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At a loss, need a substitution for Xanax. Recommendations please.


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My main question is in the last paragraph, but I'm providing a bit of background first.  So I've read through a lot of posts here, enough to tell that there are significant issues associated with tapering off of ANY benzo.  I've heard people mention depression being linked to Valium, and that Klonopin is really difficult to get off of; however, I'm simply not able to tolerate tapering off of Xanax anymore.  Its short-acting nature is really having a negative impact on my life. I'm currently really panicked because of bad symptoms, and appreciate any advice.  I am scheduled to see a Psychiatrist next month, and am seeing a new GP next week. 

 

The interdose withdrawal is too much, and I need to be able to function because I have a lot of money tied up in graduate school, and I also need to work.  I've been experiencing nastier effects between doses, the vertigo I've been feeling today is really the last straw.  My taper plan was aggressive, and maybe it would've been more successful if done at a slower pace, but the fact of the matter is Xanax simply wears off too quickly and I have persistent depersonalization and constant panic attacks between doses.  I'm thinking about doing a slight updose and holding at 1.5mg, at least until I see the different doctor next week.

 

My question is, what substitutions for Xanax have people had the best luck with?  I know this is a subjective thing, and everyone is different, but I want to have an idea of what to request when I see the new physician next week.  I'm basically going to tell him I'm having bad interdose withdrawal, it's effecting my ability to work and finish grad school, I'd like to replace the Xanax with something similar that has a longer half-life, and that I'm scheduled to see a Psychiatrist to deal with the underlying issues.  I took Klonopin in the past, but they were quick release .25 tabs and I never developed any real dependency to them like I have the Xanax. 

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Hi liminalmagus.

there is always that Ashton protocol that is the gold standard for switching benzos.  The equivalency tables may need to be adjusted to your body and metabolism.  I found that crossing over to that equivalent was much more medicine than I needed. (that experiment doesn't show up in my signature as it was such a failure and very quick!).

I know it's very unconventional but I use a bit of Valium -- my docs suggestion to deal with the Xanax interdose withdrawals.

After much trial and error -- mostly error.  I found that for me dosing Valium several times during the day has allowed me to taper my Xanax which I take at night.

That way I can function...

Let me know if you want any more info about what I've discovered to work for me.... and everyone seems to tweak things for themselves, their schedules in life etc.

Good luck and wishing you well

SS

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Let me know if you want any more info about what I've discovered to work for me.... and everyone seems to tweak things for themselves, their schedules in life etc.

Good luck and wishing you well

SS

 

Thanks so much for the reply and input =)  I've checked out the Ashton manual, and definitely am taking the equivalencies into account.  I'm a bit of a hypochondriac (hence me being on Xanax in the first place), so the prospect of trying a new medication always kind of scares me, even if it could alleviate some of my current suffering.  It's reassuring to hear that you've done well with the Valium.  I don't expect the doctor will give me exactly what I ask for, and I worry about being too forward and coming across as a drug seeker, so I've decided I'll probably just make the vague request for something longer acting, which I assume will either be Valium, or Klonopin.  The interdose withdrawal is just killer right now, awful rebound anxiety, and really I just need to be able to function because I have a lot of responsibilities (just like everyone else). 

 

Thanks so much, if I end up on Valium I may take you up on your offer for more information.  I always feel a lot better when other people who have gone through the issue can give me their input. 

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Hi L

If at all possible I would hope that the doc offers Valium. Klonopin is harder to get off of for some reason it's said, there's some literature about it around...  Yep the interdose w/d were really killing me before I got the Valium on board. 

Good luck with your doc.  I was pretty straight up with mine - who seems to be a bit savvy about other patients wanting to come off.  I did simply mention a longer acting med and she offered between 2-4 mg of Valium a day.  I tried with the lower dose for awhile but found I was white knuckling it still.

 

Valium isn't easy -- but I'll take the issues with low dose V over the intedose w/d from X any day!

Good luck with it all and do let me know how it goes! :thumbsup:

SS

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Valium isn't easy -- but I'll take the issues with low dose V over the intedose w/d from X any day!

Good luck with it all and do let me know how it goes! :thumbsup:

SS

 

Will do, thanks so much.  I'm hoping for Valium as well.  The interdose symptoms are so weird, I had no idea about the many ways withdrawal symptoms could manifest until I started going through this process.  I see the new doc next week, so I'm just biding my time until then and trying to take it easy.  Thanks again for your input! 

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I crossed from Xanax to Valium. I was on like 5 .5mg tablets a day and switched to 40mg of Valium which seemed high actually. I woke up feeling really good so I tapered pretty quick at the beginning. Now i'm tapering 1mg of Valium every 2 weeks.
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have you tried splitting whatever your dose is into 4 smaller doses?  So you would be taking xanax every 6 hours.  It's a bit of a drag at night but when I started my first xanax taper that's how I did it.  Then I was able to switch to 3 times in a 24 hour period.  Is it your intention to taper or titrate off of benzos all together?  If so, I have an excellent titration plan that someone made for me yeras ago and it made the whole process painless pretty much.  The hardest part was to stop using xanax to put me to sleep, which is why i started in the first place.  As someone who had to switch to a long acting benzo because my xanax dr. retired and new dr. is in addiction medicine and is not ethically permitted to use xanax for someone to taper from.  But it was MUCH easier a few years ago (more than a few) to stick with the same benzo and use a liquid titration. 
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  • 3 weeks later...
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I was having bad interdose withdrawal with Ativan. I crossed to Valium and successfully tapered off Valium. Valium is sort of the gold standard for tapering, per the Ashton manual. As for Valium causing depression, it's hard for me to say. I did have some depression, but the whole benzo withdrawal ordeal is inherently depressing anyway, so it's hard to tell if it was the Valium specifically causing my depression. In any case I'm fully recovered now.

 

Best wishes,

 

CP

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See my signature, I did a partial c/o to Valium, taperd the remaining Xanax, then tapered the Valium. The Valium taper was MUCH gentler compared to Xanax, I didn't get interdose withdrawals and my anxiety was much better. I guess I was depressed during the process but I don't feel like Valium made me more depressed. I'm glad I switched. I also used the 10:1 ratio of Valium to Xanax rather than Ashton's 20:1 ratio. It just felt right for my body, I think Ashton's ratio would have been too high. But Of course everyone is different.
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See my signature, I did a partial c/o to Valium, taperd the remaining Xanax, then tapered the Valium. The Valium taper was MUCH gentler compared to Xanax, I didn't get interdose withdrawals and my anxiety was much better. I guess I was depressed during the process but I don't feel like Valium made me more depressed. I'm glad I switched. I also used the 10:1 ratio of Valium to Xanax rather than Ashton's 20:1 ratio. It just felt right for my body, I think Ashton's ratio would have been too high. But Of course everyone is different.

Don't want to hijack this thread, but so good to see your sig and hear a bit of your story. :thumbsup:  As you can see from my sig we are on similar paths in the tapering.  It's day 8 of a hold which has been really good and wise at this point of my taper.  I'm planning on holding for at least a month as I got ahead of myself and my body's healing....

I know we've written a bit liminalmagus, so hope you don't mind this post....  :smitten:

SS

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See my signature, I did a partial c/o to Valium, taperd the remaining Xanax, then tapered the Valium. The Valium taper was MUCH gentler compared to Xanax, I didn't get interdose withdrawals and my anxiety was much better. I guess I was depressed during the process but I don't feel like Valium made me more depressed. I'm glad I switched. I also used the 10:1 ratio of Valium to Xanax rather than Ashton's 20:1 ratio. It just felt right for my body, I think Ashton's ratio would have been too high. But Of course everyone is different.

Don't want to hijack this thread, but so good to see your sig and hear a bit of your story. :thumbsup:  As you can see from my sig we are on similar paths in the tapering.  It's day 8 of a hold which has been really good and wise at this point of my taper.  I'm planning on holding for at least a month as I got ahead of myself and my body's healing....

I know we've written a bit liminalmagus, so hope you don't mind this post....  :smitten:

SS

If I had to do it over again, I would have done a complete crossover to Valium. It took a lot longer to taper Xanax than I thought it would. I just didn't want to add more Valium since it was already making me very fatigued. But I would have started tapering Valium sooner so I wouldn't have been on the extra Valium that long. Oh well, I still got off.

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