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

[[ma...]]

Hate the jewelers scale. Going to try titration. 300ml water, .78 starting dose. Removing 1ml liquid a day. I figured that's 2.5% a week reduction.  Changed the formula slightly to reflect when I get to .75. I'm happy to post my excel spreadsheet if anyone wants to see it.

 

My question is: I dose 5 times a day (for now), and need to make the doses ahead of time (night before). How long is the xanax water stable? The doses would be taken within 24 hrs of being made.

 

Thank you so much!!!!

 

Also: is it 300ml water without taking into consideration the little bit the pill will raise the volume? Or do you take the pill into consideration with the water addition? Or am I overthinking?

 

(Crossposted at titration thread)

[[VC...]]

 

My question is: I dose 5 times a day (for now), and need to make the doses ahead of time (night before). How long is the xanax water stable? The doses would be taken within 24 hrs of being made.

 

I'm still learning about LT myself, and read somewhere  last night that we should use the xanax water within that same 24hrs. since it loses potency beyond that point. Hope I'm right about that but someone else will chime in, I'm sure. (I'd like to see your spreadsheet, btw).

 

VCharis

[[mr...]]

Mac & VC,

 

Correct -- use within 24 hours, and toss remainder. Try to mix it upon 1st dose of the day, in order to ensure freshest mixture is during times of highest cortisol (mornings). Its a tiny detail, but I notice it if its "old" in the morning.

 

And, 300mL not counting pill displacement.

 

Mrs.

[[ma...]]

So all my thyroid test came back fine. Now the Dr wants me to take 10 mg celexa at night for a week and then go to 20 mg. She is also still telling me to take the xanax as needed after taking it got a year at low doses. The last week i have taken 0.5 in the am and then 1/2 of that at noon. She wanted me on a beta blocked but i decided against that so many pills. Also i have alto of pinched nerves and arthritis and buldging disc in my neck found that out yesterday. That Dr gave me a muscle relaxer and NASID. I am just so sick of all this. They say all these pills will be fine together? I took 20 mg of Celexa a few months ago with my xanax hours apart and had a strange warm feeling come over me. Does anyone have any suggestions still so confused by my Dr. Also would all my neck problems be causing my nervousness? Any help would be great VERY SCARED of taking any pills thanks

[[Be...]]

I dunno Marley, I feel the same about all those meds, especially at one time..

personally I would comb the internet for some types of holistic treatments and such.....

Id have to be at a dead end road to take meds,,, but Ive done it a few times with no choices 

sorry youre in this position at the moment... it could change soon though hopefully

 

ps. I think you'll be ok as long as you dont add some other kinda benzo type med in the mix...

[[mr...]]

So all my thyroid test came back fine. Now the Dr wants me to take 10 mg celexa at night for a week and then go to 20 mg. She is also still telling me to take the xanax as needed after taking it got a year at low doses. The last week i have taken 0.5 in the am and then 1/2 of that at noon. She wanted me on a beta blocked but i decided against that so many pills. Also i have alto of pinched nerves and arthritis and buldging disc in my neck found that out yesterday. That Dr gave me a muscle relaxer and NASID. I am just so sick of all this. They say all these pills will be fine together? I took 20 mg of Celexa a few months ago with my xanax hours apart and had a strange warm feeling come over me. Does anyone have any suggestions still so confused by my Dr. Also would all my neck problems be causing my nervousness? Any help would be great VERY SCARED of taking any pills thanks

 

Hi Marley,

 

I am understanding your predicament. It is no fun to feel unwell. And it is very smart to get things checked out for reassurance. I will tell you that I believe your nervousness, muscle tensions, and other symptoms are being caused by the xanax. So many fail to understand the potency of this tiny pill, including doctors. I realize that 0.5mg sounds very small. But it is equated to 20 times as strong as Valium. Xanax in particular has the shortest half life of all benzos. This means that, by its nature, there are many, MANY who experience tolerance to the drug very quickly. And because of its power, it only takes a very small amount, over a very short time in many cases, to create this situation. I am a personal testimony to this. After my second pill of 0.25mg, I began to experience withdrawal & rebound anxiety. Tolerance issues began to set in for me within the first month of use. And, I only used it "PRN" (as needed).

 

I know when I'm not feeling well, my desire is to have concrete answers and a simple solution. Personally, I liked having my xanax and the 'help' it gave me from my ever growing "anxiety". Little did I know that it was the cause of it, for a very long time.

 

Every situation is different, friend, of course. But I believe that if you focus your efforts and energies on getting off your xanax safely and slowly, you'd be surprised at how many issues would resolve themselves. So many of mine have already, and I haven't even completed tapering yet

 

I've been offered a wife variety of drugs and SSRI's to help me along the way, but I've decided against them personally. It does make for a little more symptomatic taper, but my personal goal is freedom from drugs. So I've opted for a drug-free taper, and have adjusted my pace and taper to fit this. This is not to say that everyone should make this decision, of course. For me, the peace of mind knowing that it was the drug, in combination with the support I receive here and from my family, has created a calm and safe enough environment for me to make this type of a decision. Please decide what is best for you personally, and what will get you off of your xanax the safest way.

 

Just wanted to encourage you friend, that I believe the xanax is your issue I am looking forward to the day you are xanax free, and begin to heal from the inside out completely again It is coming friend! Trust and believe

 

Let us know if you have any questions regarding taper plans and such; we will help you if and when you're ready to do so

 

With hope and encouragement,

 

Mrs.

[[Ra...]]

are you "in" tolerance already Rabbit??

 

you shouldnt reach tolerance between each cut,, if you do, it means youre holding waaaaaaaaaaay too long then...

tolerance is when youve been on a steady dose a long time, more or less, and it quits working for ya... so usually people updose to a bigger dose,,, and continue to updose,, sooner or later nothing works... they say (the experts) that once you reach tolerance you have to deal with it all the way down your taper to zero... its not a good thing...

 

although I was in tolerance, and mine got better and easier with each cut....go figure...

 

when you taper, in general,, you cut, have a few waves of side effects from withdrawal,, level out, then cut again... there isnt any "tolerance" in that.....

 

ps. people often use the wrong words while posting stuff, we all guilty of that....

 

but official "tolerance", you should experience in a taper, unless you already ran into it while on your full dose,, or you hold so long that you develop it while tapering,,,which would mean that your really arent tapering,, but stopped and held too long.....and as a result developed tolerance...

 

Thanks for the explanation Benzy.  I'm not in tolerance currently.  I guess I was asking if the symptoms between tolerance and actual withdrawal are different.  It doesn't sound like they are.  Could be the same?

[[Be...]]

oh ok, yes, they symptoms would probably be all the same for each person,,, I guess tolerance is actually withdrawal,, and withdrawal is withdrawal.... so the symptoms would ""feel" the same, whether you were in actual tolerance or withdrawals from tapering....

[[Ra...]]

Thanks Benzy!

[[mr...]]

Marley,

 

I also want to clarify that your bulging disc and pinched nerve are not withdrawal-related, of course. I was speaking if your nervousness and other symptoms.

 

I would mention that benzodiazepines are also commonly used as muscle relaxers, and as such, a common tolerance or withdrawal symptom is muscle pain and tensions. So while it would not cause you a bulging disc or a pinched nerve, withdrawal & tolerance could be agitating things.

 

I hope I was helpful to you, friend Rest easy that you will heal, and this shall pass

 

Mrs.

[[Be...]]

ps Rabbit.... although they would feel the same as in the same types of withdrawals and such... if someones in tolerance, they might be amplified somewhat and hard to manage, where as in "withdrawals from tapering" they would be somewhat more managable and not quite as bad... of course it can differ for each person too...

[[ma...]]

 

My question is: I dose 5 times a day (for now), and need to make the doses ahead of time (night before). How long is the xanax water stable? The doses would be taken within 24 hrs of being made.

 

I'm still learning about LT myself, and read somewhere  last night that we should use the xanax water within that same 24hrs. since it loses potency beyond that point. Hope I'm right about that but someone else will chime in, I'm sure. (I'd like to see your spreadsheet, btw).

 

VCharis

 

I'll try to PM you the spreadsheet. Or post it here. I hope it can help you!

 

I spoke at length with my friendly neighborhood pharmacist who also confirmed the xanax would be fine for 24 in water.  He's going to try to make me up a suspension though, so I may not even this.   I'm just concerned the suspension mix is going to make me feel worse because of chemicals.  He also didn't "believe" I could feel so bad from tapering, but whatever!

[[Ra...]]

ps Rabbit.... although they would feel the same as in the same types of withdrawals and such... if someones in tolerance, they might be amplified somewhat and hard to manage, where as in "withdrawals from tapering" they would be somewhat more managable and not quite as bad... of course it can differ for each person too...

 

Thanks Benzy, that's somewhat reassuring.  Did you feel your first couple of cuts?

[[Be...]]

yes, I feel my cuts usually on the 3rd or 4th day,, and the withdrawals usually last about 10 days, lessening every day....the first 2 or 3 cuts were the worst, mostly because I was so scared and very disappointed when I "felt the withdrawals"... because for some weird reason I convinced myself I wouldnt have any problems... however, after I got over being "scared" of them, they lessened greatly......

 

point is, when you feel them, just know its withdrawal, and normal.... dont let yourself get scared, and it takes A LOT of the power away from them,,, it was pretty much a breeze after I got over being scared....(compated to being scared anyway) I dont wanna go thru any of it really, but....

[[Be...]]

Ive let myself get scared again, about this last cut, and jumping...

I know its because I know I wont have that "next dose" to take that will calm any withdrawals I experience, I'll be stuck just riding them out with meds..... so Im really dragging my feet about the last cut and jump....

[[Be...]]

yes, I feel my cuts usually on the 3rd or 4th day,, and the withdrawals usually last about 10 days, lessening every day....the first 2 or 3 cuts were the worst, mostly because I was so scared and very disappointed when I "felt the withdrawals"... because for some weird reason I convinced myself I wouldnt have any problems... however, after I got over being "scared" of them, they lessened greatly......

 

point is, when you feel them, just know its withdrawal, and normal.... dont let yourself get scared, and it takes A LOT of the power away from them,,, it was pretty much a breeze after I got over being scared....(compated to being scared anyway) I dont wanna go thru any of it really, but....

 

I have NO IDEA what the last sentence was suppose to mean lol,, damn auto-correct, plus benzo brain, I dunno what the last sentence even meant....oh well..

[[Ra...]]

Benzy, well I don't blame you, it's a big step to take.  Having that next dose 'as a warm blanket' is comforting.  Were you in tolerance when you started to taper?

[[Ra...]]

:)I knew what you meant.

[[Be...]]

I say I was in tolerance.... I took 2 mg for a year, never updosed, and was having terrible problems, all the problems you read about on here.....

but mine got better and better as I tapered, after about the 3rd or 4th cut I felt pretty good, other than a few anxiety attacks..

a lot of the "experts" told me I wasnt in tolerance then, because you wouldnt feel any better once in tolerance until after your off, etc....

I beg to differ....

 

I will have some pieces left to keep in a bottle as a blanket, so I dunno why Ive let myself get scared... it'll happen when it happens I guess...

[[Ra...]]

You've done so well to get to this point, I totally get the hang up.  I've got 3mg to dump, I can't imagine what it's going to be like.  Haven't even decided what method to use yet.  Was considering dry cutting, but I don't know if that will be too harsh for me.  I'm quite a baby when it comes to symptoms and given I work in an office with high stress, I need it to be as 'even' as possible.  So I thought about titration, but that seems to involve a lot of math.  I'm not sure what to do at this point.  I've got a month or so to think about it.

[[Be...]]

Im OCD really bad, I knew anything extra, other than just dry cutting directly from my current drug (xanax) would had just added a huge problem to my mix.... Ive done just fine dry cutting, with the .25's I could cut plenty small enough to go slow enough to have a easy taper.....

 

just remember when reading on here, the majority of the people having bigger problems, made a booboo of some kind here and there, usually cutting too much too fast in the beginning...

its easy to cut that way in the beginning becuase you still have so much drug youre still taking, but it seems it always catches those people in the end, from what Ive read...

 

the ones that start slow and easy and stay that way seem to have a much easier time, from what Ive seen...

 

keep this in mind while reading on here... also always look at their sig lines, as they will tell/show you where they feel they might had made a mistake....

 

go slow and steady, write your own story...

[[Be...]]

you cannot be a bigger baby than I am when it comes to sxs, I promise, if I can do it, so can you..

I dunno much about the titration, only that you can go even slower I think.... so dont worry so much about exact math if you go that route, as long as you stay steady and around the dose your suppose to be at, I dont think it will matter if youre EXACTLY EXACT doing it that way... just dont go backwards, or do a obviously big cut....

 

if youre in a high stress job, I might would had considered doing that myself... I can work at my own pace here on the farm,, so I could take a break and lay down if I needed too... otherwise I woulda probably either spaced out my doses while dry dutting throughout the day, or conisdered the titration, multiple times a day, and a slower rate than even Ashton suggests....just dont get ridiculously slow with it, I dont think that benefits anyone,,, except for the fact youre still going down down down in doses I guess, thats good...

[[Ra...]]

Thanks for the support Benzy, I'm just so bad at math.  They don't let anyone as bad at math as me in the Underwriting Dept,    I'm having difficulty figuring out the titration stuff.  I guess I should post over there in that area of the forum. 

 

Yes, must be nice to be able to take a break if things get a bit nasty.  I can just see myself excusing myself from a presentation with a client because I'm having an anxiety attack!  YIKES!!!

[[Je...]]

My symptoms move around during the day.  cognitive for a while.    Then my hands and feet will get cold.  Later my throat might feel constricted.  Then i'll feel short of breath.

 

I thought my hands were turning blue, I showed them to my wife in a panic and her's were much bluer than mine

 

but my point is how much the symptoms move around.  it's exhausting trying to think of what will come up next...

[[Be...]]

I had a LOT of the cold hands and feet.. usually I would get the cold feet, up the legs, before a round of anxiety....I could put 4 pairs of socks on and get under 3 blankets, with the heat blasting, still cold.... got all over body chills 2 times, shook so hard from freezing that I thought I was going into a seizure... that was really weird, considering it was 75% in my house...