Xanax withdrawl(withdrawal) CT 7 days!

I was on about 3-4 miligrams a day of xanax.....for about a year and a half...I tapered down to 1 miligram a day on kolonipin..then my medicines got stolen while overseas. I was on kolonopins just one month , now im 7 days clean off all benzos but i had to do it CT. The first few days i was sweating and very adgitated, i had a high heart beat and was very shaky and could not sleep at aLL.Now on day 7 i finally slept but when i woke up i do not feel like i got any sleep....my eyes are wide awake, feel like im speeding.I also have this horrible taste in my mouth for 7days.....does anyone know when that will go away?...im not as shaky now..but still feel horrible...does anyone know if i am safe from having a seisure now that i have been clean for 7 days?...and how long will it take till i feel some what normal again?.....and will this constant numb feeling ever go away?

[vicki595]

Hi~  It could take a few weeks to feel better. I'd get checked out though.  Not knowing your age or medical history,it's hard to say where you're at. There's a seizure risk for the first few weeks when you C/T.  Get your B/P checked for hypertension and speak with a doctor about the abrupt withdrawal of benzos.

Good luck~

[allmymarbles]

The first thing is question is why your idiot doctor gave you such a large dose of Xanax. It is so addictive that it is outlawed in England. As for your withdrawal symptoms, I should think that you are over the worst by now. But what I would do is talk to a pharmacist. They are the ones who know how drugs work.

[goobs5]

Im 33 years old...mother of two......i was prescribed xanax for anxiety about a year and a half ago....then it made me very depressed..it ruined my marriage...anyway i started taking more than prescribed...i know thats bad...i became very additced...i ended up having to get them off the street. I decided to switch to kolonipin ( which i also had to get off the street) because i heard its easier to come off of...I moved from the US to Australia about a month ago to be with family and so i couldnt get any more...i was only on kolonipin 1mg at nitht for a month when it all got stolen a week ago. So I dont really know if my body is still withdrawing from xanax or its just the kolonipin.I hv been taking about 3-4mg of xanax for the past year and a half then switched to kolonipin 1mg a month ago. And now have been 7 days CT on kolonipin....do you think im at risk for a seisure still?.....i love my kids and i am trying to do the right thing....and i was planning on tapering down slower but didnt plan on my things getting stolen..any advice is much appreciated.

[allmymarbles]

I am not a doctor, so you will have to get advice on stopping from someone more qualified. I am genuinely disgusted with doctors who hand out the stuff for "anxiety" when they have not looked for a physical cause for the ailment. High cortisol can cause anxiety and panic attacks and who knows what else can give one those symptoms. While you are getting off this garbage make sure your doctor gives a good hard look at what is causing the anxiety. I know it is a lot more fun for these MD's to play psychologist and hand out pills, but they are not doing the job they were trained for - looking for physical disfunctions.

[madtram]

It's worth seeing a doctor as they may prescribe something non addictive like clonidine which can help you to feel more comfortable.

If you have a medicare card for Australia, you will be covered to receive cognitive behaviour therapy which has no side effects or withdrawal & is much more effective for anxiety over the long term.

Over the counter remedies like valerian; taurine & kava can also help to stabilise your GABA levels.

Best wishes.

[trippinstarr101]

I am in the same boat! Ive been taking Xanax for years & now Ive got to quit. Like you I resorted to getting them wherever I could! Now I cant find anything at all & in my heart I know its time to stop for my 8 year olds sons sake.I am so dreading the withdrawls of going cold turkey, I am terrified! I heard the worst was around day 3 or 4. Is this true? I also have a full time job & am not sure how I can pull off withdrawls & a very physical fast paced job! Please let me know if you have any suggestions for me, and I will be praying for you!

[dominosarah]

Go to your doctor and tell him/her what is going on.  Going ct off benzos is dangerous.......sara

[goobs5]

Thanks guys for your advice........I also have had to work this week Vicki and its been very hard but i only work half days and this week i only worked 2 days.but i did find those 2 days extremely hard to get through..i usually work 6 so i can imagine how extremeley difficult this would be if i was working full time. I dont think it would have been possible and probably would have had to take two weeks off work , but yeah day 3 and 4 were horrible, i think now on day 7 im starting to feel a little better, not so shaky as before or as nausious. I still have the numb feeling and cant sleep at all, still have that horrible taste in my mouth and very irritable, not much patience with the kids but other than that......i definantly feel alot better than earlier in the week and am hopeful it will get better from here on,I can say that as horrible as this week has been so far its not as bad as I thought it would be. I was terrified as well.I am going to try some of the herbal stuff and see if it helps with sleep...i will let you guys know how it goes.

[quadracersteve]

I've been on 6mg's of Xanax for over 3 years, and will be on it for life. It is very safe to take, despite what people say, IF taken correctly. The only problems on bz's are if someone stops C/T or takes too many at once. I've spent years on every anti-depressant before my dr. prescribed bz's. When anxiety comes from both sides of the family tree, sometimes bz's are the only thing that works,( I was a nervous wreck at the age of 2). When I was younger, and more stupid, I would go through 180mg's in a week, then be in w/drawals for about 2 weeks. It's like someone shot me up w/coke. Can't sleep a wink. Usually after 2-3 weeks, you're out of the woods, so to speak. If you're only on 1mg of Klonopin/day, you should just about be over the hump. That doesn't mean you'll start sleeping like a baby just like that, but you should have got through the worst of it by now. IF it makes you feel better, Klonopin is also prescribed to stop seizures. It's the only bz to do so.

[allmymarbles]

Six mg!! Wow!! As a temporary aid while I was being treated for high cortisol, I was given .25mg of Xanax to be taken only on an as-needed basis. That small dosage worked, and as the treatment took hold, I got off it altogether. Note that, because of it addictive nature, Xanax is outlawed in the UK. So you can say that it is safe, but almost no one would agree with you.

[quadracersteve]

    So you speak for everyone now, do you? Do some research, then come back with your remark. As I said before, as long as you don't mix bz's with other drugs, especially alcohol, they are plenty safe. I wil take EVERYTHING back if you can show me stats where people died as a result of benzos ONLY. Not Xanax AND a rum and coke.
    Being as I suffer from anxiety for my entire life, I have spoken to too many dr's to count with the same answers. I quote from my current dr." You can eat a truckload of bz's, and as long as you don't mix them w/any other CNS depressant, they're totally safe". Read what you want online, doesn't mean it's right.
    Spend some time in Barnes and Noble, grab a psych book, and do some reading. Oh, and read more than one book so that you can get a good idea what the right answer is.

[allmymarbles]

Thank you for your introduction to pharmacology 101. I note you have a love of capital letters.  Screaming does not help you get your point across.

[hydroplant]

I have a bit of experience with xanax and klonopin. I had my first and only seazure about 11 days of of xanax, and I wasn't even feeling that bad at the time. I got on klonopin in jail, shortly after my seizure, 2mg/day and when I got out I was very addicted. Although Klonopin doesn't feel as strong as Xanax (to me anyway) it is very addictive because it lasts much longer than xanax, so it is understandable that you are going through withdrawl (withdrawal). Just be strong, you should be through it in a couple days, hough you will probably feel very anxious for a while.

[goobs5]

Thanks every one for all your comments. Im on day 8 now......I had to work today.....that wasnt easy but I done it and im ok. I dint sleep much last night again , I think I slept for about 3 hours...woke up feeling very unrested....bright lights eergh!.....had that hung over feeling again...little shaky but I think its getting better, still feel numb all over, I couldnt eat this morning....felt starving but not hungry?...I could eat by l;unch time . hydroplant.....it is scary the fact that you had a seizure on day 11 , I thought I was past the worry of that but I guess not. Im not on Kolonipin now...I ran out 8 days ago....I had to CT from the Kolonipin but was on Xanax before that for a year and a half. I might go to the doc today to get a BP reading.....I cant wait till my brain can relax!

[goobs5]

I posted to wrong person above I see!.....Sorry Viki...my last last post was meant for Trippinstar101....but Im not the only one doing that I see lol :)

[skepticool]

Hey guys..I'm so sorry for what ur all going through. Been there...a time or 2. I'm really worried about seizure potential for some of you. I was on 3-6mg/day (legit script..nuts, I kno!) I CT on a Wed, felt kinda crappy by Fri, and had a GRAN MAL seizure Sat. It was a miracle it happened at home. I had an infant and toddler at the time. I was in the shower, and by a miracle my husband had just stepped in when I passed out and started seizing. Please be careful! At least call a nurse or the doc! Bless u guys...

[gnarly_1]

Hey Goobs go to a doctor and just be honest with them tell them your whole history
they may just put you on an antisezure med this is nothing to mess with you need to be there for your kids....good luck and God bless  Gnarly

[laurel453]

steve, don't feel down, ok ? :)  

allmymarbles, when you say that xanax is outlawed in UK , you mean that it is not covered by the NHS ? from what i know and i may be wrong, sure... it is a schedule 4/class C and avalaible by prescription

[allmymarbles]

I don't remember where I read this, but I believe it was a reputable source. But I have found errors in reputable sources before.

[goobs5]

Thanks everyone for your advice, Im on day nine.....I slept last night...but woke up feeling wide awake....doesnt feel like I even slept...it is a very weird feeling....everything is still very bright,.....have a constant hungry feeling...I think the horrible taste is gone from my mouth. Body still feels slightly numb...not so shaky now but my body feels very weak......my muscles especially.Had to work today which wasnt so bad it was more manageablethan the last few times I had to work thru this... I got some vitamins today I know I should have been taking them from day 1...but I dint know about this stuff....this site has been incredibly helpful with knowlege...I also got some valerium root sleeping pills..hopefully they will help with sleep.....will post again tomorrow.

[vicki595]

goobs~   Happy to hear you're doing better. The vitamins and amino acids should help you!

Try to get some food in and keep hydrated. A lot of what you may be feeling is directly related to improper nutrition.  You'll notice a big difference!

Keep in touch!

[goobs5]

Thanks Viki......yeah the vitamins must be helping I think because I feel much better today....except for the horrible headache I have....this is the first bad headache I hv had since I started this process. I slept ok last night, I think the valarian root tabs helped with that....I took 5...maybe was too many...maybe that is why I hv this splitting headache?....most of the other symptoms are going away...no more shakes...not so nautious now.....not as weak....starting to get better I think, glad to be over the worst!.....The only thing thats really left is the insomnia...and I say that because even though I slept....I dont feel as if I did ....still woke up feeling wired...but a lil more rested than yesterday I guess.....anyway just posting what is happening daily so maybe it might help someone else. God bless you all.

[worried878]

u had tapered to 1 mg of klonopin//weaker than xanax///no one here is a dr//no one here can diagnose ur situation

starting back on benzos after 7 days clean sounds a bit redundant tho...just dont see the point but asking ur dr would be best

Congrats on your victory over benzos..hard wd....if u have issues sleeping u should talk to ur dr so u can stay clean

again

congrats!

[goobs5]

Yep I tapered to 1 mg kolonipin....then went CT from there because I dint hv any other choice I was planning on tapering more to .25mg tho but I heard swichting to kolonipin would ease the wd and its also an anti seisure med so I figured it would be a safer way to come off the xanax. And I am on day `10 now.....so yeah definantly do not wont any more benzos...im just gng all natural from here...trying not to take any otc stuff...just vitamins ect.....but I am starting to feel quite proud of myself thanks! :)

[worried878]

u oughta be proud of urself!

[goobs5]

ok day 11......not much has changed from yesterday.....im still not sleeping properly but I dnt expect too yet...still woke up feeling wired...cant wait till that feeling goes away.Everything is constantly bright!........I went and got my medicare card today and I must say that the thought crossed my mind....ooh now I can get some pills and feel better......but...Im not gng to act on that thought, Im even surprised  it crossed my mind because I am so ready to be benzo free and happy at the progress I hv made. I got some melatonin today...see if that can kick start my brain into letting me sleep.

[chemister]

Hello I don't read all your answers, but all info you need is at:
www.benzo.org.uk

I was changing from clonepin to diazepam, and taper down 1 mg every 14 days.
Thats work great after 25 years with benzodiazepines use.
But if you can stay cleen now, it will be the fastest way out, so good luck.