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Xanax is not my friend


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Hi,

I was referred to this forum by a friend who stated the information shared by its members has helped so many folks get off of Xanax.  It was prescribed to me by my doctor years ago when I was going through a rough spot in my life.

 

Rather than refer me for more help, he kept increasing my dosing of Xanax. 

 

I have been taking from 0.5 to 1.0 mg at bedtime for many years to get to sleep.  Occasionally, I would take 0.25 mg to 0.5 mg when stressed out by my work or in nerve-wracking social situations.

 

I have recently been going for days intermittently without any Xanax.I can't get to sleep without it or without drinking wine....and the wine sleep is not good sleep.

 

I read today about GABA and the interaction of Xanax in the brain and how the adjustment to it requires more to keep the side effects at bay.  I have the blurred vision, ringing ears, sweating at times, weird feeling when walking like I can't balance well, poor coordination at times, forgetfulness, foggy thinking at times, and insomnia at times.

 

I want to get a far away from this drug as I can, but I want to do it safely.  Would someone be willing to help me learn how to do this safely?

 

I have a high pressure job that challenges me daily.  So, I sure could use some guidance.

 

If someone has the time to help me go in the right direction, I would be most grateful.

 

Trackingnow7

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Hello, Trackingnow7 – welcome to BenzoBuddies!

 

Sorry you’ve bumped into the difficulty of trying to quit Xanax – it can be tricky. Insomnia is a common side effect during withdrawal and recovery, but it’s only temporary, and natural sleep will return as your brain adjusts to functioning without the drug. With a good taper plan you should be able to come off gradually and more comfortably, and members here will be happy to help you. 

 

By the way, I was also holding a demanding, high-intensity job throughout the withdrawal and recovery process, and although it’s tough, many of us have done it.  :thumbsup:

 

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  :smitten:

 

 

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.

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Welcome Josh. Leslie gave you some great advice. You have come to the right place to get off of Xanax.

 

Read the Ashton manual. I am doing a Daily Liquid Micro Taper DLMT as they call it. It is the smoothest way to taper. Check out the Titration board and there are great buddies there that will help you with a plan. It takes time to come off of all benzos so know that it won't happen fast but slower is better. I am now a turtle in this journey.

 

I work too and you will be able to if you taper slowly and smartly and keep you s/x in check.

 

You will heal.

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Hello Tracking

Welcome to BB.  Xanax has a very short effective acting time.  If you are only taking a single dose a day it’s  very likely the symptoms you are having are due to interdose withdrawals when a dose wears off, between dosing.  The ups and downs of Occasional extra doses also can cause withdrawal issues. I would recommend your best first step would be to gradually split your dosing to spread them out over the day, and spend some time stabilizing, keeping the dose constant until the symptoms improve.  This can take a few weeks depending on how your body reacts.  For Xanax you may need 4 or even 5 evenly spaced doses a day.

 

Once you have stabilized, start a slow gradual taper down in dose.  You can adjust the taper rate as you see how you react.  I’m using a daily liquid microtaper to get extremely accurate dose reductions.  I think this is the best method to use to avoid symptoms as you taper, but some folks maybe able to tolerate simple dry cutting.

 

Just my opinion as a place to start.  Good luck, you can do this and get off this stuff

 

 

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To do it safely, do it slowly! Took me over a year to taper from 4 mg. I tapered 10-15% every 2-4 weeks. You really want to make sure you stabilize before you reduce your dose. Even if that means you stay at a dose for longer than anticipated. Do what feels right for you. I have been off Xanax for 54 days now and it was hell, but I made it. And so can you! Keep us posted on your progress and feel free to reach out to me along the way. I’m always here :) You got this!
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