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

[[Re...]]

Really, Rebel? Yikes! It does NOT sit well with me, LOL. I don't feel good for about 48 hours after!

 

Me either but I keep on truckin'.

[[Re...]]

Happy New Year to all!

 

http://www.sympato.ch/smileys/fiesta.gif

[[Ra...]]

 

 

Thank you Challis, so would you start chopping the 2mg, get it down to 1mg and then start chopping every other one.  So once I'm down to 1mg afternoon and 1mg night, then start chopping afternoon dose, hold for 2 weeks or so and them chop the night dose and so on?  Thank you so much for your help.

 

Let's cross that bridge when we get there… for now I'd cut the 2mg by .0625 which is much smaller than the 10% usually recommended but I think it's best to go cautiously.  I was able to cut .25 at a time but I'm a headstrong fool sometimes.  Besides, I was doing it on my own and totally guessing how much to cut.

 

Do you have .25 tablets to cut?

 

Thank you Challis, no I don't have any .25s to cut from, I'll have to talk to my doctor about that.  I'm hoping after what I've been through in the last 3 months, he'll agree to that.  I want to go low and slow to avoid crippling symptoms.  I don't really want anyone to know I'm tapering off Xanax if I can help it.

 

I hope so, too.  Maybe call him the day after New Year's and ask for .25s.  Most doctors will be happy you're tapering and gladly provide them.  If you have any sense that he will try to rush you through a taper or cut off your refills then don't mention tapering. 

 

.0625 is one-fourth of a .25 and that's sort of the Xanax magic cut number.

 

I actually have an appt with him on 1/2, but we won't be talking taper yet.  I've got to get back to work and stable there first.

 

No I think he will be OK with the taper once we agree it's time, my fear is that he will try to taper me too fast.  I have 2mg bars, so hard to get to a .0625 cut from there.  He just hates it when I tell him I've been on the internet and 'they say', so I'll have be careful how I word it, but generally he is very supportive of me. 

 

Thank you!

[[Ra...]]

Rabbit, I'll weigh in from the other viewpoint on divided dosages...

 

Dividing my dosages into four times per day, every six hours, removed about 50% of my symptoms and made tapering a WHOLE lot better...

 

Not to confuse you or anything, friend. But if you have a hard time with interdose withdrawal, it might be a good idea to try. If you have no issues with it, you probably don't need to brother

 

Thank you Mrs, I'm not having any issues now with interdose withdrawal, at least nothing serious.  Were you previously dosing once a day and went to 4 times per day?

 

Yep. I moved from "PRN" (as needed) to once per day, then gradually to twice per day, then gradually to four timed per day. I slooooowly progressed to the four dosings, just to go easy on myself.

 

Thank you!  How gradually did you space out your dosing?

[[mr...]]

Rabbit, I water titrate. So when I started water titrating, I was at 0.125mg at 9am and 0.125mg at 9pm. So, I dissolved my 0.25mg tablet into 250mL water, and split in half (125mL).

 

When I began moving it to 4x per day, I did so in 10mL increments. So, day 1 of transition was something like:

 

9am: 115mL

3pm: 10mL

9pm: 115mL

3am: 10mL

 

And continued until I was evenly dosed every six hours. I then held that for 7-10 days, as it acts like a cut. Make sense?

[[Ra...]]

Rabbit, I water titrate. So when I started water titrating, I was at 0.125mg at 9am and 0.125mg at 9pm. So, I dissolved my 0.25mg tablet into 250mL water, and split in half (125mL).

 

When I began moving it to 4x per day, I did so in 10mL increments. So, day 1 of transition was something like:

 

9am: 115mL

3pm: 10mL

9pm: 115mL

3am: 10mL

 

And continued until I was evenly dosed every six hours. I then held that for 7-10 days, as it acts like a cut. Make sense?

 

Yes that makes sense.  I don't know that I would be able to water titrate.  I have to fly for my job sometimes.  I guess I could put it in my checked bag, but what if it got lost??  OMGosh!  That's my main reason for wanting to dry cut.  Thank you for the detailed explanation.  Did you really get up and take a dose at 3:00am?

[[mr...]]

Did you really get up and take a dose at 3:00am?

 

Not only DID I, lol...I still DO!!

 

Its a bit unorthodox, I realize, but I would find myself waking with interdose withdrawal otherwise!

[[Ra...]]

Thank you Mrs, I'm calling it a night 

[[Be...]]

Rabbit, if your Dr is supportive like you say, just download and copy the Ashton Manual for him and hand it to him next time you see him, I bet he would support you doing the Ashton type tapering then...Mine did..he said he thought it was insane, but he helped me none the less

[[Iw...]]

I'm close, Hopefulgirl, but still have a little ways to go.

 

I remember someone else 'hitting the wall' so to speak at about 3/4ths off, and I then researched marathons. I wanted to know the toughest part of the run for the marathoners (besides the start, of course). And you know when that was? You've guessed right: mile 20-21. Right about 3/4ths the way.

 

Its the toughest leg, besides the start, because you're as tired, burnt out, run down, and hurt as you're going to be on the journey...you've already been going a long time and you've used up all your helpers in your "bag of tricks"...and the finish line is still just far enough out that you still can't see it. Its a TOUGH time, and its very easy to become convinced that the finish line is never gonna come. You just plain want to quit, mentally and physically.

 

I don't like to say it, but while I understood the concept before, I know the feeling now. Its all I've got in me at some moments (albeit they're very short lived) to keep going. At the lowest of the low moments, its miserable. Absolute pits. But you know what? Through it all, this whole mess, I don't know that I'd trade it. Weird as that sounds, but my strength and character and COMPASSION for others has grown so much this year, in ways that it probably never would've...I can't imagine being the person I was before all this. And, MAN! I used to be AWFUL to my husband. And even before I started treating him better, he STILL stood by me, supported me, loved me, helped me, and took care of me and EVERYTHING else in our lives when I couldn't from this mess...our victory in marriage now is so precious to me...

 

This benzo storm has surely ravaged many a thing, but the flowers and the beauty that has grown from the freshly dampened soil of the storm is so precious...and that new growth has only just begun, you know? Amidst the dumb Benzo What-Ifs that drum around, I just believe deep down things will get better...its a hope and a dream of mine, for complete healing, restored as twice the person I entered into all this as.

 

Mrs is rambling again, lol...my apologies for filling up the forum tonight. I hope your new year celebration is a good one; may 2014 be a year of exponential healing and new hope!!

 

 

This is so beautiful! And like someone else said, inspiring....

[[Be...]]

another thing that helped me, I know you got your own reason for keeping things private.. but I found that if I talked about it, it took a LOT of the stress and anxiety away, when I was in public and dealing with people..

 

if I felt any anxiety, I would just play it off "whew! Im tapering off a benzo drug Ive been taking for ? and Im having a bit of anxiety".... it lessened things greatly... most times I would find out the other people were on them as well,, like 99 % of them...

 

you might not still wanna share with people what youre doing,, it helped me though...

for some reason being in public around people left me feeling a lot of anxiety, because I thought I was in trouble, if I had a problem, and couldn't let them know......so it helped to be open about it for me...

 

of course, theres some people you wouldnt wanna tell period..

[[Be...]]

Rabbit, I'll weigh in from the other viewpoint on divided dosages...

 

Dividing my dosages into four times per day, every six hours, removed about 50% of my symptoms and made tapering a WHOLE lot better...

 

Not to confuse you or anything, friend. But if you have a hard time with interdose withdrawal, it might be a good idea to try. If you have no issues with it, you probably don't need to brother

 

Thank you Mrs, I'm not having any issues now with interdose withdrawal, at least nothing serious.  Were you previously dosing once a day and went to 4 times per day?

 

Rabbit, this is good advice from Mrs. she so smawt.. but I would add this.. If you have no issues with it, you probably dont need to sister either...Im jus sayn..

[[Ra...]]

another thing that helped me, I know you got your own reason for keeping things private.. but I found that if I talked about it, it took a LOT of the stress and anxiety away, when I was in public and dealing with people..

 

if I felt any anxiety, I would just play it off "whew! Im tapering off a benzo drug Ive been taking for ? and Im having a bit of anxiety".... it lessened things greatly... most times I would find out the other people were on them as well,, like 99 % of them...

 

you might not still wanna share with people what youre doing,, it helped me though...

for some reason being in public around people left me feeling a lot of anxiety, because I thought I was in trouble, if I had a problem, and couldn't let them know......so it helped to be open about it for me...

 

of course, theres some people you wouldnt wanna tell period..

 

Thanks Benzy!  I'm a very open person and would prefer to be open about it, but in my office, it would not be cool at all.  It would be considered very unprofessional.  That said, they all know I currently take Xanax as I've mentioned that instead of a gum dispensing machine in the copy room, they should have a Xanax dispenser.  That was of course before I knew what was going on with how awful the withdrawals could be.  I would never say that now!

[[Be...]]

ya thats understandable, but I mean more when your like in a one on one situation, like a conversation during a break, or lunch...then it makes it a bit easier to do...

[[mr...]]

Rabbit, I'll weigh in from the other viewpoint on divided dosages...

 

Dividing my dosages into four times per day, every six hours, removed about 50% of my symptoms and made tapering a WHOLE lot better...

 

Not to confuse you or anything, friend. But if you have a hard time with interdose withdrawal, it might be a good idea to try. If you have no issues with it, you probably don't need to brother

 

Thank you Mrs, I'm not having any issues now with interdose withdrawal, at least nothing serious.  Were you previously dosing once a day and went to 4 times per day?

 

Rabbit, this is good advice from Mrs. she so smawt.. but I would add this.. If you have no issues with it, you probably dont need to sister either...Im jus sayn..

 

You're so sass...

[[mr...]]

...least I still have the power to modify...

 

Mwaa-ha-ha-ha-ha!!!   :laugh:

[[Be...]]

[[mr...]]

 

What's this? Benzy? Speechless? I have done the impossible...

 

:2funny: :2funny:

[[Re...]]

 

What's this? Benzy? Speechless? I have done the impossible...

 

:2funny: :2funny:

 

Well, that's for dang sure!! 

[[Be...]]

yall better be glad Bluebell wouldnt gimme the link to that smiley face that flips the birdie..

[[mr...]]

Poooooor Benzy...

 

:laugh:

[[Mo...]]

I spoke to my p-doc yesterday and he told me it is okay to drop my dosage again.  I was on 1 mg Xanax XR twice a day and dropped to 1mg Xanax XR in the morning and .5mg Xanax Xr at night.  That was almost 3 months ago.  I really didn't have any problems with that drop and actually felt better because I wasn't so tired during the day.  He told me to drop another .5mg in the morning to make my dosage .5mg Xanax XR twice a day.  I know everyone here will say that is too fast so I am very nervous about that drop but my doctor has assured me that the XR is easier to get off of than regular and he has weaned many people this way with the XR.  I asked him if it would be okay to take a little of my regular xanax to ease into the .5mg drop and he is fine with that.  I think I may take .5mg Xanax XR in the morning and than around 10 am take 1/4 of a regular .5mg regular and another 1/4 around 2pm to and say there for a few weeks.  Any opinions of this taper? 

[[ba...]]

Monique

 

I dropped .5 in the beginning of my taper.  It knocked me flat, but only for a short time.  It's the low dosages that got to me.  You'll know within a couple of weeks if you can take that big of a drop.  If you can't, you would have to updose to your previous  position and do a smaller cut when stabilized.  This "drug" is really sneaky. 

 

[[Be...]]

Thats the typical U.S. Standard Drs taper, a lot of people can do it successfully. But...

It's the reason for the Ashton Manual(and BBs) because we (the minority) can't, without problems..

You might can, maybe you won't be in the minority group!!!

You can try it but be careful...

Will he let you go slower? If you want or need to?

[[Bl...]]

I was looking back at my posts from over a year ago. Here is one of them. To the newbies...sound familiar? I thought I would never get off these two drugs, but here I am in 2014 off of both!!! Most days I feel good.

                                                                                         

"I have been cruising around different BB blogs. One of them was for people that have gone cold turkey.  After reading that the symptoms persist even after the drug is out of your system scared me. What about those that taper slowly? Is it any better? Do the W/D symptoms continue after jumping? 

 

I once went a few days without Xanax about 10 months ago or so. It was not much fun. I did not sleep well, I had a hard time concentrating and I made stupid mistakes at work. Is that what I have to look forward to once I have successfully tapered off Xanax? Or will it be better because I have given my body time to adjust?

 

Sorry for being a downer, but I am scared right now. I can not believe I am in this position...a frigging drug addict   And not only am I addicted to Xanax, I can not just quit Effexor XR ( an antidepressant), without having terrible W/D symptoms.

 

As many have said before me, "Had I known, I  never would started these drugs".

 

Thanks for listening and I wish you a good day or night depending where you live".

 

Bluebell