Xanax 4 sleep?

[indo]

I'm a heavy heavy marijuana user and am on day 2 of quitting. Last night I spent hours lying there waiting to drift off. I finally did, but I know this insomnia will only get a lot worse as I progress. I have a friend who takes xanax, and he has extra so I can get them anytime.

I know it's risky using this stuff(extremely addicting) but if I took say, .25 mg on those sleepless nights, would that be alright?

I would only use them if I layed in bed for over an hour and still couldn't sleep.

[WLDKATZ]

this site isnt to say yes run out and do just that, we are here to help you threw the nights you cant sleep or your legs hurt cuse you want that next took to relax enough to rest I have smoked weed for more than 18 years and yes it is addictive, but xanax is just a cop out......you will find your own true worth and strength if you do it without any type of cop out smokes drinks ect..........try a hot shower a long walk keep busy enough you fall i nto bed exhausted, watch a bad movie, stare at the ceiling until it blurs together, read the bible ( sorry it does work ) read war and peace. try hot tea (dont use honey though it is a sugar and will hype you up) good luck in what ever you do I just pray that you dont use someone elses meds, if you think you need medication go to the dr and just be honest with them......it works.................I guess I am just saying dont trade one addiction for another.............best to ya!



Good Luck,
Pamm

[kittens5]

You need to ask a doctor and get a prescription for yourself. Don't use someone else's medication....not only is it illegal, but it could kill you. I have a prescription for xanax as needed for anxiety/sleep, and it works great for me...but everyone is different. What works for one person, can kill someone else. You don't want to go to sleep and not wake up! Please see a doctor. It scares me when people try to self medicate. I work in the medical field, and have seen some bad things happen to people from taking the wrong medicine for them...or too much..or meds that interacted with other meds....please be careful.

[serenityqueen]

Please, please, please, don't start messing with Xanax. They are one of the most addictive medications out there, and one of the most abused.

OK, you're on day two. It's natural to be having problems sleeping, concentrating . . . all kinds of things. It's normal, it's natural, everyone experiences these symptoms trying to get off any drug. But if you mess with Xanax, you're looking at a whole hell of alot worse problems. It's very easy to get dependent on Xanax or any "sleep aid" in a very short period of time, then you'll be going into detox to get off the Xanax.

If you keep telling yourself that things are only going to get worse, they will. The mind is a very powerful thing. We can convince ourselves of just about anything. I have read about women who want to be pregnant so bad that they can convince themselves that "they are" to the point of not having periods, gaining weight, breasts becoming engourged.

As an addict, which I am, we tend to only think about chemicals as being the answers to our problems, kinda goes with the territory. Try some other things to help you sleep. Eliminate caffeine, don't eat anything heavy for several hours before you want to go to sleep. Take a long, hot, relaxing bubble bath, read (not any kind of book that will scare the crap out of you and have you keeping one eye open all night in case you have to chase off the Boogie Man lol)

The first several days are naturally going to bring about a lot of changes, but you will get your sleep back on track, that I promise you. I know it's hard going without a sufficent amt of sleep but remember, no one has ever died from lack of sleep. You'll fall asleep.

Hang in there, keep reading and sharing. Not only is SR a great support system but with someone on 24/7, hang out here until the eyes get tired. I know staring at a computer screen does make me really tired after awhile.

God Bless,
Judy

[indo]

Hmm. Well the second post kinda made me agitated. I don't like when people say you will die from taking it. It wouldn't be on the market if anyone ever died from a .25 mg dose, I'm just saying. But I REALLY REALLY appreciate your help for trying.

I have tried going to a doc but they try to give me Prozac or Wellbutrin. Most docs are freaked out about benzo's.

I have read about people being prescribed Ativan (benzo) for marijuana induced insomnia. So thats what gave me this idea.

But if you all really vote against it, I will go with out.

Wildkat, I know what you mean. When I do this without using any sort of crutch, it will be a lot more rewarding in the end.

Thanks everyone.
I'll update this thread as I go along

[oliver]

Talk to your Dr. about Prozac, and try working out when you can't sleep, accupunture works as well. 2.5 yrs and this is what helped me. Good luck.

[indo]

Prozac, and all anti-depressants, freak me OUT.

I don't touch em. If something can remove your orgasm completely, then theres SOMETHING up. haha

I workout but i'm on break today. And the long workout yesterday seemed to hardly help sleeping at all. But I'm sure it helped some.

[serenityqueen]

indo, the reason Dr.'s get so freaked about Benzos is the fact that they are sooooo addictive and also that for many, many people who start out on .25, soon that's not enough and they either take two or start asking for .50 and the game is on.

I don't think Kittens meant anything other than to help. Not trying to speak for her or break any anonynomity, but her and I are both recovering addicts with pills being our DOC. My DOC was opiate pain pills (as I believe her's also) and I started out just taking one pill for pain. Fast forward many years later and near the end of my active addiction, I had to take 20, yes 20 of these pills in order to just get up and take a shower and get ready for the day. The one "dose" went from 1 pill to 20. I was using on average 70 - 80 pills a day! That's how this addiction cycle works.

No one on here wants to see you get into the mess with pills that we did. Please find other ways to help you with your insomnia other than Benzos. There are other medications, if you get them from YOUR doctor, that help with insomnia that aren't addictive.

God Bless,
Judy

[indo]

Yeah I know what your saying serenityqueen. I know that once a doc has prescribed something like that, they are inclined to keep giving it to you. Another reason they don't like doing it.

Woah, thats crazy! May I ask what you were taking?

Pills actually already have ****** my life up (E-pills)
But lucky, I'm finally starting to feel normal. After being a E tard.

Now I'm just focusing on removing the devils leaf from my routine haha.

I really appreciate your help. It means a lot. I've been struggling with this for a while. For some reason it was a lot easier to quit cigs than weed. People say it should be the opposite

[WLDKATZ]

I hope all is well with you today and you got sleep finally

[Jrock75]

I'm addicted to Marijuana myself. I believe I smoke it to self-medicate. (and I like the buzz) What are the legal alternatives though. Alchohol,Prozac,Xanax(withdrawl can cause seizure and death),Prozac + Abilify (ever see the side effects to that?) I think I'll continue to self-medicate TYVM.

[indo]

I got to sleep fairly easy last night. A lot easier than I expected. I got a lot of sleep too so I feel good today.

Yeah Jrock I know what you mean, I'd rather self-medicate with weed over any man-made chemical. But I'm the kind of person that weed has a bad effect on. After about a year, I realized my personality changed from being outgoing and always trying to meet people, to an anxious recluse.

A lot of people agree with me on this, these days the skunk is over 10x as powerful as it used to be. It really does a number on your head. I'm sick of that stupid pothead feeling.

Yes, Xanax can cause death and seizure, but I've read stories of people taking 20mg a day for over a year and going cold turkey. Still lived to tell. They may have gotten PTSD from the experience,(lol) but they are alive!

[lifeinchaos]

Serenity,

Thanks for your posts. I am recovering from addiction to xanax and vicodin, both given to me by my dr. 5yrs ago. Addiction creeps up on you with these medications.

[Jrock75]

I would just like to add that my attack on the majority of psych meds wasn't aimed at the users of said drugs,but the makers and "pushers"(drs) of them.
I find it very hypocritical that we tell people to not take illegal drugs to run away from thier problems,when there's several legal classes of drugs that enable people to do exactly that.
I apologize,I tend to rant when I get inspired. Peace

[lifeinchaos]

Jrock, I don't think anyone would take that personally...When I turned to my dr for help for my anxiety 5 yrs ago, I NEVER thought I would be here today. Good luck on your journey and Good For You! My son is doc is marijuana, and only since he's been in treatment do I see exactly how hard it was for him to get away from the daily use. Keep fighting, no matter what it takes.

[indo]

I'm sorry to say guys, but I've been using the Xanax on occasion. Not to sleep, I use benedryl for that. On my 3rd day in I had a bad panic attack at school. So I gave in.

I got two 1mg pills from him, so I wouldn't have the option to take a bunch. I cut them both in fourths so I can take .25 if I really panic. I've only had to use them twice so far. I'm on day 6 now so I'm getting close to day 10.

I told myself that once I reach day ten, I'm flushing whatever is left. But I'm being careful guys. I just can't take those panic attacks. That's what makes me give in every time.

I feel I have a good grab on this thing though, I've been feeling really good. Untill I'm in a big group of people

[emmer]

I'll give ya a gentle warning about xanax/klonopin whatever........
you play around with them and you will get burned.
I started off taking a very small amount and made my way up to 13-18mg a day.
Even at that they didnt help with sleep at all (tolerance)

The withdrawal was something from hell. Go there, and you'll never forget it.
I'm a 225lb man who doesn't cry but coming off it I balled and begged and wanted to die many times over.
The only reason i didnt shoot myself coming off it, was ..... I couldn't come up with the courage.

[RayRayRay]

Your drug history sounds a lot like mine....

I just put up with the withdrawal, used a lot of breathing techniques for anxiety, used the hours of wakefulness to write or play computer games

The large groups were hard, but I just kept to myself in the beginning. Just tried to keep things simple and focused on staying away from drugs. If I caught myself having an attack, I went outside and reminded myself of why I was doing this.

I don't have panic attacks anymore.

I would be very careful using one drug to cope with the withdrawal of another....Sounds like an addict's rationalism (which usually got me into a whole lot of trouble).

[historyteach]

Indo,
A good med for anxiety and sleeplessness both is trazadone.
Please do talk to your doctor.
Taking xanax illegally is playing with fire.
Especially when there is something available, safe and easily gotten through your doc.
I do hope you'll consider.

Shalom!

[Jrock75]

I looked up Trazadone on wikipedia and it looked promising till i read.

"A person who abruptly stops taking Trazodone, even in doses as low as 25mg (common for use as a sleep aid for people with anxiety disorders), may experience adverse mental reactions such as emotional instability, depressed mood, and suicidal thoughts. Although such warnings may be included in printed materials supplied with the drug, physicians prescribing Trazodone, particularly those who are not psychiatrists, might not give oral warnings."

I'm sorry but personally that's a bit worse then having to smoke bud the rest of my life. The only problem I have with marijuana ever is a monitary one.

My suggestion is you just deal with the anxiety/sleeplessness that goes along with marijuana withdrawl,or you wean yourself off smoking less and less everyday
(goodluck with that I've weaned myself down just to binge and smoke like SnoopDog a week later several times) The way I look at it the pitfalls are less with weed versus Psych meds.

[fultang]

This is just my opinion.
But it might help to not look at things like that.

Xanax doesn't have to be as addictive as you're convincing yourself that it is.
I mean, what is it about xanax that could be so addictive?
The fact that you might start to rely on it to sleep?
Because it doesn't give you a buzz.
It just makes you tired.

So even if you become dependent on it to sleep, it's not like an opiate that you'll sell everything you own for.
It's not gonna make you lose everything you care about.

So just take it easy with it.
If it helps you sleep for the next week or so while you're adjusting to life without marijuana, that's a good thing.
If you convince yourself that you're gonna end up addicted to it, then you're sabotaging yourself.
Life is a mirror that reflects back at you what you think into it.

[Morning Glory]

From our rules.

10. Medical Advice: No Posts giving medical advice, medication advice, or psychiatric advice. Do not use the forum to give or ask for professional medical or psychiatric advice. If you are a medical professional, please remember the forums and chat are for peer support only and not to be used for distributing professional medical advice and/or using the forum to represent your professional services. Medical and Psychiatric advice includes giving a diagnosis, treatment plan, medication advice and dosage suggestions, over the counter and natural home remedies that should be approved by medical professionals. Detox can be dangerous and life threatening at times. Please consult with your physician.

I know it's risky using this stuff(extremely addicting) but if I took say, .25 mg on those sleepless nights, would that be alright?

This a question we can't answer. You'll have to seek advice from your physician.

indo, please start a new thread to seek support that doesn't involve questions about medication.

Thank you,
MG