New to forum, Benzo withdrawal advice :/

[starknife]

Hello everyone, I've been lurking around here for quite awhile and finally decided to make an account and post my issue to see if I'm crazy, becoming epileptic, or just going through w/d.

Around march of this year was the first time I tried xanax ever, it was a prescription from a doctor for anxiety attacks, only 10 0.25mg pills, and they really seemed to help and then I ran out, and didn't take any for about 3-4 months, no ill effects whatsoever.

Then, I got a script for 30 more from my regular doctor who told me not to take them on a regular basis only as needed, however, my dumbass proceeds to do exactly the opposite and pop one whenever I felt like it, which was just about every other day for about 2 months..


Then one night I decide to try to go to sleep while having an anxiety attack and not taking anymore Xanax, I think it has been a few days since my last dose at this time but i'm not sure. I am laying down, eyes closed, trying to defeat the panic by using logical thinking and trying to suppress it, and it was working for a few minutes until suddenly, my right index finger moves completely on it's own and scratches my left forearm, I jump up in a panic wondering wtf just happened, then eventually go back to sleep.

Naturally, being so freaked out I decided to not take anymore Xanax at all, then the finger movement started happening more and more, then my toes would curl up involuntarily, and eventually my arm would shake and flail violently for about a second or two but only when I was just about to fall asleep, only stuff I have during the day is little twitches here and there. The doctors don't think it can possibly be benzo w/d but I have no idea who to listen to anymore.


What do you all think?

 

[phatass]

how long has it been since you quit? i think you're going through the hardest part atm... tough it out a few more days and you'll be fine 0.25mg evey other day for 2 months isn't serious... you won't get any seizures (unless you are prone to them)... if in two days its still unbearable aask your doctor to wite you a script for 2 times 2mg diazepam (valium) and take a quater of a pill as needed... DO NOT let the pharmacy give you a box worth (30 pills...) it will only increase the chances of a relapse

you should be ok, be srong!

 

[starknife]

how long has it been since you quit? i think you're going through the hardest part atm... tough it out a few more days and you'll be fine 0.25mg evey other day for 2 months isn't serious... you won't get any seizures (unless you are prone to them)... if in two days its still unbearable aask your doctor to wite you a script for 2 times 2mg diazepam (valium) and take a quater of a pill as needed... DO NOT let the pharmacy give you a box worth (30 pills...) it will only increase the chances of a relapse

you should be ok, be srong!

I'm pretty sure the arm flailing and jerking and finger movements are seizures, not grand mal, but seizures nonetheless.

 

[fryingsquirrel]

I find it very hard to believe that you are having withdrawls from .25 mgs of xanax every other day. I've taken many times that dose for a month or two without WD's.

 

[Chi-Blast]

I find it very hard to believe that you are having withdrawls from .25 mgs of xanax every other day. I've taken many times that dose for a month or two without WD's.

I find it hard to believe but it also sounds alot like tapering and/or coming off a pretty small but steady benzo habit. Everyone reacts differently, and I am no medical professional, so it's hard to say for sure.

Perhaps look into finding or getting scripted Gabapentin or Pregablin which helps for multiple purposes. It will relieve you of (what sounds like) minor anxiety/panic attacks and in the meantime will help with benzo withdrawl. It's an anti-epileptic so that's icing on the cake. I've used it many times if I was going a day or so without benzos.

Honestly it doesn't sound like you can handle benzos at all, and should steer clear of them completely. It only gets harder, both mentally and physically from here. And you've barely touched the tip of the iceberg with your "habit."

Best I got for you.

 

[fryingsquirrel]

^^Yeah, gabapentin might be worth a try. Tapering with benzos isn't really an option as you're already on the lowest dose I've ever heard of being precribed. I don't think the seizure activity is due to WD's, but perhaps the xanax has been preventing them, and without it they surface.

 

[Chi-Blast]

^^Yeah, gabapentin might be worth a try. Tapering with benzos isn't really an option as you're already on the lowest dose I've ever heard of being precribed. I don't think the seizure activity is due to WD's, but perhaps the xanax has been preventing them, and without it they surface.

Which is exactly my I think he should be looking into Gabapentin. Klonopin has a long half life so that's always an option too.

 

[Oxide]

Benzo withdrawls from such a low dose? Yikes. I was on 2 1/2 bars for months and my withdrawls were awful. It sucks, stick it out, stay away from benzos.

 

[phatass]

^^Yeah, gabapentin might be worth a try. Tapering with benzos isn't really an option as you're already on the lowest dose I've ever heard of being precribed. I don't think the seizure activity is due to WD's, but perhaps the xanax has been preventing them, and without it they surface.

2mg diazepam (valium) is considerably less (less then half the equivalent amount) of 0.25mg xanax ... and if you break your 2 mg valium into quaters you got yourself a real easy dose to hop off from...

 

[Lord]

Welcome to Bluelight!
I think you'll find the people here are a little screwed up and therefore unreliable, but as a team we show just how intelligent we are.

Withdrawal from 30 benzos is unlikely but possible. I can't imagine it being that bad at all except for a minor case of rebound anxiety, so if you're really sick it could be something else. I was taking 10 benzo/Z pills a day like 6 months ago, cut down to 3-4, now I'm at 2-3, sometimes just 1. I haven't noticed anything serious but life in general is kind of hellish so it would just blend in with the background.
A month of daily benzo use, that's what would impress me.
30 benzos, not so much. Stop now while you're still part of the 'lucky' group.