Matthew123

Hey my name is Matthew I’m 26 and I’m on my fifth week from being sober with alcohol. Seven weeks ago my anxiety came back and it’s been over five years since I’ve had it. I’ve been prescribed Xanax since I was 21. I haven’t needed to take a Xanax in years until seven weeks ago. On my first two to three weeks when my anxiety came back I was taking .5 mgs 3 to 4 times a day. On my fourth week I was taking to a day on my fifth week I made it down to 1 to 2 a day on my six-week I was taking a half a mg. So since I’ve came up on my seventh week I tried to get off them. I went 2 days without one and I started to feel bad again. So I took another .5. The next day I didn’t take one at all the day after I took another .5 . And then I want to day without them and then I took a .25 the next day and today I took a .25. What I’m asking is can I have a with drawl from only a month and a half of taking Xanax. Has anyone else experienced this. And then I want to day without them and then I took a .25 the next day and today I took a .25. What I’m asking is can I have a with drawl from only a month and a half of taking Xanax. Has anyone else experienced this? and the past 3 to four days I have been feeling out of it like brain fog. I felt brain fog on my third and fourth week of quitting drinking but ever since I went those two days without Xanax it came back. Can this be alcohol with drawls still or could it be a with drawl from when I quit taking the Xanax, or can they both be playing the role ?How long will this last if I’ve only been on Xanax for a little over a month and will I get back to normal?

goodbyeevan

Everyone's body is different. My body adapts very quickly to drugs and alcohol. If I drink 2 or 3 beers for 3 or 4 days, I will get withdrawals. My bf can drink a bottle of whiskey and be totally fine. I never took xanax that consistently so I don't have any personal experience withdrawing from it. You should make an appt to see your doctor to find out these answers.

treeguy24

No way to know for sure. Some people get more easily dependent then others. Best person to talk to is a doctor.

CobraCommander

you can def get addicted to xanax within one month. i was prescribed the for years and only took about 3 a year total. when i got off oxycodones my dr upped my dosage and convinced me to take them. well i did but since my taper from oxy was so long i had to take xanax a long time. within a month the xanax was putting me into withdrawals. they should be for emergency situaitons only imo not detox. klon is better for detox. either way thats the downside of getting off pain meds or alcohol or anything else is most people get hooked on benzos. which is a total mind ****. since i recently stopped taking vycoden i went from 0.5 klon once a day on vycoden, to not almost 4 klon a day. and even when i dont need them i end up randomly dry heeving out of no where from a klon withdrawal and know i have to take one because it feels like my heart is exploding. but yes with xanax the withdrawals for me were so horrible i thought i was going to die after a month. xanax is short and powerfull meaning it stops the attack immediately but wears off immediately sending you into another attack which then sends you into a infinite loop. klonopin is alot weaker and lasts longer and usually is just strong enough to balance you out enough to get by. most drs who know what they are doing wont prescribe xanax regularly. recently a friend told me a dr gave her xanax AND klonopin, i said good lord theres no need to be on both of those! so imo yes from what i read and what i been hrough it only takes a month to get dependant on them. and after a month they start doing more harm then good. thats assuming your taking them everyday. as for getting off them. im still trying to figure that part out. ive had anxiety since i can remember in first grade so i think im screwed. i tried a few times getting off them and i just couldnt mentally do it it felt impossible. i just dont have 3 months or whatever to lay in bed crippled and dizzy, i live alone with no kids or gf so i have no help.

iamsolost

Hi Matthew. With my first round of Ativan, I started having interdose withdrawals after only a 3 week period. I consider I was fully dependent on Ativan within 1 month of starting it, and when 3 months rolled around, and I had no more, I ended up drinking to try to relieve withdrawal symptoms. It did not work, and I have begun a whole new cycle of Ativan, after breaking down at my psych's office. It's a long story, but yes, I believe you can become dependent on benzos within a month. I also believe, as a long-time binge drinker, that you could be having alcohol withdrawal still, and the Xanax might only be compounding it. Or the other way round. It seems like one antagonizes the withdrawal effects of the other, IMO. I'm not a doctor, but it seems like you have been tapering pretty well. If I were in your shoes, I'd stick with it.

Pathwaytofree

I was under the impression that Klonopin is the type of anti anxiety medication one takes daily, and that Xanax is the type of anti anxiety medication taken in the event of a severe panic attack??

Forward12

"Nobody gets hooked on medications they actually need"
I also have a severe anxiety disorder that is treated with a benzo. You are on a very small dose and that is a good thing. Keep following with your docs and take the lowest amount with therapy to keep things in check. And of course stay away from the booze.

AllOrNothing

Hi Matthew. First, congratulations on your alcohol recovery! As to your post, I'm kind of in the same boat as you with the xanax, except your taper is much better than mine. I'm currently waiting for replies to my first post regarding my situation.

I've spent days reading about xanax. From what I've learned, xanax is very short acting, so IMO, you may be prolonging your detox when you go a day without it and then dosing again. I could be wrong but I think that starts the cycle over again.

When you say you "feel bad" what are your symptoms? From my research, we're going to have insomnia, anxiety, and maybe other symptoms. There are many alternative supplements for the symptoms. Have you tried any? Do you want info on this? I'm happy to share if you're interested but don't want to bombard you if you're not.

And to answer your question, yes you can become dependent on xanax very quickly, even after only 2 weeks. The good thing for you is your doses have been low enough and short term enough that you should be able to get thru this. The problem with xanax is that it changes the brain chemistry, and that's what makes it so hard to quit.

My advice is to jump off Now, especially if you are going so long between doses. If that doesn't work, try cutting your dose down to 20mg by shaving some off. Then, down to 15mg. If that doesn't work, you may need a long term benzo taper from your doctor. Last thing I want to do is give bad advice, but I do think you are probably at a good jumping off place.

From what you posted, I think you're on the right path. You are young and doing well to make these changes now. Please don't wait til your my age (59) because it never gets better. Only worse. I believe you will get past this and live a healthy happy life.

Let me know if you want more info on managing your symptoms. This is an area where I do have a lot of knowledge and experience. Xanax is nothing to take lightly. It's ruined many lives. I'm interested to know your progress, as xanax is a new problem for me and I'm concerned about my own problem with it.

Take care, I'm rooting for you!