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Xanax Withdrawals...

Old 03-15-2012, 02:18 PM
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Xanax Withdrawals...

I'm NOT asking for.medical advice. Just curious if anyone had withdrawals weening off Xanax? I'm prescribed 6mg a day, but usually only take 3-4mg. I was prescribed xanax and a blood pressure pill as Im a recovering (sometimes relapsing) alcoholic. Just wanna hear what your method or experiences were when Getting off this benzo, I know cold turkey quitting can cause seizures.
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Old 03-15-2012, 03:01 PM
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@jc76 I myself have often used Xanax/Valium/Ativan/etc.....but never had an addiction myself. From what I've heard and read thus far though, it is not something you just jump off. It can cause serious complications and seizures. It does need to be tapered down to a reasonable dose before jumping, this is something you should talk about with your doctor. Others I'm sure with actual addiction experience will be able to give you a better understanding of what to expect. Good luck.
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Old 03-15-2012, 03:16 PM
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Basically what SDB said. Taper off. Also, depends heavily how much and how long you've been doing. Most I ever did was 3 mg day for 2 weeks when I was having a bad time with anxiety. When I stopped, I had a little trouble with sleep and that's it. Now, I have heard some horror stories about people who've been on it for months at a time and they were abusing it heavily... Bad news there and if you've been taking in large quantities - don't ask us! See your doc for that one. As with all Benzos - they can be dangerous to stop if you've been abusing them.
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Old 03-15-2012, 09:38 PM
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Six milligrams is high dose. I was on a much higher dose of Klonopin.

Do consult your doctor on tapering. Benzos are normally prescribed for a few days during alcohol detox. Drinking and taking Xanax for an extended period of time will set you up for a world of hurt.

I do question any doctor who prescribed Xanax to a recovering or struggling alcoholic for an extended period of time at that dosage.

If you have been taking the Xanax for many months and the doctor just tells you to stop, get a second opinion.
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Old 03-16-2012, 06:31 AM
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Definitely talk to your doctor. Obviously, as you stated, no one here can give medical advice. From what I've seen in the clinic, the tapering of xanax depends on both the dosage and how long the patient has been on them. You say 3 - 4mg per day, but for how long? I have heard of doctors prescribing a 10mg valium to take at night to help sleep, and then the patient starting the taper off of xanax, from 3 mg/ day, and decreasing by 1/2 mg per week. Slow taper. When they get down to the half mg, then some continue down to .25 /day for a few weeks after that. I have heard many patients, always under medical care, state that this has worked for them. But again, if your condition warrants you taking the xanax, (anxiety, GAD, panic attacks) taking as prescribed, imo, is not the same thing as abuse.
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Old 03-18-2012, 12:54 AM
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Originally Posted by jc76 View Post
I'm NOT asking for.medical advice. Just curious if anyone had withdrawals weening off Xanax? I'm prescribed 6mg a day, but usually only take 3-4mg. I was prescribed xanax and a blood pressure pill as Im a recovering (sometimes relapsing) alcoholic. Just wanna hear what your method or experiences were when Getting off this benzo, I know cold turkey quitting can cause seizures.
I have been on anywhere from 2-8 mg of xanax per day for many years and am attempting to sober up. It's been my experience that xanax withdrawals can be very tough. A doctor may want to switch you over to another benzo with a longer half life for a taper, since xanax has such a short half life. Since xanax withdrawal can be dangerous, you'll definitely need to talk to your doctor.
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Old 03-18-2012, 12:55 AM
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Originally Posted by jc76 View Post
I'm NOT asking for.medical advice. Just curious if anyone had withdrawals weening off Xanax? I'm prescribed 6mg a day, but usually only take 3-4mg. I was prescribed xanax and a blood pressure pill as Im a recovering (sometimes relapsing) alcoholic. Just wanna hear what your method or experiences were when Getting off this benzo, I know cold turkey quitting can cause seizures.
Xanax is the hardest of all drug to get off of once you are physically dependent.

6mg of Xanax is equal to 120mg of Valium, very few doctors would ever consider prescribing such a massive dose.

Xanax dependence is directly related to dosage and length of use. It is complicated by alcohol.

Although withdrawal can be horrific it is directly related to the degree of dependence so if you are only using it short term in detox you should be fine or only have annoying withdrawal symptoms.

If however someone has used Xanax regularly for 10-15 years even at dose as low as 1mg it can take years to recover.

It's all relative but this is the last drug anyone should "fool with."
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Old 03-19-2012, 10:19 AM
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I talked to my doctor when getting off of Xanax. He prescribed me a anti-seizure medication to take while he tapered me off of the drug. It kept my head from spinning and helped my anxiety. Don't try doing this alone!
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Old 03-19-2012, 03:14 PM
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When I got clean I decided I didn't want to be on Xanax any longer and my Dr. put me on a taper schedule. I was on about 2 mg a day for about 2 years. The withdrawals were pretty unpleasant I had a lot of anxiety, pressure in my head/irritability and some twitches. It took me about to a month to get off, but I'm happy to say I'm Xanax free and dealing with my anxiety in other ways. Exercise helped me with my anxiety a lot when I was tapering! It still helps a lot today. Best of luck to you!! If u ever are struggling and need to talk to someone who has been thru it send me a message.
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Old 03-21-2012, 11:21 AM
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i did my own taper and it took about 8 months and i hardly felt it. cut back every monday, at first it was larger cuts and down to the last day i was only taking a crumb and it was easy to stop that crumb after a week or 2. good luck
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Old 04-02-2012, 12:25 PM
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Benzo have some of the nastiest w/d symptoms on earth
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Old 04-02-2012, 08:09 PM
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Most people who have been on high doses on benzos for long periods of time have some horror stories. Mine included a cold turkey attempt from 8 mg of Xanax per day, atlhough I've come off higher doses, but the 8 mg in June of 2010 was the worst thing I've ever experienced.

It's vitally important to be working with a doctor or at the very least, a nurse practitioner on this. Some people don't experience withdrawal symptoms, others get absolutely brutal symptoms. No way to predict but the longer you are on, and the higher the dose, the more likely you'll have severe symptoms.
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Old 04-08-2012, 06:59 AM
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6mg is a lot. I took Xanax and Klonopin for over a decade. I'm currently tapering off the benzos using the Ashton Manual (crossed over to Valium because of it's longer half life) - withdrawals are insane. I've been tapering for over a year now. Slow and steady wins the race when it comes to getting off these evil drugs. It's been hell. Not everyone experiences the withdrawal syndrome though. I am sick because of this but I am coming off of them the proper way now. Lots of depression, insomnia, and anxiety is worse than it was before starting the medication. I quit Xanax cold turkey and ended up in the ER. And I tapered off Klonopin too quickly and ended up having a seizure 7 days later. Please seek the help of a doctor who knows how to probably taper.
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