I took everyone's advice

[jlo029906]

Thank you everyone for your advice yesterday.  I woke up this morning and decided not to take anything no ultram no benzos period.  So I'm so far so good some leg cramps and upset stomach but o well I'm sure it will pass sooner or later...........Yesterday I took two walks to take my mind off it and today I think I will do the same or figure something out. Once again thanks to everyone. Jen

[edd8ok]

Hi jlo,

Anything back from your doctor yet?

Please let me know when or if you start to do a taper, ok?

Regards

Eddy(D) from the UK

[edd8ok]

jlo,

Having just read the previous posting by corey411 there seems to be a slight confusion. In  corey411's post it is stated that you have only been on them a week, which is correct?
Is it a week or the 8 weeks you told me. It will make a significant difference to the advice you will be given on this forum. It could turn out to be a dangerous difference

Regards

Eddy(D) from the UK

[edd8ok]

Hi there jlo,

More commonly known as Xanax and extremely addictive. At eight weeks you are right on the upper limit of dependance/ tolerance !!!!

Over here in the UK we do what is called a "Cross-Over" from Benzos with a short "Half-Life" such as Xanax to diazepamn (Valium) which has a very much longer "Half-Life" (Up to 200 hours) and thus the withdrawal symptom are not as acute although extremely severe. I don't wish to frighten you but a Benzo detox is the hardest drug to come off, worse than Herion, and Crack etc. Stopping the drug abruptly can cause seizures and worse, I strongly recommend that that you consult your doctor before stopping these drugs C/T.

Here is a very short part of a lengthy description of the drugs dependancy indications.

There is a consensus among psychiatrists today that alprazolam and other benzodiazepines cause withdrawal symptoms after long-term treatment and discontinuation should be done gradually over a period of months (or even up to a year) to avoid serious withdrawal symptoms such as agitation, panic attacks, rebound anxiety, muscle cramps and seizures.[citation needed] Some patients on alprazolam (Xanax) may benefit from a substitution with diazepam (Valium) or chlordiazepoxide (Librium) as these drugs remain in the bloodstream longer and therefore have less potential for abuse and dependence.

Patients treated with alprazolam or other benzodiazepines for generalized anxiety disorder were found (when abruptly discontinuing their medication) to experience withdrawal symptoms such as a worsening of anxiety, as well as the development of physical withdrawal symptoms.[21]

Patients taking a dosing regimen larger than 4 mg per day have an increased potential for dependence. This medication may cause withdrawal symptoms, which in some cases have been known to cause seizures. The discontinuation of this medication may also cause a reaction called rebound anxiety. Other withdrawal effects reported from discontinuing alprazolam therapy include homicidal ideation, rage reactions, hyperalertness, increased nightmares, and intrusive thoughts.[22]

After 8 - 9 weeks of alprazolam taken at a fixed prescribed dose, the following symptoms have been found to occur during abrupt discontinuation; dysphoric mood, fatigue, low energy, confusion, and elevated systolic blood pressure, severe anxiety.[23]

When a patient discontinues use, they may experience the symptoms they had before taking medication. Symptoms may also be accompanied by other reactions including changes in mood, anxiety, or sleep. Rebound anxiety is usually a result of abrupt discontinuation of this medication; patients who taper off are less likely to experience these symptoms.

Physical dependence is the major limiting factor against long-term use of alprazolam and other benzodiazepines.




Please, please, be careful with what you are doing, if your C/T fails you could in fact find yourself having to take a much higher dose to stabilize thus making a slow taper from the drug even more prolonged and painful.

I will post this to the main page of the forum as well for other people who be in a similar positon. Please stay in touch and beware of the power of the poison you have been taking. Get back to me please and let me know what you are going to do. What ever you choose Good-Luck and once again please be careful.

I must add that I am not a medical expert just human being that finds himself in a similar position such as you. I have extensively researched the problems that these problems cause and feel passionately that these drugs should only be prescribed in the most extreme conditions and then closely monitired by the prescribing doctor. Dependance and then subsequent tolerance is rapid. Taker Beware.

Regards

Eddy (D)

[corey411]

Hi Jenn, Glad to hear your doing well. Hope you had a good night. Since you only started taking the Xanax this week and were taking it as perscribed you will have no problem coming off of it. Like we all said in the beginning, they can be a tremendous help with anxiety during withdrawl for the first week or so, You won't get addicted in that amount of time but you do have to be careful to not take them for more than a week or 2 and not exceed the dose your doctor put you on. These are addictive meds. If you can get by without taking them all the better but if the anxiety from your withdrawl starts getting real bad take one. They may also help a little with sleep. Alot of people get high levels of anxiety during wd and can't handle it so they relapse. You would be better off taking the Xanax if it gets bad. Your anxiety will decrease after the first week or 10 days and you shouldn't need the benzos anymore. Some can handle the anxiety so you might not need them. Just try to make it as comfortable as possible and keep posting. Glad your out walking. That's great. Corey

[sadinmichigan]

I am glad to hear this...i am so sorry that I neglected to tell you about the dangers of c/t benzos..please don't do that. it can be very dangerous..you need to wean off them slowly..How long have you been on them?

[jlo029906]

Thank you all so much I will get back to everyone when I get back from getting some of the Thomas recipie.......off I go lol

[edd8ok]

Please be VERY careful trying to C/T Benzos.

I'm in the middle of a Benzo taper, it's very very slow but thats the only way to do it safely with less chance of relapse. Please PM me with some details of your usage etc and I will tell you what I know. Just please be very careful.

Eddy from the UK

[GoingToMakeIt]

Hang tough. It gets a bit worse before it gets better. You did a good thing. Trams are not fun to get off of.

[sadinmichigan]

Hey Jen,  good for you..Keep a positive attitude. keep on posting we are all here for you..