Xanax withdrawl symptoms

[vicki]

I've read all of the posts concerning Xanax addiction and withdrawl...but none specifically addressed the symptoms themselves.  What are they?  How do I deal with it?  I know you will tell me to talk to my Dr. but i wanna know.

[angpal59]

Kathy, Im 52 and I am in the same predicument, I got on methadone for pain and then xanax for stress, Im up there on my dose, I but valume on the street, I dont know the best way to get off them, can you tell me if your son succeded? I never realized how hard it is, the only way so far I've been told how to get off it is to wein myself off it, Man oh man , I wish I never got on them. Can you tell me what you've learned from them and the best way off them,Im having a hard time cause of the depression and anxiety, I need some serious help

[dj902]

i have same spasams from xanax its awful  now have jerking in day last night my arm would not stop jerking  this is awful  the medicine is awful need to take drug off market   has to be something better

[MoreNaturalHealingNeeded]

My fiancée has been in detox since Wednesday a.m. to come off Xanax, which she'd been prescribed for 12 years.  She has anxiety, depression, and substance abuse issues.  She gets out of detox on Tuesday.  She is getting no answers to her questions about what to expect, if the feelings she's having are normal/abnormal, what to expect when she is discharged, etc.  They have no counseling for her to go to, no group therapy, no structure, nothing.  She is given the Phenobarb and left to her own devices.  She is a person who needs to talk out her problems, but there is no one for her to talk to.  When she went in, she was taking 1mg., 3 times a day.  She has a psychiatrist to come out to, and hopefully they can come up with a care plan, but in the meantime, she is talking about seeing spots, chest pain, and the nurses blow her off, calling her a drug addict.  I have called and reamed the supervisor's tail.  She has had virtually no sleep since Tuesday night, but at least has been told that that is normal.  They finally gave her some type of histamine, but it didn't help much.  If anyone knows what I can tell her to expect in the next few days and the following weeks, I would love to hear it.  She is understandably very scared and doesn't know if she can make it.  She has been on Xanax for so long that her body has become dependent upon it and she is going to have to learn to live without it.  Please help, we really need it.  Blessings.

[lauraxtc]

I took xanax for about 3 months I was on .25 mg. I took it because I had bead anxiety after my baby was born. I should have know that was due to my  postpartum depression. I went to see a psych and he gave me xanax.

I took it for about 3 months and when i noticed I was taking them daily I tried to stop on my own. IT WAS HORRIBLE. I thought I was going insane. I kept thinking negative thoughts, my anxiety went throguh the roof, My heart was constantly racing, I couldn't drive, I was a big mess. My heart would tingle. I went online and did my research and had no idea how bad this was, the withdrawals are so dangerous. I really thought, I had lost my mind and wanted to die,.

Thankfully went to a detox center and stayed a wk since I was on a small dose.

I am thankful to say that I am so much better than I was and I know what you are all going though. I still feel really bad headaches that scare me and I am considering seeing a neurologist because I dont know if that is still some of the symptoms I should be having. I have only been out of detox for a month but the headaches come and go. Does anyone else feel headaches?

to anyone who is coming off of this, seek medical attention soon. Go to ta detox center and be honest about everything. They can help.

Good luck.

[SophieShine]

Hi Maggie:)

Xanax is one of the most addictive benzo and it's very hard to come off of it, you can't quit it cold turkey, you have to taper it off very slowly.
If you already feel depressed, it's gonna drag you down to an even deeper depression, I used to call it "the black hole"....

There's a lot of other ways out there, like therapy, yoga, relaxation, etc... Talk to your dr about it!

Best of luck to you. Sophie.

[maggie204]

I was just prescribed zanac, should i take or not to take. I have read the horror stories and it scares me. I don't know what to do?
I feel depressed, and don't know why, I am already taken 75 mg of effexor which is not helping me at this time. I am 51 years old work at a stressful job, and so fatigued lately. I feel like i'm going crazy!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Please let me know what you think!

[lirgo87]

I too suffer from xanax withdrawal. It was so good to find this site. I am weaning per doctors orders after od-ing and having a low blood count. I had been taking 5 daily at 2.5 mg for almost a week and lost it. Now I have withdrawal symptoms of leg "jiggling" anxiety which its supposed to cure hah, jitters can't sit still, hot and cold flashes, sweats and sleeplessness. I was without for one day in the hospital and did FINE what happened??? now doc says wean slowly with valium which I ve been reading is supposedly better to wean off of than xanax. YAY! Pray and hope it works within a few days and be done! thats all I ve got! I ve read some vitamins can be calming like choline and inosital/anyone know about these?

[Downey]

I stopped taking xanax suddenly and then a few days later had a seizure. Someone else was driving my truck when I had the seizure so I was ok but I never remember until later that day that I had even had a seizure. After it happened I felt sick and went home to bed and then my boyfriend came over after work and asked me why I never told him I had seizures.

Be careful and be wise

[SophieShine]

Hi Noelle
The Ashton Method is the best for me. I'm finishing a 21 months tapering plan and that's what I did. Please contact your dr and talk about your tolerance.
Best of luck to you. sophie.
PS I almost didn't see your post, this is a very old thread.... Next time, start your own, there's much more chance to get an accurate feed back.

[NoelleM35]

Hello,

I am new to all of this, I found this board in hope that I can get some current year 2010) advice as it seems as though all the posts on here are very old concerning xanex withdrawl.  I have been on xanex for about 3 yrs for anxiety and panic issues. I have never abused my medication. I have never had any problems with it until recently.  This past year I've been taking 1mg blues 3x per day. Recently I've noticed that my body has built up a tolerance to this dose and it wants more but I won't go over my 3 a day so what's happening is between my doses my body is experiencing the withdrawl symptoms. It's making it hard for me to function to say the least.  I don't want to increase my dose. I want to wean off of this medication , I am looking up the best ways to wean off and so far it seems as though the best method is with valium ( (the ashton method.) I wold suppose you substitue your doses with valium and taper off the xanex slowly. This sounds to be the best and safest way to go about it. I want to set up an appointment to see my doctor and discuss this but before I do,  I would appreciate anyone who may have some advice on this,  if you know of any better methods currently available that are better?  Please, any information at all that you can provide would be helpful, I really need help.  Thank you  

[tofaraway4u2hold]

At first, the doctor thought I had ADD, since I would study for tests in school but never be able to pass them. I was 17 when I actually found out that I was having panic attacks and not just "brain farts". I was prescribed 3 1mg tablets per day. I felt like it did it's job well, so I continued to take it. Of course tolerance occurs and the doctor must increase your dose. A few years after getting out of college, I was up to 8mgs a day(Veerryy close to the maximum recommended dose). I performed well and never seemed intoxicated at work, so I never thought there was a problem.
I moved this year, so I had to change doctors. My new doctor informed me how dangerous this benzodiazipine can be in such a large dose, not to mention the length of time I had been taking it. So, with his help, I tried to ween myself off of them.
It's been 12 months since I started to come off of them and it's been total HELL.
I decided comment on this string because I wanted people to know that it is very dangerous to try to come off this medication yourself. I've come off oxycontin, vicodin, fentynal and a few other opiates by myself, but nothing has compared to this one.
I had two seizures, many panic attacks, irregular heartbeats, sleeplessness and lost a job. I had the second seizure recently, I was in the hospital for 9 days; 4 days in ICU. I've lost the hearing in my right ear because of nerve damage, lost much of my short term memory and a lot of my vocabulary. I couldn't talk for two weeks once I finally woke up from the stupor I was in. I'm benzo-free now but with permanent damage done to my sensory and my pride. If anyone needs to chat about this or anything else, you can contact me..
tofaraway4u2hold using AIM or gmail.

[benign]

I had an addiction to pain killers a few years ago.  Funny enough...I had all the pain and was taking no KILLERS until after I had back surgery.  I was so healthy both mentally and physically then life started falling apart and KILLERS helped me deal.  Needless to say...I doc hopped, called in my own refills...can you believe that?  I can't.  It's awful when I think back...and the fact that I got away with it.  Anyway, one day I thought WTF am I doing to myself...I hated the way I was feeling...sick all the time and constantly needing more.  A new doctor that specialized in pain management was able to control both my pain and cure my addiction with the help of Suboxone...it saved my life.

I was eventually, for depression, give Xanax by another doc and finding myself having a problem I would never have...I can't stop taking it and need it to get up in the a.m. and to go to bed at night in order to survive.  It used to be .5 mg in the a.m. now its 1mg and 4 mgs at night to sleep.  I might feel the need to take .5 mid-day to prevent myself from feeling bad.

Ugh!  Why do they create these things.  I don't want depression and addiction on my health records...someone DOES see it...privacy right or not and it can and will prevent you from being protected when you get older.  Life insurance, jobs, etc.

Anyway...just wanted to offer the advice about the Suboxone.  Only certain doctors can prescribe it and they can only treat so many patients at any given time.  It is a controlled substance but the first time you take it...you will cry because for the first time in what seemed like forever...you feel "normal".

If you are depressed...get treated for it by a SPECIALIST...don't let your primary care doc do it.  If you are addicted...see a SPECIALIST...your primary care cannot fix that either.  They will tell you they can but it takes someone special and someone that understands and can support you.

Hope that helps.

[60jules]

Yes, i am a 48 year old woman.I was given xanax for BIPOLOR

I took .05 mg 2 times a day.Decided to try and take 1.Yes ,All hell broke loose. Headaches,pain in the eyes, shaking terribly,Jerking oh yes no sleep .Please never try this alone.
JUST DONT START THEM AT ALL!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[J_WW]

I was taking 1mg blue Zanax for 3 years now. I quit Cold Turkey 2 weeks ago. It has made me irritable, sleepless and my nervous twitch has come back. It doesn't matter because I feel a lot better without taking them.

Now I am trying to stop the Norco's. How long does it take for my body to recover once I stop taking them?

I am afraid that I will become unbarable to be around for a while after I stop taking the Killers. Has anybody gone through this? If so can you tell what happened after the days after you quit taking the Killers?

Help!

[J_Snow]

Does her past life/addiction reflects on a birth defect even if she is clean now???????????????????

My girlfriend on the past was abusing with the xanax 2mg, she was depressed because of her last divorce, I was her friend by that time... she was taking xanax like crazy plus she was smoking/mixing xanax and marihuana. After that we felt in love and I took her out from that addiction and dark world, she was addicted to xanax for almost 3 years, now she's been out for 2 years. She never had a baby, and we want to have a child. She is good now, only drinks sometimes socially, she is officially clean. We love each other!

Does her past life/addiction reflects on a birth defect even if she is clean now???????????????????

[GoingToMakeIt]

Hey there. This is an old post. So start a new one so we can all help you. (Post a Question) button.

[jaj1973]

i have been taking 2 1mg xanax at bedtime for about 18 months .my pharmasist refused my drs refill request .it has only been 1 day without any .what should i exspect in the days to come

[jaj1973]

i have been taking 2 1mg blue at bedtime for about 18 months and my pharmacist refused my dr's refill request .what should i exspect in the days to come

[wait2long]

you have actually posted to an old thread...its from !0-20-2000...het, weve all done it...go to the bottom of the page and click on back to forum and post your question there...you will get alot more responses that way...

[phyllis]

I have been taking Xnax for the past 10 years. I always took .05 mg 3 x a day.  Lately, I have had to take an extra one at night to sleep.  I have been trying to cut back slowly.. some days, I can get by on two .05 pills and others, I need 4.   The symptoms I have are awful. I burn all over and my eyelids get tingly.. I can not think.  I have read about the withdrawal symptoms and I was wondering if the amount I take is enough to cause a seizure should I stop cold turkey. I have talked to my Doctor and he says I am addicted and nothing can be done about it.  I appreciate any help you may have.  Thanks

[Bella]

Xanax withdrawl Symtoms:  I was prescribed xanax for a short time to help me cope with my divorce.  I never abused the medication and took my daily .5 x 3 dose.  The Doctor never mentioned that it was dangerous to just quit.  You guessed it--When I felt that I could handle the stress without them--I stopped cold turkey not knowing the consequences.  The first 2 days I experienced hot/cold flashes,  very pale skin and a very INTENSE feeling of a "cloudy head"... I couldn't concentrate and felt intoxicated.  I went to the ER and was diagnosed with the flu.  They had asked if I was on any medication and since I had haulted the xanax not knowing it was an issue, answered honestly--NO.  On the 2nd morning I had an episode where I woke up and was so confused I didn't know where I was, who I was and couldn't speak for about 60 seconds.  (Now I know this was a mild seizure)...  The next evening I remember sitting up in bed and feeling what I describe as "my eyes twitching"... and that is all I remember.  However the next morning I awoke to my boyfriend leaning over me with a look of horror in his face.  He asked why I didn't tell him I was epileptic (I'm NOT) and that I was seizing all night (Grand Mal) and that on more than one occasion he had to turn my head to the side because I was choking on my own fluids.  If he hadn't been there--I would be dead.  I strongly suggest you do NOT try to withdrawl at home.  Either go to your physician and embark on a "cut-down" plan or if you have an abuse problem with them you need to be inpatient.

[Bella]

Xanax withdrawl Symtoms:  I was prescribed xanax for a short time to help me cope with my divorce.  I never abused the medication and took my daily .5 x 3 dose.  The Doctor never mentioned that it was dangerous to just quit.  You guessed it--When I felt that I could handle the stress without them--I stopped cold turkey not knowing the consequences.  The first 2 days I experienced hot/cold flashes,  very pale skin and a very INTENSE feeling of a "cloudy head"... I couldn't concentrate and felt intoxicated.  I went to the ER and was diagnosed with the flu.  They had asked if I was on any medication and since I had haulted the xanax not knowing it was an issue, answered honestly--NO.  On the 2nd morning I had an episode where I woke up and was so confused I didn't know where I was, who I was and couldn't speak for about 60 seconds.  (Now I know this was a mild seizure)...  The next evening I remember sitting up in bed and feeling what I describe as "my eyes twitching"... and that is all I remember.  However the next morning I awoke to my boyfriend leaning over me with a look of horror in his face.  He asked why I didn't tell him I was epileptic (I'm NOT) and that I was seizing all night (Grand Mal) and that on more than one occasion he had to turn my head to the side because I was choking on my own fluids.  If he hadn't been there--I would be dead.  I strongly suggest you do NOT try to withdrawl at home.  Either go to your physician and embark on a "cut-down" plan or if you have an abuse problem with them you need to be inpatient.

[Kev]

I began taking Xanax when I had gone through an emotionally traumatic experience that produced severe depression with anxiety. I only took 1  mg (blue) and only whenever I was going to have a panic attck (I could almost tell when it was coming on).. I decided not to take anti-depressents because I felt they stopped me from crying and I felt a real need to cry.

I started to use the Xanax to help sleep, usually only if I really really needed to make sure I had good sleep.

Well, it has been 16 months since I originally got depressed, I am now much much better (not 100%, but on my way)However, I just realized I had a NEW problem... I realized I was taking the xanax almost twice a week every week (1/2 mg)...I didn't think much of it...until two nights ago...I was reacing for the bottle and I realized this would now be three times a week..My alarm went off and I though, you are getting addicted! So I didn't take it..slept horribly, woke up at 1:00am and had several pre-anxiety attacks (not the full blown..I have learned over the year not to fear them and they don't materialze)..but I had sever dysphoria (very depressed, but not like when I was real depressed--that was a hopeless feeling, this is not hopeless, just real real down and felt like crying constantly, with nothing to cry about)..

So last night...Night #2, I paced and paced...I wanted to take a xanax so bad..I new if I did I would get some sleep and be very refreshed and feel great the next day.. I also started to mentally retrace my depression over the last year...in the beginign it was real bad..then after about 6-9 months it started easing up... after a year it was signifigantly better..then (the xanax came into the picture)...then my depression was sometimes gone and sometimes real bad..I never put 2 & 2 together!! I have been experiencing a prolonged withdrawl from xanax for the last 4 months!

I felt better knowing the truth, but I still couldn't get any sleep.. I was begining to get panicky at the thought of not sleeping for maybe several days!! So I took an anti-histamine..I slept great and woke up with no depressed feelings at all. I took doxylamine succinate (12.5 mg)..I looked up the dependance info online and in the PDR and didn't come up with anything near as bad as the xanax... I don't know how long I will need to take this, but I am thinking that it won't be more than a week..I was only taking 1.5 mg of xanax a week prior (.5 mg two to three times per week depending on sleep needs.

SO I just thought I would share that with y'all.

If anyone has any withdrawl info for doxylamine succinate, please chime in... I don't want to switch one addiction for another.

Hang in there... friends

[Mojo]

Also Phyllis, I did a search on the net I went to www.yahoo.com and punched in Xanax withdrawl in the search section and I found a bunch of support for withdrawl from benzo's particularly Xanax.  After chatting with quite a few people who have either made it completely off benzo's or are in the process I have found that Xanax is one of the hardest to taper from because of its such short half life.  Do a search, you will be amazed at the info.  You can also e-mail benzo@onelist and they have a web ring of benzo support for all different stages.  Keep coming back to the forum.  I am so glad I scrolled all the way down and found you, you are the first person I know that has described these scary "body jerks", I call the startle reflexes because it is just like being startled!  Keep coming back Phyllis, maybe we can help each other thru this!:)  Mojo