Xanax withdrawal and heart rate

[Dwehab650]

I am currently tapering to get off Xanax. I have been tapering for 6 months and have .25mg a day left which I take before bed and when I wake up. My symptoms are generally mild compared to other stories but the fear and anxiety is what slows down my tapering speed. I know some of the symptoms are made worse by the anxiety I create on top of the actual symptoms. I know heart rate increased during withdrawal so my question is can I monitor my withdrawal symptoms by checking my rate. For instance if my usual rate is 70bpm normally can I use this as an indicator to know whether or not my body is withdrawing more. So if my heart rate is normal would it be safe to say I am generally ok to continue tapering that day. I just need help to know there is some kind of baseline to distinguish real symptoms from what I create out of my own fear. Thanks.

 

[ObieWan]

I've done a fast taper from benzos and your hr can go quite fast as a feeling of panic sets in as mine did, but I was no where near seizure territory. Extrasensory experiences and neurological symptopms like facial twitching, hand tremors, and a feeling like you are jumping out of your skin are more worrisome.

 

[Dwehab650]

Your heart rate could be indicative of how much you are withdrawing but it isn't a super reliable indicator. If you are having weird sensory experiences at all that can be a precursor to seizures, so if that happens I'd up the dose or get to a Dr. I know it can be hard when tapering but try to be calm and be very patient and kind with yourself.

I haven?t had anything severe like that. The first few months were much harder because of the interdose withdrawals of taking high amounts and only dosing twice. I don?t want to take a long acting Benzo or dose more because I can easily deal with the symptoms in between with a low dose. I just get scared to make cuts because it?s hard to predict the symptoms and I always overestimated what will happen. I?m on methadone maintenance and I believe it?s masking many symptoms which allows me to sleep okay considering the taper. I just am mentally fatigued after six months of tapering and I?m so close yet it feels so long to the end. The worst I get is anxiety attacks but that might also be from exhaustion over the months which makes it harder mentally. So the cuts might not be as bad as I think. I am dry cutting with a scale and doing .01mg every other day so I can adjust. But going on sites like BenzoBuddies and reading the stories scares the shit out of me and I get scared to lower my dose. I just had a thought that if my heart rate is normal then maybe nothing that bad is happening becuze all I feel is light anxiety and I just make it worse because I tell myself making a micro cut will cause massive symptoms and I juSt need to train my self to be stronger mentally and finish the rest of the taper. Thanks for your reply