Someone please help me with taper

I am 52 years old, been taking Xanax since 1995, had brain operation (I had 2 brain aneurysms) in 1994 which was OK considering the worst. I started taking Xanax per Doctors orders, take .25mg+.125 piece 3 times a day ( at one time it was up to 4mg a day and tapered to where I'm at now) and want to quit, but very slowly. I do not want to take another medication to withdrawal from, as I am 100% disabled I do not work, Live off a Veteran Administration pension.

This is all going to be on me as I am single, live alone. The brain operation left me a few fries shy of a happy meal, well I really don't know what the brain operation did or the Xanax has. I don't dream at all, it's just black when I sleep, can not talk right, can not walk right, have blurred vision, double vision when looking at computer or reading, not TV unless reading something on screen, bad short term memory loss, hard to fall asleep at night, get angry quick, short temper, no death perception in eyes, have had 2 eye operations to try and correct double vision and death perception, no luck, so I wear glasses with prisms.

Anyway I want to quit this xanax but very slowly as I do not want alot of withdrawal pains. Yesterday I reduced my xanax to the above.

What should my next move be and how long, Im in no hurry. I read alot on the subject so I know alittle about this, the only other drug I take is 50mg of Atenolol for blood pressure.

I take the xanax 3 times a day, I can follow the chart you have here, but if I was only taking 1 time a day, but I'm lost on how many times and how much each time, thanks. I learned the hard way cuts have to be small.

Xanax was not prescribed by brain Doctor but another here in Panama City, FL for not liking to be around alot of people, man if I knew then what I know now.

 

Hi Lobo,

 

If I understand you correctly, you now take 0.375mg threes a day, total of 1.125mg. Since you don't want to try other meds (I assume you that you are referring to the possibility of switching to Valium, or maybe Clonazepam, and then withdraw from that), you could try out titration method: http://www.benzobuddies.org/forum/titration-tapers/titration-instructions!/msg55024/#msg55024 It will allow you to make very small cuts to your dose, and to spread these cuts over the day to help keep blood levels as even as possible.

 

I think you may be referring to our 'Stepping-Off' table. For many, that's probably all they need, but it's not that simple for the rest of us. Pill-spitting often isn't refined enough, especially for benzos that come in small potent pills, such as Xanax.

 

If you have any questions about titration, please, ask away. It would be advisable for someone to double check your figures for you anyway. The technique is pretty simple - I may have made it seem more difficult than it really is - I need to work more on the instructions.

I get my meds from the Veterans Administration, can Doctor order the small doses I may need, how many times a day do I need to take this, it's 3 now, where should next cut be?

 

Take at these times .375

 

8:00 AM

 

2:00PM

 

8:00 PM

 

The Doctor said cut 0.25 every 2 weeks, thats to much for me. I tried was OK until I reached 1.25mg a day, I then tried to cut 0.25 and thought I was going to die. Added .125 to the cut to make total of 1.125 a day. Already tried to get Doctor to switch me to valium for half life but he would not do it. My major concern is a schedule maybe someone would make for me, I'm lost, Doctor is living in another world, and no their's no other head Doctor here at this clinic. I have plenty of the xanax, 1mg pills, .5mg pills and tons of the.0,25 pills, thanks.

Hi,

 

In your shoes, I think the first thing I'd do is gradually move the times that you take your meds. It would probably be better to take the Xanax 8 hours apart, or as near to that as possible. As I said though, do it gradually by extending the times just a little each day.

 

Sticking with Xanax should be manageable using titration. Our method involves grinding up one whole tablet and adding it to homogenised milk. The benzo powder clings to the evenly distributed fat in homogenised milk, and by discarding a proportion of the benzo-milk solution, we can manage small cuts.

 

Since you are using 0.25mg tablets, your first benzo-milk solution will have to account for that you take four-and-a-half tablets per day. If you following the instructions on the page I linked to, you will make up the solution (using a full tablet) and then discard of half of the solution to account for the half-tablet you don't need. Using a whole tablet is more accurate.

 

Before we work out the numbers for you, we need to decide upon what is reasonable rate of withdrawal for you - this should be based upon your past experiences. In the past, you were making 0.25mg reductions - how long did you allow before making a new cut? What I need to know is the details of cut that worked well for you. I need to know the dose that you were on, and the amount you cut from that. I also need to know how long it took before you felt reasonably recovered and ready for the new cut. From these three things I can work out the rate of withdrawal that works for you and give you the exact numbers that equates you need for the titration method we use.

I am going to try and get closer to 8 hours between cuts. I am going to try and cut a 0.25mg pill in quarters and cut a quarter. I see Doctor again in August and will tell him his way is not going to work, he's going to have to do something. Last time I cut .25mg, that was to much, way to much, so I added .125 back, that is where I'm at now. I get by on .125 cuts but should be smaller  which I can cut the pill untill I see Doctor, this is a trip, as if I don't already have enough on my plate, what to you think. I cut once every 2 weeks.

Hello There & Welcome to Benzo Buddies

 

First, you can be rest-assured that Colin is a fantastic guy to talk to about tapering and especially titration. 

 

Also, if you want to get to know any of the other members and/or get more support yourself on a steady basis, you may want to consider starting your own blog.  If you're interested, just click on "Forum", scroll down to the third section (The Nexus) and click on the first square "Members Blogs". Then click on "NEW TOPIC" and then start your blog: Simply give your blog your own title and then introduce yourself.  Just share a little about yourself, your benzo history, and whatever else you want to add.  Other members will then begin to say hello and offer support. 

 

Getting to know other members on the site is very helpful, especially when you are having a hard time on your taper.  It's amazing how much the support from others can help you get through your taper and make you feel more optimistic and not alone.  Creating supportive relationships with other members is sometimes a life-saver when we are going through the rough patches.  So, hope you give it a try! 

 

Well, Good Luck and Welcome Again!

 

Maggie

Whats the best way to get off this mess, keep cutting till I'm taking .125 3 times a day, then what?. I am going to see Doctor again but last time he said he would not switch me to valium which I wanted to do for half life reasons, I'm completely lost, I'm too messed up brain wise from operation, now this, to mix my pills, someone please tell me what to do, I really don't need support, but a plan yes, thank you.

Hi Lobo,

 

Of course you can continue to cut another 0.1.25mg from your daily dose every-so-often (every couple of weeks, say, but whatever suits you), but you might find that you reach a stage where 0.125mg cuts are unmanageable. Perhaps you will be able to split your pills further, but I know that can be very tricky with Xanax tablets. Anyway, if pill-splitting becomes impossible, let us know and we will work out some titration numbers for you. It is pretty straightforward.

 

Also, you need only cut 0.125mg from one of your daily doses in stepwise fashion (leave the nighttime dose till last each time) - just in case you were intending to reduce by 0.125mg from each of your daily doses - don't do that!

Who would have ever thought one little pill could be like this. .125 is alittle to much, next cut will be half  that (0.0625) and then hope when I see Doctor he will switch me to valium, he's going to do something!