Xanax Weaning

[carly500]

Hi Housemum I was slowly taken off xanax from a dose of 6mgs quite a few years ago. This was before they knew to switch someone over to a longer lasting med. It took a long time because of the high dose but I never seemed to have a problem with the taper. I read that people should stay away from the benzo place because of the horror stories. If I can help in anyway let me know. Carly

[Baseball65]

I had the good fortune(LOL!) of checking in to a rapid detox for Narcotics,that pulled the "zero tolerance" stuff on me once I was in.I told them I'd been on benzos for years,and had no intention of quitting,but they felt obliged to make me stop anyway....good ol' fashion"throw 'em in the pond and see if they can swim" mentality.
Needless to say,I was very sick...sicker than people kicking H...I've posted about that horror show many times.Went from 6 mgs of xanax plus 45 of restoril and 10 of valium per day to ZERO.
I almost had to be sent to the e-room from the detox.

I resumed using them after detox,and just as I told them when I checked in,have NOT abused them...the only reason I had driven the dose up so high was to reduce the shaking brought on by the Hydro/morphine combo I was addicted to.I'd been on 1 to 2 mgs for a decade and only drove up my dose as I bottomed out on painkillers...maybe 3 months worth.

I now take 1 to 2 mgs a day,but ONLY as needed.
Like today 4 instance....I was relaxed all day so I only took 1/2 mg...no withdrawal or panic.I have switched to rotating sleep meds...I only use restoril
(tamezapam) about once a week.Sonata,ambien and natural stuff suffice on other days if I need anything.

The only positive lesson learned was: Don't try to kick CT,and only take it when you really need it...sometimes I was eating them to"prevent" panic attacks/anxiety...now I only take it if I definitely feel the volume rising.
DEFINITELY taper and DEFINITELY let an MD know whats going on.Its their job to keep you alive!!!

--Baseball

[marich101]

Hey, My problem was with Valium not the Xanax which as we all know are in the same family. That being said, I took them for 10 years without a problem. My Dr was totally agreeable and would even change my script every now and then to say they were being used as muscle relaxer so the drug police wouldn't say anything. In '90 I was in the hospital for minor surgery and went into seizures, was in ICU for 2 days. Very scary for me but obviously not scary enough had a refill so after I got out of hospital guess where I was headed.
But I have to say with all that happened, I think if I had it all to do over again I would still take them........I'm I guess what they call "high strung" doesn't take much to set me to spinning.
My Dr blamed the seizure on the anest..sleeping stuff and the morphine I had in the hospital, never told him I took 50 5mg in the week before I went in the hospital. I just took my experience and went and found me another DR who gave me the xanax and never had a big problem with them...........would just feel antsy at times when I didn't take them. But I never let myself get so caught up in them like I did the valium........Gosh I loved those things.
Talk about feeling comfortably numb........
Guess I'm letting myself get away from the point here...do be careful they are very addicting and potentially dangerous. I never knew til it happened !
Marilyn

[flintrock]

Xanax is probably the worst drug I can thinnk of. Why any doc would put anyone on it I don't know. Withdrawal is so bad. There are so many alternatives out there......but the docs seem to not care. I know docs who won't prescribe it. they are smart and good docs. In my opinion...........hang in there and hope you can get off them!!

[windysan]

There is a guy named Howard on this board who checks in periodically. He has done a CT and has done a valium taper. He knows a good bit about the taper thing. I know that it isn't easy.