Aa
Xanax
I am currently taking 1.25 mg a day . I am under doctors care. But when I ask her about stopping it she does not give much advice. Maybe because she does not personally know. I would like for someone who has been on it theirselves to comment back on how slowly I should taper. and what side effects I should expect. My main symptoms seem to be tightness in chest and throat. Thanks for any advice!
Hi, I know this post is fairly far down, so I hope you find it. I just wanted to give you some encouragement, as I know just a little of what you're going through. (I've told this story before so I'm hoping people aren't irritated of it by now!) I was addicted to Xanax for only about 3 months at 1-2 mg. every night before bed. This was originally prescribed for insomnia and I had no earthly idea that it was dangerous to quit cold from this drug, especially when I had only taken it for 3 months. I had also taken it for a couple of weeks years earlier for anxiety, but quit taking it because I was able to resolve the anxiety problem with finding a good job/career.
Getting back to quitting cold from Xanax, I did this after I allowed my prescription to run out. I was noticing that I was becoming increasingly ambivalent towards people in my life while using the Xanax, and finally started associating this with the Xanax use. I would sleep until noon, I had a total non-caring attitude, etc., so I decided I would just stop taking it. After the first 24 hours, I started experiencing those horrific benzo withdrawal symptoms: tinnitus, headache from hell, shaking, sweating, mental confusion, sick stomach, severe depression, paranoia, disassociation in addition to dozens of others that were unbearable. I didn't even correlate these symptoms with quitting the Xanax - I thought that I had some sort of terrible flu (I was also very confused and it was hard to think, so I was basically catatonic in a way and unable to tell what I was exactly going through). When I did finally find out that I was experiencing withdrawals, it was about a week later, and I was out of the danger zone in terms of seizures (I thought, and thank goodness didn't experience any seizures). I started reading the Benzo Support network on Yahoo and read some amazing stories of people who were suffering from the same protracted withdrawals that I was. Although many of these people had taken Xanax/Valium, etc. for many, many years and were in the constant process of tapering, stabilizing, tapering, stabilizing, etc.
I know that you probably feel hopeless about quitting Xanax, but it really can be done with tapering, and sometimes, with some people, can be accomplished with minimal negative symptoms when approached in a slow manner. But it has to be done with the support and help of a knowledgable doctor, and/or addiction specialist and other outside sources. It's a VERY slow process, but one you really can get through. Some people will take years to finally get down to a dosage that they can then come off of.
There are some basics in regard to this, especially when dealing with long-term benzo usage. You very, very gradually will lower your dosage, even going so far as to shave your pills .1-.2 mg at a time, or switching to a liquid version to be able to do the slowest taper possible. Also, it's recommended to switch to a benzo such as Valium before proceeding with the tapering schedule because of its' longer half-life (Xanax has a VERY short half life).
This forum is a great source of support when you need it, and I would also recommend perusing http://groups.yahoo.com/group/benzo/ (another forum) - you have to register at this particular site, but you'll find a wealth of information specifically outlining slow tapers and personal stories of those dealing with protracted benzo withdrawals.
My thoughts are with you, please keep writing here and let us know how you're doing.
Getting back to quitting cold from Xanax, I did this after I allowed my prescription to run out. I was noticing that I was becoming increasingly ambivalent towards people in my life while using the Xanax, and finally started associating this with the Xanax use. I would sleep until noon, I had a total non-caring attitude, etc., so I decided I would just stop taking it. After the first 24 hours, I started experiencing those horrific benzo withdrawal symptoms: tinnitus, headache from hell, shaking, sweating, mental confusion, sick stomach, severe depression, paranoia, disassociation in addition to dozens of others that were unbearable. I didn't even correlate these symptoms with quitting the Xanax - I thought that I had some sort of terrible flu (I was also very confused and it was hard to think, so I was basically catatonic in a way and unable to tell what I was exactly going through). When I did finally find out that I was experiencing withdrawals, it was about a week later, and I was out of the danger zone in terms of seizures (I thought, and thank goodness didn't experience any seizures). I started reading the Benzo Support network on Yahoo and read some amazing stories of people who were suffering from the same protracted withdrawals that I was. Although many of these people had taken Xanax/Valium, etc. for many, many years and were in the constant process of tapering, stabilizing, tapering, stabilizing, etc.
I know that you probably feel hopeless about quitting Xanax, but it really can be done with tapering, and sometimes, with some people, can be accomplished with minimal negative symptoms when approached in a slow manner. But it has to be done with the support and help of a knowledgable doctor, and/or addiction specialist and other outside sources. It's a VERY slow process, but one you really can get through. Some people will take years to finally get down to a dosage that they can then come off of.
There are some basics in regard to this, especially when dealing with long-term benzo usage. You very, very gradually will lower your dosage, even going so far as to shave your pills .1-.2 mg at a time, or switching to a liquid version to be able to do the slowest taper possible. Also, it's recommended to switch to a benzo such as Valium before proceeding with the tapering schedule because of its' longer half-life (Xanax has a VERY short half life).
This forum is a great source of support when you need it, and I would also recommend perusing http://groups.yahoo.com/group/benzo/ (another forum) - you have to register at this particular site, but you'll find a wealth of information specifically outlining slow tapers and personal stories of those dealing with protracted benzo withdrawals.
My thoughts are with you, please keep writing here and let us know how you're doing.
Hello, I am new at this so bare with me. I was prescribed Xanax when I was 20 years old, for severe panic attacks, I am 42 now. The Doctors kept raising the dosage over the years because it would just stop helping, they said the correct dose just wasn`t regulated for me yet, that was 22 year ago, by the time I was 27 they had me on 2 mg four times a day, total of 8 mg of Xanax a day !! No one told me this drug was addictive, I didn`t find out until 1989 when the dose of 2 mg four times a day just wasn`t helping anymore and I threw my prescription down the toilet and said to heck with this, I soon found myself in a nightmare !!! I couldn`t think, I was sweating and shaking and cramping, very very sick, and had siezures and was taken to the hospital, it was there I learned I was addicted to Xanax and they said I could not stop taking them. I was sent back to my Dr and put back on the same dose I was on, and have been on every since. I was so mad I couldn`t see straight because I was not told it was addicting !! I don`t want to take this medication anymore, it isn`t helping me, my body is dependant and I am terrified to try and stop taking it again !! I have tried the tapering off method it didn`t work I started getting sick again. I do not know what to do. My current Dr isn`t much help, he just keeps me on this dosage so I don`t siezure, ???? I feel stuck, I am disabled on SSI which isn`t much to live on, I can`t pay for a rehab and don`t know any that work on a slideing scale, I don`t even know if it is possable to get off this medication at all, but if there is a chance to free myself from it I would love to know ! Xanax is a nightmare !!! They can get people off the street drugs, why isn`t there any place to help people who have become addicted to medication prescribed to them, medication that was sapose to help them and in the end, you end up caught in a nightmare !!! I am caught in a nightmare I don`t know how to stop ! If anyone knows how to get off 2 mg Xanax four times a day, ( I was told that is a high dose when I was hospitalized in 89) anyway please tell me if there is a way to get off Xanax !!! Thanks Truly B.A.T.
Hello, I am new at this so bare with me. I was prescribed Xanax when I was 20 years old, for severe panic attacks, I am 42 now. The Doctors kept raising the dosage over the years because it would just stop helping, they said the correct dose just wasn`t regulated for me yet, that was 22 year ago, by the time I was 27 they had me on 2 mg four times a day, total of 8 mg of Xanax a day !! No one told me this drug was addictive, I didn`t find out until 1989 when the dose of 2 mg four times a day just wasn`t helping anymore and I threw my prescription down the toilet and said to heck with this, I soon found myself in a nightmare !!! I couldn`t think, I was sweating and shaking and cramping, very very sick, and had siezures and was taken to the hospital, it was there I learned I was addicted to Xanax and they said I could not stop taking them. I was sent back to my Dr and put back on the same dose I was on, and have been on every since. I was so mad I couldn`t see straight because I was not told it was addicting !! I don`t want to take this medication anymore, it isn`t helping me, my body is dependant and I am terrified to try and stop taking it again !! I have tried the tapering off method it didn`t work I started getting sick again. I do not know what to do. My current Dr isn`t much help, he just keeps me on this dosage so I don`t siezure, ???? I feel stuck, I am disabled on SSI which isn`t much to live on, I can`t pay for a rehab and don`t know any that work on a slideing scale, I don`t even know if it is possable to get off this medication at all, but if there is a chance to free myself from it I would love to know ! Xanax is a nightmare !!! They can get people off the street drugs, why isn`t there any place to help people who have become addicted to medication prescribed to them, medication that was sapose to help them and in the end, you end up caught in a nightmare !!! I am caught in a nightmare I don`t know how to stop ! If anyone knows how to get off 2 mg Xanax four times a day, ( I was told that is a high dose when I was hospitalized in 89) anyway please tell me if there is a way to get off Xanax !!! Thanks Truly B.A.T.
Willowman or anyone else out there on duragesic patches. My name is DJ and I am an RN. I'm new to this forum and wrote my story yesterday but I don't know where it went in this forum. I did a post a comment just like this one. So, hope you get this. A duragesic patch lasts for up to 72 hours. It takes 24 hours to reach it's peak level. You have to rotate the patch every time you change it. Put it in a fatty area such as breast area, back of neck area. This works the best because the medication in absorbed better due to the sweating from the fat(lipid) tissue. I also am trying to get my doctor to put me on the patch instead of all these pills. There are some side effects you need to be aware of. It is an opiod and can cause serious respiratory depression especially if you have asthma, or any chronic lung disorder. It can interact with a lot of other meds. So be sure to tell your doctor all meds you are on and any physical history he needs to know. Good Luck to you all!
Sorry to deviate from the question, but I am new and looking for some help with the Duragesic patch. I have been on and off Vic's for about 20 years due to many medical conditions. The last five years with two surgeries about 18 months apart I have been taking about 400 7.5 vic's per month. These were prescribed but I had to call a halt. The doc put me on Duracet but I researched and found a conflict with my other meds and my doc would not address that issue. I have since seen a pain doc and he has put me on Duragesic. The change from vicodin to Duracet was ok without many withdrawls. I have been wearing the patch for about a week and think I can live with it. It does not give me a high and I do not miss taking the handful of pills as I have enough meds to take already. I have read that the patch looses its effectiveness after a couple of days, What can I expect in the future or am I just kidding myself that this is a solution.
Any help would be appreciated.
Any help would be appreciated.
Well I had to Taper off as a lot know here, I was given an order, get off or lose my job, even with a script. I was on 5mg a day and had to spend 5 days in rehab to get off, however, it is possible to get off in 5 days but I recommed getting of Xanax with Valium. As my doctor would say when weining is necessary Valium is the one med they choose to use, 5mg every 5 days startings once every 4, 6, 8, 12 hours til you have gone to the 24 hour mark on the 5th day, even after 2 years on 5mg a day I was able to skip the 8 and 12 hour mark completely with no detox symptoms or withdrawls, but panic attacks are a long road ahead in life, I still don't know how to deal with them. I wish you the best.
You can DIE going cold turkey off of benzo's and especially xanax. DO NOT got cold turkey.
If your doc can't tell you how to taper then find one that will before you go CT!
If your doc can't tell you how to taper then find one that will before you go CT!
I was taking Xanax for 6 months, off and on but mostly on. I was taking a very low dose a day. I would take 1mg at night. It would be very rare for me to take it during the daytime. Sometimes I would take maybe 1.5 at night.
Well... let me tell you... When I stopped cold turkey after 6 months, I thought I was going to lose my mind. I felt so bizarre and listless. I, personally will never touch the stuff ever again, and its been 2 years!
Be careful
Well... let me tell you... When I stopped cold turkey after 6 months, I thought I was going to lose my mind. I felt so bizarre and listless. I, personally will never touch the stuff ever again, and its been 2 years!
Be careful
You are on a low dose but I am not sure how long you have been taking it. Many people just stop but with benzo there is a possiblility of serious problems. I stopped cold at 3mg per day. I was in withdrawal about 10 days. Everyone is different.
Your doctor really ought to know. It boggles the mind that she would be clueless. I think you can easily and safely reduce your intake by .25 mg per week over a 6 week period and then stop.
Good luck,
Bodymechanic
Your doctor really ought to know. It boggles the mind that she would be clueless. I think you can easily and safely reduce your intake by .25 mg per week over a 6 week period and then stop.
Good luck,
Bodymechanic
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