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

[[Re...]]

In regards to Rebel Maven's post #649 from last night:

 

So first of all thanks for letting me vent and listening.

 

I have had it with this shit, especially the new feeling of being stoned all day.

 

Turns out it is NOT the Xanax alone that is making me stoned.  I did not take ANY today and I am just as stoned and cognitively dysfunctional as I was before.

 

So then there is the trazodone to consider.

 

However, I think that there is something else going on that I am missing here that is potentiating ALL of my sedating drugs.

 

The only change was that simultaneously as I cut the Prozac by 10% the grogginess happened.

 

A Prozac has a half life of 1-3 days and a duration of effect of 6-7 days how could I possibly be feeling the effects of the Prozac reduction in just a day or two?

 

Unless I am that hypersensitized now?

 

[[za...]]

I wanted to join the discussion, but am not sure how this works or where the discussion is? I thought I was ready to quit at .25 per day, but in looking at everyones signatures, it looks like I am no where close. I will need some help on how to reduce the dosage. I have been cutting .50's in half to get the .25. How hard can it be just to quit after getting this dosage down so far?

[[Re...]]

Rebel, who told you this?

 

who "just told you everything youre doing is wrong"...?

 

Sorry I did not answer you sooner.  I have had a hell of a day.

 

It was on another forum.

[[Be...]]

yes Steve, thats exactly right...

 

the hard part is making yourself believe all that when the big wave hits, cause your gonna scream "OH F#######!", lika girl...

[[Be...]]

and I also have a lot of trouble, probably all my trouble from this..

 

pre-existing acid reflux and upper digestive gas...I guess my "body" senses it building before I ever do, and starts to respond with anxiety... but yet I dont know it, because I dont feel the indigestion yet.. and the panic starts..... I can be in a full blown attack, shaking, nausea, numb lips, etc.... then I finally burp, and its over

 

when will I ever learn..

 

it just happened a few minutes ago, Ive lost track of how much coffee Ive drank today (and sugar) and I lost track of my metoprolol dose throu the holidays as well...

started feeling funny awhile back, trying to hold on without getting upset,, f inally burped.

problem solved

 

makes me wonder how many people have similiar problems but haven't been able to put two and two together......

 

I think I know to do it becuase I had these problems forever, pre-benzos...

 

yet, I still forget....

[[la...]]

yes Steve, thats exactly right...

 

the hard part is making yourself believe all that when the big wave hits, cause your gonna scream "OH F#######!", lika girl...

I laugh at this now, but I have a feeling I will not be laughing once this happens, haha.

 

[[Je...]]

Hey do any of you get tachycardia elevated by like 10-15 BPM, periodically?  especially after a cut.

[[la...]]

Hey do any of you get tachycardia elevated by like 10-15 BPM, periodically?  especially after a cut.

 

Well, I've only done one cut, but yes, I've noticed this.  Well not really tachycardia (as that means 100+ bmp) but up in the 80's, which is probably 10-15 bmp higher than normal.

 

btw, I read your 'story', and it sounds kind of similar to my own.  Except 'breakthrough' anxiety into the day took a lot longer to happen to you than me.

[[Be...]]

I wanna apologize to everybody, if you need a apology from me. I just had a pretty good anxiety attack that let me know how much I disregard a lot of what people might be really going through, and the lack of compassion I have on here...

I think Im compassionate in real life, Im the first to stop and help someone thats down, even when its a enemy, (which really sucks)

On here though, its just not as real to me......

I joke and kid a lot, its a coping mechanism Ive learn to use to survive since childhood, for different reasons, and I do a good job of "I dont care", which is another coping mechanism..

I do care though, in real life.....

I got hurt the other night, I think/thought it was "floating rib", but when the anxiety hit my head went crazy, Ive about convinced myself I got some weird condition thats gonna kill me

I also realized I forgot my heart meds, so that made it worse, Im cutting some too,, etc......

The anxiety showed me "just a little" of what others say they are going through on here, and while I show compassion where I can see its needed, I realize I often dont see where its needed as well, and my jokes and silliness probably hurt some people...

I just want people to know Im sorry, I do realize that this is really bad for a lot of people and want to offer YET ANOTHER apology and explanation...

I try to keep things in check, and I think Ive done OK, but when I experience this myself I realize just how hard it must be for some, and that I so often dont recognize that on here....

So,... Im sincerely sorry.

[[Be...]]

ya steve, you can see by my 2 or 3 previous post I had a anxiety attack brewing, didnt realize it a post or 2 back, but I shortly thereafter figured it out !!!!!

thus, the apology...

 

I just got through screaming lika gurl....

[[Be...]]

ps. dont let me scare you, it wasnt really that bad at all, Ive had much worse..

but, when you feel good, then you get that shakey, panicky, scatter-brain feeling, and it feels like you cant walk cause your feet are even shaking, it makes a believer out of you..

 

I think what scares me is that its even possible that stopping a little pill causes any of this....

 

but really on a scale of 1 to 10, 10 being bad, its was maybe a 4 or 5.......like I said, Ive had much worse (Pre-benzo)

 

like your post about how to handle your thinking,,, its very hard to do in the middle of that...

 

when you get through screaming lika gurl, let me know how it goes for you the first time lol

[[la...]]

ya steve, you can see by my 2 or 3 previous post I had a anxiety attack brewing, didnt realize it a post or 2 back, but I shortly thereafter figured it out !!!!!

thus, the apology...

 

I just got through screaming lika gurl....

Atleast you are able to stop them without drugs.  Congrats.

 

I haven't actually experienced one that I've stopped without xanax yet.  I've had 2 in the last couple months.  One was when I had a lot of school/financial stress around exam period and also happened to come after a fairly hard weekend of partying (I think this might of left me vulnerable).  The other was when I let a little comment from someone iritate me until I was upset about a host of other things.  Both times I needed to use xanax to stop them. 

 

Hopefully now that I'm in a less-stress environment for the next little bit, I won't have triggers to start panic attacks as much. we'll see I guess.

[[Je...]]

Hey do any of you get tachycardia elevated by like 10-15 BPM, periodically?  especially after a cut.

 

Well, I've only done one cut, but yes, I've noticed this.  Well not really tachycardia (as that means 100+ bmp) but up in the 80's, which is probably 10-15 bmp higher than normal.

 

btw, I read your 'story', and it sounds kind of similar to my own.  Except 'breakthrough' anxiety into the day took a lot longer to happen to you than me.

 

yep up into the 80s for me as well.  just above normal..noticeably. 

[[Re...]]

Benzy:  So I went off last night on a vent on this thread and today you had an anxiety attack here.  IT HAPPENS TO ALL OF US!

 

Like you, I have been feeling guilty all day about going off on here last night and even getting my feelings hurt because no one is replying to me and I am thinking that no one likes me anymore.  Not that any of you even know me.

 

We all are going through some rough shit on here and each one of us gets to take our turn exposing the effects of that.  No added guilt and regret necessary, myself included.

 

It's all good! 

 

 

[[Be...]]

Thanks Reb, a lot 

I sent u a PM

[[Ch...]]

Hi everyone! I wonder if the holiday stress might just be revving us (myself included) and that's causing the panic attacks right now. So it's not withdrawal, another med, or something else wrong. I have had way too many these past couple days.

 

I'm so jumpy & panicky. Guess I'm just gonna have to keep on swimming even though I feel like I'm going crazy.

 

I'm sorry u felt bad Rebel Maven! You seem quite nice I'm sorry no one (including me) responded. How are you feeling today? Who told you that you were wrong???

[[Fl...]]

Benzy:  So I went off last night on a vent on this thread and today you had an anxiety attack here.  IT HAPPENS TO ALL OF US!

 

Like you, I have been feeling guilty all day about going off on here last night and even getting my feelings hurt because no one is replying to me and I am thinking that no one likes me anymore.  Not that any of you even know me.

 

We all are going through some rough shit on here and each one of us gets to take our turn exposing the effects of that.  No added guilt and regret necessary, myself included.

 

It's all good! 

 

Mornin Rebel,

How are you today?  I have been off the site for a couple days...So, I just saw your vent

 

I don't find myself to be very well spoken like I would want to be.  I am, able to hear and recognize your frustration and that you are hurting and totally sick of it!  That I understand.  I would like to say something profound that may help you feel better; however, what I can do is listen, and offer my support.

 

There are so many here that are AWESOME with their words...I have found them to be comforting.  I have found several here that I gravitate toward.  I think that is normal for most of us.

 

I have a question for you...are you trying to come off of multiple med's?

 

I will wait to hear back from you, and I hope you are feeling better at this moment.

 

FluterByee

 

[[Ju...]]

Benzy, great post about how you sometimes don't think of us as being real.  I can assure you I am a real person on this end. 

 

Rebel, I had no idea how to reply to your post.  I wish I had it in me to be the sweet, supportive type.  I admire this about so many people here.  My brain is just wired in a technical way more so these days.  Glad that you could vent though.

 

Steve, I've never had a panic attack, but I've seen someone have one and they were in rough shape.  I thought that when I began my taper that the only thing that would happen to me was some bad insomnia.  Since this is why I took Xanax, this is what I thought withdrawal would be.  I did not have insomnia during my taper.  Anxiety was not one of my main wd symptoms either.  Just a whole host of other, lovely unexpected symptoms occurred. 

 

ChiMom, I can attest to the fact that the holidays caused an increase of symptoms for me last year when I was in the thick of tapering.  On Dec. 26, the symptoms lifted and I was able to make a cut again that day.  This Christmas has been great.  No increased symptoms.  Plus, I'm getting on a plane and flying to the Florida Keys next week.  Last year at this time doing this would not have been possible.  Point being, we really can bounce back from this experience, sometimes rather quickly.

 

Fluter, good to see you.  I hope you had a wonderful Christmas!

 

JerryK, I didn't have a problem with an elevated heart rate very often.  It was very occasional.  I breathed through those instances.  Always telling myself, "this is just benzo withdrawal and it can't hurt me". 

 

Hang in there everyone. 

 

[[Bl...]]

Juliea

 

I have always taken comfort in your posts. Along with emotional support and encouragement,  knowledge is imperative to our recovery.

Thank you for hanging around after you jumped to become one of the BB team.

 

Blue

[[Be...]]

thats it?

you go missing for days and  youre gonna try to sneak back in with one little single comment to someone and not tell us where you eloped to......

mhmmmm, MHMMMM

[[Be...]]

(I think theres something to my theory about you  eloping with that Santa impersonator myself)

[[Ju...]]

Juliea

 

I have always taken comfort in your posts. Along with emotional support and encouragement,  knowledge is imperative to our recovery.

Thank you for hanging around after you jumped to become one of the BB team.

 

Blue

Thank you ((((Blue))))). 

[[Bl...]]

(I think theres something to my theory about you  eloping with that Santa impersonator myself)

Good morning Benzy

I have him on a diet. Next stop is a new hair color and style.

 

Blue

 

[[Be...]]

dress em up baby dress em up, thats my  motto too, ugly people need luv too

[[la...]]

 

Steve, I've never had a panic attack, but I've seen someone have one and they were in rough shape.  I thought that when I began my taper that the only thing that would happen to me was some bad insomnia.  Since this is why I took Xanax, this is what I thought withdrawal would be.  I did not have insomnia during my taper.  Anxiety was not one of my main wd symptoms either.  Just a whole host of other, lovely unexpected symptoms occurred. 

 

That is interesting Juliea, I hope anxiety isn't one of mine.  I had a harder time falling a sleep last night, but got to sleep and was a sleep for like 9 hours.  I think one of the reasons I hard a hard time falling a sleep was because I was focused on the fact that I could 'feel' my heart beating (which I assume is a WD symptom).

 

One interesting thing though is I actually had a dream last night.  I haven't had dreams since I've been on Xanax due to it changing the sleep architecture.  Weird that one little dose drop was enough to bring REM sleep back.