Author Topic: Need serious help with Xanax taper  (Read 3586 times)

[Buddie]

Re: Need serious help with Xanax taper
« Reply #20 on: December 14, 2022, 07:17:01 am »
I really do want my husband to come in with me and have him step in if I need him to, he knows that, but hes very impatient and already despises this doctor for all the pain he has caused me as well as the stress that we both feel at home and trying to get through all my bouncing mood swings. So I would really be making things worse by bringing him in with me. It would probably end up in disaster, which I am trying to avoid at all costs right now.
I have written all my valid points on paper that I stapled to the  CCBDG document.I figure if the doctor takes a minute to read it, he may get my points, hopefully.
I've gone over it all and am just praying he listens this time. Remember, all my other appointments were over the phone since I hadn't gotten my last Covid booster or flu shot yet so phone appointments were all I could muster. I now understand that an in office visit may produce more positive results.
I'm so bloody nervous right now and I'm not sure I will sleep much tonight. Thinking of all hes said to me these last few months is kind of giving me a lot of yammering in my head. "" what if he says that again, or what if he refuses to listen...again"??I just want to shut it all off. SO hard to do.
First thing I'm doing is handing him that paper. I'll wait and see if he bothers to read it. If he sets it aside, I'm going to ask him to please take a minute to read that document, since we will have 1/2 hr to go over it together. Fingers are crossed and so are my toes. Wish me luck , say a prayer or 2, whatever..I need all the mental and spiritual support I can get.

It sounds like you have a very good plan together, and there’s not much more you can do than that. 30 minutes is a good amount of time for him to at least go through the document and points with you. Mostly I’m limited by 10 min appointments, but so far I’ve been allowed to just drift along at my own steady pace. Best of luck, moojoo, I’m visualising a positive outcome for you!
Suggestions, opinions and/or advice provided by the author of this post should not be regarded as medical advice; nor should it substitute for professional medical care. Consult your doctor before making any changes to your medication. Please read our Community Policy Documents board for further information.

[Buddie]

Re: Need serious help with Xanax taper
« Reply #21 on: December 15, 2022, 06:01:39 pm »
Sorry for my late update of my appointment.   i was going over everything and writing it all down, then giving myself a much needed rest yesterday.

So the appointment went ok. Not as good as i was hoping, but im hoping its not going to end up as a complete waste of time neither. I handed him the document with all my points written out,  but he said he'd file it on my records, and said this appointment  wasnt for that. Right off the bat I'm thinking the worst.  I told him that what is in that document WAS the main reason for my visit, and he listened but i felt like he wasn't hearing me,  at least not entirely. He just left them there,sitting on his desk next to me,  NOTE:....he didnt even look at them during this whole half hour conversation. So it left me explaining it all to him. AND i was scrambling for all the right words i had gone over and over in my head the night and days before that appointment.
The doctor essentially understood the main points of the withdrawals and whats happening in my system. Although he does seem to want to help, he also seems  unwilling to accept my self led tapering. He sounded hesitant at any possibility that I may need extra time in months or possibly a year, to successfully get off the X completely. Hes mentioned the psychiatrist guiding my tapering,  but this may not even get to that, as any psychiatrist in my area, only has 10 to 15 minutes tops, to speak with,  plus it’s at least a 4 month wait to even see one . Hes also still assuming there will be no problems getting me off the benzos by spring. Its somewhat frustrating and kind of scary, not knowing how I end up in the ensuing months ahead. Whether I get down to 5 even by January 2023, is questionable because of the length of time ive been on them, and the amount I was taking. Plus the withdrawal symptoms are the other road block. He also mentioned something about worrying he may not be there for my entire tapering period, which im thinking he might leave the clinic and move on to some other one.  If hes talking about it now,  then what does he mean??
 He also said no other doctor there would even give me the script,  so im getting worried that this is why hes so  adamant on getting me off these dam things by spring. He started this whole thing, and now its as if he wants to end it quickly. This has me concerned so I will be raising that question to him on my next in office visit, in a few weeks maybe sooner.
 He did say if I have problems getting down to 5 by January 2023, he would change the script for another or rather extend it one month only. Think this is still his  “mission”, to rapid taper and im not accepting that. Finding another  doctor now, after all this, is going to make all my effort's and half assed success to date , with my tapering, a waste of time if I end up having to go cold turkey all of a sudden , knowing full well it will end badly for me at my age. Im just hoping he does in fact go over those docs and reads my notes , as he said he would , when he has time. I dont have time to waste on any stall tactics  or ignoring extremely valid points.  I hope he gets my drift and doent push me backwards,  as im not willing to go that route at all.

Still in this frustrating hamster wheel. ** heavy sighs** :brickwall:
Suggestions, opinions and/or advice provided by the author of this post should not be regarded as medical advice; nor should it substitute for professional medical care. Consult your doctor before making any changes to your medication. Please read our Community Policy Documents board for further information.

[Buddie]

Re: Need serious help with Xanax taper
« Reply #22 on: December 15, 2022, 11:03:42 pm »
Sorry for my late update of my appointment.   i was going over everything and writing it all down, then giving myself a much needed rest yesterday.

So the appointment went ok. Not as good as i was hoping, but im hoping its not going to end up as a complete waste of time neither. I handed him the document with all my points written out,  but he said he'd file it on my records, and said this appointment  wasnt for that. Right off the bat I'm thinking the worst.  I told him that what is in that document WAS the main reason for my visit, and he listened but i felt like he wasn't hearing me,  at least not entirely. He just left them there,sitting on his desk next to me,  NOTE:....he didnt even look at them during this whole half hour conversation. So it left me explaining it all to him. AND i was scrambling for all the right words i had gone over and over in my head the night and days before that appointment.
The doctor essentially understood the main points of the withdrawals and whats happening in my system. Although he does seem to want to help, he also seems  unwilling to accept my self led tapering. He sounded hesitant at any possibility that I may need extra time in months or possibly a year, to successfully get off the X completely. Hes mentioned the psychiatrist guiding my tapering,  but this may not even get to that, as any psychiatrist in my area, only has 10 to 15 minutes tops, to speak with,  plus it’s at least a 4 month wait to even see one . Hes also still assuming there will be no problems getting me off the benzos by spring. Its somewhat frustrating and kind of scary, not knowing how I end up in the ensuing months ahead. Whether I get down to 5 even by January 2023, is questionable because of the length of time ive been on them, and the amount I was taking. Plus the withdrawal symptoms are the other road block. He also mentioned something about worrying he may not be there for my entire tapering period, which im thinking he might leave the clinic and move on to some other one.  If hes talking about it now,  then what does he mean??
 He also said no other doctor there would even give me the script,  so im getting worried that this is why hes so  adamant on getting me off these dam things by spring. He started this whole thing, and now its as if he wants to end it quickly. This has me concerned so I will be raising that question to him on my next in office visit, in a few weeks maybe sooner.
 He did say if I have problems getting down to 5 by January 2023, he would change the script for another or rather extend it one month only. Think this is still his  “mission”, to rapid taper and im not accepting that. Finding another  doctor now, after all this, is going to make all my effort's and half assed success to date , with my tapering, a waste of time if I end up having to go cold turkey all of a sudden , knowing full well it will end badly for me at my age. Im just hoping he does in fact go over those docs and reads my notes , as he said he would , when he has time. I dont have time to waste on any stall tactics  or ignoring extremely valid points.  I hope he gets my drift and doent push me backwards,  as im not willing to go that route at all.

Still in this frustrating hamster wheel. ** heavy sighs** :brickwall:

Hi moojoo

It sounds like you got some of your points across, and maybe that’s the best we can hope for at the moment. I guess all you can do is continue to wear him down over time. He has an oath to do no harm to his patients, all doctors do, so I would be inclined to be as subtle as possible in getting that point across. There is an old saying - ignorance is no excuse… and this should clearly apply to doctors more than anyone else, as it’s your health in their hands, and they have absolutely no right to put your health at risk through ignorance. In the meantime, seek out another doctor. Leave no stone unturned in finding one who is much more benzo wise. Hopefully your doctor will actually read the document and understand the reason why the taper should be patient led. It doesn’t take a genius to understand that they cannot understand or know the suffering you are experiencing at a particular taper rate.

I often wonder how many of these doctors will sit down and watch the Netflix documentary Xanax - take your pills. Clearly, they should be the first ones to watch these documentaries.

Stay strong and positive, moojoo!
Suggestions, opinions and/or advice provided by the author of this post should not be regarded as medical advice; nor should it substitute for professional medical care. Consult your doctor before making any changes to your medication. Please read our Community Policy Documents board for further information.

[Buddie]

Re: Need serious help with Xanax taper
« Reply #23 on: December 18, 2022, 04:37:25 pm »
Forgive me if im repeating myself WS, I'm just not myself today at all. Ive thought about that appt again , and i have a bad feeling.

As i said previously,  right at the start he wouldnt look at the papers i printed out for him to read to understand the true tapering process.  Showing me he has no interest in what I had learned.  Hes assuming,  STILL, that i will be off the X by March or  April of next year. He said he would scan the documents into my file, but i asked him nicely, if he would please read them, since i made points or notes of how i need to lead the tapering,  and he then said he would TRY to read them after his other patients were seen at the end of the day. Again , when HE had time and didn't HAVE TO RUSH??? WTH is he doing to me?? Isnt he rushing me into this rapid taper of his?
When i tried to explain what ive learned about all this, especially about the withdrawal symptoms,  he interrupts me about how these benzos can cause DEMENTIA, really, but what about all this other stuff we suffer trying to get off of them, and how long [...] symptoms last? Or more so, what benzos or ANY mind altering or psychotic drug does to your brain and body?
I know some of these medications are life saving, for those who need them for many good reasons, but i dont know what good it does , placing a young uneducated person , on benzos even  for short term use? He had the gull to tell me he still prescribes them short term. These poor people are going to suffer just as much as we are or have when they have to come off them suddenly or taper off.  This is one screwed up circle we're all in.  :crazy:
Suggestions, opinions and/or advice provided by the author of this post should not be regarded as medical advice; nor should it substitute for professional medical care. Consult your doctor before making any changes to your medication. Please read our Community Policy Documents board for further information.

[Buddie]

Re: Need serious help with Xanax taper
« Reply #24 on: December 18, 2022, 05:26:10 pm »
Forgive me if im repeating myself WS, I'm just not myself today at all. Ive thought about that appt again , and i have a bad feeling.

As i said previously,  right at the start he wouldnt look at the papers i printed out for him to read to understand the true tapering process.  Showing me he has no interest in what I had learned.  Hes assuming,  STILL, that i will be off the X by March or  April of next year. He said he would scan the documents into my file, but i asked him nicely, if he would please read them, since i made points or notes of how i need to lead the tapering,  and he then said he would TRY to read them after his other patients were seen at the end of the day. Again , when HE had time and didn't HAVE TO RUSH??? WTH is he doing to me?? Isnt he rushing me into this rapid taper of his?
When i tried to explain what ive learned about all this, especially about the withdrawal symptoms,  he interrupts me about how these benzos can cause DEMENTIA, really, but what about all this other stuff we suffer trying to get off of them, and how long [...] symptoms last? Or more so, what benzos or ANY mind altering or psychotic drug does to your brain and body?
I know some of these medications are life saving, for those who need them for many good reasons, but i dont know what good it does , placing a young uneducated person , on benzos even  for short term use? He had the gull to tell me he still prescribes them short term. These poor people are going to suffer just as much as we are or have when they have to come off them suddenly or taper off.  This is one screwed up circle we're all in.  :crazy:

I know exactly where you’re at, moojoo, and I completely understand. I can’t tell you how many times I’ve found myself reliving a doctors appointment and continually feeding the anger towards them. Unfortunately the stress has a terrible affect on our central nervous systems and sends us into a downward spiral. The best thing you can do (speaking from personal experience) is to avoid being pulled into those looping negative thoughts and emotions, as your mental/emotional bodies have a profound affect on your physical body. The one thing I would do is to print out another copy of the CCBDG and take it again next time, so if your doctor says he’s read it, you can hand it to him (in case he’s lying) and say you’d like to discuss section 3 (tapering principles) with him because you have no intention of risking your health with a fast taper.
Suggestions, opinions and/or advice provided by the author of this post should not be regarded as medical advice; nor should it substitute for professional medical care. Consult your doctor before making any changes to your medication. Please read our Community Policy Documents board for further information.

[Buddie]

Re: Need serious help with Xanax taper
« Reply #25 on: December 18, 2022, 08:15:40 pm »
Thank you WS , I will try that again when i see him in January.  Not much else i can do until then,but i am going to remain at 3mg daily for now.

I believe I'm tapering much too quickly or trying to satisfy him, when i should be following my  own judgement  with my [...] sxs.

I wish i could locate a doctor who is more benzo informed here in Canada, but have had no success. Yet.

Ive gone ahead and posted on the [...] support board. Thanks again for support and advice,  as always.  :-\

Suggestions, opinions and/or advice provided by the author of this post should not be regarded as medical advice; nor should it substitute for professional medical care. Consult your doctor before making any changes to your medication. Please read our Community Policy Documents board for further information.

[Buddie]

Re: Need serious help with Xanax taper
« Reply #26 on: December 20, 2022, 02:40:43 pm »
Hi moojoo

You’re very welcome!

My fingers are crossed for you finding a benzo wise doctor, as they are definitely out there… somewhere! 🤞
Suggestions, opinions and/or advice provided by the author of this post should not be regarded as medical advice; nor should it substitute for professional medical care. Consult your doctor before making any changes to your medication. Please read our Community Policy Documents board for further information.

[Buddie]

Re: Need serious help with Xanax taper
« Reply #27 on: December 26, 2022, 10:51:02 pm »
One last question, I hope.

I've been looking for a decent scale on Amazon in Canada and there are a lot of them. I'm still breaking and shaving tablets of X but it's probably a better idea to get a scale and be sure I'm not going up or down in my dosing through the day.

This was one that popped up often in my search...

https://www.amazon.ca/JXTZ-Professional-Milligram-Calibration-Precision/dp/B09NLP1995

Price wise seems fine but I'm not sure about the mathematical part of these things...sorry, absolute senior moment.

Suggestions, opinions and/or advice provided by the author of this post should not be regarded as medical advice; nor should it substitute for professional medical care. Consult your doctor before making any changes to your medication. Please read our Community Policy Documents board for further information.

[Buddie]

Re: Need serious help with Xanax taper
« Reply #28 on: December 27, 2022, 02:37:13 am »
Hi moojoo

Not familiar with that particular scale, so can’t speak to its accuracy, but here is one that other members commonly use…, the GEM20.

https://www.amazon.ca/Smart-Weigh-GEM20-Precision-Milligram/dp/B00ESHDGOI/ref=sr_1_4?crid=1SQ52ZB5IN4KK&keywords=GEM20+precision+scale&qid=1672108933&s=industrial&sprefix=gem20+precision+scale%2Cindustrial%2C377&sr=1-4

Suggestions, opinions and/or advice provided by the author of this post should not be regarded as medical advice; nor should it substitute for professional medical care. Consult your doctor before making any changes to your medication. Please read our Community Policy Documents board for further information.

[Buddie]

Re: Need serious help with Xanax taper
« Reply #29 on: December 27, 2022, 03:12:41 am »
I was checking that one out and its a bit pricey for me. :/


Suggestions, opinions and/or advice provided by the author of this post should not be regarded as medical advice; nor should it substitute for professional medical care. Consult your doctor before making any changes to your medication. Please read our Community Policy Documents board for further information.