How do you know you are experiencing Xanax withdrawl?

[Chrissy1972]

I started taking Xanax .5mg in May or June on a daily basis. For the 1st week or 2 I took .5 to .75mg then I was only taking .5mg breaking it up in the day. I am trying to only take .25mg and have noticed that my neck is so tense and my jaw as well. Almost like TMJ symtoms.My right eye only has been twitching on & off for the past 2 months.Some days I am sensitive to light etc... Not sure if this is allergies/stress or withdrawl from the Xanax. With having panic disorder for many years now I know I question anything I feel but this is my 1st time on Xanax and I am hearing all sorts of horror stories which are making me scared it will happen to me. I am currently trying to find a Dr that will put me back on Klonopin again as my GP will only give me Xanax ughhh
Does this sound like withdrawl or am I beign a hypo here?

Thanks

[RubyWitch]

One should never mess about with a taper on their own no matter how low the dose or how long you've been on it. (There ARE exceptions to that rule, but we'll leave those for now)
As Paxiled said, the surest way to figure out is to go back to your original dose. If the symptoms disappear, then you are, indeed, dealing with w/d. (You are aware that Xanax is also a benzo, right? Wasn't sure if I read you correctly)
Xanax is meant to be used short term only, as in four months max. Klonopin is used for the long haul. But getting off Klonopin is every bit as nasty as quitting Xanax, if not more so. The w/d effects usually don't kick in for about two weeks.............just about the time you think the taper was a piece of cake, it will hit like a ton of bricks.This is due to the fact that it remains in your system far longer than Xanax, whose w/d effects begin within four HOURS of your last dose.
Your symptoms, to me, sound far more like stress than Xanax w/d. A tense neck and jaw and a twitching eye are signs of stress, not anxiety. (Not that anxiety doesn't cause you to be tense which then results in said neck/jaw/eye issues) Sensitivity to light is not a typical w/d symptom, nor is photobobia a typical symptom of anxiety.
If you stick around and read some posts, you will hear horror stories about every med known to man. You wil also hear that what works wonders for one person will be a living nightmare for someone else. You want back on the Klonopin and there are folks here who swear it damn near killed them. Bottom line, if you're going to go the drug route, then you must find what works for YOU and the only way you will know that is by trial and error.
Perhaps you could gather up information on both Xanax and Klonopin and present those to your doctor. Most GP's know squat about benzo's and perhaps it was simply that the Xanax rep gave him the better "incentive" than the Klonopin rep to push...........er, I mean, prescribe the Xanax.
Doctors normally don't like patients who are educated and pro-active in their own health care, but it's YOUR mental health we're talking about here, so don't ever be afraid to stand up for yourself.
Good luck
Peace
Greenlydia    

[Paxiled]

The only way you'll find out is to go back on the higher dosage.  If your problems magically disappear, it's withdrawal.  By the way, klonopin also causes withdrawal.  It's benefit is that most people don't develop a tolerance to it that requires continually increasing dosages to keep working because it's longer acting in the body, but all benzos are addictive and can be very dangerous to quit precipitously.  

[Dalubaba]

I am 79, u started wutg akorizakan 0,25 fir ubdycubg skuo, Now I am taking 1 mg. It gives me 5 hour sleep I tried to lower the sose but i could not get sleep with lower dosage.
I have tried to find out the side effect of this drug with me.
I am deaf and hypothyroid which is genetic.all my siblings have this problem. my mother had similar problem. so this is not dur to alprozaam.
I am havint tightness of feet. there is no known cause of this symptom.No diagmpsos os arroved at/ It is a question whether this symptom is due to alprozalam.

[Chrissy1972]

Thanks Flob, thats what I was thinking but at the same time I worry about the Xanax. I have an appt on the 28th with a Psych nurse hoping she will switch me to Klonopin. Benzo's seem to be the one thing that ward of my Panic attacks so i think thats a safer way then the xanax.

[flob]

to me, it sounds more like the physical symptoms that go along with anxiety....along with things like pressure in the head and tingling sensations in the head....stiff shoulder...etc. my guess is that if you were at .5mg daily and went down to .25 daily, if you do experience w/d symptoms, they're going to be rather mild.