[gqblu]

David...how are you doing? John

quote:Originally posted by dlw422

Hi all. New here. I have been on xanax for about 7 years now. I take 1mg. 4 times a day. I have read the horror stories of this drug, and i am scared to death.

I suffer from severe panic attacks, social phobia, and anxiety. My Dr. has just stopped giving me xanax, and gave me zoloft..which i tried before, but didn't help. I have been on 1st, 2nd, and 3rd generation anti-deppresants. The side effects are so scary, that i don't want to talk about them.

I have enough xanax to last a couple of months. They do help to some degree with the panic and anxiety. At least they will let me go outside on my porch. My driving is limited to about 2 miles from home. I can't go into wal mart or a store.

How will i come off this med? I already scared thinking about it. I can't take no more on my body and mind. Do i check myself in a hospital? Do i just kill myself?

These post really scare me about coming off xanax. I have seen other Dr's, but they won't touch any benzo's. I am just screwed.

I would rather be dead than go through withdraws... like i said "it's hard enough now with the meds.

Please...anybody help. dlw422@yahoo.com

Regards
David...

[jmullen]

Please be careful with this drug. I am a tacher who three years ago was hospotalized for and eating/ running disorder. I had never been on any drugs up to this point (35 years old) when I was in the hospital for 6 weeks I was put on 900 mg neurotin, 50 mg serquel, 300 mg of welbutron and .1 mg of xanax. After 2 years I wanted OFF all this junk. I felt like an addited junky and could bearly teach my classes with out getting the shakes if I did not have my 1mg of xanax at lunch. I went to my regular doctor and asked for help. First he weined me off the high dosage of neurotin which was a long and hard ordeal. Then the xanax. It took 3 months and I have been clean for aobut 2. However, I do take one now and then when needed for TMJ pain. When I say as needed I try not to take it more then once a week. I have found that I need a beer everynight to wind down and help my jaw to relax. My continued running every day 4-6 miles helps a lot with the stress also. BUT, please be careful. Some of these doctors are no worse then drug pushers and just because the drugs are prescribed does not make them any less additive. I still take 300 mg of welbuton and 50 mg of serquel to help me sleep at night. But, I am not near the drug addited person I was 6 months ago. good luck. Please e mail me if I can help anyone in any way.

Jennifer

[Ralexa]

I am clean for 6 months from xanax. It is not easy at all. but it is worth it. I had a fever,shakes, a seizure,just about every negative reaction you can think of. But I did it. If our doctor will work with you,great. I had to stay in an institution for a month. I didn't want to risk a seizure again. I barely got off the interstate. The doctors mixed up the lexapro with the xanax with me also. It's like russian roulette. In the last 6 months I have stopped xanax,smoking,caffeine. It does get better. If it's only been a month you might can taper yourself. Tell the doctor to let you try Buspar, Good luck.

[Ralexa]

Originally Posted by gqblu

David...how are you doing? John

David, please get help.

[Ralexa]

Originally Posted by seamellow

I remember the feeling I couldn't breathe, and symptoms of a heart attack, when I was having a panic attack. If you put Xanax/valium etc. under your tongue, it will get into your system quicker, and it doesn't take as much to get relief.

I am off xanax and I have suffered from panic attacks for years. I don't have near the momentum of severity in panic attacks now as I did with xanax. I was the panic queen! I even took a plane trip in April and without xanax. It was a good trip. I don't want anymore xanax.

[SilverLining]

Hi all,

I just wanted to post because when my wife was contemplating getting off Xanax, she came across several forums like this one full of horror stories and of course was completely freaked out and demoralised from attempting to quit this drug. She had been taking 1mg once a day to help her sleep for at least 6 months or so and was convinced that she'd never be able to get off.

She went to the doctor and was prescribed some Temazepam to help her ease off. The doctor also helped her figure out a schedule of how she'd reduce her dosage over a number of weeks. She also started doing Yoga every day for about 1/2 hour a day, and watching what she ate and when. She also started a new type of therapy called ACT, which has turned out to be very helpful and worth a try if you've been doing CBT and finding it doesn't work for you.

Armed with this plan, we proceeded to cut down her dose. I won't pretend it was easy, there was a week or so where neither of us got more than a couple of hours sleep a night, with lots of tears and angst. And the Temazepam turned out not really to work for her, so she didn't take that at all. But after that week the worst of it was over, she got to sleeping 4-5 hours a night, and after 2-3 weeks 6-7 hours a night, and she had completely stopped Xanax.

It is now about 2 months later and she rarely has difficulty sleeping at all, perhaps 1 night a month, and usually due to obvious reasons like staying out late and drinking too much etc. She also has hardly any problems with the anxiety that she was originally prescribed the Xanax for at all. Of course, anxiety disorders are complex things and it may rear its head again if life gets tough again in future. But next time I think we'll deal with it with lifestyle changes and therapy rather than drugs.

I just wanted to offer this story as hope to anyone out there that is facing the prospect we were a few months ago and feeling demoralised. I'm sure that some people do have big difficulties getting off this drug and dealing with their anxiety problems. But remember that most of the people who DON'T have big problems with it probably won't go on the internet and vent their frustrations, so the story you get when you go searching online is likely to be biased.

Anyway, good luck whoever you are. Don't lose hope. Take action. It will probably be easier than you think.

Tom

[rexcirex]

this is not a reply, in this browser some how I can post a "quick reply" anyway...


Im now through withdrawal (almost cold turkey), and is hard but I know Im gonna make it. I was first at 4mg daily, in a couple of weeks up to 6mg, and then, prescription can not exceed 6 mg so I have to take them from the streets and I was on 8mg daily!!
When all are off, prescription an the street, I was a week withdrawal to zero, a week of hell, Cold Turkey but I survived, if I did it means others can make it, but this is what Im doing. I told the doctor what happened and he told me I was lucky nothing happens to me, I told him to get me prescription this time no 6mg, just at 4mg (cuz I wanted get out of this)... Then I get back on and Xanax again but in less quantities, and now aware the dangerous of addiction, so with God by my side, I decided take this drug out of my body...Xanax works for only 4 hours, so I forced myself to only take 1 mg twice a day (if a panic attack occurs, I use the 2mg in emergency)
In one month (when I was 8mg) Im just in 2mg and before the 2mg I survived a week with zero. Im now with some little withdrawals (some times shake my legs). The are days that I use just 1.5 mg a day, this doesnt mean that Im out but Im just almost there (I wasn on 8mg). Ambien (and is not addictive, at least on me) seems to taper very goood at night!

What I suggest in my experience (Im not a doctor just in case, is my experience) ask your doctor to give you ambien, it helps at night to sleep cause one of the worst enemies of the withdrawal cold turkey is insomnia. Believe me, 10 mg of ambien, watching a movie at bed you will sleep very well, relax and will taper the withdrawal at night. Try to use xanax when you need it only and in lower dose (please not every four hours)

My main goal is going to zero, I think I can make it to zero next month, lets see what happens. All in JesusChrist!!

[Ralexa]

well that face was how I felt. I took all I could because I always thought the problem was that I didn't have enough. I didn'y know if I would live to get off. But I did. I had to go to an institution for about 20 days. It was a couple of months before I slept. Right now I am ready! I encourage you to stop. EN-COURAGE. no,you can't sweat it out in the bathtub(I tried). But I will never go back to that life,ever.

[Robert_325]

there is a website ... www.benzoisland.org that I suggest you check out if trying to stop benzos. This detox can cause seizures and even death if done the wrong way. The website previously mentioned is for stopping benzos ONLY. They use what is called the Ashton method. It works and is a painless method of tapering off benzos. I really recommend checking it out before jumping off into a cold turkey detox from benzos. You won't regret it I promise.

[ksgirl2008]

Another alternative for tapering off Xanax is known as Water Titration. It was developed for those who are unable to get their doctors to prescribe Valium or simply did not want to use Dr. Ashton’s crossover method. This method involves mixing one’s daily Xanax dose with a fixed amount of water. By gradually eliminating the amount of water, one can slowly reduce the daily amount of Xanax. Further information about Water Titration including PowerPoint demonstrations can be found at http://www.benzosupport.org/water_titration.htm An Excel spreadsheet has also been developed which can be downloaded and customized for individualized schedules/doses at http://www.benzosupport.org/Get%20schedule.htm

Another support network is the Yahoo Benzo group at http://health.groups.yahoo.com/group/benzo where one can receive support from the group’s moderators and members alike. The collective knowledge of the group is derived from years of aiding people who sought and obtained freedom from Xanax and other benzos.

[NikiDeaf]

Hi, I've been using Xanax for a few years now and I never would have started it if I'd known I would become addicted to it. I did have a legitimate reason for starting the med; I had anxiety so severe that I had trouble getting to sleep at night because I'd lie awake staring at the ceiling, worrying about things I can't control, like my own death, the deaths of loved ones, etc. Finally my doctor prescribed me Xanax and it did help. But I've been through a lot of severely stressful life situations that made my use of Xanax increase and now it's at the point where I take about 4 mgs of Xanax per day (2 mgs in the morning and 2 mgs in the evening.) I recently tried to quit "cold turkey," but that had disasterous effects. I really thought I was going to die. I had the sensation of ants crawling on the inside of my skin, I was highly irritable and unable to make decisions for myself, and I had trouble sleeping, eating, and even my vision was blurry. I finally saw my doctor yesterday and she not only gave me a prescription but also administered a dose right there in her office. I was so relieved to feel normal again! But also ashamed that I could not get by without the medication. I plan to try to taper off, under a doctor's supervision, until I am off this med for good. It helped initially but the price in the end is too steep to pay.

I think I will probably always keep a supply of it on hand in case of a severe panic attack (those are scary, I always think I'm about to die from a heart attack and I can't breathe because of hyperventilating) but I need to get off this. It's ruining my life. But cold turkey is NOT THE WAY TO GO. My doctor said that I was probably fine missing a couple days worth of the meds, but if it had gone on longer I could have had severe complications, including seizures and death. I was so shocked. Then I found this post online. It explained a lot!

Still on meds but hoping to get off them soon...in the APPROPRIATE way!!!
Niki

[Robert_325]

The best way to detox from xanax is still the Ashton Method. It's safe, painless, and it's been proven over and again to be successful. Let us know if you want some help pursuing this method. Benzo detox is very tough and even dangerous if done the wrong way.

[leigh61]

Sorry to freak you but your in deep right now and you must get off as soon as the mind has it right.Xanax and Klonopin are worse then any drug that I've ever taken in my life and I've done them all. Because it affects the nervous system and that is why they are so in demand, these MD's give them out like water,they work but only to be used once in a while and that is doubtful. I went into the Hospital for 21 days and5 months of pure hell and last month I had to go back on them sad to say, but everyone's body is different and yours may respond different? You can not do this on your own you need people that know what they are doing and do not go into a "nut ward" to detox go to a place that specializes in this type of withdrawal. you will have tough nights and days but it will pass. but the longer you stay on them the tougher it is. My heart and prayers go out to you,but the bottom line is that you must get off them, I'm 61 and my body can't take the punishment any longer but you can. Eat right and think right and get very spiritual. Signed your on-line friend

[Jade11]

I want to share my situation with you with hopes that it might help someone.

I have been on xanax for 10 months for insomnia. I am a business owner and I started finding that I couldn't "shut off" my brain at night. I would get an hour of sleep a night and would have to conduct business with runny eyes, joint aches, brain fog and and chills. I found zolpidem to be marginally effective for 3 to 5 hours but found it to be horribly inconsistent.

My doctor first prescribed me .25 mg of generic Alprazolam. I graduated very quickly and by the 7th month I was up to 4 mg a night. I would take it about 30 mins before laying down and would sleep like a baby. My doctor argued that the alprazolam didn't allow for REM sleep and then I was cheating myself. I tried the lunestas and other sleep medicines to no avail.

I resorted to telling my doctor that I was getting panic attacks so he would write the script each month although I have never had a panic attack...or at least I don't think so. I took xanax every night for those 10 months only at night and never for recreation.

By last month, I was looking to discontinue my xanax habit just because 4 mg is a lot and I don't know where this end up. How much is enough? Would I soon be up to 8 mg? so I started not taking it every night and started taking ambien in its place. By the 48 hour mark, I was fidgety, shaky and started snapping at people.

During my last doctor's visit, I was prescribed Klonopin in it's place. My doctor wanted me to try it. After 2 weeks, I was taking 1 mg of klonopin during the day. Since it has a slow onset, I needed to take it earlier in the day.

After about 5 days, I dropped down to .5 mg of Klonopin. I stayed on that for the next 5 days. On the last day I took it, I had 2 pills left over (.5 mg each) and was planning on taking them. I decided to wait until my body "asked" for the drug. Miraculously, it never did.

I am a 29 year old, 223 pound male who was taking generic alprazolam for 10 months. I did have a few withdrawal symptoms, but none were severe. I tried to cut out all caffeine from my diet and started taking my blood pressure medicine (Atenolol) at night. After 3 nights, I work up with mild trembling in my eyelids, right thigh, right hand and buttocks area. I was concious for it and thought it could be the start of a seizure. Instead of panicing, I told myself to relax and go back to bed...and I did. It's now been a month and I have no immediate plans of going back on the drug.

I know some people probably aren't in the same boat but I hope this information can help someone. You can message me at any time if you have any questions. Good luck!

Michael

[davidleigh85]

Hi all,

Here's a quick post to share my experience with Xanax.

I started off taking 0.25mg once a day which was prescribed to me by a doctor. For those that have taken Xanax for anxiety, you will understand me when I say for the first time I felt normal. That quickly changed and after a couple of weeks I went back to see the doctor to increase my dosage. He wouldn't and told me I had to see a psychologist.

Off to the psychologist I went. The psychologist prescribed me 0.50mg a day and it didn't take long until I double this. 1mg per day was the max I was taking. The whole duration was about 4 months. During this time the psychologist did say that he wanted to take me off Xanax saying (in short) that it is the best but yet the worst drug for anxiety. He didn't really explain why. He tried me on Avanza for about a month which didn't help my anxiety but did wonders for my sleep. Seriously I've never slept so good in my life - it was great. But it didn't do wonders for my belly - the drug made me eat seriously nonstop. I love food at the best of times but this made me have a never ending appetite. Anyways, I stopped taking Avanza as it wasn't helping my anxiety. I've been on holidays for the past 4 weeks (back to work on Monday so the last time I saw him I told him this would be a good time to stop, just in case I experienced withdrawal symptoms. Which I knew I would, because even after 2 hours of forgetting to take my Xanax, I would experience these sharp pains behind my eyes and I would become a nervous wreck.
He did NOT explain to me that Xanax was a drug that should not be stopped cold turkey. He did however explain that I should gradually reduce my dosage. He wrote out a diary plan as a guide for me to stop by reducing my dosage. I'm guessing by him explaining this to me, he must of thought that I understood not to stop cold turkey. I told him that I wanted to try and come off within a week, as there was only 2 weeks before I went back to work. He kind of smiled and said that I was optimistic to think that I could come off within a week. I didn't tell him that my plan was to halve my dosage one day and stop completely soon after. So yes, there was a bit of miscommunication there. After halving my dosage, I experienced what I expected plus a little more: sharp pains behind my eyes, increased anxiety, jitteriness, etc. The next day I continued with my half dosage and did for a couple of days. Then I stopped completely. That day I experienced everything as I did when I halved my dosage plus more: hot/cold flushes and my senses were shot: vision was blurred and light sensitive, metallic taste in mouth, and loud noises sent jolts through my body. I thought this would only last the day. I was wrong. The next day when I woke up I felt the same. This was when I started doing some research and read the horror stories about stopping cold turkey. I have to admit, what I experienced was nothing compared to what I’ve read. This is probably because of my low dosage and the short time I was taking it. But 1mg a day for 4 months is still a lot. That equates to 20mg of Valium a day. Anyways, as each day progressed I felt better than the day before, but it was SLOW progress. I wasn't able to go to the shops for about 3 days. And when I did, I felt like I was going to pass out because the anxiety was so bad. I thought my anxiety was bad, but I've never experienced anything like this. I found it hard to talk to people because it was hard to get words out slow enough for people to understand. I'm now on my 8th day off and today is the first day I've felt somewhat back to normal. I still feel a little jittery and a little nervous. It's a little hard to type this actually, because of the jitteriness. I have 3 days now until I'm back to work and I'm EXTREMELY grateful that I feel good enough to go back because I've read a lot of stories on here about these symptoms lasting 8 months or more. I count myself extremely lucky that I haven't gone through that. Don't get me wrong, the last 8 days has been HELL. But all I can say is, be strong and get through it. It's better to be strong and get through it than stay on Xanax. Yes it does wonders for anxiety, but really, at the same time it is your worst nightmare coming off it. Which you will have to do at some stage because your body becomes immune to its affects.

I've talked a lot to the psychologist about facing my fears. He believes this is the only way to help anxiety. He's explained there are many ways of doing it: slowly being introduced face to face with your fears or being thrown in the deep end. So, to help myself, I'm attending a public speaking course at the end of the month which goes for 4 weeks (1 day per week). Public speaking isn't my only fear - I experience anxiety and panic attacks when I'm in social situations, mainly when I'm in the spotlight, and when I experience confrontation (usually disagreements). I truly believe this is going to help me, not cure me, but help me enough to lead a somewhat normal life. A life without drugs which is what I think is best for me and most people.

Anyways, what was meant to be a short post turned into a novel. Sorry about that. But I hope my story has helped someone out there.

In short:
- I don't think Xanax or any medication for that matter is the answer for anxiety. I'm sure it is for some cases, where someone experiences extreme PTSD or something like that... but in most cases, I’m sure it isn’t needed
- Don't stop taking Xanax cold turkey. You will read all over the place that you can have seizures and even die. I'm lucky that I didn't experience heart palpitations. The road has been hard, but I've stuck in there. Mainly because I've had the time to do it, being on holidays
- HANG IN THERE. There is light at the end of the long tunnel. The journey coming off Xanax will be hard, but you will eventually get through it. Listen to your psychologist/doctor and taper off it. Slower the better. Don't halve your dosage: decrease it by 10% at a time, each 2 weeks. I read that somewhere and it sounds like a great taper plan. It might sound like a long time if you do it this way, but what is the hurry anyway?

Again, sorry for my long post, but I hope I've helped someone out there.

I would love to hear your experiences, too.

Regards,
David.

[tser31]

Originally Posted by sfc420

Hey guys, hopefully this will be one of my last posts -

I've been getting prescribed Xanax for the last month or so for "anxiety attacks" and "Anxiety" that were really just "Temper tantrums" and "Things about life" that i need to learn to accept. He's been prescribing me up to 4 mgs a day, but of course I've been abusing it. Now here i am, with no xanax feeling SUPER shaky and almost feverish. I know this is only the beginning and since I've proved to myself I have no self control what so ever, this ish has to stop. So now I am asking anyone who has quit xanax some advice? I know i have another doctors appt, and now he thinks my depression is gone (im taking lexapro for depression), so now its time for him to ween me off. how do I deal with it between now and then? any advice, not harassment, would be a major help.. Thanks guys
Kyle

hey kyle, i just got off of xanax myself and it has been a challange all i can say is you got to keep your head up.for me the doctor visits where draining my pocket book. and it seemed like i was becoming dependent on the xanax and not getting to the root of the problem. so right now we can both be shaky and feverish we are not alone. i would not recommend anyone to get on this unless there is no other solution.

[tser31]

Originally Posted by davidleigh85

Hi all,

Here's a quick post to share my experience with Xanax.

I started off taking 0.25mg once a day which was prescribed to me by a doctor. For those that have taken Xanax for anxiety, you will understand me when I say for the first time I felt normal. That quickly changed and after a couple of weeks I went back to see the doctor to increase my dosage. He wouldn't and told me I had to see a psychologist.

Off to the psychologist I went. The psychologist prescribed me 0.50mg a day and it didn't take long until I double this. 1mg per day was the max I was taking. The whole duration was about 4 months. During this time the psychologist did say that he wanted to take me off Xanax saying (in short) that it is the best but yet the worst drug for anxiety. He didn't really explain why. He tried me on Avanza for about a month which didn't help my anxiety but did wonders for my sleep. Seriously I've never slept so good in my life - it was great. But it didn't do wonders for my belly - the drug made me eat seriously nonstop. I love food at the best of times but this made me have a never ending appetite. Anyways, I stopped taking Avanza as it wasn't helping my anxiety. I've been on holidays for the past 4 weeks (back to work on Monday so the last time I saw him I told him this would be a good time to stop, just in case I experienced withdrawal symptoms. Which I knew I would, because even after 2 hours of forgetting to take my Xanax, I would experience these sharp pains behind my eyes and I would become a nervous wreck.
He did NOT explain to me that Xanax was a drug that should not be stopped cold turkey. He did however explain that I should gradually reduce my dosage. He wrote out a diary plan as a guide for me to stop by reducing my dosage. I'm guessing by him explaining this to me, he must of thought that I understood not to stop cold turkey. I told him that I wanted to try and come off within a week, as there was only 2 weeks before I went back to work. He kind of smiled and said that I was optimistic to think that I could come off within a week. I didn't tell him that my plan was to halve my dosage one day and stop completely soon after. So yes, there was a bit of miscommunication there. After halving my dosage, I experienced what I expected plus a little more: sharp pains behind my eyes, increased anxiety, jitteriness, etc. The next day I continued with my half dosage and did for a couple of days. Then I stopped completely. That day I experienced everything as I did when I halved my dosage plus more: hot/cold flushes and my senses were shot: vision was blurred and light sensitive, metallic taste in mouth, and loud noises sent jolts through my body. I thought this would only last the day. I was wrong. The next day when I woke up I felt the same. This was when I started doing some research and read the horror stories about stopping cold turkey. I have to admit, what I experienced was nothing compared to what I’ve read. This is probably because of my low dosage and the short time I was taking it. But 1mg a day for 4 months is still a lot. That equates to 20mg of Valium a day. Anyways, as each day progressed I felt better than the day before, but it was SLOW progress. I wasn't able to go to the shops for about 3 days. And when I did, I felt like I was going to pass out because the anxiety was so bad. I thought my anxiety was bad, but I've never experienced anything like this. I found it hard to talk to people because it was hard to get words out slow enough for people to understand. I'm now on my 8th day off and today is the first day I've felt somewhat back to normal. I still feel a little jittery and a little nervous. It's a little hard to type this actually, because of the jitteriness. I have 3 days now until I'm back to work and I'm EXTREMELY grateful that I feel good enough to go back because I've read a lot of stories on here about these symptoms lasting 8 months or more. I count myself extremely lucky that I haven't gone through that. Don't get me wrong, the last 8 days has been HELL. But all I can say is, be strong and get through it. It's better to be strong and get through it than stay on Xanax. Yes it does wonders for anxiety, but really, at the same time it is your worst nightmare coming off it. Which you will have to do at some stage because your body becomes immune to its affects.

I've talked a lot to the psychologist about facing my fears. He believes this is the only way to help anxiety. He's explained there are many ways of doing it: slowly being introduced face to face with your fears or being thrown in the deep end. So, to help myself, I'm attending a public speaking course at the end of the month which goes for 4 weeks (1 day per week). Public speaking isn't my only fear - I experience anxiety and panic attacks when I'm in social situations, mainly when I'm in the spotlight, and when I experience confrontation (usually disagreements). I truly believe this is going to help me, not cure me, but help me enough to lead a somewhat normal life. A life without drugs which is what I think is best for me and most people.

Anyways, what was meant to be a short post turned into a novel. Sorry about that. But I hope my story has helped someone out there.

In short:
- I don't think Xanax or any medication for that matter is the answer for anxiety. I'm sure it is for some cases, where someone experiences extreme PTSD or something like that... but in most cases, I’m sure it isn’t needed
- Don't stop taking Xanax cold turkey. You will read all over the place that you can have seizures and even die. I'm lucky that I didn't experience heart palpitations. The road has been hard, but I've stuck in there. Mainly because I've had the time to do it, being on holidays
- HANG IN THERE. There is light at the end of the long tunnel. The journey coming off Xanax will be hard, but you will eventually get through it. Listen to your psychologist/doctor and taper off it. Slower the better. Don't halve your dosage: decrease it by 10% at a time, each 2 weeks. I read that somewhere and it sounds like a great taper plan. It might sound like a long time if you do it this way, but what is the hurry anyway?

Again, sorry for my long post, but I hope I've helped someone out there.

I would love to hear your experiences, too.

Regards,
David.

Iam glad your doctor gave you a plan on how to get off when i became broke and told my doctor that i was concerned that with no xanax and getting off cold turkey i feared the withdrawls she acted as if though it was no big deal. but yet my dose was small but was long term a liitle over a year now.

[tser31]

Originally Posted by sfc420

Day three and I have developed sinusitis, im not sure if its related to the fact that I have no xanax, or that I just got sick - but now ive had a fever for 48 hours straight, along with stomach pains, a permanent migraine, and im taking augmentin, despite the fact that it makes my stomach pains worse. With the fever my whole entire body hurts - I HAVE SHARP PAINS..... i know you guys are reading this, HAS ANYONE quit taking xanax and experienced this kind of stuff? This is the worst couple of days I've ever had and I really feel like I need the xanax too feel better - please help me out!

you are not alone my mg was the lowest but was on it for over a year this is day 4 of being off cold turkey and let me tell you all i can say is iam not happy that people are giving this stuff and not educated with the effects after you get off. it makes you feel better till your body adjust then you mg gets increased and so on then the doc says time to get you off. I would rather deal with the anxiety then the withdrawls from this stuff. you will continue to experience withdrawl symptoms hang in there it will end. this to shall pass... T.

[blindman]

hey guys

i cldnt help but put my 2mg in an tell you guys an experience that i had from quiting xanax cold turkey and would never recomend it to anyone!! I started taking them recreationally wen ever they would come around never would look or search for them and at first 4 mgs and i wld be ridiculously intoxicated. Then a freind got a large amount of bars for free about 300 he had got from his grandmothers med cabinet wen she passed away that she had obviously stock piled it could of been more we counted em probly 4 days in just to see how many were left and it was in the high 200s like 280 290 and we had been takin them pretty heavily so i really dont know exact original amount all i know it was a ridiculous amount so between 4 freinds that lived together we demolished the bottle probly a week ,week and a half maybe 2 i dont remember those days too well. But i really liked how they calmed me down i have severe aadhd and i could think straight on them if i wasnt completly anhilated wich i loved. But that turned to me not going going a day without needing them i didnt have much physical side affects mostly emotional i cldnt describe how angry i would get that was a bad side affect from xanax mood swings like you wouldnt believe and i wouldnt be mad at anyone would just be angry that i could not get pills. didnt necisarilly show it wen sober lookin for pills and not being able to get them i would just feel like i wanted to explode inside. The whole cycle went on for about a year and i have i guess youd say an addictive personallity or an overindulgent personallity because i cld never get enough xanax and it didnt help not being able to remember wen the last time i took some or if i just did but i didnt really care id just take more one thing i loved about xanax was i cld eat as many as i want and never once threw up or got nausea's at all. but i was getting to the point were i cld get someones script of 60 1mgs and put down 2 thirds of it in one long night.and that went on for months then it got to were i could pretty much do a script of 90 in a nite. The xanax put me in a state of mind that i was invincible nothing could hurt me lol and if i did die the state of mind i was in didnt care i had tried to commit suicide multiple times with the pills never worked never went to the hospital for any of those no one every really knew about it besides freinds and theyd b were ever i was the second i said anything about doin that to make sure im not dyin i had a huge tollerance already an they knew it i could never get enough pills todo it i only had axcess at the time to blue 1mgs 90 at a time and i cld take that just usually not in 2 mouth fulls. but i went on doing outrageous amounts for months then came the bars found an old ladys all im gna say who did not do me wrong at all but got to the point were i was takin 70 bars easy a day and got into this habit of stayin up 2 days at a time sme times 3 pretty much destroying my body didnt help i was drinkin atleast 1 bottle of boones farm wine or juice is what i call it if not 2 did that for i dont know how long but got to the point threw out a 36 hour period i cld eat 100 bars an b mostlly cohearent fallin asleep sometimes standing up at stop lights really not good places to be fallin asleep. Then i started gettin in trouble got pulled over got caught with bout 6 ozs of some bud and completly trashed. some how got away with tellin im i just smoked hadnt all day. got hit with court fines and then almost exactly a week later wataya knw get rolld again only mayb 5 grams of bud that time and 12 xanie bars they got me wen i was pullin in my drive way. I opend my door because i didnt see them till i opend my door and saw a purple dodge intrepid with red and blue lights only on the rearview the cop rips me outta the car by the collar of my shirt throws me up against the car finds the weed the xanies hes flippn out tryin to figure out wat im on wen he just pulled xanax out of my pocket and im tellin him im just stoned. i was very stoned but i had been goin on my 3rd day next mornin would of technically been 3rd day no real sleep lil 30 min hour naps where every i pasd out. but the stupid cop gives me 6 breathalizer they used the one from every cop car infront of my house blew a zero everytime so the cop is still actin crazy then he tells me ok well if ur not gonna tell us we will find out. then he asks wat the pills r i said xanax putem on the trunk of the car and then put me in a car took me to this dui check point they had set up for the night it was sme holiday weekend with the sheriff motorhome thing there and i get in there they make me blow in to this huge breathalizer thing that still said zero then said their gonna take my blood and if i dont give consent they wld have a warrant in 15 min so i gave in not thinkin its 2 in the morning what judge is up now to sign the warrant but they pull out the biggest needle i have ever seen it was so wide and had a big ass glass vile that had a buncha white powder in it and i was talkin what is that cocaine or meth so you can put drugs in my system. lol. they didnt like that and the decided to stick me some where i didnt even have a vein and then did get the vein. then im sittin there hadcuffed with my hands in front waitn for an suv to come get me and i relize i got a pill bottle in my pocket and its the 12 xanies SCORE!! the bottle had no label on it and smelt like weed. and the only think i cld think is the cop tht i said zantac or who knows i cld of took em off the trunk i dont know how i got them but i had em i discretly open it and start eatin succesfully ate all of them then whole buncha kids showed up got caught underage drinkin and they took us all to the jail. so after my second time bein in the jail i told my self i was done i did it once mre wen i gta outa jail and then quit cold turkey just large amounts of bud i didnt have really any with drawls for honestly i think it was 5 days i of course wanted them but i didnt want to get in any trouble more and then my leg was twitching uncontrollably almost all day then i cldnt sleep the whole night then the next morning out of no where abt 7 or 8 am i start gettin cramps threw my whole body from my face to to my toes my arm and stomach were spasaming so bad it looked like the was somethin in side me it was the craziest thing ive ever experienced everything was cramping what the feeling of ur foot goin to sleep was slowly goin from my head to my toes and the spasms in my face stopped happening wen the numb tingling feeling passd to my neck and chest but i cldnt walk or even hold my own weight so my parents called the paramedics wich i did not want for some reason tht i was gonna be in trouble or somethin and i was semi halucinating sayin things that did not make sense like i was lifting weights all night and my muscles were spasaming cuz i over worked em. but yet there wasnt a weight bench anywere on my parents property so i finally agree to go in the ambulance they ask my if im doin drugs or withdrawing my dumass didnt tell them for probly 5 10 min then i finally tell them what im taking and how much and they didnt believe me of course so at the hospital i start hallucinating more thinking close freinds of mine are ther and they were no were near there still muscles cramping up then they decide to give me iv ativan 2mg they didnt believe me how much i was taking so even iv i did not feel it at all my heart rate was still 170 beats a min and then they gave me 10mg and ill tell ya i felt it and i was back to normal complete conciousness for bout 10 mins wantd to go home and everything was high felt good and then i dont remember anything after that but from my family telling me i really started hallucinating and having crazy crazy mood swings thinking people were there and wen they said they werent i woould tell them their lying and flip out then they gave me more drugs. i really think that what made me go over the edge crazy was all the drugs they were giving me but they were sayin they cldnt give me enough because i guess psycosis or goin nuts crazy is a side affect of withdrawls from xanax especially the amounts i was taking. but i guess i was goin nuts for 2 days litterally breaking out of straight jackets breaking the restraints they were tying me down with puching people actin crazy so they said the only option to hopefully make me come out of it cuz they cldnt give me enough drugs to do it or it wasnt workin i duno but they had to put me in a coma and there was a big chance i was gonna die just from the drug they were gonna give me to put me in it or i mite come back as a vegetable and i was suppose to be down 3 to 4 days my parents had to sign papers sayin they give consent to give a drug that potentially kill me or handicap me for ever like not be able to think for my self. so they give me the drugs tell my parents to say goodbye just incase. and then 24 hours later i wake up out of a supposid 3 or 4 day coma after just a night and a full day. lol scared the nurse when she walked in pretty funny didnt expect you to be up for a cpl days is what she said. everybody was amazed but thats how close i came to dyin from xanax. and the moral of the story if any body actually takes time to read it dont take xanax unless u absolutly need it because it is the best med for fast acting anxiety relief. And never never try and quit cold turkey if you have been taking large quantities or even normal doses for a long period of time because eventually ur brain litterally needs it to work rite sorry for blabin guys just detoxin from oxy is no fun and thats the stage im at rite now. but my advice to anyone tryin to quit stay strong

[Bre33]

Whatever you do, slower is better. If there's no need for you to go cold turkey, don't. It's very dangerous and you could have seizures, really. A lot of people who read that don't probably think it can or would happen to them, but it does so please heed to that warning.
Water titration, while good for some, can be worse for others because of the obsessing over the dose in the H2O. It may be best for you to simply switch to a shorter acting Benzo, like Klonapin, and eventually you can get to the .25mg (very small dose), sublingual (instant release), and then cut those in half to .125mg and you'd be almost there. I know it's hard but you can do it, just make sure to exercise, drink plenty of fluids and be kind to yourself during this time. I wish you the best of luck...

[Ftballqrtbck05]

i have taken 5 2MG bars for bast 5 days.. and just stopped today, willl i experience any kinda withdrawl symptoms at all? oh and im also on suboxone.. will that help at lal or what??

[ARTIST658]

Originally Posted by Ftballqrtbck05

i have taken 5 2MG bars for bast 5 days.. and just stopped today, willl i experience any kinda withdrawl symptoms at all? oh and im also on suboxone.. will that help at lal or what??

Xanax is one of the drugs that are specifically named to NOT take with suboxone. Using them together can be dangerous.

Suboxone does NOT help with withdrawal from xanax. Suboxone is a narcotic and works only to block other opiates. It does not block the effects of xanax.

Hard to say if you'll feel any withdrawal symptoms, as you weren't taking it for long. Of greater importance is asking yourself why you'd take xanax, when you are detoxing off opiates with suboxone? It doesn't sound like you're fully committed to stopping drug use.

God bless,
Ruth

[Limbo Larry]

I was looking for some info and came across this thread. It's four years old, but I figure I should post here. I was prescribed .5mg at twice per day as needed. This was three weeks ago. for the first two and a half weeks I only took .5mg once a day in the evening. The last three days I took 1mg in the evening (two pills). I am under a high amount of stress due to a divorce, custody battle, selling a house, etc and my therapist said to take it when needed. I pretty much took it every day like I stated above.

some of my external issues have been resolved, so I was thinking maybe I should stop taking it. I also didn't like the side effects of it. Made me have no motivation in the gym and the last week I was acting very unusual for myself when it comes to my girlfriend. We were out drinking (I didn't take one that night) and I made a terrible error in judgement that was so out of the ordinary for me. I completely flew off the handle. I felt like a different person, a person I didn't like. We did drink a lot that night, but that usually is not the cause of issues between us. I also made another judgement error a couple of days before

So, I did a lot of research about coming off of it and it seemed scary. I'm sure my dosage isn't enough to create much in the way of withdrawal symptoms, but I figured I would throw it out there.

So, about 15 days of .5 mg and about three days of 1 mg, with three days of no pills in the last three weeks. I would assume I should be fine with that limited exposure, right?

thanks

I didn't take it tonight and I kind of feel a bit tingly for lack of a better word. I'm interested to see how I feel tomorrow

[Mcpetey]

Originally Posted by ryddle

that guy who talked about a 40 percent mortality rate is full of himself.. don't listen to people who make up figures like that it is absolutely obsurd. the fact of the matter is that 75% of the withdrawal is mental.. yes there is a slight.. and i mean slight risk of having a seizure which could lead to a coma or death.. but we are talking less than 1% here.. ive been on 4mg of xanax for 6 years and quit after a 3 week weening process.. yea its hard as hell.. i have migranes.. i feel like im going crazy, im having nightmares and trouble sleeping, i sweat and have a lot of anxiety, i have the jitters really bad.. but these are all normal things.. people can try to scare you out of trying to quit xanax by saying things like that.. and it just is not true what he said.. not in the least bit. now im not saying its easy, i know first hand how damn hard this little pill is to quit, but i want control of my life back and that's that. every single day i encourage myself with the thought of soon i will be in total control of my life without this pill.. and it drives me to keep going.. if your a few days in then DONT GIVE UP!!! keep reaching for your goal. i know how hard it is but im right there with you. its hour by hour for me. and don't take another pill to help you quit a pill.. thats like an alcoholic saying "well im just going to switch brands of beer to help me quit" thats nuts and will not work. will power your way through this and dont give into the fear. if you can beat this then you can do ANYTHING in life... i mean that. take your control back. goodluck and feel free to email me with any questions.

Ryddle,

your response so far has been the most helpful. And I agree with your comment on the mortality rate that guy pulled out of his ????. I've been on benzos for over two years now, albeit a low dose (.5 - 1 mg tops). I took it strictly for sleeping, since I suffered from severe insomnia. Only thing that worked, actually. At best, I've become dependent on it. I'm back to staying up all night feeling extremely anxious, but I think this is different from the causes for which I took it to begin with. I think this time it's the xanax causing the anxiety. I'm down to a quarter mg per night and am wondering at this point if I shouldn't just quit all together. How much worse can it be? I have heart palpitations, feel extremely nervous, mind races all night, feel tired but can't doze off, have panicky sensations, and irritable to the point of slugging my headboard for not sleeping. I think this is just from reducing the amount in half over the past month or two. Anyway, your message was inspiring and helpful. Any advice would be greatly appreciated. At this point I have NO faith in the doctors prescribing this stuff to get advice. I want to talk with people who KNOW what it does and how to get off, and what to truly expect.

[so thankful]

It has been over 80 days since I got off of 8 millligrams a day of xanax my docotr prescribed for 15 years and I still feel nervous. I did loose alot of weight but have since gained it all back. If you can eat anything try pudding, jello, coldfruit, and icecream. I started seeing a psych. right off the bat, and did alot of web research as well. I thought the first two weeks were the worse but it was actually was the first two months. I went thrugh everything from thinking I had bronchitis from coughing so hard to crying my eyes out. I was given various seizure medications to get away from this little pill. My advice is if you really want away from it ask for help, it can be dangerous to go alone, also talk about your fears, trust me all of us benzo survivors have walked your shoes and its not easy, also make sure your ready to make this dangerous attempt, because you have a long haul ahead. If you feel like your teeth are gonna come outa your head, dont worry its a very bad withdraw from xanax.

[8legs12eyes]

Hello, everyone. I do not intend to stay at Drugs.com for very long, as I only have a few inquiries regarding the subject of alprazolam, AKA xanax, and withdrawal.

Yes, I am a user - actually, a former abuser. Now I use to feel "normal" and to keep "the fuzzies" at bay. Weaning wouldn't be such a hassle if it weren't for the fact that I work every single freaking day. Yes --> 365 --> contracted. "Self-employed"ish. Nope. No medical insurance. The source of my scripts are from a very thoroughly corrupt doctor[hmm not his patient, either]. Meth was involved. I could always take or leave it[left it far behind - I'm a downer kind of guy]. Xanax is what I would eat to come down. Admittedly, I did have anxieties back then. I'm pretty sure that all the experiences from meeting the doctor onward have added tremendous perspective - enough to calm any anxieties I could have, naturally. With my own brain juices. It can be done. You can do it, too.

Anyways, the use was sporadic then daily. My monthly ct is at 90MG. A strange thing is that I am only battling it out with 2MGs a day, now. Before, I would consume to 10MG - 4MG, without a second thought. Om nom nom. There could have been more usage inbetween snacking, as my memory would be rather volatile. I would like to shave more of this off, but my heart... When I'm at work[distribution, it involves] "it" hits me. I get shaky in my limbs and "jerky." Jerky can be defined as jerky movement - a fleeting flail of an extremity or quick jolt my whole body. Those are brief and far between one another. My chest, however, will constantly feel as if it wants to explode. My heart makes itself known. You're not supposed to be aware of that thing. It's scary. So... I quickly down half a bar to return to "normalcy." "Normal" is subjective and can be described from 100 billion different angles, so I hate to throw it around in sentences like this. Anyway, I eventually take the other half sometime in the day. 2MG. That's a feat considering what was once my "rollercoastin' threshold."

Let's take a trip backward in my recent history(within one year). I was unemployed for quite a tick --> 7 months. The feeling of no importance can really place one in the doldrums. Being on xanax can even further your non-existent will.. into non-existence-ism. I wanted to die. My mind subconsciously told me this as I drank a fair amount of red wine with two buddies of mine. One friend remained sober - the other was tipping those glasses back with me. An idea of mine goaded an action that - I do not regret - but do not necessarily look back fondly on. I took a knife used for cutting like - steaks with and applied it to my wrist. What can be likened to "a knife cutting into a tomato" was heard in the other room by Mr.NoBloodAlcoholContent. You could hear the *drip* *drip* of my crimson fluids on the concrete floors. I really bloodied that place up. This action told me that I was trying to punish myself for being a worthless piece of Scheisse. Stitched up, released from the hospital --> "What? Released? Being obviously prone to psychotic suicidal tendencies?" Yup. 12 stitches to my laceration, and they pretty much patted my butt gently and out of there. This was in November.

In December of 2009, my condition did not veer towards the better. I downed 60MG of xanax along with 2oz of GHB(Gamma-Hydroxybutyric acid). The suicide letter on the floor was a great indication that I was -indeed- trying to off myself, the clever so-and-sos. After ICU, I was put into a psyche ward. No, these places aren't pleasant in the LEAST. After puking up to the point of bloodiness in ICU and being victor to a migraine I could only relay the pain through verbal form as "death in my brain." "It feels like death is in my brain," is what I told the nurse. They wheeled me over to the loony bin as I upchucked into a bucket. Those people are so thoughtful. My paranoia had already kicked in. Because I was sent back to ICU, I suspected that the tech lady that fed me was tampering with my files and trying to keep me there to molest me. She may or may not have asked to help wash my ????. If she did, I sort of snapped back coldly and stern that I was fully capable (!). Eventually, there was someone hiding in the ceiling with a laptop, tapping into the "main controls" of the hospital. Sue, I think her name was - the tech/nurse - she was all of a sudden a part of a well organized plan to bomb the building. Because of the self-destructive. Earlier on in life, her son was taken by a drunken suicidal so-and-so, so she held this unyielding grudge against all who attempt upon the act. So, she wanted to be like Kevorkian to the 3rd power and -=bam=- -=boom=- take out us "leftovers." Eh, aside from that, I projected my vision into another room and watched my own take on "The Manson Family" which was actually a home-made film of Manson's depicting their murders. I shut my eyes and listened and was flooded by a bunch of imagery. "What are you doing?" a nurse questioned. "Oh, just watching the movie that Sue is in the other room. I can just hear it and come up with my own take in here." Who talks like that? It all seemed so casual then.

Once in the psyche ward, my paranoia PEEKED. Oh, did it ever peek. In retrospect, it was NOT just a product of my environment... but of withdrawal. I convinced myself that I had undergone some awry cabin fever and the insanity from the other head-sickly had rubbed off onto me. Naaaah. I was on NO medication because the only thing offered was SSRIs. Those sort of antis diminish my appetite and cause me to lose sleep or not sleep at all. The only stuff I'd take were vitamins. I looked at the sheets they gave me after departure - it was vitamins.
-Two mutants from the children of "X" had breached the booby hatches perimeters to find me and destroy me. A Scottish guy with a head of a bulldog and British woman who had control over pheromones.
-Aliens were slithering into each of the rooms and assimilating the bodies of those who slept and restructuring the DNA in the guise of their own. I could hear the snail-like dragging of their bodies. Door open. Door slam. Resistance. Dread settled in. Dread was a common feeling throughout my whole stay.
-Demonic Latin thugs with machetes had come for me, also. They knew which room I stayed in and were commencing. I made up some memory of my cousin being involved with a bisexual hoodie who worshiped Lucifer. He was doing harm to her so I intervened and he then tagged a symbol on my vehicle which meant I was marked for death.
-I was communicating with my roommate through telepathy and in our dreams. We projected ourselves into another dimension of the past - a parallel universe where his wife was still alive. It was through TV static that we contacted her. I held an invisible remote in my hand as I texted out replies.
-Someone had smeared a racial slur on the wall of one particular corridor. I was blamed. Everyone in the city was outside rioting because it hit the media. I was wanted dead and the world wanted to do me in. My chest... I remember feeling the blood pressure rising in true life during this. Very uncomfortable.
-Giant spiders in the basement
-I pleaded with my mother not to get me from the place because we would surely die. Someone was out there waiting to shoot at us, I told her.

You get the gist of it all. This was withdrawal wasn't it? I notice that someone else had gone through the whole hallucination phase. I had xanax waiting at home, so I never let it finish its course, unfortunately.

For the first time in my life, I'm truly self-sufficient and I'm putting myself out there in front of my family(shame is gone). I have 4 sisters and 14 nieces and nephews. I'm trying to be a role model and help out whereas I never had before. You probably gathered that I am very dedicated when it comes to work. That, I am. I'm saving for tuition, lasik, and have been working out a lot. I'm feeling good. There's only one monkey on my back that I need to rid of. Yup - the xanax. Because I am so prosperous and have found treasures in my life outside from getting fekt up... I'm scared. Scared of failure - failing my family and friends. I aspire to work with forensics or a branch of zoology - linguistics, culinary arts(proud vegetarian). There's so much good going on in my life at this very moment. I do not want it to be for naught. I don't want to be one to succumb to heart failure or a grand mal seizure. I know I will never, ever be the same - and that's a positive idea in my mind, because I know there is no backtracking.

The doctor has given me a script with two refills(refill on the 24th). He says that Rxs are now going electronically and that our "correspondence" could be detected and honed in on through my record with him. Is this true? I do not ask so that I can continue to abuse the stuff - I just want to know that IN CASE I cannot taper off within the amount of pills I will have here henceforth.

Do these "symptoms" sound about right? Was the temporary insanity due to something else maybe? The feeling I get in my chest takes me back to those moments I am not proud of. Also, my mood swings are waaaay off the charts sometimes. I had a butcher knife to my neck last night. No no no. That's not how I am supposed to be. I don't know what I expect in response form from you readers, but just any sort of feedback would be appreciated.

I do believe it is about time for sleep until the cycle begins again.

[ARTIST658]

Your situation (and post) is more serious and complex than most, which is probably why you haven't had responses here. Regardless, I'll offer up my 2 cents worth, and see if it helps.

First off, for more information on xanax, here is a link to a site that would be very helpful to you: http://www.benzo.org.uk/index.htm Dr. Ashton is a highly reputed authority on the subject of benzodiazepenes.

This addiction clearly has the potential of destroying every aspect of your life - as your past suicidal tendencies have demonstrated already. Overcoming this addiction will not be easy or quick; it will take time, effort and a lot of determination. DO NOT attempt to tackle it alone. Given the history of hallucinations and paranoia, it's too risky.

I work in the field of substance abuse, at a long-term treatment center. Generally, we are equipped to handle detoxifying most of our clients. However, given your history with benzos, we would have to refer you for medical intervention for detoxifying. Detoxing off benzos can be fatal. There is a significant liklihood of seizures. I strongly suggest you look into finding either a medical facility or psychiatrist who is well-versed in benzodiazepene addiction to help you through the gradual detox off this drug. Even if another (incompetent) doctor gave you the pills, what you need help with now is detoxifying safely - WITH a competent professional.

I pray you get the proper help you need with this.

God bless,
Ruth

[Robert_325]

Ruth is right about benzo detiox being tough. I've gone through multiple seizures, even had a stroke. I've worked with some benzo addicts right here and got them through it but the only way I would be willing to do it is if you get some medication from a dr such as depakote to prevent the seizures. I refuse to hurt anyone.

If a dr will give you the right meds we can give you the support you need. But go to someone who is well-versed in benzo addiction first and plan on doing a slow taper. I also recommend from experience doing it with a long acting benzo such as valium or even klonopin vs xanax as xanax only has a half life of about 4-6 hours where valium can be 50 or more hours. With the short half life you go into w/d every few hours hence the w/d symptoms hitting so qucikly and regularly.

If you can't go into a facility for whatever reason I would help you but again, only after you obtain the necessary medication to help you properly. I couldn't live with myself if I told you to do something that caused you harm. I do know how to do this though with the appropiate meds. God bless.

[Xanaxlover]

I love Xanax. It is the best drug in the world. However some doctor's are scared to death of this drug.

I was prescribed two 0.5 mgs of Xanax a day for 3 years. My doctor retired and new doc would not give me Xanax. Forced me to withdraw down to one .25 mgs per day.

The first week, I thought I would die. I had massive shakes anxiety sweating no sleep headache. No one can help you. I bought pharmagaba hoping it would help. It did, a bit. I hate my new doctor, no one will listen to me nor do they care. They think I'm being crazy but it's just cuz I am suffering so badly. I'm in day nine and now taking half of the .25 but I'm still suffering very much.

I don't want to quit. I loved Xanax. It changed my life. Now I have to go back to the pit of darkness all because doctors won't use this wonderful drug.

[Robert_325]

Originally Posted by Xanaxlover

I love Xanax. It is the best drug in the world. However some doctor's are scared to death of this drug.

I was prescribed two 0.5 mgs of Xanax a day for 3 years. My doctor retired and new doc would not give me Xanax. Forced me to withdraw down to one .25 mgs per day.

The first week, I thought I would die. I had massive shakes anxiety sweating no sleep headache. No one can help you. I bought pharmagaba hoping it would help. It did, a bit. I hate my new doctor, no one will listen to me nor do they care. They think I'm being a crazy ********** but it's just cuz I am suffering so badly. I'm in day nine and now taking half of the .25 but I'm still suffering very much.

I don't want to quit. I loved Xanax. It changed my life. Now I have to go back to the pit of darkness all because doctors won't use this wonderful drug.

Xanaxlover ...... I won't get into whether I love xanax or not as that is totally irrelevant in this situation, but I can offer some advice for your taper down the dr is forcing on you. My advice comes from LOTS of experience, I am not a dr and don't pretend to be one. But not all drs know much about tapering off benzos either. Xanax, of all benzos, has the shortest half life which is why it's normally prescribed three doses a day and is the benzo most often used for panic attacks due to its short half life. It has a half life of about 4-10 hours depending on the individual. So when you start tapering fast you are basically going into w/d every 4-6 hours. It acts fast and wears off fast!

I would suggest a longer acting benzo such as klonopin or valium that have the longest half lives of all the benzos. Valium has a half life of 50 hours or more and klonopin is the closest thing to it. Either would help your w/d a lot doing a rapid taper. Either would help you a lot considering you've used xanax for years. Dropping the dose too quickly can be physically dangerous for you. The dr should know that already! That's a tough taper using xanax and not switching to a different benzo like I suggest.

I also suggest that you get the new dr to give you at least a moderate dose of Depakote to take three times a day as well. It's an anti-seizure medication and ESPECIALLY if he doesn't go along with my suggestion for you to be using klonopin instead of the xanax to taper with as you could be at risk for a seizure. I promise you that I know what I'm talking about. I used xanax for over 30 years and I had several seizures. It happens all the time to people doing this, it isn't just something that happens once in a very small amount of the time. It's a significant danger that merits concern immediately.

Not all drs know what they are doing when it comes to tapering off benzos. It's probably the toughest detox I ever did. It made opiate detox seem like a child's game! Trust me, you need to be your own advocate and look out for yourself doing this or no one else will. Just a couple suggestions that I KNOW ARE CORRECT!!!! Keep us posted how it goes during this process. [B] You may want to start your own thread so we can keep us with you more easily. It's easy to get lost in a big thread like this one with so many people on it.

]Hope that helps. God bless.