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?

[JAZZYB04]

I have been taking xanax .25mg for the past 2mths, and today is my 12th day of quitting. I got in my second car accident this past Feb(09) and it shook me up a bit. The first car accident left one of my friends in a wheelchair and the others broke their necks. As for me I still have a cracked skull and that accident was in 2006. But any who I was feeling tightness in my chest and my head would start feeling tight whenever I tried to drive my car, so I stopped driving all together. This began to occur after my 2nd accident. The doc told me I was just having panic/anxiety attacks and prescribed me Xanax. Every since I stopped taking them I've been feeling nervous,hallucinating,not being sure if i'm in pain or just tripping, lost all interest in sex with my boyfriend, fast heartbeat(which the docs cant tell me whats causing this) and having trouble sleeping. I'm starting to think i'm losing my mind at age 23. I know .25  was a low dose, but I'm one whose doesn't take medicine so I feel that's why this medicine is taking such a major toll on me. HELP!!!!!!

[spicoli_0420]

Hello, I am having a difficult time weaning off Xanax and alcohol.  Also, what makes it worse is that I am on an island in the Pacific.  99% of the doctors don't speak English and pretty much I am on my own with this dilemna.  I initially took 2mg of Xanax for severe panic attacks then learned to love it.  It also cures hangovers.  I want to quit both but I know you can't just go cold turkey without serious dangers.  Anyone have any suggestions about slowly getting off both of these drugs safely without medical help?  Any info would help.  Thanks.

[businessCPA]

Ok well I can relate to  a lot of you people . Unfort. I was not prescribed xanax and was taking up to 10MG a day for a few years off and on. I was worried about quitting cold turkey b.c people told me about the seizures n stuff.. i was worried.  I notice I was mis placing my keys, getting more stressed out ...total memory loss, short and long term. This medicine is awful, yet its a drug that kids and adults abuse. Getting emotional over Nothing! not getting along with friends and family.. I would try to cheat the system and go to a doctor and try to tell them i was having panic attacks and felt "pounding in my chest" and everything possible.. I couldn't work, Failing college.. Then at age 23, this past summer... my parents were in europe at our summer home.. I broke down to them over the phone, I told them I need help.. I am so lucky to have a family that I do , Substance abuse runs in my family.. alcoholism...laziness.(lol) and other drugs..nothing too harsh..but a waste. My dad called our family doc. and told him I was abusing xanax and I needed help getting off. One thing he said is go to rehab, or do it yourself... This is how it was done for me... I am not doctor so This is just my story and how I recoverded fully from Benzo withdrawals....

Lets start with, Your diet... eat good, no more soda / pop ...no more fast foood! no more fried foods... plenty of vegitables...fruits....protein. Next - Vitamins, If you talk to your doctor first and see what vitamins you can take and what you cant take. This is where my mom *( a health freak came into play to help me out)* She started me on Vitamin B-50  once a day.. maybe once in the morning and then later on after food but not too late b.c it will keep you up.  To sleep at night - magnesium and calcium. Make sure you  start taking Vitamin C - Multiple and ginko biloba , maybe start taking Zinc to boost immune system..but not too long.. Drink a lot of tea's whatever your favorite may be. Try sleepy time tea before you go to bed, so u can sleep..

Things to expect while withdrawl :   The *****, sweats, memory loss, (maybe its perm. from my aspect of life so far..which is sad, - there are vitamins to help promote memory gain. Since i grew up in PA - FL and europe my whole life... I learned one thing from the polish / italian people... Take one shot of omega 3- 6 oil flax seed oil iin the morning ( this is for people with consitaption with taking pain pills too ..just so you all wanted to know) Its a long road ahead of you, get exercize DAILY this is a must, you need to sweat out toxins.. I quit cold turkey and never looked back, this is how it worked for me.. like i said.. I took vitamins, i worked out, i ate good food, salads..fruits.. YOU NEED TO TALK TO PEOPLE ABOUT THIS, TO COMFORT YOU, most people say this is a suicide drug.. its prolly true! i could never skip out on life..so thatwasnt a factor for me. I am proud of all the poeple coming on here telling their stories and trying to help others.. I am trying to help as many people as possible.. now the OUTCOME of all this... I went back to college.. im at a standing 3.7 GPA in accounting tax specialist course.. on my way to get my C.P.A . Thank for the time if you read this. any questions just reply on here. Peace out my peeps - mark

[EXPILLMAN103]

I UNDERSTAND YOUR FEARS.I TOOK 3MG A DAY FOR 15 YEARS.YOUR REALLY NOT ON A BIG DOSE BUT IF YOU JUST STOP YOU HAVE THE SAME WITHDRAWS AS ANYONE PERIOD.FIRST THING,FIRE YOUR DOCTOR THAT PUT YOU ON THEM.FIND A DOCTOR THAT WILL BRING YOU OFF THEM SLOWLY,AND I MEAN SLOWLY, IF IT TAKES A YEAR,AS WAS THE CASE WITH ME,WELL SO BE IT.THE ONLY TIME I HAD A MINOR PROBLEM WAS WHEN I WAS BROUGHT DOWN .25 MG EVERY OTHER 3RD WEEK,IT WASNT ANYTHING HORRIBLE,JUST YOUR MIND GETTING USE TO THE FACT ITS COMING OFF THIS ****,BUT THAT PASSED IN 24HOURS(MIND WAS ALITTLE RACE TRACK,LOL,SWEATS,BUT NOTHING TO WERE YOU CANT WILL YOURSELF AWAY FROM.TRUST ME,BY THE TIME YOU GET DOWN TO YOUR LAST DOSE,YOU WILL BE FEELING SO GOOD YOU WONT EVER WANT TO GO BACK ON THIS ****.EXERCISE WILL HELP REALLY WELL TO,SO GOODLUCK AND KEEP ME POSTED.A WARNING TO,DONT EVER RAPID DETOX OFF XANAX,IT SHOCKS YOUR BODY TO QUICK AND YOU CAN RELAPSE VERY QUICKLY.SLOWLY IS THE ANSWER.

[Malibu2769]

I have been considering gettin off my xanax but i am so scared, scared of dealing with the anxiety the sweats and feeling as if i can't breath when the attacks happen, but after reading this i am scared most of all of the seizures and whether it will be fatal. I have been taking .25 mg. 1 or 2 x aday for the past 3 1/2 years.  What do i have to look forward to if i try to quit, will i have the seizures, I want someone to tell me the truth, if yes than tell me that will happen, but don't tell me i won't get seizures just to get me off of them and than i have one and die.  Please someone hlp me with this decision.  Like i said I take 1 or 2 pills .25 mg. per day and it has been for 3 1/2 years, alot of times just one pill a day but never have i went a day without one.  I will at least take one when i go to bed, what to do?

[elegantrose1]

I have read all the posts on this thread. It was very educational. In some respects I am one of the lucky ones. I have been on xanax since 1991 but have only taken .5mg a day at the most. I am going to try and cut it out completely. I tried once before but the panic attacks came back. I now know  it is the drug creating its own illusion of neediness. I just have to ride out the storm.  I will cut it to .5mg every other day for a couple weeks. I won't get discouraged if I feel the panic and shaky hands returning. I know that this is a journey I must take and it will take up to 2 years to complete. The doc also has me on Trazadone for sleep and Prozac for depression. I am only going to tackle one at a time.  I am going to go to an N.A. group for support. I am 52 year old woman who lives alone.