Alprazolam and Withdrawal: What Users Say (Page 2)

• Sim...
• August 13, 2017

For Tinnitus "I have moderately severe sensorineural hearing loss. Xanax alleviated my tinnitus a great deal for a couple of years. After that, I reached tolerance to Xanax, and it was no longer effective. What's more, unless I increased the dose, the tinnitus was louder than ever. Because of tolerance, I was having withdrawal symptoms between doses. Since tapering off and discontinuing Xanax, I have been out of my mind with anxiety and loud hissing tinnitus. These will subside as my brain recovers from the damage the drug has caused. Please educate yourselves about benzodiazepines. Don't rely on your doctor because most of them are recklessly uneducated about the dangers of benzos. 0.5 mg of Xanax is not a low dose; it is roughly equal to 10 mg of Valium."

• dus...
• June 25, 2018

Alprazolam for Anxiety "The negative reviews on here about this med are coming from people who take it every day. Folks, do not take this medicine every day. It's for occasional use only. It's like alcohol; having a drink once in a while here or there is fine, but getting drunk all day, every day is obviously not a good idea. Same thing with the Xanax. Taking it once in a while when required is fine, but using it every day will give you horrible withdrawals. I have the XR version that I literally take 'once in a blue moon' for emergency situations only. It works great. Basic rule of thumb: don't take it more than once per week, and if you have to, don't take it more than two days in a row."

• Blu...
• Taken for 10 years or more
• February 27, 2021

Alprazolam for Anxiety "I would urge anyone starting to take this medication not to use it every day unless you are under the care of an experienced board-certified psychiatrist. I have taken the same dose (2 mg/day) for over 25 years. Going longer than 12-24 hours without the medication means that I need to find the nearest ER. The withdrawal is supreme agony and can be extremely dangerous. Even properly withdrawing off this medication can take years and not weeks or months. Over 10 years ago, I was inappropriately tapered off the med and I lost my executive functioning."

• War...
• Taken for 5 to 10 years
• December 25, 2017

Alprazolam for Anxiety "I have an overreaction to stressful situations. A situation that the average person takes in stride might put me into panic mode. Xanax is the only thing I've found that calms me down effectively. Depending on the situation, it may take 0.25 mg - 1.0 mg to do the job. Because of its addictive nature, I don't take it every day, just in certain situations, maybe 3-4 times per year. I did have a situation recently where I took about 1.0 mg every day for about 1 month. When the situation resolved, I quit taking it and I had no withdrawal symptoms."

• Cal...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• October 3, 2017

Alprazolam for Anxiety "STAY AWAY FROM XANAX. Please! It will help you-in the moment. But literally hours later, the rebound anxiety and insomnia will hit you and make you regret taking it at all in the first place. And before you know it, you'll go from half a bar to multiple bars just to sleep at night. Oh, and the increased depersonalization and dark thoughts are not potential 'side effects'-they are some of the many very real, consistently DIRECT EFFECTS of taking Xanax. Benzos should be used as rarely and as short-term as possible. Even in these cases, the withdrawal is VERY real...it hurts just to live. Please, take my word for it. I'm going through it for the TENTH time right now. ADDICTIVE."

• Bec...
• September 29, 2016

Alprazolam for Panic Disorder "I was given Xanax for panic attacks. Worked great. Three years later, and I have a tolerance and feel withdrawal in between doses. I am miserable and worse than I started. Use caution! Wish I had known when I started them."

• Nas...
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• February 13, 2016

Alprazolam for Anxiety "Used for 6 weeks to treat muscle spasms and phobia. After asking my doctor to wean me off, we followed a regimen, and it was the worst withdrawal I have ever experienced in my whole life, even worse than things that I've taken in the past. I suffered temporal epileptic seizures for 3 days and was staring at the door for an hour before my girlfriend smacked me to wake me up. 6 days later, I suffered two consecutive grand mal seizures that broke my skull and nose. I had never had a history of seizures. Brain MRI and EEGs done last year came out clear and crystal, and this medicine lowered my threshold so much. 6 months after I stopped it, I am not the same, I am not the same anymore. Please be careful and think ten times before you decide to drop it."

• rox...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• July 10, 2017

Alprazolam for Anxiety "Xanax is a medication that must be taken seriously and with precaution. This is not a game. Taking it when you don't need to will only create addiction, and the withdrawal is worse than living with the actual anxiety. Please don't take this med unless you suffer from anxiety and you are having a panic attack. It works well in these situations, but my advice is to stay away from it and only take it in an emergency. I prefer lorazepam. When you take lorazepam, the withdrawal symptoms are more tolerable than Xanax. Xanax is awesome, but it can become Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde. You can die from this or get a DUI if you are caught in a driving accident. This is serious."

• rox...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• July 10, 2017

Alprazolam for Anxiety "Xanax is a medication that must be taken seriously and with precaution. This is not a game. Taking it when you don't need to will only create addiction, and the withdrawal is worse than living with the actual anxiety. Please don't take this med unless you suffer from anxiety and you are having a panic attack. It works well in these situations, but my advice is to stay away from it and only take it in an emergency. I prefer lorazepam. When you take lorazepam, the withdrawal symptoms are more tolerable than Xanax. Xanax is awesome, but it can become Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde. You can die from this or get a DUI if you are caught in a driving accident. This is serious."

• ben...
• Taken for 1 to 2 years
• September 18, 2015

Alprazolam for Anxiety "Xanax is amazing! In 20 minutes, it will completely take away all of your anxiety and/or problems, and everything will be okay. Life goes on! The only problem is that Xanax has such a short half-life, that in 6 hours it goes away, and your brain wants more. If you take it daily, watch out! That little pill can ruin your life. In prison, they will only give meds to people detoxing from alcohol or benzos. Because it can kill you! Short-term, stressful events like flying, giving a speech, or a panic attack will do you good. Try not taking your Xanax for a few days and see how you feel? Or run out of your prescription a few days early. Let me say, it's not fun. Please be responsible and try meditation or working out. Stay away from alcohol/stimulants."

• Anonymous
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• July 31, 2012

Alprazolam for Panic Disorder "I was suffering from nocturnal anxiety attacks for several months, but Xanax helps me get a good night's rest most of the time. 0.5 mg gets me to sleep, but 1 mg knocks me out for the whole night. I do not find that I wake up groggy or experience any other side effects, although I am wary about withdrawal symptoms. It's a great medicine overall though!"

• Jam...
• Taken for 10 years or more
• February 26, 2016

Alprazolam for Anxiety "I started out on Valium for about 20 years, 10 mg x 4 a day. Used for anxiety and sleep. It worked, it was a comfort to know most of the time I used 2 per day, so I always had extra. I think knowing I had extras helped almost as much. Then the doctor changed the prescription to alprazolam, 2 mg tablets, 4 times a day, some heavy difference. At first, it worked well. In the beginning, I felt it 30 minutes after I took it, and only needed 2 per day. Now I'm at 4 per day, that's 8 mg, and I don't feel it. I don't know about withdrawals, but I hear it's pretty hard to get off, and I've been on them for 30 years. Not sure what to expect, but I think I would feel more alert and energetic too."

• pul...
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• May 30, 2015

Alprazolam for Anxiety "Really does help with anxiety/panic attacks, but has nasty withdrawals. I was prescribed 0.5 mg 3x a day, and whenever I moved, my new doctor stopped prescribing me them, pretty much forcing me to quit cold turkey. Worst month of my life, and it only exacerbated my anxiety in the end."

• Mat...
• Taken for 10 years or more
• October 17, 2018

Alprazolam for Anxiety "I've been on this medication on and off for 30 years. Had terrible anxiety and agoraphobia. I take now 0.5 mg up to twice a day. It helped in the beginning, but now, even while taking it, I'm having withdrawal symptoms. It's horrible. I can't go to work, I can't go to a store, I can't sleep. Please don't take this awful drug."

• jus...
• August 30, 2015

For Depression "As a person who suffers from insomnia because I can't get my mind to leave me alone at night, Xanax (alprazolam) is most effective. I can take 1 mg at bedtime and experience the most restful sleep, waking the next morning calm, but alert and refreshed. I also experience anxiety, and it seems that 1 mg at night carries over to the next morning to help calm me. However, this drug is addictive, and if stopped without a doctor's supervision, a person may suffer from withdrawals, and it is possible that withdrawals could lead to seizures and/or stroke. STOPPING COLD TURKEY IS NOT ADVISED AND MAY LEAD TO DEATH. If you take Xanax regularly, DO NOT STOP TAKING IT WITHOUT CONSULTING A PHYSICIAN, regardless of where or how you get it."

• mih...
• Taken for 5 to 10 years
• February 2, 2018

Alprazolam for Anxiety "I have been using this drug on and off for 6 years, and it works fairly well even at low doses. Originally, I took it for anxiety, but now I take it for tinnitus. I think it can cause tinnitus. I take half of a 1 mg pill before bed. I can go without it for days, but do get some withdrawal symptoms. It still works after years of use."

• JCD...
• December 17, 2019

For Anxiety "Four years ago, my PCP put me on Xanax daily, then changed me over to Ativan 1 mg, 3 times a day. Then she took me off cold turkey, and within three weeks, I was so ill I thought it was the end. I did not know for four months that what I was going through was withdrawal. I went to a psych doctor, and he put me back on Xanax, and he eventually had me up to 3.5 to 4 mg a day. After a year, I stabilized. I had been having panic attacks and have PTSD as well. The Xanax started to make me have medical issues. I found a group online at Benzo Buddies, and for the last year, I have been tapering off this drug. I am now down to 1.5 mg. Each time I make a cut, I have withdrawal symptoms for a few days, and then I wait until I am better and make another cut. I will be so glad when I finally am off it for good. I have found other ways to deal with anxiety. I am a lot better since I have been tapering. Thank goodness I kept researching my symptoms and found Benzo Buddies. They have helped me so much."

• lg1...
• November 16, 2009

Alprazolam for Panic Disorder "I have been on Xanax for about ten years, and now it has had to come to a screeching halt. At first, 1 mg three times a day was great, I could work, go into social settings, and even to stores. It gradually got up to 2 mgs three times a day for about five years, then came the beginning of the end. I had begun using more and more of this wonder drug, and I ran out, horrible withdrawal symptoms beginning with night sweats, not sleeping, confusion, and finally seizures, not to mention the mental twists and games my mind played on me. Now I am on Klonopin, and it's taken the edge off today. I don't get the wonder drug feeling, and I'm not having seizures, we will see. Careful with the use of this medicine."

• Ano...
• December 27, 2017

Alprazolam for Panic Disorder "I can’t find fault with Xanax for control of panic attacks. It’s the best there is. However, I took it for a long period of time, over a year, and found that I needed an ever-increasing dose, probably due to tolerance. The withdrawals were ungodly wicked! I was put on low-dose Klonopin, which warded off the worst withdrawals. I went from 6 mg of Xanax to 0.5 mg of Klonopin and managed to stabilize there within a day. I’d not suggest Xanax to anyone with an ongoing problem with panic. Valium or Klonopin are far safer, in my experience."

• Anonymous
• November 15, 2010

Alprazolam for Anxiety "I've tried many other non-addictive medications, and none of them helped my anxiety the way Xanax does. After several other medications (and hesitation on my part), my doctor finally prescribed me Xanax 1 mg 2-3 times daily, depending on my level of anxiety that day. I ended up breaking most of the pills in half and only taking 0.5 mg, usually 3x a day, and find it relieves my anxiety without the level of sleepiness a whole mg gives me. I usually only take a whole pill if I feel a panic attack coming on. But I'll take the mild drowsiness any day over the level of constant anxiety I had prior to starting the drug, and a couple of cups of coffee usually does me good. I can definitely tell when a dose starts to wear off though, some withdrawal."

• Joe...
• Taken for 10 years or more
• December 10, 2024

For Panic Disorder "Started having panic attacks when I retired. Was given alprazolam, which works well. Was on it for 10 years. My new doctor was incompetent and wrote my script for 15 days instead of a month as usual. I ran out of medication. Was unable to contact the doctor after numerous attempts. So I was left without it for a week, an end of pure hell. Withdrawal was horrible. But I got off it and changed doctors. It is a great medication, but be careful. Only use as much as needed. I was on 0.5mg when I stopped."

• The...
• Taken for 1 to 2 years
• October 16, 2016

For Anxiety "This medicine undoubtedly will calm you down and help keep either chronic or acute anxiety at bay. Over time a tolerance builds; however, after several years, I have switched to 1mg tablets as needed from 2mg daily, and I still feel the relief. I, ironically, take Xanax to deal with the anxiety of caring for a close friend who is in addiction recovery from abuse of Xanax. This person never thought it could and would happen to them; they were wealthy and responsible. Anyone can fall victim to addiction, through no fault of their own. The pain, withdrawal, abusing it to get 'high.' Just reminding everyone it can happen, to be safe, and that doctors are very hesitant to prescribe. When taken correctly and as indicated, the relief is unparalleled."

• Adc...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• October 27, 2022

For Anxiety "What a terrible drug. Stay far, far away from it. Took it for 2 weeks only, and when I tried to stop, I got the worst anxiety of my life. Could not sleep for 5 days, went through extreme withdrawal. Have to wean off slowly. Can't imagine how others who have taken this poison for a longer period of time will ever get off it."

• CHa...
• Taken for 10 years or more
• August 3, 2021

Alprazolam for Panic Disorder "First time I took a dose of Xanax, I was like 'OMG, this is how normal people feel!' because I'd had panic attacks and night terrors for two decades before that. I've taken 0.5 mg 2x a day for 30 years. No increase needed. No calling the doctor for early refills, no 'losing' my prescription, no other behavior of addiction. My body is dependent on it, but when I've tried to taper or quit, I've ended up in the ER with severe panic attacks and withdrawals. I've tried numerous times because doctors tell me it's for short-term only and that I'll become addicted and that I should wean off. My shrink is reducing his time working (or actually ditching me, personally, tbh), and I'm so scared. No one else wants to prescribe it. I guess I will go back to how I was before and never again feel how normal people feel. They treat me like I'm a criminal when I tell them how long I've taken it, and look at me as if they don't believe I've taken a low dose for so long. I feel undeserving of care."

• Anonymous
• August 10, 2021

Alprazolam for Anxiety "Dr. has had me on Xanax for years for anxiety, 0.5 mg. I wanted off, and I just stopped. Little did I know I would have severe withdrawal. I suffered and went to the ER. I beg to get me off. They told my doctor that he wants me to take them as they help me. I want off. I am scared of them. Can he taper me off without any more withdrawals? I am scared. I never knew this would cause what happened. They worked for anxiety, but I had no clue I'd have severe withdrawal if I stopped. That was a pure nightmare. Be informed you can't just get off of them!!! You will go through horrifying withdrawals. Please talk to your doctor if you want off. And how tapering down will work, but you may still have withdrawal. I am just sick of how I suffered."