[Xanax Abuse] Recent Binge

[LIT]

Recently I was taking xanax on and off (99% on) for the past two months. One day after buying fakes I experienced something I could only explain as a panic attack. My heart was pounding, nothing felt right, I thought the bunk pills were pressies of another drug and I had taken a potentially harmful/fatal dose. I could barely be around my girlfriend and not even home felt comfortable.

That was a red flag to stop, so I did. The rebound anxiety has been unreal though, to the point where I would be much better off not ever touching it. My questions are:

How long does one usually experience this rebound anxiety?

Are there any solid tips to recovering from a month xanax binge faster?

If xanax makes life feel "right," does this mean I have an anxiety disorder that needs to be treated, or is it possible that I'm making myself believe I have an anxiety disorder due to past issues with social anxiety?

 

[herbavore]

It's really hard to say what is a disorder. Modern medicine is pretty damn liberal with that diagnosis. I'm older so I grew up being labeled an anxious child (considered normal but a problem to overcome), a space case and dreamer (now is called ADD) and extremely shy (now is called a social anxiety disorder. To me it does not matter what you call it, your nature or a disorder--it all comes down to learning yourself/your mind, seeking out tools to change what bothers you or holds you back and developing strategies to do that. I hate medications of any kind--whether for physical pain or psychological pain so I generally try other things. Mindfulness training (with or without meditation) has been the most helpful for me along with some of the tools of CBT.

How much xanax were you taking? Here is a link to the Ashton Manual which is considered the gold standard for tapering off benzos. Rebound anxiety is very normal and in fact, one cruel twist is that people that are prescribed benzos for anxiety often take them as prescribed for years to a very beneficial effect only to have them not only cease to address the anxiety but make it worse.

 

[stillkickin]

How much xanax were you taking? Here is a link to the Ashton Manual which is considered the gold standard for tapering off benzos. Rebound anxiety is very normal and in fact, one cruel twist is that people that are prescribed benzos for anxiety often take them as prescribed for years to a very beneficial effect only to have them not only cease to address the anxiety but make it worse.

Seconding the Ashton Manual. I fall into the group you mentioned Herby. I had great success with them until the rebound anxiety started coming on faster and faster since the last dose. Upping the dosage would help for a couple weeks but my body would always catch back up. Next thing you know you have a gorilla on your back for taking multiple mgs/day for over 5 years.

I can't count the times I've went through opiate detox, but benzo one was worse in different ways. I often refer to it as mental terrorism. It's an all day, all night fight that presents new symptoms minute to minute, hour to hour, day to day, and so on. I finally felt mostly back to "normal" about 6-9 months. Google benzobuddies for a forum dedicated to benzo cessation. It helped me a lot knowing that almost all of my "crazy" symptoms were attributed to withdrawal. Also don't drink alcohol while trying to get back to normal from quitting a benzo. It will set you back.