2 months on 4 mg xanax

I had a knee replacement in August, I am a recovering opiate addict and was soon strung out on opiates again after 11 years clean. I now am off the opiates over 90 days.  I then used xanax which I had never used before, but it did help with the anxiety of the opiate withdrawal.  For the last month and a half I I am now taking up to 4 mg of xanax a day, can I stop cold turkey? BTW, These are not prescribed

[scorpie]

I thought they only went up to 2 mg,but anyway NO stoping this type of benzo cold turkey can cause seizures or even death..Most benzos are addictive and you have to be weened down by a DR. and monitered..

[greenlydia]

Do NOT stop the Xanax cold turkey and let your doctor know IMMEDIATELY that you have been taking this! 4mg of Xanax is a pretty hefty dose! If you were having anxiety issues, you should have consulted your doctor, and I'm sorry if I'm sounding harsh, but with your history of opitate abuse, even though Xnanx is not an opitate, you, more than anyone, know that ANY of these types of meds would probably lead to a relapse for you. And from what I am reading, you have been slowly increasing the dose of Xanax which should be a huge red flag for you.
See your doctor immediately to begin tapering off the Xanax and if anxiety is still an issue, there ARE alternatives!   Alternatives that your DOCTOR will prescribe!
Good luck
Greenlydia

[allmymarbles]

You have merely exchanged one addiction to another. Note that you are taking a high dose. For a temporary condition I had, I was prescribed .25 mg, on an as-needed basis. I was not given a maintenance dose because Xanax is highly addictive. And, no, you cannot stop cold turkey. You have to very reduce the dosage gradually - very gradually.