Benzo withdrawl

I have been on Xanax for the past 9 years...3 mg. 3x a day...Norco 3 a day.  I was always taking more than prescribed daily. My doc. wants me to get off of the Xanax so he put me on Valium 10 mg 2x a day. I stopped taking the Norco about a week ago and stopped the Xanax about 4 days ago. I feel like crap. Anxiety is sooo bad right now.

Hi Ayse,

 

Welcome to Benzo Buddies!

 

Have you been 9mg xanax a day until you were switched to 20mg Valium a day? According to Dr. Ashton and others, the benzo equivalency for the purposes of subsitution is 1mg Xanax to 20mg Valium. So as you can see, the 10mg 2x daily of valium is likely not covering the absence of 3mg 3x daily of xanax. You may wish to contact him/her about this.

 

Another thing, it's best to slowly cross over from one benzo to the other because of the half life differences. Xanax will leave your system quite quickly, in a day or so, where Valium can take a week or two to fully build up.

 

Here is some info that you can print out to present to your doctor.  http://www.benzo.org.uk/bzequiv.htm

 

 

 

Welcome Ayse,

  Very pretty unusual name. You will find much help and support here and I am glad you found us. I can imagine you must be very uncomfortable, Do not hesitate to call your doctor if this is unbearable to you. Please stick around and get to know some people here.

Ayse,

 

I will speak from experience of being on both benzos and narcotic meds.  I detoxed from narcotics in November, then began benzo taper in december.

You're getting double pounded right now and i think it could be too much medication withdrawal at one time.  I don't know how long you were taking Norco for, perhaps you could add that to your signature.  I may be able to provide more insight if you can provide more info on your narcotic use and date stopped.

 

I suspect that the narcotic withdrawal could be causing agitation.  Your doc can help you through that part of the process.  Initially i think you should have your blood pressure checked.  Also talk to your doctor about having some space time before tackling the narcotic withdrawal.

 

take care,

truck

I was taking 1mg of Xanax 3x a day.  I talked to my doctor today and told him that  I am still feeling very anxious and he prescribed .5 mg of Klonopin 3 x a day.

Hi Ayse-

 

I was taking 1mg of Xanax 3x a day.  I talked to my doctor today and told him that  I am still feeling very anxious and he prescribed .5 mg of Klonopin 3 x a day.

 

Your first post, IMO, indicates interdose withdrawals. After 9 years on Xanax at 1mg 3 times a day, it would not be surprising. I have been there so I can empathize with you. For me, I confused interdose withdrawal and an increase in anxiety for a long time.

 

I was taking 1mg of Xanax 3x a day.  I talked to my doctor today and told him that  I am still feeling very anxious and he prescribed .5 mg of Klonopin 3 x a day.

 

Your last post indicates your doctor switched you to 1.5mg's of Klonopin from 3mg's of Xanax. Per Dr. Ashton, the potency's of these two benzo's is relatively the same. The difference with Klonopin is a longer half life, anywhere from 18-50 hours, depending on how your body metabolizes the medication. Though both are benzo's, they are not the same and produce different effects. IMO, and that is all this is, based on the above, you are now essentially at half your previous dose of Xanax. Also, Klonopin can take a while for some people to build up in your system.

 

eljay gave you this information and link in a previous post to you:

 

http://www.benzo.org.uk/bzequiv.htm

 

Have you looked it over and shown your doctor?

 

Here is also a link to Benzo Facts:

 

http://www.benzobuddies.org/benzodiazepine-information

 

And also a link to Withdrawal Methods:

 

http://www.benzobuddies.org/benzodiazepine-withdrawal-methods

 

It is my opinion, again, that is all this is, that you may need to speak with your doctor about correcting your dose, unless you feel like you can stabilize at your current dosing schedule. Either way, it is better to be stabilized on a dose for 2 weeks or so before starting a slow, sensible taper.

 

I hope some of this makes sense and helps you figure out how to proceed. Tapers are absolutely possible & doable. Your current situation is not hopeless, just needs some tweaking, IMO. Also, learn as much as you can about benzo's through the links provided here as knowledge is power. IMO, you should have a say in how you taper and hopefully, your doctor will be able to prescribe you the correct dosing schedule to allow for stabilization and then a slow taper. I am not a doctor, just someone who was confused, you aren't alone in that feeling.

 

Just Breathe

I think its time to think about doing a slow taper off. Nine years is enough of your life to give to the benzos. Good thing you have come here and can learn how to do it. welcome.

Thank you ALL for your comments! I am So glad I found this site and I know you all here will help me do this. I know I can do this just sometimes I feel like they rule my world. It's weird not waking up and not being all excited to pop my pills. Everyday has been a struggle and I'm sure they will continue to be for awile.

Yes you can definitely get free of it in a way that will not be too painful. I am doing a taper off of xanax. I was at 3 1 mg tablets a day. I am now at 1.27 so I lost over half since I started to taper. Its not to bad when you go slow and relax about it.