Is This Benzo Withdrawal?

[Workin2005]

Hello...I'll get right to the point.

My friend, "Mike", has been taking about 1.5 mgs of Xanax per day for about 2 months. Sometimes he takes less (0.5 mgs pd) and sometimes more (up to 3 mgs pd) but on average about 1.5 mgs per day. He usually takea his dose just 1 time per day, but occasionally it's spread out over 2 times per day. He also hasn't taken it everyday over the last 2 months...skipping 1 or 2 days per week.

He never thought he was addicted physically until about a week ago when he didn't take it and started feeling "out of it"...groggy, chills, weird thoughts, anxious, just not right. He didn't really associate it with Xanax withdraws until he took 1mg of Xanax and felt much better....which made him think, "holy shit am I in trouble...I'm physically addicted to this crap!" He decided to immediately start a rapid taper.

1st day of taper: Mike waited to see if he would start feeling bad again and sure enough...he did. He took 1 mg of Xanax at 1:00pm and felt better.

2nd day of taper: He started to feel bad around 3:00pm so he took 0.5 mg Xanax. He felt better.

Here's where it gets interesting....

3rd day of taper: He woke up around 7:00am feeling bad. He didn't want to take Xanax right away as he wanted to wait as long as he could. He remembers that he has some Gabapentin left over that he use to take for back pain. He took 400 mgs of Gabapentin around 11:00am to see if it would help. About 30-45 min's later, he felt MUCH better! He felt slightly "off" again around 5:00pm so he took 0.3 mg of Xanax. He took 100mgs of Gabapentin before bed.

4th day of taper: He didn't feel any real withdrawal this morning. He took 100 mgs of gabapentin at 10:30am. He thought he was starting to feel maybe slightly "off" around 3:00pm so he took 0.2 mg Xanax. Later that night he took 100mgs of Gabapentin.

5th Day: Mike, again, didn't feel any withdrawals. He took 100mgs of Gabapentin at 10:30. He took 0.1 mg of Xanax at 3:00pm. Another 100mgs of Gabapentin at 11:00pm.

6th Day: He, AGAIN, felt no withdrawal. He took 100mgs of Gabapentin at 10:30am. He took 0.1 mg of Xanax at 12:30pm. He took another 100mgs of gabapentin at 11:00pm.

This brings Mike to today. He again has not felt ANY withdrawal feelings today. He's taken 100mgs of Gabapentin so far today and NO Xanax. It's about 3:30 in the afternoon and he feels fine.

Mike is wondering what to think. Can he stop taking Xanax all together now?

Was he possibly never really in benzo withdrawal and just maybe a little ill for a couple days?

Is the Gabapentin just that effective that it's taken away all minor benzo withdrawals Mike may have been having? (if so, more people need to know about Gabapentin for coming off benzos)

Keep in mind that Mike still hasn't gone more than a day (about 30 hours actually) without taking a small amount of Xanax (0.1 mg) so maybe he will start to have real benzo withdrawals at any time. It just seems that if these were real benzo withdrawals, they wouldn't be this easy to get rid of...ESPECALLY with such a fast taper.

To those out there with REAL benzo experience, what's going on? Do you think Mike will have to deal with real benzo withdrawals in the next few days if he just stops xanax now altogether?

Is Gabapentin just that good at getting rid of benzo withdrawals?

I know that benzo withdrawal can hit you days and weeks later so is this a possibility?

It just seems that if Mike was physically addicted to 1.5-2.0 mgs per day of Xanax, that dropping down to 0.1 mg in a few days and feeling ZERO withdrawal...even now after having not taken any Xanax for 27+ hours....that he would be experiencing some withdrawal feelings.

Obviously everyone is different...I'm just looking for some thoughts from those that have experience.

Any input is appreciated. Sorry for the long post. Thanks!

 

[debaser]

Hello,

Please don't say "my friend Mike" or whatever, we know it's you. And it's easier to read. Thank you.

To the subject: Gabapentin does help tremendously with benzodiazepine withdrawal, because it's a GABA agonist just like benzos. You're trading a dependence to a benzo for a dependence to gabapentin. Nothing new or pleasant.

 

[Workin2005]

Thanks for the response.

I realize Gabapentin can be addictive if taken for a longer period of time. My thought is to only take it for 2 weeks as to possibly get past the hard part of benzo withdrawal...then stop. If done this way, I would think there should be no withdrawal from the Gabapentin.

I realize there might still be withdrawal from the benzo but, as I said, hopefully the most difficult part would be over.

 

[Escapedysphoria]

I was prescribed daily dosages of 1.5mg of Klonopin (clonazepam), then 1mg Xanax XR (alprazolam), and last, the most logical and therapeutic of the three, 10mg Valium (diazepam) for several years. Oh, even 30mg Restoril at night for insomnia (temazepam). I miss my temaz haha

Welp, no joke, I tapered down my Valium in less than a week then switched to Lyrica (pregabalin), a "more potent successor" to Neurontin (gabapentin). I'm now stabilized on a daily dose of gabapentin 300mg x3 daily. The transition worked miracles for my legal benzodiazepine prescription addicition; I thought I'd be imprisoned by benzo addiction for all my life or at least the majority. The pregabalin made withdrawals the easiest possible and I am now controlling my anxiety, as well as other issues in relation to opioid addiction, with gabapentin's overlooked anxiolytic/mood-stabilizing properties. Neurontin is significantly cheaper than Lyrica... even with my insurance hah.

*EDIT: Wanted to mention that I've detoxed from my gabapentin dosage and experienced minor to no WDs.

 

[Workin2005]

Thanks for your input...that's great to hear.

So your off all benzos? If so, did you suffer any benzo withdrawal at all?

How long were you on Lyrica before detoxing? Good to hear there were no withdrawals...or very little...with the lyrica.

The dose I'm refering to is only 100mgs of Gabapentin 2x's per day. I swear, if in fact these were benzo withdrawals, gabapentin has been amazing. I mean, not having ANY withdrawal symptoms after jumping from 1.5-2.0 mgs xanax pd down to 0.1 mg pd, in a matter of days, is fairly amazing. It really makes me wonder if there ever was a real physical addiction to xanax. It's going to really be interesting to see what happens when the 0.1 mg dose is stopped...which may be tomorrow as today 0.1 mg was taken at around 4:30pm just to be safe.



Can anyone else chime in and let me know what they think? As I said, I realize everyone is different. I'm just looking for opinions as to if there ever even was a physical dependance and what to expect going forward. Thanks! ;-)

 

[MissNervosa]

As someone who was cut off cold turkey by her doctor with a 6-10mg xanax daily habit,I can say you're doing well.

The rebound anxiety,weird thoughts and feeling "off" are signs of benzo withdrawal,and 2 months is definitely long enough to build tolerance with xanax.Hell, 2 weeks is long enough,it's an incredibly potent and addictive drug.

If you're down to 0.1mg of xanax,I feel it's safe to get off it altogether.IMO the gabapentin sounds like it's gotten you through the taper,and I'd continue taking that alone until you're feeling ok again,and then get off that too.

At this point eating healthily,taking vitamins and getting plenty of sleep is important.Since xanax is such a short acting drug,I'd jump off altogether at 0.1mg.Don't think that taking 0.1mg every other day or every 3 days will help with tapering and withdrawals,as you'll stay dependent on it that way.

Good luck

 

[Workin2005]

As someone who was cut off cold turkey by her doctor with a 6-10mg xanax daily habit,I can say you're doing well.

The rebound anxiety,weird thoughts and feeling "off" are signs of benzo withdrawal,and 2 months is definitely long enough to build tolerance with xanax.Hell, 2 weeks is long enough,it's an incredibly potent and addictive drug.

If you're down to 0.1mg of xanax,I feel it's safe to get off it altogether.IMO the gabapentin sounds like it's gotten you through the taper,and I'd continue taking that alone until you're feeling ok again,and then get off that too.

At this point eating healthily,taking vitamins and getting plenty of sleep is important.Since xanax is such a short acting drug,I'd jump off altogether at 0.1mg.Don't think that taking 0.1mg every other day or every 3 days will help with tapering and withdrawals,as you'll stay dependent on it that way.

Good luck

Thank you very much for your response. I'm sorry to hear about your experience...I can't imagine going cold turkey off of 6-10 mgs...that must have been terrible.

Ok...I think the 0.1 mg dose of Xanax will be stopped, the Gabapentin continued and maybe even up the dose of Gabapentin (only on 200mgs pd right now) if starting to feel withdrawal symptoms.

Really hoping to get through this without too much discomfort. I welcome anyone else's thoughts/advice as, with all the horror stories of benzo withdrawals, I'm a little worried. Thanks....

 

[shreddedlettuce]

I know it is obviously easier said than done, but try not to "worry" too much.
Just think positve in the fact that you are not dependent on benzos anymore rather than the "worrying" about unknown feelings or "horror stories" that don't apply to your situation.
I think you will be fine.
Good luck and best wishes.

 

[Workin2005]

I know it is obviously easier said than done, but try not to "worry" too much.
Just think positve in the fact that you are not dependent on benzos anymore rather than the "worrying" about unknown feelings or "horror stories" that don't apply to your situation.
I think you will be fine.
Good luck and best wishes.

I hope your right....I will try not to worry to much.
Thanks for your encouragement. ;-)

 

[MissNervosa]

I know it is obviously easier said than done, but try not to "worry" too much.
Just think positve in the fact that you are not dependent on benzos anymore rather than the "worrying" about unknown feelings or "horror stories" that don't apply to your situation.
I think you will be fine.
Good luck and best wishes.

This^ is great advice

Cold turkey off 6-10mg had me having a small seizure and hellish withdrawals,and I ended up in hospital.I've been on lots of different benzos over the years,but definitely have the most experience with xanax,at all different doses.

Honestly don't stress,you'll be fine,and I really doubt you'll have any side effects,or at least anything that will bother you too much.Just keep taking the Gabapentin,and up it only if you notice any withdrawals.Drink plenty of water to help flush it out of your system (it has such a short half life it doesn't stay too long in your system) and give yourself a pat on the back for getting off it

 

[Workin2005]

This^ is great advice

Cold turkey off 6-10mg had me having a small seizure and hellish withdrawals,and I ended up in hospital.I've been on lots of different benzos over the years,but definitely have the most experience with xanax,at all different doses.

Honestly don't stress,you'll be fine,and I really doubt you'll have any side effects,or at least anything that will bother you too much.Just keep taking the Gabapentin,and up it only if you notice any withdrawals.Drink plenty of water to help flush it out of your system (it has such a short half life it doesn't stay too long in your system) and give yourself a pat on the back for getting off it

Thank you...I'm keeping my fingers crossed that coming off xanax, COMPLETLY, will go smoothly.

I do drink tons of water. As far as "flushing out my system", I always exercise daily and sit in the sauna after my workout where I sweat profusely. Maybe this has helped my body not get as dependent as it would have otherwise.

Anyway, I greatly appriciate the support!

 

[Workin2005]

Update:
This is Day 8 of the taper. It MIGHT be the first day of taking NO Xanax.

100 mgs of Gabapentin was taken at 10:00 this morning. It's about 2:30 in the afternoon and so far so good...feeling fine!

We'll see how it goes. Any other comments, advice or input is welcomed....

 

[Workin2005]

So....I ended up caving in and taking a VERY small dose of xanax today.

I was with some friends and thought I may be starting to feel slight withdrawals. I was afraid I would start feeling terrible so I took between 0.05-0.09mgs. The dose was so small it was hard to mesure exactly the amount taken.
It was definitely less than 0.1 mgs...which is the amount I've been taking the last couple days.

I'm really mad at myself for caving in. I may not have even really been feeling withdrawals...I just didn't want to take the chance and ruin the afternoon. I guess the up side is that I did take a lower dose than what I have been taking.

The weird thing is, even at such a low dose, the xanax was actually felt. You would think a tiny amount like that, taken by someone physically dependent on it, wouldn't have any real effect other than helping with withdrawals. Could this mean there was never any real physical addiction?

Maybe this whole thing has been mostly psychological...or maybe that's just wishful thinking. If I could ever get up enough courage and self control to STOP taking this garbage I'd find out.

Any thoughts would be greatly appriciated. Thanks...

 

[MissNervosa]

Hun,I think you're definitely overthinking it,and probably creating unnecessary anxiety for yourself.

The fact that you felt a bit of a buzz from a tiny amount tells me that it's probably more psychological now.Usually if you take a tiny amount,it will just help relieve your withdrawals,and you won't feel anything beyond that.

Just don't take any tomorrow,and keep busy so you're not obsessing over whether you're having withdrawals.Honestly at this point,any withdrawals should be very mild if there are any at all.

Just chill

 

[Workin2005]

Hun,I think you're definitely overthinking it,and probably creating unnecessary anxiety for yourself.

The fact that you felt a bit of a buzz from a tiny amount tells me that it's probably more psychological now.Usually if you take a tiny amount,it will just help relieve your withdrawals,and you won't feel anything beyond that.

Just don't take any tomorrow,and keep busy so you're not obsessing over whether you're having withdrawals.Honestly at this point,any withdrawals should be very mild if there are any at all.

Just chill

Thank you...and your right. I am over thinking this. I'm just afraid stopping will cause so much discomfort and I need to perform at work.

If I do experience withdrawals after I completely stop this very low dose, do you think they will last long and will they be something manageable while I'm at work? I'd rather not say what I do but it requires me to act professionally at all times, be sharp and alert and perform difficult physical and mental tasks.

If there's a chance of serious withdrawal symptoms, it would be better for me to wait until I have a couple days off before I jump off this garbage completely. If your sure they won't be too bad, then I'll give it a try...I can always take a small amount if the withdrawals get bad but I'd rather not let it get to that point. What do you guys think?

Thank you all, again, for your support...I can't tell you how helpful and reassuring its been.

 

[MissNervosa]

I know how you feel,but honestly any withdrawals will be minimal if indeed you have any at all.You might get a bit of a headache and feel a little irritable at worst.There will definitely be no serious withdrawal symptoms,because the dose is tiny and you're taking gabapentin as well,so that should have you totally covered.

Just so you feel in control,why not have a small dose with you at work,so you know it's there if you need it.If you feel uncomfortable enough that you need it,you know you can take it and it will hit you within 10 minutes or so,so it won't disrupt your work.Just don't fall into the trap of taking it just in case you get withdrawals.It's like taking paracetamol in case you get a headache!

I'm confident you'll be fine,just try to get your mind off it,and relax

 

[Workin2005]

I know how you feel,but honestly any withdrawals will be minimal if indeed you have any at all.You might get a bit of a headache and feel a little irritable at worst.There will definitely be no serious withdrawal symptoms,because the dose is tiny and you're taking gabapentin as well,so that should have you totally covered.

Just so you feel in control,why not have a small dose with you at work,so you know it's there if you need it.If you feel uncomfortable enough that you need it,you know you can take it and it will hit you within 10 minutes or so,so it won't disrupt your work.Just don't fall into the trap of taking it just in case you get withdrawals.It's like taking paracetamol in case you get a headache!

I'm confident you'll be fine,just try to get your mind off it,and relax

Thank you very much. You've been very helpful... ;-)

 

[MissNervosa]

No probs at all,have a great,worry-free day

 

[Workin2005]

Update:
I skipped my morning dose of Gabapentin today. Around 11:45am I was feeling what I can only describe as "spacy". I also had stomach cramps. As I was at work, I couldn't let myself wait to see if it got worse. I took roughly 0.06-0.09 mgs of Xanax (it was hard to measure) along with about 50mgs of Gabapentin. My stomach felt better within 20 min's and the spacy feeling seemed to go away.

Now, I've got stomach issues (ibs, exc...) that I've delt with for years. I've taken benzos in the past for my stomach and they've always helped. That said, it may have just been my stomach acting up and not been related to withdrawal symptoms. This wouldn't explain the "spacy" feeling but hey...maybe it was just "one of those days".

As recommended, I'm trying not to worry about this and cause self induced feelings of withdrawal but the symptoms I had today were very real...especially my stomach.

I can't wait to be off this crap. Any advice, thoughts, suggestions or comments are welcomed as always....

 

[MissNervosa]

I think skipping your morning dose of Gabapentin is where you went wrong.Feeling a bit spacey and having stomach issues can be part of Xanax withdrawal,so it's important you keep your Gabapentin doses regular right now.

It sounds like you're still freaking out about having major withdrawals at work,so it's probably best to leave your first day Xanax free 'til the weekend.Make sure you have some stomach meds to help with that issue and try and get some extra sleep to allow your body to repair itself.And stop worrying!