xanex withdrawl

[rkt1500]

I have been taking xanax .25mg every other day for anxiety, and mostly as a sleep aid. I have ben prescribed this by my family practice doctor for about 10 years. I recently had surgery and was off work for three weeks so i thought I would stop taking the xanax  since I didn't really need it for sleep or anxiety, well I went into withdrawel unexpectedly in two days, I didn't know what was happening , I always thought at such a low dose I wouldn't be in danger of a dependancy. My family doctor has taken me off the xanax and put me on klonopid and plans to slowly taper the dose , does this seem correct or am I just substituting one benzodyazepam for another ?...will my GABA levels correct themselves? am I really addicted at such a low dose, has anyone ever heard of this? is the problem my brain has stopped making GABA and needs to start manufacturing again or is it the actual xanax that i am withdrawing from?

[rkt1500]

First of all I did not even think this could happen, I was on a low dose and didn't even take it every day so it took me two days to figure out what was going on. first day headache nausea, second day chills ,sweats nausea horible stomach cramps and muscle aches, third day the same ,fourth day my mind started going nuts I was starting to halucinate and i couldn't sleep I bailed and took a xanax and it all went away, thats when I called my doctor.

[Chrissy1972]

I am taking .5mg a day of xanax for about 5-6 months....what does withdrwal feel like? How do I know if I am not getting enough or what is anxiety?
My Med DR said she is totally ok with me on this as I didnt tolerate klonopin well. And I dont abuse it...but again, how do I know what xanax wearing off or true anxiety?

[jakegorzen]

"is the problem my brain has stopped making GABA and needs to start manufacturing again or is it the actual xanax that i am withdrawing from?"

Yes

Your Doc made a good choice to do a transition over to a longer lasting Benzodiazapine.
Thats one of the most important thing to do while withdrawing from a Benzodiazapine.

Xanax has a life of right around 4 hours, while Klonopin has a life of about 12.
Klonopin builds in you plasma, and actually prevents anything from even happening "No rollercoaster ride of emotions"
when you become stable on the Klonopin....which takes about 2 weeks, you should stay at the dose for about a month, then start a taper.
SLOW AND STEADY wins the race!

Im going to suggest to you to look into "Water titration" because you were at a low dose for so long, you will need very minimal cuts from your dose, sometimes as minimal as 1-2%, sounds like alot of "Fuss" but believe me, it will make it much better

Wehn you make a cut, you wont feel withdraws until about 2 days later "If any" because the level in your plasma drops. "This is the reasoning to switch to a long lasting benzo" because when you make a cut of lets say.....10% it tricks your brain because there was "stored up"  active components of the Klonopin, which makes your brain think the actual cut was only 5%.

Any questions, feel free to write me.