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

[[Je...]]

Hi all. I have a question about w/d symptoms. I am just starting my Xanax taper. From what I've read, I'm guessing that with a short-acting benzo like Xanax, I am going to feel the reaction to the cut sooner than I would with a longer acting benzo. Is that correct? Would love to hear about anyon

Hi all. I have a question about w/d symptoms. I am just starting my Xanax taper. From what I've read, I'm guessing that with a short-acting benzo like Xanax, I am going to feel the reaction to the cut sooner than I would with a longer acting benzo. Is that correct? Would love to hear about anyone's experience with this.

 

I felt cuts completely by 72 hours (3 days) and then they started to subside. After I saw that pattern, I began cutting a little faster, but I was very impatient about the whole taper thing… just wanted it over with. 

e's experience with this.

 

What were your sx like?  Did You have Interdose WD??

 

I felt cuts completely by 72 hours (3 days) and then they started to subside. After I saw that pattern, I began cutting a little faster, but I was very impatient about the whole taper thing… just wanted it over with.

[Guest [ga...]]

Hi all. I have a question about w/d symptoms. I am just starting my Xanax taper. From what I've read, I'm guessing that with a short-acting benzo like Xanax, I am going to feel the reaction to the cut sooner than I would with a longer acting benzo. Is that correct? Would love to hear about anyone's experience with this.

 

Typically, that seems to be the case, however there are many who feel the cut on the 5-6 day or the 7-8 day too. The important thing is to look for patterns in yourself. I didn't seem to have a pattern that I could track bc it was always different for me. One cut it was 24 hrs later, another cut it was 3 days later and another cut wasn't at all.  Others have been able to really pinpoint the day that the cut hits and it helped them plan their lives and just prepare. I think some people got a journal and kept track of syxs so they could see the pattern in themselves and then plan accordingly if there was one. Glad to see you tapering off! 

 

Thanks. I like the journal idea. Planning is exactly what I wish I could do, at least bit.

[Guest [ga...]]

Hi all. I have a question about w/d symptoms. I am just starting my Xanax taper. From what I've read, I'm guessing that with a short-acting benzo like Xanax, I am going to feel the reaction to the cut sooner than I would with a longer acting benzo. Is that correct? Would love to hear about anyone's experience with this.

 

I felt cuts completely by 72 hours (3 days) and then they started to subside. After I saw that pattern, I began cutting a little faster, but I was very impatient about the whole taper thing… just wanted it over with.

 

I find myself very impatient, too! Just want to get it over with. And I'm just starting. 

[[Mr...]]

Gosh I'm impatient!!! If I could I would lock myself somewhere and cut it by 0.5mg every 10 days...But it doesn't work that way

[Guest [ga...]]

I think we are going to find this experience a very s-t-r-e-t-c-h-i-n-g one in the patience department. So at least one good thing that will come out of this! 

[[th...]]

Hi all. I have a question about w/d symptoms. I am just starting my Xanax taper. From what I've read, I'm guessing that with a short-acting benzo like Xanax, I am going to feel the reaction to the cut sooner than I would with a longer acting benzo. Is that correct? Would love to hear about anyone's experience with this.

 

I felt cuts completely by 72 hours (3 days) and then they started to subside. After I saw that pattern, I began cutting a little faster, but I was very impatient about the whole taper thing… just wanted it over with.

 

I find myself very impatient, too! Just want to get it over with. And I'm just starting. 

 

I wanted it to be over Right Now!! It took me a YEAR!  Gotta have that patience though, it will do you good if you jump and still have syxs for months. I keep telling myself I will be the most ZEN person on the planet if this ever ends!!! 

 

G

[[va...]]

Hey ya bunny rabbit!  How's trix?    Good to see you around.    Hey Grinch!  Hey Challis! 

 

*******

 

Mr. Anderson (great moniker, btw),  meditating in the mornings helped me *immensely*  I had a routine and I tried to stick to it.  I wasn't super strict about it, but I would do certain things almost every day.  I would get up and write down when when I took my dose (I dosed 2/day, am and pm, and this helped me keep track of everything.  It doesn't sound like much, but it might save you from wondering if you took a dose or not.  I also wrote down what I ate, supplements I might be taking, how I was feeling, any symptoms I might be having, and anything else I felt like writing, so it was a journal but it also helped me see if certain things worked, like when I added fish back into my diet.)  Then I would meditate and do some light yoga.  If I was feeling anxious anytime throughout the day I would stop and meditate, or listen to some nice, relaxing music.  Music played an important role in my taper.  I also had to take breaks from the forums periodically.  I decided pretty early on to stay positive *no matter what!*  and that also helped.  Sometimes coming here, or going to the benzo groups on facebook and reading how bad some people were suffering would overwhelm me.  That's when I would take a break, or I would stop reading those kinds of posts.  I never let my fear get to me.  If I started to panic about something,  I would take a few deep breaths, calm myself down, and repeat the mantra, “I must not fear. Fear is the mind-killer. Fear is the little-death that brings total obliteration. I will face my fear. I will permit it to pass over me and through me. And when it has gone past I will turn the inner eye to see its path. Where the fear has gone there will be nothing. Only I will remain.”  <---quote from the book Dune by Frank Herbert)  I was careful about what I put in my body, as I feel there is a great connection between food and health.  I hope some of this may work for you as well.  The important thing is, to recognize what works for you, and try different things, because not every technique works for everyone.  Good luck! 

 

*******

 

gardener, I usually felt my cuts right away, within a day or so.  I wasn't strict about when I cut, but in the beginning I cut .125 every 8-12 days, usually around day 9-10.  Once I got to .75mg I started cutting .0625 every 7 days or so.  At the end of my taper I ended up holding the last 2 cuts much longer because I had surgery, but I think it would have been fine if I had continued.  I jumped at .0625.  I found keeping a journal extremely helpful.   

 

*******

 

Everyone wants to rush the experience and for it to be over.  I did too.  Some people can tolerate going faster than others and some people really need to take it slower.  The important thing is to find what works *for you* and do that.  It's great to come here and listen to everyone else's experience and see what they did, but ultimately this is *your* journey and you have to find what works for you.  Try different things, makes notes of how it works, then you'll have something to help guide you.  You can make this a positive experience, even if it's awful, it's a matter of how you ultimately decide to look at.  Perspective is everything.  Try to stay positive, even in the grip of horrible symptoms.  Look at the experience as a symbolic kind of death and rebirth of the spirit.  You can grow from this experience if you choose to.

 

Namaste.

 

~K    :smitten:

[[ch...]]

I am really hating the stuff. I only have used it for sleeping, eventually I was in WD every day. I am tapering from maybe 3 mg, a valium during the day does wonders to control that. I cannot even imagine tapering on only xanax. It is a demon-drug!

[Guest [ga...]]

Chooselife, that's what happened to me. I was prescribed X as a sleep aid and within weeks I was in WD every day. That made sleep worse. So psych nurse upped the bedtime dose. That caused WD to be worse. That caused sleep to be worse. Etc. Finally, I figured out that the psych nurse was causing my problems and switched prescribers. Miraculously, I found an anti-benzo, knowledgeable psychiatrist. He said:

 

1. Take my X dose and divide it into 4 smaller doses spread out during the day. Hold at that. I decided to divide it into 5 doses. I use the liquid form, intensol, to make dividing into small doses easier. That got me off the daily cold turkey WD. What a relief!

2. Taper slowly off the trazodone I was also taking. (That's done. Yay!)

3. If needed, take 25-50mg quetiapine (Seroquel) for sleep at bedtime. I resisted that as long as I could, but now take it about 3-4 times/week. Getting adequate sleep has helped tremendously with coping with anxiety and w/d.

4. Wait until I see him mid April to begin the Xanax taper. He said the X taper will take at least 3 months and that I had to be in charge of deciding how fast I should go.

 

I confess, I took a tiny cut already. My doses of X aren't even yet. I still take the largest dose at bedtime. So I am making little cuts to that dose to get the X doses all even. Unfortunately, since I had debilitating insomnia before I took the X, my sleep gets worse as the X gets lower. I can put up with some bad nights, but also need some good nights to get through this. So I am relying on quetiapine. The psychiatrist told me NOT to wait until I collapsed and ceased functioning from lack of sleep (my previous method of trying sleep meds. )  to take it.

 

[[ch...]]

I thought I was losing my mind. It is a relief to know WHY and that there are others out there with me. The V takes the edge off, I am afraid to talk to my doctor (with whom I am quite angry). I DO need a current V script. I have laid in for a 4 month siege.........

 

I am down on X a bit.

[Guest [ga...]]

I know the feeling. I was coming part at the seams! And it was because of this psych nurse and her crazy ideas about benzos. Now that I can think again I am pretty pissed at her and the drug companies.

 

Regarding Valium, many people switch over to Valium to taper because it is an easier drug to taper from. I cannot take Valium, so I am tapering from the Xanax without it.

[[Ra...]]

Gardner, when did you add the Seroquel?  Are you taking it every night?  Does it help you sleep?  Does it help your anxiety the next day?

 

I'm asking all these questions because I take it too and just wondering what your experience has been.  I take my consistently every night and it does help me sleep, some nights better than others, but I most always get at least 6 hours of sleep.  For me, I cannot function on 4 hours of sleep, so taking something to ensure at least 6 hours of sleep was crucial.

 

PATIENCE is a very important part of this taper business.  I'm personally a big chicken with symptoms because I have a very stressful job and must be able to function at a very high level.  Therefore, I chose to reduce by very small (.0625mg) every other week and my taper has been very manageable so far.  I've been at it for over a year and it has gone faster than I thought it would.  I remember the first day I made a cut thinking, OH MY GOSH, how am I ever going to survive a 2 year taper, but now I have less than a year to go.  Just hope it goes as planned 

 

Bunny

[Guest [ga...]]

Hi Bunny. I was just working on my signature when you posted. It gets tricky when it gets longer and you run out of space.

 

I started the Q about a month ago. I try to limit it to 3-4 times/week. It helps to reduce my night wakings, which has been my biggest problem, even before I took a benzo. I spent more time awake than asleep because I would just keep waking up again and again, sometimes only 5 minutes after falling asleep.

 

The next day after I take a Q I feel sleepy and blah most of the day. I think it does reduce the anxiety just by adding the blah. 

 

I'm trying to resist taking it every night for as long as possible because I tend to habituate to meds. It seems to help me sleep the best if I manage to go 3 days without it. But then I'm really zonked all the next morning. So what I do is look at my calendar and figure out when I can afford to be tired or when I can afford to be zonked for the morning and adjust when I take the Q accordingly. In the past I just waited until I was ready to fall over from exhaustion to take a sleep med, but my new psychiatrist told me not to do that because sleep deprivation was aggravating my health problems.

 

I should add that I also have restless leg syndrome and Q aggravates it (being an antihistamine). So, when I take it, I have to deal with that. Still, it's the best thing I've found so far. My psychiatrist prefers it to other sleep meds for some reason. He is very anti-benzo, which is a very good thing for me. He's 100% supportive of my slow and careful taper. Sadly, he's just a temporary guy. But my primary said she will take over when he leaves. She's pretty reasonable, too, not a drug pusher.

 

How has the Q been for you? Do you think it has become less effective over time? That's my biggest worry.

 

[[ch...]]

I really cannot imagine tapering on only X. It is just to potent. It is my call to Morpheus each night.

 

The valium keeps me functioning during the day (I barely was, until i clocked onto the X WD syndrome).

 

I just took 1.75 X an 5 V.  Beginning to switch. Wish me luck (or a night's sleep, anyhow).  (I am in Thailand this week, MUST be functional!)

[[Ra...]]

Thanks for the reply Gardner.  I think if you took the Seroquel every day, that 'zonked' feeling in the morning would go away.  I hear ya though about the RLS.  I never had it before taking Seroquel.  My Dad had it though.  After I take the Seroquel at night, my legs do get a big restless, but it doesn't last long.  Only about the first hour or two after I take it, but if you already have RLS, it might make it worse altogether, not sure about that.

 

I've had the same worry as you that if I took the Seroquel every day, it would quit working.  So far it hasn't done that.  I am less sleepy after I take it than I used to be, but still, once I lay my head on my pillow and close my eyes, I'm usually out without 5 minutes even if I don't feel terribly sleep when I lay my head down.  I've been taking it for about 15 months now.  I HOPE it continues to work.  Yes the sleep deprivation was terrible and I could not take it anymore.  I'm not a person who can survive on not much sleep, maybe it's my overall anxious personality. 

 

I agree, the Seroquel does put a 'blah' into your life, but I much prefer that as opposed to sleep deprived crazy anxiety!  I hope to start to taper the Seroquel after I've been off Xanax for at least 12 months.  I have to be able to sleep though, so if I can't sleep without it, I may stay on it as much as I don't want to.

 

Bunny

[[Ra...]]

I really cannot imagine tapering on only X. It is just to potent. It is my call to Morpheus each night.

 

The valium keeps me functioning during the day (I barely was, until i clocked onto the X WD syndrome).

 

I just took 1.75 X an 5 V.  Beginning to switch. Wish me luck (or a night's sleep, anyhow).  (I am in Thailand this week, MUST be functional!)

 

Much luck on your crossover to valium.    I hope all goes well in Thailand 

[Guest [ga...]]

Thanks for the reply Gardner.  I think if you took the Seroquel every day, that 'zonked' feeling in the morning would go away.  I hear ya though about the RLS.  I never had it before taking Seroquel.  My Dad had it though.  After I take the Seroquel at night, my legs do get a big restless, but it doesn't last long.  Only about the first hour or two after I take it, but if you already have RLS, it might make it worse altogether, not sure about that.

 

I've had the same worry as you that if I took the Seroquel every day, it would quit working.  So far it hasn't done that.  I am less sleepy after I take it than I used to be, but still, once I lay my head on my pillow and close my eyes, I'm usually out without 5 minutes even if I don't feel terribly sleep when I lay my head down.  I've been taking it for about 15 months now.  I HOPE it continues to work.  Yes the sleep deprivation was terrible and I could not take it anymore.  I'm not a person who can survive on not much sleep, maybe it's my overall anxious personality. 

 

I agree, the Seroquel does put a 'blah' into your life, but I much prefer that as opposed to sleep deprived crazy anxiety!  I hope to start to taper the Seroquel after I've been off Xanax for at least 12 months.  I have to be able to sleep though, so if I can't sleep without it, I may stay on it as much as I don't want to.

 

Bunny

 

My sleep doc is opposed to any antihistamines because they do aggravate the RLS very much. I have it in my arms and legs and with the Q it sometimes lasts into the daytime. It's a cross between a creepy-crawly feeling and a dull ache. If I move around, it goes away. I wonder if the reason I still wake up 2-3 times/night with the Q is the RLS pain builds to the point of waking me. But then the Q puts me back to sleep. 

 

Interesting that Q is still working for you after all this time. I know that as I get lower on the X, I will have to use the Q to get any sleep at all and will likely use it nightly. I'm just procrastinating doing that.

 

I'm a big chicken about w/d symptoms, too! All these stories on here scare me. And my experience with 3 months of interdose w/d thanks to my psych nurse also makes me a chicken. I was so bad I packed a bag with clothes and my meds list and kept it by the door in case my kids needed to drive me to a psych ward. Thankfully, I feel so much better now that I don't think that will happen. Unless I do something stupid like cut too fast!

 

I also feel better now that I'm done with the trazodone. I think it was actually aggravating my anxiety and sleep problems, not helping them. 

(Just had to put that guy in there because he's so funny. )

[[Ra...]]

Gardner, our stories have some similarities.  I get the same sensations in my legs you describe, but they don't last long thank goodness. 

 

I'm also a big chicken about s/x due to the 3 month acute period I went through. I was completely unfunctional, unable to work and hub had to care for me.  Since hub is disabled and I'm the breadwinner, that was a real problem.  Anything that smacks of going back to that acute period just about sends me into orbit.  I've discussed this with my doc and he's very aware

of this and is very on board with me being in charge of my taper.  He knows how important it is that I feel in control of it.  I'm very thankful for him and that he is so supportive.  Funny, I asked him how many patients he's had come off Xanax and he said 'not many'.  Even so, initially he thought I should only take about 3 months to taper, my mouth dropped wide open and I said, I can't do that.  Told him about this site and what I had learned about a slow taper and he agreed.  Again, I'm very grateful.

 

Here's to successful tapers to both of us 

 

Bunny

[Guest [ga...]]

Gardner, our stories have some similarities.  I get the same sensations in my legs you describe, but they don't last long thank goodness. 

 

I'm also a big chicken about s/x due to the 3 month acute period I went through. I was completely unfunctional, unable to work and hub had to care for me.  Since hub is disabled and I'm the breadwinner, that was a real problem.  Anything that smacks of going back to that acute period just about sends me into orbit.  I've discussed this with my doc and he's very aware

of this and is very on board with me being in charge of my taper.  He knows how important it is that I feel in control of it.  I'm very thankful for him and that he is so supportive.  Funny, I asked him how many patients he's had come off Xanax and he said 'not many'.  Even so, initially he thought I should only take about 3 months to taper, my mouth dropped wide open and I said, I can't do that.  Told him about this site and what I had learned about a slow taper and he agreed.  Again, I'm very grateful.

 

Here's to successful tapers to both of us 

 

Bunny

 

Yes, definitely quite a few similarities. Maybe you have very mild RLS. It's not uncommon. Mine used to come and go and I pretty much ignored it. It was really not that bothersome until about a year ago. I've had a lot of other health problems, too, starting in 2009 with discovering that my spinal cord was leaking fluid into my nerve roots. And then just a cascade of other illnesses after that.

 

In my case, I'm the disabled one and my husband walked out when my health went bad. I've been trying to fight my way back to health and employability since 2009. It's been 3 steps forward and 2 steps back. Though, when the insomnia and the benzo took over my life, it was more like 5 steps back. What's so upsetting is that my prescriber had no clue what she was doing and just kept upping my dose in spite of all the symptoms of w/d I was having. I had 3 months of worsening symptoms until I thought I was losing my mind. I had to figure out for myself what was wrong. My two kids (college students) were stuck with trying to take care of me. It was awful. I felt so guilty. I never, never, never want to back there which makes me all the more determined to get off this stuff. I haven't tried a significant cut yet because I was tapering the trazodone first. Now that that's gone, I may try to go a little faster on the X taper and see what happens. I'm still pretty chicken, too!

 

But, we're going to make it. I know we are! 

 

Gardener 

 

[[Ra...]]

Gardner, I know that acute period is awful isn't it?  I can't believe that your doc didn't realize that continue to up your Xanax was not the answer.  I think sometimes they are lazy. 

 

I'm so sorry your hub left you.  I just don't understand spouses like that, whatever happened to 'in sickness and health'? I'm glad you had your children to help you, bless their hearts.

 

My doc has suspected for a couple of years the Xanax may be 'contributing' to my anxiety so that's why he tried me on every A/D.  He was very irritated that I could not stick with any of them long enough.  Geez, when something amps up your anxiety and makes you throw up, for me, that's really intolerable.

 

You are braver than me Gardner, I'm happy with my tiny every other week cuts of .0625mg.  I don't think I can take anything more than that.  It will be interesting to see when those flat cuts become a bigger percentage of the overall dose.  Like when I'm down to .125mg and I cut to .0625mg.  That will be a 50% cut YIKES!  I guess we will see.

 

Good luck to you my friend  :smitten:

 

Bunny

[[ch...]]

I think I need more help on the crossover issue. I works during the day to keep me out of WD, but  night time substitutions are working quite poorly, actually. I HATE waking up at 4 am in WD.

 

I have a long road ahead.

[Guest [ga...]]

Hmm, not quite understanding your question. I think you're asking about substituting Xanax for Valium or the other way around?? You might want to ask about that on the substitution plans board.

[[ch...]]

Will do. Last night I woke up at 4 am in WD.

 

I spent 3 months in WD syndrome every single day, not realizing what was going on. I thought I was losing my mind.

[Guest [ga...]]

Will do. Last night I woke up at 4 am in WD.

 

I spent 3 months in WD syndrome every single day, not realizing what was going on. I thought I was losing my mind.

 

I feel for you. I went through the same thing thanks to a psych nurse who had no idea what she was doing.

 

BTW, since I wake up in the middle of the night anyway, I take one of my X doses in the middle of the night. I keep it and a bottle of water next to my bed. When I wake up, I look at the clock. If it's after 2AM, I take the dose. If you switch over to Valium, I would not expect you to need a middle-of-the-night dose, though.

[[Ra...]]

Just to keep everyone updated. Tomorrow I'm replacing my 0.5 XR with 4x 0.125 normal Xanax doses spread out 3 hours apart. Hopefully this transition is smooth.