cold turkey

[onebravegirl0422]

I was taking xanax for a ten day period, one every other day, 2mg before bed. After my fifth night I decided I wanted to stop. This wasn't doing my anxiety any good. It actually made it worse. I was depressed, had suicidal thoughts, crying, and agitated.
No I didn't consult my doctor because I know my body better than anyone else.
It is now my fourth day of my withdrawals. Each day seems to be a bit more rough than others.
I've had insomnia.
Foggy mind.
cold jitters.
rebound anxiety attacks (which I made it through with no medication)
nausea.
and loss of apetite.
I haven't had a seizure (Thank God)
but I want to know...
how much longer will this last and what advice can you give me to help this be easier?
I didn't want to taper since I wasn't on for so long and I just want this out of my system.

[EvolverU]

Hi & Welcome :)

I dunno'. I tend to disagree with most of the above posters. Everything you describe is spot on for discontinuing benzos. If you've previously kicked them, it's more than possible that your recent stint with them could have induced withdrawal. I went through something similar. I think that we (the population & the medical community in general) really don't understand how seriously benzos affect our chemistries & how long it takes to heal/rebalance from them. Xanax is the strongest of the benzos & as Selfie mentioned, you were taking a significant dose. So, I respectfully disagree that taking them every other day wouldn't result in what you're experiencing. The question I'd ask would be how long a period was it between your last benzo kick & your 5 day usage? How long were you initially on them -- even 'casually' ? If an alcoholic is clean for say..six months or so & goes out & drinks for 5 days, they'll be right back where they started. The same goes for an opiate addict. It takes a looongggg time to properly heal & (more importantly) we can't ever take our DOC again (unless it's absolutely necessary & under a Dr's care). I understand exactly what you mean when you say that they no longer worked for you! (To me that's another indicator that you had a previous tolerance to them that your body/mind remembers).

Congratulations on kicking them. Try not to over-think this -- your symptoms will ease & sleep will return. Eat a healthy unprocessed diet to rebuild your GI system. (benzos really mess with that), hydrate as often as possible & try to exercise when you can. Hang in there -- you can do this!!

[nursegirl6572]

I agree with a lot of the above posts, I think you're over thinking this.  You shouldn't be having such significant w/d symptoms after such a brief course, not to mention, you were taking them every other day too, which makes the likelihood of w/d even less IMO.

I agree that you should talk to your doctor and ask for a therapy referral to help you start dealing with your anxiety, which you clearly have.

Best to you!

[selfinduced]

How long were you on them before you stopped for the 2 weeks? When you stopped for the two weeks did you wean down or just stop?

[onebravegirl0422]

No. Alcohol is a big no no for me.

[onebravegirl0422]

Well as said I did take xanax before and stopped taking them for a couple of weeks then went back on.
But first I was on those little peach looking pill .5mg twice a day
then my tolerance went up and was prescribed onax 2mg once a day but I decided to take it every other day

[Lisallvzry]

Oh and I forgot to mention ... Xanax or any other benzo...is alcohol in a pill form..so if you happen to be an alcoholic then I would understand why you're having issues. make sure whatever you do you don't consume any alcoholic beverages during this time, it will only prolong your withdrawal because alcohol affects the brain the same way as a benzodiazepine does.

[selfinduced]

Yup, sleep is the best drug ever and without it things can get very distorted. You are wise to recognize that. Get some sunshine. a little exercise and then distract from there until your feeling settled. Each time you start thinking about the detox process redirect to something else that needs attention. More will be along to offer support, but I promos 10 days of xanex will not create significant detox symptoms. What about sleepy time tea? I drank that non stop when I was detoxing and it really leveled me out?

[Lisallvzry]

Something definitely does not sound right. Could you be withdrawalin from a different medication?  You don't have benzo withdrawal s from a 10 day stint. I know firsthand about the horror s of benzo withdraw and by day four I would have a seizure.  Twice that happened to me, but I had been on Benzos for almost 3 years at that point. There is absolutely nothing that can be done for benzo wd. I ended up going to a 28 day rehab to get off of them successfully.  I was tapered for one week then I was put on seizure meds.  For you, this is either in your head or your WD from something else. Have you stopped taking any other drugs that might be causing a problem as well? cuz it doesn't make sense to me. either way the only thing you can do is wait it out for me I was in full hardcore withdrawal for 7 days. So good luck to you hang in there

[onebravegirl0422]

Yes. That's one of my main triggers. I always overthink everything. And I don't know how to stop it. I think I'm WD because I felt my body becoming dependent with it. And since I suddenly took it off my body is trying to fight back and have that "calmness" it once had. Again.. I also think why I feel pretty cruddy is from the lack of sleep.

[onebravegirl0422]

Who knows. And I'll consider it if things do get worse. I have. Much water and herbal teas. When I eat it's always home cooked, no sodas for me at all.
I usually do. I always have someone to talk to and have the t.v on. I have started working out. I think a lot of this is from the lack of sleep I have recieved. 7 hours since Friday Morning.

[selfinduced]

Everything will be ok. You are spot on in assuming your over thinking everything. 2 mg is a significant dose of xanax, but for being on it for such a short period of time, you should not w/d.  Your muscle memory as well as fear from prior detox is making you fearful. If you have been honest and have only been on xanex for10 days you'll be fine. Sometimes reading other's post can have us all wigged out about whats to come. Have you been exercising some to relieve the anxiety?

[onebravegirl0422]

Also I wasn't eating before the Cold turkey.
my apetite turned around when I had my last attack.
I slowly regain it back, but since I have thrown up about twice it's a tad bit harder to regain my apetite. I do know for sure the insomnia is from the WD.
So is the brain foggyness

[ariley13]

It is possible that this is a psychosomatic issue, but I would definitely check with your doctor and let them know what you're doing and what symptoms you are having. It's just best to have them on board, ya know? Other than that, just be sure to stay hydrated. Lots of water. Try to stay away from caffeine and sugary, processed foods. They all can lead to increased anxiety and yucky feelings. Try to stay as distracted as possible. Watch funny TV and movies, chat with friends, go for a walk. If the anxiety starts to spiral out of control, take a time out. Try putting on some relaxing music, taking a hot bath and doing some deep breathing.

[onebravegirl0422]

I have taken xanax before and it was fairly easy to get off them before, but this time was harder because I knew my body was getting addicted to it. I stopped because It made things worse and was hurting my kidneys badly.
today I'm feeling fairly good.
I still haven't slept in three days.
Like in the past I had been taking them but only .5 twice a day
and I got off them no problem.
I was off for two weeks.
then I randomly had a panic attack and caved in..
Saw that my tolerance went up and so did my dosage.
I think most of my withdrawals are from over thinking the symptoms.
My mind tends to absorb information like a sponge and try to make me feel a certain way.
yesterday was the worst day of the withdrawals.
That's when I had rebound anxiety it made me angry and wanted to punch someone.
I just need to know everything will be okay.

[IBKleen]

So you took 5 pills altogether? Something is not right and I have to suggest that you see your doctor and get honest about what is going on. He/she will be able to determine what is happening. Best of luck and I hope to get to feeling better soon.

[ariley13]

Hi there and welcome! I have a few questions for you. So, you were taking only 2 mg once a day and only doing that every other day? Have you had a problem with Xanax, or any drug in the Benzo class in the past? I am just very confused as to how you are having withdrawals after only 10 days of taking one pill every other day. It's really hard to say how long these symptoms will last. Everyone's different, but Benzo withdrawals can be pretty drawn out. I'm glad that you decided to stop taking these before you became any more dependent/addicted to them. Please stick around and keep posting. We are here for you.