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

[[mr...]]

My doctor tells kme to start tapering tomorrow. Today I split my.dose to .5 every 12 hours. I havent been hungry but forced some food in. And my face gets flush is that normal? Other than that ok just alittle anxious of changes.

 

My face, cheeks in particular, used to flush and feel hot -- so you're normal

[[ve...]]

Anyb0dy on the lack of appetitie after splitting your nightime dose?

[[...]]

My face, cheeks in particular, used to flush and feel hot -- so you're normal

 

I get that and I'm not tapering! Never had it when I was. I took a big ugly photo of my face to show my doc and he was quite taken aback! He doesn't know why I have it. Too far past menopause for it to be that. 

[[ve...]]

I take it he also said it was nothing to worry about?.

[[Be...]]

you can have those symptoms wheither your taking benzos, or tapering/withdrawing..

 

if you have them while taking them, it can mean trouble is a brewin 

[[ve...]]

I havent tapered yet only split dose from 1mg at bedtume to .5at bedtime and .5 in the morning. Ive only been on it for month.

[[ve...]]

I dont have any of rhem while the xanax was 1mg at night it made everytuing fine. I just started to get bad anxiety a few hours before my normal dose. But yes xanax alleviates all those things with the exception of the interdose withdrawal and the stomach thing. That started when I took .5 during the day but I feel like its just suppressed because I dont eat after I take it before bed nut have never taken it in the morning. Honestly idk. I just want to drop the damn things.

[[...]]

 

I take it he also said it was nothing to worry about?.

 

No he didn't. He looked puzzled and put the photo in my file.

 

you can have those symptoms wheither your taking benzos, or tapering/withdrawing..

 

if you have them while taking them, it can mean trouble is a brewin

 

Hey Benzy,

 

What sort of trouble? It doesn't seem to be associated with anxiety feelings, which would explain it.

 

It happens when I put moisturiser on too. It's as if my normally easily tanning, unwrinkled, light olive skin has suddenly become sort of sensitive.

 

I'm wondering if it is a sort of nerve thing associated with the burning mouth syndrome which started when I got to lower doses of the old Valium. The psych I was seeing at the time didn't know why the reinstating Xanax (which was my initiative not his) didn't fix it.

 

I feel like that year I did tapering 100mg of valium has done strange stuff to my body.

[[Be...]]

well, what Im saying is anyone at anytime of benzo use can develop classic symptoms, whether youre taking it or withdrawing from it..

 

Xana, if you can reason away why your having the burning skin, such as your moisturizer, then I would think it wasnt a reaction to benzos...

 

however, you can develop a reaction to benzos at anytime,,,and when that starts happening, it seems to get worse.. sooner or later...

 

with me, I was in tolerance (and ignorant to what that was) I actually thought it was a heart med causeing all the  problems... so did my Drs.....

 

then I decided I didnt need that xanax anymore, so I started tapering,,, and all the symptoms from the "heart meds" suddenly started to shed away!!!

[[Be...]]

I had a problem with interdose withdrawals as well,,

 

but I learned to use my metoprolol(heart med) right before it started happening, and that warded it off, because it helps with anxiety too.....

 

if you take magnesium and such for support, you could try taking those doses about the time your interdose withdrawals usually show up....that will help

[[ve...]]

Ok ill get some magnesium right now I only have it in my multivitamin.

[[Be...]]

Xana, also, once a reaction starts, updosing, or reinstating doesnt always help it go away....they say...

[[...]]

if you take magnesium and such for support, you could try taking those doses about the time your interdose withdrawals usually show up....that will help

 

I tried magnesium for the burning mouth (on advice of a GP in another country who is a friend of my husband). It made it worse.  :'( I have a referral to an oral specialist who is a 'Professor' a new dentist I saw proudly pronounced, but I don't know if it is woth going. If no one knows what causes BMS and knows no cure (except Klonopin to relieve symptoms) I can't see much point. I asked my GP and he said to hold off going for a while even though he knows this specialist and says he is a good doctor.

 

I am in the middle of having elevated liver enzymes etc investigated too. Oh how lovely it is to probably have the delightful Non Alcoholic Fatty Liver Disease. Even though apparently 1 in 5 of the population has it.

 

I hadn't been to my dear old GP for 2 1/2 years so now we are catching up quite often to check everything out. At first I told him I was going to come every week, like a date, until I waded through all my ailments. Luckily he is a nice man and always cheers me up. I'm a bit short on social occasions with people my own age. He's like a rent a friend. My old psych was like that too. Same age, same taste in music. He liked my way of thinking and said I had a good sense of humour. It was like my fortnightly day out! It helps that they are both attractive men too. 

[[VC...]]

I had a problem with interdose withdrawals as well,,

 

but I learned to use my metoprolol(heart med) right before it started happening, and that warded it off, because it helps with anxiety too.....

 

if you take magnesium and such for support, you could try taking those doses about the time your interdose withdrawals usually show up....that will help

Interesting about the metoprolol, Benzy. Did you experience up & down BP w/irregular heart beats? Reason I ask, is that I was prescribed metoprolol last year in addition to my regular med for A-fib, yet it didn't really do much for BP - just lowers pulse. So I stopped it. Wondering what your interdose symptoms were? Thanks.

[[Mo...]]

if you take magnesium and such for support, you could try taking those doses about the time your interdose withdrawals usually show up....that will help

 

I tried magnesium for the burning mouth (on advice of a GP in another country who is a friend of my husband). It made it worse.  :'( I have a referral to an oral specialist who is a 'Professor' a new dentist I saw proudly pronounced, but I don't know if it is woth going. If no one knows what causes BMS and knows no cure (except Klonopin to relieve symptoms) I can't see much point. I asked my GP and he said to hold off going for a while even though he knows this specialist and says he is a good doctor.

 

I am in the middle of having elevated liver enzymes etc investigated too. Oh how lovely it is to probably have the delightful Non Alcoholic Fatty Liver Disease. Even though apparently 1 in 5 of the population has it.

 

I hadn't been to my dear old GP for 2 1/2 years so now we are catching up quite often to check everything out. At first I told him I was going to come every week, like a date, until I waded through all my ailments. Luckily he is a nice man and always cheers me up. I'm a bit short on social occasions with people my own age. He's like a rent a friend. My old psych was like that too. Same age, same taste in music. He liked my way of thinking and said I had a good sense of humour. It was like my fortnightly day out! It helps that they are both attractive men too. 

 

Hey Xana, I have burning mouth syndrome also.  I have seen a oral pain specialist that keeps up with all the latest research and has written some papers on it.  It is a very confusing thing to deal with.  Mine started with my anxiety and panic attacks.  Has your GP tested you for everything that could cause it.  Defieciency in certain vitamins, etc.  If not I would try that first.  I know some people that was deficient in B 12 and started taking it and it went completely away.  There is aso BMS facebook site that has a lot of good info on it if you haven't seen it yet.  Take Care

[[or...]]

No one answered this ?

 

Does suspending xanax in water cause the benzo to lose its potency???

[[ma...]]

According to my pharmacist, the drug is good in water, refrigerated, for 24 hours.

HTH!

 

 

No one answered this ?

 

Does suspending xanax in water cause the benzo to lose its potency???

[[or...]]

No wonder I had an anxiety attack yesterday. I had doses that had been sitting in the fridge for four days! Or am I reading into this?

[[mr...]]

No wonder I had an anxiety attack yesterday. I had doses that had been sitting in the fridge for four days! Or am I reading into this?

 

No, you're spot on, IMO. I water titrate and cannot let a dose sit in water for longer than 24 hours. Anything longer than that, and it becomes too weak -- I feel it. So if I were you, I wouldn't let it sit longer than this in water

[[ma...]]

I know we are here to taper... But I still can't stabilize. I thought I was there after a small updose a few days ago to .75mg. I had been feeling okay for those days. But yesterday every dose felt like I they just wore off after about 2-3 hours. I had classic w/d sxs of anxiety, aches, headache, jaw pain, no appetite. Then last night I was up all night with honestly what feels like a heart attack crossed with cold turkey w/d. Pounding fast heart rate, vomiting, diarrhea, stomach cramps, racing thoughts, akathisia, panic. I've been getting these night episodes more often, had one exactly last Fri, too. I'm still having all the sxs now.

 

I only updosed .03mg, but I was going to where I felt "okay" last. I feel like I need to go up again. At least try it one last time to see if I can stabilize to taper.  If I can't I don't know what I'll do. This is intolerable. I'm not sure how much to updose again though. I think Reg Peart said 1-2mg Valium (.05 -.10 Xanax). Also not sure how long to give it. I wonder if I'll feel better tomorrow and this is just a wave from the updose. Wishful thinking.

 

Any suggestion would be very appreciated.

[[Be...]]

geez Mac, I dunno... but someone will come along that will.. hang in there

[[Be...]]

VCharis, I take the metoprolol for heart arrhythimas, it helps control them by slowing the heartbeat down a little and helps keep it steady.....I take a baby dose, so it doesnt affect my BP or anything else.......

 

My interdose withdrawals were just the typical anxious/anxiety/panic that comes with withdrawing....they usually happened like clock work, so it was easy enough to just move my dose of metoprolol around to ward them off....someone else on here suggested it, evidently a lot of Drs prescribe these types beta-blockers to help with withdrawals.. I know my new cardiologist said she uses them in  the  place of benzos and such, for anxiety, like for actors with stage fright and  such... you can also take  them as needed, because they are immediate action.. they dont have to build up in your system or anything... I wish Id known all this prior to taking xanax...

[[ma...]]

I don't want to updose too much. Just a little. Also my doses are uneven. I'm actually on 4 doses every 5 hrs .17 or .18mgs depending, plus a baby dose of .04 around 2-3p that I had to add back after I cut too fast. I tried taking it away and adding it evenly to the other doses but all hell broke loose and I had a very bad panic attack the day after. I need to even out my doses I think. And maybe take the doses more often? I just don't know!

 

 

I know we are here to taper... But I still can't stabilize. I thought I was there after a small updose a few days ago to .75mg. I had been feeling okay for those days. But yesterday every dose felt like I they just wore off after about 2-3 hours. I had classic w/d sxs of anxiety, aches, headache, jaw pain, no appetite. Then last night I was up all night with honestly what feels like a heart attack crossed with cold turkey w/d. Pounding fast heart rate, vomiting, diarrhea, stomach cramps, racing thoughts, akathisia, panic. I've been getting these night episodes more often, had one exactly last Fri, too. I'm still having all the sxs now.

 

I only updosed .03mg, but I was going to where I felt "okay" last. I feel like I need to go up again. At least try it one last time to see if I can stabilize to taper.  If I can't I don't know what I'll do. This is intolerable. I'm not sure how much to updose again though. I think Reg Peart said 1-2mg Valium (.05 -.10 Xanax). Also not sure how long to give it. I wonder if I'll feel better tomorrow and this is just a wave from the updose. Wishful thinking.

 

Any suggestion would be very appreciated.

[[mr...]]

I know we are here to taper... But I still can't stabilize. I thought I was there after a small updose a few days ago to .75mg. I had been feeling okay for those days. But yesterday every dose felt like I they just wore off after about 2-3 hours. I had classic w/d sxs of anxiety, aches, headache, jaw pain, no appetite. Then last night I was up all night with honestly what feels like a heart attack crossed with cold turkey w/d. Pounding fast heart rate, vomiting, diarrhea, stomach cramps, racing thoughts, akathisia, panic. I've been getting these night episodes more often, had one exactly last Fri, too. I'm still having all the sxs now.

 

I only updosed .03mg, but I was going to where I felt "okay" last. I feel like I need to go up again. At least try it one last time to see if I can stabilize to taper.  If I can't I don't know what I'll do. This is intolerable. I'm not sure how much to updose again though. I think Reg Peart said 1-2mg Valium (.05 -.10 Xanax). Also not sure how long to give it. I wonder if I'll feel better tomorrow and this is just a wave from the updose. Wishful thinking.

 

Any suggestion would be very appreciated.

 

Mac, did you transition to liquid suspension from dry and not give it a couple weeks to hold/adjust?  A switch like that (from dry to liquid) would, IMO, act like a "cut" and therefore need a standard hold for 7-10 days in order to adjust and stabilize to its use.  So if you moved into it and then began immediate cutting, it could explain your rise in symptoms (it's acting like a "double-cut").  Also, some cannot tolerate the liquid suspension for some reason.  I have a buddy on here who tried the liquid suspension, but it made her too sick and symptomatic.  She went back to dry dosing and held to re-stabilize for a couple weeks.  Since dry-cutting wasn't an option with her sensitivites to cuts, she is now water titrating by mixing her dry dose in water, and this is working well for her.  I don't know why the pharmacy liquid suspension causes some people issues, but it does  

 

In regards to symptoms, the past two months, I feel your pain in a lot of ways we'll just say   My brain likes plenty of time away from the computer, so I won't be able to answer a litany of questions from you...but I'll offer a few tips that have helped me along this journey, if it can help  

 

Two things have been a saving grace for me; the first being 1.) Vitamin C.  This can be very, very helpful for the night time / early morning issues -- it "gobbles" cortisol in the bloodstream, and therefore helps to stave off the "rushes" that can occur.  I coach weight loss & nutrition in my home town, and advise my clients to be mindful of the following; all is my opinion, and not medical advice, okay?: be sure to purchase a buffered or "time-released" formula of vitamin C.  Do not purchase a synthetically made version of vitamin C; be sure it is a natural source (like from acerola cherries, preferably), and that it contains something called "bioflavonoids".  Take it in low, small doses multiple times throughout the day.  "Low" doses means something different for everyone.  I personally dose 500mg of Nutrilite's Vitamin C Extended Release formula 4-6 times per day, which equals a dose of 2,000-3,000mg per day.  I dose 500mg right at bedtime, and I dose 1,000mg at my 3:15am dose of Xanax as well -- to stave off the cortisol rise of early morning.  Once I awake in the morning (6:30-7am), I also dose another 500mg -- again to stave off the morning cortisol. Note that this version is an expensive formula, but highly effective. I can explain WHY you want to do all the things I mentioned above with vitamin C, but in order to save breath and brain-space (LOL ), I'll leave it here.  The benefits I've noticed for myself personally are: greatly diminished morning anxiety/"dreads" and nausea, almost eliminated my "sudden awakings", greatly diminished my nightly wakings, during the day it has diminished my panic/anxiety.

 

The second helper for me has been magnesium: glycinate, in particular.  Not all magnesium is "created equal", and therefore not all will absorb into your bloodstream (they refer to it as having a "high bioavailability" if it can absorb).  And, if you want it to have the calming/relaxing principles it does on the central nervous system, it must reach the bloodstream.  Long story short, magnesium glycinate has a bioavailability of about 80%, which is among one of the highest.  Everyone's "effective" dosage is different, so figure out what works well for you.  Like vitamin C, you'll dose low and multiple times throughout the day.  I use and recommend Doctor's Best 100% Chelated Magnesium Glycinate.  I dose 200mg at a time (2 tablets) 4-5 times per day, about every 4-6 hours (which equals 8000-1000mg per day). This has benefited me with the following: reduced rapid heart rate & palps occurrences (a HUGE deal to me), reduced generalized feeling of anxiety by about 60-80% (another HUGE deal for me), reduced occurrence & intensity of panic by 60-80% (again, another HUGE deal for me).  Again I'll mention that everyone's effective dosage is different, so start small and work your way up.  For a long time, 400-600mg per day was PLENTY for me.  Just recently have I needed to move my dosage up to help with symptoms.  You'll find your "niche"

 

You'll most likely have some rough, icky days with tapering, friend.  It's not glorious, nor fun, but it is what it is.  I've been just trying to lay low and "surf" the waves when they happen -- reminding myself that they are just withdrawal symptoms from an icky drug.  I've been thoroughly checked over by a cardiologist, regular MD, and a few others...and I'm completely healthy.  If you've not had things checked out, it is great peace of mind, and you can do so just to be safe/sure.  It has been a big helper to me to ride out the waves when they happen.

 

Hope you feel better soon.  Like I said, I'm spending less and less time in front of the computer as of recent, just to give my brain the break it's asking for, so I won't be available for lots of questions.  But I hope this has helped you out a little   Do feel free to PM me if you have a question or two in the future, or if you need a little encouragement   I can stop on and drop a line or two here and there   Take care, friend!  Remember, we put the 'wit' in 'withdrawal'!! (credited to my good buddy, Rriver!!)

 

Mrs.

[[Ra...]]

Mrs, it's been my understanding that in order for magnesium to be bioavailable, you need to make sure calcium and vit D are also present in the correct ratios.  If you're up to it, what is your feeling on that?