I know this is an old thread, but for the sake of keeping things simple I would just like to give my opinions on benzo withdrawal in Australia.
I have just quit a 2 year Alprazolam 3mg/day dependence.
My doctor wanted me to stay on, but I had just withdrawn from Tramadol and thought I would give Alpazolam a shot.
Withdrawal Schedule:
Day 0: Xanax 0.5mg qid + 1mg at bed time
Day 1: Xanax 0.5mg qid
Day 2: Xanax 0.25mg qid
Day 3: Xanax 0.25mg qid
Day 4: Xanax 0.125mg qid
Day 5: stop
Some of the drugs that are available in Australia that helped me:
1. Phenibut: This is a supplement that can be bought online from body building stores. It is a GABA-b agonist. This was great at relatively low doses, but as the days go by a rapid increase occurs, so I capped my Phenibut use to 1 week. Just remember to stop using phenibut before it has you by the balls. Dose: 2-4 grams per day.
2. Magnesium Aspartate Dihydrate: This is a wonder drug during benzo withdrawal and can be purchased from any chemist or health food store. Typical uses include muscle relaxation, anxiety relief, tension relief. Dose: 1-2 grams 3 to 4 times a day.
3. Taurine: This can be purchased from your local health food store. The typical uses include muscle relaxation, anxiety relief, tension relief. Dose 1-2 grams 3 to 4 times a day.
4. Doxylamine Succinate: This is a otc antihistamine sleep aid which can be purchased at any chemist in Australia. This is a great drug used in the Magnesium, Taurine stack. Dose 25mg at night for sleep.
Notes:
1. The combination of Magnesium and Taurine almost completely relieved my symptoms without being addictive or cross tollerent.
2. My doctor gave me Zolpidem CR for sleep, but this threw me back into withdrawal the following day. So stick to the antihistamines for sleep.
3. And for all those who think substituting to a long half life benzo is a good idea... I found it super hard to quit valium and had to taper over 3 months to get off. I have now quit Xanax 3mg prolonged use in under a week, and to be honest, I really do not feel like using it any more.
4. Exercise is super important during withdrawal. Make sure to do at least 30mins to 1 hour of high intensity exercise every day if you can manage. Your body will thank you.
5. I did not miss a day of work during this withdrawal.
6. It is generally considered best to taper with a long half life benzo, but I just wanted out. So this may not be for everyone.
7. I tried Kava for the symptoms but it has no effect. It is also supposed to work through the GABA-a receptor so this is not a good choice to help benzo withdrawal. (Yes it is still available in health food stores)
Duration of Withdrawal:
There were 3 distinct phases.
1. Acute Withdrawal lasting approximately 1 week.
2. Body numbness and sleep disturbances lasting approximately 1 week.
3. Lingering symptoms lasting approximately 1 week.
So all up it took about 3 weeks to hit baseline. Not bad considering. I encourage you to think about a quick taper under your doctors supervision as prolonging this withdrawal phase eats away at your mental state.
Symptoms Experienced:
Body Numbness
Anxiety
Muscle tension
Over excitability
Anger
Short Attention Span
Trouble Sleeping
Conclusion:
I hope this is of some help to people trying to kick the habit in Aus. I highly recommend the Magnesium + Taurine Stack to relive symptoms throughout the day and at bed time. I just wish my doctor had have told me this...
It is bloody brilliant when you start to see the light at the end of the tunnel.
Nab