Got myself into a situation (XANAX)

[iLoveLA]

Hey all, New member,

I took the wrong route of fucking around with xanax for the last 2 months. i would take anywhere from 2mg-3.5mg daily, AFTER work and working out, i would use it as somewhat as a reward. I didnt realize the withdrawal symptoms would be so intense for something i would take 1-2x a day mostly at night when i was 'chilling'


Welp, now im here, realizing what i've gotten myself into, and Need some help.


Ive done my fair share of research, and have determined that tapering is probably the best method vs C/T. Can anyone whose been through something like this PLEASE Help me. My body hurts, i cant stop sweating, and i'm numb.


Note: the only other substance i do regularly (daily) is marijuana.

 

[pinpoint]

Like you mentioned, a taper is the best course of action. Start at the lowest dose that makes you comfortable and drop .5mg per week. You don't need a long drawn out taper IMO since you have only been on it for two months in moderate doses.

Also look into getting some kava, valerian root and l-theanine. They work well to aid withdrawal without prolonging it.

 

[treed_85]

Ugg, I am sorry to hear that man. Benzo withdrawal IMO is the worst ever, I feel ya. Though it varies per person, length of time using, how much, etc. I agree about the tapering, never go cold turkey off benzos lol.

 

[ksralyv2mch]

Ugg, I am sorry to hear that man. Benzo withdrawal IMO is the worst ever, I feel ya. Though it varies per person, length of time using, how much, etc. I agree about the tapering, never go cold turkey off benzos lol.

Yeah be careful going CT with benzos, if you have insurance go see your DR and if you feel comfortable with this idea after thinking it thru and you tell him you are addicted to xanax and need help getting off your Doc may prescribe you longer lasting benzos to help your taper down with easier... But if anything taper, taper, taper! Take pinpoint's advice, .5mg a week is pretty good, the lower you can get before "jumping off" reduces the severity of the the WDs.

 

[sailor bugg]

I used to be scripted 12-14mg k-pins/day for the better part of two years, somehow I managed to cold turkey with no w/d symptoms….somehow. Mind you this is very unsafe and it wasn't my choice, my psychiatrist just cut me off. So I have a grasp of what a benzo addiction is like. As for your case I'd say you don't need to go on something like valium to taper, you can taper off with the xanax itself. I'd say drop your dose by maybe .5mg per week until you're at .5 mg's per day and then drop to .25mg per day for a week then jump off. I'm pretty sure this will be pretty gentle on you as you haven't been taking to much of a high dose per day and you've only been using for 2 months.

 

[sekio]

Od -> bdd

 

[chicken hoagie]

I would definitely agree that tapering is best. If I were to personally deal with having to taper, I would probably try to slowly mix in and substitute with other natural substances that also help reduce the withdrawals, such as opiates(especially natural such as trusted quality Kratom or if you obtain poppy pods and produce tea, however you have it be). Opiates may enduce some symptoms if its not mixed with enough benzo, but opiates to me are an awesome short-term medicine for anxiety and depression.

Kanna is another potent, natural SSRI that could be mixed in conjunction with..

Picamilon - LOOK INTO THIS...Picamilon is my upmost recommendation. Do the research and you will find many addicted to benzo's finding this drug/supplement as their savior. It may not fully blunt your withdrawals, but with all that has been mentioned beyond tapering your dosage, this will be your best weapon to fight with in your battle.

To sum up Picamilon - it is a single compound of GABA/Niacin, the niacin enabling the GABA to penetrate the blood-brain barrier more effectively, increasing the amount of GABA in the brain. Since Benzodiazepines main mode of action is to potentiate our bodies GABA receptor's sensitivity to GABA, when you withdraw these receptors become desensitized, causing GABA signaling to be much weaker. Since Picamilon is able to directly release GABA into the brain, this at least provides your receptors with more GABA to bind with and help reduce your withdrawal symptoms tremendously.

 

[chicken hoagie]

Oh and FYI...

I used to work out and lift weights daily also. I went on a small binge similar to yours and finding out what withdrawals were for my first time was like also, so I have been in your shoes looking for a solution to the uncomfortable perception..

One important thing I have learned over time from using benzo's, is that these drugs are truly NOT to be taken every day. They will suck the emotion right out of you, make you careless of everything and everyone, unmotivational and most ultimately very depressed. Many studies and anecdotal reports also seem to show very longlasting withdrawal symptoms that may possibly even be permanent for some. Understanding why the brain's GABA receptors become so desensitized is probably not well known, but I have heard of drugs in the making that in studies, are able to reverse benzodiazepine tolerance to 100% completely normal functionality.

And looking further, I even see a drug already on the market used for this indication.

Flumazenil

"In Italy, the gold standard for treatment of high-dose benzodiazepine dependency is 8–10 days of low dose, slow infusion of flumazenil.[12] One addiction treatment centre in Italy has used flumazenil to treat over 300 patients who are dependent on high doses of benzodiazepines (up to 70 times higher than conventionally prescribed) with doctors being one of their most common patients.[13]

Epileptic patients who have become tolerant to the anti-seizure effects of the benzodiazepine clonazepam became seizure-free for several days after treatment with 1.5 mg flumazenil.[14] Similarly, patients who were dependent on high doses of benzodiazepines (median dosage 333 mg diazepam-equivalent) were able to be stabilised on a low dose of clonazepam after 7–8 days of treatment with flumazenil.[15]

Flumazenil has been tested against placebo in dependent subjects, whereby typical benzodiazepine effects were reversed with little to no withdrawal symptoms.[16] Flumazenil was shown to produce significantly less withdrawal symptoms than saline in a randomized, placebo-controlled study with benzodiazepine dependent subjects. Additionally, relapse rates were much less during subsequent follow-up.[17]

Several studies have shown enhancement of the benzodiazepine binding site after chronic treatment with flumazenil where sites have become more numerous and uncoupling/down-regulation of GABAA has been reversed.[18][19][20] After long-term exposure to benzodiazepines, GABAA receptors become down-regulated and uncoupled. Growth of new receptors and recoupling after prolonged flumazenil exposure has also been observed. It is thought this may be due to increased synthesis of receptor proteins.[21]

Flumazenil was found to be more effective than placebo in reducing feelings of hostility and aggression in patients who had been free of benzodiazepines for 4–266 weeks.[22] This may suggest a role for flumazenil in treating protracted benzodiazepine withdrawal symptoms."

From Wikipedia(Yes, Wikipedia is actually quite a reliable source these days, especially for the subject of chemistry and molecular compounds)

I would strongly recommend speaking to your doctor about this medicine, as along with Picamilon, just might be your savior.

And Last strong piece of advice to remember...Mind over matter. Eat lots of healthy food, keep up with the exercise and be around the people that make you happy the most.

 

[Screaming_Skull]

Ya...in a way Benzo's can creep up on ya way quicker than opiates. Kinda got myself in the same situation maybe, though I'm on Subs and am facing a drug test. Mostly Klonopin though, with Valium thrown in and Xanax once in a bluee moon(don't like short acting ones because I just keep eating them.) Sooo, gonna have to just face the music and pee a dirty, and hope for the best(the best being the doctor understands & writes me a small script of Klonopin w/ the Subs.) Worse being I'm kick outta the program with no taper and anything and just end up where I was before except now with a Benzo habbit...

 

[TheLostBoys]

A benzo habit IMO/ime is way more severe than an opiate habit when it comes to getting off the meds.

Xanax is so evil ime compared to Valium or other benzos.......I won't touch xanax again & I watch the I take of any benzo. I only take benzos when I have severe anxiety & that's like 2.5mgs of Valium.

Don't need to be twitching & having seizures because I didn't get a daily dose of a benzo, wicked stuff when you have a habit & a life saver under situations when you really need it for anxiety.

 

[chicken hoagie]

^^truth

 

[QueenPickle]

You are going to HAVE to taper/see a Doctor because a few eons ago, after my divorce, my Doc put me on them and one day I decided I didn't need them anymore and flushed the rest of them-- Three days later after feeling flu like symptoms (totally clueless why)-- I went in to Grand Mal Seizures. Don't mess around with those. Please be safe.