Weaning off of Xanex

[ak1219]

I have been taking .25mg of Xanex for about 2 months in the morning. I started to wean myself off because my Zoloft is starting to kick in on Friday of last week. I changed my dosage to 1/2 of a pill. I've had some withdrawal and was wondering if anyone else has had this and how long the withdrawal lasted? Also I have a big fear about the seizure thing when stopping Xanex, is there a certain dosage that you have to be taking for that to be a bigger risk?

[cherylrev]

I was on xanax for four years.  Sometime during those four years, I crossed the line and started taking more than prescribed.  The xanax use got me to the point of a very bad depression (I could never get out of bed or even get the mail); I volunteered for ECT treatments for the depression and the funny part of that was the doctor never mentioned that xanax was the cause of my depression.  Finally at the end of my four years of use of xanax, I started mixing them with alcohol.  I flatlined (heart stopped) -- medics revived me!  Two days later, I entered a detox/rehab.  They weaned me off the xanax.  It's been five months now and I am suffering alot of Post Acute Withdrawal Symptoms.  Panic attacks are frequent, feeling like I'm going insane, sweaty palms and feet etc.  I cannot wait for all these symptoms to go away.  I pray to God every day to help me.  One definite thing:  DO NOT TAKE XANAX  God Bless and Good Luck

[leavingAlprazolam]

I have been on alprazolam for about 2 years never knew it was addictive until a year after I started. I was taking up to 4 and sometimes 6 mg per day. When I ran out of my prescriptions I found out doctor had reduced dosage without telling me to 1 mg per day. Thats when I found out I was addicted. I couldnt sleep for a week and promply lost my appetite. I had the shakes and felt miserable. I ended up in the emergency room again begging for some sleep meds. Doctor then explained to me that he was going to taper me down. 1 year later I am down to .25 mg per night for sleep. The kicker is my sex drive seems to have disappered. theis is very important to me. I stopped smoking cigarettes and  taking alprazolam 6 weeks ago and found that melatonin helps me get to sleep.  My anxiety is not  bad and I have started jogging every day of the week between 2 and 4 miles each day. I just want my life back. drug free. I dont seem to be going through withdrawals. How long will it be before I can feel that I am off Alprazolam. How long before I  before my warm human connections return  

[43432]

I have been on xanax for about 18 months now. For someone with chronic sleep problems it has been a lifesaver. I can't function on no sleep, especially as a teacher so it has helped me in that area. However, last night in bed after not taking xanax for a few nights (I take as needed) I had terrible nightmares which involved dizziness within the dream and also in my awake state once I woke up. Today I feel out of it and do not have any xanax here where I am staying. My dose has been .5 megs as needed. Once in a rare while I will take 2 in a night. Worried about my career if I stop and the long term effects. I also drink socially but never take xanax in the day time. I feel xanax makes me more cohesive and coherent in the classroom but worry about addiction. Thanks for any help.

[joeygirl62]

I have suffered from panic/anxiety/agoraphobia for 10 years. I do take prescriptions for it but I wanted to say one of the things that have helped the most is consistently going on a treadmill everyday for at least 10 minutes. You can buy one and set it up in front of your TV, something you would be doing anyway.  It has really taken the edge off my symptoms when I stick with it. Please try it, as someone who has tried all sorts of medicines, I promise  just this simple thing will make a difference. Walmart sells them for under 300 dollars.

[Rej2323]

I was taking xanax for a while i did not like the way the drug make me feel but it was helping me a lot...
I always needed my bottle on me for some odd reasons what I did it's put on the calendar a little cross for each xanax free day and set myself goal after a week get myself something nice after 2 weeks do something nice for me... Well it's been 7 months that I' m xanax free I give my doctor my bottle because i do not need it anymore.
Good luck
Rejane

[badboy77]

You're not going crazy! I'm on 0.25mg Xanax too and I'm trying to wean off it (Started at 1.5mg/day for about a month, then 1mg for a couple weeks, then 0.5mg for a couple weeks, now 0.25mg).  I was originally on 0.5mg Ativan twice a day for a few weeks due to panic attacks from a reaction to medication fiasco.  I quit cold turkey because like you I'd never taken any meds/drugs before, didn't like how the meds were affecting me, and didn't know about the possibility of quick dependency and withdrawals.  The next several weeks were hell and I had every symptom you have (except hallucinations).  Ativan is in the same family as Xanax (benzodiazepines aka benzos), but about half as strong.

Long story short--my opinion is that your going through withdrawal.  Everything I've read about Xanax withdrawal is to taper down slowly, stabilizing after each reduction before trying the next reduction.  Most docs, counselors and psychs will tell you that your symptoms are from anxiety, and if you control the anxiety your symptoms will disappear.  Many recommend anti-anxiety meds like Xanax as an 'easy' way to help your anxiety; but these meds can make things much worse over the long run.  My 'natural' panic attacks were nothing in intensity/duration compared to the med-induced ones.  I wished I'd never taken any of the meds prescribed.

Once you're off the Xanax for a while and things are under control, you can tackle your driving anxiety with cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) and non-drug methods like gradual exposure.  It's perfectly understandable that you'd become anxious driving after having a bad accident; but by gradually and comfortably getting back in the saddle you should be able to get back to driving again without having bad anxiety.

Best wishes--hopefully we can both get better soon.