Trying to taper off Xanax XR

I have been off and on Xanax 1mg IR for at least 19 years for high anxiety. I also have migraines and fibro, with deg. disc pain and 5 herniated discs that happened with a bicycle accident. I have insomnia, which leads to more migraines. about 13 years ago, a Dr. put me on additionally to the regular xanax up to 3 mg per day; Xanax XR 1 mg at night to help me sleep as well as Ambien CR.  I added 2 mg of my regular xanax at night . My Dr. okd it. I have been on disability for 10years now. Anyway, I have wanted to get off, at least the XR. Did not know how. I recently moved to a state that the Dr here is against my meds, so the Dr. I went to said No to my reg. Xanax and Ambien CR. I asked for at least the Xanax XR to be .5 so I could begin to taper myself. And she would not give me my Ambien Cr and gave me the ambien 6.25 XR which was Ok. Then their office called me and told me that was it for all these meds. Now I am stuck with almost nothing.  I have been going off of it once a week and this week, I went off twice and wow, am having a bad day with my head etc. So my ultimate goal is to first get off XR and then cut back on Xanax iR. I only take 2 mg of that at night or total per day. I cut myself from 3 mg of xanax to the 2 mg. I was only given where I live 30 .5 Xanax XR and 30 lower ambien. I think it takes longer to taper, but not sure. I was suppose to see a psychiatrist, but due to bad weather, they had to cancel and can't see me for a month. So I won't end up with a seizure, I have to go back to my old Dr. but even he might not know how to taper me. So any suggestions or am I doing it right?

Hello, Sun123 – welcome to BenzoBuddies!

 

Ouch, that’s a pretty abrupt cut – it’s understandable why you’re suffering from this. Perhaps the psychiatrist will be able to prescribe enough Xanax to get you stabilized, and meanwhile your new buddies here will be able to help you devise a comfortable taper plan. 

 

I'm glad that you decided to join the forum – our members have gone through benzodiazepine use and withdrawal themselves, so you'll find plenty of information and support here.

 

Here are a couple of links that may be a good starting place for you:

 

  General Taper Plans

  Withdrawal Support

 

Please take a moment to Create a Signature – you can enter your pertinent drug and taper history in the box at the bottom. This will allow members to see where you are in the process, so that they can better support you.

 

Looking forward to seeing you on the forum!

Leslie 

 

 

The Ashton Manual is an authoritative resource on what to expect during withdrawal and recovery. It provides information that can be very reassuring during any stage of this process, including a list of common symptoms with helpful explanations.

 

For those who are currently tapering, a starting guideline is that the dosage not be reduced faster than by 5-10% every 10-14 days, although some taper even more slowly than that. One exception: very short-term users of a few weeks or less may be able to taper somewhat faster.

It is very important to stabilize. Hopefully your doctor will prescribe you with enough medication to do so. Meanwhile, do everything you can on your end to make the process as smooth as possible. Easier said than done, I know. I jumped from .25 mg xanax 54 days ago. First few weeks were hell. If it's any comfort, here's what I've been doing since which has helped me tremendously:

daily exercise, mostly healthy diet and most important for me has been meditation. I now meditate twice a day using an app called Breethe. Before mediation, my anxiety was out of control, and without the xanax, I had nowhere to turn. Highly recommend. I also make sure to make sleep a priority. I've noticed that any episodes of anxiety for me have been magnified by lack of sleep. Taking 3-6 mg of melatonin before bed helped me through those first few weeks after I jumped. My other tips will help with quality of sleep. Just be consistent and don't give up. We're here if you need us. You got this!