Withdrawal nightmare

[kimzlosinit]

I've been taking doctor prescribed xanax since 2005 and recently decided to stop. The doctor had been weening me off; taking .05 every other day. The problem surfaced when I decided I couldn't take it every other day so I took it daily and found myself without them. I decided to just go ahead and stop them altogether. The result has been heavy headedness to the point of near fainting. This has interferred greatly with my driving abilities; commuting to and from work. I've also experienced some de-realization; driving home this afternoon and not feeling my arms but feeling tingling and numbness in my face. I've never experienced such terrifying things in my life. To compensate, the doctor put me on Zoloft which I've only been taking for two days. I haven't noticed anything other than indigestion. Any helpful insight would be greatly received.

[kimzlosinit]

Thanks for the comment. I see a regular doctor. I thought that SSRI's could help with withdrawal. This is absolutely the worst. I'm two weeks into this and I don't want to go back to the xanax. I was initially placed on it because I thought I was having heart problems but turned out, it was panic.

[Paxiled]

Should have added, there are some meds that some use with benzo withdrawal, such as anti-seizure medication since benzos are an anti-seizure med, and some kind of tranquilizer, but not an ssri.

[Paxiled]

This is odd -- the only treatment for Xanax withdrawal is to go back on it and taper off more slowly -- benzos are very hard to quit, and quitting abruptly can be dangerous, as you've discovered.  Zoloft won't help at all with benzo withdrawal, and it takes a few weeks to start working but the side effects, if any, will start right away, so this is odd.  Are you seeing a regular doc, or a psychiatrist who hopefully understands these meds?