Xanax XR

[JeepJessy79]

Is anyone out there on Xanax XR or know of anyone on it?  I'm thinking about asking my Doctor to put me on it.  Let me know please.

[7779311]

I have a close relative that took Xanax for about8mths who is currently hospitalized having hallucinations and experiencing schizophrenia.  I wouldn't recommend anyone take Xanax prescribed or recreational.  All she wanted was to get clean for the family

[agn2812]

I want my doctor to either wean me of Xanax XR 2ngs or cold turkey like a trooper,done it before... Done Withdrawling in about 30-60 days depending on severity of addiction !!! Get to the point it makes me angry miserable hatred person and still paranoid when out in public :( almost came close to starting big controversy at the park I went to to swim and walk around burning off energy...!!! Went there today had to leave and yelled out why is everybody looking at me,trying to incriminate me,park rangers accusations of people talking about me ;( all I can say anymore is when I see my psychiatrist my dad will go to and explain my hostility aggressive paranoid, delusional problems,I inharited my mothers illness she passed away in 08 and completely lost my mind,been to 3 pysch wards within the last year,didn't work ;( you have any suggestions what I should say to my doctor I'm keeping the name and date personal for his well beining and safety could you reply from your comment I responded to you said 5 years ago ?

[albenzo]

I rehab-detox will not help when it comes to xanax. Detox lasts 6 months and could be deadly. If you want to get off the drug tell your doctor and He will have to wean you off. 9mg is alot and addiction *****. But don't risk ur life to get off the drug talk to your doctor detox wont help .. they let my fiance in there and gave him a script when he left and until he seen the doctor there was nothing.noone could do.. unfortunately.

[albenzo]

I am on xanax .5mg every 6 hrs. It's not a drug to take more or less of at anytime. I am being treated for trichtollomania, ptsd, dissortion, and anxiety. I have tried everything else celexa, etc. And nothing else worked. I'm starting to get my conditions under control. Xanax is definitely not a medication to start and stop taking its either take it or don't and I know someone who quit cold turkey and it was bad. xanax withdrawls last up to 6 months and can be deadly so if it is for occasional short term as needed it would be fine but if you have to take it on a time schedule like me. If you cant stay vigilant with it and not abuse it .. it is a awesome drug and I'm coping with my disorders...

[hannah2008]

I've been on Xanax for almost 7 years. I take 9 mg. a day and was wondering about the Xanax XR. I'm very embarrassed that I even take this crap - I have thrown them out and ended up in the hospital after seven days of hallucinations, no sleep, I could not eat, back to back panic attacks, and it took me almost 24 hours just to drink an 8oz. glass of water. I have never taken drugs before and am VERY pissed that I now have a physical addiction. I have been threatened that if I throw them out again I will end up in a mental facility. I'm a mother, a wife, I have a life! I just want to be "normal" again. I feel like I've let my family down and I am considering a rehab clinic. I don't know anymore. I have fought like hell to get off - but every time it gets worse when i just "Stop" taking it.
So - what equalizes The regular Xanax in the XR form?

[crazybeth]

i need to know if there is there anything sronger than klonipin or xannax neither seem to work for me and i hav panic an anxiety attacks at leats five times a day

[bbuhbowler]

u dont have to sween off a benzo before switching to another u just have to make sure u take an equivelent dose...i.e. u can stop taking 2 mgs a day of klonopin and awitch to 2 mg of xanax becaue techically they are the same strenth, although i know this is kind of a bad example since, because their half-life's are so different. but another example which i read in the original posts was about switching to valiuum. klonopin(clonazepam) and xanax are both 4 times stronger than valiuum based on recommended dosing. u would have to take 40Mgs of valium to equal .5 mgs of the other 2. but on the plus side of valium it has the longest half-life of any benzo (up to dont quote me on this but i know its close to 140 to 200 hrs!!! klonopin being 30-60 and Xanax 5 to 8 hrs!!!!!

[DianneA]

I'm assuming that since the Xanax XR can't be cut, that I have to go back to the regular Xanax in order to wean.  I've been attempting to change to regular Xanax for 3 days and feel pretty bad.  I've been on .5 XR in the morning and one at night for a total of 1.0 per day.  Any advice?

[PhD420]

Help, beginning to Taper... and I have a really post, but it acceded the limit.  

Morning – 7AM – 8AM
-Adderal XR: 20MG (recently added (October 28th 2009) to pull me out of a depression and calm anxiety)
-Adderal: 5MG  (recently added (September 9th 2009, if needed to pull me out of bed)
-Klonopin: 1MG
-Prolosec Generic: 40MG (Have always been on this since the SSRI’s were prescribed because of acid reflux)
Vitamins: Recently Added on November 23rd 2009
-L-Glutamine Powder: 5 grams (Taken on empty stomach at night)
-SuperFoods Supreme Powder: (1 Scoop during dinner per day)
-Pre-Ground Flax Seed:  (1 Tablespoon mixed in Oatmeal for breakfast)
-Vitamin C 1000mg

MidDay: - 2-3PM
-Adderal XR: 20MG
-Adderal: 5MG (if needed at all)

Night: - 9 – 10PM
Xanax XR: 2MG twice a day, at the same time.  4MG
Klonopin: 1MG, two of them (Total 1.5MG)
Pristiq XR: 50MG (switched from Lexapro 5mg to 10mg in July 2009)


-The next process is to begin the taper and being in VT and that I suffer from SAD I am scared out of my mind.  Dr E. would like to eliminate the Klonopin first, which I am doing by now only taking 1.5mgs of Klonopin at night.

-I’m also a full time student who just changed careers to get my PhD in Clinical Psychology and am working on finishing up some credits as a senior prior to entering Grad school, as not all of my credits transferred into the School of Arts and Sciences from Computer Information Science.

-And realized my Migraines and Depression were misdiagnosed from when I was younger, as I had ADD to family situations and not Depression, although a DR put me on SSRI's when I was 14 when my family moved, which triggered my anxiety, which is how I ended up on Xanax since the age of 27 and am now tapering off of these meds.  The Migraines were missed by four doctors and turned out to be related to Degenerate Disc Disease in my Neck, which was causing me to have a form of sleep apnea too.  I see a PT twice a week, and use a home traction unit everyday and I no longer wake up gasping for breath.

-Which brings me to 2010 as my Cobra insurance will run out in July, and UVM’s insurance doesn’t cover much of anything and they force you to see their doctors, and I really don’t want to change doctors again as I trust my doctor and we are doing our best by using Adderal as an augmenter.  So my hands are up in the air, while I crunch for finals when I can cognitively think straight as there is so much going on at once.

-I’m also a bit freaked out because I also have apparently ground my teeth down so bad that I need over 12k worth of restorative work to fix them.  Which, my father is not happy about and I am on a budget so tight that I can barely afford to drive.

[MysticSymphony]

I just wanted to say I'm very grateful to see both sides of the Xanax XR story.  I was diagnosed with Panic Disorder 2 years ago, where many of my panic attacks were very situational, but so frequent and unpredictable and debilitating that I landed in the ER more times than I wanted to and also spent a week on inpatient care.  During my inpatient stay, I was switched from Lexapro to Klonopin and it was the Klonopin that seemed to only provide short term relief.  I tried to wean off it after 9 months of being on the medication and experiencing side effects where I felt as though I was "walking dead" and had such a violent relapse that I hesitate to ever go near the drug again.  My psychiatrist put me on Xanax XR a year ago now and with the combination of Zoloft, I find that I can experience much less "drug paranoia" (the bad experience with Klonopin caused me to quit treatment altogether until I was completely incapacitated by panic attacks, having them 3 or 4 times daily) and just live a somewhat normal life.

I'm wondering, though...if you have panic disorder, are you condemned to be on medication for life?  My before Xanax XR days were horrifying but I've always wanted to come off of medication entirely.  My psychiatrist has to keep reminding me that treatment is a one day at a time thing but I'm all about the big picture.  I'm assuming I should just listen to my psychiatrist- she is pretty excellent and has really helped me through- but I'm just curious.

[LadyLuck77]

I have been reading all of everyone's posts on Xanax and Xanax XR.  I hae been on Xanax for over 5 years.  My doctor put me on Xanax XR when it first came out and I was kind of excited not having to take them all the time, but after two days of taking it the time release did not work as planned, it dissolved to quickly in my system and was released all at once (well I should say gradually over about an hours time).  So for me it did not work well at all.  I have been taking 1mg 3x a day for some time now (that is what I was prescribed, it was higher 2mg 3x a day but asked for smaller dose) I try not to take this much a day as I use it when I have any panic attacks and for anxiety attacks, plus I have insomnia so I kill two birds with one stone.  I have never been dependant on Xanax and have stopped taking it many times by tapering my dose over a few weeks thinking it was all stressed related but apparently in my case its not just stress.   My doc now wants me to start trying new medications that are out like Buspar and some others but after reading side effects (which I am extremely sensitive to most meds) I am scared to try them.  I finally broke down two days ago and tried one called Seroquel 100mg.  This medication just totally threw me, I was hallucinating could not talk or walk.  I was not functional at all by any means and all I took was 25mg of it.  After this I decided I was not comfortable changing my meds and my doc does not agree and does not want to continue my Xanax that I normally take.  I am kind of confused why my doc would want to change a medication that is working perfectly for me with no side effects and I can function properly on and I have never had to increase my dosage, I use it as needed for attacks but .5mg at night for sleep.  Does anyone else seem to be having the same pressure to change meds from their docs, to get them off of Xanax to other drugs that cause more harm?

I have tried most of them in the begining before trying Xanax and nothing was working for me that was not giving me worse side effects or having to take another pill to cover up another side effect.

~Just wondering

[johanni]

Xanax is certainly an "evil" drug!It destroyed my friends life.RCA7591 is providing you with very good advice.I myself am on valium 10mg daily,an it helps control my anxiety.It is very safe and my dose is very low.My friend started with 0.5mg of xanax and ended up taking 10mg daily.The anxiety became worse as the dose was increased and she ended up in a detox clinic.She is slowly recovering and has switched to valium.Avoid xanax at all costs!

[tinkandpeg]

thankyou 4 replying.my mothers symptoms differ in b4 xanax her anxiety caused her severe sweating,loose bowels and loss of appetite,also sleepless nights.now although she can get to sleep she wakes around 2am with severe body tension and intense fear.sleep is then out of the question.her symptom may ease during the morning but will gradually creep back for some reason after her midday meal?she no longer gets the sweating etc as b4.its the tension,chest pain and feelings of being strangled,which seem 2 me the symptoms of an addict.i agree with you about her being messed about with drugs from doctors.the problem is doctors and us cant understand why tablets she used prior 2 xanax worked but now dont.my mother is reluctant to change her doctor as she knows doctors dont like taking on patients with mental health problems[b4 retirment she was a doctors receptionist].she is seeing a phychiatrist and attending community group sessions.everyone cant understand why her sufering is incresed no matter what tablet shes put on,even diazepam.she did try lorazipam which was great,but same as xanax quickly became tolerant and needed more.thankyou so much 4 your concern. xx

[BabaluandOtis2]

Others here are much more knowledgeable w the different meds . But I highly doubt your mom is still suffering any Xanax w/d.
That dose added up is only 1.25 mg a day, if she took 5 a day. She could have had w/ d by being abruptly stopped on the med. But not this long.
What concerns me is you said she's being given other SSRI's and benzos. If she is constantly being put on and taken off all these types of meds, without being properly tapered before starting a new one.....THAT will mess her up. It certainly seems like she might have GAD. But, is the GAD being induced by what these doctors are doing to her?
Also some benzos work better than others for different people. I was given Ativan I think one time and it was horrible for me. The Xanax worked wonders on the other hand.
If she truly has GAD she needs to try ONE of the meds first to see if it helps and not be abruptly taken off of it or switched to another too soon. If she is really in bad shape the xanax might be helpfull as it works immediately, but as you have read, Klonopin which is more longer acting might be better for her if it is GAD.

Maybe you should take her to a new doc for a different perspective.
I hope your Mom feels better soon.
Take care  ; )

[xanweaner]

Is your mother still suffering now for 2 years since her abrupt termination of xanax? How are her symptoms different than they were before?

[tinkandpeg]

my mother was forced to stop taking xanax by her doctor when she said she thought she was addicted.my mother had no withdrawal programme and was stopped abruptly.the doctor had previously told my mother that xanax was less addictive than other benzos.two years on my mother is still suffering terrible.could it still be withdrawal?no other prescription drugs work,shes on diazepam at moment and it seem to make her worse.shes tried most ssris and benzos all have bad effect.both her doctor and pshychiatrist wont believe she was ever addicted and even if she was she wouldnt still be suffering now.they say its GAD.what she has suffered these past two is nothing like her previous anxiety.she took 0.25mg up to 5 a day for 4 months.does anyone know if this could still be symptoms from xanax?we are desperate for answers.

[oblivionean]

I was given Xanax by my doctor and got highly addicted taking nearly 20 a day on and off for 4years and constantly for 1 year and now have kidney disease and I am only 26. I had to have kidney surgery last year because of dying tissue in my ureter tubes which aloud urine to flow from my bladder back into my kidneys. Even after the surgery I still get them and have to take antibiotics everyday. Now my right kidney is failing and continues to put off dead tissue. I am not blaming Xanax completely but by me abusing them like I did had something to do with it. Be careful when the doctor tries to prescribe you Xanax because they are highly addictive and have major side effects.

[xanweaner]

That's good news about the 6 - 18 mo. recovery being the exception. But, I will say one thing - today, I'm on my 40th day of a dosage reduction, and I experienced a brief period of anxiousness/near physical trembling that I had when I first went on xanax last  April. Luckily, I caught it, went into a warm bath to relax and felt better.  But, that was a surprise since that feeling has rarely happened during my 4-mo. weaning period.

So, who knows??
Wishing you good luck also in your withdrawal from Lexapro - I'm sure that you've done your research and know what can be expected. I hope that you can exceed and be SSRI-free.  After the xanax weanng, the next drug I have to tackle is Ambien. Fortunately, I've been able to taper off in the past, so I hope that the same will hold true. I currently take 10 mg. each evening.....

Wishing you a strong recovery, too...and thanks again.

[Slappy3243]

I understand that Dr. Steinberg has a different view of how Xanax affects the brain. However, there are also many other doctors that disagree with him was just the point I was trying to make. There is no set rule in how one person will react when coming off of a benzo. You just have to do it and see what happens. I like you want to be drug free as well. I am coming off of Lexapro right now and I feel depressed, sad, anxious...etc but I keep telling myself to ride out the storm and see if these symptoms disappear after a few weeks. If they remain, then I may have to try another SSRI. I truly wish I could be medicine free just as you wish. I wish these drugs were more black and white but unfortunately, everybody seems to react differently.

Anyway, I am glad that you are having more of the minor withdrawal symptoms that are to be expected when coming off a benzo (although they still suck). The brain's chemistry does has to recover, just like it needs to recover after taking an SSRI for a period of time. After my research, I just find that 6-18 months is not the norm but the exception.

I wish you the quickest possible recovery though.

-Adam

[xanweaner]

Hi Adam,

You had written...
{Also, Dr. Shipko is one of the most well known psychiatrists when it comes to
anxiety and panic disorder and his view on withdrawal from Xanax differs greatly from the doomsday scenario that you posted. Dr. Shipko actually founded the Panic Disorder Institute and has written a book, along with a ton of research  in regards to how anxiety and other parts of the body react with each other}

I referred to a Dr. John Steinberg, who wrote:

"John Steinberg confirmed that patients taking one Xanax tablet each day for several weeks can become addicted. Steinberg is medical director of the Chemical Dependency Program at the Greater Baltimore Medical Center and president of the Maryland Society of Addiction Medicine. He points to research that Xanax and other short-acting benzodiazepines can cause a reactive hyperactivity of the receptors that they block. The hyperactive receptors then require one or more doses of Xanax each day or they produce anxiety and emotional discomfort. Steinberg calls the impact of Xanax "a fundamental change in the homeostasis of the brain." After the patient stops taking the Xanax, according to Steinberg, it takes the brain six to eighteen months to recover. Xanax patients should be warned, he says, that it can take a long time to get over painful withdrawal symptoms. Since doctors frequently don't realize this, they, too, are likely to be confused and to continue the drug in the hope of "treating" the patient's drug-induced anxiety and tension."


Luckily, I did not experience extreme reactions, but do experience some of the withdrawal symptoms talked about. Either way, it's not fun and I post this so others can see that although the drug, xanax, may be eliminated from the blood stream, that does not mean that the withdrawal symptoms stop.  It's the brain chemistry that has to recover, and many times, our Dr.'s are confused and prescribe another drug to "treat" what is a drug-induced anxiety and tension.

I just want to wean off the xanax and not replace it with another pharmaceutical agent, if possible.

Thanks for your info...and I hope sharing the data helps others...

[Slappy3243]

I think that most of the symptoms that were described from the Xanax XR site are not the norm. The symptoms that you experienced such as sadness and the derealization are much more common. I do believe that an obscure minority of people will have the worse case scenario symptoms. However, the same applies when withdrawing from an SSRI. There are some people who get such bad withdrawal symptoms that they cannot come off of the medication. If I were you, I would focus more on the people that come off of the Xanax with mild to moderate symptoms like you since that is much more likely to occur.

Also, Dr. Shipko is one of the most well known psychiatrists when it comes to anxiety and panic disorder and his view on withdrawal from Xanax differs greatly from the doomsday scenario that you posted. Dr. Shipko actually founded the Panic Disorder Institute and has written a book, along with a ton of research  in regards to how anxiety and other parts of the body react with each other. His website is http://www.stuartshipko.com/. You can view the various research and publications he has been involved in. He is also on the expert panel of Doctors at power-surge (http://www.power-surge.com/asktheexperts/anxiety2.shtml). Dr. Shipko is very fond of benzos, especially Xanax, and knows how useful they can be when treating panic/anxiety disorders.

I also emailed my psychiatrist and he feels that I will not have much of a problem coming off the Xanax XR. He said most of his patients experience symptoms that are much less menacing than those when coming off of an SSRI or SNRI. I do expect to feel sad, shaky, tingle, derealization (I already have that anyway)...etc. I don't expect I will have seizures or hallucinate though. Also, Xanax addicts and abusers tend to take the drug in much higher doses than a doctor would normally prescribe which could lead to those bad withdrawals. That is just something else to consider. Thanks for the information.

-Adam

[xanweaner]

My weaning if moving forward - it's been very tough at times throughout this process - started on Oct. 1, 07. This last tapering was the toughest - I stayed at the same dose for about 39 days. I'm just about ready to go down again. I didn't taper down any faster than 14 days and only cut one of my doses of the short-acting xanax in 1/2. Right now, I take .25 so  i cut it 1/2 - only .125.
I know that the Dr's saw it should only last for a few weeks, but I've found other psychiatrists reference longer withdrawals for some patients.
Everyone is unique and I'm sure have different experiences.
To me, what was most compelling was tDr. Steinberg's statement of the impact of xanax on the brain. Since his specialty is addiction, I'm sure he has treated his share of xanax addicts.

Also, this info. below comes from the Xanax XR site:

Xanax withdrawal symptoms may include panic attack and a bereavement type of emotional instability. The nature of symptoms being internal makes the diagnosis and cure very difficult. Generally, patients find it hard to describe verbally what is occurring. More hopelessly, many of the descriptions resemble the emotional or psychiatric problem for which they originally started taking Xanax, and leaves in dilemma of taking that as withdrawal symptom. However, Xanax withdrawal symptoms can be easily detected with some of the more defining features.

The early stage of withdrawal symptoms is accompanied by a sense of anxiety and apprehension coupled with rising tremor feelings and slight bi-frontal headache. This stage rapidly progresses to feelings of panic-like anxiety with palpitations. The patient also starts feeling de-realization, along with marked startle response and increased sensory input.

One may start crying at a sudden or may start shivering out of fear without any external event. These frequent consequences make him feel weak emotionally like bereavement & often describe painful emotions. Because of feelings of amplified sensory inputs, one may experience bizarre misinterpretations ranging from feeling one's teeth rotating in their sockets to parts of their bodies falling off.

Further advancing withdrawal symptom include illusions and hallucinations initially with patterns and geometric shapes, and then into full-formed complex visual hallucinations. Sometimes, at this stage, patients may have delusions of bodily dysfunction. One may feel as if he is having a nervous breakdown, or going crazy in an attempt to understand what is going on. With further progression, disorientation to person get replace with full delirium, and eventually withdrawal ends up at major motor seizure activity. The last triad of symptoms including hallucination, delirium and seizure are classified as major Xanax withdrawal symptoms.

However, all cases are not associated with withdrawal symptoms but most are found to have withdrawal for at least several months. It has been documented that it may take six months to two years to resolve Xanax withdrawal symptoms.
__________________________________________________________________

Luckily, I did not get the horrible withdrawal symptoms, but did get the sadness, tearfulness, bereavement, tingling in my limbs, derealization, not wanting to face people...

One thing that stands out to me is that more than one source documents that the complete withdrawal can last up to 2 years, in some cases.
Thought I'd pass this along - you can let your Dr. know the sorces of the info. esp. the info. on the Xanax XR site.

[Slappy3243]

How slowly are you tapering off of the Xanax? I am just wondering since it seems to be going well for you. When the time comes for me to taper, I want to make it as easy on myself as possible. And yes, that is just the opinion of one doctor. May doctors disagree such as mine and feel that although there will be withdrawal effects without a doubt, they can be minimized and should only last for a few weeks after the taper is totally completed.

-Adam

[xanweaner]

Adam,
Thanks for that info. I'm just doing my weaning, bit by bit, slowly, so I don't get a return of my severe original problems of trembling and shaking. So far, so good.

That's great the you're working with your Dr.

Did you read some of the papers by psychiatrists about xanax as well as addiction Docs? Excerpts from Toxic Psychiatry by Peter Breggin, M.D. -

Chapter 11

Individuals who take only one pill daily for sleep or anxiety are not exempt from withdrawal problems. In my private practice during the last few years I have worked with several people who were unable to stop taking a once-a-day standard dose of Xanax, Ativan, Klonopin, or other minor tranquilizers. In each case, the attempt to stop the medication led to a disturbing degree of anxiety or insomnia within twenty-four hours. The problem seemed to be caused by rebound anxiety or rebound insomnia (see ahead). In a personal communication in late December 1990, internist John Steinberg confirmed that patients taking one Xanax tablet each day for several weeks can become addicted. Steinberg is medical director of the Chemical Dependency Program at the Greater Baltimore Medical Center and president of the Maryland Society of Addiction Medicine. He points to research that Xanax and other short-acting benzodiazepines can cause a reactive hyperactivity of the receptors that they block. The hyperactive receptors then require one or more doses of Xanax each day or they produce anxiety and emotional discomfort. Steinberg calls the impact of Xanax "a fundamental change in the homeostasis of the brain." After the patient stops taking the Xanax, according to Steinberg, it takes the brain six to eighteen months to recover. Xanax patients should be warned, he says, that it can take a long time to get over painful withdrawal symptoms. Since doctors frequently don't realize this, they, too, are likely to be confused and to continue the drug in the hope of "treating" the patient's drug-induced anxiety and tension

Obviously, this is one opinion, but it helps me in knowing that some of what I feel can be due to my xanax weaning and it helps me to push through it and get through another day so some day I can be xanax-free.

Thanks...