Aa
Meds for panic/agoraphobia
I've had panic attacks all my life. Been on xanex for 20 years. It has helped immensely. Recently I decided to cut back my xanex and have tapered from 4 mg to 1 mg. Since then, I'm almost completely housebound. I am also taking paxil. I am also in cognitive behavior therapy. It does not seem to be helping. I also am anxious almost all day long. I heard horror stories withdrawing from xanex. Will I be better after getting off the xanex? Is there a better long term med for this?
Odd, but Iv not been on xanax , but rather anouther benzopine so mabey thats where the not understanding how addictive it is comes in.
Sorry for hitting nerves Sleepless,, I hope you choose to stay around because Im sure your experinces being different from mine will prove helpful to many other posters in similiar situations. Quite frankly I think this forum should offer more control to atleast the moderator regarding how simple it is to register and post because it would help those who have been around the messageboard world to feel more comfortable than when its such a free for all,,, but as JSGear mentioned yesterday to me, when your dealing with anxiety you need to hear a voice that cares NOW,,, not whenever the board gets around to sending you a password or whatever.
Thankyou for your input and perspective Sleepless. I hope in the future if you do stay, we can find friendship despite the rough start.
*Sincerely* Jennifer
Sorry for hitting nerves Sleepless,, I hope you choose to stay around because Im sure your experinces being different from mine will prove helpful to many other posters in similiar situations. Quite frankly I think this forum should offer more control to atleast the moderator regarding how simple it is to register and post because it would help those who have been around the messageboard world to feel more comfortable than when its such a free for all,,, but as JSGear mentioned yesterday to me, when your dealing with anxiety you need to hear a voice that cares NOW,,, not whenever the board gets around to sending you a password or whatever.
Thankyou for your input and perspective Sleepless. I hope in the future if you do stay, we can find friendship despite the rough start.
*Sincerely* Jennifer
I was on pain meds for 12 years. Only took them as directed and tapered off of them. It was a piece of cake compared to the long, slow process of getting off of xanex. Maybe I'm the only one, but I think opiates are much, much easier to quit than xanex.
I do apologize to all of you for my response to jennifer. There is no reason on this forum to involve everyone. She hit a nerve, didn't know "how I was functioning", thought I must have been in a car wreck to be on pain meds, misread my post to say I was on Paxil. Yes, I was on pain meds for 6 months for a back problem....by body of course did get dependent on it. I had to taper. So what. So now she predicts relapse?
I NEVER said I was on benzos from a car accident.
I think we should be careful not to give advice without all the facts.
I NEVER said I was on benzos from a car accident.
I think we should be careful not to give advice without all the facts.
I am very much aware that opiate addiction is PHYSICAL. It is not unique to taper off of them if you use them correctly for pain, then you don't have as much pain anymore. I never once said I was on PAXIL. And BTW....people that take maybe 3-4 pain pills a day for any lenght of time STILL have to taper, so, it doesen't mean I was "in them heavy". WHy call me an opiate addict? Where did that come from????
You also mentioned that I seem "confrontational" in another post. I sure don't mean to be that way, but your posts strike me as attacking,judgmental, and putting me on the defense about things that I didn't even mention in my posts.
We (I thought) were all here for support.
I was answering Summer's post....she tapered off pain meds, now she wants to taper Xanax. You didn't tell her she must have been in them "heavy".
This makes me not want to come back to this forum.
You also mentioned that I seem "confrontational" in another post. I sure don't mean to be that way, but your posts strike me as attacking,judgmental, and putting me on the defense about things that I didn't even mention in my posts.
We (I thought) were all here for support.
I was answering Summer's post....she tapered off pain meds, now she wants to taper Xanax. You didn't tell her she must have been in them "heavy".
This makes me not want to come back to this forum.
btw, opiate addiction is a PHYSICAL addiction with physical consiquences if the medication isnt kept at a certain level... so Im glad you found them easy to quit,, thats wonderful but unique. I am allergic to morphine, and thats real unusual too, but atleast it saves me from the concern I guess. Mabey your make up just doesnt respond addictively to that substance, totally possible.
no... Im still not understanding whats causing your issue at all sleepless. The comments regarding keeping on medicines, the combinations of anti-depressants, pain medicine and anti-anxiety medicines just sounds like really,,, well frankly Im suprised your functional on a daily basis if these are what you were taking and they somehow made you feel more physically comfortable.
You mention your on pain meds,, most pain medicines, opiates if you will, those are considered HIGHLY addictive. If you had to taper off them you were on them pretty heavy. That means you must have been seriousely injured to be in that sort of pain. Opiate addicts tend to have the hardest time getting off the medicines after injury, and are the most likely to relapse.. so your comment about it being easier to get off those than anxiety meds is suprising. And you dont mention trying to taper off paxil which is a very touchy older medicine that works for about half those who take it.
If you want off anxiety meds you taper down to avoid the risk of seziure. I tapered off them in 2 weeks by breaking the pills into fourths because I was aware this could happen if the drug is stopped suddenly. My doctor NEVER mentioned that possibility to me when he prescribed them,, but it probably wouldnt have stopped me from trying them because Id heard benzopines do help anxiety, and I saw alot of young girls stoned out of their minds and telling me they took a xany and drank. (smart move hu) I figured why not when they were offered,,, but then they quit helping and seemed to provoke the one thing I didnt want,, anxiety, the minute I 'needed' one.
So if they work to get rid of these physical symptoms you have, I dont think you should ever quit taking them, ever. If you were in a seriouse accident and that led you to the pain meds and benzopines, and the benzopine is correcting a balance in the glands that control adrenaline ,, sounds like an injury to me. Its odd, but Im betting your doctor needs to look deeper.
You mention your on pain meds,, most pain medicines, opiates if you will, those are considered HIGHLY addictive. If you had to taper off them you were on them pretty heavy. That means you must have been seriousely injured to be in that sort of pain. Opiate addicts tend to have the hardest time getting off the medicines after injury, and are the most likely to relapse.. so your comment about it being easier to get off those than anxiety meds is suprising. And you dont mention trying to taper off paxil which is a very touchy older medicine that works for about half those who take it.
If you want off anxiety meds you taper down to avoid the risk of seziure. I tapered off them in 2 weeks by breaking the pills into fourths because I was aware this could happen if the drug is stopped suddenly. My doctor NEVER mentioned that possibility to me when he prescribed them,, but it probably wouldnt have stopped me from trying them because Id heard benzopines do help anxiety, and I saw alot of young girls stoned out of their minds and telling me they took a xany and drank. (smart move hu) I figured why not when they were offered,,, but then they quit helping and seemed to provoke the one thing I didnt want,, anxiety, the minute I 'needed' one.
So if they work to get rid of these physical symptoms you have, I dont think you should ever quit taking them, ever. If you were in a seriouse accident and that led you to the pain meds and benzopines, and the benzopine is correcting a balance in the glands that control adrenaline ,, sounds like an injury to me. Its odd, but Im betting your doctor needs to look deeper.
I tapered with my dr.'s guidance...would not have done it any other way. I asked HIM to get me off of them. I did not substitute it for anything else. I remember that it took at least a month, maybe 2....consider how long you've been on them! And...your dr is NOT going to want you to taper even faster...not if he is a good dr. They know the dangers of tapering that too fast. I seem to remember being down to just a "crumb" of a pill towards the end.
It is MUCH easier to get off pain meds. (did that too!)
So....please rethink confiding in your dr. And....it sounds like it's YOUR idea anyway...so your dr. should be happy to help.
And...I know where you are coming from thinking wow...if I get off these and the anxiety comes back...THEN what???? Then you can explore other ways, if you want, to control the anxiety.
but....it is so weird that I can truly identify with your reasons to want to get off...that...what IF I don't have them....
Please keep us informed!
It is MUCH easier to get off pain meds. (did that too!)
So....please rethink confiding in your dr. And....it sounds like it's YOUR idea anyway...so your dr. should be happy to help.
And...I know where you are coming from thinking wow...if I get off these and the anxiety comes back...THEN what???? Then you can explore other ways, if you want, to control the anxiety.
but....it is so weird that I can truly identify with your reasons to want to get off...that...what IF I don't have them....
Please keep us informed!
Look up the profile on "avisg" I believe she has a Xanax taper schedule posted. If I remember correctly, it seemed really complicated! I have been on Xanax for about 14yrs and Ativan before that for a total of 28yrs on short acting benzodiazepines. Fortunately, I have only taken them for sleep and have never abused them and have stayed around 2mgs for sleep. 2 or 3 months ago (after learning about them on this forum) I started my own wean too and knowing it has to go slow I have stayed at 1.5 for the last 2mos. I am almost positive your feeling so awful because you've dropped your dose way to fast. Talk with your doctor about going on Klonopin or Valium which are excellent drugs for chronic anxiety and if you want to get off benzos completely, then they are much easier to do that as well.
I'm sorry, I just remembered that avisg's schedule is if you want to switch from xanax to valium. Maybe check it out anyway just to see that it's a very long road.........
I have been reluctant to do this myself because of exactly how you're feeling and I too am afraid of a seizure.
Very best of luck to you
I'm sorry, I just remembered that avisg's schedule is if you want to switch from xanax to valium. Maybe check it out anyway just to see that it's a very long road.........
I have been reluctant to do this myself because of exactly how you're feeling and I too am afraid of a seizure.
Very best of luck to you
I've been tapering for some time. I was on pain meds for pain and did that taper first and then went on a xanex taper. Can you tell me how you tapered off the xanex for the year? I don't know how to taper further. I only have 1 mg tablets and I think I can taper to .75 mg, but after that the percentages are pretty high. Would really like to know how you do it? I just heard the xanex isn't that effective after years on it, so really want to go off it and take it only once in a great while if needed, not everyday. It is great for panic attacks, but I'm taking it for overall anxiety which I have continuously. Do you think it's possible to go from the 1 mg I'm on now to .75 mg and then .50 and then .25 mg? I want to try this taper by myself without my doctor knowing it until I know for sure I can do it and will then let him know. Just afraid if I tell him I'm tapering that he will want me to go faster or slower than what I'm currently doing. I guess I wanted to go off of it because I heard that you can suffer seizures if you are all of a sudden without it. I didn't want to take a chance that I might not have it one day and then suffer a seizure.
What made you decide to taper off that much Xanax after 20 years? That's a really big jump from 4mg to 1! To me, it can't be worth being housebound! And....I DO know what you are talking about. I got off Xanax for a year (society pressure), and I had such vertigo for a year it about ruined my life. So, sorry to say...back on it. Did you do a very very slow taper???? I was never on the much, but, when I did quit for a year, it took months to taper off the 1.5 mg/day I was taking. Were you under the care of your dr. while you tapered that much? Congrats on wanting to get off the drug....I do admire you. But...there must be something else you can do in the meantime to give you a better quality of life. Please call your dr. and get some more ideas! I hate to read about anyone feeling that way!
I'm not an expert and have never taken the big X, but based on what the prescribing information and a great many reports here say, getting off Xanex is something that must be done very carefully and sometimes with the assist of another drug to sort of bridge you into the drug-free zone, as it were.
When you say "it" does not seem to be working, I assume you mean the cognitive behavioral therapy and maybe also the Paxil. The CBT may well be working, it is just that the action is not usually as immediate as what a medication does. The "system" it gets into is your thinking process which deals with a lot of other things demanding attention -like withdrawal from X, for example. But, you've got to start somewhere, so you may as well start right now. One thing for sure, bad side effects from the GBT are unlikely.
Keep in mind that the stories you'll hear about Xanex, and about anything, really, tend to be the ones on the extremes of experience or results: the horror stories and also the amazing success stories. And as well al know, most experience lies between the two extremes and tends to not be reported at all. After all, are you going to run into the streets shouting, "Hey! It sorta helped!"? You get my drift.
My opinion is that you get with your doctor and consult on whatever meds will help you do the taper as comfortably as possible so you get calmed down again. And don't be afraid to challenge the therapist on the efficacy of the CBT; who knows, maybe some talk therapy from a different angle will be just the thing. What I can say, with high confidence, is that the talk therapy together with the meds is much better than either one alone. A final note: if it is possible to have a psychiatrist as your therapist AND your prescriber, you've got a better arrangement than having it split.
For what its worth -and if you care to disclose it- you might want to say something here on the forum about the panic experience itself: when it it start, and why (or why you think so) and other information. That will hit the radar of other folks here who have had similar experience and give you a good sounding board -even be part of the therapy process. Just a thought.
Stay in touch. Your contributions are valuable.
When you say "it" does not seem to be working, I assume you mean the cognitive behavioral therapy and maybe also the Paxil. The CBT may well be working, it is just that the action is not usually as immediate as what a medication does. The "system" it gets into is your thinking process which deals with a lot of other things demanding attention -like withdrawal from X, for example. But, you've got to start somewhere, so you may as well start right now. One thing for sure, bad side effects from the GBT are unlikely.
Keep in mind that the stories you'll hear about Xanex, and about anything, really, tend to be the ones on the extremes of experience or results: the horror stories and also the amazing success stories. And as well al know, most experience lies between the two extremes and tends to not be reported at all. After all, are you going to run into the streets shouting, "Hey! It sorta helped!"? You get my drift.
My opinion is that you get with your doctor and consult on whatever meds will help you do the taper as comfortably as possible so you get calmed down again. And don't be afraid to challenge the therapist on the efficacy of the CBT; who knows, maybe some talk therapy from a different angle will be just the thing. What I can say, with high confidence, is that the talk therapy together with the meds is much better than either one alone. A final note: if it is possible to have a psychiatrist as your therapist AND your prescriber, you've got a better arrangement than having it split.
For what its worth -and if you care to disclose it- you might want to say something here on the forum about the panic experience itself: when it it start, and why (or why you think so) and other information. That will hit the radar of other folks here who have had similar experience and give you a good sounding board -even be part of the therapy process. Just a thought.
Stay in touch. Your contributions are valuable.
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