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

[[th...]]

BabyAngel,

 

Only you know what is best for you. If staying on it is what you feel you need to do than only you can decide that. The prob with staying on a benzo is over time the current dose may stop working and you ll end up with syx. Maybe you are already having them on your current dose which is why you take anywhere from .0625-.125 a day....maybe more bc it doesn't work. Then more and more is needed and pretty soon you are on a much higher amount. Maybe this won't happen to you though. None if us have a Crystal ball. I wish you the best of luck. If you ever decide you want off this med you know where to find us 

 

G

[[ba...]]

hi grinch

i saw in your signature you have insomnia i got some melatonin from walgreens it has vitamins b6 added to it , it seems to work great ! i did some reading about tinitus  i saw that zinc can reduce it, i have a bottle already i took it just only when i got a cold a year ago i do this it helps insomnia lately i been wearing sunglasses indoors in the evenings i feel like im sensitive to light being exposed to excess light can also cause sleep problems ,

thanks again for your concerns 

katie

[[me...]]

babyangel, if I waited until I had no tinnitus, I'd still be on Xanax because my tinnitus comes and goes, still at almost 15 months free.  Reinstating due to something like this tells me that you're going to have a hard time stopping if you expect to stop and be totally symptom free.  Stoping Xanax when we're dependent is not a symptom free process.

 

 

If someone can't deal with the ringing how will they ever come off this?

 

With all respect, tinnitus is ridiculously trite when you consider the overall withdrawal syndrome. One can simply cannot allow this to be an obstacle without dooming themselves. 

[[ba...]]

mm  i read how some people use diazapam to ween off xanax and switch to diazapam at a low dose  would the tinittus subside switching to diazapam? or taking Gabapentin ? i can tolerate some tinittus i had the tinittus i had at 1am was extreme mto the point where i thought of going to hospital !

[[Ju...]]

mm  i read how some people use diazapam to ween off xanax and switch to diazapam at a low dose  would the tinittus subside switching to diazapam? or taking Gabapentin ? i can tolerate some tinittus i had the tinittus i had at 1am was extreme mto the point where i thought of going to hospital !

 

Personally I would never consider switching to Valium if I was already on a 'jump dose' of Xanax.  People on Valium have tinnitus too ....

 

Have you tried cutting the .0625 piece in half?  Or powdering the piece into two piles and only taking half as a measure to taper down farther?

 

babyangel, I don't know what the solution is for you.  I'm afraid you're going to keep going on and off for days at a time until you make a firm decision, enough is enough.  We can't do that for you, only you can.

 

[[th...]]

BabyAngel,

 

Insomnia was the reason I was put on the Xanax to begin with, many yrs ago. It is now a syx of wd and my tapering process along with many other excruciating syx I deal with 24/7. I refuse to take anything or add anything to my body besides a probiotic I recently started due to a terrible gut issue from wd. Many of my syx make me feel like I need the hospital. Almost daily. I have adjusted and accepted it is wd and the only way I will be free for good is to come off the drug. If those things you mentioned for me help for you, I am glad, but until you are resolved to getting off the drug and pushing thru horrendous wd syx at times ....well....that is what it takes to come off I am afraid. We are all going thru hell trying to come off, pushing and dealing with horrendous syx, bc it is more important for us to be free from the drug than be in it. And if that means dealing with horrendous wd syx, so be it.

 

Grinch

[[ma...]]

I am know taking two 0.25 pills,one .125 pill and one .01325 pill down from 1mg UHG. I don't even know what this MG adds up to and hoping it makes sense. I am trying to even my doses out right now i just take whatever for how i feel like if i feel jittery i take 0.25 and then if i am ok i take the .125 and the .01325 at the same time which i always take them at the same time,i dose only 3 times a day now.

 

I made a cut yesterday and for the first time in a few weeks i am already feeling the sx i have the swallowing thing going on that i have not had in like 3 months and VERY jittery. Last time i felt great was at .75mg. But i have not had alot of sx until today for weeks i have had barley any noticeable sx at all.

 

I feel like this cut is kicking my butt for some reason? Is there a better way? I want to dry cut i don't think i could do the water thing and would be afraid i would not take the right amount so that is out. I am just feeling shaky inside already with this cut.

 

I know I will have sx of course but is there a better way to dose where I am at as of now.

 

Thank you all for your suggestions good luck to all

Modify message

 

[[Ju...]]

Hey Marley.  I'm sorry you're getting hit.  Darn.

 

I'm not good with dosing but most of the folks who dose more than one time per day say making the doses as even as possible helps.

 

I hope you feel better soon. 

[[ma...]]

Thanks Juliea.. Hoping someone will have a suggestion on how to even this out.

 

hope your doing well

[[...]]

I am know taking two 0.25 pills,one .125 pill and one .01325 pill down from 1mg UHG. I don't even know what this MG adds up to and hoping it makes sense. I am trying to even my doses out right now i just take whatever for how i feel like if i feel jittery i take 0.25 and then if i am ok i take the .125 and the .01325 at the same time which i always take them at the same time,i dose only 3 times a day now.

 

I made a cut yesterday and for the first time in a few weeks i am already feeling the sx i have the swallowing thing going on that i have not had in like 3 months and VERY jittery. Last time i felt great was at .75mg. But i have not had alot of sx until today for weeks i have had barley any noticeable sx at all.

 

I feel like this cut is kicking my butt for some reason? Is there a better way? I want to dry cut i don't think i could do the water thing and would be afraid i would not take the right amount so that is out. I am just feeling shaky inside already with this cut.

 

I know I will have sx of course but is there a better way to dose where I am at as of now.

 

Thank you all for your suggestions good luck to all

Modify message

 

Hey Marley

 

Well, i would say, that for me, I dose 3 x a day. And you've got to keep them even and the same each cut period. Like if you cut your second dose for example, then stick with that for the cut, don't change and add or subtract different doses. I think that's bad. It messes up your CNS. So, for me, for example. I go round robin. I dose 3 times a day. Morning, late afternoon, and night. And I only cut .0625 each cut. That's it. Always. Never any more then that, each cut period.

 

So, say I'll cut the middle dose by .0625, then the first dose and my last dose are totally unchanged for the whole 7-14 days. Then after I stabilize on that, I'll move to another one to cut, maybe the first one ( because if theres any trouble, I've still got 2 more doses left that day). Then go with that for 7-14 days, then maybe touch the last one. etc.

 

Got to keep it consistent. And if there is a time of day or night that is bad then lay off cutting that one and cut a different one. but stick with it and go slow. All my cuts have been 10 days minimum. 10 days is like my 'week'.. I usually end up going 12 or more, my longest was 19 days . but most are 12 days. I just wait until I feel better and then cut.

 

But I stay consistant.

[[ma...]]

Thank you JACD i was consistant taking the same time daily and then i was feeling really good so i started waiting to take my doses and now i am all messed up with my times .

 

I guess i will get back on track and start again.

 

Thank you agsin for your help

[[th...]]

I take mine 4xday at the same times within the hr. No messing with this. I cut round robin too. I make sure I am keeping doses as even as possible with my cuts and wait to stabilize without cutting another time until the week has passed. Just trying to keep the doses steady and even and not rock any boat right now even if I feel better. Keep it on a steady course 

 

 

G

[[ma...]]

Question is there such a thing as holding to long? I noticed i held at .75 for a month this was the last dose i felt stable at. Should i go back to the .75 and get stable again and back on track? Thank you all for the suggestions

[[...]]

Marley,

 

Well, I don't know about holding too long or not. If you feel bad, then don't cut i guess, But , this is only my opinion and experience, I think sometimes we hit a place where that's as good as your gonna get. So, for me, I sort of hit a plateau and feel the same way ,good or bad, after holding for , say 14 days, I just go for it and cut. Because, I think one of the reasons were all so sick is the daily use of this crap. Not so much the reduction in dose. That's just my opinion and my experience. However these Benzos are so strong that you can't just stop taking them without getting really sick. So we taper. But I try and keep a pattern and cut anyway. For me, if it's past day 14, I feel that's as good as I'll get here, so I just cut. Good or bad. It's been 14 days. And the body has delt with the dose reduction by now, so if I don't feel so hot, I think it's simply because that's the way it is in WD and to just keep going. And it usually evens out.

 

Because just because we taper and take less poison every week or two , we still are taking poison every week.

 

It's just less.

 

But it's still poison. And I think that the act of just 'taking' this stuff makes us some what ill.

 

So, for me, I try and stick to a pattern and hold when I need to , but I try not to hold longer then 14 days. I'm trying to get it over.

 

Because, I'm still sick every single day.

 

I'm just less sick, every single day.

 

And I feel I wont start to really feel better , until I'm totally off this poison. And it's like your just delaying it the longer you hold. Assuming it's a lot more then 14 days that is. But that's just me.

[[...]]

Marley,

 

I will tell you, it gets better the further you go in your Taper. Two things happen at once. You get used to dealing with the WD 'pain/fear" and other health symptoms, And they start to reduce in intensity.

 

You get better and it gets better too.

 

For me, I didn't really start to turn the corner until hitting .50 a day and less. Then it started to flow a bit better, and getting to .25 and bellow has been much better.

 

You get used to it and it lessons it grip on you too. You're still sick, just less so. And it's a relief.

 

It's funny, I used to read people telling me, it gets better and now I'm finally able to write that myself.

 

It does.

 

But when you're going through hell, just keep going.

[[th...]]

Some people have a rougher time on the higher doses and some people have a rougher time on the lower doses...even people who are on only .0625 mg are struggling to come off...So everyone is different in their experience and what they are capable of handling at any certain time. Some people can actually manage to come off these meds in a 4 wk taper too....the rest of us need more time and have terrible syx. Do I think you should updose, no, but that is bc I don't think updosing is the answer IMO. But others have had good luck updosing and then tapering slower. I feel like crap all the time so I have gotten used to the wd now and that I am gonna have these excruciating syx and they won't go away so I keep cutting to get off. Which is where the real healing will take place....after the jump. Updosing for me would only prolong the process of getting to 0.

 

G

[[ma...]]

Thank you grinch. Gonna try to hold out updosing and see what happens.

[[Ra...]]

Baby, I agree with everyone, you are most likely going to have some sxs when jumping, you just gotta hang in there and ride it out if you really want off.  I know how hard that sounds, but it's true.  I agree with Julia, why don't you try cutting your .0625  dose in half and try that for a couple of weeks and then jump again and see how it goes?

 

Marley, I dose twice a day.  Right now I'm cutting from my night time dose only to get the 2 doses even.  By October, I'll have them even and then I will cut round robin style.  Good luck sweetie, man, I don't want to have to updose, YIKES! 

 

Bunny

[[ba...]]

hi everyone , when i resumed taking xanax again yesterday morning at 1am i had to take it later in the day again so i took around .25mg yesterday ,

i took another .25mg again today i really felt down not being successfull , i really didnt tell anyone my family didnt know i quit until i had my panic attack and severe tinittus at 1am i had to wake up mom  i thought of taking some old old xanax i have i have like 75 .50mg xanax pills that are over a year old , the new .50mg im getting is another kind its a light orange color the old ones are white the new ones taste slightly differeint too i thought maybe this tinittus may clear up if i resume with the old stuff i never had tinittus problems when i took those ? plus it might be weaker since its 12-16 months old?

or maybe instead of disolving it under my tongue i can just drink it with alot of water to make it less potent ?

[[Ju...]]

babyangel:  Old Xanax when stored properly, (mainly kept dry),  should remain extremely potent for years and years and years.  The Department of Defense Shelf Life Extension Program has tested these types of things.  For example, Valium when stored properly has remained potent at the eight year mark.

 

You are playing with fire if you think you can take old Xanax and it won't be just as strong as the day it left the manufacturer.

 

Your pattern of dosage you're describing sounds a bit like self medication.  "I took another .25mg today I felt down not being successful".  Taking Xanax because you felt "down"?  Come on Katie, if I took Xanax every time I felt down, I'd still be hooked.   

 

Katie, we can't make you want to quit using Xanax.  We can only encourage you to stop.  I'm afraid that until the day you decide you want to be truly finished with this benzo, you will continue to find excuses to continue taking it.  I hope this day arrives soon.  Because one day, it will likely stop working.  By this point you'll probably be on a higher dose and tinnitus and feeling down will be the least of your worries.

 

I had to spend 3 solid months confined to my bedroom in awful shape, (due to starting my taper too fast), in order to be able to stop taking Xanax after 25 years taking it for sleep.  This is how bad I wanted to get rid of the tight grip this medicine had over my life.  I lost a huge chunk of my life due to Xanax long before I started tapering.  To see a young person headed in the wrong direction with this medicine,  well it makes me want to scream and pull my hair out and say --- but look what happened to me.  :'(  Sorry to be so tough on you Katie, but this is how I feel.   

[[No...]]

 

    Baby Angel,

           

              I agree 100% with Juliea's response. 

 

              Xanax  had its hold on me for 17 years.  I was also bedridden during

          my taper. I wasn't going to let Xanax  win.  If I took a pill for every 

          Life event that made me "emotionally" upset,  down,  discouraged

          I would  still be hooked. 

         

          It's how I feel too. I care,  but you Katie must make that choice. 

            Notforme

[[me...]]

 

 

I had to spend 3 solid months confined to my bedroom in awful shape, 

 

great post in general but I'd like to zero in on this part

 

I can't recall a thread ever dedicated to the incredible physical weakness associated with a  difficult withdrawal.

 

As you say, this can get so bad you are forced to bed, not having the physical strength to rise up.

 

I can recall when I took a shower I'd have to get to the bed (sofa actually) before I dried off. It took 20 minutes or more before I could dry off and dress. They, back to bed (sofa).

 

I say sofa because I could not walk stairs for over 6 months. I had to live in my library for over a year and a half. I struggled to climb stairs for over 3 years.

 

For YEARS (interdose withdrawal) I could not walk to the neighbors house, right next door without serious exertion.

 

my guess is the reason this is almost never spoken to is that it is so rare. lucky us lol

 

anyway, to wind it back into the thread, when I come here and see people taking "rescue doses"  for tinnitus and I recall all this I just wish there was a way to shake that person in the hopes of making them understand what can happen. 

[[ba...]]

mm i thought of something with the water taper use the whole 150ml to disolve a 0.0625 cut portion i can just drop a 5 ml every few weeks i  plan to get to 5ml or 10ml of water before my final jump i think this can minimize tinittus , that tinittus worryes me alot because ive had a history of seizures , i dont have epilepsy though i saw a neurologist the dr said i dont have it the tinittus just worrys me thinking i have a  siezure coming

[[me...]]

mm i thought of something with the water taper use the whole 150ml to disolve a 0.0625 cut portion i can just drop a 5 ml every few weeks i  plan to get to 5ml or 10ml of water before my final jump i think this can minimize tinittus , that tinittus worryes me alot because ive had a history of seizures , i dont have epilepsy though i saw a neurologist the dr said i dont have it the tinittus just worrys me thinking i have a  siezure coming

 

that is very understandable

 

you are reacting to a fear of a serious condition evolving not the actual stimuli. 

 

that really puts you between a rock and a hard place

 

I seem to remember that ananti convulsive drug is often indicated for for benzo withdrawal

 

this may lessen the concern and more importantly the real world possibility of lapsing into a seizure

 

I hope someone can come along and speak to this or you

 

this is nor something I am very familiar with

 

as benzos are an anti seizure med also I really could use some clarification myself on this

 

 

[[Ju...]]

 

 

I had to spend 3 solid months confined to my bedroom in awful shape, 

 

great post in general but I'd like to zero in on this part

 

I can't recall a thread ever dedicated to the incredible physical weakness associated with a  difficult withdrawal.

 

As you say, this can get so bad you are forced to bed, not having the physical strength to rise up.

 

I can recall when I took a shower I'd have to get to the bed (sofa actually) before I dried off. It took 20 minutes or more before I could dry off and dress. They, back to bed (sofa).

 

I say sofa because I could not walk stairs for over 6 months. I had to live in my library for over a year and a half. I struggled to climb stairs for over 3 years.

 

For YEARS (interdose withdrawal) I could not walk to the neighbors house, right next door without serious exertion.

 

my guess is the reason this is almost never spoken to is that it is so rare. lucky us lol

 

anyway, to wind it back into the thread, when I come here and see people taking "rescue doses"  for tinnitus and I recall all this I just wish there was a way to shake that person in the hopes of making them understand what can happen.

 

Yes, lucky us.  And dumb me did not recognize symptoms of withdrawal that were hitting me YEARS prior to even starting my taper.  I'm embarrassed to say how many years I suffered, not knowing what the heck was wrong with me.  The body pain and migraine headaches were so debilitating that I spent months and months in bed with a pillow to block the light and heavy phone book on top of my head, only getting relief here and there for a few days at a time.  I often had 3 week migraines only to be slammed down with another one almost as soon as the previous one had ended all due to Xanax tolerance withdrawals.  All of this happened pre-taper so you can imagine, my taper was no picnic.

 

Even pre-taper I .....

 

I quit leaving my home for the most part [me, who loved getting out and about]

No way I could make plans because I could not be counted on to make the plans [me who HATED being stuck at home]

I basically stopped driving except for absoulute necessity [me who loved driving long distances on mountain roads in the snow]

I had to begin tellecommuting from bed/sofa/deck [me who build a huge company with my own hard work]

My friends gave up on me [me who once had lot's of friends]

My family didn't know what to think [me who loved my family, but my parents passed away before I finally tapered off and felt better]

I almost gave up on myself too [i often felt, why continue living like this and considered permanent options]

 

My taper gave me my dignity and my life back.  Recovery is a very slow process for someone like me, but I'm doing great compared to how I was before I started.

 

I don't usually post much about my journey with Xanax and how hard it was, because I don't want to scare people.  But some people need to know what these drugs can do.  If I had it to do over again, I'd be scared to take this drug.  I believe these benzo drugs are dangerous and can potentially cost people their health and years of being productive in their lives.

 

We made it to the other side Mentor.  We lived to tell the tale.