Benzos Xanax withdrawals....

[RaveJake]

Ok I'll be honest I'd been abusing xanax for a while and before that point my drug use had never crossed the line into physical dependency... I'll admit I got cocky and didn't really think twice about taking these... but now I've got none left and things were fine for a couple days but now I feel like complete trash. If there is any advice anyone could give about any of these symptoms or whatever I would really appreciate it right now cause I'm going through hell... I've got a throbbing headache, it feels like I got beat in the face with a hammer... I haven't slept for like 2 days and have felt like I'm gonna spew the entire time... Every time i close my eyes I see things straight out of silent hill... the whole experience is just awful and I don't think I can do this on my own anymore.

 

[Sticky A Key]

From what I hear it's about the worst kind of withdrawals one can have, and I'd highly recommend seeking medical help.

 

[thelespauls]

depends on the dosage you were taking but more importantly or so ive read how long you were using alprazolam for. im about to stop a month long daily use of around 3 mgs or so a day give or take an mg. im going to try to just stop cold turkey cuz ive been told that its unlikely that ill experience any serious w.d. from the length of time i was using. if you do consult a physician, which you might wanna do since benzo w/d are one of the few you can actually die from (seizures, etc) id keep it completely straightforward with him/her about your previous recreational substance abuses.

 

[CitioKid]

depends on the dosage you were taking but more importantly or so ive read how long you were using alprazolam for. im about to stop a month long daily use of around 3 mgs or so a day give or take an mg. im going to try to just stop cold turkey cuz ive been told that its unlikely that ill experience any serious w.d. from the length of time i was using. if you do consult a physician, which you might wanna do since benzo w/d are one of the few you can actually die from (seizures, etc) id keep it completely straightforward with him/her about your previous recreational substance abuses.

I used 3mg of xanax nightly (insufflated) for 28 days. I had used the same amount up to 18 days in a row prior and experienced no withdrawals at all. After 28 days, however, the WD's hit me like a sledge hammer exactly 26 hours after my last use.

Severe, severe, anxiety, hallucinations, feeling of impending doom, the shakes. Three days later I had a grand mal seizure.

Be careful. Xanax withdrawal is wicked and dangerous. It seems to cause more seizures than any other benzo when discontinued abruptly.

I'd suggest buying phenibut online if you don't have access to gabapentin or lyrica.

 

[suessmayr]

It depends on how long you were taking it for, and on how much you were taking.

Personally I do not think that you should seek medical help unless you are ready to be condescended to and treated like junky scum.

S

 

[StaffWriter]

I've been in benzo withdrawal for the past four days from my daily use of around 2mg of Klonopin for the last 14 years. The anxiety, hungry but can't eat feeling, NO SLEEP and suicidal thoughts were terrible. You should seek help and try either doing a slow taper (like the one suggested at benzo.org (I think that's the website, maybe someone could clarify) or he could put you on a phenobarbital taper to keep seizures at bay. Whatever you choose, good luck. Benzo wd makes opiate withdrawal look and feel like a walk in the park.

 

[BrokedownPalace]

It depends on how long you were taking it for, and on how much you were taking.

Personally I do not think that you should seek medical help unless you are ready to be condescended to and treated like junky scum.

S

This is not good advice at all.. Withdrawal from benzodiazepines can be fatal.. Is the OP gonna die? Probably not.. But without knowing the length and daily dosage we cannot give him accurate advice..

Everybody is different. Stopping xanax cold turkey can give you debilitating withdrawals and can potentially cause seizures.

If you have been using them daily for over a month, at high doses, stopping cold turkey will not be pleasant.

The proper way to stop a benzo habit is to taper. Now if you cannot do this on your own and are having horrible withdrawals, seeking medical attention is the best thing to do.

Most doctors aren't just going to treat you like 'junky scum' because you have been taking xanax. If you are open and honest and don't act like "junky scum'' then they aren't just going to throw you under the bus.

Doctors know that benzo withdrawal is serious, and it would be unethical for them to just say "fuck you".

if you cannot obtain any more benzos and at least taper before stopping, it would be a good idea to seek some sort of professional help and at least be able to taper under the doctor's orders.

 

[budsnbars712]

help!

I have been taking xanax also as I stated in other posts. I was prescribed .5 x2 daily (so 1 mg a day) for last month and before that. I am also on zoloft. My doctor forgot to schedule my usual monthly appointment this month. So it has been over a month since I been there. I ran out of xanax and zoloft as I was on 150 mg of that. I called my doctor and told him and he upped the zoloft to 175 mg but only gave me 30 .25 mg of xanax instead of the 60 .5mg. He knows I had been taking .5 two times a day and had no problem with it. I am wondering if him prescribing this low of a dose for this month was a mistake since he might not remember as he did not have my file in front of him. This will last me a week. I want to call and ask about this but I don't want to bother him over the phone AGAIN, nor do I want to sound like a druggie. IDK what to do but I don't want to be that long without xanax either....

 

[BrokedownPalace]

I have been taking xanax also as I stated in other posts. I was prescribed .5 x2 daily (so 1 mg a day) for last month and before that. I am also on zoloft. My doctor forgot to schedule my usual monthly appointment this month. So it has been over a month since I been there. I ran out of xanax and zoloft as I was on 150 mg of that. I called my doctor and told him and he upped the zoloft to 175 mg but only gave me 30 .25 mg of xanax instead of the 60 .5mg. He knows I had been taking .5 two times a day and had no problem with it. I am wondering if him prescribing this low of a dose for this month was a mistake since he might not remember as he did not have my file in front of him. This will last me a week. I want to call and ask about this but I don't want to bother him over the phone AGAIN, nor do I want to sound like a druggie. IDK what to do but I don't want to be that long without xanax either....

Most times doctors do not like to prescribe xanax for longer than 1-2 months.. It is for acute panic disorder. It is more than likely that he prescribed the lower dose because he plans on tapering you off, so you do not get over dependent on them and when he does cut your off it will not be bad at all.

Now, if you have legitimate GAD and require benzos on a daily basis, I highly suggest calling him, or scheduling an appointment, and TALKING to him. And if you DO require daily benzo use for long periods of time, I highly recommend switching to something longer acting than xanax. For example, klonopin, valium, or ativan. This way your levels during the day are not going up and down constantly.

Now honestly, the does you are on is VERY small and even if you do stop there will not be very much withdrawals to worry about...

I would recommend just taking the smaller daily dose, or just save them for when you REALLY need them.

I have been on and off benzos for over 6 years and now, after many withdrawals and dependencies, benzos are best used sparingly, and when needed. Maybe look into taking pregabalin or neurontin daily which DO help with anxiety very much so and save the benzos for acute panic attacks.

 

[budsnbars712]

Most times doctors do not like to prescribe xanax for longer than 1-2 months.. It is for acute panic disorder. It is more than likely that he prescribed the lower dose because he plans on tapering you off, so you do not get over dependent on them and when he does cut your off it will not be bad at all.

Now, if you have legitimate GAD and require benzos on a daily basis, I highly suggest calling him, or scheduling an appointment, and TALKING to him. And if you DO require daily benzo use for long periods of time, I highly recommend switching to something longer acting than xanax. For example, klonopin, valium, or ativan. This way your levels during the day are not going up and down constantly.

Now honestly, the does you are on is VERY small and even if you do stop there will not be very much withdrawals to worry about...

I would recommend just taking the smaller daily dose, or just save them for when you REALLY need them.

I have been on and off benzos for over 6 years and now, after many withdrawals and dependencies, benzos are best used sparingly, and when needed. Maybe look into taking pregabalin or neurontin daily which DO help with anxiety very much so and save the benzos for acute panic attacks.

thanks for the response BrokeDownPalace! well the reason I am taking the zoloft is because he thinks that it will eventually kill the anxiety. Like I said he upped me to 175 mg of zoloft but plans on upping my dosage up to 300 mg (if needed). As of right now, my body doesn't respond to the zoloft as a anxiety killer. I might have GAD. I was never really diagnosed with anything technically. I just told him originally that I over-think and work myself up and have major anxiety that made me quit a job that I am sadly (4 years later) going back to (security). So he wants to get me feeling better before I get this job back going.

I just received my security license in the mail today which means this job will be coming up soon. Usually my dose is upped every two weeks of the zoloft another 25mg.

I was not able to get an appointment for another month (july 1st). That means I will be on the zoloft 175 mg for a month instead of the usual two week increase. I don't feel the relief from the zoloft like I said and the only thing that is helping so far with the anxiety is the Xanax.

Now i don't know what to do. This job is most likely coming sooner than my next doctors appointment and like I said the xanax script is not enough to last me the month at all. My plan was to tell him (not knowing my security license was coming back so soon, or that I will be working so soon) at my next appointment (which is too far away now that I got the license and can go to work) that if the maximum FDA approved level of zoloft 200 mg doesn't do the job that I just want to continue the .5 x2 daily of the xanax, because it works. But now that this job is going to be before I can resolve this issue, I don't know what to do. The goal of my doctor was to resolve this issue of my anxiety BEFORE I go back to work. He is on call but for "medical concerns" and I am not sure if this a medical concern. I'm just lost right now. Besides that, I want to AT LEAST have enough xanax for me to start this job also and I wont.

Any suggestions? I don't honestly feel comfortable listing other drugs I think I should or was recommended to try as you did recommend some. I feel more comfortable telling him the xanax works. Still....just don't know what to do. I had to take a mg of xanax just to calm me down right now because I am not comfortable about this right now. I just need suggestions.....Thanks for the help by the way!

My doctors plan was to lean me off the xanax but that was when/and if the zoloft is working. He is also okay with the long-term daily use of it. I know there are benzos that work longer and what not like klonpin and ativan, but using them recreational in the past, I did not receive the same relief I do from the xanax.

 

[suessmayr]

Yeah, Brokedown Palace is right, and I withdraw my previous post. If your use has been longer than, say, one month and has been reasonably heavy also, you may want to consider speaking to a doctor.

It is just as a result of my own terrible experience with doctors with limited sympathy that I would not under any circumstances present to a GP to ask for benzos again. But I do get the impression that the medical opinions on benzos are much more conservative here (in Australia) than in America; for instance, it's almost unheard of here for a person to be put on benzos long term for anxiety, as they oftem seem to be in the States. Our doctors are phazing benzos out completely, like barbituates, and only using them in acute-emergency type situations, for instance when someone presents with psychosis or is uncontrollably agitated and needs midazolam or something heavy to sedate them. Doctors here will almost invariably use, for anxiety, anti-depressants instead. I think this isn't totally unjustified.

But, if you understand that it's still likely that you'll come up against a doctor who is totally discompassionate, and if you think that there's a risk of you becoming seriously ill as a result of your discontinuation, then yeah, consider seeing a doctor.

 

[mrflowers00]

you should try kava kava it takes 30 225kavalactones for me to feel better but you should start at a lower dose i personally don't w/d from xanax but a lot of people do and i know people that used kava kava and felt a lot better

 

[anterrabae]

It depends on how high your use was and how long you used them for, but to be on the safe side, I would seek professional help and just be honest about your use. Benzo withdrawal, as stated above, can result in seizures and death. You may experience some negative interaction with doctors, but it beats an uncomfortable death in my opinion.

 

[Cyanoide]

I have suggested it in other topics too but I will repeat it: try Lyrica. It does wonders for benzo withdrawal, albeit for a limited time. You'll get hooked on Lyrica too, but Lyrica withdrawal is nowhere near withdrawal from alprazolam. I have myself cut down from 600 Lyrica mg to 75 mg today (in a few months), and believe my, you'll rather go through Lyrica withdrawal than alprazolam.

I tried to quit alprazolam after using it many years. It didn't work but I did manage to switch from alprazolam to diazepam. This is another alternative. Try switching to a benzo with longer half life (e.g. diazepam or clonazepam). Withdrawal from these is not nearly as bad as from benzos with a short half-life like alprazolam. It is quite easy to switch to another benzo if you know how to do it. I suggest readin the Ashton manual (dr. Ashton is the leading doctor in the world on benzos and her programs are widely followed): http://www.benzo.org.uk/manual/bzsched.htm

Alprazolam withdrawal is really horrific and for me at least, unbearable. For me it would have been impossible to quit it without the help of other drugs. The worst part of withdrawal was not the physical but mental side; extreme anxiety, panic attacks, nervousness, rushing thoughts...

 

[mrflowers00]

try kava kava i find that it helps me somewhat

 

[rollinstoner]

I think you should honestly find a detox facility or seek medical attention to be safe. Benzo WDs are serious and you can have a seizure.

 

[yb62338]

^ I agree with what this. As stated, withdrawals to benzodiazepines have been known to cause grand mal seizures in perfectly normal, healthy adults. You don't need a grand mal seizure. Furthermore, this isn't just about you. Imagine if you had that seizure behind the wheel of a car?

You're best bet is to find a detox facility and seek professional help. It helped me overcome my addiction.

 

[waketheeffup]

It depends on how long you were taking it for, and on how much you were taking.

Personally I do not think that you should seek medical help unless you are ready to be condescended to and treated like junky scum.

S

horrible advice. Benzo wd is serious

You HAVE to taper off of this drug otherwise you WILL seizure and suffer intense WD, even from short term use. IF you read an Rx label it recommends a taper plan if you've taken for more than 5 days in a row. 5 fucking days!

Talk to your family doctor, seriously. They are there to help you and you can admit that you made a mistake, or lie and say that you got samples or an Rx from a psychiatrist and you dont want to see him anymore because he gave you this "wicked medication and didnt explain the side effects"

Because your medical history is protected, he'll never be able to double check what you say about seeking a psychiatrist or not.

 

[waketheeffup]

^ I agree with what this. As stated, withdrawals to benzodiazepines have been known to cause grand mal seizures in perfectly normal, healthy adults. You don't need a grand mal seizure. Furthermore, this isn't just about you. Imagine if you had that seizure behind the wheel of a car?

You're best bet is to find a detox facility and seek professional help. It helped me overcome my addiction.

you can taper off this medicine with the help of a family doctor as long as your head is (somewhat) on straight. Don't go to rehab, you dont need it, what you need is the desire to quit and a taper plan. srs

 

[ONandOFF777]

Waketheeffup – Maybe in your personal experience you found that you didn’t need to go to a detox facility but I think telling someone who is having trouble quiting benzos that they don’t need to go is not the best advice.

Although you are correct that it can be accomplished at home with the help of a GP or family doctor not everyone can get to the end and jump off on their own.

I know from my experience I quit a very large Xanax habit cold turkey and had a very bad grand mal seizure that required hospitalization for a few days, only to be send home with more xanax to taper with. Well tapering with xanax didn’t work and I struggled for years with various benzo tapers and even got down to 2mg of Valium and still could not handle it.

I eventually we to an in-patent detox where they used Phenobarbital and after a 5 day stay and another 5 day taper at home I was finally free of benzos after years of struggle.

To me it seemed almost too good to be true as I had spent the past few years fighting so hard to get off benzos. Half of the time I spent in partial withdraw due to the very low does I would taper down to. After all of this I find myself completely clean of benzos in only a little more than 10 days with minimal discomfort.

Since then I have successfully got myself off of benzos many times using phenobarb and it has been so easy, almost too easy. I even got myself off of a CRAZY CRAZY iv midazolam binge in which I went through 1500+ 15mg pills in less than 3 months.

Do your best to taper, get help from a Dr., but if it starts dragging out and you are not able to control your taper properly it is not a bad idea to consider doing an in-patent detox.

Let me know if you need any more help.