Aa
xanax for 30 years!
New to this forum but unfortunetly not new to xanax.30 years ago I had my first panic attack at Disneyland. Was perscribed 0.5 mg. of xanax by some stupid psychiatrist. I think thats when xanax first came on the medication list for anxiety or panic attacks. I am now up to 3 mg. a day. Sooooo addicted. I have tried soooo many times to get off these things. I am now going to be 56 years old. I get so tired of making sure I have just enough to last the month before my next dr. visit. I have tried calling my insurance co. to go into detox but I guess you have to be an alchoholic to get in. Disgusted! I guess my question is, is it safe to start taking Klonopin and then taper off the xanax? Again its been a looong 30 years! Tired of my life depending on this medication.
Is this my personality or the xanax personality, that is a question i have been asking myself since 1985.This addicition has stopped me from my true potenital, or maybe my unwillineness to help my self is more to blame. I have no advice just wanted you to know your not alone
HI you can do it but it has to be slow xanex hits its own brain receptor different from other benzos it more like weening you off the xanex and bringing you on to the clonapine slowly this is not a comfortable process but one worth doing you wont get the ups and downs of xanex clonipin last up to 18hr in your system find a good doctor for doing this good luck and God bless.......Gnarly
Gasten - I just read a post about the writer having anxietyattacks ( the usual nausea, dizzies, generally sick, swooning fatigue etc) EVERY MORNING AROUND 7 TO 9. It was a revelation. I couldn't believe any ailment or disease could hit at a fixed time daily, as it so frequently does me. ( I then lost the post . Damn). For years I could clear the worst of it with .25 Xanax under the tongue for superquick action. Then it was .50mg. Now I'm on extended release .50 at midday and midnight. It worked ONCE, two days ago. Yeterday I had a first clear morning this year. Today nowhere near as good. Awoke at 7 and was an inanimate sick jelly until 10. Now at 1.30pm it comes only in diminuishing waves. so I've just taken .25 midday to see if a reduced dose helps the sloth at least. I was tempted to take a straight under-the.tongue .50 thismorning but I've only got two left. What's your progress with slow release pills?...(Incidentally,you were very kind to send that personal help to a fellow sufferer.) Bless you
Ask the new doctor is you can get off Xanax, without a backup pill, if you do it very, very, very slowly.
I have tapered from benzos a few times and yes it is doable, but done slowly. You will find your path. I only have my experience to share. It is called titrating, and yes you need to trust your Dr or find one you can trust it makes all the difference in my opinion. First time i tapered i was young and on a low dose so it only took me a few months and I tapered from xanax.
The amount of time you've been on them matters, gnarly is right your brain chemistry needs to adjust slowly but with the right Dr and support and please do this slowly.
my last bout with them was last year i had to take Ativan 9 very short acting) during my chemo and i knew i would have to kick them once again for me the Drs had no clue when I told them they needed to switch me to valium as the Asnton manual states all hell broke loose and I was in full blown withdrawals, my primary care stepped in and gave me the valium and put me in touch with a specialist. From there I joined Benzo Buddies a support network of people all tapering off benzos and tons who have been benzo free for a long time, it was an enormous help.
Valium has the longest half life of all benzos and the crossover if done properly doen't result in withdrawal symptoms. As far as a hospitol detox for Benzos they do it where i live but its really tough and you come off pretty fast, using phenobarbital, celexa and neurontin.
Well I'm trying to let you know you are not alone and there are options but tapering in some form is the only way to avoid seizures and PAWS.
IM me if you need any more support. i have a lot of experience with bezo's, as do others here. I really hope you check out the site i recomended. Sharon
The amount of time you've been on them matters, gnarly is right your brain chemistry needs to adjust slowly but with the right Dr and support and please do this slowly.
my last bout with them was last year i had to take Ativan 9 very short acting) during my chemo and i knew i would have to kick them once again for me the Drs had no clue when I told them they needed to switch me to valium as the Asnton manual states all hell broke loose and I was in full blown withdrawals, my primary care stepped in and gave me the valium and put me in touch with a specialist. From there I joined Benzo Buddies a support network of people all tapering off benzos and tons who have been benzo free for a long time, it was an enormous help.
Valium has the longest half life of all benzos and the crossover if done properly doen't result in withdrawal symptoms. As far as a hospitol detox for Benzos they do it where i live but its really tough and you come off pretty fast, using phenobarbital, celexa and neurontin.
Well I'm trying to let you know you are not alone and there are options but tapering in some form is the only way to avoid seizures and PAWS.
IM me if you need any more support. i have a lot of experience with bezo's, as do others here. I really hope you check out the site i recomended. Sharon
Thank you! I need all the help I can get. I dont have so much trust with doctors anymore. Ive been on xanax for so long unfortunetly I have ruined some friendships and relationships along the way. I really want to find out if this is my real personality or is this the "xanax personality". Like I said I cant remember when the last time I had a panick attack. I have learned I guess over the years how to meditate, tapes, and deal with my life and in the process didnt even realize I dont have them anymore but now Im physically addicted to them. So now i need to know what to do. I dont just want to keep taking one thing and adding it on to another. Im sick of pills. Anyway waiting to hear from you.
Kathy
Kathy
Hi kitten,
I just got through typing the world's longest post to you and before I had a chance to hit submit it was gone. It's ironic because the person that just posted to you - Gasten - is the one I mentioned in my post to you - I was going to message her to send you a message about her experience with xanax as she has been on it about the same amount of time and the same dose.
The shortened version here - You do NOT need to be on anti depressants unless you want to be taking them. Most psychiatrists will try to push them on you - they just do. I have nothing against AD's and they help alot of people, but once you start taking them, you'll be on them for a long time. This is just my opinion, but it's something that you should really think about before your visit. I had to tell my doctor "NO" several times before he finally got the message .
Gasten is going to message you alot of what you need to know, so I'm not going to re-type everything (thank you Gasten!). She will be a great source of help and information to you.
My best advice to you is to go to your doctor visit armed with information about transitioning and tapering and what YOU want to do. Other members have expressed that their doctors are woefully uninformed about certain medications, tapering, etc. The more prepared you are, the more successful your visit will be.
Well wishes to you...
Sandy
I just got through typing the world's longest post to you and before I had a chance to hit submit it was gone. It's ironic because the person that just posted to you - Gasten - is the one I mentioned in my post to you - I was going to message her to send you a message about her experience with xanax as she has been on it about the same amount of time and the same dose.
The shortened version here - You do NOT need to be on anti depressants unless you want to be taking them. Most psychiatrists will try to push them on you - they just do. I have nothing against AD's and they help alot of people, but once you start taking them, you'll be on them for a long time. This is just my opinion, but it's something that you should really think about before your visit. I had to tell my doctor "NO" several times before he finally got the message .
Gasten is going to message you alot of what you need to know, so I'm not going to re-type everything (thank you Gasten!). She will be a great source of help and information to you.
My best advice to you is to go to your doctor visit armed with information about transitioning and tapering and what YOU want to do. Other members have expressed that their doctors are woefully uninformed about certain medications, tapering, etc. The more prepared you are, the more successful your visit will be.
Well wishes to you...
Sandy
I, too, have been on Xanax for 26 years, and am about your age. We have a very similar experience! I am going to write you a detailed Personal Message about exactly what I am doing about it. There IS hope!! I am experiencing that right now!! So keep checking your Inbox for my message!
Gasten
Gasten
HI xanex hits its own brain receptor so you cant just switch it you just start the cloinpne on top of the xanex you will feel druged you need to take a bit of ode and substrate a bit of the other they dont alow us to give doses or taper plands on the forum but thats how its done gradually moving from the xanex to the clonipin the clonipine is long acting 18 hrs so you wont feel the ups and downs just be sure to do it slowly or you will go in to xenex withdrawals keep posting for support good luck and God bless......Gnarly
No u need anti deppressants too.If the ones u took didn't help get another kind.I tried a few.Cymbalta is great.U need to take any AD meds30days4them2even start to really work.With Cymbalta It took about 2-3weeks .U need to get and stay on an AD med long enough to have it really work.Xanax have nothing to do with u feeling depressed u just r.I know this because my mom thought the same thing(she was very resistant to taking anti deppressants but Cymbalta is also used for fybromyalgia pain she has)I got her to get them based on just that she has been on the now4months she.said.after3-4weeks she realized how depressed r she was cause she felt better than she had n yrs and helps a ton with her pain from fybromyalgia
Hi everybody...I guess I should go into a little more detail. I used to have panick attacks many years ago...for many years. How ironic I cant remember the last time I had one! Many times over the years I have tried to taper off but it didnt last. Docs would put me on depression pills, I didnt like them. But my regular doc is the one giving them to me. One time I asked him because I was on them so long should I just keep taking them. His response was "if a diabetic needs insulin..you need the xanax! How stupid was I to believe that. I think my depression has come from taking the xanax all these years. I am going to a pychiatrist on Thursday about getting on something then tapering off. Make since?
Thanks for listening!
Thanks for listening!
Its been said already but talk to ur doctor to get a very slow taper plan so u don't feel any worse than u need to because my experience with xanax i was prescribed twice what u take for years and I felt really bad with trying to do my own taper so please don't do this on ur own
Hi Kitten and Welcome. You never forget your first panic attack. I was 22 and thought I was going to die. It is a condition I wouldn't wish on my worst enemy.
30 years is a long time to be on xanax. I'm a bit surprised your doctor never switched you over to a longer acting benzodiazapine considering the length of time you've been on the xanax. And to be honest, I'm even more surprised that the xanax is still working for you, even at 3mgs. I'm glad that it is, just surprised.
If you want to stop taking the xanax, I would talk with your doctor first about switching you to a longer acting benzo like klonopin or valium. It may take some time to transition from one to the other, but once you do, you can discuss tapering off of whatever you switch to. You don't have to do it this way - you could taper off of the xanax, but in my opinion this would be a much rougher way to go. With the short half life of xanax, it's much harder to adjust to lower doses as you taper.
Is the xanax still providing you with relief from anxiety? If so that's great, and it should make your transition easier if you choose to go that route.
We can't give tapering advice here as it is against Medhelp policy, but if you want a point of reference, you can read the Ashton Manual - or at least the tapering part of it. Or just use Google - you can find all kinds of tapering info that way. I would definitely do this under your doctor's care.
One other issue you may want to consider is some type of therapy. I was treated by a psychotherapist and we used biofeedback both while I was on medication and while tapering off of it. It gave me the tools I would need to cope with anxiety when it cropped up, and helped me to deal with it sans any medication.
The most important thing is to go as slowly as possible. This will help you tremendously both during your taper and once you're off the medication completely. Your mind and body need time to adjust to lower doses, and the slower you go, the more you will feel back to your pre-xanax self once you're off the medication.
Feel free to message me if you have any questions about the biofeedback or other types of therapy. Or just post here in the open forum.
Well wishes to you....
Sandy ♦
30 years is a long time to be on xanax. I'm a bit surprised your doctor never switched you over to a longer acting benzodiazapine considering the length of time you've been on the xanax. And to be honest, I'm even more surprised that the xanax is still working for you, even at 3mgs. I'm glad that it is, just surprised.
If you want to stop taking the xanax, I would talk with your doctor first about switching you to a longer acting benzo like klonopin or valium. It may take some time to transition from one to the other, but once you do, you can discuss tapering off of whatever you switch to. You don't have to do it this way - you could taper off of the xanax, but in my opinion this would be a much rougher way to go. With the short half life of xanax, it's much harder to adjust to lower doses as you taper.
Is the xanax still providing you with relief from anxiety? If so that's great, and it should make your transition easier if you choose to go that route.
We can't give tapering advice here as it is against Medhelp policy, but if you want a point of reference, you can read the Ashton Manual - or at least the tapering part of it. Or just use Google - you can find all kinds of tapering info that way. I would definitely do this under your doctor's care.
One other issue you may want to consider is some type of therapy. I was treated by a psychotherapist and we used biofeedback both while I was on medication and while tapering off of it. It gave me the tools I would need to cope with anxiety when it cropped up, and helped me to deal with it sans any medication.
The most important thing is to go as slowly as possible. This will help you tremendously both during your taper and once you're off the medication completely. Your mind and body need time to adjust to lower doses, and the slower you go, the more you will feel back to your pre-xanax self once you're off the medication.
Feel free to message me if you have any questions about the biofeedback or other types of therapy. Or just post here in the open forum.
Well wishes to you....
Sandy ♦
It's a good idea to speak with your doctor about your options here. Many times they'll prescribe a longer acting benzo like Valium or Klonopin and then taper you slowly over time, cutting back by very small amounts.
It takes time but that's what you've got. You can do it. I was addicted to a barbiturate for about that length of time and I tapered off. I thought I couldn't live without it and that I'd be on the crap forever! It was a burden for me, as well.
The drug must be tapered and you CAN do it! But, what about the anxiety that brought you to Xanax in the first place? You'll need a plan for that...
Good luck!
It takes time but that's what you've got. You can do it. I was addicted to a barbiturate for about that length of time and I tapered off. I thought I couldn't live without it and that I'd be on the crap forever! It was a burden for me, as well.
The drug must be tapered and you CAN do it! But, what about the anxiety that brought you to Xanax in the first place? You'll need a plan for that...
Good luck!
Why not talk to the very doctor who is supplying you? Doesn't he want you off the stuff? You must have discussed this with him. What does he say?
I too have a lot of experience with benzos very nasty drug, you need a slow taper. Do you trust you Dr to taper you? Please read the Ashton Manual it tells you all about tapering and has tapering schedules. We are not allowed to give that advice here. There is also another great site called Benzo Buddies I used it when I tapered.
Good luck and more people will stop by with more advice.
Good luck and more people will stop by with more advice.
Kitten - Welcome to the forum so glad you've found it. This is a great commmunity of really helpful people.
Oh xanax - ugh. I just tapered downmyself from only 1 mg and that has been hard but I'm finally off. There are some members with a lot of benzo experience and hopefully at some point today or tonight they'll weight in on this for you and give you some good advice.
Have you discussed your desire to taper with your doctor? I would highly suggest working with your doc to get a safe taper schedule as benzos can be very dangerous and the taper must be slow and steady. At some point your doctor may switch you over to valium which is a little longer acting.
I was so frustrated and just wanted to be off of it so I get where you are coming from but since you've been on it for such an extended period of time you are looking a long taper - be patient with yourself, get a plan in place with your doctor and also make sure you set up some after care for youself and an alternate plan of how you will manage your anxiety as increased anxiety is something most of us encounter when tapering off benzos.
I wish you luck in working with your doc and the strength to regain power over your life. You can do this and you are not alone - there are so many of us.
Peace to you!
Oh xanax - ugh. I just tapered downmyself from only 1 mg and that has been hard but I'm finally off. There are some members with a lot of benzo experience and hopefully at some point today or tonight they'll weight in on this for you and give you some good advice.
Have you discussed your desire to taper with your doctor? I would highly suggest working with your doc to get a safe taper schedule as benzos can be very dangerous and the taper must be slow and steady. At some point your doctor may switch you over to valium which is a little longer acting.
I was so frustrated and just wanted to be off of it so I get where you are coming from but since you've been on it for such an extended period of time you are looking a long taper - be patient with yourself, get a plan in place with your doctor and also make sure you set up some after care for youself and an alternate plan of how you will manage your anxiety as increased anxiety is something most of us encounter when tapering off benzos.
I wish you luck in working with your doc and the strength to regain power over your life. You can do this and you are not alone - there are so many of us.
Peace to you!
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