Xanax support. Please advise?

So I went to my doctor this morning to try to reach out for a taper plan to get off of the Benzos for good. Of course, he was reluctant, basically saying I was only on Xanax for 5 days and it wouldn't do anything. Then I reminded him that before that, from the period of Nov 2 to 12th I had 20 .5 mg Ativan that I blew through(Not knowing the consequences of my actions, but boy am I learning that now.) In the end I have 40ish Xanax to play with, and I imagine I'll have a reluctance of him to prescribe anything more which makes me afraid. I don't live in a large town, so there isn't very many options to go to get help. This is my benzo use schedule.

 

Nov 2-9: Used 10 mg of Ativan in that space, as it was labeled I could take as needed 2 .5s twice a day.

Nov 12th to now: used 2.5 mg of Xanax first day, 1 mg second, 1 mg third, 1 mg this morning at 4 AM.

 

His idea of a taper plan is as follows:

 

Take 1.5 mg(three .5) a day for 5 days

Take 1 mg(two .5) a day for 3 days

Then .5 mg a day for 5

 

 

...

Thats' it.

 

 

To me, that would cause me unbelievable grief and I probably would have a great chance of major withdrawal which could include seizures.

 

Any advice?

 

Thank you.

I'm not on Xanax, but I am tapering from Klonopin (which is similar in strength to Xanax).  To me, that taper does sound very aggressive and I would feel uncomfortable with that.  However, perhaps others can chime in here who have actually withdrawn from Xanax and have not been on it for a long time.

 

I guess your other options would be liquid titration or switching to Valium.  If your physician doesn't work with you, is there another doctor you can go to?  I had to try several docs before I found one that I felt comfortable with.  He is letting me listen to my body and take my time in coming off of K.

 

At any rate, I certainly wish you well.

 

Sincerely,

 

fg

Hi Darkskywaves, I answered your post over on the taper board.

Thanks for both replies. As for GPs, in this town, there are little options to exhaust here. And I live in Fort McMurray Canada. Which is an oil boom town which is known for it's major drug abuse and drug problem. I suppose if I were coming down from Cocaine or Heroin they would help me. I'm sure most people are on Benzos here or take them recreationally. I don't think any one knows the dangers of them. I just hope to find someone somewhere that will allow me to do this without having to be afraid. I don't want to take a lot more because I might not quite be at the point of no return yet with the short BZ use. But I don't know that. With what I went through after the Ativan with the BP rises and constant anxiety that was involuntary, I'm sure that my body is addicted to this.

Just bumping this to see if anyone has any more advice...

imho i wouldn't do a taper or anything but run as fast as you can away from this. It's only in your favor of not being on a benzo for that long, the shorter the better. rstud

I tend to agree with rstud as you have only been on the drugs a short time and it may not be a good idea to put more 'poison' into your body.  However check with your doctor.

 

I was in a similar but different situation to you.  Check my signature.  I had a paradoxical reaction to the Xanax and was quite ill.  So I was put on a very fast Valium wean to stop the panic attacks caused by the Xanax reaction which it did.  However it must have shocked my system and I had quite bad w/ds which I am nearly (I hope) recovered from now at 6 months 3 weeks.

 

I don't regret the way I was advised though and we are all different.  Not everyone has a bad time of it.

 

Angel

Hi darkskywaves,

 

Have you told your doctor you have concerns about your BP? and worried about having a seizure? I would really try to seek a second opinion from another medical professional (I know you are in a small town)--but maybe you can call some hospitals and ask them what they think. Also maybe you can ask the pharmacist where you get your prescription, what they think about how quickly you're tapering the Xanax and your BP is rising.

 

I also agree with fishingguy that you can think about titration or asking to cross-over to Valium for a smoother taper.

 

 

Been there- both short term quitting and 3 yr stint. I really do not think that you need to waste energy worrying about seizures. That scenario is relevant to those who cold turkey from high doses and way more use than you have had. I think a 10% reduction every three days worked well for me after my first short term use of xanax. Many short term users do not suffer w/d with a  taper. I know there are some who do, but I would agree that your best bet is to just get off. And stay off. And don't project worst case scenarios needlessly.

best,

Susan

I told my doctor everything. He again, like many other doctors, doesn't see an issue with these pills. Even it is short term. From the horrendous withdrawal I got from taking even that little bit of Ativan, I can only imagine if I c/t'd off of this Xanax now, I'd be a definite risk for sure. I tried already to see how it would play out and stopped for 33 hrs. It was fine for that long, but after, I had uncontrollable shakes, my head was nuts, my heart rate was high and my BP which is usually quite low was quite high. not STROKE levels mind you, but since my father had a stroke at a young age and all of his side of the family has high BP, it's a worry of mine, big time.

 

It's a very large debate inside of me right now. Should I just stop and see what happens and risk a seizure or major complications, or should I taper knowing that I may not get Valium or even more Xanax in fact and use the 40 pills I have now(.5) to taper as slow as I can with.

 

I'm just very very much afraid for my life right now. Reading the scathing reports on the benzo.uk site doesn't help either =/

I recognise that awful reaction to the Xanax and I can understand your fear.

 

I think you have answered your own question and should taper then.

 

I don't know what to advise about getting more Xanax I'm afraid but am sure someone will be able to advise you appropriately.

 

Good luck and please don't read the horror stories.  Being a short-termer is probably in your favour.

 

You should get your BP checked by the doctor too.

 

Angel

 

 

I wouldn't c/t the Xanax, but as northofhere has said, you are at a very low risk of a seizure on that low of a dose short-term. I would just try to do a 10% taper with what you have left but talk to my doctor about my concerns.

Thank you all for reassuring me of these things. As I have GAD and health anxiety I am a major worrier. But I want to come off these drugs(I came off of Lexapro c/t probably 4 months ago now?) and deal with my problems in a natural way. I know I will have issues, but as long as I won't die or have a seizure or a stroke.(HA at it again.) I can overcome.

 

Thank you all.

 

Northofhere, so I should try 3 days of 1 mg then cut it 10% and go from there? That sounds like it should work. is 10% more or less like, .125 +.75? or is that too much? Sorry, my literary skill is top notch, but my math has always been rather poor. Haha.

I also have a question. Is it a good sign that it seems to last a long time in my system despite the idealogy towards the contrary? Like I see the half life is supposed to be 6-12 hrs. So if I feel no real significant w/d after taking .5 mg every 12 then when I cut it the one day(not c/ting again) i didnt see a bad symptom til 33 hrs later, should I basically see that as a great sign?

I would consider it a good sign.  I know that I can now go past my time when I am supposed to take Klonopin and I don't notice any immediate effects.  Sounds like you're improving to me.

 

fg

darksky, I read my post to you this a.m. and realized I said the wrong thing,sorry. I said I wouldn't taper but i meant I wouldn't cross to valium. If you are already having w/d issues from such a short dose I would taper w/ xanax. I did a cross over to valium because i had a seizure and it scared me. I had been pescribed xanax for much longer and much more mg. than you though. although crossing to valium works for some people it is imo just prolonging the w/d. I would talk to a doctor that is more benzo wise and get a second opinion. I have heard many horror stories about ativan in small doses. keep in mind i'm just a dumb *** drug addict,rstud

 

Edit for language.

I also have a question. Is it a good sign that it seems to last a long time in my system despite the idealogy towards the contrary? Like I see the half life is supposed to be 6-12 hrs. So if I feel no real significant w/d after taking .5 mg every 12 then when I cut it the one day(not c/ting again) i didnt see a bad symptom til 33 hrs later, should I basically see that as a great sign?

 

Darkskywaves,

 

It's not an ideology that Xanax has a short-half life. That's correct that it has a half-life of 6-12 hrs. Everyone's body chemistry is different and the duration of action (response of your body to the benzo or lack there of) can vary between individuals.

 

I think it's a good sign that you didn't see a real significant w/d after dropping down-- you are not on a huge dose and you have not been on it long--but if it were me I would taper slowly. We can't know that your bad symptom (BP went up?) 33 hours later was from your anxiety or w/d--my guess is that it is anxiety about your w/d, but again, I'd talk to my doctor about my concerns.

 

1mg of Xanax is equivalent to 20mg of Valium, so again, it's best to taper slowly.

 

I think you should go back to the taper board and ask about a 10% taper plan, but feel free to keep posting here too. 

(I'm bad at math too. )

 

Just an FYI, I was able to taper Xanax at a higher rate than 10% and tolerate it fine and I'd been on it much longer than you. I switched to a less potent, longer acting benzo when I got down to a low dose because it was getting difficult--but that is most likely because I'd been on it for almost two years.

 

We're all here for you.

 

Did you cut 10% every week? or every couple days??? I imagine since it was a longer stint, it was week or weeks. I was going to try a couple of days. Not sure though. I'm in 16 hrs in between .5s so. Starting to feel stomach sick though this morning. I just hope I don't throw up. It doesn't seem that vile yet. Muscles are a bit tighter as well, HR is up but not too badly. Im just debating fast or slow taper.

 

Fast: Might give me a hell ride, but in my mind the quicker I get off the better. (and by fast i mean cut every 3 days.)

Slow: Might build too much of a tolerance and in the end make things worse off for the long run.

 

I'm not sure.

What pills do you currently have now- Ativan, Xanax, or both?  I have "cold-turkied" off of both, like an idiot, but I was at a much, much higher dose, and for years longer. 

 

I don't think you're in the seizure risk category.  But I understand having GAD will make you think you're going to have a seizure, and reading scary stories doesn't help!  But tell me what meds you have so we can do a taper plan, to at least reduce your anxiety.

Right now I'm taking 1mg of Xanax, I was off of the Ativan c/t for about 5 days and my BP was high, had major leg discomfort, had extreme weakness. Didn't know what it was from. Freaked. Doctor prescribed Xanax. Obviously, everything got honky dorey. Took 2.5 mg of Xanax the first day but thats the only time I took that high of a dose. The rest of the days which is up to 6 now? I've taken 1mg really spaced out between about 12-16 hours. a .5 tablet every then. And it's generic Xanax if that helps. Ive heard theyre less potent cause they contain more filler material.

 

 

I've kinda got an idea of a taper plan, was thinking of cutting 12.5% every 3 days. But I'm not too sure if it's wise or not. I want to do DT off of Xanax cause I've been on it a short time and I don't think my doctor will prescribe Valium cause he doesn't think the phenomena of Benzo withdrawal exists, even with a short term usage table.

 

If you have ideas please let me know. Thank you everyone so much. If I wouldn't have found this board and done my research I could have taken those pills for ages and not known. I wish you all the best in your recovery as well. I know you're in deeper than me, and I'll never pretend I'm as bad off. You guys have amazing strength and courage. I hope to achieve even minutely that amount in this time of need.

 

Thanks again.

 

Roger.

A direct taper in your case seems appropriate, considering your length of usage and your doctors ignorance of benzos.  Valium also causes depression... Xanax tends to relieve depression, so a DT seems fine for you. 

 

To do a dry cut, split your 1 mg pill with a pill cutter-- You can get this for about $3 at any pharmacy or major chain store if you don't already have one.  I would do 1/2 mg for a week, then 1/4 for a week.  At that point its rather difficult to continue dry cutting a tiny pill, but since you've only been on it for less than a month, you shouldn't have major problems going from 1/4 or an 1/8 mg (if you're good at the handy work) to nothing.

 

As far as the generic vs. non generic goes, it depends on what state you live in.  The FDA has a national standard that says a generic can't be 20% more OR less in main ingredient than name brand.  That's quite a lot.  In the state that I live in, the standard is luckily only 1-3% difference.  You can look up your state or ask your pharmacist if you're curious. 

 

So happy you didn't get caught in the benzo trap! 

I'm going to try a direct taper, hoping that my minor use will allow it. However, I worry about it because of the Ativan 10mg(basically, i took it over 7ish days, 1.5 mg a day)

Having the bad thoughts creep back into my head. Solace anyone?

Will I need the Ashton taper not to suffer major symptoms?

Hi darkskywaves,

 

I know you are worried, but you have taken the Ativan and Xanax for a very short time, as you have said "only minor use". You stopped abruptly and had symptoms, which undoubtedly frightened you. Tapering will be far more gentle.

 

I think banana has given you sound advise. If it were me, I would try not to worry and just take this day by day. There are many members here who were on much higher doses for much longer and they are doing fine tapering slowly. It is very good that you found out about benzo dependency very early on.

 

We will be here to help support you through this and you will be okay.

Thank you so much. I just always worry worry worry. It's constantly on my mind. I get periods of knowledge that I shall overcome, but it's always overshadowed by my seemingly devout belief in fear. I have to quell it. I'm very glad I found this board. So very glad. 

 

Thank you.

Thank you so much. I just always worry worry worry. It's constantly on my mind. I get periods of knowledge that I shall overcome, but it's always overshadowed by my seemingly devout belief in fear. I have to quell it. I'm very glad I found this board. So very glad. 

 

Thank you.

 

Well, one buddy here wrote about their difficulties with negative thoughts. They said that every time a negative thought like fear or worry entered their mind they would replace it with a positive thought. I've tried that a lot since I read that and it works really well for me. Also I read daily meditation books sometimes to help me get my mind on a better track.  We're glad you're here too.