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Need help with social anxiety from xanax withdrawals

H

hinowear

Greenlighter
Joined
Feb 6, 2011
Messages
7
Over the past month, I have slowly been tapering off of benzos. It has been about 6 years of pretty heavy use with only a couple breaks here and there. Now that I'm not trying to rely on the xanax as a crutch, I'm finding the situations that used to never be a problem now baffle me. I used to be an extrovert but over the past two years, I have put a shell over me and am now more introverted. I have found myself having problems where I get too tuned in to what's going on around me and let that trip me out and then my insecurity comes out. That causes me to get uncomfortable which then results in me being very quiet.

I feel a lot of this has to do with the fact that I have recently been implementing change in my life for the better. I realized that I need to grow up and become more responsible. That is why I knew I had to stop xanax because I would not be able to grow with it. I have found that I feel uncomfortable when I am outside of my comfort zone (house) or with people who I don't know to well. Currently, I have decreased my xanax use from about 6mg to about 0.25-0.5mg and am just about ready to cut it off. I am just worried that I might be too overwhelmed with anxiety and not have my xanax to fix that. I also smoke weed on a daily use.

I am wondering if anyone can recommend any solutions to this problem I am facing. I am referring to getting anxiety, resulting in me getting locked for words (grime lock) where I get stuck in my head and can't get myself out of it. I guess that is why I liked xanax so much. I am looking for advice on how to cope with not being able communicate properly with people due to my fear and anxiety. I used to never be like this and would really like to regain that part of myself again. Any advice would be greatly appreciated. Thank you.
 
I feel you buddy - I'd first ask if you have considered a longer acting benzo like valium for social anxiety, or are benzos a no no period due to your ability to abuse them ? If so a beta blocker could really help - watch your BP on them though.

Otherwise, I have bad social anxiety and other forms (closed rooms for example will make me start to sweat and freak out) - it's gotten better from therapy and from really using the techniques (breathing / meditation / thought processes on handling scenarios). Are you seeing a therapist ? I dread going STILL , but I make myself 3x a week and what I see is areas where I used to be afraid to deal with I now do not shy away from, and more importantly i FOLLOW through. It's given me a chance to have a clear head and set goals and achieve them.

The more you set and achieve goals - the more confidence you will build and the easier it will be to deal with the social anxiety. Xanax does work well for my acute anxiety attacks / flashbacks but taking it all day (as I'm prescribed) would simply leave me addicted and the use would be drastically decreased. I used to smoke A LOt o pot myself daily, I smoke still but I do it much less and I would recommend you stop for now and let your body work on being itself, without having any substances like weed that can be mild altering.

Best of luck feel free to PM me, I've been on benzos since i was 10, I rarely use them more than 2-3 times a week.
 
I'm finding the situations that used to never be a problem now baffle me. I used to be an extrovert but over the past two years, I have put a shell over me and am now more introverted. I have found myself having problems where I get too tuned in to what's going on around me and let that trip me out and then my insecurity comes out.
Click to expand...

When I was coming off klonopin I felt that same way. I called it rebound anxiety. It seemed like someone turned up the volume dial concerning my internal thinking. I was a wreck to put it mildly. I had a lengthy benzo run also [8 yrs daily], which is just fucking crazy now looking back and trying to understand my reasoning behind that. Anyways you said you have been taking xanax for 6 years, ime its a long road to get over benzos. What I would do was force myself to go to NA meetings and put myself right in an environment that made me uncomfortable already.

I would get so shaky, millions of scenarios running thru my mind, start getting sweaty, feeling squirmy, etc. I just forced myself to deal with it and slowly it started going away. Like I said above, it took me 18 months to start to feel semi normal and even than it was fleeting. I didnt do anything during the initial w/d and I dont think I could have been working or going to school. Than I decide to stop a long term opiate habit and started taking klonopin again for a couple months and than stopped. That definitely set me back a few months but I didnt really know what I was feeling. It is getting real close to a full year off op8's and benzos and man I am finally feeling great semi consistently.

I would say this, prepare yourself for a long lasting w/d that can be intense and debilitating at times. The end result is SOOO fucking worth it though, it feels great not to have to rely on that shit anymore. This site and that site has alot of good info: http://www.benzo.org.uk/

Good luck and stick with it.

edit: did you just taper down to .25 - .5mg from 6mgs over the past month?
 
Thank you to both of you for your advice and words of support.

theartofwar said:
I feel you buddy - I'd first ask if you have considered a longer acting benzo like valium for social anxiety, or are benzos a no no period due to your ability to abuse them ? If so a beta blocker could really help - watch your BP on them though.
Click to expand...

I was thinking of trying to get a prescription to valium, but am feeling I should cut it out altogether and stay strong and deal with the w/d symptoms. I am considering kava kava to ease the w/d's.

theartofwar said:
Are you seeing a therapist ? I dread going STILL , but I make myself 3x a week and what I see is areas where I used to be afraid to deal with I now do not shy away from, and more importantly i FOLLOW through. It's given me a chance to have a clear head and set goals and achieve them.
Click to expand...

I saw a therapist for a long period of time and it did not seem to do any good because I was not putting forth the effort. If things do not improve after I discontinue benzos, then I should definitely look into that and consider seeing a new therapist. You are right on point with setting goals. That is one of the other things I realized that I was lacking. Makes a huge difference when you implement goals.

bagochina said:
What I would do was force myself to go to NA meetings and put myself right in an environment that made me uncomfortable already.
Click to expand...

I am definitely considering this option. It's just I need to get mentally prepared for abstinence. Right now I am trying to do one thing at a time and not overwhelm myself.

bagochina said:
edit: did you just taper down to .25 - .5mg from 6mgs over the past month?
Click to expand...

Yes, I pretty much started tapering right before the new years and somehow managed to decrease my dose by 2mg every 2 weeks. I tried to only use enough to get rid of the negative side effects.

Thank you bluelight!
 
^I think you can only PM moderators as a greenlighter, then you can PM anybody when you become a BL. So give it a try.

Benzos suck period IMO, especially for insomnia and anxiety. It often worsens both conditions over time even if you aren't WDing. You might be in for some hellish WD's, so taper slowly and don't do a bunch of other drugs until you are better which will likely be a while. I'm sorry.
 
^ it's because you need 50 posts to make bluelighter status buddy. So just keep on postin and soon you can send all the PM's ya need.
 
How do you feel about going back to a therapist and really giving it a chance bro ? I know how daunting it was for me, I can really feel you in not wanting to go - I still don't like going !! But it has made a huge difference...
 
beta blockers helped me too a lot for social anxiety. they put the breaks on adrenaline and shut down all that nervous body shit, which in turn makes my mind more relaxed. its worth at least trying imo.
 
Bo what do you use ? I talked w my shrink and my primary about betablockers specifically since my BP is usually on the high end - no such luck yet - my primary wants to see me again this upcoming week and check my ticker n bp, will see.
 
if u MUST use benzos stick with the long acthing.
benzos have there place in medicine. i think the whole idea is u dont use the shit every day
i havnt found any med to make me feel more normal than benzos... i feel ya pain.......
i used em for 6 months .. xanax, vals. tamaz.... they are like candy for someone with anxiety...
NA is BS IMO. just hook ya up with other uses.
just do what your body wants. & u'll be happy just never be greedy & have more than what u need
 
Be patient and give it time. There are no magic instant cures. This CBT lesson has worked for me.

Let yourself experience the social anxiety and try not to freak out. Stick it out as best you can. Be aware of your anxiety and try to just tolerate it. Then take some time later to contemplate how you felt and why. Think of how you would rather have felt and reacted. Imagine feeling socially comfortable instead. Go thru that exercise in your mind over and over. Think of feeling good in social situations instead of bad. Then the next time you react with anxiety, remember how you would like to feel. Use your awareness. Try to let yourself feel good instead of bad. Use the memories of the exercise you went thru in your mind. Your have to relearn this without chemical assistance.

This isnt easy nor will it work immediately. But if you practice it, it gets better.
 
I believe I suffer from social anxiety, too. I am too nervous to see a doctor for obvious reasons.

I'm kind of in a similar situation at the moment as you, apart from the benzo thing. I don't have access to benzos' (never tried them), so I take opiates when I need to relax and be social with new groups of people, etc.

I simply can not replay on opiates for me to be social any longer. I want to be myself without the need for them. I'm getting a lot better at socialising though. I have a few things that helped me, and that may help you.

Sadly, I don't like alcohol all that much. Other wise I would just drink when going out.

Making some Erythrina mulungu tea helps me in tough situations. It doesn't make me social though, it more just makes me not care. Or more tired I guess. Very good for sleep.

Also, blue lotus . It relaxes me, and it does make me talk more.

I think they work better than kavakava. But I wouldn't rely on taking these all the time, just in times you need it. Though they are still VERY mild herbs. I wont expect them to be anything close to a benzo.

Good luck, time will heal. We can get though it!
 
I think lyrica rocks social anxiety and has far less wds than benzos. Not sure why doctors prefer such addictive drugs like benzos. You could do a combination like lyrica, beta blocker like inderal, and a nice chewed dose of kanna leaf (very strong in its own right). That would be the most potent less addictive antisocial combination I could think of.
And a heft dose of l-tyrosine/l-theanine would just add to the chill effect.
 
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