Assstance in tapering off xanax (pleae read) gimme your opinions on my idea

[whoruntings]

OK. I am currently taking about 12 mg xanax a day. THis is both expensive, and just plain annoying. I am prescribed 2 mg (#4 0.5mg) daily, and this seems to work well. I have just been out of hand for the past 1.5 - 2 months, and taking way more than prescribed. there are ways to get more, as we all know.

Would tapering a mg. a day be OK? i currently only have 120 mg on hand, so I would like the tapering to not include more than that, obviously.

Lets say we start tomorrow. (10/07/06)

Day 1 - 11 mg.
2 - 10 mg. and so on. This would add up to 66 mg, if I were to go to
zero. And would take 11 days.

Maybe I should taper by 1 mg one day, and .5 the next. this would add to more, i know (dont feel like doing the math.

Also, what about tapering .5 mg a day for the first 4 days, then 1 mg a day until i am back at 2.

ANY input and experiences will be greatly appreciated.

TIA.

 

[Pegasus]

A taper should be much slower than that, and probably should switch over to diazepam for it's longer half life. 1mg a day is hardly a taper; it won't be a smooth decline at all.

For information on tapering, I suggest you read this, and look at this for an example of a succesful taper.

 

[wesmdow]

youll need to go a but slower than that if you want to avoid discomfort.

im in very similar shoes, benzo-wise, as you. i had a few scrips but copped off the street to continue to get high. my tolerance got ridiclous--i was taking 24mg xanax a day before i decided to quit.

my first advice would be to give someone else your stash. if you havent w/dd before, you cant really be prepared for how bad its gonna suck. the first few days are really tough and relapse is ALL TOO EASY with xanax. give your stash to someone you can trust.

next id say do .5mg a day if possible. this make your taper much more comfortable. it will still suck, tho.

third, and you seem to already have this down, be RESOLUTE in your mind that you WANT TO QUIT. this needs to HIGH on your priority list, if its not, you will relapse. i AM curious how long your habit has been this way, as that has a HUGE effect on how easy it is to quit.

good luck and PM me if you need to talk more. like i say, i JUST got thru this and i know how painful it is.

 

[lyserg]

From 12mgs to around 6mgs you can do 1mg drops but past that i would advise you to do only .5 or even .25mg drops. You have to look at it as percentages of your dose. For example, dropping 3mgs off a 12mg/day habit is 25% and wont be too bad but dropping 3mg off a 6mg/day habit it would be 50% and would be hard for the average addict. Doing a 12 day taper of 1mg per day is wayy too fast imo. Benzos have to be withdrawled from as slowly as possible for best results.

 

[Boiling in Acid]

i think try to just start to take 1mg or 2, one inuff.. as less to just satisfy the habit; stay on it say a week or two and than start to taper off tiny amounts every couple of days. in the last stage miss a day (with some 1\5mg), than two, three days and good luck guy
ps please tell us how you did it ill really appreciate!!
an for me its not hard at all to jump from 15 per day to just one or two when i have limited amount left, you just not go to any unpleasant wd's, and thats it. good idea 'll be to take 1 mg atthe day and sy .5 at night!!

 

[soundphaRm]

Benzos: that sharp, double edged sword; AKA: the time machine that only goes forward.

From 12mgs to around 6mgs you can do 1mg drops but past that i would advise you to do only .5 or even .25mg drops. You have to look at it as percentages of your dose. For example, dropping 3mgs off a 12mg/day habit is 25% and wont be too bad but dropping 3mg off a 6mg/day habit it would be 50% and would be hard for the average addict. Doing a 12 day taper of 1mg per day is wayy too fast imo. Benzos have to be withdrawled from as slowly as possible for best results.

I totally agree about that, Lyserg (and also what Boll Weevil mentioned a couple of posts back).

If you want to do this right, tell your doc that you're trying to wean yourself off of these (benzos) at a SLOW rate. Then tell him/her that you'd like to be switched over to a benzo that has a longer half-life like diazepam (Valium)- the perfect choice, or clonazepam (Klonopin)- which would be my second choice. The reason you want to do this is to avoid the rollercoaster ups and downs that come w/ Xanax (alprazolam), Ativan (lorazepam)- i.e. the one's w/shorter half-lives.

I shouldn't see why this should be a problem to him/her. Just let them know that YOU would like to in charge of the speed of your taper. Sometimes you have to stop tapering and level out at the dosage you are currently at, before continuing to taper. One website that helped me a lot (and many others), is:

www.benzo.org.uk

On the left of the screen you will find a list of good reading, but what you will get the most out of is "The Ashton Manual". Click on it and give it a good read.
Dr. Heather Ashton has had real-life experience in getting people off of benzos from the mid-eighties, so she definitely knows her shit.

Good luck man! Just remember that in order for it to work, you've got to want it to work. But if you follow Dr. Ashton's guidelines you should feel little to no discomfort. During this time set yourself up w/ some good sleep habits. Regular schedule, no caffeine after 7PM, etc...You can do it!

 

[whoruntings]

thanks a LOT guys. im gonna go .5 mg down for 2 weeks, them 1 mg down for 2 weeks.



peace.

 

[lyserg]

thanks a LOT guys. im gonna go .5 mg down for 2 weeks, them 1 mg down for 2 weeks.



peace.

No you gotta do the opposite. Do larger drops first and then when you start feeling uncomfortable at some point stabalize and then do smaller drops. Would your doctor be willing to switch you over to valium for the taper and giving you sleep aids when you come off? Do you have anxiety or your just using recreationally? If you want me to set up a taperplan for you just PM me. Personally i'd drop 1mg every day until you get to 6mg, then drop 1mg every other day until you get to 2-3mg. Then stabalize and do .5mg drops every day or every other day. When you get to around 1mg dont be afraid to do very small drops like .25mg drops because itll help you out in the end. When your at 0 use ambien/other sleep aids for the insomnia and have a few xanax on hand in case things get bad and you really need it. Just take it easy, take hot showers. Do you have to be at work during this period? Cause that would suck. good luck

 

[kevz]

I think this is the second time I've seen lyserg offer to make a taper plan for someone. Very nice of you to take the time to do that for somebody.

 

[lyserg]

I think this is the second time I've seen lyserg offer to make a taper plan for someone. Very nice of you to take the time to do that for somebody.

Thanks, i try my best. To the OP, how is the detox going? What dose are you at now? How many pills do you have left? Do you need help with the taper schedule or you think you can do it yourself? I know that a detox can be very frustrating so if you need to talk just hit me up.

 

[whoruntings]

sorry i havent posted about how the taper went. well, it went VERY WELL!!

i dont recall the exact regimen i followed, but i am currently at a dose of 1 mg a day. 1 mg relieves my anxiety, and thats all i want it for anymore. there were a few days when i went from like 4 mg a day to nothing, b/c i had none, and those were bad days. throwing up before school, sweating profusely all day, no concentration or motivation. im actually kind of proud????? of myself. i think i got a handle on it just in the knick of time-- before things got REAL bad.
my semester almost went down the tubes, but i managed to get my grades to where they should be. school is the only thing i have going for me at this point in my life, and if i'd have fucked that up-- it just would have led to more HEAVY self-medication. anyway, thanks again to everybody who showed concern.

i really appreciate everybody's help. thanks so much.