need help with xanax taper please

little history i have been on 0.5 xanax one daily at nite for last 2 years decided to quit i went down to 0.37 on wed. today i went to doctor for help this is how he has me tapering will this work please help me i want off real bad. i was not put on this for panic attacks my husband was killed and dr put me on this.also since i lowered my dose other then a headache and not sleeping as well i am doing ok.

week 1

0.37  of xanax

week 2

0.25 zanax

week 3

0.25 xanax 4 days then 0.25

klonopin for 3 days see-saw back and forth with them

week 4

0.25 xanax every 3rd day with 0.25 klonopin on the days not taking xanax

week 5

just 0.25 klonopin every other day

week 6

just 0.25klonopin every 3rd day

week 7

0.25 klonopin every 4th day

then stop completly

 

Hi Stella,

 

Welcome to BenzoBuddies.

 

I would suggest a far gentler taper. Perhaps you will be able to manage the taper you have outlined, but most of our members would feel very unwell following this taper plan. What dose Xanax tablets do you use? Xanax is available in 0.25mg tablets, and you probably could quarter these into doses of 0.0625mg. This would allow you make cuts half the size you are proposing.

 

Another problem with your 'see-saw' approach is that Xanax has a short half-life of 6-12 hours. This means that after 24 hours, your blood levels of Xanax will drop to somewhere between a quarter and a sixteenth. Blood levels will increase at a similar rate of speed if you increase your dose. This means that this 'see-sawing' will not average out over the days, but rather your blood levels will keep dropping and shooting back up with each change - this is very confusing for your GABA receptors, as they need to addapt - a steady dose is the only sensible option. It would be far better to use 0.25mg tablets, quarter them, and use an intermediate dose instead.

 

If you follow the above advice, 7 days between each cut might be achieveable, but you might well require longer. Most people make these cuts every 7-14 days, but milage varies a lot - some requiring even longer than 14 days between each cut.

 

 

Edit: typos.

Thank you Colin for your reply and locking my other post.

i agree this taper sounds crazy i did not pick it my doctor did.

everything i have read says i should add the klonopin and taper off the xanax

how would you think i should do it? i have both the xanax and klonopin

my pills are the 0.5 size but i am down to 037 since wednesday

i can easly split them into forths if needed.

thanks anyone for any help i want to do this right.

Swapping over to Klonopin is another question - sorry, I overlooked this in my original reply.

 

On paper, Klonopin should be easier to taper, but the anecdotal evidence suggests that it is tough benzo to quit too. The reality is that people do react differently, to some degree at least, on different benzos. Although Klonopin has a much longer half-life, the smallest dose tablet available is 0.5mg (twice that of Xanax). This means that your smallest practical cut is twice that of Xanax by pill-splitting. However, we do offer help with making up a liquid from your benzos, and this means you can effectively split your tablets into 100ths! This makes tapering off so much easier. The downside is that it does tie you to kitchen somewhat, as you will need ton prepare the dose each day using a measuring cylinder. What do you think?

thank you and yes if i can taper with just the xanax and never add another drug i will be thrilled. i am willing to make a liquid. on wed i plan on cutting back on the xanax to 0.25 just help me go lower from there i am determined to quit and will.

i quit smoking over 10 yrs ago i smoked 2 packs a day for 20 yrs

i quit drinking coffee in sept. so i have the right mind set.

I only took the xanax 1x a day in the evening

Hi,

 

What I meant was that if you switched to Klonopin, you can make very small cuts by titrating your tablets. This is a decision for you to make.

 

I assume your doctor equates 1mg Xanax to 1mg Klonopin - yes?

yes thats right he went from 0.5 xanax to 0.5 klonopin i have both.

would it be safe and ok to just stay with the xanax and on wed

cut back to 0.25 then 7-10 days later go to 0.12 stay there for 7-10 days then

try cutting that or going every 2 days for a week. and never going on the klonopin

my main question is ..is it possible to taper just off the xanax safely all i read is people getting seizures and that scares me is the taper i listed in this post safe

 

Unless you suffer from something like epilepsy, your risk of seizure by quitting from your present dose - even by a cold turkey withdrawal - would be vanishingly small. This does not mean, of course, that quitting all in one go is good idea!

 

You can taper directly off the Xanax. Some might argue that tapering with Clonazepam would be a little easier, but I think it is swings and roundabouts. Add to this that fact that you are willing to titrate Xanax if need be, means that any possible advantage of Clonazepam is very small. There is always the small risk for problems with any substitution (the pharmacological effects of different benzos are pretty similar, but not identical), so sticking with the devil you know might be a slightly safer option. There are slight advantages and possible downsides with all options, so it really is up to you. There is no 'right' answer, only what feels 'right' for you.

thanks Colin for all your help and info i will try the slow xanax only taper

can you tell me how i would titrate Xanax if i felt i needed to.

Hi

Yes someone can help you with titrating, you might want to go to the forum board and look at the titration threads to get an idea.

Bobers

Start a new thread on this board. You will need a 100ml measuring cylinder marked with 1 or 2ml increments. I will devise a schedule for you based upon the requirements you supply. Read the sticky thread on the Titration board.

thank you i will post for that info when i get to where i can no longer split my pills

it will be a few weeks before i get there.

another question every where i read it says to taper every 7/10/14 days before i knew this i made a big cut from 0.75 xanax to 0.37 i have been on the 0.37 for 7 days really no bad withdrawls i do get a headache daily that comes and goes never bad enough for a tylenol and a few heart flutters nothing else.

my next cut will be to 0.25 can i start that tonite or is 7 days to soon.

remember my biggest fear is a seizure will a cut this soon put me at risk?

thanks for any info

i feel great and want to be free

Hi

It depends on how you feel if you feel alright go ahead and cut, you may want to take the dose you decide on split into two doses due to the short half life of Xanax, unless you have sleep problems and want to take it before bed time

Bobers

thanks i always only took it to sleep so i better keep it there. wish me luck all tonite i will cut to 0.25 on my way to be free....

Hi,

 

Unless you suffer from something like epilepsy, there is no risk of seizure at this kind of dose. Not that I would recommend it, but you could stop all of your Xanax at this dose without risk of seizure. The risks are associated with higher doses, or for those with certain medical disorders.

Really Colin that makes me feel so much better and safer like i said thats my biggest fear. i think to be safe i will go to 0.25 for a week if i do ok then drop to 012.5  for a week then completly stop. all of this depends how i feel in the next few days with the new cut tonite.wish me luck

 

Remember, make new cuts only once you feel reasonably recovered from the previous cut. Also remember, you can always switch to titration if you do hit a wall. One way or another, you will get off!

Colin i have been on the 0.25 since wed nite remember i only take the xanax at nite i feel great no problems other then sleep which has always been my problem.

wed i plan on cutting again to 1/4 of the 0.5 pill so i guess thats what 0.12.5?

from there i cant cut my pill any smaller do you think after 1 week at that dose if i feel good i can just quit or should i switch to titration from there i dont want to stall and take forever as long as i feel ok. thank you

Hi Stella,

I did the same taper as you, only with klonopin, which is about equal in potency. Yes, I quarter of your .5 will be .125mg. If you like, you can go to liquid titration at this point, or even now, before your next cut. Or another option, you can crush a quarter pill, split it into 2 piles, making each pile .0625mg. Then you can eat one and save the other for your next dose. just stick a damp finger in it a lick it up! It's a little bit crude, but it works, and it's simpler than liquid titration, especially when you are down so low already and would only have to do it for a short time.   

eljay at what dose did you stop. did you crush your pill or do the liquid

thanks

eljay at what dose did you stop. did you crush your pill or do the liquid

thanks

 

No, I stopped at .125mg. Just cutting. But everyone said I was crazy, lol!

Don't do what I did, unless your taper is going fine and you have minimum of wd effects.

thank you for the info so far i am doing good no problems i will see how it continues after i make the cut wed nite

eljay how long did you stay at .125 dose before you just stopped taking them?

3 weeks.

Really had no problems until about 1 month out, when I got insomnia. But I'm pretty sure this is hormonal and I've begun treatment for that.