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

[[VC...]]

Well, another short night of sleep and I've not even stabilized enough to start my taper. YEE HAW! 

 

Big shoutout to Mrs., Hopefulgirl, Rabbit, MamaShoshanna, and everyone for words of caring and encouragement yesterday. I'm not feeling great but I don't want to neglect showing my appreciation for all of you. I'm usually more bubbly and can take a few rumbles but after yesterday I just felt so deflated. Please know how much I care about you each of you, and forgive me when I'm not "up to par" to express it. Love you all dearly. You're my lifeline to sanity right now. Lord knows, nobody else in my life gets it.

[[ma...]]

I am looking for a taper schedule for my 0.75 mg xanax daily for the past 2 weeks. I have been on it for a year PRN at first then 0.5 mg a day,at one point i was taking 1.5 mg due to taking a steroid. I truly believe my anxiety is caused by the xanax since I feel fine in the AM, but I take the xanax 0.5 mg in the am and in like 4 hours i am a nervous wreck so i take the 0.25 mg and i am usually fine. There are times through the week i have to take 0.125 mg and i am OK. This morning at 830 i only took 0.25 mg it is now noon and I am feeling ok so far I just want to reduce this xanax to see if that is what my problem is before I start the Celexa. My Dr says to just stop the xanax and take it PRN with the celexa but I DO NOT want to start the celexa if the xanax is causing the anxiety. Any thoughts on how to do this would be great thanks

[[...]]

I'm sleeping at all odd hours and hardly get 5 hours sleep. I feel as if my head is 'shaking', vibrating sort of (hard to explain the feeling). But I'm resisting the urge to up my dose and hanging on. Sometimes my brain goes into a 'fog' and it lifts without warning. The entire body twitches at times, and stops after I take the Xanax. I'm hanging on to my dosing schedule, scared to begin the taper though. But begin I must. I get a 'depersonalized' feeling sometimes, kinda astral projection. I reply when people ask me stuff but immediately forget what I said. It's weird and scary, can't explain really. It's as if I am different and there's a different persona inside of me. The things Xanax can do to people.

[[Be...]]

Marley, I aint been keepn up good, but from what your sig says youve been on .5 mg daily for atleast 6 months, and now .75 for 2 weeks.......

 

today youve only taken .25? so are you planning to do a quick taper or something?

[[ma...]]

I would like to do a taper but my Dr says to just take them as needed with the celexa. Like i said I think the xanax is causing the anxiety so I do not want to start another pill if i do not need it. Yes today I have only take 0.25 i usually take 0.5 in the am. Can someone tell me the best way to taper of this or at least get back down to PRN. I go back to work in March and I feel that going back will help ease my symptoms but my Dr just says take the Celexa she just does not get it. So I guess I am on my own if I don't want to take the celexa, or I find a new Dr. I have just heard so many bad stories about getting off xanax I am scared to stop 

[[Re...]]

I am still alive....really....

 

[[mr...]]

As of today, I am removing 6mL tomorrow it will be 8mL.

 

Yo FB,

 

It should be a 1mL per day withdrawal...how did  you jump from 6mL today, to 8mL tomorrow?  Must've missed a day in there somewhere or something

 

Just curious friend   Just want to be sure you're good to go!

[[VC...]]

I am still alive....really....

 

 

How are you, Rebel Maven? Thanks for this song. 

[[Ch...]]

Marley,

If you've been at .75 for two weeks, I'd cut one of the .25 tablets in fourths for a .0625 cut.  If you're going back to work in March you do not want to make even a single too-big cut.  Every symptom (except anxiety and insomnia) I had came from one cut that was too big.  It often happens with small doses because it seems logical to just keep cutting those babies in half til they're gone but that won't usually work with Xanax.

 

Once the symptoms hit, they take quite awhile to go away.  It's much better to do this slowly, even if it means taking longer.  The idea is to prevent new symptoms by going slow.

 

Challis 

[[ma...]]

I am sorry Challis i am not to sure I understand how to do this. This is all new to me I guess i need it in baby terms on what amount to take and when UHG. I am so sorry for not understanding I feel like a idiot. I have only taken 0.5 mg today i split the pill and took one in the am and then one in the afternoon I have been fine,but as you said I DO NOT want to do this to quick. So can you tell me exactly how to take this how much and when i understand how to cut the .25 into fourths i have a pill cutter. I am just not sure on how much to take for the day when I cut it what do i take and when again so sorry I just want to do this right and get over this mess. Thank you for your patience 

[[ma...]]

Also I only have 0.5 mg pills,since my Dr is no help thanks

[[Li...]]

I am sorry Challis i am not to sure I understand how to do this. This is all new to me I guess i need it in baby terms on what amount to take and when UHG. I am so sorry for not understanding I feel like a idiot. I have only taken 0.5 mg today i split the pill and took one in the am and then one in the afternoon I have been fine,but as you said I DO NOT want to do this to quick. So can you tell me exactly how to take this how much and when i understand how to cut the .25 into fourths i have a pill cutter. I am just not sure on how much to take for the day when I cut it what do i take and when again so sorry I just want to do this right and get over this mess. Thank you for your patience 

 

I don't have anything to say here, I just wanted to let you know I find the taper confusing too. Any taper, all tapers.  Even when explained with charts and neon lights, I'm confused. I even feel my anxiety rising when I think about it now. 

 

Anyway, please, please carry on. I'm going to take notes too. SO glad I found this place.

[[...]]

I guess it's 9:30 PM and I got up from my evening nap. Xanax is turning night into day into night for me    Too scared even to walk to chipotle or corner bakery for dinner..Dosing and tapering takes quite some time, I've realized..

[[Be...]]

Marley, if youve only taken .75 a day for a week, you "might" could drop down to .5 a day with no problem... since you were on .5 for 6 months.....

 

basically if you dry cut, you divide a .25 into 4 equal quarters.... and when you take your "dose" daily, you just leave out one of the quarters... do that about 2 weeks atleast, see how youre feeling, then the next cut you'll be leaving out 2 quarters of your total .5 dose.. and so on...

[[Fl...]]

As of today, I am removing 6mL tomorrow it will be 8mL.

 

Yo FB,

 

It should be a 1mL per day withdrawal...how did  you jump from 6mL today, to 8mL tomorrow?  Must've missed a day in there somewhere or something

 

Just curious friend   Just want to be sure you're good to go!

 

Today is 9am (2mL) 1pm (2mL) 5pm (2mL) 10pm (1mL) =7

Tomorrow 9 (2mL) 1 (2mL) 5 (2mL) 10 (2mL) =8mL

Right?

FB

[[Fl...]]

mrs,

your post got me thinking.

I got up and checked the spread sheet and it says Wednesday January 22nd -7mL.

 

Tomorrow will be 8mL.

 

FB

[[...]]

.75-.75-.75-.75

 

Dosing is ok but the odd sleep pattern only induces headaches, hardly refreshing.

[[mr...]]

As of today, I am removing 6mL tomorrow it will be 8mL.

 

Yo FB,

 

It should be a 1mL per day withdrawal...how did  you jump from 6mL today, to 8mL tomorrow?  Must've missed a day in there somewhere or something

 

Just curious friend   Just want to be sure you're good to go!

 

Today is 9am (2mL) 1pm (2mL) 5pm (2mL) 10pm (1mL) =7

Tomorrow 9 (2mL) 1 (2mL) 5 (2mL) 10 (2mL) =8mL

Right?

FB

 

Got it; OK! I see now

 

You're right on, chickie

[[ma...]]

Thank you Benzy and everyone else so glad you all are here 

[[mr...]]

Just an FYI...

 

I will be traveling starting tomorrow and returning Monday, so if anyone needs me, just have 'em PM me. I probably won't be staying up on the thread chats while I'm away

 

Mrs.

[[Fl...]]

As of today, I am removing 6mL tomorrow it will be 8mL.

 

Yo FB,

 

It should be a 1mL per day withdrawal...how did  you jump from 6mL today, to 8mL tomorrow?  Must've missed a day in there somewhere or something

 

Just curious friend   Just want to be sure you're good to go!

 

Today is 9am (2mL) 1pm (2mL) 5pm (2mL) 10pm (1mL) =7

Tomorrow 9 (2mL) 1 (2mL) 5 (2mL) 10 (2mL) =8mL

Right?

FB

 

Got it; OK! I see now

 

You're right on, chickie

 

Dang*it woman...don't scare me like that...lol

I've been fortunate the last two days; however, the thought is always lurking in the back of my mind...is the window going to close gently or SLAM shut? 

 

How are you doing with your taper?  How's the thumper doing?  I hope it has calmed down

 

FB

[[Ch...]]

I am sorry Challis i am not to sure I understand how to do this. This is all new to me I guess i need it in baby terms on what amount to take and when UHG. I am so sorry for not understanding I feel like a idiot. I have only taken 0.5 mg today i split the pill and took one in the am and then one in the afternoon I have been fine,but as you said I DO NOT want to do this to quick. So can you tell me exactly how to take this how much and when i understand how to cut the .25 into fourths i have a pill cutter. I am just not sure on how much to take for the day when I cut it what do i take and when again so sorry I just want to do this right and get over this mess. Thank you for your patience 

 

It's okay…math is pretty tough in w/d.  I couldn't add two digits and come up with the same number for awhile…scary.  But it comes back.

 

As Benzy said, since you were on .75 for only two weeks, you may be able to drop to .5 fairly easily.  If you're feeling okay today, then maybe so.

 

So your doctor isn't supportive through this and wouldn't prescribe .25mg tablets for you?  If not, the splitting becomes more difficult. 

Here's how the math goes for a .5mg tablet:

    1/2 = .25

    1/4 = .125

    1/8 = .0625

 

Getting it down to 1/8th is dicey but if you're not too sensitive you can do it.  I wasn't overly sensitive to small differences in cuts and was able to roughly cut the .5mg tablets into 1/8ths.  A pill cutter from the pharmacy should help.

 

Challis 

[[ma...]]

How would you suggest i spread this amount out to benefit the most? I usually take 0.5 mg in the am and then the other 1/2 at noon. Last night I was a little on edge after only 0.5 mg for the day so i took 1/4 of 0.5 mg and it took awhile to settle down. Today i took .25 at 1000 am and it is 1 pm and i am getting edging again so I gotta find the right times and the right way to get me there thank you for your help all i swear I would have no nervousness without this stuff I am fine until i take my first dose in the am then it all goes from there

[[Ch...]]

How would you suggest i spread this amount out to benefit the most? I usually take 0.5 mg in the am and then the other 1/2 at noon. Last night I was a little on edge after only 0.5 mg for the day so i took 1/4 of 0.5 mg and it took awhile to settle down. Today i took .25 at 1000 am and it is 1 pm and i am getting edging again so I gotta find the right times and the right way to get me there thank you for your help all i swear I would have no nervousness without this stuff I am fine until i take my first dose in the am then it all goes from there

 

I would schedule the doses to meet your needs…in other words, if you have to work and need to be fairly relaxed in the morning, I'd continue with the .5 in the morning and .25 in the afternoon.  Your body is used to the .5 in the morning so I wouldn't cut it to .25 right now.  You could take .0625 (1/8) off that dose, though.

 

I would suggest sticking to a consistent dose and dosing times while you're tapering… I think it helps smooth things out.

[[ma...]]

ok so .5 in the morning and then .25 minus the 1/4? in the afternoon for a week or so then cut another 1/4 from the .25? So always cut from the afternoon dose for now? I do not work yet I go back in March. I just took the .25 a few minutes ago since i was getting nervous so now I am down to the .25 left for the day minus the 1/4 lol so confusing but i think i got it thank you so much