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Is sleeping twitches the symptom of post-withdrawal or tolerance of Alprazolam?


[ch...]

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hello, everyone, it is nice to see this forum here as there is no such thing in my country.

 

I am 33 years old and I have taken 0.4mg Alprazolam per day since 2019 Mar after I was diagnosised Panic disorder. At first my doctor asked me to take 0.4mg Alprazolam and 25mg Sertraline per day. But I stopped the Sertraline because of the side effect. 5 months later I realized that I need to stop taking Alprazolam.

 

I started to reduce 1/4 of 0.4mg, it seemed ok for me but one month later I felt facial spasm when I awaked in the morning, I felt strange as I never suffer this symptom in my life. I began to realize that maybe it was the symptom of withdrawal when I read the Ashton Manual. So I did not pay attention to this effect and it disappear after some time. Few weeks later I started to reduce another 1/4, 0.2mg per day, I also felt ok as it did not have any effect on my sleep.

 

But I got lazy and tried to avoid facing it and lost the motivation to cut the dose. From 2020 Mar to 2021 Aug, I kept on taking 0.2mg per day. Untill one month ago, I felt my muscle suddenly twitched when I was in nap at noon. I was not comfortable because when I tried to sleep again, it started to twitch through my body ramdomly. Sometimes it was my arm, sometiems it was my leg, my neck, even my teeth would crash together. It started every time I tried to fall asleep. I was very nervious about this symptom as I was easy to have insomnia when I felt my muscle move. I went to hospital to check NMR, the result is good and my doctor suggests I need to take back to 0.4mg Alprazolam and Duloxidine 20mg per day.

 

I am perplexed because I don't know the reason why I will go through this, is my reduction too rapid? But when I think deeply, it is almost one year after I cut to 0.2mg per day, will the post-withdrawal happen so late? Someone say this symptom reflect anxiety so does my doctor according to her prescription. Is there anyone who suffer the same sympton as mine? Please tell me how to solve, thanks everyone to make advice here.

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Chris,

I don't have this symptom but I don't think it was caused by cutting too fast as I read that once you went down to .2 you were there for like 16 months or so ---- it may be that your body is needing more of the med (tolerance) and you will have to decide if you want to slowly taper or go up.

 

but cutting from .4 to .2 was fifty percent decrease -- if you are gong to taper rather than go up in dose -- please choose a slow taper off of the .2 ---- like no more than 10% a month (and that is fast for many)

 

 

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Chris,

I don't have this symptom but I don't think it was caused by cutting too fast as I read that once you went down to .2 you were there for like 16 months or so ---- it may be that your body is needing more of the med (tolerance) and you will have to decide if you want to slowly taper or go up.

 

but cutting from .4 to .2 was fifty percent decrease -- if you are gong to taper rather than go up in dose -- please choose a slow taper off of the .2 ---- like no more than 10% a month (and that is fast for many)

 

Thanks to your reply. Actually I prefer your idea, I also think that it was not by cutting to fast, if it was tolerance, it will be too bad, as I don't know when there will be a new symptom occur if I continue to take this. I am now struggling to decide to take my doctor's advice or just follow my previous plan which try to tapering the dose.

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my sense is to go with your gut.  but take it very slow -- even though .2 sounds like a small amount -- -you still want to go slow with it. 

 

yes, some other symptoms might arise but now you know what they are -- and they could just as easily arise if you increase the dose as well. 

 

I'm sorry you are going through this -- but look at it in a positive way -- you gave your brain a long time between the .4 and the .2 reduction and even though you aren't feeling well -- your CNS appreciates that time and healing was happening --- now you just have to continue to try to allow yourself to continue to heal

 

best of luck

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