Xanax in the rear view mirror....I thought.

[Soonerdean]

Holy cow is this kicking my a$$.  About a month ago I went to my doc and described all the classic anxiety/panic disorder symptoms and she prescribed me 1mg Xanax XR to be taken 2 hours before bed.  The first week I slept like a rock but noticed it was extremely difficult getting out of bed in the morning.  By the end of week 2 I noticed I was fighting some pretty serious depression and was caught completely off guard with this.  I called my doctor, she said not to worry and suggessted I increase the xanax to 2mg nightly.  This did not feel right to me so I stayed at 1mg.

Week 3 was nothing short of hell for me.  Anxiety out of control, unexplained depression, crazy dreams and mood swings that were insane.  At the end of week 3 I had a small window of time that my head felt clear and I was able to begin putting this puzzle back together.  I decided that I actually felt better before I started taking the xanax so on Sept. 20 I quit....cold turkey.

Keep in mind that I only took 1mg nightly for a little less than 4 weeks.  Day 2 & 3 weren't that bad and I thought I was in the clear.  I'm a pretty tough guy for someone my age, 48 yrs old, work out every morning, great physical shape, weigh 205lbs and not really affraid of much.   Day 4 rolled around and I was given a very large slice of humble pie.  The horror that followed the next 4 days cannot be explained.  Anxiety, depression, foggy brain, severe body aches/pains, terrible mood swings, stomach cramps that cannot be described, heart felt like it was going to pound out of my chest, unctrollable sweating...I was basically a wasted blob of a person.  

To the internet I go to research this thing called xanax and what I discovered about this drug scared me to death.  I realize benzos do help people and I'm sure there are many success stories out there but this stuff messed me up to a point that on day 8 I litterally thought I was about to die.  

What scares me is how such a small dose of xanax taken for such a short amount of time can effect/change a persons mental status and body chemistry and how severe these WD's have been.  Yesterday was day 11 and I felt pretty good.  When I went to bed last night I thought the worst was behind me.  I woke up this morning at 5am with severe body aches, cold/numb hands and feet, anxiety is horrible and I cant focus on anything.  How is it that yesterday I felt pretty good and today I feel like crap?

Several articles I read indicated that a person can become dependent on xanax in just 7 days even when taking as little as .5mgs a day.  Guess I'm one of those unfortunate people.  Anyway....once I get passed this I'll never take that stuff again...EVER!  I now realize that I'll probably have good and bad days and the good days will become more frequent but right now I could not feel worse.  Hope you dont mind if I jump on this board every now and then to vent and complain.  

[donewitis]

I was on chemotherapy when I was prescribed this, one day at the University Hosp. my Dr. was out and another covered; she was appalled and said, "I DO NOT precribe these..it is unethical!" I will never forget her face...and now I know why. I really was clueless. Thankfully you have been on for a short amount of time...and are otherwise physically fit... you will get through this. A tea is suggested to drink Yogi Kava Relaxation...one of the members tells everyone that it's really helpful. Let two bags soak for 10 minutes. Try it. Forget about who's fault...you only need to focus on getting better. All the best.
God Bless.

[Soonerdean]

Before taking the first pill I called my doctor to ask her about the addicitve qualities of xanax as well as how to quit taking them.  She assured me that the Xanax XR has a very low rate of addicition and since it was a slow release tablet coming off the medication would be relatively easy.  Was she ever wrong.  I never dreamed I would go through something like this...NEVER!

Had I thought there was the slightest chance I would encounter this I would have refused the drug and tried someting else.  I'm just amazed that xanax was able to wreak this much havoc on me in such a short amount of time.  Are doctors really clueless to this?  The more I find out about Xanax in particular the more amazed how quickly she wrote me the script.

I remember specifically the comment she made in the exam room.  "This is a wonder drug.  I take it myself and am amazed at how well it works."  Who would not take a med based on a glowing recommendation such as this by their doctor.  Don't mind telling ya....I'm misserable.

5 years ago I went cold turkey from a 75mic fentanyl patch.  Doc prescribed this due to a pinched nerver in my back.  One day I walked in from work and my wife took one look at me and was horrified.  She said "your entire body is yellow."  I knew at that point something was wrong with my liver so I knew what I had to do.  I did try a small taper regimin but went way to fast...it took me 30 days to feel any kind of relief.  So far this xanax withdrawal is just as bad.  Fentanyl is just a few molecules away from heroin so I know first hand what it's like to suffer.  Most of this is my fault...I should have been more careful but now I know.      

[justsaynotodrugs]

             Some experts say that xanax is as addictive as heroin.   It makes you feel real good 4 a few hours when it wears off there is a bad feeling then you got to have another one and more and more it is hard to ween off xanax according to how long you have been taking them.    Hang in there it will get better.  You might try support group meetings they help.

[sandstone27]

One other thing I wanted to mention:  What you felt this morning may not have been from the xanax, but possibly the anxiety and panic coming back.   I suffered from severe anxiety and panic about 5 years ago - it just came at me out of the blue - I had NO idea what was going on, I thought I was dying at 21!  I sought therapy and they diagnosed me with panic disorder and we went through 9 months of biofeedback - I was also prescribed xanax for a short period of time and then switched over to klonopin for the duration.  I was then SLOWLY weaned off of the klonopin.  If you have underlying panic/anxiety issues, you may want to consider therapy, along with medication ( or without ) so that in the long run, if anxiety rears its ugly head, you'll be better equipped to deal with it, sans any medication.  

Good luck to you!

S.

[sandstone27]

Hi and welcome!  Xanax is a tough one indeed.  C/T is NEVER a good idea with benzo's as I'm sure you now know.  But if what happened this morning keeps coming back, you may want to consider going back to your doctor and have him put you on a longer acting benzo and then do a SLOW taper. I know the idea of taking any benzo is loathe to you right now, but you're still having some pretty strong w/d effects and that concerns me.  

Something to think about.
Keep posting and let us know how you're doing.

Well wishes to you....

Sandy :)

[10356]

I'm glad you figured it out Soonerdean and Welcome to the forum.. It would save a lot of peps if the Dr. told them of the side effects and the difficulty getting off meds before they prescribe them. It would save a lot of suffering. They sell a product called Valerian Root it is Natural and may help with the anxiety also melatonin for sleep this your body produces Naturally. Take good care keep the fluids up ok. lesa

[my_mayberry]

Well yeah it happens...but to be clear, 1mg XR is no small dose. Its an extended release so thats why you had so many problems. Anyway...i take 1/8th of the dose they started you on and it still will cause physical dependency if i take it too long. Xanax is a tough one. Better to avoid it unless you dont respond to anything else.