Looking for help

Have been taking .125 mg Xanax daily  for 5 or more year and i want to stop.  I’m not sure if i have a physical or psychological addiction

Hello T4nnisdog, welcome to BenzoBuddies,

 

I'm glad you've found us.  I can only speak for myself but I had both a physical and psychological dependence on benzos.  Given the length of time you've been on Xanax, it would be wise to taper off and not quit cold turkey.  We at BB support a slow taper to get off benzos, generally no more than a 5-10% reduction every two weeks or so.  I've given you a link to the Planning Your Withdrawl message board where you can find information and support with the taper process:

 

Planning Your Withdrawal (Taper Plans)

 

Here is a link to the Withdrawl Support board where you can post about symptoms and such:

 

Withdrawal Support (during your taper)

 

I hope you'll find the support here that so many of us have enjoyed.  This is not an easy process but it can be done.  Let us know how we can help you.

 

Best and again, welcome,

 

Kate

 

 

Do you have any idea if such a small dose (1/4 pill of a 0.50 mg Xanax) can be addictive or cause dependence?  Also if there an easy way to cut the pill even smaller to taper?  Sorry if those are stupid questions

Xanax is a powerful drug and yes, they are addictive and can cause dependence no matter what size the dose is.  When our brain senses the drug it makes accommodations for it by changing how it functions.  You can assess if your body has become dependent by answering some questions.

 

What do you take the pill for, is it anxiety, panic or sleep?

 

What time of the day do you take your pill?

 

When it's nearing time for your next dose, do you feel any discomfort, increased anxiety, jittery?

 

Have you ever tried to stop taking the Xanax, if so, what did you feel?

 

Not everyone will have difficulty discontinuing these drugs, you may be one of the lucky ones.  And yes, you can taper from the pill, we have members crush and weigh their dose on a jewelers scale or use liquid titration.  Xanax also comes in liquid form making it easier to taper.

Do you have any idea if such a small dose (1/4 pill of a 0.50 mg Xanax) can be addictive or cause dependence?  Also if there an easy way to cut the pill even smaller to taper?  Sorry if those are stupid questions

 

Yes, it absolutely can. I have a prescribed dependence of 14 years with xanax and have been tapering for ten months. My starting dose was 2 and a half mgs. Cutting the pills is tricky. Most would recommend a micro taper or switching to liquid.  I'm still cutting my pills with a razor blade but it's hard to get them even.

Pamster I typically take Xanax for anxiety and the anxiety around waking up at 4 am and not being able to go back to sleep.  Occasionally I will use it during the day but mostly at night. I'm having a lot of stomach and intestinal issues lately and I'm concerned that may be from the Xanax withdrawl;  they seem to subside when I take a dose, even 0.125 mg.  When I've tried to stop I've never made it more than 48 hours without having a migraine type headache or lightheadedness/dizziness and that always scares me back to the pill.  Hope that help explain the situation but I guess its good to know that even at such a low dose I can suffer from withdrawal as it wears off and explain some of the bizarre things I experience when trying to get off the medication.

Yep, I'd say your body is dependent on the drug and Xanax has a very short half life meaning it leaves you high and dry much earlier than other benzo's.  I feel you would benefit from a slow taper using one of the options I mentioned previously.  Or you might consider crossing over to Valium because it has a longer half life making for a smoother taper.  Be prepared to feel withdrawal symptoms but I predict when you're free from the drug and recovered from the damage its done to you, you'll feel a lot better. 

 

When we become dependent on them they actually begin to cause the issues we took them for originally, panic, anxiety and insomnia.  Your digestive issues could also be the result of the drug, many of our members can attest to this, we call it benzo belly. Professor Ashton talks about it in chapter 3.  The Ashton Manual

 

Thank you.  I will plan to speak to my MD Monday and see if a switch over to Valium and then taper down from  that makes the most sense and thank you for the Ashton Manual link-looks like alot of great info. 

You may get some push back from your Dr about switching to Valium if you're in the US, many don't see the benefits and most will see your dose as so small you shouldn't even need to taper from it.  But you've definitely been displaying classic symptoms so do your best to advocate for yourself, this is your body, your taper and should be your choice. 

 

Here is a link to benzo equivalences.  https://www.benzo.org.uk/bzequiv.htm