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Xanax withdrawal


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Hi all,

I’m 10 months .25mg xanax twice daily.

It started with a breakdown due to my child having a suicide attempt.

I had 7 months of constant derealization and have finally come out of it.

I have tried 3 times to get off the xanax and failed.

My tolerance has just gone up too so I was taking 3 x .250mg a day but for the last week I’m down to 2 x .250 and 1 x.125mg.

I’m in constant withdrawal between tablets and need some advice please.

I’m close to loosing my job as constant panic is affecting my ability to work.

I’m looking into going into a rehab as I can’t see any other options.

Any advice would be a lifesaver

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Hello Dragonzz,

 

Welcome to Benzo Buddies! I'm terribly sorry about your child, that must have been a very difficult time for you.  Many people have turned to benzos for help during hard times and yes, they can work for a while. That is, until they are no longer effective. You have reached tolerance, which is very common with this class of medication. 

 

Xanax has a particularly short half life so it's no wonder you are feeling withdrawal between the doses. There are many options for you and we'll direct you to a lot of good information.  With these options I think you'll find a plan that works. Rehab is not the best way to come off benzos.  It is generally a cold turkey with adjunct medications added to the mix. The best plan for withdrawing from benzos is to implement a slow and steady taper.

 

Since xanax has a very short half life, some people bridge over to a longer acting benzo like valium. I did this myself and found that the reductions were a little easier to handle. Other people do a direct taper from xanax, albeit very slowly.  You might even consider titration as an option.

 

Generally, a reduction of no more than 5-10% every 10-14 days is suggested. I'll give you a link to the General Taper Plans for additional information.

 

I'll also give you a link to the Titration Board so you can see if this is a method that might work for your situation.

 

In addition, I'll provide a link to the Ashton Manual. It is an excellent resource about these types of drugs and how to withdraw. The manual was written by Dr. Heather Ashton, an expert in the field.

 

We'll be happy to encourage, inform and support you as you taper off xanax and recover.  It is doable, with the right plan and a good amount of patience.  Please continue to ask questions, we're here to help.

 

 

General Taper Plans   

 

Titration Taper Plans     

 

The Ashton Manual 

 

pianogirl  :)

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Thanks very much pianogirl 😊😊

I'm spend today reading everything in the links.ive an appointment with the consultant on Tuesday so I need to have my plan sorted in my head before then.my doctor is cutting me by .125 every 2 weeks so wants me off them within 8 weeks.ive tried this myself already and had to reinstate twice.

I hope convince the consultant to agree to a slower taper or a switch to valium but I hate the thought of trying another benzo.whatever works best I suppose.

 

Thank you for your advice,

Much appreciated 🖒

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After being to consultant and managed to get him to listen to me.

 

The best he would do is give me enough for a 7 week taper.

 

So I'm on .625 till the end of the week.then .5 for 2 weeks then .375 for 2 weeks then .25 for 2 weeks then jump.

 

I don't know if it seems too fast but it's the only taper plan I can do with what he's given me so fingers crossed and hope for the best

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I'm also on mirtazapine and lyrica for anxiety.

Mirtazapine is great for getting to sleep but I can't see any benefit from the lyrica so I'm be tapering that next

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:thumbsup:

Good luck to you! It's unbelievable that this drug is given to so many people without advice as to coming off of it. I was on it for a very long time. I tried to taper but was unable. Then, I resigned myself to the fact that I'd have to take it forever and went on about my business. I went into a hospital to detox in late March. It worked for me, but I read here that hospitalization may not be the best thing for many. I'm so thankful to have found this forum to understand it better!!

Keep reaching out! Thinking of you!!  :)

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Thank you,detox may have to be an option for me.im a week into my taper.

 

From .250mg x 3 down to 2 and a half .250mg.

I'm on a constant panic attack,chest muscles are constantly tight and feels like a body builder is squeezing me.im supposed to cut out another .125mg at the end of the week,Just hoping I can do it as i feel in bits already.

 

I know I'm on a relatively small dose but $#@! Me it's very bad already.if I can't make the cut next week detox is my only option left.benzos a $#@%#!!

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Still bad constant anxiety but on the bright side I'm learning to fight off the panic attacks by keeping busy instead of taking a xanax straight away.i fought off 3 separate attacks in work yesterday without anyone noticing.its only a small change but it's a start
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I feel for you, I can't imagine what you must have gone through. I would advise avoid rehab and go to a good psychiatrist, one that will taper you down slowly like the Ashton manual says and see if anything else will help, if they don't specifically say you can go at your own pace leave. This is a very long journey for most of us that end up here on the board, much longer than 30 days and the results of rehab can be seen in the "Cold Turkey" part of the board.

 

You should create a signature as detailed as you can and start posting in the "Withdrawal Support" part of the board.

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Thank you.

 

Rehab is only gonna be a last resort.already from cutting out a .125 from my daily dose a week ago,I've developed agoraphobia.i can be at home or be in work and that's it.kerp panicking while driving.very rough start.im gonna wait another week be for cutting out another. 125.i have to work with what I have so can't do the 20% by weekly.im being cut off so no choice in the taper time limit

 

Thank you for your imput

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I feel for you, I can't imagine what you must have gone through. I would advise avoid rehab and go to a good psychiatrist, one that will taper you down slowly like the Ashton manual says and see if anything else will help, if they don't specifically say you can go at your own pace leave. This is a very long journey for most of us that end up here on the board, much longer than 30 days and the results of rehab can be seen in the "Cold Turkey" part of the board.

 

You should create a signature as detailed as you can and start posting in the "Withdrawal Support" part of the board.

 

Thank you very much for your advice.i rang through and explained how bad it was getting so they told me to go at a slower pace.going to stick with the cut I have already done for another week then cut 10% and see how that goes

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  • 2 weeks later...
Ok so I've cut again 4 days ago to .5 a day.cant seem to handle any stress but panic attacks havnt been too bad.feel like crap all the time but it's to be expected.i have a fear of giving up xanax even though I want off them.my goal is to be off them in 5 weeks and back to myself by Christmas.wish me luck
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I spoke too soon😣😣😣😣

Constant panic but no full blown attacks yet.not good but could be a lot worse.

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