1.Suboxone tapering STILL 2.Starting xanax taper - does paxil help?

Suboxone: been tapering from 2 mg for way too long - my fault - January was a bust. I stayed on 1mg all through the month and didn't taper at all. Now on day 3ish of .7mg (1/2 of 1/3 of a 2mg strip twice daily). I'm down to crumbs and still stuggle with the pain, but I AM back on my tapering schedule. Will go down to .5mg in a few days. I know some people jump at 2 etc. But I could NOT! My body is super sensitive and has been since I was a child. Ok, so that wasn't really a question....

Real question: on 2mg of xanax nightly (not prescribed) and 15 mg of paxil daily prescribed. Going to start a xanax taper - should have never got on it. Paxil is prescribed to me for anxiety and it helped A LOT with emotional control up until I started using (again) - the opiates. Then I started with the xanax to cope. Now I'm wondering if increasing my Paxil (just 1/2 a mg) would help to come off the xanax. Also, what are the withdrawal symptoms from xanax withdrawl (withdrawal)?? And is there any other advice as to things that could help with this. I know I can't avoid WITHDRAWAL SYMPTOMS forever. I'm just now realizing they are inevitable - still trying to make them as easy as possible so I can keep working, going to school, acting and looking like a normal person, etc - you know what I mean. Hiding the truth from the ones who don't need to know...if I can.

Advice is appreciated.

[vicki595]

Hi- The thing with Xanax is that it MUST be tapered. The best way to avoid major wd's is to taper it very slowly in very small amounts.  We can't offer much more advice than that because of forum guidelines. The same with advice on increasing Paxil...

You may find that the Paxil works just fine, to cover your anxiety, at the current dose.  You might think about waiting on the Xanax taper until you're past the sub taper. It may be too much for your system.

Is there a reason you don't want to ask a doctor about this? That would be best...

[KLB84]

I don't want to ask my dr. about the xanax b/c he doesn't prescribe it to me and b/c I've already had to tell him about my pain pill relapse (hence the suboxone). He's a psych but also works with detox facilities and understands addiction. He is against prescribing xanax, and would probably be against prescribing me anything of the sort due to me being an "addict". He's been very understanding and more patient than I expected with my sub tapering. I feel I've reached my limit of "grace". He was my psych for over a yr. before I ever relapsed and I'm ashamed of the xanax and also don't want to "burn my bridge" with him b/c he is such a good dr. He doesn't even take new patients and hasn't for about 3 years.

I took 1.5 mg lastnight compared to the usual 2 and feel good this morn. I think I will start trying to taper slowly.