Painful xanax withdrawl

[Mary]

Hi, I was just released from a 4day detox from xanax's.The doctors in the center used valium to help with the withdrawl symptoms and I really felt pretty good throughout the 4 day stay.Well I have been home for 3 days and let me tell you...this is NO WALK IN THE PARK. I am very shaky, nervous and I have this very uncomfortable burning feeling in my legs and feet.Whats that about?????...I thought the worst was over. I without a doubt do not want to take a xanax ever again..I was never prescribed them, I just knew where to get them and never took over 3 purple ones a day, for a little over a year. I'm just wondering,,,when will i feel the least bit normal again. I understand that I didn't become addicted to them over night so I don't expect to feel 100% over night either, I'm just looking for some answers...could someone PLEASE GIVE ME SOME INSIGHT!!!???THANKS

[brian]

I am surprised they did such a rapid detox.  The typical protocol for Xanax is to gradually taper down the dosage so that the withdrawal will be minimized.  With such a rapid detox, you may well have symptoms for several weeks.  Speak with the doctors at the center (although I am troubled by their methods).  If you aren't satisfied with their answer to your question, find an addiction doctor to help.

[Mike]

They detoxed you from Xanax by using a drug from the same family? That's like weaning someone off whiskey with Scotch. Find a different doctor soon!

[brian]

I have no problem with the fact that they used diazepam for the detox.  It makes NO SENSE to use a non-benzodiazepine to detox someone from a benzo and in fact it can be life-threatening to simply stop a benzo without tapering.  My issue with your particular detox is simply that it was too fast, not giving the body time to gradually adjust to lower dosage.  The fastest detox for benzos I have found in the medical literature is 7-10 days.  Most are 10-14 or longer.  It is clear from your symptoms that the detox was too fast.

[Barbara]

You need to check with your doctor right away. You appear to be still having significant withdrawal symptoms. You can have seizures and hallucinations from benzo withdrawal just like the DT's from alcohol withdrawal!

[Alex]

Doctors prescribed xanax   to my elderly father. They told us it  was a heart medication. A"m I wrong? when I saw him last, he  seemed drugged. I mentioned this to my family, whom told me I was out of my mind. What is xanax? I was told it was a heart medication for   people that had a potential for a heart attack. Now I'm really concerned that my edlerly father is being given  drugs because they can't take care of him. Please help.

[Geoff H. regarding Benzo withdrawal prot]

Our Doc uses "Klonopin", because of its longer half-life, for Benzo withdrawal. As stated above, this tapering down usually occurs over a 7-10 day period. For example, a patient on Xanax being admitted to our inpatient unit would immediately cease the Xanax and would begin taking the Klonopin. After a week or so, they would be completely detoxed off all Benzodiazepine. If they still had anxiety symptoms, other safer drugs would be prescribed (such as Inderal or an SSRI). Also, we often use Methadone for Opiate withdrawal with a similar detox protocol...

[Geoff H. - Rapid detox- Influence of Man]

Could it be that the rapid detox off Xanax that was described above was due to pressure to get the patient treated and out the door as quick as possible? Something sounds wrong here.

[Barbara]

That sounds about right, some places don't have much space for detox patients. And many insurance companies such as the one I use don't pay for in-patient detox or rehab either. Here on Guam we cannot just walk in and say we need detox and get it, they will turn us away at the door! And even the court ordered alcoholics or drug addicts have a three month waiting list for the rehab center. If I chose the hospital for in-patient detox here it would cost a fortune. I'll keep trying to detox myself on an out-patient basis even though it is much more of a struggle and dangerous.

If it is a dire emergency such as generalized seizure, then the hospital will take ER patients but release them as soon as possible. They don't perform detox, only stabilization in a life or death situation.

[Barbara]

To Alex,

I forgot to add that Xanax is not a heart medication it is a strong tranquilizer used to reduce anxiety. It is similar to Klonopin, Valium, and Librium.

[Gina]

I took Valium for fun, for a period of two years, then quit cold turkey, and it nearly killed me, I ended up in an emergency room where they pumped me full of the drug that I had given up, they put me on  a two week weening off program, and I was high as a kite for two weeks, and then, after that I went through six months of pure anxiety, adrenaline rushes, every nerve was amplified, my hearing, I had the shakes and twitches, it was horrible and it didnt get better. Iwent to a doctor two weeks ago, and he put me on Xanax and Zoloft, go figure! The zoloft, he said would staighten out my chemical imbalance. My fear is getting addicted to Xanax, but I have to tell you, the addiction to xanax is a lot less scarier than what I have been going through for six months. take care Gina, ***@****

[Brian to Gina]

I must question the wisdom of having you get addicted to Xanax, a chemical cousin to Valium.  Do you plan on staying addicted to them for life?  If not, at some point you will have to bite the bullet and deal with the withdrawal.  I know it is hard to deal with 6 months of feeling bad, but it is likely you would have started feeling better soon.  Furthermore, your doctor could have tried Buspar which appears to be non-addictive.  Please reconsider the Xanax.

[imus3]

brian wrote;.
It makes NO SENSE to use a non-benzodiazepine to detox someone from a benzo and in fact it can be life-threatening to simply stop a benzo without tapering.

Your right about that.

mike wrote;..;They detoxed you from Xanax by using a drug from the same family? That's like weaning someone off whiskey with Scotch. Find a different doctor soon!

No they use benzo's like xanax to help get people off Alcohol,

[Chrissie]

I question the wisdom of any doc who can't (or doesn't want) to get to the bottom of time consuming issues.  In either case, their perscription is xanax, klonopin, the old drug "elavil", or the new drug "zoloft", or paxil, or even prozac.  The issue here is this:  "Out of sight... out of mind."  Unfortunately "out of your mind" is exactly where you are headed, make no mistake about it.  Gina?  Throw out the xanax, unless another ball game is what you want?  Tapering is the answer, but don't expect to NOT have problems even with that. - Chrissie

[barbara to Chrissi]

Yes, it appears some doctors like to prescribe too many drugs, however some are very needed and some doctors don't know much about addiction!

NON-ADDICTION doctors do not prescribe the needed drugs for certain addictions which lead to life threatening withdrawals such as seizures or DT's.

If you went through three months of VERY PAINFUL partial convulsive seizures (OVER 60 OF THEM) for alcohol withdrawal and DT's, you may look at the idea of taking Klonopin to stop the (SHAKEDOWNS) as a relief from the pain and the mental distress of thinking you may die at any time!!!!!!!

My regular HMO PRESCRIBED-MD and Nutritionist finally sent me to an addiction psychiatrist after I complained over and over in thorough written description of the seizures. They thought I was exaggerating and that it was only shaking from DT's.

I went through three months of out-patient treatment by this vitamin nutritionist who even had the gall to suggest the seizures were a needed thing to get past the withdrawal, HE SAID IT WAS LIKE THE BRAIN RESETTING ITSELF, LIKE REBOOTING A COMPUTER, and not to worry about it because all the vitamins he prescribed were fortifying my system against the catacolamine hyperactivity. I finally screamed at him and demanded to see a real addiction doctor!

Now I am on a heavy dose of Klonopin and I must say I would rather deal with a slow taper later than more SHAKEDOWNS!

[to brian]

brian wrote;.;
I must question the wisdom of having you get addicted to Xanax, a chemical cousin to Valium. Do you plan on staying addicted to them for life? If not, at some point you will have to bite the bullet and deal with the withdrawal.

thats stupid, you just taper off of it and you wont have any withdraws,

[Brian to Whoever]

Since you didn't put your name, I'll call you "uninformed." First of all, if you disagree with someone it doesn't make their advice "stupid."  Secondly, since you call it "withdraws" which means nothing, I'll have to consider you to be ignorant.  Next, you reveal how little you know about addiction through your post. Just because someone tapers DOES NOT mean they will not go through withdrawal.  If they are already addicted, tapering generally just reduces the intensity of withdrawal.  Furthermore, it doesn't take a genius to figure out that there will be withdrawal from Xanax where someone has been going through what Gina has trying to withdraw from Xanax's chemical cousin, Valium.  If you are going to anonymously post "information" at least try to get it close to right.

[Gina]

brian, you are completely right, the xanax are more addicting than the valium, i have only been on them for two months, The zoloft was making me feel a lot of anxiety, so I quit taking the zoloft, and in doing so I have not felt extreme anxiety, just the usual life stress. I have tapered down from the xanax slowly, today I took .25mg as compared to the 2mg, i am feeling much better since i quit the Zoloft. Why is that? Does Zoloft cause anxiety? it seems like it to me. Anyway, there is hope, and it has been a seven month battle, but i choose to win this one. Breathing deeply, holding it, and exhaling slowly feels like a tranquilizer in itself. Mt doctor is upset that I quit the zoloft, but if i feel normal without it, is it wrong? The only time I need a Xanax is when I take a zoloft? Explain? Thank you all for your posts, even the guy who everyone is yelling at.
Thanks Gina

[Brian to Gina]

Zoloft makes many people anxious, as does Prozac.  The interesting thing about the SSRI's is that they have varied effects on different people.  Many people do great on Zoloft, with little side effects.  Same with Prozac.  However, many have side effects that are worse to them than their depression.  Your doctor should not be upset that you wanted to stop the Zoloft.  With your side effect of anxiety you are right to stop the Zoloft.  What the doctor may be upset about is that you quit it without first discussing switching to another antidepressant.  You may want to discuss with your doctor trying Remeron, an antidepressant with very little side effects that has been clinically shown to start working faster than Prozac and Zoloft.  It has virtually no sexual side effects and is good for people who have some mild anxiety.  It is usually taken at night and won't make you feel drugged the next day.  It sometimes causes weight gain but seems not to at higher doses.  Another antidepressant which is good and has some anti-anxiety properties is Serzone.  Also has very limited side effects.  The rule of thumb with the antidepressants is that side effects should diminish and pretty much go away within 7-14 days.  If they haven't then they probably won't.  With so many antidepressants available which all work about equally as well, it makes NO sense to stick with one which is causing anxiety.  Finally, if you really feel normal without an antidepressant, consider if you need one at all.  However, if you were recently depressed, just because you are feeling better now that you don't have the Zoloft making you so anxious, doesn't necessarily mean the depression has lifted.  Take care, Brian

[Elektra]

Have you tried visiting Benzo Busters Bulletin board.  Everyone there is withdrawing from Benzodiazapines, which Xanax is a part of.  It might make your WD less fearful.

[to brian]

Love your pharmacologist brain.  You're a true asset here in this forum.  Exploit your knowledge for the sake of all who feel helplessly stripped of their power.  Hope you never leave. - Admiration

[brian]

Thank you.  I won't leave but I have scaled back the number of my postings, hoping that others will join in sharing their experiences and knowledge.

[debbie]

I went through the same terrible withdrawal at a detox center and it was also too fast . i live in Massachusetts and I can't find an addiction specialist to help me . I am now on klonopin but I would like to stat tapering and I need direction. Could please put me in contact with someont hat will know where to get help.

I am a registered nurse and the board of registration of nurses or the american nurses association are suppose to help professionals but i haven't had any luck. My email is ***@****. Appreciate any help

[Brian to Debbie]

Look for a drug treatment center and contact them and ask if any of their docs either does private treatment or can refer you.  As far as tapering Klonopin, it can safely be done by reducing your dosage by 10% per week.  You should do it under a physician's supervision however due to the unpredictable nature of the detox symptoms.  Good luck finding some support.

[J.B. to Brian and Vicky]

My wife is going through chemo for the fourth time in six years and her oncologist has been prescribing Xanax, Pheneragan and Ultram.  I keep telling her that Xanax is supposed to be a short term drug and that she may get addicted.  She's been on it for three years.  One of her doctors tried to switch her to Ativan but she said it had too many side effects.  Now she is taking the drug plus Phenergan for sleep but it doesn't seem to work as she wakes up about every three hours and has to have a cigarette.  I also suspect that she is having a drink of alcohol at night due to the amount of Gin we are going through weekly.  She still insists on working full time and is still getting superior grades for her efficiency.  I'm wondering about the Ultram also.  She used to take Lortab but likes this stuff much better.  Do we have cause for concern here?  She just seems very depressed at times and very irritable and I am beginning to worry about her attitude towards fighting her cancer.

Thank you

JBRO

[Craig]

I have a problem with high blood pressure due to being overweight and stress at my job.  My doctor prescribed Xanax in addition to my anti-hypertensive medications to help relieve the stress.  I was drinking almost every night after work to relax, and that contributed to a weight gain.  The doctor felt that it was better to take Xanax instead of drinking.  I was on the starting dose of .25 mg 3 times a day for 4 months and never inceased the dosage.  After the first month or so, the Xanax no longer seemed to relax me, so I went back to the cocktails along with the Xanax.  My daily dosages are Hydroclorathiazide 25 mg, Zestril 40 mg, and Atenolol 50 mg all once a day along with the Xanax.  Three weeks ago I went to see a nurse and had my blood pressure checked, and it was 160/110.  I told her what drugs I was taking as above, and she told me to stop taking Xanax as it is dangerous (according to her).  The next day I went out to Montana for a vacation to try and relax in the mountains and get away from work.  I quit taking the Xanax while on vacation in Montana.  I started getting the shakes in my legs and just drank beer each day until it stopped.  That lasted about a week and went away.  I stopped the heavy drinking after the shakes went away.  When I returned home 10 days later, I had my blood pressure checked again and it was 120/94.  Now I'm into the middle of the 3rd week without the Xanax and I have a feeling like pressure on the top of my head.  I've felt that way for about 4 days now.  I don't think it is my blood pressure and am wondering if this could be a side effect of Xanax withdrawl.  Has anyone experienced this?

[Craig]

I have a problem with high blood pressure due to being overweight and stress at my job.  My doctor prescribed Xanax in addition to my anti-hypertensive medications to help relieve the stress.  I was drinking almost every night after work to relax, and that contributed to a weight gain.  The doctor felt that it was better to take Xanax instead of drinking.  I was on the starting dose of .25 mg 3 times a day for 4 months and never inceased the dosage.  After the first month or so, the Xanax no longer seemed to relax me, so I went back to the cocktails along with the Xanax.  My daily dosages are Hydroclorathiazide 25 mg, Zestril 40 mg, and Atenolol 50 mg all once a day along with the Xanax.  Three weeks ago I went to see a nurse and had my blood pressure checked, and it was 160/110.  I told her what drugs I was taking as above, and she told me to stop taking Xanax as it is dangerous (according to her).  The next day I went out to Montana for a vacation to try and relax in the mountains and get away from work.  I quit taking the Xanax while on vacation in Montana.  I started getting the shakes in my legs and just drank beer each day until it stopped.  That lasted about a week and went away.  I stopped the heavy drinking after the shakes went away.  When I returned home 10 days later, I had my blood pressure checked again and it was 120/94.  Now I'm into the middle of the 3rd week without the Xanax and I have a feeling like pressure on the top of my head.  I've felt that way for about 4 days now.  I don't think it is my blood pressure and am wondering if this could be a side effect of Xanax withdrawl.  Has anyone experienced this?

[Brian to Sick and Scared § ALL you guys]

If you are feeling pressure in the skull you should seek medical attention as soon as possible, especially with your history of hypertension.

[Cold Turkey]

I was prescribed Xanax for about 9 months 4 mg. daily and Abused it along the way.  I told my Doc about the abuse and he sent me to a detox Center where I was given phenolbarbital for three days.  The withdrawl was OK under the phenol for the first three days; however, like you when I came home I felt awful my head was feeling weird and I had bizzar feelings throughout my body.  I never thought I would feel good again.  The only way I found relief was through intense exercise, dring plenty of water and taking 1 mg tablet of clonzepam for sleep at night.  I did not feel better until day 7 off Xanax.  Most all my symptoms were gone.  Hang in there, I belive Xanax withdrawl is all relative, considering the amount I took my Withdrawl sympyoms were far less severe than some of the stories I've read.  I WILL NEVER GO BACK TO TAKING XANAX IT SHOULD BE OUTLAWED AS IT IS VERY DANGEROUS AND VERY ADDICTIVE.

[barbara to pain and lortab]

Watch out for the (clonazapam)Klonopin, it's just like the xanax!!!!!Highly addictive and stronger than xanax.

[Mary]

I have been on xanax for 3 months. The most I ever took was 1& 1/2. I am down to one and am taking Buspar. The first week I took 1/2 xanax and 1/2 Buspar twice a day for one week. Second week I was supposed to increase the Buspar to two and xanax to 1/2 a day. Sounds good except the Buspar is making me very anxious. Any ideas

[Mary]

I have been on xanax for 3 months. The most I ever took was 1& 1/2. I am down to one and am taking Buspar. The first week I took 1/2 xanax and 1/2 Buspar twice a day for one week. Second week I was supposed to increase the Buspar to two and xanax to 1/2 a day. Sounds good except the Buspar is making me very anxious. Any ideas

[michele]

I have been off of Xanax for one week now (cold turkey).  Only problemn is insomnia.  Someone mentioned taking Clonzepam for sleep and was told it is also addicting.  What can you use for sleep that is not addicting?  When does the insomnia go away?

[Brian to Sick and Scared § ALL you guys]

Clonazepam is an addictive benzodiazepine.  It is not a good choice for you.  I presume you did not suffer from insomnia prior to the Xanax withdrawal, and it will go away after the withdrawal ends.  This may take a few weeks or a month.  Non-addictive sleep aids I would recommend you trying would be herbal remedies such as Valerian or Kava which you can find at the drugstore.  Melatonin works for some people.  If these don't work, your physician could prescribe trazodone which is an antidepressant that induces sleep.  The nice thing about trazodone is it is not addictive and generally leaves one feeling less hung over in the morning than sleeping pills.

[Kapil Mehta]

Dear Brian and Mary,

I am 23 and am suffering very painful withdrawl symptoms such as rebound anxiety and insomnia and typical headache. I do not like socialising and even keep totally immobile throughout the day. So I am compelled to again go for .25mg, my daily dose. This gives me discomfort of diffrent type. I have come down from 1.5mg per day a couple of months back to .25mg per day now. Unfortunatly in India most of psychiatrists just advise me to go off Alprax(trade name of xanax in india) suddenly. Only one advised for tappering off. But my goodness how difficult! Please advise, any youngperson who has gone through this ordial. I had been on Alprax during my college for an year or so in 1997, but was able to come out of it by means of some homeopathic medicines. But due to repeat advise of a psychiatrist I am again got hooked on to it since March last. My productive years for career planning and computer studies have come to standstill. My friends have joined software companies with huge salaries and here I am fighting a loosing battle. Will someone please help me?
Kapil Mehta, E-mail:***@****

[Kapil Mehta]

Dear Brian and Mary,

I am 23 and am suffering very painful withdrawl symptoms such as rebound anxiety and insomnia and typical headache. I do not like socialising and even keep totally immobile throughout the day. So I am compelled to again go for .25mg, my daily dose. This gives me discomfort of diffrent type. I have come down from 1.5mg per day a couple of months back to .25mg per day now. Unfortunatly in India most of psychiatrists just advise me to go off Alprax(trade name of xanax in india) suddenly. Only one advised for tappering off. But my goodness how difficult! Please advise, any youngperson who has gone through this ordial. I had been on Alprax during my college for an year or so in 1997, but was able to come out of it by means of some homeopathic medicines. But due to repeat advise of a psychiatrist I am again got hooked on to it since March last. My productive years for career planning and computer studies have come to standstill. My friends have joined software companies with huge salaries and here I am fighting a loosing battle. Will someone please help me?
Kapil Mehta, E-mail:***@****

[Brian to Sick and Scared § ALL you guys]

I am very sorry to hear about the trouble you are having withdrawing from Xanax.  Try taking the .25 mg every other day for two weeks, then every third day for two weeks and see how you feel.  You may then be able to withdraw the medication entirely with less symptoms.  The other thing to keep in mind is that the symptoms will go away eventually once you withdraw the medication entirely, but they may persist for a few months.  Good luck to you.

[I've been there too]

I also was in a detox program for xanax amoung other things.  The five days in the hospital was pretty bad, but you're right, it's afterward that you really feel the effect that these drugs have had on your body.  I was taking 8 blue (1mg) xanax a day and it took a while for me to feel like I really had my head screwed on straight again.  About two weeks after detox I felt like I could finally go back to work, but it was really about 3 months later that I noticed a big improvment, and in 6 months I felt a drastic improvment.  When I was going through it, I really never thought I would feel normal ever again, but time goes by faster than you think it will.  It takes time but don't get discouraged, you will feel normal again faster than you think. I hope what I've had to say will help you.

[shannon]

Hi. I just want to say that I've been on a regular dose of zanax, nothing unusual. One blue a night. I sleep through the night, which is a great improvement from no sleep at all. I don't increase my dosage. I don't have any strange side effects....except for those sensitive pains in my feet. In the mornings I wake up with very tender or sore feet. The pain goes away, but it only comes after the night I've taken a zanex. There is definately a corallation. Please advise. No spell check, so forgive me any errors.

[juelie]

i am wondering if there are long term affects from taking zanax? I have taken them for about a year one blue one a day ,and i quit taking them 3 days ago and i am having some freaky withdrawl symptoms. I don't know how long this will go on for?

[Calzy]

If you want more answers than you need to start a NEW POST, you are adding on to a post from the yr 2000 and most ppl will miss it.