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

[[la...]]

Hey guys, haven't posted in a while. 

 

Just figured I'd pop in and say hey.  I ended up going back up to 1mg at night.  Still feeling pretty intense anxiety all the time, but figured it would probably be a good idea to talk to my Dr. , and get 'steady' before trying to wean off this stuff.  My doc ended up referring my to a Pdoc, so we'll see how that goes. For the time being he upped my Lexapro dose.

 

No idea if what I'm experiencing is even due to the Xanax in all honesty, so we'll see what the Pdoc says.

[[Be...]]

try, try again Lacey!

[[VC...]]

Hi VC,

 

You've been taking 0.5mg at bedtime (10 pm) and 0.25 mg (1 pm) for the past two days.  Are you going to stay on this consistently, in order to taper off?  I would advise deciding quickly on a daily dose, and then stay there.  No more PRN, okay?  It in itself is pretty hard on your CNS and can cause heavy sensitivity to the drug (IMO).  Not to mention, it is pretty difficult to taper off with any sort of efficiency or accuracy on an inconsistent daily dosage   Also, do you know if you want to taper using dry-cutting methods, or using water titration?

 

Thanks, mrsalw! Yes, i was taking bedtime doses occasionally, then every night, then stopped, but NOW I'm at 0,5mg for bed, and added the 0,25 mid day to see if that would stop my arrhythmias. Right now I'm having them again, even though I took my bedtime dose already. So will drop offline and try to settle down. I hope I'm doing this right. I'm still freaked out, although I slept okay last night and today went better than  usual. Why am I have irregular heartbeats again? Sigh...I think being on the computer late at night doesn't help. Catch you tomorrow...when i can respond better.

 

 

[[Be...]]

 

              LARD, GIVE ME

              C  O  F  F  E  E

                to change the

                things I can

                change, and

                    W I N E

                to accept the

                things I can't.

[[mr...]]

VC,

 

It could simply be tolerance that are kicking up a few heart sensations. It is a VERY common symptom, and not one to be fearful of. Of course, communicate with your doctor in order to calm your concerns But I believe you're gonna be okay

 

Hopefulgirl, are you out there? Could you perhaps PM VC about the helpful heart remedies you use?

 

I'm sure you two will be "BFF" in no time flat!! Y'all will be able to chat heart stuff like no other!!

 

How's things going otherwise for you, VC? I'm glad to hear you're staying at a consistent dosage now per day. Sit at that for a good week or two at least, and see how you're feeling. We can talk taper schedules after that point, once you're stable I will mention that it will probably be wise of you to consider moving slower through a taper program than what you did the last time -- if you've withdrawn once or multiple times from a benzo, most people have a harder go at it the second time, if they try to do it at the same pace as the first time around But first things first -- get stable, and we'll go from there

 

Hope you sleep well, friend!! We'll prob chat more tomorrow

[[la...]]

try, try again Lacey!

Thanks Benzy

[[VC...]]

Thanks, Mrsalw. Just wrote you a longer note and lost it. Had my heart act up last night or a couple hours before bed due to reading the forum too late, I guess. Then again this morning when tornado sirens were going off. I'm so upset now, every BP reading is elevated, showing irregularities with heartbeat, and sleep was patchy last night. So...I've had better days.

 

I didn't think I could even experience tolerance when i kept my dosing PRN and low. A wellness coach ran a hair analysis on me and it showed me very deficient in magnesium, electrolytes, and other minerals so I've been trying to ramp up my nutrition with just enough supplements that my body needs without overwhelming it. Mentally, this is all quite a challenge. i thought I had progressed from adrenal fatigue to adrenal exhaustion (which I have) but thought getting off the Xanax was helping. Guess the interdosing messed me up?

 

Think I'll go lie down and do some breathing. My head feels flushed and I'm just so down today. Thank you for helping me. I'm on board with vit. C & magnesium and a few others. Had stopped the melatonin when I reinstated a regular bedtime xanax dose.

 

Is 0.75mg total too much after only dosing with 0.25-0.5 occasionally? My system is still very sensitive...feel like I have to lay around all day to get it to calm down. Don't know how anyone works like this.

 

Thanks,

VCharis

[[mr...]]

(Just another mention that this is all just my opinion, and not medical advise or anything, of course! )

 

I became tolerant very, very quickly, on a very PRN dosing...not to mention a very low dosing (0.25mg per day). If you've read the Ashton manual, you've seen that xanax (the benzo with the shortest half-life) is about 20x more potent than valium (the benzo with the longest half-life). So, do I believe that tolerance can set in on a "tiny" dose, and only PRN? You bet.

 

As far as your current daily dosage, I cannot really give you much of an opinion regarding that, hunny. You'll have to decide that for you. Do you feel more stable on this higher dose? Does it help your symptoms subside a bit? If so, I'd say stay there for a while -- a week or two -- just to provide your body some sense of stability. Note that "stability" does not necessarily mean you'll feel 100% "normal" again, but it means you'll find a "baseline" of symptoms that are consistent -- it may feel "icky", but it is a consistent "icky" and you'll know what to expect of yourself in a day -- does that make sense?  Also, since you've withdrawn completely from xanax once already, and you've used it PRN for a good portion of your usage, you will probably be more sensitive to the drug and cuts you make. I personally believe that casual PRN usage can even act like a series of "mini cold-turkies" and "mini reinstates". I mention this so that you can make good decisions regarding your next taper schedule. When a person withdrawals and reinstates, it can set the tone for "kindling" to occur (which is just a fancy way of saying you have a heightened sensitivity to the drug), so it is wise to take things slow, and take sure steps in tapering so that you can guarantee never needing to updose & such.

 

I personally chose the route of water titration as a taper method. I was able to find a daily dose of xanax that I became very stable on, and after splitting my daily dose into four equal parts (every six hours, to account for xanax's six-hour half-life), I eliminated much of my discomfort from the interdose withdrawals I was experiencing. Another option is the route of crossing over to valium from your daily xanax dosage, and then tapering slowly off of that.

 

So how do you decide which route is best for you? 

 

The decision is purely yours, and no one can make that decision for you.  Good news, right?   A couple things I asked myself, and thought about, when deciding my taper plan...

 

One factor that was huge in my deciding to water taper directly from xanax was that I was able to find stability and a "comfortable" baseline of symptoms using xanax and splitting the dosage.  Some cannot find this stability using xanax; they are just too sensitive to its potency.  I believe you will figure this out soon enough, just by sitting at your daily dosage of 0.75mg per day -- ask yourself that question in 7-10 days: are you feeling stable?  Is this a "comfortable" baseline of symptoms for you?  If not, are you getting closer?  Do you feel interdose withdrawal, and if that is where your discomfort lies, would moving your daily dosage to 4 or 5 times per day eliminate your discomfort to a point where you feel you could manage your symptoms and taper off entirely?  If you find yourself 2-3-4 weeks down the road here, and still as uncomfortable at 0.75mg per day as you were to start with, even after tweaking the number of times you dose per day, than a valium crossover might be a viable option for you.  If a valium crossover is something you want to gather more information on, start by talking with your doctor to see if this is an option they would be open to helping you do.  When you meet with him/her, be smart, calm, logical, etc about it.  Bring in the Ashton manual, and show him/her the equivalencies, as well as perhaps bringing in a rough draft of a crossover schedule and tapering schedule that you feel very comfortable with.  The more informed and thought-out your plan is, the less likely your doctor would find reason to go against it (I believe).  I'll be the first to tell you that I would not be your resource for information regarding a valium crossover, as I've never done it myself.  Juliea on here is AMAZING with taper plans, and could probably be a great resource to start with, in learning more about your options regarding a valium crossover.  Shout out to her on here if you want to learn more information regarding it

 

One other important question I asked myself was, which route am I most comfortable-feeling with?  I.E., which one causes the least amount of angst/worry/anxiety?  Which one can I see myself actually successfully tapering off the drug entirely? Etc.  I believe that plays an important role as well in deciding which route is best for you.

 

Hope this helps you a little bit, VC   It's nothing to get scared or worried about doing, okay?  It's just taking the proper steps, thinking logically about your situation, gathering information, etc to be able to make an informed, reasonable decision on a taper plan that is what you feel is best for your situation.  There is no rush or hurry, by any means.  Take your time in making adjustments with your xanax, and allow your tweaks and changes enough time to "stabilize" (7-10 days) before deciding if its going to work for you or not.  Ask lots of questions.  And yes, stay away from negative reports and stories as well, LOL NONE of us need that kind of thing right now (or ever, really)!

 

Enjoy your day, friend   I'll be back on later today I'm sure.  Hope this has been a little helpful for ya; you're going to do great, and be just fine!! 

 

Mrs.

 

[[VC...]]

Thanks, Mrs. Right now my brain is going "OMG, OMG, OMG!" A little on overload. Will try to do some of my adrenal breathing exercises and get this BP to come down. Seems like it shouldn't be that complicated (tapering) but if I've "kindled" all year with these interdoses, stops, and starts - well, I wonder how others have faired. These surges have gone on for a year now, with some "rests" for a days, weeks in between. I can't figure out how or why just yet. Need to lasso my brain when I calm down. The real anxiety-producer is fearing that no doctor is gonna get this at all. I'm exhausted (literally, adrenals) from talking to doctors about thyroid, adrenals, heart, now benzos w/d? They will think I'm nuts. However, the sun will come out tomorrow. Thank you for helping me!!

 

hugs & hankies,

VCharis

[[Mo...]]

Thanks, Mrs. Right now my brain is going "OMG, OMG, OMG!" A little on overload. Will try to do some of my adrenal breathing exercises and get this BP to come down. Seems like it shouldn't be that complicated (tapering) but if I've "kindled" all year with these interdoses, stops, and starts - well, I wonder how others have faired. These surges have gone on for a year now, with some "rests" for a days, weeks in between. I can't figure out how or why just yet. Need to lasso my brain when I calm down. The real anxiety-producer is fearing that no doctor is gonna get this at all. I'm exhausted (literally, adrenals) from talking to doctors about thyroid, adrenals, heart, now benzos w/d? They will think I'm nuts. However, the sun will come out tomorrow. Thank you for helping me!!

 

hugs & hankies,

VCharis

 

 

VCharis, Have you tried meditation to help you calm down.  It took some practice but it helped me when I thought I was going crazy.  A good website that even has an app for your phone is calm.com.  Hope you start feeling better.

[[No...]]

Thanks, Mrs. Right now my brain is going "OMG, OMG, OMG!" A little on overload. Will try to do some of my adrenal breathing exercises and get this BP to come down. Seems like it shouldn't be that complicated (tapering) but if I've "kindled" all year with these interdoses, stops, and starts - well, I wonder how others have faired. These surges have gone on for a year now, with some "rests" for a days, weeks in between. I can't figure out how or why just yet. Need to lasso my brain when I calm down. The real anxiety-producer is fearing that no doctor is gonna get this at all. I'm exhausted (literally, adrenals) from talking to doctors about thyroid, adrenals, heart, now benzos w/d? They will think I'm nuts. However, the sun will come out tomorrow. Thank you for helping me!!

 

hugs & hankies,

VCharis

 

    Hello VCharis,

 

        You stated " These surges have gone on for a year now, with some "rests" for a days, weeks in between. I can't figure out how or why just yet" reminds me of myself 2 years ago. My Doctor explained it: Rebound

Anxiety. When you take Xanax, and instead of calming you, you are "surging" in symptoms.

 

        I am Not a Dr. nor can I advise you nor would I want too. We are all different. Mrs. used daily titration,

  I used cut/hold but with compounding the dose (.0625mg) due to the sensitivity issue's I had with just cutting

  a regular .25mg Xanax into a 1/4 (.065mg). The variance just threw me. Regardless, You can do this.

  Get informed. Read all you can about Benzo Withdrawal and Tapering. I had to get to a good place before I

  could really start tapering. You will too~~~

 

        Take Care

        NFM

[[mr...]]

Love you, NFM!!!

 

How is FREEDOM treating you? I'm at the final stretch, and am looking onward to the finish line I'd love to hear what's changed for you since you've jumped

 

Hope all has been well! Have a great day, dear NFM

[[ma...]]

I  thought I would try the .05mg again at 830am i was feeling fine before and then after i took it until about noon started getting jittery and nervous heavy chest ect. I dont understand this i have always took this dose a day in 2 1/2 though 4 hours in between. I am also suppose to take 1/2 a pill in the evening i just dont know what to do break them up like you said and see what happens then because i cant keep this up,i have to take care of kids and drive place,i put in a call to dr but who knows when they will get back to me should i maybe take 1/2 of the 1/2 nightly pill now to see if that helps? thanks so much and i am not sure how to get to the other place to post sorry newbie Then the Dr calls and tells me to take .05mg in the am then 1/2 of .05mg at noon? it is 330pm I took the 1/2 at 1  and still a bit on edge, I have been taking them for a year usually .05mg 1/2 at a time,have upset stomach in the am and i am very nervous now taking it this way for the past few days will it stop or should i try doing something different never have taken more then .075mg and most of the time less. So please tell me what is the best way to take .075 mg a day that is 1  .05 pill and then another 1/2 of .05mg to make it work throughout the day she wants to stabilize my dose to try to get the nervousness under control and all it is doing is making me feel jittery and sick in the am anyone have a good way to do this and feel better? I have NO depression NO stress and NO reason to be nervous at all do i need to see a different kind of Dr or stick this out i have been i am about 50 lbs overweight and i have been working on that also i stopped all sugar intake about a month ago and i was a heave sugar user really want to get this under control so i can work on me and then getting of it at some point thanks again

[[No...]]

Love you, NFM!!!

 

How is FREEDOM treating you? I'm at the final stretch, and am looking onward to the finish line I'd love to hear what's changed for you since you've jumped

 

Hope all has been well! Have a great day, dear NFM

  Hi Mrs

 

        Freedom is going well. I had a lot of sx, just like everyone.

 

        Symptoms NO longer present:

            Dp/Dr

            Intrusive Thoughts ( I could not believe it just STOPPED like that)

            Ideations of Ill Health

            Anxiety, funny how this was my one of the reason's for taking Xanax

            Panic is diminishing daily as in a lot

            Painful Right Arm Impingement. I had for over 6 months. I thought I was going to have to go

                to the Dr. I EXCERCISED my arm every day or every other day. Warmed up first,

                then did PT at home, in shower. I could not lift my Right arm up. GONE

            Inflammation in my lymph nodes is diminishing

            I can READ, LISTEN to MUSIC, play my piano. Noise is okay. Even with children.

            Watch shows I could not before.

            Walk, walk and more walking.

            Agoraphobia is GONE, This was crucial in the beginning as I could not leave my home.

            Laughter is back

            Wake up and go to bed at the same time everynight. Please, everyone develop this habit.

            Don't Obsess about things.

           

            Things that are improving, but still have:

 

            Benzo Belly, working on it

            Muscle aches and pains come and go

            Get overwhelmed easily, got to watch that one

            Try not to overdue anything.

            Best advice:    KNOW YOURSELF AND YOUR LIMITS.............

           

            Wishing you a good "Farewell" to Xanax, Mrs. Plus you WORKED~~~~~~~

 

            Thanks for the LOVE~

            Back to you and all of Xanax Taperer's here~~~~

 

            Notforme

[[Ju...]]

Marley, please describe your pills for me.  You said in another thread that you were taking .05mg, not .50mg.  How are you measuring this?  The smallest dose pill that Xanax comes in are .25mg and they are white.  The 1mg Xanax are blue and I 'believe' the .50mg pills are yellow, (someone please correct me if the .50mg are another color).

 

What color are your pills and what country do you get your medication from?

 

Thanks.

 

http://www.drug3k.com/img/alprazolam_(big)_.jpg

[[Be...]]

Marley, I just got up from a nap so Im not seeing straigtht...

Why are you taking Xanax in the first place??? if your not anxious and stressed???

 

Youve been at this dose for about a year? So did you up your dose recently, or just change your dosing times and amounts around a bit???

 

If you didnt up your dose recently, it sounds like maybe youve hit tolerance with your current dose...I think if thats the case you might would have to updose to a amount that stabilizes you and then try a taper plan if you want to get off the drug....

 

regardless, If youre in tolerance, youd have to updose to help with the anxiety, changing your current dose wouldnt help it... and updosing might not, once tolerance sets in....

 

sorry if I misread your post.... like I said, I just woke up...

[[ma...]]

Oh so sorry they are 0.5 mg pills uhg no wonder you were lost sorry again 

[[Be...]]

Oh marley, I reread your post, disregard what I said...I didnt read your post right...

 

My .5's have always been pink/peach

[[Be...]]

my 1 and 2 mgs bars were yellow (school buses)

[[Ju...]]

Oh so sorry they are 0.5 mg pills uhg no wonder you were lost sorry again 

Uh huh.    That's what I thought.    You did not respond to me when I attempted to clarify this with you in your Introductory post. 

 

Support is a two way street.  Please remember that.

 

How did you feel when you dropped your dose from .50mg to .25mg for 2-months, did you start having really heavy withdrawals? 

[[Be...]]

from what I read,,, you take a total of .75mgs a day..... .5 in the morning, and .25 at night?

and you wanna know how to space it out to help the anxiety? until you stabilize??

[[ma...]]

I take 0.5 mg in the am and then 1/2 of a 0.5 mg in the evening. I was splitting the 0.5mg in half and taking on in the am and one in the afternoon and then like 1/4 of 0.5mg at night if needed it that was for about 3 months,before that it was like one 0.5mg a day and that was it,Dr wanted me to get on one stable dose so she said to do 0.5mg in the am and then 1/2 of 0.5 mg at night i did this for 2 days and by noon i was a nervous so i called the Dr and know she says to take the 0.5mg in the am then 1/2 of 0.5mg at noon and i guess 1/2 of 0.5mg at night. I do not want to take alot and have a hard time getting of this stuff i was never told what the effects were on it i was totally oblivious to any of this all i knew I was having heart palps and i could not even drive my car,I have gotten over the heart palps and I can drive but get nervous i think when the am dose wears off. It is all a nervous jittery feeling inside no depression or anything like that,i just want to feel normal again instead of worrying about this everyday and it running my life i believe I am on a small dose and was told it would be ok and the dr would help me get off it when the time was right well until then how to i get to where i feel ok and can work on my nerves in other ways? sorry i am new at this and did not get alot of info from the dr at first? and i have no idea what is causing this at all i know my dad and aunts had bad nervous issues also,am on the right medicine to help with nervousness? so many questions un answered also i wake up feeling sick for about 2 hours then i am better thank you for being patient with me and for any help

[[Be...]]

So maybe interdose withdrawals, tolerance, or a mix of all of it...

 

Sounds like you might should get on a stable dose, sit there a bit, then start a taper..

 

Try to stabilize first....

[[ma...]]

Ok thanks would it be better to break up the days dose i take into several doses would that help or should i just stay here for a bit and see if i feel better? also how hard will it be to taper off this dose thank for your quick response

[[VC...]]

        You stated " These surges have gone on for a year now, with some "rests" for a days, weeks in between. I can't figure out how or why just yet" reminds me of myself 2 years ago. My Doctor explained it: Rebound

Anxiety. When you take Xanax, and instead of calming you, you are "surging" in symptoms.

 

        I am Not a Dr. nor can I advise you nor would I want too. We are all different. Mrs. used daily titration,

  I used cut/hold but with compounding the dose (.0625mg) due to the sensitivity issue's I had with just cutting

  a regular .25mg Xanax into a 1/4 (.065mg). The variance just threw me. Regardless, You can do this.

  Get informed. Read all you can about Benzo Withdrawal and Tapering. I had to get to a good place before I

  could really start tapering. You will too~~~

 

        Take Care

        NFM

 

Thanks, NFM. Appreciate it. I've read a lot but the more I read, the more anxious I get. I've been to the cardio, endo, primary care, and called my original pdoc from two years ago who last prescribed, and none of them think the xanax is causing arrhythmias or adrenaline surges, and I just don't think they any of them know what to do. A new doc just prescribed enough xanax so I won't be without, but he wanted to give me 1 mg tablets! I said no. Just needed some to start weaning off the crap. I'll see him again in a couple weeks.

 

Thanks for your input.

 

I'm having more anxiety today but yesterday wasn't bad. Then again, a couple things really upset me. I've done my breathing exercises, and got my BP/arrhythmias to stop. Soon as I raise up in bed or have a conversation with my husband, they start up again. This is really wearing on me.

 

I've been reading BB off and on for months, so I'm fairly informed, just scared. Not sure what compounding means. I have 0.5mg pills, and my most bothersome symptom is irregular heartbeats, adrenaline surge, BP raises ==all happens together. I can't lay in my bed all day trying to avoid the least upset. If I keep raising my dose to help with this, won't that make matters worse? I was not taking that much before - just for sleep, and was told by a doctor to take it only when needed. I'm so angry about the misinformation from MDs.

 

Thank you. Going to work on lowering my BP. My wellness coach thinks this is all adrenal exhaustion and HPA axis stuff. But I guess benzo use complicates all this.