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

[[Ra...]]

Baby, this is such wonderful news!  YOU can do this! I'm so HAPPY for you!  Keep up the good work!

 

V - a LT would be beyond my math skills I'm afraid.  I wish I could help you.  I'll tell you what I'm doing with my dry taper though. I'm  whittling my night time dose down until it's equal with my day dose (I dose twice per day).  Equality will occur this coming Friday.  Then I will ping pong them back and forth.  I don't know if that helps you at all.  Hugs to you my dear sweet friend. 

 

Love,

 

Bunny

[[Tr...]]

You're talking the talk and walking the walk BabyAngel! It gets better and better. Just hang in there.

If I can do this, anyone can.

[[va...]]

babyangel, congratulations!  I'm so happy for you! 

 

So I made my 4th cut two nights ago (xanax dry cutting).  My nighttime dose is now down from 1mg to .875 mgs.  I cut this time after only 8 days instead of waiting 10 or 11, as I'm not having that many symptoms, and they aren't that bad.  I'll see how it goes, and if I'm OK, I'll cut again in 8 days.  So far, I'm down from 2mg/day to 1.375mg, in about 5 weeks.  (I take .5mg in the am and .875 at night. I started out taking 2mg/day.)  I've been cutting .125mg.  If it's starts to get too intense, I'll reduce the cuts to .0625. I plan on doing this anyway once I get down to .5mg morning and evening. 

 

The most persistent symptom I have is tinnitus.  I have, however, experienced nausea and sharp gas pains right after my last two cuts (the 2nd or 3rd day), but they go away relatively fast.  Is that an actual symptom?  Or is it just related to being constipated?  (I don't usually have constipation, so I wouldn't know.  I have had it since I started tapering, though.  Is this related to "benzobelly?")

 

VCharis, I'm new at this, and I'm no expert like a lot of people here, but these erratic heartbeats, have you tried stopping and taking slow deep breaths throughout the day?  I've found that, if I start feeling anxious or angry or even just tired, if I take a few minutes and close my eyes and actually concentrate on my breathing, it helps calm me down and also helps me take deeper breaths, getting more air into my lungs. I also started meditating and/or doing yoga in the morning, and that also helps.  Just a suggestion.  Good luck with your taper!

 

Thanks bunches. 

 

~K

[[Bl...]]

Like your name Van Gogh's ear

 

Blue

[[va...]]

Like your name Van Gogh's ear

 

Blue

 

hehe  I'm not sure anyone caught that until now. 

 

Gold Star Blue! 

 

I hope I still have both of mine after I'm done tapering and healing. 

 

~K 

[[ma...]]

As you can see form my signature I have been on xanax for about a year and a half. I have been at .75 since 7/22/14 i tapered from 1mg and was only on 1 mg for a short time most of them it has been .75. I have been fine we moved  back to our home town. My husband has a job that he is gone 15 days  and only home 6. my kids are 17 she is cyber schooling and the other one is 12 she goes to public school.

 

We are back in the town with my mom and others and I am just STRESSED so bad i take care of everything now we have 4 dogs 3 cats a 5 bedroom house, I love my mom dearly and we had not seen her only 2 times in 4.5 years. But she is calling me 10 times a day and just driving me crazy i am sorry to say that it sounds terrible.

 

I was doing great at .75 up til about 4 days ago i notice i am getting anger quick,i feel like i cant breath sometimes,i have some forgetfulness,i cant remember my words sometimes,i have this strange feeling come over me it last for like 3 seconds and is gone i cant describe it. Also my teeth feel funny and my chest hurts. My tongue feels weird

 

I just feel like I am loosing control my plan was to start tapering when i got here and settled and now it is like i cant because i cant calm down when something goes wrong i freak i hate this. There is a dr here in town that is a detox dr he actually delivered my kids lol and when the drug prob got so bad here he went and got his lic for detox not sure if he would help me or hinder me.

 

I really need to find a way to calm down i feel if i keep this up i may have a heart attack or it feels that way

 

You all have always been so helpful i hope you can help me out again what do you suggest i do?

 

up dose back to  to settle down again?

taper more?

go see this Dr?

uhg thank you all 

[[Bl...]]

I am sorry you are having such a rough time right now. Life sounds like it has gotten more complicated. Can you escape by yourself for a few hours to watch a movie you love or curl up under a comforter with a good book? I do not think up dosing is the answer. It will bring only a brief, temporary relief from the tension you are feeling.

 

Blue

[[Mo...]]

Hey Marley, Sorry you are having a rough time.  I would not increase your meds.  It sounds like you are having some anxiety issues.  You need to find ways that help you cope with the anxiety so you can keep titrating off the Xanax.  If you can't do this on your own maybe seeing a therapist to help you find some natural ways.  I listened to calming music, walked a lot, took hot baths, drank camomile tea, and meditation helped me a lot.  There is a website, Calm.com that was my go to.  You can also download on your phone.  I read a lot of books on coping skills.  As I got to the lower doses of Xanax, my anxiety got much better but anxiety was the reason I ended up on the Xanax so finding ways to cope is my key to getting off. Good Luck, hang in there.  It will get better for you. 

[[Bu...]]

As you can see form my signature I have been on xanax for about a year and a half. I have been at .75 since 7/22/14 i tapered from 1mg and was only on 1 mg for a short time most of them it has been .75. I have been fine we moved  back to our home town. My husband has a job that he is gone 15 days  and only home 6. my kids are 17 she is cyber schooling and the other one is 12 she goes to public school.

 

We are back in the town with my mom and others and I am just STRESSED so bad i take care of everything now we have 4 dogs 3 cats a 5 bedroom house, I love my mom dearly and we had not seen her only 2 times in 4.5 years. But she is calling me 10 times a day and just driving me crazy i am sorry to say that it sounds terrible.

 

I was doing great at .75 up til about 4 days ago i notice i am getting anger quick,i feel like i cant breath sometimes,i have some forgetfulness,i cant remember my words sometimes,i have this strange feeling come over me it last for like 3 seconds and is gone i cant describe it. Also my teeth feel funny and my chest hurts. My tongue feels weird

 

I just feel like I am loosing control my plan was to start tapering when i got here and settled and now it is like i cant because i cant calm down when something goes wrong i freak i hate this. There is a dr here in town that is a detox dr he actually delivered my kids lol and when the drug prob got so bad here he went and got his lic for detox not sure if he would help me or hinder me.

 

I really need to find a way to calm down i feel if i keep this up i may have a heart attack or it feels that way

 

You all have always been so helpful i hope you can help me out again what do you suggest i do?

 

up dose back to  to settle down again?

taper more?

go see this Dr?

uhg thank you all 

 

Hi Marley,  I had a similar thing.  The first time while coming off of prozac I asked a friend to please give me some space.  I told her what I was going through.  She wouldn't stop calling me and to top it off she's one of those people who can't stop talking.  Eventually, she got pissed off because I wouldn't take her calls or messages and ended the friendship. 

 

Now I'm tapering off of Xanax.  The culprit this time is my sister.  Again, I explained what I was going through.  She told me I was reading too much on the internet and causing my own symptoms through suggestion.  I'm not taking her calls until I have a window where I'm feeling ok.  I can't deal with too much excitement right now.  I have to do this for myself and if I piss a few people off along the way so be it.  I don't know what good it would do you to explain what you're going through but maybe they will have mercy and give you a break.  Good luck and don't forget this is about you getting well.  God bless. 

[[ba...]]

Hi everyone ,

earlier i read that vitamin supplements or  eating foods with vitamin B7 such as strawberrys & nuts can help relieve alot of withdrawals , has anyone here had any success with this. i feel just as bad today ,  day 18 without xanax as i did my first week that was most difficult for me

[[Bl...]]

I take magnesium and vitamin C. They have helped me feel stronger and deal with the anxiety living can cause some days.

Congratulations on 18 days babyangel . You are doing it!!  I am proud of you.

 

Blue

[[va...]]

babayangel that's awesome!  Congratulations!  18 days FREE, wow. 

 

Have you tried Kava?  I'm not sure how it would work with wd sxs, but it's a calming herb.  I don't know if it works on gaba receptors though.  I believe there's a thread about it in the supplement section.

 

Also, it appears some people have had great success using ginko.  It will flare your symptoms for the first 2-3 days, but then they drop and go away completely, according to what I've read so far.  (the thread is long and I've only gotten through the first few pages.  Trying to decide whether to use it myself, or whether I should wait until I'm almost done with my taper.)  Here is the thread:  http://www.benzobuddies.org/forum/index.php?topic=81617.0

 

Good luck!

 

~K 

[[Ju...]]

Hi everyone ,

earlier i read that vitamin supplements or  eating foods with vitamin B7 such as strawberrys & nuts can help relieve alot of withdrawals , has anyone here had any success with this. i feel just as bad today ,  day 18 without xanax as i did my first week that was most difficult for me

 

Hi Katie, I'm sorry you're feeling rough but I'm so proud of you for not reinstating or rescue dosing. 

 

I believe the only thing that heals us is a balanced diet and time away from the benzo. 

 

Kava that Vangoghsear mentioned does effect our GABA receptors and also the Gingko experiment mentioned seemed to help some buddies and set others back.  I'm just not willing to risk my recovery on any supplement other than a probiotic or occasional Melatonin for sleep.  I don't believe anything works on sxs except perhaps supplements that effect GABA receptors, but I also believe these might delay healing.  So I'm pretty much going the natural route.

 

Keep hanging in there Katie and the wave will pass! 

[[Dy...]]

Hi everyone, new here.... So I have been on Kolopin for around close to 4 months... And recently got switched to Xanax.... I wanted to switch to a shorter acting benzo to get off all the long acting crap. Well took half of a 0.25mg pill last night and just felt weird.. is this normal? Like I think I was nervous about taking it..... I have asthma, and i think i psyched myself out, and just felt like i was having trouble breathing untill I used my rescue inhaler.... I realize half of a 0.25 is a small dose.... but im suppose to take a whole pill but kind of nervous..... about it dont know if I will or not, dont know if im feeling withdraw from kolopin or just nervous in general

!

 

life is tough atm

[Guest [in...]]

Hi everyone ,

earlier i read that vitamin supplements or  eating foods with vitamin B7 such as strawberrys & nuts can help relieve alot of withdrawals , has anyone here had any success with this. i feel just as bad today ,  day 18 without xanax as i did my first week that was most difficult for me

 

Babyangel

 

I'm sorry you're not feeling well right now; however, I want to congratulate you on your tremendous progress.

 

Hope you start to feel better very soon.   

 

Hugs for you

 

Ins

 

[[Ju...]]

Hi everyone, new here.... So I have been on Kolopin for around close to 4 months... And recently got switched to Xanax.... I wanted to switch to a shorter acting benzo to get off all the long acting crap. Well took half of a 0.25mg pill last night and just felt weird.. is this normal? Like I think I was nervous about taking it..... I have asthma, and i think i psyched myself out, and just felt like i was having trouble breathing untill I used my rescue inhaler.... I realize half of a 0.25 is a small dose.... but im suppose to take a whole pill but kind of nervous..... about it dont know if I will or not, dont know if im feeling withdraw from kolopin or just nervous in general

!

 

life is tough atm

 

I've very rarely seen folks switch from Klonopin to Xanax because of Xanax's short action.  Longer acting benzos are 'supposed' to be easier to taper as far as interdose withdrawal.  I've never taken a longer acting benzo, so I don't have any experience to draw upon.

 

I do believe though that if I knew I was dependent upon Klonopin, and was determined to try Xanax, I'd want to take an equivalent dosage.  Also, if I started feeling bad withdrawals while taking Xanax after having been on Klonopin, I would not blame the feeling bad on Xanax.  I'd blame it on Klonopin withdrawals not covered up by the replacement of Xanax.  This is just me though.

 

Welcome to the Xanax thread. 

[[ma...]]

I was thinking about taking Magnesium and Vit C because i have a TERRIBLE diet. I don't eat much and when i do it is iced coffee,sweet tea,cupcakes oreos some chicken just bad in all. So i am sure i need supplements just afraid to take any after this ROTTEN pill. I am 43 weight 185 and i am 4'5.

 

If anyone has any suggestions on this please let me know need something to curb my shakiness,mood swings,anger,stiffness,stomach issues and i can go on and on Will i ever feel myself again?

 

thank you all

[[va...]]

I was thinking about taking Magnesium and Vit C because i have a TERRIBLE diet. I don't eat much and when i do it is iced coffee,sweet tea,cupcakes oreos some chicken just bad in all. So i am sure i need supplements just afraid to take any after this ROTTEN pill. I am 43 weight 185 and i am 4'5.

 

If anyone has any suggestions on this please let me know need something to curb my shakiness,mood swings,anger,stiffness,stomach issues and i can go on and on Will i ever feel myself again?

 

thank you all

 

If you eat that poorly marley you should take some whole food vitamins.  At least that way you'll be getting good nutrition.  Whole food vitamins are better, but you have to take more of them.

 

I added salmon back into my diet (I was vegetarian) and I feel a lot better.  I eat it about 4x/week now, and only wild salmon, no farmed fish.  You might also try eating some salads.  You can change them up by using different ingredients to keep them interesting (e.g. shredded beets, carrots, different kinds of nuts, sprouts, different kinds of greens, apples, peppers, avocados, cheese, and even boiled eggs or meat if you want to top it off, or garbanzo beans chopped up on top).  Good for nutrients and also good for fiber.

 

I make HUGE salads and they keep for a few days, so I don't have to make one every day.  That way if I'm not feeling well, I just toss it in a bowl and add dressing.

 

Another thing you can do is make large pilafs (with rice, couscous, quinoa, or even pasta salads) or soups, and they will keep for several days also.

 

Then you can still have your sugar and caffeine and not feel as bad or shaky. 

[[cr...]]

Congrats Babyangel on your Xanax free time!  I'm so happy for you and send you all good wishes for strength.

 

I just wanted to share a couple of things.  One, I learned the hard way that reinstating just leads to worse w/d.  I was having a rough weekend, so reinstated to 4mg for 1 day.  Back to current dose, 2.5 mg on Monday.  I've been sweating profusely and at random and feeling all sorts of tingling in my arms for the past four days.  Those particular side effects had been gone for me for a good six weeks.  Don't know how long it will take them to subside again, but I've learned a lesson.

 

The other thing is that I've realized from reading on this forum that I'm not really taking Xanax in order to deal with my anxiety at this point.  I'm only taking it to manage withdrawal from the drug.  I have a very limited understanding of the biochemistry.  However this small insight is a huge change in mindset for me.  And helps me realize that for me, I need to get completely off benzos.  The anxiety that they were treating for me was no worse than the side effects I'm dealing with now - and I know I have it easier than some and harder than others. 

 

Peace and good wishes to you all

[[ba...]]

hi Everyone i bought some biotin (B7) vitamins this morning they were less than $3 i read something important what biotin can do ": If Xanax is used for a prolonged period of time the Xanax will deplete the B vitamin biotin from the body. A deficiency of biotin will cause numbness or tingling of the extremities, a reaction to loud noise or a reaction to bright light which could also include seizures."

i felt very well today so far i did my same route alot of activating today as i have since i quit xanax.

 

i just wanted to give you folks a heads up on that biotin i quoted that from another webpage i read

 

thanks kind folks for congradulating me. !, to those still taking alprazolam ,  i know it felt impossible for me to quit at one time but its do-able. just read tips on here on this webpage i got some good adivice on certain vitamins to take to eezze withdrawals and to activate plenty too !

 

[[Sy...]]

Doing it! It has taken some time but im down to my last 4 cuts. Kind of stalled out at .75 for a bit.

 

I honestly think this tinitus is gonna be a lasting thing, but other than that the road is getting much

 

smoother the way down. Maybie just putting time between the horrific top half of this taper and now I

 

am able to deal with it better as its my daily reality now. I would have gone a bit slower in hindsight

 

but do not regret being here at .5 after over a decade of huge doses and all around being numb.

[[Bl...]]

Doing it! It has taken some time but im down to my last 4 cuts. Kind of stalled out at .75 for a bit.

 

I honestly think this tinitus is gonna be a lasting thing, but other than that the road is getting much

 

smoother the way down. Maybie just putting time between the horrific top half of this taper and now I

 

am able to deal with it better as its my daily reality now. I would have gone a bit slower in hindsight

 

but do not regret being here at .5 after over a decade of huge doses and all around being numb.

Wonderful!!!!

 

Blue

[[ma...]]

As you can see I have held at .75 for sometime now i had a move and other things going on big life changes. Anyway for the past 1-2 weeks i have been getting a bit short of breath not like anxiety wise i have no anxiety i believe every sx i have is from this pill. I also have TERRIBLE gi problems gas,I get angry so fast i am stressed to the max everything bothers me even my dog barking i am totally on edge all the time I WANT TO BE NORMAL AGAIN. anyone please help me with this.

 

[[ma...]]

I just want to add that today i was so busy and had no Sx and did not take my first dose til about 200pm usually i have taken 1/2 my daily dose for the day by then. well long and behold by 4pm i was feeling crappy bloated chest hurts,just not myslef. I just want to NOT take anymore my god why would Dr do this to a person.

 

I feel better off them then on them.

[[Pe...]]

Hi Again my friends! I managed since feb. of this year to taper off 2 mg Xanax using Klonopin as the substitution method. It worked great. But I'm in a real pickle now and I want off this mess for good.

By subbing K for X, I've added more K to my daily diet of pills. I'm currently down to .5 mg tablets of X 4 times a day=2 mg Xanax. Someone suggested that I taper off the short acting Xanax before I start my Klonopin taper. I have a Horizon Pro 20A Gram scale. My 1 MG Xanax pills weigh exactly 0.200 Please refresh my memory since I have extreme cog-fog. What amount should I taper from my pill to have a smooth as possible taper? 1/8th? 1/16th? I'm going to take it really slow.

 

Any and all responses would be greatly appreciated.

                                            Thanks , PepsiMoon

 

Currently I just break the 1 mg tabs in half and take one half every 6 hours