Xanax & Librium - Please help

[missy812]

I WD off Norco over the weekend with the help of Xanax... which I must say was a life saver.  If you are going to quit narcotics CT, get some Xanax from your doc if possible... it REALLY helped. I was out walking by day 3.
Anyways, the worst WD part is over, but I still have VERY bad anxiety and some depression, which I think is caused by the anxiety.  I went to work on Wednesday feeling real funny, wired, couldn't concentrate, hated life, etc... Then I took a Xanax and I felt NORMAL.  I was focused, motivated at work, I felt better than I did before I started taking Norcos.  
I have WD from Norco before, but I went back on them mainly because of depression and anxiety.  I believe being on the Xanax temporarily will help me from relapsing with the Norco.
So, I went to the follow up with my doc today and he prescribed me Librium instead of Xanax. He said it's the same class, but lasts longer so I won't have to take it as often. Today is only my first day on Librium, but I don't feel good at all. I have a headache, I feel depressed, unmotivated, and kind of fuzzy.  Also feel nauseous.  The Xanax didn't make me feel fuzzy at all, it leveled me out perfectly. I actually took a Librium 5 hours ago and I feel like I want to jump out of my skin right now... I am anxious.  
I understand Xanax can be addicting, I am very aware of that.  I am using this temporarily so I don't go back to Norco.
Any experience and suggestions with either or both drugs?
BTW the Xanax was .5 mg, 3 X per day, and the Librium is 10 mg, twice a day.
Thank you in advance.  

[ScalpMassager]

Librium has a half-life of 24-48 hrs, so my answer would be no, without checking with a doctor first.

[DjBruce23]

I had taken my last librium for anxiety relief, and muscle relaxation. 1 10 mg did not do the trick. so i searched for another, only to find one of my older 1 mg xanax. its been a few hours since i took the librium and im still feeling anxious, would it be safe to take the xanax?

[shellyginer]

Hello missy, I didn't check the date on this post so I may be wasting my time...First of all  I'm very proud of you for getting off of Norco..I have been off Narcotics now for 8 years thank the Lord.  I have one issue and it is ANXIETY.....I have been on Xanax for almost ten years, 2mg 3 times daily and I'm to the point where I cannot any longer even feel them any longer, I just take them to keep from being sick because the sickness is very very dangerous.  Seizures tremors hallucinations lack of sleep and all kinds of stuff...So I want off of them, I took a step to call the main doctor at our local rehab and he suggested 150 mg of Librium because the half life is much longer than Xanax at bed time and it shoud last 100 hrs...but it may tak e a bit of time for your body to adjust to it because the Xanax works very fast.  anyways my point is you are better off taking a non addicting antidepressant than a benzodiapine becase you just got off of Norco and Kudos toy you for that because it's a big step, I just don't want to see you addicted to something more even more dangerous to get off of than Norco...Xanax is the worse....My name is shelly if you need to talk but, I'm just trying to give you the heads up on any anxiety med...they are deadly withdrawls, expecially cold turkey next to alcohol withdrawls!  Do it right!  Take care of YOU!, Sincerely Shelly

[Tigerlily922]

I don't have any experience with Librium but I sure have enough with Xanax.  I was prescribed Xanax years ago when I started to develope anxiety with full blown panic attacks.  At the time I didn't realize it, but looking back I believe the anxiety and attacks were brought on by my use of pain killers.  I was given the lethal cocktail of an opiate pain killer, an anti-depressent and a sedative.  Same doc prescribed all three of these meds.  It didn't happen right away but my use turned into a vicious cycle of taking the pain killers, then the sedatives round and round so that I would avoid withdrawals.  Xanax ended up becoming my worst nightmare, FAR worse than the opiates ever were!!  If I take one pill...thats all I will remember.  The next thing I know its 2-3 days later and the whole bottle is gone.  Absolutely NO recollection of what happened in those last few days.  I have blacked out, passed out and gotten into a few car accidents while taking this drug.  I have no idea what it does to my brain but its wicked BAD.  Also when I've stopped taking them the anxiety is OFF the charts.  I am extremely lucky to be alive, EXTREMELY.  Xanax is one of the most addictive Benzo' s out there.  If you are finding relief with them and feel that you really need it, I would def suggest talking to your doc about Klonopin or  valium.  They are addictive as well but not quite like Xanax.  Good luck to you.

To Bizzy_Elizabeth:  From what I understand the chemical compound in most of these opiate painkillers is comparable to heroin.  There are some people on here, myself included, who HAVE stopped cold-turkey.  And you are right...it IS an extremely painful, awful experience but it is do-able.

[Bizzy_Elizabeth]

To SophieShine, I do not believe that you have ever kicked heroin cold turkey, and it you have, you must have a strange taste for pain.  If I am wrong and you HAVE kicked heroin cold turkey, you have my utmost bewilderment.  Kicking opiates can be like torture, I mean physical torture.  I once heard someone say that kicking cigarettes was HARDER than kicking heroin.  I laughed my proverbial *** off.  I have kicked BOTH, and there is no way in hell you can even begin to compare one to the other.  There are many people out there who go to inpatient rehabs and are given 3-5 days worth of Xanax or Ativan, and that can work for many of them.  It's not enough to form a long-lasting or strong addiction.  But to say that "many" people are going through acute (first 3-5 days) opiate withdrawal without any medication is absurd.  Who are these people?  I've surely never met them.  Maybe Norcos are not as strong.  I did once kick a 30 day Percocet habit without any additional medication, but that is a relatively mild opiate.  That was nothing compared with heroin.  If Norcos are anything like heroin, there is simply no way to do it without added medication, like xanax or ativan or librium.

By the way, my body is currently having the same strange reaction to librium as opposed to Xanax.  My doctor prescribed me benzos 13-14 years ago, and I decided I wanted off.  Well... easier said than done.  This doctor should never have prescribed a 19 year old a constant supply of benzos in the first place.  All I needed then was a break from the anxiety and panic... But I was told, essentially, "This is your new problem (anxiety), and this is your new medication."  Not very creative or responsible or caring.  If I only knew then what I know now...

Anyway, best of luck to all of us.

[Rach0387]

Not all people have the money or
resource to enter detox facilities themselves, or are able to afford the detox meds that may be prescribed. I kicked heroin and cocaine (IV user) while traveling-- there was no other option-- yes it was horrible but it can be done. I think it's unfortunate to give people the impression that unless you have "detox" meds you are doomed. Im not saying if you have the resources and insurance to make the detox physically easier, that you should not persue this option. But to me detox is the easy part, staying sober is the hard part. Good luck getting of the Xanax.

[Happy2LIVEagain]

I'm getting ready to stop my norcos tonight too. i got up to 30 10mg p/day! i was too scared to go thru wd, so my dr. put me on Subutex/Suboxen to avoid any wd. sounds like the easy way out, I know. But I also know myself well enough to know that without the aid of the subs, I would be on norco forever. My dr.has me on Xanax for severe panic attacks (I've been on Xanax for 6 or 7 years with no problems). My Dr. actually INCREASED my Xanax for the next few months so I won't experience the extra anxiety. There is NO REASON for you to go thru this having anxiety attacks. Your dr. needs to have a heart. Be honest with him about how bad your anxiety really is and then taper down slowly. You don't sound like you're trying to trade one drug for the other. You sound like you're trying to survive. don't be so hard on yourself. You said you have a lot on your plate...Take your xanax as prescribed when you get it and begin dealing slowly with the things on your plate. Things will get better every day:)

[missy812]

themountains - I know what you're saying... but I'm litterally having panic attacks at work and getting maybe 2 hours of sleep per night. If I didn't have a job, or any responsibilities, I wouldn't need any extra help, but I do right now. Call me weak.

theeagle - Doesn't Xanax last 6 hours?  I would take that 3 times per day and the other twice per day... the diff of one pill is that big?  Also, what's the difference between the two, besides one lasts longer?  Like ingrediant wise? I can't find the info on it.  The Librium made me feel really bad and my body did not react well to it at all.

Ga Guy - Thanks.. I know anxiety is a symptom of the WD and if I didn't have so much on my plate right now with my life, I'd push through, but I feel I need the extra help for the next few weeks, then will tapper down...  I will research Valium & Klonopin, which my doc mentioned as well.. Thank you!

[GA Guy]

Like others have stated, Xanax is probably the most addicting of all benzos (because of it's short half-life and availability). Short acting benzos have their place, especially for quick seizure control and infrequent panic attacks. But, because of their quick onset and short half-life, they're much harder to detox from. Your doctor is right by placing you on a longer acting benzo. If you MUST change benzos, Valium or Klonopin would be a better choice than Ativan or Xanax. Also, anxiety is just a symptom of the withdrawals. There is no way around it. Taking a benzo will just cause rebound anxiety when you stop them to some degree. If you can, I'd suggest just pushing through. My anxiety was almost completely resolved by a month or so. Now, it's nonexistent.

[122 Tactical Fighter Group]

Librium is not even in the same ballpark as zanax and the benzo problems associated with zanax..........   The short action of zanax demands that it be used with greater frequency and it is only a matter of time before a problem develops with the zanax........

[SophieShine]

Hey there,
I do not agree with taking benzos for kicking off another drug, it's simply replace an addiction for another, but that's just my opinion. Xanax is one of the most addicting benzo and it really seems that your dr is preparing you to taper by switching it to a long acting benzo and right he is.
Benzos can not be stopped CT, you need to taper them off and believe me, you don't wanna go thru that. There's a lot of ppl on here kicking off meds w/o any help and they manage. It's not a walk in the park but they do it.
Best of luck to you.

[missy812]

Thank you!
He did mention Clonazepam as an option.  
I read and Librum seems more habit forming than Xanax and if the Xanax works well for me, I hope he will just give me that.
As the night goes on I am feeling more and more like ****.  My back is hurting now too....
This *****!!!!

[themountains]

I am going through the same exact thing... almost anyways.

Call your doctor and tell him the Librium isn't working and your anxiety is worse, and you want to go back on the Xanax.

That's all you need to do really!  But if he knows your situation, he may be hesitant.  Librium is an older drug and they rarely use it anymore.  My doctor did the same to me and it didn't do anything and so he switched to Clonazepam- I bet Clonazepam would work for you too.