Benzos Is this safe alprazolam taper?

[ninjapirateroberts]

I have been using alprazolam 1mg daily for about 3.5-4 months. I take a pill a day before sleep, along with my regular 10mg melatonin (which I take just before bed). I'm planning to quit it in a safer way, my main concerns are rebound panic attacks and possible seizures.

I'm planning to take 0.5mg/day for 2 weeks from now starting today (take it during my usual time before bed or 2-3 hours before bedtime when I start to feel anxiety). Hereon, I'm planning to only use benzos as a one-time, occasional single-use kinda thing, like when I'm having a major stress day or having a bad trip on LSD or something like that, and not take them daily.

I only have alprazolam and lorazapam available, so taping with diazepam is not an option for me. Would 0.5mg/day alprazolam for 2 weeks and then stopping it completely a safe way to taper it for someone who's using it for 4 months daily during night at doses 1mg? or should I make it 3 weeks from now?

Will I get initial WD symptoms after stopping it completely after the week 2? How can I cope and go through it without going back to benzos? I occasionally experience minor "brain zaps" maybe 1-2 times a day (but not as severe as compared to brain zaps on LSD trips), thought I should mention that to give better history. I have seen many credible members and mods in here who had first-hand experience with tapering benzos so I would like to get your advice. For context, I use Vyvanse 40mg daily for ADHD (been taking alprazolam even before starting Vyvanse), I don't use any other drugs besides DMT 2 times a week and LSD every two week or once a month, and I never consumed alcohol.

 

[Jabberwocky]

Unless you have some sort of predisposition, or very long history with benzo/alcohol dependency, seizures from 1mg for 4 months is very unlikely even with no taper. However, better be safe than sorry.

Yes, you will probably experience some level of withdrawal or rebound after a 2 week taper. This might be minor, or moderate, depending on how bad your natural level of anxiety is.

You will probably experience varying levels of insomnia, anxiety, irritability, and mood swings.

That all sounds scary, but it might not be that bad for you. It's entirely possible it won't be bad at all.

Consider adding +2 weeks at 0.25mg or lower at night to help sleep before jumping off.

You may also want to cut back or stop the vyvanse for awhile after stopping.

If this is your first time withdrawing from benzos it's usually more forgiving than subsequent attempts.

 

[ISYMFS88]

I assume you are US based or atleast not UK as you are actually prescribed drugs for ADHD.

Is your Xanax prescribed in which case your GP should be only to please to prescribed you maybe 3 x 10mg Diazepam ,if you buy illicit then surely same applies and you could grab practically any other benzos rather than Xanax ,lorazies or ole skool halcion.
Diazepam and Clona are you safest ,least likely of a relapse or simply folding midway thru your 'clean up'.

Also your GP could prescribe you an anti as you suffer from ADHD ,anxiety and probably some depression.
Probably Mirtazapine as it promotes hunger ,will send you to sleep easily and doesn't affect libido like SSRI's.
Also it works super fast ,its safe IME [25years] and it will aid the depression and brain rape your will get post benzos ,but up to you.

I'm going draw the obvious connection the stim power and duration of the Vyvanse which is half an Amphetamine and your anxiety rising as the the stim wears down + your need to sleep. Also....and you maybe one of those guys that just swots off acid trips but I can't think of a worst drugs for building unbearable anxiety in me and if you were not on a very strong long acting stim and a the strongest Benzo available then I would STFU however....I'd said my bit and this BL sooooo......

Whilst cutting down on the xanax ,can you lower the Vyvanse week by week to get it down to half to lessen the the anxiety that will hit.

Also ,onet of action is faster with Loraz and is of course short acting ,basically cut your Xanax dosing 'feel' in half so to me Xanax is total overkill for a sleeper unless you are taking the Vyvanse later.
Can't you get just a 10mg ambien from your GP for zzzzz otherwise ,a Lorazepam will put you sleep aswell as a Xanax however I'm assuming the Alpraz is 1mg and your Loraz is 1mg although you may have the Asian 2-2.5mg bombs.

Ok, lets assume all you have is 1mg Alpraz and 1mg Loraz.
So 0.5mg Xanax is 1mg Loraz and loraz is very strong/fast itself.

So cut your 1mg in half then half gain =3/4 etc and try this [Only if other longer acting benzos or Z-class are unavailable as they are used in clinical settings for a reason].

WEEK 1: 1mg Alpraz as normal [Lower your vyvanse a little if possible as having never seen them ,I'm unsure if they are scored tabs ,caps or easy to break ] try to remove a 1/4 whilst you are still on the 1mg Xanax.

WEEK 2: 0.75mg Alpraz [Lower the vyvanse to half if poss ,this is as far as we will push ,yes you may feel a little 'off' .]

WEEK 3: 0.5mg Alpraz ,if you having toruble sleeping and waking a few time.....relax aslong as you are getting 4-6hrs [depending on your age and job ,trust me after using benzos and z-class to sleep for years when you suddenly start to sleep like most people it kind of feels wrong ,especially the R.E.M part].

WEEK 4: You can either go for a 0.25mg Xanax dose or swop to the Lorazepam 1mg here which will be the same strngth as the 0.5mg Xanax but half the duration so yes you could wake up but tbh ,you are quitting benzos so waking up sporadically is part of the future for awhile.

As said Mirtazapine should remedy this + promote the appetite that will take a hit on benzo W/D.

After this ,it's simply a matter of breaking the 1mg Loraz into half's then quarter's.

Not downplaying your benzo addiction but 1mg of even xanax ,only once a day plus pre-bed will most be a sleep issue for sometime ,I can't see it even would of taken the edge off the Vyvanse as by morning it would be done.

If you lucky ,we rare talking alot of waking up ,having trouble getting to sleep/staying asleep ,tiredness thru the day won't be an issue on Vyvanse but that could work against you and you could very wired and coming off of Benzos-heavy usemall day long feels like you are on mainlined speed anyhow .

This is very doable ,won't be pleasant but won't be that unpleasant ,the Vyvanse and LSD use to me are potential red flags but I could be judging a character I don't know.

Please wait for a few opinion other than mine as no doubt even though I'm experience as getting off benzo's whilst on stims it certainly doesn't make me an expert ,and as said ,the acquisition of other longer acting benzo's ,Z-class and/or anti-d's that promote sleep and appetite would be optimal.

Above all ,good luck ,don't rush but don't excuse yourself from a preferably written plan so daily moods dont affect your plan. Any maybe lay off LSD ,Shrooms etc until you are completely in the clear.

 

[ninjapirateroberts]

Unless you have some sort of predisposition, or very long history with benzo/alcohol dependency, seizures from 1mg for 4 months is very unlikely even with no taper. However, better be safe than sorry.

Yes, you will probably experience some level of withdrawal or rebound after a 2 week taper. This might be minor, or moderate, depending on how bad your natural level of anxiety is.

You will probably experience varying levels of insomnia, anxiety, irritability, and mood swings.

That all sounds scary, but it might not be that bad for you. It's entirely possible it won't be bad at all.

Consider adding +2 weeks at 0.25mg or lower at night to help sleep before jumping off.

You may also want to cut back or stop the vyvanse for awhile after stopping.

If this is your first time withdrawing from benzos it's usually more forgiving than subsequent attempts.

Thank you!

I'm curious why you mentioned I should cut back on Vyvanse for a while after stopping the benzos, because it's increasingly hard for me to function without the ADHD stims (I go to uni). Is it because of increased insomnia after quitting?

I figured the beta-blocker propranolol helps with anxiety during day-time (I've tried propranolol 20mg 3-4 times at this point, and I notice decreased physical anxiety, and from my previous post, I learned beta-blockers are probably safe to benzos for anxiety). Alprazolam is definitely fast-acting and "approved" for anxiety compared to propranolol, but I really don't think I should be relying on or taking benzos on daily basis (because I know I'm playing with fire when it comes to benzos which is why I wanted to quit daily usage). I don't get anxiety every day with my stimulant medication, it happens occasionally maybe 2 times a week or so, so I guess I can take propranolol to cope with anxiety when it happens instead of benzos.

Alprazolam I have comes in 1mg pharma blister and is from Pfizer so it only has a single score, but I will try to cut it again for 0.25mg. Will do that after 0.5mg of two weeks.

 

[Jabberwocky]

Every possible source of anxiety and physiological stimulation is amplified during benzo withdrawal. Your vyvanse may or may not give anxiety.

I can't even drink coffee or smoke weed during benzo withdrawal, but everyone is different, and it really depends how bad the withdrawal is.

Propranolol will definitely help, though.

 

[sonicwhite]

1mg Is not that much. You got this. You'll have anxiety but it'll get better but it will never go away. I would just stay on it IMO but I get it. Valium with is long half life is good cuz Xanax half line sucks ass.
But yeah you got a sturdy wean. My doc bless his heart prescribe 2 mg of klonopin three times a day. No I don't take that much. I break it in half then break the half in half. So i take. 5. By far its the strongest benzo and safest out there. Still caution needs to be examined carefully w it.



You'll be fine trust me.

 

[ninjapirateroberts]

1mg Is not that much. You got this. You'll have anxiety but it'll get better but it will never go away. I would just stay on it IMO but I get it. Valium with is long half life is good cuz Xanax half line sucks ass.
But yeah you got a sturdy wean. My doc bless his heart prescribe 2 mg of klonopin three times a day. No I don't take that much. I break it in half then break the half in half. So i take. 5. By far its the strongest benzo and safest out there. Still caution needs to be examined carefully w it.



You'll be fine trust me.

I realized that getting "physical dependence" from any drug especially when I'm self-medicating would be a bad idea. With other drugs, like stimulants, I can just stop it suddenly (I mean, the worse withdrawal effect is I feel like shit and unmotivated for like 3 days) but it's nothing compared to physical dependence on benzos (I learned this when I skipped a dose and got a panic attack in the middle of a shower). Being legally prescribed is one thing, but self-medicating with substances like benzos (especially on long-term) is really unsafe...

The main withdrawal effect I'm having right now is anxiety and brain zaps at around 10:00 - 11:00 PM (which is usually the time I take my benzo dose)

My 2 week 0.5mg alprazolam taper will end on June 20... let's see how it goes.

 

[sonicwhite]

Oh I thought you where prescribed. Yeah man, cuz the plug can be busted. You can end up w fent. It's slippery slope. But yeah I get it.

 

[ninjapirateroberts]

Oh I thought you where prescribed. Yeah man, cuz the plug can be busted. You can end up w fent. It's slippery slope. But yeah I get it.

I don't buy pressed pills. I get my supply in unopened blisters directly from a pharma (so I know I'm taking real stuff).

 

[sonicwhite]

Ok good deal. Well just keep going at it. The great thing tho is you just did 1 mg at night. I don't see how you got thru the day with its short half life but.

 

[sonicwhite]

Stimulant withdrawals as long as you're eating, drinking plenty of water and sleeping is a cake walk compared to benzo withdrawal. I know from personal experience.

 

[ninjapirateroberts]

UPDATE

I've quit the benzo; I'm about 16 days off the benzo. It took me longer than the schedule I mentioned above because I was having rebound insomnia. I took (AFAIK propranolol doesn't help with sleep issues), so I took zolpidem 10mg when I came off of the benzo to deal with rebound insomnia. I have had minor "anxiety" when before bedtime around the 2nd day I stopped the benzo but I brushed it off and told myself "I'm okay... my HR is raising but I'm okay".

Zolpidem 10mg is definitely a lifesaver with the benzo withdrawal... but it finally happened.

So my actual benzo quitting remedy was propranolol 20mg if I have daytime anxiety, and zolpidem 10mg for rebound insomnia and sleeping trouble during the withdrawal.

 

[PtahTek]

I've quit the benzo

Great.
Thanks for the update as well as the info is zolpidem easily acquired?

 

[ninjapirateroberts]

is zolpidem easily acquired?

Yeah -- AFAIK it's less regulated than the benzos and I got it from the same pharma connection as my benzos. The only negative thing I can say about zolpidem is that it can induce "sleepwalking", minor hallucination, and amnesia, especially during the first 2-3 days, so you should be mindful of it. I took DMT twice (in the first 2-3 days of using the drug) after about 1 hour into the zolpidem onset and I didn't even remember taking it... it was as if I was on "autopilot mode" and I had less control over my actions (I didn't do anything stupid because I started with the lowest dose), but if I were to take it "recreationally" (usually 30-40mg) the effects would be more pronounced and I don't recommend it as a recreational drug (you will get in trouble).

 

[Jabberwocky]

Grats bro

Yeah propranolol doesn't help with sleep, in fact insomnia is actually known side effect, particularly if you aren't tolerant to it.

Also tends to give me extremely vivid nightmares. Almost exclusively nightmares and not more neutral dreams. Not sure why, but also a known side effect.

 

[Dextro .45]

Having a 500 count tablet ziplock bag a Pharma ApoTex Diazepam 10mg blue tablets

Can be helpful for managing slow tapere…..but can become an insaine Cocaine fueled summer party by the pool, bbq, sun, music lol…..fuuuuuuck. I’m so weak. I definitely have a morbid attraction to the most taboo of serious controlled substances lol, I want a pharmaceutical lab synthesizing every molecule I see fit, just 1,000 gram sealed packages of API crystalline hcl powder.

Obscure Jems like pure d-Phenmetrazine powder for injection (more pleasurable that I.V. Methedrine apparently)

Desbutal & Dexamyl are TEIR 1 shinning stars

Opioids
Stimulants
Benzodiazepine & Barbiturates
Gabapentinoids
Cannabinoids
LSD & Psilocybin/DMT, etc
Ethanol (Jin & Cuban Rum)

A beautiful steak & lobster feast in the sun by the pool, on LSD …..Sun feels like it’s beautiful energizing rays of power & life, the warm so pleasurable…….making love to my girl on LSD and she’s on Psilocybin mushrooms after our delicious feast and swim in the sun (friends pool lmao ) a trippy erotic sensual mystical porn video but your in it and the star lol, watching her is absolutely unreal….like she a paid professional that knows how to act for the cameras lol

Oh my lol…….Saturday’s is MY DAY


Free house till 6pm, drop a 100ug of LSD, music, various meals, treats lol, clean some toys

Stiff drinks and decent leenos of some oily flacky columbian marching powder lol