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Xanax: Interdose Withdrawal and Tolerance


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Does increasing the frequency but not the daily dose of Xanax make you have a higher tolerance?

 

I take all my Xanax at night and my interdose withdrawal is getting worse.  If I split the doses up over the day will it increase my tolerance and make it necessary down the road to need a dose increase?

 

I can’t start tapering the Xanax until I am stable on it and and done with another drug taper or two but I plan to micro taper when I do as I’ve been on it for 23 years and need to get off of it.

 

Thanks

 

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I don't know of any reason why splitting your dose should have any effect on you reaching tolerance.  That seems to be more a function of how long you are on benzos.

 

I think Xanax should be taken at least 2-3 times per day due to it's short half life.  You could eliminate interdose withdrawal and stabilize fairly quickly.  :thumbsup:

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Hi:

 

I agree with Beeper 100%. Xanax has such a short half life, that it's no wonder your having interdose withdrawal effects. Splitting the dose but not updosing is not a problem. I take my klonopin three times a day, and it has a longer half life than xanax. Never had an interdose withdrawal problem, but of course, now that I am tapering, it's another ballgame.

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So now that I have switched from dosing once a day to three times a day how long will it take for the interdose withdrawal from the Xanax to stabilize?
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So it is day 5 of the change in my Xanax dosing from once a day to three times a day.  I am on 2.5mg and was taking it all at bedtime.  Now I am taking 0.5mg at 11AM, 0.5mg at 5PM and 1.5mg at 11PM.

 

The first few days nothing changed.  On day four, I only had mild withdrawal symptoms.  Now on day five I feel quite stoned.  Too stoned. 

 

So if spreading out the dose increases its efficacy then do I need to make a cut?  I'm not trying to go off of it just yet but trying to reduce the symptoms of interdose withdrawal from the Xanax or the trazodone.

 

If 0.5mg of Xanax can make me this stoned have I even reached tolerance?  This might mean it is the trazodone causing the interdose withdrawal, not the Xanax.

 

I can't be this stoned. :laugh:

 

Any comments are greatly appreciated.

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  • 2 weeks later...

 

Factors that determine the risk of psychological dependence or physical dependence and the severity of the benzodiazepine withdrawal symptoms experienced during dose reduction of alprazolam include: dosage used, length of use, frequency of dosing, personality characteristics of the individual, previous use of cross-dependent/cross-tolerant drugs (alcohol or other sedative-hypnotic drugs), current use of cross-dependent/-tolerant drugs, use of other short-acting, high-potency benzodiazepines, and method of discontinuation.

 

So increasing the frequency daily (but not exceeding your regular daily dose) for interdose withdrawal increases your tolerance.

 

Great.

 

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alprazolam

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My last post may not be accurate as I had a misunderstanding in semantics.  Cog fog and panic strikes again. :-[

 

I need your ideas and suggestions for my Xanax interdosing schedule change as it is not going well.

 

I was on 2.5mg SID at bedtime for sleep with the occasional 0.5mg-1mg for situational anxiety.  As advised here my symptoms appeared to be tolerance and interdose withdrawal.  So I began splitting the dose up multiple times a day two weeks ago. 

 

I am dosing TID.  In the morning I take 0.25mg.  In the afternoon/evening I take 0.25mg.  At night I take the balance of the dose which is 2.0mg.

 

After a few days of doing this I started to feel stoned all day and it is getting worse every day, lol! :o

 

So does this mean I have not reached tolerance? 

 

Am I not in interdose withdrawal from the Xanax?  I can hardly stay awake on 0.25mg which is crazy because i used to not even be able to sleep on 4mg.

 

Could taking it more frequently even though I am not increasing the daily dose make me this stoned even though I am taking only 0.25mg q8h twice a day in the daytime?

 

I don't think that I have moved in the last week or so.  I just want to drop. :sleepy:

 

What's up with this?

 

Thanks

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The first few days nothing changed.  On day four, I only had mild withdrawal symptoms.  Now on day five I feel quite stoned.  Too stoned. 

 

I can't be this stoned. :laugh:

 

Any comments are greatly appreciated.

 

I had to do the same thing and divided my Xanax into 5 daily .5 doses.    I can relate to this stoned feeling you talk about....some days that 3rd one you just didn't need.  Other days that .5 isnt enough and leaves you "wired".

 

I believe this is a function of your brain having lost some of it's native GABA functionality.

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The first few days nothing changed.  On day four, I only had mild withdrawal symptoms.  Now on day five I feel quite stoned.  Too stoned. 

 

I can't be this stoned. :laugh:

 

Any comments are greatly appreciated.

 

I had to do the same thing and divided my Xanax into 5 daily .5 doses.    I can relate to this stoned feeling you talk about....some days that 3rd one you just didn't need.  Other days that .5 isnt enough and leaves you "wired".

 

I believe this is a function of your brain having lost some of it's native GABA functionality.

 

In 2010 I did a rapid taper of several serotinin enhancing drugs (5HTP and chromium) and nearly died from the withdrawals.  In 2011 I did a rapid taper off multiple serotonin enhancing drugs (Prozac and trazodone) and gabapentin.  I had the worst withdrawals and was bed ridden and suicidal for around 9 months, near death again.  I realize how damaging this was in hindsight but certainly did not at the time.

 

If my brain has lost some of its native GABA functionality how is that effecting this Xanax problem exactly?

 

In your opinion Will my GABA functionality ever heal?

 

What do you think I should do about the Xanax making me so stoned?  I can't taper down or off of it right now and I feel like I am taking it for nothing regarding sleep as the trazodone I had to reinstate knocks me out completely and I have not had a panic attack in a long time. 

 

I also had to reinstate Prozac and have just started a very slow taper off of it but it has only been a week so I did not think that this would potentiate the Xanax until further down the road.  I have been on as much as 4mg of Xanax per day for over 20 years.  That is why I don't think it is tolerance and would be interested to hear more about the relationship between this and GABA functionality.

 

Thank You

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I choose to believe that your GABA functionality will return to, whatever was baseline for you.

 

in my opinion, everyone has different levels of mental energy everyday.  When I am tired, I'm less anxious and a Xanax can gork me out.

 

Just what I think..hopefully I will experience normalcy again someday.

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