Ct is only thing to save me

Hi I’m new here.

I was put on xan 16 years ago when my brother passed for insomnia. Started and 1mg ended up at 3.5mg. Last June I stopped drinking for last 2 years and then felt really odd so started to taper off xan in July. Since then I’ve come down to 2.25 mg. Well I’ve lost 40 lbs, and the bemzo don’t work at all anymore. And when I say don’t work I mean I’m about to be in acute type worhdraw. When I take it it makes me feel awful. My brain is way off and at this point it’s only destroying me further. Please what’s your thoughts. I know ct is brutal. But I feel it’s my only way to live

Hazzard1976, you've made good progress with your taper since July.  Going cold turkey can be unsafe so I really encourage you not to stop taking Xanax suddenly.  I do hear you about feeling terrible when you take your dose but rathen than stopping altogether, perhaps you could consider a more rapid taper?  Are you working with a doctor or are you doing this on you own?

On my own. If I mention to dr. He will cut me

You could do a more rapid taper....but it will also suck.

Stopping CT can be dangerous, most people try to crossover to a more long acting benzo like valium and then taper from there.

That is, IF your doctor would prescribe and help you crossover?

You said he would cut you? Is it because you are taking more than prescribed? If you are there is no judgement here. Just trying to help you with your options!

 

If you did a rapid taper in a facility, they usually do a VERY brief crossover to a long acting benzo for like a week or so and CT it

That sucks too! Then they will offer you more drugs as well. Now it can be helpful to do it in a place that can monitor you, it's better than being alone. However, it can still be dangerous there too.

 

Over all, according to Ashton and most of the benzo wise doctors, the ideal way to get off (especially if it's short acting like Xanax) is to crossover, stabilize, and then slow taper to try and minimize wd symptoms. It's considered the safest

 

Some of us could never stabilize or for other reasons ended up rapid taper or CT....or both. It's hell.

Overall, it's all hell ...but you gotta decide what the best for you is, and hopefully have a doc that is supporting you!

No I never even took as much as he prescribed. Always took less. What I meant is if I tell him the xan isn’t working anymore he may just ct me anyway. Cut me off. Something is bad wrong. This all started in July of last year. It was like a switch went off in my brain Amd I haven’t been right since. I’ve tapered 1.25 over the last 7 months. But only gotten worse and bemzo gives no relief.

According to my primary care provider......if you're drinking while on these things, your "effective" dose is higher than what you're taking.  So, depending on how much you were drinking, your effective dose, or the dose your brain was perceiving..... may have been higher than 3.5mg, making your cut to 2.25 a lot more drastic over that period of time.  How did you feel on 3.5 before you stopped drinking?  Did you feel OK until you stopped drinking?  Sorry to confuse the situation even more.  Very best of luck to you no matter what you decide. 

Yes I was ok on the 3.5 while drinking. Then stopped drinking and started taper and boom

Yeah...that's a tricky area.  What the brain interprets two shots of Fireball or any alcoholic consumption as being in terms of equality to a benzo, or if it even works that way, I have no idea.  Every now and then, I enjoy a cocktail or two myself and I assume I am doing myself no favors while tapering this drug.  Again, best of luck to you.

Yeah, if you quit drinking and started tapering at the same time....it will definitely have an effect.

Have you tried going back up a little to see if you stabilize? And then try an even slower taper?

Xanax is very tricky to taper because honestly it's just so dame shirt acting!