How long should I Plan for Xanax Taper ?

Hi Friends,

 

My Dr. prescribed both of these meds for sleep problems and anxiety.

 

I've been on Benzo's for way too long (10yrs). At first i was on Temazopam, and rarely took Xanax. Then i cut the Temazopam out completey and switched to Xanax only. I was only doing 1mg a night but lately went up to 2mgs (a lot of pressure in life lately).

I just got presribed Wellbutrin (to help with depression). I am hoping the Wellbutrin also helps with my anxiety issues. ...PS; (i know it was prescribed for depression but i'm hoping that one of the side affects is to help with anxiety issues).

 

 

 

QUESTION; How long does it take to wein off of Xanax? I was planning on cutting down from 2 to 1.75 and then 1.5.

 

How long is the typical taper plan take?

 

Thanks very much...

 

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EDIT: I forgot to ask, does anyone think the Wellbutrin will Help?

 

 

 

?

Thanks very much!

 

 

 

 

Hi Friends,

 

My Dr. prescribed both of these meds for sleep problems and anxiety.

 

I've been on Benzo's for way too long (10yrs). At first i was on Temazopam, and rarely took Xanax. Then i cut the Temazopam out completey and switched to Xanax only. I was only doing 1mg a night but lately went up to 2mgs (a lot of pressure in life lately).

I just got presribed Wellbutrin (to help with depression). I am hoping the Wellbutrin helps with my anxiety issues.

 

QUESTION; How long does it take to wein off of Xanax? I was planning on cutting down from 2 to 1.75 and then 1.5.

 

How long is the typical taper plan take?

 

Thanks very much...

 

1)  There are no "typical" taper plans.

 

2)  It takes as long as it takes.

 

With a 10 year history and you fairly high dose,  you probably need to think about a fairly slow taper.  Although there are no typical tapers, a general guideline is 5-10% every 10-14 days.

Xanax is a tough one to withdraw from due to its short half-life and interdose issues.  It is also not easily cut, since it doesn't come in a variety of doses like Valium.  You can start with the 10-15% guideline, but my guess is that this will be too aggressive due to the length of time you were on Xanax.  I also question why you were put on Wellbutrin to control your anxiety; I realize that's the AD with the least side effects, but it's really an anti-depressant medication.  I was on Wellbutrin for years, and it actually has the opposite effect-it's designed to "rev you up" so that you aren't depressed, which can create anxiety.

Xanax is a tough one to withdraw from due to its short half-life and interdose issues.  It is also not easily cut, since it doesn't come in a variety of doses like Valium.  You can start with the 10-15% guideline, but my guess is that this will be too aggressive due to the length of time you were on Xanax.  I also question why you were put on Wellbutrin to control your anxiety; I realize that's the AD with the least side effects, but it's really an anti-depressant medication.  I was on Wellbutrin for years, and it actually has the opposite effect-it's designed to "rev you up" so that you aren't depressed, which can create anxiety.

 

Well i have been diagnosed with Depression. That's why we are trying the Wellbutrin.

 

I thought Wellbutrin levels you out?

 

thanks for commenting.

 

 

It definitely helps with depression, but it does so by "reving you up" which can lead to more anxiety.  I found that the SSRI I am on (Sertraline) helps with anxiety more than Wellbutrin did.  Since anxiety can be an issue when tapering, just be careful of Wellbutrin.

I felt really good when I was prescribed Wellbutrin.  (It is one of the few that I actually don't regret taking...  At that time I needed it and appreciated the relief that it gave to me.)  I don't know if it helped my anxiety - it was a challenging time and I wasn't coping well.

 

However, it did cause me to have difficulty settling down to sleep, which prompted my doctor to prescribe Ambien ... which led to more meds to counter side effects of meds ... very slippery slope ...

 

Even after I tapered off of the Wellbutrin, I still couldn't sleep, and had developed a dependency on Ambien - (psychological as well as physical).

 

Just something to be mindful of ...

 

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I am tapering off of Xanax, after taking it for about 20 years.  Like Builder said, going slow is key.  I started out dry cutting and switched over to a liquid micro-taper to have more control over my rate.  (Right now, I'm doing 10% reductions per month and have very few side effects.)

 

I started my taper a little over a year ago and expect to be done at the end of December. 

For me, it's been very much of a learning process - and have varied from both slower & faster than 10%/month - sometimes holding when I'm anticipating stress or becoming symptomatic ... I found that I start to become symptomatic when I hit the 15-17%/month mark.

 

If your doctor is willing to let you go your own pace, absolutely give yourself a couple of years, take it slow and listen to your body.  It sounds like a long time when you're starting, but it feels really good to watch those numbers go down and know that you are controlling the process.

 

Good luck!

 

It definitely helps with depression, but it does so by "reving you up" which can lead to more anxiety.  I found that the SSRI I am on (Sertraline) helps with anxiety more than Wellbutrin did.  Since anxiety can be an issue when tapering, just be careful of Wellbutrin.

 

Thank you gogo,

 

Yes, i am just reading up on this. I was thinking about changing to CELEXA instead (supposed to help with anxiety issues as well as AD).

 

Have you tried any other AD ?

 

Thanks for input....

ONE more thing i wanted to ask;

 

Does splitting the dose through-out the day is a more effective way of 'Taping off?'

 

Thanks for your input...

I'm currently on 50mg Zoloft.  The problem with Zoloft (and all SSRIs, including Celexa) are the side effects.  One of the reasons they often prescribe Wellbutrin first, rather than SSRIs for depression, is because Wellbutrin doesn't come with the weight and sex side effects of SSRIs (quite the opposite, in fact).  I'm on a fairly low dose of Zoloft, but it has definitely caused me to gain weight.  The sex side effects haven't been that bad (chalk this up to just getting older than the Zoloft).  Not clear on your other question--do you mean split your dose of Xanax? 

ONE more thing i wanted to ask;

 

Does splitting the dose through-out the day is a more effective way of 'Taping off?'

 

Thanks for your input...

 

I'd say begin by making your reducions in the same number of doses that you are currently taking.

 

You can always make adjustments as you go along, but for me at least, keeping to my scheduled dose times was least intrusive and seems to be working.

I couldn’t cross to Valium. So I’m tapering xanax. I did get my doses spread out before I began my taper. Good luck. Lots of smart folks in here

 

Kristin