, I hope things settle down for you soon. 

 

 

[[ba...]]

Did my last cut today! Down to .0625 daily! So far so good, wish me luck that this goes well and I will soon be FREE!

Wonderful. I hope you celebrated by doing something you love.

 

Blue

 

Hi BLuebell i want to congradulate you on your jump from xanax ! im currently taking 0.0625 mg a day cut from a .50mg pill , what size xanax pills did you have to cut 0.0625 mg in half ?  thanks for your help i dont think i can make the jump from 0.0625   its been fluctuating from 0.0625 - .125 once a day for around 7 or 8 months  , i hope your doing ok too bluebell now that you finished your taper off

[[lk...]]

HI gang.....Long time no see......Wanted to pop in here and tell you all that you are doing a fabulous job. Never give up. You can do this! I promise!

 

Lisa

[[Bl...]]

Did my last cut today! Down to .0625 daily! So far so good, wish me luck that this goes well and I will soon be FREE!

Wonderful. I hope you celebrated by doing something you love.

 

Blue

 

Hi BLuebell i want to congradulate you on your jump from xanax ! im currently taking 0.0625 mg a day cut from a .50mg pill , what size xanax pills did you have to cut 0.0625 mg in half ?  thanks for your help i dont think i can make the jump from 0.0625   its been fluctuating from 0.0625 - .125 once a day for around 7 or 8 months  , i hope your doing ok too bluebell now that you finished your taper off

I was able to cut a .25mg tablet into 1/8 th using a pill cutter from Walgreens. It may not have been exact, but it was good enough.

 

Blue

[[ba...]]

i dont feel so great right now i took a small dose of citalopram around 90 minutes ago approximatly 5mg cut from a 40mg pill my dr gave me some telling me that it can reduce my anxiety, i really dont have anxiety anymore i did 2 years ago i only feel slight anxiety if im in my car by myself and im kinda far from home has it helped anyone else quit xanax by taking a ssri drug similar to citalopram/celexa? i really want my life back being free from this horrible drug after 26 months

[[je...]]

Just wondering how anyones last cut went? I am down to mine and yesterday I felt awful and today, great. Weird.

[[Ju...]]

Just wondering how anyones last cut went? I am down to mine and yesterday I felt awful and today, great. Weird.

 

Jennlynn, I did fine with my last cut to zero.  I had some insomnia come back but that resolved around month three.  I hope you're doing well today.

 

 

 

 

Babyangel, I'd ask about the SSRI on other medications. 

[[Ch...]]

 

Did my last cut today! Down to .0625 daily! So far so good, wish me luck that this goes well and I will soon be FREE!

Wonderful. I hope you celebrated by doing something you love.

 

Blue

 

Hi BLuebell i want to congradulate you on your jump from xanax ! im currently taking 0.0625 mg a day cut from a .50mg pill , what size xanax pills did you have to cut 0.0625 mg in half ?  thanks for your help i dont think i can make the jump from 0.0625   its been fluctuating from 0.0625 - .125 once a day for around 7 or 8 months  , i hope your doing ok too bluebell now that you finished your taper off

 

I would try to get on a stable dose, preferably .0625, babyangel… after this amount of time tolerance is probably an issue.  I'd want to get this over with and move on with healing if it were me.

Challis 

[[Bl...]]

Just wondering how anyones last cut went? I am down to mine and yesterday I felt awful and today, great. Weird.

My last cut was no big deal, nor was jumping. I had no increase in symptoms. You will be okay jennylynn. Congratulations on being so close

 

Blue

[[je...]]

Thank you! I never would have gotten here without BB! I feel great today, normal. Which is good, almost like just be done with it! But I am at work, so not gonna push it!

[[ba...]]

i take only 0.0625mg of xanax a day yesterday i took approximatly 5mg of citalopram (celexa) i felt really good all day and didnt need my xanax dose until this morning around 9am and i  didnt need chamomilel or a long bath yesterday evening to relax me i dont want another drug being addicted to i dont know if i should take it again or just stick to xanax only i havnt taken any citalopram in around 2 months if i just take only 5mg of citalopram would i be addicted to that if i continue ?

 

thanks for any replys

[[je...]]

I have been doing great today. No muscle aches, no head aches, nothing. It feels so good!

[[VC...]]

i take only 0.0625mg of xanax a day yesterday i took approximatly 5mg of citalopram (celexa) i felt really good all day and didnt need my xanax dose until this morning around 9am and i  didnt need chamomilel or a long bath yesterday evening to relax me i dont want another drug being addicted to i dont know if i should take it again or just stick to xanax only i havnt taken any citalopram in around 2 months if i just take only 5mg of citalopram would i be addicted to that if i continue ?

 

thanks for any replys

 

Hi Babyangel,

 

The issue with antidepressants like Celexa is that over time, they alter our brain chemistry, which necessitates a careful taper later to avoid any harsh w/d. Some people find benefit in taking it; some don't. I wasn't one who could tolerate Celexa. If you still want to taper off the xanax, I'd look for underlying reasons for the anxiety you're experiencing and treat that. For instance, if an epsom salt bath and tea relaxes you, why would you stop something perfectly natural and safe to reach for medication?

 

Personally, I'm looking into more holistic practices/nutrition/gut healing to support my brain and body to lessen anxiety and insomnia issues. Nutrition is super important. Because once I'm free of the xanax, I'm not reaching for it ever again. Make sure you're not just medicating interdose w/d, Babyangel. I did that for years, not knowing any better.

 

Question: How long had you taken the Celexa before stopping it two months ago? The reason I ask is because coming off an A/D too quickly can certainly result in anxiety, too.

 

And lastly, it's important to remember that xanax is for short-term use only. The longer you play with it, the more chance of getting burned.

 

VC 

[[VC...]]

I have been doing great today. No muscle aches, no head aches, nothing. It feels so good!

 

yay, Jennlynn!

[[Ra...]]

Juliea and Blue, that is so reassuring to hear that you both didn't really experience anything awful when you jumped.  J - not that insomnia isn't anything short of awful, but I mean in terms of anxiety.  I've got a long way to go but I look forward to the day when I can be healed.

 

Thank you so much Juliea, Blue and Lisa for hanging around to help us 

 

Hugs VC 

 

Rabbit

[[th...]]

VCharis,

I agree with everything u said! Totally holistic from here on out! Never going to touch any of these meds again!! Makes me so mad!!!! 

[[ba...]]

hi  VCharis, i seen a psychiatrist dr that gave me celexa the past year or so i never really took it worried about its main side affect nausea kept me from messing with it i took a much higher dose of xanax in the past .25mg 3 times a day from 3/2012 until around august - november 2012 i been slowly reducing my meds i really take them just once a day for bad withdrawalas couild go away  thank you for your help and kindness Vcharis

 

[[VC...]]

VCharis,

I agree with everything u said! Totally holistic from here on out! Never going to touch any of these meds again!! Makes me so mad!!!! 

I hear you, Grinch! Thanks. I really have no choice since most meds I've tried in the past gave me horrible side affects or affected my heart. Then last year I discovered some of my root issues were never really helped by medications anyway. Meds are a blessing when they're truly needed and helpful, but in my case, they only made matters worse over time. Be well, dear Grinch. 

 

hi  VCharis, i seen a psychiatrist dr that gave me celexa the past year or so i never really took it worried about its main side affect nausea kept me from messing with it i took a much higher dose of xanax in the past .25mg 3 times a day from 3/2012 until around august - november 2012 i been slowly reducing my meds i really take them just once a day for bad withdrawalas couild go away  thank you for your help and kindness Vcharis

 

Yes, Babyangel, sounds like you've come down quite a bit on your Xanax - which is great. Bad withdrawals? From the xanax or something else? I'm so confused. So are you tapering the xanax or not? Let us know what you decide to do, sweetie.

 

 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

 

 

Hey Rabbit....sending you hugs, too, dear friend. Hope your taper is still going well.

 

VC

[[th...]]

VCharis,

I agree. I am an RN. And sadly this experience has tainted my way of thinking about the medical profession. I haven't been able to work bc of my ordeal/wd. I do think medicines have it's place, I just don't think benzos do unless it is for a one time dose to calm a person. Otherwise, I think it's poison and makes people sick... IMO 

[[ba...]]

yaa i been tapering xanax goign from .75mg a day to .50mg a day then .25mg a day then to .125mg a day the dose im taking now is just 0.0625 a day im going to stretch that out to every 36 hours now

[[th...]]

Babyangel,

Is there a reason you aren't jumping from x? There are people who have jumped at .0625 mg and been fine as it is a low dose. Just curious as to why you are holding onto this dose? Give it a couple weeks then jump off....please explain?? Not that you have to, I just was wondering why you aren't. 

[[ba...]]

hi people i want to thank you folks for your input on my meds umm i want to hold this dose a few weeks i need to just exercise vigorously like walk a mile in morning and another in evening i activate alot even though i cant work i washed my 2 cars earlier i went shopping i cook alot too for 8 people sometimesi im not sure if its a good or bad thing to try this 5mg celexa i took it 2 days ago i felt wonderfull maybe i can just get the same feeling of relief from vitamins such as magnesium omega3, one a day, b complex, b6 b112 i have all those in my medicine cabinet i need to drink more water too i was told i should drink half a gallon a day (approximaltly 1800ml )

 

i really need to give up excess sugar too i just ate 2 donuts and smoking both are stimulants are they?

 

i want to thank you folks again for your support 

[[ba...]]

the reason i dont jump is that the 3rd day of not taking xanax thats when you hit your peak of yucky withdrawals i dont know how long to expect this peek to last i could tolerate a day or 2 not feel that way weeks or months  

i take only 1 magnesium pill after breakfast do you recommend i take more than 1 ? if i use epsom salt in bathy do i rinse it off after ? i remembrer it leaves me sticky i like to take a hot 20 minute bath lay there in the evenings soemtimes

 

theres one thing that scared me with celexa until i asked a pharmacist about it im prone to having seizures i was worried celexa may trigger it , the pharmacist said it was not a risk before my benzo days i would have a minor seizure whe i was asleep 1-3 times a year

 

i took phenytoin 11 months the dr told me to cold turkey it in oct 2005 i was little back then i was ok until the evening around 6pm it hit me hard the withdrawals i went to bed by some miracle when i worke up the next morning everything was fine

 

what i meant be activating i meant that i like to go outside do yard work or wash my cars once a week i activate some more in the evenings washing dishes by hand for an hour like twice a week then i cook alot for my parents and brothers i clean sometimes , then i use my treadmill i used it earleir for a mile

[[Sy...]]

hey guys/gals

An update...Well I have been able to cut back quite a bit in a fairly short amount of time. I'm not sure if it's gonna bite me in the butt w protracted wd, but I set my mind and time to put any s/x as far as i can from my healing. At first it was me being out of it and thinking I was cutting .25 but my head was still a bit scrambled and a quarter xany bar was .5 not .25. Yea silly mistake to make, but call it mind over matter I hardly felt any extra stress or messed up thoughts. I stoped being  so obsessed with my daily dose that the only time I think about it is for me when ID wd starts with the ringin in my ears. I would like to think with as many other wd's I have been through this is just a WAY longer, and much more mental/physical thing. I was terrified at first, but now that i am semi aware of what to expect (or not) I am pushing on. For now diet has helped make so much diffrence I can' even express how much better it makes things (For me). The only horrific thing was two days ago I had a root canal! My jaw would not stop quivering and my face was twitching. Trying to explain why to the entodontest was useless, and I thought for sure I was about to seize right in the chair. I focused on the picture on the roof of a forest, and started my panic breathing techniques and roughed it out amazingly! Then they wanted to give me a new antibiotic, but after hearing about how some new antibiotics mess with benzos asked for penicillin, and NO pain killers. As if this wasnt hard enough. But I am dealing. Ok soo I am stoped at 5mg x and am going to hold till I get the crown on the tooth. Im actually doing ok. I could go on about how mornings suck the worst, and I have to constantly keep busy with low energy tasks at home to stay out of my head, but i guess i just sorta did hu. As i get lower I really don't know what to expect, but today it's still tolerable. Thanks to the people that have helped out on here. Gonna keep dry cutting and holding if it gets rough. Hope you are all feeling semi ok

 

Can any one that was on a high dose let me know about when it got really rough for them? ie 3mg or the last 1mg?

 

I know slower is better, and i wouldn't recommend the speed i'm going! Everyone is diffrent, and it gets tougher the lower the dose. I have set 6 months aside to taper, and pray for little to no withdrawal after I jump.