Xanax Xr and Withdrawal?

I"m on a high dose of Xanax Xr.  I started at a low dose of 1mg of Xanax Xr  = (.5mg) taken twice a day sometime early last August.

At one point I was on Lexapro 20mg, Zyprexa 5mg,  and the low dose of Xanax Xr.  Just before all this for about 6 months I was taking 2 to 4mgs of Klonopin daily and noticed I was sleeping more and my anxiety was growing and I was waking up feeling sick.  Like an idiot I attempted the cold turkey thing because I was already so sick.  And there was a time before this that I was taking 2 5mgs a day of regular Xanax to help with panic attacks.  (I abruptly stopped using chewing tobacco) and had my first panic attack..  I attempted a fast tapper and because my symptoms would not subside after 40 to 50 days,  they put me on Klonopin.  Like I said,  I was using the Klonopin for about 6 months before it made me sick and after once again having symptoms persisting,  "jelly legs", stiffness in my mid section and anxiety  for over 50 days my New Pdoc put the label of "Panic Disorder" on me  because he still doesn't believe that the symptoms were related to the benzo because I had been off of them for so long.  So he finally put me on the Xanax Xr.  By early Feb.  My anxiety was again growing and my pdoc opted to increase my Xanax Xr to 2mgs per day.  By the end of Feb/early March my pdoc wanted to to take me off of the Zyprexa because I was gaining too much weight.  My anxiety shot up and we decided to try a high dose of Xanax Xr.  6mgs.  3mgs(x2) as well as taking me off of 40mgs of Paxil and starting an MAOI Parnate.  (Sound like a nightmare yet?)  The idea is to get the Parnate to a level where it will help me titrate off the Xanax Xr.  Finally,  my question:  I'm starting to wake in the morning with dizziness?

I know it could be my body adjusting to the parnate,  but when I take my first 3mg dose of the Xr the dizziness eventually goes away?  Is it possible for me to be going through Xanax Xr withdrawal at such a high dose already?  It keeps me sleepy,  but only works for about 8 hours on my anxiety.  My theory is that I awake in the morning with my body needing a Xanax fix even though it is a XR version?

Thanks for  any feedback.

Hi ozneb1,

Welcome to BenzoBuddies! Have you told your doctor about your morning dizziness? This could be caused by the parnate as that is a side effect and since you just started taking it and just started getting the dizziness, it does sound like this could be the cause. You really should alert your doctor to this just to ease your mind and make sure their are no other problems

So, you are saying you were put on all these different medicines just because of stopping chewing tobacco and a panic attack? You could have w/d symptoms for a long time after being on klonopin at that high of dose for six months and quitting cold turkey. I'm not that familar with xanax xr, but it is possible you could be having interdosal withdrawal symptoms when you wake in the morning. I would suggest that if you want to get off these meds again, you do a very slow taper to avoid unbearable w/d symptoms. Hang in there, others should be by to offer their opinions.

T2

Oh dear God! He has you on an MAOI for what is essentially benzo withdrawal. Typical shrink who treats the symptoms and not the cause by giving more and more drugs. Your story is my story. I am now benzo free, and so far, touch wood, the severe symptoms are gone. I suffered for three years in the "tender loving care" of a shrink who was unwilling to admit that benzos were the cause of my problems. I was admitted to a mental hospital, was put on MAOI's and was even administered ECT. None of the drugs helped because they did not treat the underlying cause of my problems. As I insisted all along the problem was benzo tolerance, which I suspect is true of you also.

Yes, I do believe that the Xanax XR still probably has a very short half life compared to say Diazepam, and it wouldn't surprise me at all if you are going into withdrawal already when you wake up. However when one is in tolerance even on valium, for most of us, mornings tend to be the worst.

Other than maybe the Lexapro I doubt very much that you need any of the other drugs. Personally I felt better when I stopped all the mood stabilizers and anti psychotics, and MAOI's were the worst of all the drugs in terms of side effects for me.

This bloke is shooting in the dark. He belongs to a medieval medical profession and he has no idea if what he is doing will work. In my case, since the symptoms were being treated and not the root cause, the extra meds only made things worse. This is happening to myriads of people all over the world today and it's a tragedy.

I truly hope we can help you here. Please read the Ashton Manual here and let's see if you and we can strike up a relationship that will lead to your freedom from Xanax and benzodiazepines in general, and where you can get your life back under control.

:thumbsup:

Tony

Oh dear God! He has you on an MAOI for what is essentially benzo withdrawal. Typical shrink who treats the symptoms and not the cause by giving more and more drugs. Your story is my story. I am now benzo free, and so far, touch wood, the severe symptoms are gone. I suffered for three years in the "tender loving care" of a shrink who was unwilling to admit that benzos were the cause of my problems. I was admitted to a mental hospital, was put on MAOI's and was even administered ECT. None of the drugs helped because they did not treat the underlying cause of my problems. As I insisted all along the problem was benzo tolerance, which I suspect is true of you also.

 

Yes, I do believe that the Xanax XR still probably has a very short half life compared to say Diazepam, and it wouldn't surprise me at all if you are going into withdrawal already when you wake up. However when one is in tolerance even on valium, for most of us, mornings tend to be the worst.

 

Other than maybe the Lexapro I doubt very much that you need any of the other drugs. Personally I felt better when I stopped all the mood stabilizers and anti psychotics, and MAOI's were the worst of all the drugs in terms of side effects for me.

 

This bloke is shooting in the dark. He belongs to a medieval medical profession and he has no idea if what he is doing will work. In my case, since the symptoms were being treated and not the root cause, the extra meds only made things worse. This is happening to myriads of people all over the world today and it's a tragedy.

 

I truly hope we can help you here. Please read the Ashton Manual here and let's see if you and we can strike up a relationship that will lead to your freedom from Xanax and benzodiazepines in general, and where you can get your life back under control.

 

:thumbsup:

 

Tony

 

 

I'm at day 19 at 30mgs of the parnate.  My docs theory is that he can raise my level of the Maoi enough to reduce my anxiety then once that happens I can start my tapper.  So far the parnate just gives me high blood pressure.  At first I could drink a little coffee,  but it's starting to interfere.  He doesn't agree with the Ashton method and titration sounds too complicated for me.  I've also done lexapro and Paxil 40mg.  He has diagnosed me with "panic disorder"  because when I attempted to to "cold turkey" off the Klonopin last year and made it 50 plus days, he said that the "benzo" wasn't a factor in my anxiety.  I believe my anxiety is 90% benzo related.  I have to be back at work on June 4th and I stand on my feet "entertaining"  for 8 hours a day.  I am seeing a CBT and it has helped.  I've learned to give the anxiety less importance.  I'd really like to find a way off the parnate,  but the doc wants me to give it some more time....

I'm at day 19 at 30mgs of the parnate.   My docs theory is that he can raise my level of the Maoi enough to reduce my anxiety then once that happens I can start my tapper.  So far the parnate just gives me high blood pressure.  At first I could drink a little coffee,  but it's starting to interfere.   He doesn't agree with the Ashton method and titration sounds too complicated for me.  I've also done lexapro and Paxil 40mg.   He has diagnosed me with "panic disorder"  because when I attempted to to "cold turkey" off the Klonopin last year and made it 50 plus days, he said that the "benzo" wasn't a factor in my anxiety.   I believe my anxiety is 90% benzo related.  I have to be back at work on June 4th and I stand on my feet "entertaining"  for 8 hours a day.   I am seeing a CBT and it has helped.  I've learned to give the anxiety less importance.   I'd really like to find a way off the parnate,  but the doc wants me to give it some more time....

In my case the MAOI's only made the anxiety worse because taking them just added a whole list of symptoms for me to worry about. Were I in your shoes, knowing what I know about myself and benzos now, I would seek out another doctor. Perhaps you might find one on the following list?: http://www.benzodocs.com

I too was diagnosed with Generalized Anxiety and Panic disorders. But I never had either before the benzos.

Good luck.  :thumbsup: :thumbsup:

Tony

He doesn't agree with the Ashton method.......

what part does he not agree with? crossover, slow reduction?