Taper from Xanax for Elderly

Howdy friends,  I am helping an 84 year old friend of mine taper from long term use of Xanax prescribed by her family doctor for sleep.  She has been using 1mg for over 10 years and she is now having all kinds of issues and she wants to get off the Xanax entirely. She tried taper too fast (her MD did not give her any detailed instructions) so I told her I would research with people that have experience with this. 

She is going to have problems with cutting pills etc so I am thinking of finding a compound pharmacy that can create a set of tapering pills that will be 3 weeks at a time reducing 10% every 3 weeks.

Question:

1. Is that a good tapering rate or is it different for everyone?

2. Should she get on a long-acting benzo first and taper from that?

3. She has been using NAD to help with some of the symptoms which seems to be helping.  What other supplements are recommended?

4. Does anyone know a good compound pharmacy that makes tapering sets?

Thanks for your help!

Uursamajor

Hello uusramajor, welcome to BenzoBuddies,

Its very nice of you to help your friend but I must caution you that even a slow taper can be very painful and after the drug has been eliminated there is a substantial recovery period involved, typically just under two years.  I'm not trying to discourage you only inform because as we age, our bodies don't heal as well as they used to so it could be even longer for someone your friends age.

We typically suggest reducing the dose by about 5-10% every couple of weeks but this should depend on symptoms, its best to use them to guide us so we can remain functional.  Has she fully reinstated the 1 mg and is she now stabile?

What kinds of issues was she having with the Xanax, I would imagine interdose withdrawal since Xanax is so short acting.

As for your questions.

1. 10% every 3 weeks is reasonable but she may need to go slower, many find they need to.

2.  Many Xanax users will taper directly from Xanax, its challenging but possible, Valium is a good drug to crossover to but it needs to be done in steps to allow the Valium to build up while withdrawing the Xanax.

3. We don't recommend supplements, but many members swear by them, but just as many are harmed so what works for one, won't work for another so experimentation is necessary and can be painful since our central nervous system is so sensitive while going through this.

4. Many members use compounding pharmacies, you'll have to explore your area to find a good one, Xanax and Valium are both available in liquid form from the manufacturer if you're in the US, if not, I can provide other resources.  https://dailymed.nlm.nih.gov

Let us know how we can help and keep asking questions. 

Pamster

Colorado Consortium Benzodiazepine Deprescribing Guidelines

Planning Your Withdrawal (Taper)

Withdrawal Support (during your taper)

The Ashton Manual