I successfully weaned myself off Xanax (0.25 mg for two years) after a trauma and long battle with an eating
disorderAdjustment disorder
Anorexia nervosa
Asperger syndrome
Autism
Autoimmune disorders
Bipolar disorder
Bipolar disorder
Bleeding disorders
Borderline personality disorder
Bulimia
Chronic motor tic disorder. Recently (three weeks ago) I had not slept for over four days and called on my doctor to perscribe something that could help me sleep but that wasn't addicting. The only options she gave me were antidepressants (which I refuse to take because they cause weight gain and a host of other problems) or the Xanax again. the docotr assured me if I took the 0.25 once a night before bed after a few days I'd be back to normal. Well, I'm not. I have weaned down to 1/2 of 0.25 in order to sleep, but I wake feeling anxious and alittle foggy too. I run, do yoga and pilates to help, but I have a great deal of responsibilities (single mom) and haven't a clue now how to get off the remaining neediness of the medication. I feel very disappointed in myself because I had been so strong to conduct my life in a sane and healthy fashion and now I have this to deal with all over again.
I want my level-mind back please.
i think they typically recommend weaning yourself off instead of cold turkey but i didn't get the chance...hey good luck to you just hang in there -- this, too, shall pass....
The second week he scraped the pill twice across the sandpaper and took the rest, and so on week after week till he was off the med. Of course the time comes when one would be able to stop scraping since one is down to half the pill and could then just cut the pill in half for a while. Then go back to scraping the other half as before till one is weaned completely off the med.
This of course only works with a tablet that you can scrape. One could also try to find a med that is like the one he or she is taking that might be easier to get off of.
For instance I take trazedone to help me sleep. Every night I take it and without it I have muscle aches and can't sleep. But if I have an extra busy day, or more physical activity than usual I have to take a little more of the trazedone to be able to sleep.
I need to go back down to my original dose soon after because the new higher dose will become my new normal, and I would then have to take even more the next time I experienced a physically difficult day. In order to do that I cut down by a very little till I'm back to the original amount I try to take as a maintenance dose.
If a person were taking somethinglike Paxil for instance they could use the slow cut down method, or if that didn't work they could switch to trazedone which would supply them with the serotonin support they need (so they wouldn't suffer withdrawal). I think trazedone is easier to cut down and get off of.
I have chronic fatigue so I don't expect to live without the little bit of trazedone I use until I can get better physically.
One person said she refused to take an antidepressant to help her sleep because they cause weight gain and I can understand that many do that because they make a person feel sleepy and less than energetic.
I'm pretty sensitive to hangover and I experience very little with trazedone, and I haven't gained any weight because of it.
If anything, it takes away my appetite all day, but it returns to normal in the evening.
I gain weight because of less exercise in the winter sometimes, but the person I'm thinking of does exercise. If she eats foods that are healthy for her, and uses something else to help her feel better when she feels a little anxious, like prayer for instance and maybe keeping a journal, she might find that she would be able to switch to an antidepressant to get off the benzo without gaining weight. Maybe a bit of SSRI would help her while she slowly cuts back her benzo.
I know someone who experienced severe anxiety, was put on medication, got better and now won't stop taking the med because he is using it as a talisman to ward off anxiety. He had one episode years ago and because of the severity of that one episode he keeps taking Paxil and believes he won't be safe without it.
I wish you all the best.
I'd like to know more about Ambien so I'll do some research on ym own then contact my doctor.
Just to clarify; I have extreme concerns of a medication causing weight gain not mainly because I work very diligently with running, yoga and pilates to ward off any setbacks (an old eating disorder issue) and really won't let myself take an anitdepressant for any reason as they classically cause weight gain and drastically slow down a person's metabolism.
I wish I could have heard back from a forum doctor with a more informative and specific answer as to what one can do- thanks anyway to all of you for your help.
ambien leaves no hang over effects as long as you sleep at least 5 hrs but the dependence can increase over time to larger doses so i only take 1/2 of a 5 mg nightly. if i wake up during the night am usually able to fall back to sleep but sometimes just doesn't happen so i just stay up. life aint perfect..
good luck to you
I know you are really trying to shed the weight you gained while on anti-depressants but do you really think taking pills is the most sensible way to do this? While you are researching weight loss medication it may be prudent for you to research how much weight is regained when medication is finally ceased. Chances are that there is no magic pill for weight loss - but many people have gotton wealthy with pills that claim to help battle the bulge.
Exercise and healthy eating may not be the answer you would like to hear but, untill you do, you may continue to have problems with weight gain and loss. Metabolisms need to be stimulated by healthy food to burn off excess fat. This is further assisted by excercise. You say that your diet and excercise are fine, then keep it up and you will slowly get the results you want. If you loose too much too fast - you could wreak havoc with your metabolism and suffer serious health problems like depression/anxiety, fluctuating weight, lethargy, chronic fatigue syndrome, increase your risk of heart attack and all kinds of other dangerous health problems.
You will be no good for deployment if you are not healthy, so I suggest your health should be more important to you than weight gain. If you don't get help with this - things will only get worse. Be carefull not to develop any eating disorders or to address them with a trained professional if they ever do arise.
PS: Have you considered that anti depressants didn't cause your weight gain? Usually anti-depressants treat the condition and appetite returns. Is it possible that your diet became indulgent when you were feeling better and that is why your weight gain correlates with the time frame in which you were taking medication? Just a thought.
Good luck to you, please feel free to talk to civillian doctors if only for a second opinion. They are every bit as good and not nearly half as bias.
After 9 years on a cocktail of Xanax (Alprazolam), Citalopram (SSRI) and, now, Clonazapam (usually used for seizures), I want out. I have discussed this option with various Medicos, the answer seems to be reducing by half, once a week. So: 60mg SSRI (20mg Tablet)= 50 in week 1, and so on. So too with Xanax or your particular brand.
In the past I have failed, largely due to (get this!) not breaking the pills in two. My advice is to follow the reduction of half/one week and break the bloody things in two. There is a slight, very slight, irritation and maybe waking up a bit earlier (try and take evening meds as late as possible), but that's about it - no climbing walls. I'll keep in touch. Good luck to you all.
Cheers from Down Under, and if you want to know how much we pay here, let me know.
I have found a web page you might want to have a look at regarding tapering slowly off xanax. It also has alot of other really helpful info about this medication. You will need to scroll about 3/4 of the way down the page to find the doctor's recommended method of gradually weaning off xanax. I hope you find this information at least a little helpful, please don't hesitate to let me know!
Copy and paste the following into your address field:
http://www.dearest.com/educate/xanax.htm
Good luck and take care, from hangin'in there!
Klonapiin is used to wean some people off valium; I'd assume its the same for Xanax. Ask you MD and do some research.
Lexapro - amazingly well tolerated antidepressant - at least for me.
Anxiety can have a multiude of complexities
In children, they are thought of as ill-behaved and stupid.
In some instances, at least, its a manifestation of anxiety
Mind goes blank
Taunts and teases others
Gets punished for being ILL!
The Wappingers Central School District "denies" to offer any assistance other than punishment.
A request for NYU Medical Center evaluation was denied as unnecessary.
There are No consequences to schol administrations; if pressure mounts, they get transferred.
Even mistakes don't matter.
Even erroneous approvals by the Wappingers Central School District on an IEP - are inconsequential.
Even the new CSE prefers to lie!
Life "ain't easy" out there; but there are alternatives.
Senator Clinton's office was "useless"! I'm outraged at the lack of assistance or response.
The Office of the Secretary of Education has been the most helpful so far; when I complained that one of the OSEP employees, the people who oversee the state compliance to IDEA,
Sarah menlove, wasn't interested in doing anything, I JUST went higher.
The NY State Attorney General is also involved.
Per IDEA, acts have to be willful - if a child is suffering from severe anxiety and ADHD and ODD - what is the liklihood that the behavior is willful? Educators are supposed to be trained in this - BUT that's a wish; not a reality.
OSEP compliance is, apparently, rubber stamping paperwork.