XANAX HORRORS

[snowflake620]

is any one up? or am i the only one? I still cant sleep and i have been having headaches so yestrday i took my blood pressure and boy did it scare me normal for me is 116/69 it was up to 159/71 not a good sign i took it again after the headache and it was back down but how long does this **** go no ia am trying to get off xanax wasprescribed 0.5 mil 3xs a day but it made me so drug down that i only took it to help sleep well i noticed after about 6 months that it was not really helping only adding to the anxiety so i stopped taking it c/t not good either so i did a really quick taper took usual dose one night 35 hrs later had to take half dose and now it has been 45 hours since that half dose feel crappy but can manage it think my blood pressure is up again how long will this go on???????????????

[kim715]

You're not the only one.I'm here....Unfortunately it's me again,the one who knows little to nothing about benzos.....I do know a little something about blood pressure though,and it's perfectly normal for our blood pressure to go up during detox.The top number of your b/p is your systolic pressure and thats when your heart is contracting.The bottom number is your diastolic and thats the relaxation phase of your heart, and the one to be a bit more concerned about.As you can see your diastolic pressure really didn't increase much in between the 2 readings.

[snowflake620]

thanx kim its good to know your there boy is this hard i afraid i have really scred up my body and mind icant remember **** any more and get so agitated i dont even like me i hope this stops soon

[troubleinohio]

Im up...sorry you are having such a rough time still with the WD's. Im not sure how long it will go on for you. Its been so many years since i went off xanax that i really dont remember. Im still on it again now and know that someday i will have to get off it. I hope you feel better soon and get some sleep!

[snowflake620]

thanx and please be careful with that stuff for me it was bad bad bad and i didnt abuse it i can not even imagine what it would be like if i did  this is so hard

[troubleinohio]

i dont abuse it either. Now vicodin or any other opiate, thats a different story. But the xanax I use for bad panic attacks and anxiety, and RLS. However i know i cant be on it for the rest of my life. Its already been many countless years Ive taken it regularly.  

[snowflake620]

it only seemd to make my anxiety worse and i think i am begining to have panic attacks short of breath heart palpatations etc is that w/d

[kim715]

Everything that your experiencing is really perfectly normal considering the circumstances.It won't last forever,it will stop.It's just going to take a little bit of time.I know that might not bring much comfort to you right now,but it's the truth.In time you will begin to feel better...Until then you have all of us here to help you through the rough spots and we're all pulling for you.

[snowflake620]

A GREAT BIG THANK YOU!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[carter2005lambe]

Hi, I dont have much experience with xanan but as for your blood pressure, the normal for an adult is 120/80. And when the bottom number goes up, thats when its time to worry. As for the top number, its not a big deal. Just wanted to let you know. Hope this helps.Good luck!

[Redbluffer]

For me my withdrawals with xanax were 80% mental, the first time I quit I had been taking 2mg daily for 2yrs, tapered down .5mgs/every 10days, had little to know w/d's as I remember. Another few yrs later I was taking 2-3mgs of the XR Xanax for about 1yr, by this time I knew all about the w/d possibilities and when I saw the siezure factor that really scared me. For some reason when I quit and was expecting bad w/d's, thats exactly what I had, when I didnt know anything it was a breeze. So just goes to show myself how much our own minds impact our bodies during any detox. I also had and still do have hypertension, during last detox from xanax I went into the hospital with chest pains and my blood pressure was 224/119, up until then I knew nothing about my high BP. Ive taken a variety of BP meds since, about 9 months ago I started taking clonidine for BP and to help during methadone detox. Sounds like the previous posts know alot about the meaning of BP. So I wouldnt worry, best of luck to you, take care.

[melst]

I had a daily xanax habit (4X.05) that I overcame about 5 years ago.
Initially, I thought I'd cold turkey it, but that was a big mistake.
Once xanax is removed from an habituated body the liver begins to create enzymes that can make you go into shock. This drug can be very dangerous if you lower the dose too quickly. I'm no medical professional, but I found out the hard way that the best thing to do is taper it very slowly under a doctor's supervison.
During my 'I can do it cold turkey' phase, my blood pressure dropped to the point where my doctor's face turned pale when he saw its levels. The doctor who treated me also took me off xanax and put me on valium since it is a much longer acting benzo and controls the symptoms of the withdrawl somewhat. It took me about 9 months to reduce to zero and I used an herbal supplement, ('Nervine' herbs- feverfew, st john's wort, skullcap, damiana and lavender), from a health food shop which really helped if I took it at the same times of day that I was used to taking the pills.
  After messing around with my dose by stopping for a few days and then starting again I was in stormy sea of withdrawal symptoms. After that, every time the valium dose was reduced slightly the exact same intensity of withdrawal symptoms began so, (I may be wrong), but I would suggest not trying to stop until you have seen a doctor and been given a reduction plan.
I hope it all goes well for you. If I can quit them, then anyone can, so good luck and good on all of the people on here who are seeking a life without drugs, you really can do it.

[Zeuss]

I was on Xanax for 7 years, from 1999 to  2005. My dose was .5 milligrams three times a day for chronic anxiety and panic attacks. They improved my life 95 percent and I never had to up the dosage. Then i wanted to switch to a longer half life benzo with active metabolites and my Dr. and I said Valium was the way to go. Just as Melst said above. Plus it is easier to taper off of as it comes in 1 milligram tablets. So I was started on 15 milligrams of Valium about three years ago. I can miss taking a day and not have it affect me in any way because of the long half life, But if I went one night without taking the xanax, i was not right mentally. Xanax is powerful but usefull. I am now down to 10 milligrams of valium and will propably go down to 5 over the next year and stay there as It drastically improves my lifestyle by controlling the anxiety and panick attacks. I have been on benzos for 9 years, so if it takes a year to get down to where I want to be then so be it. But you definitely need to taper slowly with the xanax, or ask your Dr. to switch you to valium.  Many people do this to taper off of a benzo because of the long half life. Just take your time and everything will be fine.  Zeuss

[AmbBam]

Hi.  I am on my 10th day of cold turkey xanax withdraw. I put myself into a detox program,where they hospitalized me, and put me on a withdraw medicine called serax.which is also a benzo....They stopped me on the serax on my 5th day, and I had a withdraw siezure. I only remember having a very bad anxiety attack...the next thing I knew I was in a hospital bed,with padding around me, dried blood on my face from where I bit my tongue. My parents surrounding me......Very scary. If you are going to do cold turkey, u really need to do it under a doctors supervision. Or u could have a siezure. the symptoms of withdraw are very scary.....Numbness of hands and my face,cold sweats,anxiety,out of my body feeling.....but I am told they will get better. If u have any questions...feel free to ask me, or if u just want to talk...li am here.

[lisa983]

my husbands doc gave him xanax, i am on klonipin, well there was a couple of days i did not have my meds so i had to take one of his.. it bottomed out my blood pressure. then i took a half the next day and it did the same. i feel xanax is very dangerous. so i think maybe if u did not take one your blood pressure will most likley go up. as my husbands did the same, when he would take them his numbers would be 117/85 then if he did not it would just climb... googluck