Benzos xanax script...dependancy?

[ChickenScratch]

what's up ya'll...my first post on the board, probably should've stopped by the new comer section but figured fuck it since that section doesn't seem to get much traffic. so, hello...i'm chickenscratch.

anyway, i've been getting a script of .5 mg alprozolam for a little over a year. i'm prescribed two .5 mg pills a day, so i get 60 per month. i typically don't take 2 a day, but probably 95% of the time take one. if i'm feeling anxiety or panic i'll take one during the day and usually one before bed at the very most.

recently, my shrink passed away and my script was running out. i felt nervous about getting a new one and for the first time in my life felt very dependant upon this substance to get me through my day. it was a terrible feeling but i found a new doctor, got a script and all is well.

however, the thoughts of dependance i was having kind of freaked me out and led me to believe that i might have an addiction. i do not abuse my pills and i've had a very legitimate case of anxiety/panic disorder since i was 17 (i'm 31 now) so i've always justified my use of the pills.

i don't know, i guess the sinking feeling i had when i didn't know where my next refill was going to come from kind of bugged me out.

so, i figured what the hell...you guys seem like a pretty solid group of professional druggers why not make a post to see your thoughts on my situation.

also, if i were try to get off of these things, do you think i'd have any sort of dangers detoxing given my current dosage?? i eat pretty good, exercise reguarly, do yoga and all the other natural shit for anxiety, but nothing treats it like a good ole fashioned xanax.

so, if you have thoughts, i'd love to hear them or if you want to call me a terrible n00b feel free to do that as well or if you even just wanna say what's up to a n00b i'd welcome that too.

thanks for listening.

 

[Oxycontin160mg]

welcome to bluelight

your dose is already really low so if you were to detox and get off them you wouldnt need to taper much if even at all.

how long have you been on the alprazoam? since you were 17?

 

[ChickenScratch]

nah, i use to take em for fun back when i was partying. slowed down in my older age, but this is the longest i've had an actual prescription. i had a script of kpins for about a year a while back.

i also take 150 mg's zoloft daily but i don't really think it does shit.

 

[woamotive]

It shouldn't be hard to get off the xanax. The dose you take isn't enough that you'd experience any bad physical w/d symptoms. No doubt it'd be tough as you've been on them for so 'long'. Psychological w/d may be the most difficult part.

I'd try a taper to get off of them. Do .25mg for about a week (longer than necessary but probably a good idea/smoother transition), then you could even cut THAT in half if you wanted to, and then just stop taking them. You could also ask your doc to switch you to valium and taper with 'that'. It's often done.

 

[skn]

i am quite a professional druggie - so much so that when i come off a bender of xanax i usually go valium for a while then klonopin for a while, then break, then can quickly go again

 

[Tommyboy]

What happened when you stopped taking the kpins after a year? Xanax and klonopin are listed as being equal, milligram for milligram, but the klonopin just has a long half-life.

Also, remember that dependence and addiction are two completely different things.

 

[RipRoar]

OP it sounds like your anxiety is giving you delusions about the drug. I used to feel the same way about my prescribed usage.
However, the xanax does sound like a crutch, have you tried talking to a therapist about your anxiety?

 

[ChickenScratch]

thanks for the responses ya'll...i know my "problems" sound pretty miniscule compared to others, and they really are, but it's something i've been thinking about.

anyway, when i quit taking the kpins i was prescribed half the dosage of the xanax....same mg, but only 30 a month. they weren't too hard to get off but that was a pretty dark time in my life and i was drinking a lot back then.

my life is actually pretty freaking great right now and i don't drink often, probably a couple of times a week and i typically don't get wasted drunk other than once or twice a month.

riproar, that very well could be the case. i mean, the drug was invented to cure people like me, and it sure as shit works so i probably shouldn't be so concerned about it. my new doc seems like he's going to monitor my meds much more closesly so i may bring this up at my next visit. however, i don't want him to think i'm too dependant and cut my dosage. i like having more than enough available to me just in case i need them.

 

[nabollocks]

my life is actually pretty freaking great right now and i don't drink often, probably a couple of times a week and i typically don't get wasted drunk other than once or twice a month.

Use this "great" time in your life to see how you would go without your drugs. There is no better time than now!

Speaking from experience, benzo use very rarely goes backward, it just goes forward. So I will say that you are very fortunate to still be on 1mg/day after 12 months.

What I think you should do it give it a real good go at getting clean, and store up your usual script for a rainy day. This will give you the confidence that you need to quit.

Think about using a sedating antihistamine and melatonin to get some sleep during withdrawal. Use magnesium and taurine through the day instead of xanax, and enjoy your life man...

Xanax has a nasty way of making you think you are cool when sometimes you are not. eg. memory, coordination, relationships, etc

 

[ChickenScratch]

What I think you should do it give it a real good go at getting clean, and store up your usual script for a rainy day. This will give you the confidence that you need to quit.

this is solid advice. xanax is a mind fuck. when i was running low i started to get nervous and anxious, but just having the script makes me feel okay. i always keep a couple in my pocket and typically don't ever have to take them, but it makes me feel better just in case i do have a panic attack.

i also have situational anxiety, work meetings tend to freak me out and i feel trapped, so i usually take one an hour and a half before my meetings.

regardless, the past month or so i've just motored through a few panic attacks and not taken anything, which i think is progress. i use to just take one if i felt panic coming on. i've come to realize that a little bit of anxiety is a good thing for my life.

thanks for your advice nabollocks, it was very well thought out.

 

[ChickenScratch]

ssoooooo......since the last time i posted i've almost gone through my last script and haven't found a new doctor. i'm going to call one today to set up an appt for next week.

here is my question for ya'll - xanax has always been the cure for my anxiety. as i stated in my first post, they make the drug for people like me. i get terrible panic attacks and it obviously really helps. i don't abuse it, but i take a small amount every day. i know i probably sound a bit redundant here, but do you think it's a problem to continue taking this stuff if you're using it to manage your own life and not abusing the stuff to get high??

i don't know - i guess i'm scared to get off the shit and am curious if it's even worth trying. i've had panic my whole life and the shit works, so why not take it? it really does help me live my life.

 

[nabollocks]

This was my thinking as well...

Best advice is that if you can live without it you should. If you cannot live without it, then keep taking your medication.

What are you going to do when the drugs dry up? Probably find another method of dealing with your anxiety.

Just remember that you will never know if you never try.

And also remember that the longer you take this medication the harder it is to stop.

I always say that benzos are a great solution to a problem you can define, and a lenght of time you will be taking them. Preferably less than 3 months.

 

[fm1983]

If you feel you can handle life without the xanax, then you should make the attempt to do so. You would need to do a tiny taper, but benzo w/d is terrible and can be deadly. You are fortunate to be at a low dose. If you take 2 xanax a day, cut your second dose in half. Keep it at that level for a week, and then eventually stop taking your second dose. Then when you are down to 1 dose a day, do the same thing, cut it in half, and work your way off.

But there is nothing wrong with taking drugs for legitimate medical reasons. You seem to have you head on straight, and by managing your usage like you have and not increasing your dose or using them to get high you are in good shape. So there would be no shame in staying on them, or like I said prior, do a quick taper off if you think you can manage life without.

 

[ChickenScratch]

thanks ya'll.

yea, i probably should try and taper to see what happens. if it doesn't work, so be it. at least i know i have a back up solution by going back to a similar dosage.

the thing is, i have an amazing wife, a beautiful 2 year old boy and a good job. my anxiety, well no, my panic sometimes disables my life and i just want to be there 100% for my family. the meds certainly help in that regard when i need them.

maybe i'll try a taper here in the next month or so to see what happens.

again, thanks for the help. reading this board has made me realize that my problems are pretty small in comparison to a lot of folks here. but they, afterall my problems and i do appreciate the advice.

 

[JoEhJoEh]

i am quite a professional druggie - so much so that when i come off a bender of xanax i usually go valium for a while then klonopin for a while, then break, then can quickly go again

Oh,

nice too meet you, with me it's very similar. My favourite benzo was and is and will be xanax, and I have no problem to take 25mg from the morning to the evening without blacking out. Klonopin I really hate, because for me there is no rush it's just anticonvulsing and that bores me... I'm a great benzo addict since i tried RC-Benzos. 50 mg Clonazolam? Just a little tired. 35 mg FluLam - just a little tired. But when i smoke Cannabis in combi with benzos i'm going to bed quickly.....

Like today....

JJ

 

[JoEhJoEh]

If you feel you can handle life without the xanax, then you should make the attempt to do so. You would need to do a tiny taper, but benzo w/d is terrible and can be deadly. You are fortunate to be at a low dose. If you take 2 xanax a day, cut your second dose in half. Keep it at that level for a week, and then eventually stop taking your second dose. Then when you are down to 1 dose a day, do the same thing, cut it in half, and work your way off.

But there is nothing wrong with taking drugs for legitimate medical reasons. You seem to have you head on straight, and by managing your usage like you have and not increasing your dose or using them to get high you are in good shape. So there would be no shame in staying on them, or like I said prior, do a quick taper off if you think you can manage life without.

It is not deadly by itself. It COULD be deadly if you have a Grand-Mal Seizure and hurt your head or something like that. Let me tell you because im a benzo addict since 2008. it gets worse and worse and meanwhile i'm trying around with the RC-benzos. 50 mg CLam no prob , FLubro 30 to 40 per day no prob.

And Im a functional addict working 40 hours a day with people as a therapist...

JJ