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Tapering from Xanax While in Tolerance


[Fi...]

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I'm trying to taper from Xanax. I have been in tolerance withdrawal since November, but didn't realize it until mid-January. My nerves are on fire all day long. Tinnitus is unbelievable.

 

Facts:

-Was on .5mg every night for about 8-10 months, but could have been longer. My memory isn't what it used to be.

-Took heavy antibiotics in November, which careened me into nerve pain and tinnitusville.

-During the last week of antibiotics I took a second .5mg dose anywhere between 10am and 6pm. It took the nerve pain and tinnitus away.

-Nerve pain and tinnitus went away four days after antibiotics, so I stopped the extra dose of Xanax.

-About a week later the nerve pain and tinnitus came back.

-A week after that I realized my nightly dose wasn't working at all and I was experiencing waves of anxiety and terror before going to bed, which I've never experienced before.

-I went back up to two .5mg doses, one at 9am and one at 9pm for a week.

-Did my first taper of .25mg the next week. I split my dose into three .25 mg doses taken at 9am, 3pm, and 9pm.

-Felt like crap the first week, but noticed in the second week that the mouth burning and most of the nerve pain had disappeared for about five days. Figured this was a great sign, as it was the first time it let up in months.

-After those two weeks I did my second taper of .125mg, which came off of the 3pm dose.

 

Everything came back this week, plus brand new symptoms.

 

So, I'm thinking of cutting the next taper down to .0625 and seeing how I do with that. But my question is, if I've already been in agony for the last two months, should I really hold these tapers really long if it's not bringing me any relief. I'm fine waiting the two weeks, but I'm wondering if there is a benefit to waiting any longer if I'm just going to stay in pain the whole time. Does anyone have any words of wisdom?

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My feeling is you cut too much too fast and it caught up to you so my advice would be to hold this dose in the hope you'll somewhat stabilize.  Reductions have a way of piling up at a certain point, I've watched members do fine until it catches up to them and then they have to hold until things settle down.

 

The purpose of a taper is to use the drug to mitigate withdrawal symptoms so you can function, reducing quickly will just make you hurt more on the way down, it doesn't mean you'll be symptom free once off the drug.

 

Each of us is different and only you know what you can handle in terms of symptoms but if you need to participate in your life as you taper then I'd slow it down.  Most members deal with symptoms once off the drug as well so you may need to plan on this taking longer than you thought it would.  Have you read this post?  Four Phases of Withdrawal-Where Are You?

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I read the four stages, thank you! From everything I've read, I know I'm probably in for a long journey after I'm off, it just sucks that I can't start really healing until I'm off. I suppose everyone has those thoughts at some point. I will hold where I'm at until I start to stabilize, and will do a smaller cut. It's crazy that the guides doctors go off of say to cut 25-50% every one to two weeks. That's just nuts.

 

Thank you for responding and sharing the information. I appreciate it.

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Hi FinnishLine:

 

I concur with Pamster above...IMHO, ur taper schedule may be a bit too rapid and your body hasn't had time to adjust to those dose cuts.. I am also tapering off of Xanax but have been doing so since 3/20..:(..I cut only .125mg at a time which is about every month or so. When I hit  .625 I stayed on that dosage for about 2 months..:/..(during the crazy holidays)..

 

We also need to realize that as we get to those lower doses and continue cutting .125mg that is a larger percentage cut...so your body most likely will notice it more..I think the general consensus is to keep cuts at 10% or less..

 

Good luck in this process..the light is definitely at the end of the tunnel!!:)

 

Cinnabar

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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