Only thought I was done!!

[Soonerdean]

I'm a pretty tough guy but these withdrawal symptoms from Xanax is starting to take thier toll on me.  I do fight anxiety on a daily basis and for a little over 3 weeks I took 1mg of Xanax XR about 2 hours before bed.  About 2 weeks into this I noticed I was beginning to fight some depression and the intensity increased over the next several days.  I called the doc and she said not to worry and suggested I increase my Xanax to 2mgs.  Something just did not feel right about that.

Being "stoopid" and not really understanding how benzos really works I decided I felt better before the xanax so 12 days ago I quit cold turkey.  The first few days  weren't so bad...day 4 through 7 I thought I was going to die.  Day 8 seemed tollerable.  Day 9 had ups & downs.  Day 10 seemed as things were beginning to level off and the WD's felt as they were decreasing.  Yesterday (day 11) I felt pretty good all day and when I went to bed last night I thought the worst is behind me.

When I got out of bed this morning I could not have felt worse and this anxiety feels out of control.  My heart feels like it's going to pound out of my chest, I'm dizzy, can't focus, abdominal pain/cramps and have some tingly sensations in both hands and feet.  I've read several articles that say during detox there are good & bad days with the good days starting to increase around week 2.  Hopefully this is what is happening to me because yesterday I actually felt pretty good.

One thing that absolutely blows my mind is I was only taking 1mg a night for a little over 3 weeks and now I'm experiencing "hell on earth" today.  I cant believe that my mind/body was altered that quickly in that short amount of time with that small dose of xanax.  Oh well...guess I've learned a lesson.  

[RubyWitch]

Actually, 1mg of Xanax a day is not considered a hefty dose, but Xanax is a very potent benzo which is very short lived. It is out of your system in approximately four hours. Your doctor should have divided that 1mg dose into at least three to "cover" you for the day.
We all react differently to medication and it surprises me that your withdrawal is so protracted. BUT.............the one biggest no-no with any of the psycotropic meds is that you NEVER, EVER go off them cold turkey!
Tapering off Xanax needs to be done very slowly, even a dose of 1mg. I will assume if you had told your doctor what you were doing, she would have stopped you. And perhaps she had her reasons for telling you to up your dose and entire mg. That's a big jump with Xanax.
If you still trust your doctor, I would recommend you have a good long chat with her about the Xanax. It is normally prescribed for very short term daily use.........<4 months is the recommended time frame. And tapering off is a given. You say you fight anxiety on a daily basis. While Xanax is an excellent PRN (AS NEEDED) drug, for long term relief from anxiety you need a drug that is made to be used long term. Something like Klonopin. One thing you must understand about any of the benzos. All they are doing is masking the symptoms of your underlying anxiety. They will not cure what is ailing you. Therapy is needed to discover what the root cause of your anxiety is and help you deal with THOSE issues...... because it's those issues which are manifesting themselves as anxiety. Meds are a good adjunct to help you during therapy.  
Lots to think about.
I wish you the best.
Peace
Greenlydia