I simply need to know if these are Xanax withdrawl symptoms

[Eddie 14]

To make a long story short.  Fear of having had a heart attack, or CAD that was not properly diagnosed drove my anxiety through the roof.  Bad family history.



So, in addition to cognitive therapy, I was started on .5-1mg of xanax XR daily.  Took it for 5 or so months.  Started in November, maybe .5 3-4 days a week.  Come December ramped up to .5-1mg daily through March.



Felt I was doing better, hate being on meds, and had just about every heart test done.



So, I tried to stop pretty much cold turkey.  Couldn't sleep for **** for 2-3 nights.  Got through that.



However I then tried to taper off - harder with XR as I would just go every other day, then every third day etc.  Got down to every 4th day, did pretty well then went over a week.



I'm finding I get the following pains.  If it's withdrawal, I can live with them and just suffer, but I always fear it's a medical problem, even though my cardiologist says my heart is fine.



1.  Shooting pains/shooting cramps (none last longer than 10-15 seconds) in my arms (bi-lateral) mainly in the forearms.  In both of my "lats" under my arms, and through my chest.  Again, always shooting, never crushing.



2.  Nausea at times.



3.  shooting pains right up the center of my chest, again always shooting.  Never, ever short of breath.



4.  GI distress - cramps in various parts of my stomach, mainly upper, but throughout my abdomen (other tests cleared me of any cancer fears)



5.  a "fullness" in my upper chest, like way upper.  NEVER with any shortness of breath. Almost like I need to burp constantly.



6.  occasional shooting pains in my neck, jaw, and head.



Here is my problem.  I've been comprehensively worked up for cardiac causes (everything short of a catherdization).  I can exercise without problems etc.



While on xanax daily I didn't have too many of these other pains.  Now, it gets worse 3-5 days after my last xanax xr.





You saw my above symptoms.  Here are my questions.



1.  Could they all be related to physical withdrawal of xanax?



2.  Could I really get physically addicted in 4-5 months at that low of a dose?



3.  I was 8 days out after my every 4 day plan (since XR is long acting I really couldn't lessen the dose), yesterday and had all of those symptoms going on.  I did take 1 pill and things got better, not 100%, but cut down by about 90%.



With Xanax XR, my understanding is I can't really cut a pill in half as it's the coating that makes it long acting?



Was going every 4 days, then totally stopping OK?



Basically, if I KNOW that those above symptoms are just withdrawal, I can deal with pain no problemo.  



Thanks.

[Roger Gould, M.D.]

everything you described sounds like withdrawal, especially if your doctor has ruled out heart disease.  But it may not be pure withdrawal, but a combination of physiologic withdrawal and your anxiety about withdrawing.  I would have advised you to go the full three weeks of every fourth day before stopping, and cutting the pill in half and decreasing the extended time in your body is what you want, not something to  avoid.

[fakiren]

I am not a doctor, but when u say that there arn´t any problems with your hart when excercising, it sounds as an anxiety problem to me. GO to a gym and let them measure your capability-if its ok for your age, your hart is ok.

[PED]

It's OK to cut the XR in half? (figured that basically ruins the coating)



Doc even did a 64-slice CT on my heart (severe family history) but mine was clear as could be.



Wow - 4 months can cause addiciton at that low of a dose?



It is strange how these all sure feel like cardiac problems.



thanks.

[stellatj]

I never knew this drug was so bad when my hubby was killed my doctor put me on them i only take the 0.5 dose and i only take 1-1/2 each nite so with taking one and a half 0.5 dose a day how should i wean off them i do take heart meds and have a-fib i dont need seizures i am a single mom  plz help me figure how to quit this drug.  also i have gallbladder surgery may 10th should i quit now or wait until after the surgery i am real scared of going under

[cosyintherocket]

I have been through Valium withdrawal, and I wanted to assure you that the symptoms you list sound like withdrawal symptoms to me.  Xanax is a difficult thing to withdraw from.  I switched from Xanax to Valium in order to taper, because Valium is longer acting and the drops were smoother.

[rosetoes]

I tapered off of xanax after only 3 months of use I took .50mg three times daily (1.5 per day) I tapered for about 5 weeks and have been off of them now for over 3 months.



It was hard hard work but I did it and so can you.  You will lose weight (the only good thing I could remember about tapering), heart palpitation, ringing in my ears, tense stomach and for the first 4 days, I slept around 2 hours total.  Racing heart when just walking slowly.  All did subside within a 3 week period...gradually getting better each week.



Now that I'm off of them, I can say that xanax did help me at the time I needed them and I would take them again, just never on a regular basis, only as needed.  You won't get hooked on them if you take them periodically when your having a stressful day, travel, etc.  Just dont start taking them 3 times a day for over a few weeks.  Even if you have to do so, it is possible to stop, you just need willpower.

[marksman]

Rosetoes,



You say you had Tinnitus "ringing in the ears" after stopping the Xanax.



How bad was this and was it a high frequency type of sound like a tea pot whistle? Did it go away?



Appreciate any info.



Marksman

[jcal]

why was you prescribed xanax and did you feal realy restless when you tried to get off of the xanax the first week because i have been having realy bad burning in my stomach and i have been fealing very wired up and restless and even feal like i am going to throw up but can't! i was taking .25mg 3 times a day for about seven months! please coment back thank you!

[jcal]

This is for who ever tried to wean thereself off of xanax!



How long did it take you to successfuly get off of the drug and how many mg's were you taking and for how long?

[rosetoes]

Dear Marksman and JCAL:

Sorry to get back to you late, I haven't been on the system lately.  



The "ringing in the ears" lasted only a week and that was on and off.  Of all of the withdrawl symptoms, I feared that the most.  I thought it would drive me crazy at night, but it did go away. It was recommended to me to buy a sound machine or fan to assist with ringing...it drowned it out.



The tenseness in your stomach lasted longer and it was painful.  That too goes away.  I use to get hot flushes as well.



The heart palpitations were scary but I understood that they were normal and I wasn't on the verge of a heart attack.  Muscle spasms, weak legs, lack of sleep all were withdrawl that I went through for about 3 to 4 weeks and then everything started to subside.



These symptoms became apparent after I stopped xanax totally.  During the weaning stage while I was cutting my dosage, the symptoms were mild and I remember the day I stopped, for the first 15 hours, I was great and then sleep left me for 3 days.



My GP prescribed AMbien but I didn't get the prescription filled, wasn't trying to get addicted again.



Now I have been off of xanax since Feb 3rd.  I was taking a beta blocker for SVT and I stopped that now for 6 weeks now.  Have I taken a xanax pill since...yes but just when things were really bad getting off of the beta blocker....very nervous and anxious.  The difference is that I took one pill and that was that.



You really get addicted when you take them reagularly like 3 times a day for 4 to 6 weeks.



The best thing that I can tell you is that xanax is a tranquilzer that does work fast and releives your panic and anxiety, and i don't have regrets taking the pill, I just will not take them regularly...withdrawl was hell and scary but you do feel like your own self after a while.  Please don't give up the struggle to get off of them, because you do feel better and all withdrawl symptoms GO AWAY!

[GG2214718]

I was taking about 6 mg of xanax a day for the past year or so, and last week I stopped taking them cold turkey, mainly because they werent avavilable so i decided to see how long i could go without xanax, i was in bed for about 3-4 days. Couldnt sleep, had shooting pains throughout my body, if you have ever had a myoclonic jerk u will understand when i say i was twiching all over, but these were b ig uncontrolable jerks everywhere all over my body. (those have subsided im on day 6 of no xanax.)

Shortness of breathe

hot sweats even though i was freezing

bursts of anger, naseau, diarrhea, dizziness, it was awful

I thought about tapering but i had been in bed almost 48 hrs when i realized that my feelings of illness could be from xanax withdrawl, and i just kept them away.

Its now almost a week and i feel so much better,i am a little shaky, i hope i havent permanantly damaged my PNS, but even now i find it hard to type. DOes anyone know what i should do? will these feelings go away? How long will it take to get mty body back to normal?

[rosetoes]

You will probably need to reinstate and wean yourself off slowly.  I can't believe that just after a week that you feel so much better.  I took 1mg a day for 3 months and it was hell for a good month before things started to subside...you've taken 6mg a day for a longer period of time...you are very very lucky.  



The most dangerous side effect for you from stopping cold turkey is a seizure.  I don't know how long you are at risk after stopping cold turkey.  You should call the doctor that prescribed xanax to you.  Also there is a website called benzo.org.uk....they tells you all about xanax and withdrawls.  There is also a forum that provides support at that website.  



Good luck to you.

[epc123]

How about feeling like a sinus headache/pressure, dizziness ??

[ASHEY]

I AM CURRENTLY WEENING MYSELF OFF OF XANAX. BEEN TAKING THEM 9 YEARS AT AT LEAST 7 MG PER DAY WITH THE PAST 3 YEARS TAKING 12 TO 17 MG PER DAY, I WAS IN A BAD MARRIAGE AND THOUGHT I COULDN'T FUNCTION WITHOUT THEM AND I COULDN'T. MY LIFE REVOLVED AROUND IF I HAD ENOUGH, IF I WAS OUT EVERYONE SUFFERED, I COULDN,T DEAL WITH THE DAY TO DAY RAISING OF MY 5 YEAR OLD SO MY MOTHER WOULD COME GET HER WHILE I SUFFERED DT'S UNTIL I COULD FIND MORE OR GET Y PRESCRIPTION FILLED. I AM IN MY FOURTH DAY AVERAGING 3 MG PER DAY AND IT IS HELL. SURE THEY CURED ALL MY PROBLEMS WHEN I HAD THEM BUT NO PILL IN THE WORLD IS WORTH WHAT MY FAMILY HAS AND IS GOING THROUGH OR HOW I AM HURTING RIGHT NOW. I REGRET EVER TAKING THE FIRST ONE AND WOULD TELL ANYONE WHO HASN'T- DON'T!!!!!  THEY ARE NOT WORTH THE PAIN.

[rosetoes]

I can't begin to know how you are feeling withdrawing from 7 to 12 mg of xanax perday.  How did you ever get up to such a high dosage?  I know 4mg are the recommend maximum dose.  I'm sorry for the hard time that you are having and the issue that you have had with family taking that amount of xanax.  It seems that things got out of control.  It is great that you are putting the effort to reduce your dosage.  Please go very very slow on your withdrawl.  Know that everyday is a day closer to being off of xanax. You have to go through anxiety and withdrawl symptoms, there is no way to escape them.  Just focus on your goal and your family and continue to post to get support from people that are weaning off of xanax.



Xanax is truly good for occasional use, but everyday use for long periods of time will bring on addiction.  The good thing is that you can overcome it slowly.  Be patient with yourself and take one day at a time.



Best Wishes to you.