Ready to take charge of my own life now

Hello, I am 57 years old. Started taking xanax in 2013 after a long struggle with anxiety. I take 0.25mg daily sometimes a 0.5 if its a bad day but only that much a few times a month. I want to stop taking it and currently under the treatment of a psychologist doing EMDR therapy. I'm afraid to stop the xanax even though my MD and therapist both say it would be easy considering the dosage. I don't take any other meds.

I am looking forward to support and know I can do this. I am a second year Karate student (green belt) and have great outlet for stress reduction, so I think I'm finally ready to take the big step to stopping the xanax. Along with the help of my EMDR therapist. Need help with tapering off, and the support to do so.

Hello CatieBug,

Welcome to BenzoBuddies, we are glad you are here!  Your introduction post is heartwarming - I'm glad to hear you are feeling confident and ready to let benzos go from you life.  Having an outlet like karate for stress reduction is important when we give up the meds we've been relying on.  I know you are on a small dose of Xanax but I encourage you to do some reading here before you decide how to proceed.  We suggest a slow taper from benzos with reductions in dose around 5-10% every two weeks.  We base this on the Ashton Manual, the resource we rely on for tapering.  Going slow tends to minimize withdrawl symptoms and to allows you to stay functional.

I've put some links below to get you started.  Please let us know if you have questions or need help.

Again, welcome,

Kate08

The Ashton Manual

Planning Your Withdrawal (Taper)

Withdrawal Support (during your taper)