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Tapering off Xanax


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New to the forum, and needing support. First things first, I have read a lot and it seems as though the tapering/withdrawal process has been very different depending on the individual.

I was taking 1 mg of xanax twice daily, and have been for probably 10 years. However, I never went about 2 mg in a day, and oftentimes had a lot leftover at the time for my refill. A month ago my NP couldn't prescribe a full amount, dosing me down to .5, times a day, with no refills. I t was then that I realized it was probably time to get off of benzos due to them becoming harder to obtain and most costly with visits. I started biting the .5's in half, and went to a new doctor yesterday once I ran out, and was given a 2 week supply of .25 mg twice a day. So it's been a pretty fast taper, as I was also drinking alcohol and have mostly stopped that as well knowing it makes the symptoms worse. Is it possible for some people to go for .25's, bite those in half throughout the day, for a month and be able to get off of them or is that simply impossible?

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Welcome to BenzoBuddies!  We are glad you decided to join us.  You'll find a lot of support and information on this forum, which is currently the only one of its kind online.  It's really best to taper as gradually as you can, if possible.  It may not be under certain circumstances, though. 

 

For those starting a taper, we generally recommend starting out at a rate of 5-10% every 10-14 days, then adjusting the taper to suit your own needs.  One exception: very short term users may be able to taper faster. During and after the taper there are often withdrawal symptoms, most commonly anxiety and insomnia, but these are temporary and will go away in time.

 

In general, those who've never withdrawn from benzos before seem to have fewer problems healing, while those with multiple withdrawals sometimes have longer, more challenging healing periods due to nervous system sensitization.

 

Here are a few useful links:

 

The Ashton Manual A great, short and concise reference for tapering and symptom issues.

 

Withdrawal Support (during your taper)

 

Again, welcome!

 

Megan918

Administrator

 

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I went from 1-2 mg a day down to .5 - 1mg, hardly ever taking two for months, then in June went to some days .5 and some even .25, my doc wants me at .25 twice a day, but since I made so much progress and already hit some hard withdrawl days from the jump down to .5's, and that I could probably get away with .25 a day now and be OK, and even can break those in half and regular out for most of the day, but have just started doing that, and had night sweats last night / weird dreams. Anxiety isn't through the roof, just a little insomnia. I do recall a couple of years ago I was snowed in and left my script at work, went a few days without any from the 2mg a day, and def recall it being a total disaster, but since then have gradually dosed down. Should I "stick" to this doctors plan (I suggested a lower dose and her reply was .25 is the lowest they can prescribe as though she didn't think/acknowledge breaking them down even further) or should I listen to my body and take it when/if it is unbearable to get off faster.
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Hi PoundTown 82 I'm kind of in the same boat as you. My doctor has started requiring me to come in monthly to get a script, and I can't be taking so much time off work. I take 0.5 mg twice a day. And I drink quite a bit too, so have to stop that. I take one pill at breakfast, one at lunch. Sometimes I forget my lunchtime dose and it's no problem at all.

 

2 days ago I decided to taper, so I cut my 0.5 mg pill in half for lunch. Too much reduction! I can't believe I could feel it after a day. So yesterday I took 3/4 of a pill at lunch. I woke up at 2 am (I go to bed at 7, usually wake up at 4:30 am). It's going to be a horrible day.

 

OK, sorry I hijacked your thread with my issues.  ::)  Best of luck to you getting through this.

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It's ok, no one else was replying. Decent to see how others are reacting. I tried to drink like 4 beers last night and by the time I went to bed my anxiety had risen back up. Day two of being on 25mg twice a day, all sorts of nightmares, waking up to sounds with paranoia, and night sweats. That and a little more anxiety is it so far, nighttime is the worst. I want to find something healthier to help me sleep. I think the reduction of the dose depends on the person. A friend of mine dosed down pretty fast and just took the minimal amount of xanax to not be in agony until he didn't have to take any at all over the course of a couple of months and he was at 6-8 mg's at one point. Hoping a lot of this isn't mental on being scared that i'll be on this forum in 3 years dealing with this from reading too many posts to be honest.
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Poundtown,

 

Have you considered looking for a benzo-wise doctor to aid you in tapering more slowly?  If you are experiencing symptoms in cutting your dose that you didn’t have while taking your full dose, you are currently going through withdrawal.  As was pointed out to you, the Ashton Manual suggests you go much slower than you’ve been cutting.  Many people find that even the Ashton Manual’s recommended tapering schedule is too fast for them.

 

If you can’t find a doctor to help you reduce slower, then you’ll just have to deal with what comes your way.  No matter what, you’ll be okay.

 

Sofa

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I found a psychiatrist specializing in that. Says he has patients on 4 mg a day that he gets to stop, without switching to valium. They said it would be a waste of time/money to go in if i'm at .25 mg a day already, and can probably kick it soon. Also, they said my withdrawls are prob alcohol related since i've drank every day since who knows when along w/ the xanax. I know what xanax withdrawls feel like from being on 2 mg a day and going CT for 3 days because I was snowed in. That sucked, but now, i've tapered down this much. May see how it goes at .25 mg for a few weeks after this and go from there, and listen to my body/not drink.
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Poundtown I've been drinking every day for the past 2 years, and pretty heavily since 2011. It used to be wine, then turned to whiskey diluted with water, now I just take straight shots. Was never much of a drinker before 2011. Are you tapering your alcohol intake or are you just stopping it cold turkey?
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BOTH. Which makes it tough to determine which I'm having symptoms of WD from. However, it's starting to lean towards alcohol to be honest. I was slamming pints of bourbon a night (shots, not mixed) pretty much every day, then started doing a drink count per night thing, was down to 4-6 "drinks" and felt better the next day but that was on 1 mg at least of xanax a day. Then got shot down to .25 mg's twice daily and now if I don't drink a lot, I can't sleep. If I drink a little, the anxiety rebounds in the night, if I drink a lot, I pass out cold, wake up feeling ok, then about 4-5 PM start shaking etc. I was paranoid this was the benzos from what I read, but most professionals told me i'm WDing from alcohol more-so, and the xanax could be adding to it by dosing down.

 

So, I never stop anything cold turkey. Do I think the long long taper is necessary for me? I don't know yet, hopefully not. I'm going to gradually ween off of everything and just listen to my body. I'd rather have a couple of rough weeks then try and do like a year taper. This is just me. I've never had a seizure, my only stress is financial really, no trauma. So that may just be my chemistry.

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