xanax

[LIZZIE LOU]

my oldest son...who i dont talk about that much...is addicted to xanax.  he pops them by the handfuls...and i mean handfuls.  he is trying to wean himself down...slowly...but i am worried about him.

he and his family are moving to my condo in taos, new mexico in about a month.  he will not have access to his pain management doctor anymore...good AND bad.  he will not have time to slowly taper off these and i'm worried.

excuse my stupidity...but...is there a such thing as a rapid detox from these in a medical setting?  does that make sense?  

[headies]

I have a older friend who is bi polar, and he says he likes not taking his meds because of the manic feeling. He actually likes that feeling.

[againnot]

Not to scare you...but my best friend's nephew died ACCIDNETALLY of taking Xanax and drinking...he was 19.  This is very serious, as everyone has told you  here.  I was only taking 3 "orange bars" a day, which is .50mg, and it was awful to get off of. (so yes, he IS taking alot!) I WAS on neurotin at the time to prevent seizures while tapering.  I remember calling a re-hab place asking them about this while I was trying to taper...thinking since I wasn't taking much it wasn't a big deal.  They said they have people there all the time trying to get off that taking even LESS than I was!  And...why would he take Klonipin with it?  That is the same type of drug, just longer acting.  wow.  I feel for you since he is older and you really don't have control.  I also have a bi-polar child, so I totally sympathize with you.  They just don't want to take their meds...been down that road alot.  Your best bet , I think, is to work very closely with a dr., or have him go to re-hab where they can monitor him very carefully.  Good luck!

[1234betterlife]

absolutely! if he will let you go, then go!  if you know exactly what the physician says and the plan both of you will feel better and in more control. if there is such a thing in the addict world.

[LIZZIE LOU]

i hear ya...that is why i am so impressed with the ppl here that taper successfully...isn't that the beast of addiction... not being able to control their use if it is right there in front of them?

i know that is alot of xanax...but it is waaaaaaay better than what he was taking.  i'm not sure what he plans on doing though.  seems like he needs to try some of the new meds for his bipolar disorder while tapering...he will not be successful if he is still agitated and not getting any help with this before he gets all the way off the xanax.

i dont think he ought to try to come off the xanax AND the alcohol at the same time though...he would NEVER make it.  maybe i will just go with him to his next doctor's appt if he will let me.

thanks,
kim

[1234betterlife]

that is a lot of med honey. does he understand the danger of trying to stop on his own? is he wanting off on his own? will he be able to follow a schedule? most cannot. i am not knocking anyone here guys, maybe i should say i never could follow a taper worth s**

[headies]

That is alot of xanax. I think he can do it though. The fact that he doent have a doctor propbably won't make him quit, but start buying scripts online..... Zanax is a very unpleasant drug to come off of. Maybe you can convince him to detox with family, I detoxed several years ago with my mom and Dad, and it was very benificial.  Hard times arent that bad when you have people who love you around... To bad there is nothing to help him ease off like Methadone or suboxone..... Good luck......

[LIZZIE LOU]

if i had him committed for 72 hours...they'd keep him for life...lololol.

[LIZZIE LOU]

ok...i just talked to him.

he said that he is down to 3-5 bars a day ( i think the bars are the strongest ones, arent they?)  on a daily basis...he takes one in the morning...one or two (spread out) in the afternoon, as needed...and one at night for sleep.  of course last night he took one bar...two peach colored ones...and a klonopin (or whoever you spell it).  i asked him "why" he took so many last night and he replied that he had not slept very much the last few nights so it took that to help him get a good sound sleep.

i also asked him if he had ever had a seizure from not having any.  he said no but i thought he had...guess i was wrong.  i asked him what was the longest he had been without them and he said 24 hours...so i asked him what happens to him "physically" if he doesn't have any.  he said the whole left side of his body starts having tremors...only his left side...maybe that is his seizure to some extent.  i dont know...

[1234betterlife]

he probably knows. i would be worried too. isn't that what we (mothers) do best?

[girlybuff]

Can you have him involuntarily committed for 72 hours for observation?
Just a thought?????

[LIZZIE LOU]

hey sweetie...was wondering where you've been

d a m n...i was afraid of that...no rapid detox :(

i am going to call him right now and see if he has any idea how much he takes...i'm really worried about him moving without medical supervision.

[1234betterlife]

xanax should be monitored by a physician when tapering. the tapering should be slow to the risk of seizure activity. normally, neurontin or other antiseizure medication is used during the detox to avoid this. it is essentially impossible to control a taper if you do not know how much you are using. there is no rapid detox from xanax.

[LIZZIE LOU]

well that is the problem...he drinks AND takes the xanax.  he is bipolar and self medicates the "symptoms" instead of treating the cause.  he doesn't want to take anything for his bipolar disorder because he says it makes him feel "weird"...like the xanax and alcohol dont????????  it calms him down...therefore he continues the cycle.

i'm not sure about his taper plan though.  how do you taper when you just throw them in your mouth at any given time...no routine?  

are you saying that there IS such a thing as a rapid detox?  sorry...i'm not very educated regarding xanax...except for the fact that they are extremely dangerous and sometimes life threatening to stop c/t.  

this son is 31 years old...so i dont have alot of control over his actions anymore.  i would like to educate him though and give him the information.

kim

[johnnykelly]

Hi Lizzy,those benzodiazepams and alcohol are considered the two most dangerous drugs a worthy of (IN-patient DE-Tox) Hun these substances are life treatening,especially the xanax,valium,klonopin,rivatril ativan,etc. anything with a pam ending.I hope this fellow give respect to their powers,as ive seen a man in re-hab in the 2nd week have a convulsion as a result of alcohol,after he had the seizure they gave him Librium to keep him from further convulsions,Liz,these eposodes a scary and an eye opiner.Your a smart woman,intervine,as this is a serios situation your buddy john

[againnot]

Those darn Xanax are the hardest things to get off of...I did it about 2 years ago, with much difficulty.  I was on them for about 8 years.  Your son hopefully doesn't drink, because that could be fatal.  Can you have a dr. supervise the taper?  That would absolutely be the best thing.  Xanax can cause seizures if not tapered slowly.  It took me a very long time to taper...till I was down to maybe a crumb!  Hopefully you can get him to a dr. soon.  Good luck!