That's the first time I've read this as well. In fact most detox/recovery sites say the Ashton Manual is a little too drawn out and it can be sped up. IDK, she seems to still be the most informed professionally when it comes to benzo wd, I'd follow her recommendations before slowing it down or speeding it up. There's a reason she puts specific time frames in her taper schedules. If someone can get the exact same results going faster, more power to them.
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Stopping Benzo, Xanax & Klonopin
- Thread starter sinzz
- Start date
That's the first time I've read this as well. In fact most detox/recovery sites say the Ashton Manual is a little too drawn out and it can be sped up. IDK, she seems to still be the most informed professionally when it comes to benzo wd, I'd follow her recommendations before slowing it down or speeding it up. There's a reason she puts specific time frames in her taper schedules. If someone can get the exact same results going faster, more power to them.
unsettled
Bluelighter
I haven't read this whole thread, I'm sure there is alot of great advice here already.
I'd say you're wise to not want to get into this habit any deeper, you still will want to taper if possible, everyone is different and reacts differently to benzo wd but I'd taper to be on the safe side.
If you need to go to the doctor to get off of the benzos than do so, but be careful not to get yourself into even more trouble by getting a prescription. I legitimately needed xanax when I was prescribed them but the doctors did not tell me how severe the wd's could be. I think benzo addiction is THE WORST addiction ever.
Benzo's are such a double edged sword but if there is anyway possible to avoid using them then AVOID using them. If you really need them don't take them everyday. Of all the drugs I've tried none have given me as much trouble as Xanax. I've done plenty of other drugs to excess and managed to avoid suffering any serious consequences. I took my xanax as prescribed by my doctor and ended up having a fucking seizure when I ran out, plus I've never felt so insane in my life, it's mental and physical torture coming off benzos cold turkey.
You are fortunate you aren't in too deep, get out while you can. I've been prescribed them for years and I'm in the process of tapering very slowly with the help of my psychiatrist but even tapering is tough. Do what you got to do to get off of these now. I wish you the best of luck!
(I realize that some people can take them as needed and go months without them, if you can use them like this I don't see a problem, this is how they are meant to be used, but the second you get dependent on benzos it tends to be problematic even if you take them daily as prescribed)
I'd say you're wise to not want to get into this habit any deeper, you still will want to taper if possible, everyone is different and reacts differently to benzo wd but I'd taper to be on the safe side.
If you need to go to the doctor to get off of the benzos than do so, but be careful not to get yourself into even more trouble by getting a prescription. I legitimately needed xanax when I was prescribed them but the doctors did not tell me how severe the wd's could be. I think benzo addiction is THE WORST addiction ever.
Benzo's are such a double edged sword but if there is anyway possible to avoid using them then AVOID using them. If you really need them don't take them everyday. Of all the drugs I've tried none have given me as much trouble as Xanax. I've done plenty of other drugs to excess and managed to avoid suffering any serious consequences. I took my xanax as prescribed by my doctor and ended up having a fucking seizure when I ran out, plus I've never felt so insane in my life, it's mental and physical torture coming off benzos cold turkey.
You are fortunate you aren't in too deep, get out while you can. I've been prescribed them for years and I'm in the process of tapering very slowly with the help of my psychiatrist but even tapering is tough. Do what you got to do to get off of these now. I wish you the best of luck!
(I realize that some people can take them as needed and go months without them, if you can use them like this I don't see a problem, this is how they are meant to be used, but the second you get dependent on benzos it tends to be problematic even if you take them daily as prescribed)
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Mr. Squiggle!
Bluelighter
- Joined
- Aug 31, 2010
- Messages
- 354
No script i get off the streets. I have been taking 1 mg sometimes 2 mg of xanax once per day for about 45 days now. I used xanax recreational on and off for 5 years now. But was like only 2 or 3 mg on a weekend once a month. Now i have used for 45 days ever day. I want to quit because it is going to ruin my life. I would like to know a tapering system or some advice from others on quiting. I have 1 mg of xanax left and 25 Klonopins 1 mg . I was wondering what to expect and if theres anything I can do to make it easier? I have heard stiffness, siezures etc. Please help i am seroius about being clean again. If i can get clean i dont think ill touch another benzo
Hey, bud. Don't worry. 45 days of usage isn't going to do shit for withdrawals, more to the point, the severe withdrawals. And Xanax doesn't destroy lives, people do dude! Just take it easy, and if you're in a dire circumstance, may I suggest going in to your local public hospital and getting some help from them? I.e. rehab/psychotherapy?
Hey, bud. Don't worry. 45 days of usage isn't going to do shit for withdrawals, more to the point, the severe withdrawals. And Xanax doesn't destroy lives, people do dude! Just take it easy, and if you're in a dire circumstance, may I suggest going in to your local public hospital and getting some help from them? I.e. rehab/psychotherapy?
hey bud,Dont worry you are not in deep yet,you do not need to taper or anything.Ive never taken xanax recreationaly i dont really understand why people enjoy it but i did take 2mg evreyday for well over 45 days and i did not esperience any w/d's.I took them strictly for sleep due 2 insomnia from opaite detox i tried taking 2mg once during the day and i really did not feel anything enjoyfull.Anyways point is i took 2mg xanax evreynite for a while and i got no w/d at all.Maybe its cuz of the short half life that i didnt get w/d but if u start wit the kpins and valium i think that 45 days str8 could bring on w/d's.So take people's here advice just try not to take it evreyday cuz trust me the day will come when u will be praying u never touched these pills but if you stop now you can take them whenever u want for the rest of ur life with out being addicted to them.
slowpoke1967
Bluelighter
its great that you are serious about quitting your meds!
dont worry too much about being addicted, the more you expect a withdrawal the more you will feel it even its not real.
about 1.5 months with daily use of 1-2 mg of xanax isnt very dangerous (yet). but dont stop it all of a sudden, just to stay safe. keep decreasing your daily dose to zero.
stay one or two days repeatedly sober and youre good to go
eric
i agree low doseing and staying away from them totaly for as long as you can without feeling WD then take a small does enough to get you threw the anxiety and shit .
I dont think youd have the full blown effect everyone talks about .though stiffness is terrible in the knees and other joints i dont think youll have to go thre that.just go without till ya feel the need physicaly then small dose.
dont know what else to say most on here have all the answers and many vary..
play it safe ....
slowpoke1967
Bluelighter
i have to agree with this post on some points,specialy the one that the doc didnt tell my iether what the withdrawls would be like if i stopped or ran out,
Back in the peg where i started my pills the shrink left specific instructions that i was not ever to run out of my pills ,like say i ran out on friday ,then i couldnt get my doc to refill but after WD for a few days i had to go see him in person and tell him i was out thats when he phoned the pharmacy and told them that if i ever run out to give me as much as needed till my next script.
I thought this wierd but very convinient.
I still didnt know completely about the WD because i also bout hundreds of valiums at the time also for sleep so i had something to fall back on.
But where i live now the shrink has said not a word about WD from my benzos ,and its happend a couple times only for a couple days but bad enough that i woulda killed for anything for the greef to stop..
I never eaven knew you could get WD from benzos till i actually felt them.
And they definatly are terrible....
unsettled
Bluelighter
Are you still using them everyday? Because if you're not I'd think you could quit fairly easily due to xanax's short half life.
adicabrady
Bluelighter
I don't think it has been stressed enough here that Benzo withdrawal can give you seizures and kill you.45 days of using is definitely enough to give you a chance of seizing.
Lolie
Bluelighter
Why on earth did he do that if he knows you're trying to wean off Xanax? Or did he put you on 4mg daily of klonopin?
Allielapof
Greenlighter
- Joined
- Feb 5, 2011
- Messages
- 1
Hey guys! I'm new here but desperately need your help!!!!!I have been on different mgs of Xanax for about 12-15 years! I have severe anxiety disorder as well as PTSD! I've been going thru a very bad period in my life & I've started taking about 8mg a day (about 4 bars)well my nightmare that Im so stressed about has become a reality! I'm going to jail in a out 10 days Valentines Day!!! That means I have to stop this high dose cold turkey! WHAT DO I DO????? I don't want to die in there! Has anyone been in this situation or have ANY ideas!!!! PLEASE help me!!!!!!!
^^^^ hope he is doing ok!!!
but I would think that even though a person is sentenced to do some jail time, still the state has an obligation to tend to that persons health, so if he/she let the officials know that, specially the prison's doctor, they would deal with the problem, instead of just leaving the sentenced having seizures and possibly dying just because he/she comitted a crime, for which by the way, they are paying, so the prison surely has an obligation to do everyting they can to keep you alive.
I been taking like 0.5 mgs of clonazepam everyday, for at least 5 years now, this mont i need to see my doctor and ask him to up the dose, the panic attacks, stress and anxiety for some reasons went way up now, before the daily dose would prevent them from ever taking place, but whenever i would skip a day or 2, I'd feel it.
the dose i am taking i know is one of the lowest one can take, so I really think that the horrible WD symptons i get wen i try to stop are alot more from my mind, than from my body needing it, i bet if i haven't read all te terror stories from people who try to quit benzos, cause that alone gives you that fear.
I know this is more mental than anything because, if for some reason i ran out, and waited for like 3 or 4 days without, and i finally can refill it, i open the bottle, take like a few and chew on them, and as soon as i put them on my mouth, all the WD symptons that i'm feeling just completely are gone within 10 minutes, and we know that clonazepam is something that works for 24 hours, not like xanax that is more like a 5 hour long lasting effects...
i wish i could get the placebo thing, and i would bet money on it, that the placebo would work just as fine for me.
it just kills me that i am so dependent on a medication, even if it's so low a dose.
started out with clonazepam, then because i wanted to switch to some other kind of benzo, to prevent this, dependence, the doctor put me on xanax, like 0.5 2x a day, agan after a year or so, i asked to switch back, for the same reason, thinking xanax is more dangerous, so bac we went to clonazepam, also sometimes with xanax i'd have a panic attack and take lie 4 at once, 2 mgs at once isn't near something that would kill, but what i noticed was it simply made me sad, just like that, like a mood killer. i laugh when i read that people gets happy or high on xanax, whenever i take like say 4 mgs, no matter how happy i was before, it just goes to sad, nothing bad like suicidal thoughts, or pain, simply sadness.
but I would think that even though a person is sentenced to do some jail time, still the state has an obligation to tend to that persons health, so if he/she let the officials know that, specially the prison's doctor, they would deal with the problem, instead of just leaving the sentenced having seizures and possibly dying just because he/she comitted a crime, for which by the way, they are paying, so the prison surely has an obligation to do everyting they can to keep you alive.
I been taking like 0.5 mgs of clonazepam everyday, for at least 5 years now, this mont i need to see my doctor and ask him to up the dose, the panic attacks, stress and anxiety for some reasons went way up now, before the daily dose would prevent them from ever taking place, but whenever i would skip a day or 2, I'd feel it.
the dose i am taking i know is one of the lowest one can take, so I really think that the horrible WD symptons i get wen i try to stop are alot more from my mind, than from my body needing it, i bet if i haven't read all te terror stories from people who try to quit benzos, cause that alone gives you that fear.
I know this is more mental than anything because, if for some reason i ran out, and waited for like 3 or 4 days without, and i finally can refill it, i open the bottle, take like a few and chew on them, and as soon as i put them on my mouth, all the WD symptons that i'm feeling just completely are gone within 10 minutes, and we know that clonazepam is something that works for 24 hours, not like xanax that is more like a 5 hour long lasting effects...
i wish i could get the placebo thing, and i would bet money on it, that the placebo would work just as fine for me.
it just kills me that i am so dependent on a medication, even if it's so low a dose.
started out with clonazepam, then because i wanted to switch to some other kind of benzo, to prevent this, dependence, the doctor put me on xanax, like 0.5 2x a day, agan after a year or so, i asked to switch back, for the same reason, thinking xanax is more dangerous, so bac we went to clonazepam, also sometimes with xanax i'd have a panic attack and take lie 4 at once, 2 mgs at once isn't near something that would kill, but what i noticed was it simply made me sad, just like that, like a mood killer. i laugh when i read that people gets happy or high on xanax, whenever i take like say 4 mgs, no matter how happy i was before, it just goes to sad, nothing bad like suicidal thoughts, or pain, simply sadness.
adicabrady
Bluelighter
I went to jail about 18 years ago.I was shooting heroin and taking a five mg. Valium to sleep.My boyfriend told me that I was going to have a benzo withdrawal.I didn't believe him.I thought "Hey,I'm shooting dope and this is one stupid little pill".I had no respect for Valium.After about 5 days,I was a nervous wreck.I was snapping at the girls in jail and my nervous system was shot.
Years later,I went to a psych ward after finding out my boyfriend had AIDS.My boyfriend before him had died of an overdose.I told the doctors that I was doing dope about twice a week and eating 8 to 15 mg.of Xanax everyday.They put me on Methadone but gave me nothing for the Xanax.After 2 1/2 weeks of this I could barely walk.A nurse asked me what was wrong and I yelled "It's the Xanax detox,you ignorant b!tch.
She called the doctor and he wanted to put me on 2.5 Valiums twice a day.I (In my stupid junky pride)said no,that I had gone cold turkey that long and would do it myself.In the end I had to take the Valium or they were going to discharge me.I was in the hospital for 38 days and was still shaking when I got out.
I am on 6 mg. Xanax and every time I try to cut even one mg.,My nervous system rebels.I wish I had never been given benzos.I have kicked heroin hundreds of times,I was so sick I wanted to die but heroin detox doesn't kill,a benzo detox can kill.
I have had seizures and not remembered them.I only knew because other people were there and they told me.
Years later,I went to a psych ward after finding out my boyfriend had AIDS.My boyfriend before him had died of an overdose.I told the doctors that I was doing dope about twice a week and eating 8 to 15 mg.of Xanax everyday.They put me on Methadone but gave me nothing for the Xanax.After 2 1/2 weeks of this I could barely walk.A nurse asked me what was wrong and I yelled "It's the Xanax detox,you ignorant b!tch.
She called the doctor and he wanted to put me on 2.5 Valiums twice a day.I (In my stupid junky pride)said no,that I had gone cold turkey that long and would do it myself.In the end I had to take the Valium or they were going to discharge me.I was in the hospital for 38 days and was still shaking when I got out.
I am on 6 mg. Xanax and every time I try to cut even one mg.,My nervous system rebels.I wish I had never been given benzos.I have kicked heroin hundreds of times,I was so sick I wanted to die but heroin detox doesn't kill,a benzo detox can kill.
I have had seizures and not remembered them.I only knew because other people were there and they told me.
^ Yeah, benzo withdrawal is the worst. The doctor was right in giving you valium and I would encourage you to switch to valium as much as possible. The problem with Xanax is that it has a very short half life, leaving you needing more to feel "normal" after 4-6 hours of your dose. Valium has the longest half life of all benzos and not to mention does not fuck you up as much as Xanax does. I would recommend going to a psychiatrist or primary care physician and telling them you are addicted to Xanax. They will put you on Valium or Klonopin. Xanax impairs your judgment so much. There is no way you're going to be thinking rationally enough to actually taper down off of it. Also, you aren't supposed to taper 1 mg at a time, that is very dangerous. In reality you should be moving down .25 a week! PM me if you need advice as I've been through this.
I'm no expert by any means but having someone to guide you off benzos is really important. (I know many on here have recommended http://www.benzo.org.uk/ as a reliable source. Good place to start).
I had the worst doctor ever and he kept giving me more and more xanax at higher dosages until he was rx'ing me 2mg bars/3 times a day (always took more than that because my tolerance went through the roof) with refills which I of course would finish ahead of time and just go back to the dr and get another refill. This has been going on approaching 2 years. Finally just couldn't deal with it anymore.
It was difficult, but I found a doctor that actually knew what he was doing and started me on clonazepam 1mg in the morning, one in the afternoon and then 2mg of xanax at night. Now he's not prescribing me any more benzos period and I'm tapering the remainder of the xanax as well as taking neurontin (prevents seizures). He is also closely monitoring me and I am starting behavioral therapy to begin to learn to manage stress in a healthier way.
Point is, benzos=not something to mess around with, you can get hooked badly, and coming off is not easy and even life threatening. Please try to find a good doctor who can guide you.
I had the worst doctor ever and he kept giving me more and more xanax at higher dosages until he was rx'ing me 2mg bars/3 times a day (always took more than that because my tolerance went through the roof) with refills which I of course would finish ahead of time and just go back to the dr and get another refill. This has been going on approaching 2 years. Finally just couldn't deal with it anymore.
It was difficult, but I found a doctor that actually knew what he was doing and started me on clonazepam 1mg in the morning, one in the afternoon and then 2mg of xanax at night. Now he's not prescribing me any more benzos period and I'm tapering the remainder of the xanax as well as taking neurontin (prevents seizures). He is also closely monitoring me and I am starting behavioral therapy to begin to learn to manage stress in a healthier way.
Point is, benzos=not something to mess around with, you can get hooked badly, and coming off is not easy and even life threatening. Please try to find a good doctor who can guide you.
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