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  • BDD Moderators: Keif’ Richards | negrogesic

Am I addicted to Xanax?

D

durgz442

Greenlighter
Joined
Apr 20, 2018
Messages
4
Hi everyone,

I have been taking Xanax since April 5th and have been taking approx. 2mg daily, about .66 3 times daily since April 5th and I haven't taken any today and only took a total of 1mg yesterday and feel okay, just minor heart palpitations and racing thoughts about sleeping and stuff. I drank a little and it has eased my mind, but I guess what I'm asking is; am I addicted? And if I am should I just quit cold turkey or ween off of it, because I don't want to to take this anymore if I don't have to.

Thanks,
Aaron
 
Remember, addiction isn't necessarily about how much or how often you take a medicine. Addiction relates more to a state of mind characterized by the chasing of an altered state (i.e. to get high). A chronic pain patient may be on huge doses of opiates for their problems but if they take their medicine as prescribed and aren't constantly trying to get high (also running out of their script early etc.), they're most likely not addicted.

Clearly they would be "physically dependant" on their medication. For instance, if they were to suddenly stop, they would surely be in painful withdrawals. However, that fact alone is not an indication of addiction. Hopefully this helps you understand what addiction is and what it isn't. From what I read, it sounds like you're fine. Many folks truly need the medication they're prescribed and just because a particular drug may be abused by some folks does not mean you shouldn't take it if your doctor prescribed it. I hope all of that makes sense.
 
mm it sounds like a dependency imo but i could be wrong, i wouldnt quit cold turkey id try to taper off . try taking .66 2 times daily for 3 days then go down to .66 1 time daily for 3 days but id still talk to your doctor, benzo withdrawals are a bitch 8)
 
and by no means am i a doctor haha tapering just might help so id take my advice with caution, not saying itll help or even do anything, but id not take my advice until youve done research on tapering and talk to a doctor. the folks in coats know what to do ;)
 
Thanks guys, so far your advice seemed to ease my mind a bit. i didn?t end up taking any at all last night and i woke up today with a tiny hangover from the alcohol but i seemed to sleep fine and i feel fine, it?s been a little more than two days now and i don?t have any really noticeable withdrawal effects. also want to note that these are for my anxiety, i have really bad social anxiety and anxiety before sleeping and it?s been the same for years now and so they finally have me on meds that help me, but i know all about benzos and i don?t want them to end up hurting me in the long run.
 
Dude, if your doctor prescribed the medicine for your problem, please don't be so intimidated by it that you don't take it when you should. It honestly doesn't sound like you're exhibiting addict behavior. If you need to take the medicine, please do so as your doctor has prescribed. Believe me, I can appreciate a healthy respect for Xanax but please don't be afraid to take it if you need it. Good luck!
 
If you have to ask this question, I would say your probably not seriously addicted yet. But keep it up much longer, especially with alprazolam, and you can almost guarantee to be in the throes of the ugly addiction soon. I would taper off slow right now just in case.
 
im in the same boat as you

i recently aquired some earlier this month , originally used it to fall asleep , i was taking only half a pill ......now i take the whole 2mg ..and its going on everyday for almost 3 weeks now, in fact if anything slightly makes me irritated i take them ...

plan on stopping on friday that way i can suffer through the insomia after the work week.
 
I think you are both likely fine as long as you discontinue the use. I imagine you'll have a few days of rebound anxiety and some irritation, but things will get better and you'll notice the change in head space for the better. I remember freaking out about the smallest things for the first few days. Like I got a sore throat and I thought I was dying lol
 
Benzodiacepines cause dependence at clinical doses in three or four weeks of daily use. If you suffer a strong anxiety take 1mg each eight hours and reduce 0.25mg each two weeks until the total tappering
 
SheWasLvL18 said:
I think you are both likely fine as long as you discontinue the use. I imagine you'll have a few days of rebound anxiety and some irritation, but things will get better and you'll notice the change in head space for the better. I remember freaking out about the smallest things for the first few days. Like I got a sore throat and I thought I was dying lol
Click to expand...

yeah the crazy thing is the effects of xanax are so subtle, im not even sure if i have real stuff because it feels a lot like marijuana to me i get this "stoned" vibe if that makes sense, and then not soon after i fall asleep. I wake up in the morning with no hangover or nothing or any grogginess , its almost as if i never did it at all... so i guess its easy to get carried away with something that seems so guiltless and manageable right now.

but im going to take your advice , and go back to melatonin instead , it will be a lot cheaper as well lol.

how long did you take xanax for if you dont mind me asking ???
 
JustBlaze420 said:
yeah the crazy thing is the effects of xanax are so subtle, im not even sure if i have real stuff because it feels a lot like marijuana to me i get this "stoned" vibe if that makes sense, and then not soon after i fall asleep. I wake up in the morning with no hangover or nothing or any grogginess , its almost as if i never did it at all... so i guess its easy to get carried away with something that seems so guiltless and manageable right now.

but im going to take your advice , and go back to melatonin instead , it will be a lot cheaper as well lol.

how long did you take xanax for if you dont mind me asking ???
Click to expand...

Xanax on and off for a few months, but I really had a love/hate relationship with it. I loved the carefree, in the moment attitude and all the crazy shit I got into, but I would hate the grogginess and the taste to this day makes me want to vomit just thinking about it. Of all the benzos I have tried xanax had the most negative effects for me. Most people swear by xanax, but for me I would always feel naseous and groggy the day after and would have trouble getting to work without throwing up or passing out. It also clouded my memory more than others.

Eventually, I got into the RC benzos and that was when I started using them daily because they were so cheap and I liked them a lot. Got off of those last September I think? With a few exceptions in January, I haven't used any benzos since.
 
Also in my experience most benzos are pretty subtle unless you've taken way too much, in which case you won't remember the feeling anyways. You're always convinced you're alright until you do something really dumb and then go wow I fucked up. My friend totaled 5 cars in a year and a half lol
 
I'm sorry but help me understand what you came here for.
1) You said your doctor diagnosed an issue with you that he felt requires medication.
2) He then prescribed a pretty conservative dosage of Xanax.
3) You have stated you barely take them and you continue to Not take them as your doctor has prescribed.
4) You clearly do not abuse the Xanax and frankly as paranoid as you seem to be, I doubt you ever will.

I think this lays out the facts of your situation as I see it. My question is why would you write that you need to stop taking this medicine your doctor has diagnosed you need? I hope you understand there's a difference between taking a medication as your doctor has prescribed and going ape shit addict and taking all your meds in a few days! There actually can be a happy medium. I sincerely hope you find it.

I'm just having trouble understanding why you and many others just jump on this "oh my god, you need to stop taking that ASAP", like you're doing something wrong! From what you've written, you are Not, unless not taking them as prescribed counts. I'm sorry but I just don't understand this thought process. I'm really trying to understand where your heads at OP.
 
SheWasLvL18 said:
Xanax on and off for a few months, but I really had a love/hate relationship with it. I loved the carefree, in the moment attitude and all the crazy shit I got into, but I would hate the grogginess and the taste to this day makes me want to vomit just thinking about it. Of all the benzos I have tried xanax had the most negative effects for me. Most people swear by xanax, but for me I would always feel naseous and groggy the day after and would have trouble getting to work without throwing up or passing out. It also clouded my memory more than others.

Eventually, I got into the RC benzos and that was when I started using them daily because they were so cheap and I liked them a lot. Got off of those last September I think? With a few exceptions in January, I haven't used any benzos since.
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actually you are right, i have called into work once already "sick" the truth is i had taken a bunch of xanax the night before and was so tired in the morning i literally couldn't get out of bed , so i guess i have experienced some of the danger signs already myself. And that is good to hear that you are completely off them, i am not prescribed , i got them for recreational purposes, and it sort of turned into a continual thing.....i also have access to klonopin which i am intrigued by... but i bet it's best to just leave them all alone in general..
 
Slow benzo taper

I have read some of the taper advice here and I dare say its way too fast. It took me 2 years to get off of 4mg of xanax a day. Doc put me on a LONG ACTING benzo, Klonopin 4 mg then a slow two year journey down. Keep in mind people have DIED from cold turkey from benzo's. Let your brain get used to not having the drug real FUCKING SLOWLY! I used a .001 gram scale made for weighing diamonds (got it on amazon for $19.95) I cut by .001 gram every 2 days. 230mg, then 229mg, then 228mg and so on. I finally got on 10 mg of Valium and that's about as low as I could go~! Few people can totally get off 100% if they used for over 4 years or more since the brain has just deleted too many BZD and GABA receptors and they are NOT coming back ever. Got to know when to just hold and say "LOW ENOUGH".
Keep in mind the slower the taper is the better the results are. This is to avoid EXCITOTOXIC brain damage, google it.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Excitotoxicity
 
3 weeks on 2 mg a day is within therapeutic range. A moderate dosage and not long enough to get hooked.

You might feel a kind of rebound effect, the symptoms against which the xanax have been prescribed now return slightly stronger.

If it gets unbearable, a rapid taper of 4-7 days is possible.

But I think 3 weeks at 2 mg/day should be okay and within 4 or 5 days the symptoms should go away.
 
it doesn?t matter if they are prescribed by a doctor; benzos are benzos and they cause dependence. you?re right to leave them behind. daily benzos indeed will hurt you in the long.

people are mentioning tapers, but a few weeks of benzos does not necessitate a taper unless you?ve been physically dependent on them before.
 
i started taking 2.5 mg....


ill just quit next friday ill be turning 27 on may 5th, so it will be good to just start fresh once im a year older haha plus it makes my day better, and another week from now will be exactly one month since i started ....wow time flies.
 
durgz442 said:
Hi everyone,

I have been taking Xanax since April 5th and have been taking approx. 2mg daily, about .66 3 times daily since April 5th and I haven't taken any today and only took a total of 1mg yesterday and feel okay, just minor heart palpitations and racing thoughts about sleeping and stuff. I drank a little and it has eased my mind, but I guess what I'm asking is; am I addicted? And if I am should I just quit cold turkey or ween off of it, because I don't want to to take this anymore if I don't have to.

Thanks,
Aaron
Click to expand...

You have been using Alprazolam (Xanax) long enough for your body to be accustomed to it, but not long enough to warrant a long, drawn-out taper as those with years-long addictions. As you've indicated, heart palpitations are a sign of Benzodiazepine withdrawal. Given that you are experiencing them, I'd wager you have a heightened level of anxiety, but what I would recommend is taking a small amount of Benzodiazepine for a day or two for a softer landing, but you're not in danger and you would be fine to drop them immediately if you so chose. Good luck, use dosages that make sense to you. You're a smart guy.
 
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