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What taper should I use? I took Xanax 15 years ago. Was on 3mg a day for years. I finally managed to taper off using diazapam. I got Covid about 3 weeks ago and had extreme worry and fear about it. I just got over it. Stupidly I had some emergency xanax I always kept around for panic attacks. I started taking about a .5 tablet every day that I had covid and up to now, about 3 weeks I've been taking it. I thought I could just quit no more or longer than I had been taking it. Yesterday it through me into a horrible all day long major panic attack. I need some support and understanding.
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Well, on the good side, you only reinstated for 3 weeks!! That’s good!! I bet if you taper, or even jump after such a short time you will feel much better before you know it-really, I believe that! Courage, patience. Don’t ponder on ‘What if…’ but’What is.’ You can do this 🙏
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Hi Hope,

 

Welcome to BB.

 

The general rule is that the shorter the acting (the shorter the 'half-life') the benzodiazepine, and the less frequently you you take it, the lower your chance of developing dependency. For a long-acting benzodiazepine, such as Valium/diazepam, one dose every day is certainly frequently enough to risk developing dependency. For a really short-active x-drug (a very similar class of medicine to benzodiazepines) such as zolpidem and zaleplon (half-live about 2 hours), taken once a day, even for very extended periods, is unlikely to result in (physical) dependency.

 

https://www.benzo.org.uk/manual/bzcha02.htm

 

A variety of withdrawal schedules from several benzodiazepines are illustrated on the following pages. Schedules such as these have worked on real people, but you may need to adapt them for your own needs. Reference to Table 1, Chapter I, which shows the equivalent strengths of different benzodiazepines, should enable you to work out your own programme and to devise an appropriate schedule for benzodiazepines such as prazepam (Centrax) and quazepam (Doral) and others which are not illustrated.

 

In my experience, the only exception to the general rule of slow reduction is triazolam (Halcion). This benzodiazepine is eliminated so quickly (half-life 2 hours) that you are practically withdrawn each day, after a dose the night before. For this reason, triazolam can be stopped abruptly without substitution of a long-acting benzodiazepine. If withdrawal symptoms occur, you could take a short course of diazepam starting at about 10mg, decreasing the dosage as shown on Schedule 2. The same approach applies to the non-benzodiazepines zolpidem and zaleplon which both have half-lives of 2 hours.

 

The reason I tell you all this is because Xanax has a pretty short half-life (6-12 hours). If you take Xanax every other day, for three weeks, is this enough to develop physical dependency? There is no way for me to know for sure, but I would hazard a guess that it is unlikely (but possible). You are certainly at higher risk of developing dependency from Xanax taken every other day than you are from taking zolpidem and zaleplon every 24 hours. After 48 hours, there will remain (approximately) 1/16 and 1/4 of the dose of Xanax in your system; and something like 1/4000 of your dose of zolpidem and zaleplon after 24 hours. Whereas, with Valium, the chances are that more than half of the dose with remain active in your system, even after two days.

 

So, given your 2-day schedule for Xanax, and your relatively short term use, what's your chance of developing a significant physical dependency in this time frame? It could be that your dependency is more psychological in nature? And/or, there physical dependency is relatively weak?

 

In the circumstances, your instincts to withdraw sooner rather later make sense to me. So long as your doctor agrees that it is safe for you to do, just stopping might the best option rather risk deepening your dependency by dragging this out. You (and your doctor) will know what's best for you. But, as I said, your approach so far makes total sense to me.

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So you think just quit right now and put up with the clammy, disoriented, detached, no concentation symtoms for a few days might be the way to go?
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So you think just quit right now and put up with the clammy, disoriented, detached, no concentation symtoms for a few days might be the way to go?

Should I try this, just going cold turkey.

 

I can't tell you what to do. But what you wrote about quitting 'cold turkey' - given your dosing history - made sense to me. The longer you continue taking them, the greater the likelihood of developing (or worsening) your dependency. If your dependency is low (or non-existent), getting off sooner rather than later is usually best option. But, BUT, I cannot know how you are feeling, nor the depth of your dependency. The decision can only be yours (in consultation with your doctor). What did your doctor advise you?

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See him tomorrow, not sure he understands anxiety problems.

 

Be sure to him about your fears of developing dependency. You should probably tell him that you have already experienced problems when for a few days(?)

 

Good night. And good luck for tomorrow.

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If you've decided to taper rather than simply stop taking the Xanax and if you were successful using it for your last taper then that's certainly an option.  Would your doctor be willing to prescribe it? 
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Should I switch to valium to taper off xanax?

Switching takes time. Tapers take time. If, after short-term use, your main concern is that you will develop or deepen your dependency, getting off sooner rather than later would seem imperative. Again, I stress, you should discuss this with your doctor.

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