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

[[mr...]]

Hi Marley,

 

The speed of the taper is very individual to everyone. About the only comment I'd make is to be sure you don't go so slow that you enter back into tolerance withdrawal. I don't know when that would happen for you; for me, if I held for an extended period of time, I would re-reach tolerance again somewhere between 3-6 weeks. I could tell I'd hit tolerance because I had a somewhat different set of symptoms in tolerance than I did from tapering. Everyone is different, of course This may or may not be you

 

Congratulations on reaching 0.75mg! That is quite an achievement Take care and feel free to hollar back if you have any other questions

 

Mrs.

[[th...]]

So I am gonna hold where I am till after July 4th. I have a lot of things i d like to attend if I can and need to see if some of these syx will lift. Especially gi syx. Or at least not get hit with additional ones from a cut. It's killing me to hold so hopefully things won't get worse, bc that would really suck! Then I ll do another .25mg drop down to 2.50mg. After that I ll have to go to .125 mg to be under 10%. Gonna try those cuts if they work for me till I get to where I am above 10% again than switch to .0625 mg cuts weekly or every 10-14 days depending on syx.

[[No...]]

JACD

        Here's my opinion only.

    Keep the three doses steady. As you taper, cutting each dose equally.

    When all 3 are the same mg of Xanax ie . 0625. Then start cutting out

    a dose till done.

        Nfm

         

       

     

[[No...]]

I'm so damn irritable...God this is awful

           

  Keep steady, Jerry.

[[mr...]]

I'm so damn irritable...God this is awful

 

You're doing great Jer

 

I've found magnesium glycinate helpful for anxiety and irritability/restlessness. Not everyone does, of course, but it might be something Nothing's for everyone, of course You decide what is best for you

 

Has dosing every two hours helped even things out for you? I am hopeful you're feeling much better soon Glad to have you on this forum, Jer You take care,

 

Mrs.

[[Je...]]

What have you got for jumping out of yer skin?  Appreciate the encouragement.

 

I'm so damn irritable...God this is awful

 

You're doing great Jer

 

I've found magnesium glycinate helpful for anxiety and irritability/restlessness. Not everyone does, of course, but it might be something Nothing's for everyone, of course You decide what is best for you

 

Has dosing every two hours helped even things out for you? I am hopeful you're feeling much better soon Glad to have you on this forum, Jer You take care,

 

Mrs.

[[mr...]]

The mag helps me with that, too, lol It has been very helpful all-around for me, honestly

 

You're a hoot Take care and sleep well tonight, friend

 

Mrs.

[[VC...]]

The mag helps me with that, too, lol It has been very helpful all-around for me, honestly

 

So, Mrs, how's that higher dose of magnesium working out for you?

 

V 

[[mr...]]

For me, its quite helpful. Thanks to your insights, I have been making sure to get my electrolytes in abundance (sodium via sea salt, and potassium) Since I drink a LOT of water, I've actually started making my own natural "Gatorade" so to speak, if you wanna call it that I mix some coconut water (for the potassium) with a little bit of salt (for the sodium) and then the rest is water The flavor isn't grand, LOL, but I don't care -- I just want to do what is good for my body But yes, the magnesium glycinate has been so helpful Thanks for asking! I'm so glad to hear of your window recently! Well deserved

 

Thank you for checking in with me We are healing very quickly and very well! Take care buddy,

 

Mrs.

[[VC...]]

For me, its quite helpful. Thanks to your insights, I have been making sure to get my electrolytes in abundance (sodium via sea salt, and potassium) Since I drink a LOT of water, I've actually started making my own natural "Gatorade" so to speak, if you wanna call it that I mix some coconut water (for the potassium) with a little bit of salt (for the sodium) and then the rest is water The flavor isn't grand, LOL, but I don't care -- I just want to do what is good for my body But yes, the magnesium glycinate has been so helpful Thanks for asking! I'm so glad to hear of your window recently! Well deserved

 

Thank you for checking in with me We are healing very quickly and very well! Take care buddy,

 

I just wondered if the magnesium glycinate had helped reduced your anxiety at all. Thought it might be helpful to share for the benefit of others whatever ways you've noticed it's helped your SXs since you've been taking it awhile. I'm mainly taking it to correct a deficiency.

 

Thank you! Yes, I enjoyed a nice open window yesterday and got lots done, but not today. (I tend to overdo it on my good days). I don't see healing as happening very quickly at all, Mrs., but steadily as we plug away.

 

Hope your day goes well!

 

V.

[[mr...]]

Well VC, I remember a time not too long ago where you were uncertain if you'd ever stabilize, let alone be able to taper, let alone be able to have such a window as yesterday! I'd say that's pretty good healing, wouldn't you? Overcoming withdrawal fears is not easy, but it is definitely doable, every step of the way We can do this, and we are doing this -- hooray! Take care buddies,

 

Mrs.

[[Je...]]

I just cannot do this.  I wake up at 4AM...tired anxious...feel like I'm loosing my mind.

I've got this feeling that I am bipolar or something and going off Xanax isn't possible for me.

It's just too painful.

[[mr...]]

Jerry, what you're going through is completely normal. I believe you CAN do this; you CAN get benzo-free, and you WILL heal back to healthy and awesomely normal. It is just a tough journey is all. Would you be able to dose throughout the night? I'm not saying you dose every two hours, lol, but perhaps in four hour segments overnight would help.

 

If Xanax is causing too many "ups and downs", a crossover to a longer acting benzodiazepine may prove of value to you and even things out.

 

Either method you choose, I believe in you, Jerry, and your ability to see this through to benzo-freedom and healed We CAN do this, together I believe it

 

Take care buddy,

 

Mrs.

[[VC...]]

Well VC, I remember a time not too long ago where you were uncertain if you'd ever stabilize, let alone be able to taper, let alone be able to have such a window as yesterday! I'd say that's pretty good healing, wouldn't you? Overcoming withdrawal fears is not easy, but it is definitely doable, every step of the way We can do this, and we are doing this -- hooray! Take care buddies,

 

Absolutely, that's healing; it's not been quick, though. And you forgot my question, but that's okay.

 

Honestly, for the record (since you mentioned it), I never did stabilize all that much, Mrs. since the dysregulation is still with me. But it's better if I avoid stress and can sleep at least 6 hrs. Even during "windows" I'm not without symptoms. I call it a "window" if I can sleep, function, operate machinery (like a car)

 

V 

 

[[mr...]]

My apologies, you had asked about what the magnesium glycinate has helped with For me, it has helped with reducibg the following: anxiety, panic attacks, akaesthia(sp?), depression, tachycardia, internal tremors, internal vibrations, muscle twitches/ticks. That's all I can think of at the moment It has been a great all-around helper for me personally I am hesitant to list all these things because I don't want people to just go off of my results of course Everything works different for everyone, so I'd never recommend someone try something unless they want to or feel like it could benefit them

 

Hope that helps Take care,

 

Mrs.

[[Je...]]

 

Any cut or decreased dosage makes me feel like I am loosing my mind.  I get this when cutting and

interdose.  This can't be normal withdrawals (Juliea is an example of what should be expected)

You cut, you stabilize, you cut again...I lose my very will to live when I cut.  Is that normal?

 

Maybe you are right and a long lasting Benzo would help.  Xanax has me stymied.

 

Jerry, what you're going through is completely normal. I believe you CAN do this; you CAN get benzo-free, and you WILL heal back to healthy and awesomely normal. It is just a tough journey is all. Would you be able to dose throughout the night? I'm not saying you dose every two hours, lol, but perhaps in four hour segments overnight would help.

 

If Xanax is causing too many "ups and downs", a crossover to a longer acting benzodiazepine may prove of value to you and even things out.

 

Either method you choose, I believe in you, Jerry, and your ability to see this through to benzo-freedom and healed We CAN do this, together I believe it

 

Take care buddy,

 

Mrs.

[[mr...]]

Hi JerryK,

 

I think that there is no "normal" when it comes to withdraw along, lol -- it is only figuring out what works well for you, and then repeating it. Which, I might add, can take a good amount of time to figure out, and it can change along your journey of becoming med-free I know for me it has, many times! But eventually, those changes will become positive ones and then before you know it, we are free and healed Hooray!

 

You have only moved to dosing every two hours for a short time. The body can react to dosing time changes just like it would a cut (mine did), so it may serve you well to just hold here for a while and reevaluate after a week or two. You are right in the middle of a "cut" according to your body, lol, so it may just need some time to adjust before stabilizing

 

Hang tight today, Jer You're doing great, buddy Take care, we are here for eachother for the challenging days

 

Mrs.

 

(Oh, and PS: we are healing, every day in every way!)

[[Ju...]]

Jerry, I was never much for airing my troubles related to withdrawal on the board.  Did I feel like I was losing my mind at different points during my taper?  Yes, I certainly did.  It was the toughest thing I ever did in my life.  Also, when I say I stabilized, I did not mean that no withdrawal symptoms were present.  What I meant was there was a very distinct uptick in symptoms that I could feel, usually on the 4 or 5th day after I cut.  Then, within 1-3 days the increased symptoms settled back down to their usual level again. 

 

I felt like death warmed over for most of my taper until I got to just below .50mg.  But this is the deal.  I was accustomed to feeling like death warmed over long before I started my taper.  Xanax had wreaked havoc on my body for a long time and I'd suffered for many years, not knowing my problem was due to my yo yo'ing Xanax dose, (going from 3mg to 6mg, back down to 3mg, back up to 6mg and back and forth and up and down).  My symptoms were mostly physical and I'd long since given up trying to make plans to go out and do things.  I had to catch my good days in order to go out and do stuff I enjoyed, because I never knew how I was going to feel.  This caused me a great deal of isolation.

 

When I realized that Xanax might have contributed to the shape I was in, in all honesty, this was my last hope of ever having a life again.  I was determined to see my taper through to let the chips fall where they may and give myself one last ditched chance at a life.  I was at the end of my rope.

 

When I make up my mind to do something, I can do it and I made a firm decision to taper all the way off.  If my decision had been less than firm, I'm not sure I could have completed the taper.  For me, it was a survival mechanism that kicked in and I knew I had to at least ditch the Xanax and see what a future was like benzo free.

 

Is my life peachy keen and all butterflies kisses now?  No.  Is my life 100% better since I've come off of the drug --- yes, 100% better, but still far from 100% perfect.

 

I no longer suffer the debilitating body pain that had plagued me for years.  I can make plans months in advance and know I've got just as good a shot of anyone else to feel well on the day of the event or vacation.

 

The only way that you're going to see what kind of life lays ahead of you benzo free, is to safely get yourself tapered off and then wait for your body to adapt to living without a daily dose of a benzo.

 

I hope you can find it within yourself to continue.  I'm thinking of you (((Jerry))) and sending you strength. 

 

Juliea 

[[Je...]]

Feeling a bit better now.  :-[sorry for venting.  It's so hard to feel like u are going crazy all the time as u well know.  I'm thinking I shouldn't have cut out .21mg all at once...  By the fourth day after that I was feeling pretty wired..  Also I let the good doc convince me to up my Lexapro (which I've taken forever) and It's pretty stimulating as well.  Docs just don't get it.  Here you have your brakes in questionable shape and they go and speed u up.

 

Again...sorry guys

[[mr...]]

Feeling a bit better now.  :-[sorry for venting.  It's so hard to feel like u are going crazy all the time as u well know.  I'm thinking I shouldn't have cut out .21mg all at once...  By the fourth day after that I was feeling pretty wired..  Also I let the good doc convince me to up my Lexapro (which I've taken forever) and It's pretty stimulating as well.  Docs just don't get it.  Here you have your brakes in questionable shape and they go and speed u up.

 

Again...sorry guys

 

 

Mrs.

[[Je...]]

I'm going to guess it will not be possible for me to taper directly from Xanax.  It is too short acting..

 

[[No...]]

 

  Jerry,

 

  When I first started my AD, Zoloft I had a huge up swing in my symptoms, really wired for a while, plus the sxs from

  Xanax.

 

  There is not a person on this board who does not suffer from Withdrawal off the benzo. Some more some less. Its all individual

  We all have our limits. I was like Juliea, I hardly ever wrote of my sxs except  for my log.

 

  It is a commitment to get off of Benzo's. There is NO EASY WAY, even with using a long acting Benzo like Valium.

  Again its all a choice. Changing dose schedules, will not be so readily noticeable for a while. Its the nature of what

  a benzo does. This is not like stopping opiates, cigarettes etc.  All the Benzodiazepines actually "change" the chemical

  structure of your brain. Given you cut, does not mean your brain will just "upregulate" back to normal. This is the

  crazy, Non linear healing we have to endure. Read the Valium thread, the Klonopin Klub thread, the Ativan thread.

  You will see that there is no easy way out, except through.

 

  Truth is better than fiction in my book, don't let anyone tell you that switching to a longer acting benzo will take away all

  your benzo withdrawal sxs, it may help with interdose wd, IMO.  You have to titrate from Xanax to

  Diazepam in increments, then hold until Diazepam builds up in your system. Then you have to taper from the diazepam.

  Check out the forum. Ask questions. Its all here.

 

  Even Bart, whom switched to Valium, had a two year taper. Read his post(s), as he switched from Ativan to Valium.

 

  Whatever you choose, we are all here to support you.

 

  Hope you feel better

  Notforme

[[Je...]]

Thanks, already feeling better...

[[Ra...]]

Jerry, I really feel for ya buddy, this is no cake walk.  Even though I've been able to work, today I felt like I was ready to break again.  It's just plain hard, no getting around it.  Lexapro caused me terrible anxiety, insomnia and puked my guts out.  I only took it once!  I just cannot take the SSRIs or SNRIs, the all make me feel like that.  And you are not losing your mind, it's just w/d.  Like everyone has said, some have a less rough time than others, but it's still hard.

 

Whatever you choose to do, we are here to support you.  Hugs my friend!

[[th...]]

HOLY CRAP JULIEA YOU JUST EXPLAINED MY LIFE IN THAT LAST POST! ONE LAST DITCH TOTALLY COMMITTED EFFORT TO FEEL BETTER BC IT HAS BEEN SO LONG OF BEING PLAGUED BY EXCRUCIATING PAIN AND OTHER PHYSICAL SYX THAT I HAD GIVEN UP ON LIFE UNTIL I READ UP ON XANAX! YEP! TOTALLY ME! NO STOPPING BC I HAVE NO OTHER OPTIONS, TAPERING OFF IS IT! 

 

Thanks,

 

G