Xanax (Alprazolam) is a medication that is prescribed to treat intense anxiety and panic disorders. It is currently among the most prescribed drugs in the United States, and has been for years. The reason that many people turn to Xanax and that doctors give out prescriptions for this medication is simple: because it works. There is really not a more effective medication on the market for sheer anxiety and panic than this one.
The major drawbacks associated with this medication can cause some people to stop taking it. In most cases, it is recommended to avoid using this medication unless you are 100% sure that you’ll need it. Consistent long term usage of Xanax (and other benzodiazepines) is linked to developing dementia as well as other permanent cognitive deficits. These facts are not meant to scare people, rather point out that Xanax is typically not safe for the long term.
For this reason, many people have turned to other medications and/or just decided to quit using Xanax. When you decide to quit Xanax, it is important to work closely with your doctor and/or under the supervision of a professional. Withdrawal symptoms can be serious and extreme compared to most other medications. In fact, for certain individuals, this is the single hardest drug that they’ll ever withdraw from.
Factors that influence Xanax withdrawal
Not everyone will experience the same degree of withdrawal symptoms when coming off of Xanax. For some people it will be a relatively moderate withdrawal, while for others it will be total hell. Various factors that play a role in influencing withdrawal include: time span, dosage, your physiology, and how you quit.
1. Time Span
How long have you been on Xanax? Were you just using it on an “as needed” basis? Or were you taking it for months? Some people have been on this medication for years, taking it every single day. Individuals that have been on it consistently for long periods of time are going to have the most difficulty when it comes to withdrawal.
2. Dosage (.25 mg, .5 mg, 1 mg, 4 mg)
Typically in cases of treating generalized anxiety or social anxiety, a person only will need about 0.25 mg to 0.5 mg to alleviate symptoms. Even for panic attacks, the maximum recommended dose is only 0.5 mg. Since the immediate release version of the medication may need to be taken multiple times per day, it is not recommended to exceed 4 mg daily. Most professionals will not prescribe more than 4 mg to be taken on a daily basis.
3. Physiology
Your personal physiology will play a role in determining how quickly you recover from the withdrawal symptoms. Some people heal faster than others so just realize that your withdrawal experience is unique to you. Not everyone has the same degree of social support or the same opportunities. The way that your nervous system reacts to the withdrawal will be dependent upon your individual situation.
4. Cold turkey vs. tapering
It is actually dangerous in many cases to quit taking Xanax “cold turkey.” Therefore it is not medically advised to just stop taking this medication without having slowly tapered down the dose over an extended period of time. Work with your doctor or another professional if you need help with this process. The person who prescribed you this medication should be well aware that you need to “taper” and should never quit “cold turkey” unless you are already on the lowest possible dose.
Xanax Withdrawal Symptoms List
Below are some symptoms that you may experience when you stop taking Xanax. Realize that this medication is considered one of the most difficult to quit. People can build up a quick tolerance to the drug and since it works so quickly and effectively, many people become addicted. During your withdrawal, it is important to realize that many of the symptoms you will experience are a result of your brain readjusting to processes without the drug.
- Anxiety: When you stop taking Xanax, your brain no longer has the drug to bind to GABA receptors. Therefore instead of the calm feeling you experience while on Xanax, you may experience very severe anxiety. It may be so severe that you have a difficult time functioning and/or coping. Just know that the severity will subside as time passes throughout your withdrawal.
- Concentration difficulties: Many people report difficulties with concentration while taking this drug, but also during withdrawal. Research has shown that people exhibit cognitive deficits for weeks after taking this drug. If it seems as though you are not able to think clearly, it is likely a result of the withdrawal process.
- Convulsions: This is a condition in which the muscles rapidly contract and relax rapidly and repeatedly. These are especially common if you try to quit taking Xanax in “cold turkey” fashion. It is basically uncontrollable shaking of your body because you have become accustomed to the drug for functioning. These will subside as long as you do an extremely gradual taper.
- Depression: It is extremely common to experience increasing depression when coming off of Xanax. For some people the calmness associated with this medication actually helps with depressive symptoms. The combination of all of the withdrawal symptoms can lead to feelings of deep depression and sorrow.
- Hallucinations: It is thought that when you stop taking Xanax, especially if you do not slowly taper, that neurons become overexcited. The overexcitement is thought to contribute to some individuals experiencing hallucinations. Although this isn’t a common withdrawal effect, some people do experience them as a result of quitting Xanax.
- Headaches: People have reported minor headaches, to major migraine-esque headaches when coming off of Xanax. These can make life very difficult to deal with especially if they are ongoing. It is recommended to make sure you are drinking adequate water and taking over-the-counter headache relief if necessary.
- Insomnia: Perhaps the most common symptom that people experience when withdrawing from Xanax is insomnia. You may not be able to fall asleep at night and instead your mind seems to be controlled by anxiety and stressful thinking. Even when your physical body is exhausted, your mind runs an uncontrollable course that keeps you awake.
- Irritability: Many people report feeling irritable when they come off of benzodiazepines. Some people experience aggression in combination with feeling highly irritable. Recognize that little things may really irritate you during withdrawal.
- Memory problems: Long term use of this drug has been linked to developing dementia. It is not a surprise that Xanax is linked to memory problems during withdrawal. Most people should experience their memory return to normal within a few months into withdrawal.
- Mood swings: Many people have experienced mood swings during withdrawal from benzodiazepines. These mood swings make actions unpredictable and can make recovery difficult because one minute you may feel good and the next very depressed.
- Muscle pain: You may experience an extensive amount of pain in your muscles or throughout the body. This could be a result of muscle tension and could also just be aches and pains of withdrawal.
- Nausea: You may feel nauseated for awhile and/or experience flu-like symptoms especially during the first few weeks of withdrawal.
- Nightmares: It is common to experience nightmares and other sorts of crazy dreams when coming off of Xanax.
- Palpitations: You may experience heart palpitations especially during the acute phase of withdrawal. These are sensations that your heart is beating rapidly, irregularly, or abnormally. These may drive you crazy because they can lead to further anxiety. They will eventually subside if you can relax.
- Panic attacks: Since this medication is used to treat panic, you are likely going to experience panic when coming off of it. The panic may be significantly worse than before you started taking Xanax. This is something that you will have to learn how to cope with. It will eventually go away and/or reduce in intensity, but during the initial withdrawal period it may be extreme.
- Perceptual changes: Changes in perception have been documented during withdrawal.
- Psychosis: Many people experience psychotic episodes as a result of withdrawing from Xanax. If you end up experiencing psychosis as a result of your withdrawal from Xanax, it could be due to the fact that you withdrew too fast. Psychosis as the result of withdrawal does not typically respond to an antipsychotic medication.
- Seizures: One of the huge dangers associated with not tapering off of Xanax is that of experiencing seizures. In cases of benzodiazepine dependency, seizures are a common withdrawal symptom if you cut bait with the medication cold turkey. This is not safe, so make sure you are slowly tapering off or “titrating” down to a lower dose over a period of time.
- Sleep disturbances: You may notice changes in your sleep patterns. It may be difficult to get a full night’s sleep and/or you may experience significant interruptions in your ability to stay asleep. These disturbances can make life even more stressful while trying to come off of Xanax.
- Suicidal thinking: The excessive anxiety may provoke thoughts of suicide and contribute to a person feeling trapped. During withdrawal, it may feel as if you are prisoner to the excessive nervousness, anxiety, and stress that you are experiencing. This will eventually get better, but in the meantime, make sure you have a coping strategy in case you start to feel suicidal.
- Sweating: Most people report extensive “night sweats” when coming off of Xanax. You may sweat excessively throughout the day, but most people report that their sweats throughout the night are significantly worse.
- Tingling sensations: You may feel tingling sensations across your body when you first come off of this medication. These sensations are not easy to deal with and may drive you crazy. Just recognize that this is a well-documented symptom of withdrawal that should be understood.
- Tremors: This is uncontrollable shaking usually in your hands and/or arms. The muscles contract and relax, sometimes in rhythmic frequencies. If these do not go away, you may need to conduct a slower taper.
- Vomiting: Some individuals end up puking as a result of the intense nausea that they experience. Although this isn’t a very common symptom, it has been reported.
Note: Following your last dose, Xanax stays in your system (along with its metabolites) for between 2 and 4 days. Some believe that discontinuation symptoms become most noticeable after it has been fully cleared from the body.
Xanax Withdrawal Timeline: How long does it last?
There is no specific timeline for withdrawal from Xanax. It may take one person a few weeks to overcome the withdrawal symptoms, while recovery for another person may take months or years. It is important to recognize that your experience with any medication is unique and cannot be generalized to everyone. Most researchers have found that people coming off of Xanax go through an “acute phase” (shorter term) which is sometimes followed by a “protracted phase” (longer term).
Acute phase
On average, withdrawal from Xanax lasts 2 months or more. A good rule of thumb I like to go by is the 90 day rule for any psychiatric medication. In most cases, withdrawal symptoms subside by the third month of not taking the medication. This is assuming that you gradually tapered off of the medication – not quit cold turkey. If you quit cold turkey, the withdrawal effects may linger for longer than just a few months.
Protracted phase
There is evidence of a protracted or extended withdrawal phase in which people experience effects for months if not years after their last dose. It is suggested that up to 15% of individuals who have taken Xanax could exhibit symptoms for an extended period of time. These symptoms typically include things like: insomnia, tinnitus, cognitive deficits, anxiety, jerks, muscle weakness, tremors, muscle pain, and tingling sensations. People may experience brain damage if they were taking high doses of Xanax over an extended period of time.
Full recovery
Most people will fully recover from their Xanax withdrawal, but it may take months or years. There is no telling when the person is going to return back to a completely normal state of functioning. If you are dealing with Xanax withdrawal, take the time to focus on engaging in healthy activities. Do things that are good for your mind and body such as: getting natural sunlight, socializing with others, staying busy (e.g. at a job), exercising, and eating healthy.
My personal experience coming off of Xanax
I had taken Xanax immediate release as well as the XR (extended release) version. I was on the immediate release version for about a year, and I took the XR version for about a year and a half. They worked wonders for my anxiety and honestly I don’t know that I would have been able to make it through a year of my high school without them. I was plagued by severe social anxiety as well as general anxiety. This drug did what it was intended to do – reduce my anxiety.
Coming off of it was no fun, but I was lucky that I wasn’t put on a super high dose. The withdrawal experience was nothing short of a nightmare for me being a teenager at the time, but it was still easier than Paxil. My withdrawal symptoms lasted for 6 to 8 months, so I am well aware that the process takes awhile. My doctor didn’t even tell me to taper off of the medication, so that probably made things worse than necessary. Always make sure that you taper off of these drugs so that you can avoid dangerous effects of quitting cold turkey.
If you have been withdrawing from Xanax and would like to share your personal experience, many people would appreciate it. Sharing your experience helps people realize that they are not alone in this struggle and that full recovery is possible. I am living proof that you can make it out from Xanax withdrawal.
I have been taking Xanax for approximately 6 years for anxiety. I had some GAD and then got breast cancer had to have a mastectomy, chemo and basically went through Hell. At first I was taking .75. I am a teacher, so one summer I weaned down to .50 on my own because no job, no stress, etc. I believe it makes me tired. If I take it in the morning, I am sleepy all day and have to drink lots and lots of coffee to counteract that.
If I take .50 at night, I wake up extremely groggy or don’t hear the alarm clock. Definitely not good when working, and I am still tired all morning. For the past 2 days I have been weaning off by cutting down to .25 and taking it at night. Woke up with moderate to severe leg cramping and have had a tiny bit of nervousness.
I also feel itchy sometimes, like something is crawling on me. I know I can do this, though because I have done it before. I intend to quit taking this stuff.
Both my wife and I have suffered from Xanax. Firstly while on Xanax I noticed a massive change in my wife’s behaviour. Her Personality changed and she became a monster. I was suffering massive anxiety dealing with my wife’s changed personality, so she convinced me to get on the medication also. We were now two crazy people in one household. Non of us could make sense of anything. We always argued.
It was madness. I was having crazy thoughts and kept taking more to calm my anxiety. I tried to work out why our lives had changed so much. What have we introduced into our lives that we never had prior to this madness. Xanax!!!! I went cold turkey. Hallucinations, crying, suicidal thoughts, I thought I was losing my mind, confusion, I would forget where I was going, massive depression, memory loss, weight loss and a feeling that I was going to die and never come out of this.
My wife went to a 3 week rehab facility. I had been speaking to my wife every day. After the 3rd week at the rehab facility, I noticed a shift in her personality. Something in her mind had switched off and she became the old wife I married 25 years earlier. She was happy pleasant and funny again. My wife had been on Xanax only one year. I had been on Xanax only 2 months. It nearly destroyed our marriage and our lives.
DO NOT TOUCH XANAX. It alters your mind, your perception and reality. You become a zombie and getting off it is a nightmare. It is frightening. 3 months on I still suffer memory loss, confusion and anxiety. I get anxious because I’m constantly confused. Hopefully time will heal. Thanks.
As of June 14 2016 I am xanax (alprazolam) free. My story began on this website on March 19, 2016 and I posted my continued struggles on April 13 and May 14. If you are interested in my full story of why I began on this drug, how it affected me, and how I got off of it, please look up my previous posts. I still have some slight side effects but they are less as each day goes by.
The brain zaps are small and short-lived and are no longer every day. I no longer have the horrible headaches, the raised BP, nor the debilitating flashers in my right eye. I could have taken some natural adrenal supplements to help me through but I needed to do this as simply as possible. I understand that after the last smallest amount of xanax taken, it takes approximately 90 days for this drug to leave the brain/body completely.
That means that I am going to feel even better than I do today. I am ever-so grateful to have found this website. Your stories and your shared suggestions for quitting xanax have been very valuable in my efforts. Without the support of the comments written here, from those who have actually gone through the steps, I would have been lost. In the beginning of cutting down on my dosage, I didn’t know if I would get through it.
And toward the end I just wanted to stop but I knew that I would be putting my body in jeopardy if I just quit instead of tapering. I have more energy now, better social skills, there is color in my cheeks. I had no idea how pale and grey my skin looked. I had no idea that I had lost the “light” in my eyes. I looked in the mirror yesterday and saw a “new” healthy me. Wow…
Some people who haven’t seen me in weeks now tell me how “good” I look. I smile back, knowing that the grip of the poison in my system is leaving me. I am becoming “myself” again. All I ask is that if you are reading this and if you need to get off of this drug, please take some time to read the stories that everyone has posted here.
You will find good suggestions and you will learn that you are not alone. There is hope and freedom for you too. Thank you to those who posted previously and my best wishes to all of you who are determined to get off of this drug and have your lives back.
I have been on xanax as prescribed for 15 years. 1.5 mg Once a Day ONLY. I am on day 10 of no xanax. All I want to do is sleep. I’m doing the best I can. I’m not sure if I should continue on like this with the withdrawal symptoms or if I should take the KPIN I was given to take in place of it.
I do not want to get off one just to have to get off another, but I am not sure if I can continue on any longer. I talked to 2 recovery places. They said this mind altering drug is ROUGH, no doubt and 15 years needs MONTHS if not a year to get off of UNLESS I was in their treatment facility where they would give me something for the detox.
I wish there were one answer across the board for this. Tired of hearing one thing and being told or hearing another. Good luck and God Bless to us all!
I have taken for more than 35 years. Please tell me how fast to come off. I have been taking 3, .5 mg a day. I am 72 years of age. I now have ringing in my ears and burning in my legs and I have only stopped 1 pill of .5 and it is hard. It has taken me close to 2 weeks for this. If anyone has any suggestions, please let me know. I am in good shape but have already felt my heart flutter. How long before not taking another 2.5mg? I am going to drink a lot of water. What else should I do? Please help?
I have been taking xanax since 1991, always prescribed by doctor and never abused. At one time in the 90’s I was at 8mg a day, my body was so used to it that after the initial tiredness I was okay, then was put on 6mg a day. I suffer extreme panic/anxiety attacks which led to being homebound and being put on long term disability from work in 1998 and social security disability – which I am still on.
I was on 6mg a day since maybe the year 2000. /I never got high or anything like that but was always terrified when the bottle was close to being needing to be refilled. I pretty much had same doctor all these years. Then 32 years ago my doctor retired and had to see a new doc who said no xanax. I just about went insane and was close to ending my life. I begged him to do something and eventually was put back on 4 mg a day, 1mg 4x’s a day.
I cant even imagine not taking it again – I know I wouldn’t make it. It was pure hell, mental and actual physical illness that stayed the whole time I was off xanax. Recently I had to change to another new doctor due to other leaving and am pretty much doing this whole thing again. He did the xanax but is talking short term.
I leave my house maybe 3 times a month and suffer panic and anxiety attacks almost daily. I cant imagine having to go through withdrawal again. Terrified in Illinois. Yes I have tried other meds klonopin at 6mg, ativan at the 6mg buspar – a non benzo – which did stop my inner shaking that I felt daily. No idea where this is gonna lead.
After reading all these comments, now I’m scared to taper off this drug. But I did learn from your comments, as well as online research about withdrawals. I have been taking this devil for 8 years. Started taking 1mg 3 times a day. Like someone mentioned, I went to a new doctor three months ago and the first thing that S.O.B. told me that he was not going to prescribe Xanax to me because he didn’t want me on it.
Scared the hell out of me, because I know I need it to function. After researching and reading your comments, I now realize that he is an idiot. I learned that “cold turkey” of Xanax can kill you. So I decided to go back to my old doctor that put me on Xanax. So I have taken it upon myself to taper off this devil. The withdrawals are horrible.
I haven’t told my doctor that I was tapering off because he may change my prescription dose and I don’t want that until I am off it. But it has taken me three months fighting the withdrawals to get down to .05mg a day. I am still having the withdrawals and when they get intense, I then take the .05mg. I see my doctor next week and I think I will tell him of my tapering down dose because to what I understand, if you taper down wrong, you can go into a coma or die.
Now that has scared the hell out of me. But if possible folks, taper off of it if you can. This is a nasty drug and so difficult to get off. I started to say the hell with it and keep taking it. But then I started thinking, what if something happens that I can’t get it any more. I’d be up a creek. So I want off. Go through the withdrawals and be free of the dangers of Xanax, and good luck.
I have been a self medicating alcoholic (18-24 light beers daily morning to night) for years. Never to get drunk, just to continue in the beer buzz state to fight anxiety. I have self detoxed with valium 5 mg several time in the past and slowly quit the valium without severe trouble, only to relapse again after 6 months or so.
This time I only had Xanax to detox. I was recently sober 3 months, off benzos, relapsed for 1.5 weeks, back to clean for 3 weeks, but experiencing panic attacks trying to get off 1 mg xanax twice a day for the last 4 months. VERY stressful time in life, live alone, no family and most friends out of state. I DO NOT WANT TO DRINK AGAIN!
I guess it is time to do a slow taper off xanax? Try to get Dr. to wean me with valium? I do have a few neurontin, but presently no physician. Any suggestion would be kindly appreciated. God bless… Tony
I’m so sorry for your pain. Have you tried an AA meeting? I only ask because I have a very dear friend who has told me of his experiences in AA. It not only keeps him from drinking but in a large meeting, there are many people who have the information and resources to ease the process of quitting this vicious drug. Many of the services are under the care of an experienced doctor with little or no cost. Good luck and best wishes.
Hello again. I am continuing my story now post-surgery. I have been on .1875 (3/4 of a .25 alprazolam) for a month. I feel more like “me” than I have for the past year. It is a great feeling! I feel so much more “social” and I am enjoying it.
However, I am not xanax-free. I need to continue to wean for the next two weeks taking .1875 (3/4 of a .25 tablet) every other day with alternating .125 (1/2 of a .25 alprazolam tablet). My pill cutter is helpful. If that becomes tolerable I will wean onto .125 for another straight two weeks. My goal is to continue until tapering to no more alprazolam.
This sure isn’t easy and I’m not looking forward to it, knowing that when I cut my dosage I am going to have stomach pain, dizziness, anti-social behavior, and feel extra pain at my surgical site (just because that is how my body will protest). Sometimes this feels like “a sentence”. It is a chemical hell.
It seems that almost every day there is an article about a “wonder drug” that is causing severe and sometimes irreversible side effects that can completely ruin your life and rob you of simple joy. After our bodies are either permanently damaged or else we are dead, we and/or our relatives can join a class action law suit against the drug companies that will continue well past a lifetime.
A startling but helpful book “Beyond Benzos” by Taite Adams sheds light on how we got here and how we free ourselves. Also a personal journey from someone who went through withdrawal and now helps others is “Recovery and Renewal” by Baylissa Frederick. Both are available on Amazon. These two books have given me hope that, yes, we can get through this nightmare.
My taper will take a minimum of 2 more months before I am “free”. I will come back and let you know if I am truly free. I am committed to this goal.
This was helpful to read but I am still terrified. I’ve been on .5mgs as needed for panic disorder for 10 years. 6 months ago, I began having horrible pain that couldn’t be explained so I took it daily, if not twice daily while going through tests and looking for a diagnosis. I finally had my gall bladder removed, thought that was the issue, and told the doc I preferred my xanax to the hydros I was prescribed, as they made me more comfortable and I could trust them.
Shortly after that, I had a concussion. Again, only xanax relieved symptoms so used once or twice daily. Four months later now I feel like my body is absolutely falling apart. I’ve lost over 40lbs, rarely have an appetite, have almost constant muscle pain and spasms all over my body, tingling feet…etc. I had to (I believe) self diagnose as withdrawal. Problem is, no doctors or psychiatrists seem to believe such a “small” amount could have such profound effects.
Instead, one psychiatrist switched me to an equally strong (.5mg) dose of klonopin and put me on cymbalta for what they believe is fibromyalgia and general anxiety. Another gave me gabapentin because they didn’t believe I would stop the xanax. I don’t know if there is something seriously wrong still or if this is withdrawal, and WHAT recommendations do those of you who have gone through this have for me??
Hi, I just wanted to ask something which people don’t seem to share with me. When I take Xanax I am fine, I can function but I really want to come off it. I have suffered from PTSD as a teenager and since then I have tried almost every medication there is. Currently I am Mirtazapine 45mg, Zopiclone 15mg and Xanax as much as required. I was really honestly on so many more drugs in the past because I tried to kill myself more than 20 times in the past.
Now I kind of want to come off everything, so I have gone from 9 different medications to the three. I am proud that I have been able to do that with little help from my doctors. Still now I am an adult I want to know what it feels like to an adult. I have never been medication free as an young adult. It’s been almost five years since I last overdosed, I have not self-harmed in 3 years and I overcame an eating disorder.
I think that I can get myself off the Mirtazapine and Zopiclone but my doctor said to me more than once something like you will always be ill. I actually feel fine, I don’t want to hurt myself, I want to enjoy life and I do. The thing is that if I don’t take Xanax, which I started maybe two years ago, I start dissociating like crazy. It is really hard to explain what that feels like but its like I am not in control of my body and I am not in my body.
I’ve tried to come off slowly by myself by cutting pills up and taking the half. I also try just stopping but after two weeks I could not cope with dissociating thing. My doctors clearly think that I am ill and will always be ill so refuse to help me, they still think that I should be on the other drugs. The fact they want me to take massive doses of anti-psychotic medication when I am not psychotic at all tells me they really want me drugged out of my mind.
My body reacts to the anti-psychotic because I can’t breathe, I feel like I have been hit by a train but I slowly reduced and now I don’t take it. (They think I still do) Still really I feel more me because I don’t take it, I can think clearly, I sleep better and I don’t have this cloudy mind. I feel a million times better because I don’t take it.
I was just wondering if anyone else had the experience of dissociating and how Xanax can cause this because I thought of going through two very difficult weeks of just not taking it, it would be out of my system. Then I could then come off the other two medications. Any advice would be welcomed. Trust me, I am never going to hurt myself any more.
I like who I am and the fewer medications I am the more I feel like I can enjoy and experience things. The less medications I take the more I am able to enjoy life. I want to be medication free and sometimes I just wish that I was able to fall asleep because I was tired rather than medication putting me to sleep (sorry can’t think of a better way of saying that). If I could get rid of the dissociating aspect which Xanax seems to remove, I would be much closer to my goal of being completely me.
If anyone has any advice or things I could try I would try them because I really want to stop being this sick child as people see me and become the adult that I know and believe I can be. Thank you, Lewis
Hi Lewis, I am so sorry for what your current hurdles are but I understand how you can be caught up in a bad cycle. I am not in the medical field but I know what it feels like to have to taper off of a variety of medications that your doctors felt were of help for your condition. My best advice for you, because your situation is complicated by a mix of Rx drugs is to find a recovery clinic that can make a plan that is the least of all evils.
I suggest this because some meds are easier to withdrawal than others. If your insurance covers a recovery program (some do) take advantage. If you don’t have that option, there are doctors or programs that will take you as pay-as-you-go and others that will work with your financial situation. In some cases there are recovery programs that will volunteer to help you.
When looking for help in your area, whatever you do, don’t give up. I am glad that you have that insight of getting “back to you” and enjoying life with less medications. When you get that insight there is nothing like it. That kind of insight will keep you focused to become free of these awful drugs in your system.
If you want to find a program, clinic, doctor, or recovery help in your area, please google “recovery from drugs” with your city & state. Don’t give up. Other have worked through it, I am working through it with my doctor’s help, and you can do it too.
Just please don’t go “cold turkey” and risk your health and life. Also please know that it takes much time, all of your patience with side effects, and an understanding physician/program who won’t give up on you. Take care.
I had been taking Xanax for 30 years. The Dr. prescribed Xanax so I could sleep better…due to my ulcer. I went off of them cold turkey last year in March. I was prescribed 1mg, three times a day. I began to take way more then 3 a day. Was so tired of depending on a drug to make me feel normal. The thing is…
I had no panic attacks, nervousness etc., before becoming addicted to Xanax. I was always a social person, loved visiting, getting out of the house, shopping at the malls. After 30 years of Xanax, I do not feel normal, do not get out of the house, do not visit friends and family anymore. I must still be going through withdrawal. What ever you do… Don’t start taking Xanax!!
I wish to continue my story from 3 weeks ago. When I last shared my story my head was a mess from attempting to get off of this med too fast. My doctor encouraged me to go slower. He told me if I still suffered with this process that he would find someone who had the correct knowledge to help me.
I have evened out on .25 xanax to where life is finally good again to being able to cope 95% of the time. When life gets “squirrelie” I have to back away or my anxiety takes over and I want to drink. I just began cutting the pills down so that I can “stair-step” every other day with .25 alternating with 3/4 of that amount. This time I am going to take it slow and easy to hopefully keep the side effects list short.
I feel really bad that some of you have no help from doctors. There are people out there that can help. I would begin with googling “rehab from benzos/xanax” or something similar. Make some calls or send some emails to the clinics or doctors that you find. You don’t have to be tossed to the dark side and suffer needlessly. Weaning off of this stuff is not only a chore but risking your life is not an option.
I have minor surgery coming up in three weeks so I will probably stay in this current dosage until I’m done with post-surgery pain pills (it’s always something). My GP says that as I get to lower and lower dosages, it gets easier and the symptoms become less bothersome. In the past few days of taking 1/4 less of .25 every other day my only symptoms are an occasional sinus headache, slight nausea, and an out-of-it “fuzzy feeling” in my head about an hour before my next dose and about an hour after my dose.
I hope that as I continue this process that less of my hair will fall out. I don’t know if anybody else has had this side effect but it is truly alarming. I do hope that it will grow back when I am free of this horrible cycle. I will share the next chapter of my story when my surgery recovery is behind me and I feel well enough to continue on with less dosage.
Thank you for reading about my journey. I hope that I have given some of you the encouragement to go forward and get this gripping med out of your body. Wishing you guys safe recovery from xanax.
I was on Xanax for some years. My anxiety and side effects started getting worse and worse and I started taking more Xanax. What a huge mistake. The tablet was doing me more harm than good. I stopped cold turkey about 9 months ago. It was terrible. I really thought I was going to die or commit suicide.
Gradually I have been recovering. I still get a few episodes every so often but I am so much better off Xanax than I was when I was on it. Please make sure that this tablet is still working for you and not against you. Good luck to you all.
I have been taking alprazolam (Xanax) for 5 years or so. I would take a quarter of a brick 2mg twice a day. I stopped taking it about 6 weeks ago and have been experiencing the worst dehydration I have ever felt. I sweat all the time. I hear these symptoms might last for months. At least I know now that I have found this site that I don’t have diabetes but rather am experiencing Xanax withdrawal. Love to all going through the same thing!! Hug somebody and tell them…
Hey everyone. I am 17 days off a large addiction to benzos. I got my first prescription of klonopin 5 years ago. It started with .5mg of klonopin, and evolved to multiple prescriptions of various benzos(Ativan,Valium, and xanax). Unfortunately I was foolish and thought I was untouchable. I was taking up to 8 5mg valium a day.
My fist time coming of the valium cold turkey, I had a seizure 7 days into withdrawal. They let me out of the hospital with a 6 day taper of valium. I thought that was too short of a taper and didnt want to have another seizure. I played doctor and got 30 xanax to create my own taper (I don’t recommend doing it). The taper worked and im now 17 days clean from benzodiazepines.
I couldnt get any help from doctors to taper off, so I had to do It myself. No taper is going to make it completely withdrawal free. You will experience withdrawal, but the long term damage is not worth staying on the meds. I had panic disorder, social anxiety, and GAD. I feel this medication made everything worse. You have to really want to get off the medication to successfully withdraw.
If you have any doubts in your mind that you wont be able to kick the drug, then you wont successfully taper. You have to be sick and tired of it to kick it. I was on massive doses and I have gotten through the worst of it (First two weeks). Some days are better than others, but for the most part it’s better than being on the benzos. I wish you guys luck!
Yes, you must be very careful with benzo withdrawals! My doctor cut me off alprazolam cold turkey after taking it for years, and a couple weeks later I had two grand mal seizures. Even though I don’t remember them actually happening, the whole experience was not fun. Luckily my friend knew to turn me on my side when I started to choke on my tongue.
I have been on alprazolam (Xanax) .5 mg for about 6 months. I have self-decided to wean myself off of this by cutting my pills in halfs and quarters. I began weaning with 3/4 strength alternating with 1/2 strength every other day. It was easy. Now I’m on 1/2 strength (.25) every day for a week. I’m feeling physical side effects of symptoms ranging from flu-like symptoms, nervousness, anti-social, headaches, sinus aches, brain zaps, and nausea.
I work out 3 times a week and I push myself to make some minimal contact. I find myself irritable when the symptoms are at their worse. I tell myself that I will stay on this .25 amount and not take any more or any less until I feel ready to taper down again. I began a year ago with a vitamin D deficiency which cause symptoms that ranged from neurological to bad thyroid.
All kinds of tests were run. My doctor sent me to a neurologist who put me on citalopram to ease the nerve pains. The neurologist told me that he thought that I was depressed. My body rejected the citalopram after 2 months by throwing me into horrible serotonin syndrome seizures. I was in the ER 3 times from it. They gave me .5 alprazolam and a beta blocker to calm my heart rate down which was over 200 beats.
I switched primary doctors. I had to begin taking blood pressure meds, a beta blocker for my heart rate, and .5 alprazolam for the anxiety. I asked my new doctor to help me taper off of the citalopram which he assisted. I quit my neurologist who didn’t understand how I could have had serotonin syndrome, but doctors in the ER agreed with my new primary doctor that in fact I did.
The beta blocker made my heart rate too low after a few months of being off of the citalopram. It took me six weeks to wean off of that med and that was not very easy to do. Feeling that the alprazolam (xanax) was not benefiting me I made the decision to wean off of it. When I began to have body pains similar to the flu I looked into the side effects of tapering off of xanax.
My search led me to read everyone’s personal story here. I am so thankful for so many people sharing their experiences. As I go through my attempt to get off of this drug I will come back and share the next chapter. God bless all.
I’ve been taking Xanax 2-4mg as needed for 10 years on and off, but have been taking 1mg consecutively for 9 months without missing a dose. I notice when I miss a dose my anxiety is extremely unbearable to the point where I can’t be in public. Brain fog has been becoming more of an issue where I’d say something and stop mid sentence and totally forget what I’m talking about.
I feel completely stupid and look so dumb when that happens which is why I needed to stop. Today is the 23rd day of cold turkey and things seem to be getting better. My anxiety is manageable and wasn’t nearly as bad if I were to miss a dose or the first few days of cold turkey. My biggest problem is insomnia! I can’t sleep for the life of me, even if my life depended on it!
And if I happen to fall asleep, a drop of a pin would wake me and would struggle getting back to sleep. I’ve taken Unisom which doesn’t do much but make me feel groggy. I’ve read that time will heal me from the damage Xanax has done, but I’m hoping for some relief at this moment. I can’t function normally being sleep deprived.
2 years ago I was made redundant from my employment of 7 years for something I had not done, honestly. Anyway I have a wife and 4 children that I love and knew that our life changes would be severe. After about 4 months passed without work I went to my Rx and told him of my anxiety issues and ### thoughts. He prescribed me Xanax 2 mg 1/2 twice a day for about 2 years (no warning), all things great until I tried getting off of them, talk about Hell… I think that’s probably the best way to describe it.
I tried Cold Turkey at 1st not knowing this site’s information was available/ Insomnia 5 days straight then Pleurisy and antibiotics for 2 months. I had to go back on them but am absolutely scared stiff. Anyway I have since been told that my doctor has moved on and I have only 1 x 50 script to collect on my script. Now I’m into my 3rd day (Cold Turkey again) no sleep now found this site.
I tried to buy some online being scared of the withdraws. but now I’m going to try and wean off of them slowly. Thanks for all your comments I feel I’m not on this journey alone. Advice! Don’t go there, try anything and everything else 1st. Good luck! Chris
Hi everyone.. I have read through all of your posts and I am scared to death. I currently take 1mg Xanax 3x’s daily and 1mg Klonopin at night. I have been prescribed benzos for over 5 years, but this dose about 3 years. I want to stop, it’s all I think about. My doctor thinks staying on them for life is just fine. I am a RN, and actually work in a drug rehabilitation center… Ha!
I know he is wrong and I have seen the effects of Xanax withdrawal. My problem is I still have severe anxiety everyday even on this dose. I have refused to increase my dose for over a year. I can’t take time off of work. I don’t even know where to start!
Been on it for 30 years. Started for severe depression. Was awake for a month straight and went to countless MD’s giving me useless narcotics. Went to a Psych and was prescribed Imipramine and Xanax .25. It worked! Thank God because I was sure was gonna die. After reading these posts, don’t know what to do. I have the cloudiness, zombie like feelings sometimes. But am still on only .25 after all these years.
Am 60 now. MD has just put me on Trazadone 50 and wants me to take 1 or 2 at night with the Xanax for a couple weeks and just stop. Going to a neurosurgeon next Tuesday for exam. Maybe I should just stay on .25 forever vs. those horrible detox symptoms. Any help appreciated. I have sincere empathy for you all.
Xanax is the worst withdrawal I’ve ever experienced in my entire life, and as a prescribed medication. I read up on it & wanted to look into lesser drugs, and taper from the Xanax to milder medication, then holistic approaches. Without notification, the group was sold to another with entire new staff. They stopped me COLD. There was no ‘tapering’. My pharmacist was STUNNED.
I had no idea Klonopin would not be a good transition for me personally, to ultimate complete withdrawal. I have suffered for over 6 months now, everything noted above on your checklist. Feel as if in a fog, still work out, still write & work w/biologist pals yet this is not the way I live my usual life at all–then, the THIRD prescriber in this psychiatric group I had been going to for over 12 years.
Was not anyone I’d ever met nor did they appear to have any information from my entire medical history nor that of 16 yr. dealing w/Fibromyalgia (Pilates/Tai Chi); IBS (Xanax stopped this upon onset); Arthritis (taking 1200 mg. Glucosamine with Chondroitin & working out); she knew nothing of Hyponatremia (sudden lowering of electrolytes, drop in sodium in bloodstream, hospitalized nearly a week to save my life from merely a hot summer & trying to stay hydrated), surgeries, etc.
I am allergic to Gabapentin (Neurontin) & she was about to put me on it! 9 years. ago, I had a mini-stroke due to poor diagnosis & Neurontin. Point being, please warn others when wanting to reduce and withhold future intake of Xanax, do your research, be prepared to feel ‘out there’ for awhile. Differs with each person. Wishing all the very best on your journey away from a drug way more powerful than I gave it credit for… Lila
Hi, I have been taking Alprazolam since April 2015. My biggest fear is seizures and my doctor said that since he kept having to up my dose he was worried I would suffer a seizure. Then and there I said I wanted off the drug. My doctor refused to help me tapper. He said .5 was not enough to hurt someone and I could just stop taking it. That was a mistake! The first day completely off it I felt like I was going to die.
So I got right back on it and went back to the doctor the next day and told him I was having withdrawals, he insured me I was not that it was just my anxiety returning. I knew then I was going to have to taper myself. I started in December I took .25 twice a day and the .5 at night to help me sleep. After doing that for a few weeks I went down to .25 once a day and the .5 at night.
After doing that for a month I went to no meds during the day and .5mg at night. On my 4th day I have this enormous lump/tightening in my throat. Thinking I had a growth or something I Google and found this to feeling to be a withdrawl symptom. I once again go back to my doctor and he laughs at me and says “I thought we went over this send how to fix it”… as in don’t stop taking your medicine.
I cried, I felt hopeless and helpless and even though about suicide (only reason I didn’t is because I have 4 small children that need me). I have reached out to other doctors and no help. I am waiting on a phone call today from a psychiatrist and I’m hoping they can help me wean and confirm that yes this throat tightening is withdrawal. I’m just feeling lost and broken right now.
Why are doctors allowed to push these medicines on people do easy without warning them of side effects?? They should have to be a specialist to prescribe these drugs. I trusted my doctor and now I feel betrayed. Help.
I have experienced the “throat tightening” and have read about others who thought they might have a serious medical issue. Yes, it is a side effect but it won’t last. Other issues are nausea, stomach pain, headaches, fatigue, pain behind the eyes, and chest pains. They do diminish and while your brain signals that you might have a serious illness, it is the withdrawal that thankfully will diminish. Hang in there, you will feel better!
My mother in law is being weaned off. And this website has brought clarity to us both. She has been on xanax for 20 some years after her son passed with cancer in 1992. She recently got a new primary doctor and he was like this is something a woman your age needs to take. And we started the weaning off last month.
As of right now we are dealing with night sweats, nausea, minor headaches, some tingling, and roasting my husband and I practically to death, (LOL) but we’ve notice that she is sleeping more than 2 hours at a time at night. And her mood has been improving each day. As time goes on everything will get better, and be easier for her.
I have been using Xanax for 18 years and I would have to say I don’t know how I would have functioned without it. However, I have always been very careful with it and rarely used more than .25 mg at any one time and never used it for any prolonged regular basis. Occasionally I stop using it for a week or so at a time to check to see where I am with addiction and I have never experienced anything more than a day or two of nervousness, kind of like too much caffeine. Probably the bottom line here is to listen to the doctors and pharmacists when they warn you about the use of this drug and do self checks periodically when your stress/anxiety level is relatively low.
I was taking Xanax for 14 years 2 mg a day. My withdrawal symptoms are really bad. Is there anything over-the-counter that I could take to help the withdrawal symptoms?
Hi Guys! I am on a taper (my choice) and I went from 6 to 10 mg per day now to 4 mg at the most with 3 mg being the normal. I was overtaking them big time. One symptom I experienced while taking high doses of Xanax was my inability to feel “real” empathy for others. I said the right words, did the right things, but the emotions weren’t there. I wanted to feel them and felt horrible about myself for not feeling them but I didn’t care.
Our living situation was horrific as my husband had lost his job and we had to pick up and move to another state after 3 years of unemployment. We had to depend a lot on others for help. We lived off of a $1500/month grant from the VA that my husband was qualified for so long as he was enrolled in school. That ran out and we used his last money to move and within 4 days he had a job.
The point of that is, I lied, manipulated, and bugged my sister and son for money constantly. I knew it was horrible but I didn’t care. I started weaning myself off and thankfully I have a fantastic doctor who trusts me to do it as fast (or slow) as I need to. He gives me the same amount each month. Once I got down to 1 1/2 two mg pills, all these feelings of love, empathy, compassion, absolute unwillingness to lie or beg for money, came rushing back.
It was kinda hard at first because I cried for everybody and everything. I mean rivers of tears. Someone told me Xanax takes away empathy? I cannot find that side-effect on any informational sites, doctors or pharmacists. I now have very normal emotions. I experienced this twice in my life at two very different times. Have any of you guys experienced this? Do you know anything about it?
I quit “cold turkey” or tried to once. I had a grand mal seizure so bad that the nurse told me my potassium and calcium levels were so low that they were “inconsistent with life.” I was not dead although I can’t say I was fully conscious. I could talk, knew the date, etc. I experienced severe insomnia and if I did fall asleep, my dreams were so terrifying I didn’t want to sleep.
I stayed awake for 4-5 days straight. I experienced hallucinations, severe panic and anxiety, uncontrollable muscle spasms that actually knocked things off the table, accidentally hit my husband or myself or my dogs. No warning and never, ever intentional. I lost use on both my right and left hands at different times after the acute w/d phase. My wrist would drop and stay in a downward position.
It took anywhere from 6 months to a year to be able to fully regain use and the tingling of the nerves as it was healing was misery, pure misery before and after withdrawal. One other weird w/d symptom I had is not that I ever thought about suicide ever but I had this severe and irrational fear that I would hurt someone else OR myself by accident. It paralyzed me emotionally.
I was scared to walk down stairs or cook, especially if I had to use a knife. I never hurt anyone nor wanted to, I was just afraid I would accidentally. Only by the grace of God did I not have psychosis. I just wanted to mention what I personally experienced as I have yet to find anyone else who claims to have had these issues, just in case you are and can’t find any answers.
Sometimes just knowing that someone else went through it makes your fears and anxiety just a wee bit easier. Misery doesn’t love company but it does love knowing what you’re feeling isn’t abnormal, that others lived through it. Please read this part. IF your doctor is unwilling to give you some latitude in weaning off (as you won’t always stick to the plan – you probably will cheat), find one who will.
DO NOT quit this drug if you’ve been taking it regularly or even semi-regularly, especially at high doses, without medical supervision. YOU CAN DIE. This is not like narcotic painkiller meds w/d at all. You just feel like crap for a few weeks. Here is what I did and maybe if you’re having problems coming down .25 mg at a time, I started by slicing off maybe .05 mg off the pill each time for a few days (save the crumbs).
I whittled it down until I was down 1 whole mg in about a month. That sounds slow. It is and I recommend it. If your doctor is willing, go as slow as you can. You’re not winning a prize, you’re gaining your life back with no pain. I am a Christian and I respect and understand that you may not be. I’m only saying this for those who are. My faith and prayers to Christ helped me immensely.
I wanted to really understand the Bible so I started reading materials and getting involved online in Christian communities, started a Christian / Conservative Facebook page, listened to classical and easy listening music, a lot of contemporary Christian music and read the Bible a lot when panic and anxiety would hit me. It helped calm me down. It helped a lot.
So even if you’re not like me in that regards, start learning and researching things that really interest you. Read, make short term goals, pick up a new hobby but do something that will help keep your mind off of what you’re going through. It is very easy to say but much harder to do but if you do it, it will help more than you know. I’ll probably be on 1 mg once per day for life because I now have a seizure disorder from a car accident, we think. Other than that and some (just a little) short-term memory is the only deficit I have from Xanax w/d.
Thank God I can honestly say now, I truly feel for anyone going through this hell on earth. My email address is WorthyistheLamb737[@]yahoo.com if you ever need someone who’s been through it. I promise I’ll help you in any way I possibly can to get you off this drug. You also might be one who has to be on a low dosage for life. Trust me though, once you get down to a low dose, you’ll find it more effective than at a high dose.
Now that one, I just do not understand, lol, but am very grateful for it as I now have my anxiety gone and my emotions back. God bless you all. You can do it!!!! Love to all in Christ Jesus, Brenda
I’ve been taking Xanax, along with other medications for 5 years. 2 years ago I tried to stop cold turkey on vacation and after 5 days I was in a foreign country where I couldn’t get medication. I noticed that I couldn’t differentiate between my long term and short term memory bank. I could not pronounce the letter ‘C’ and things felt like they were getting worse, so I flew home and to this day I don’t know how I made it without getting flagged as a sick passenger.
I had a full blown hallucination on the plane. I convinced myself the flight attendants were talking about me and the lady next to me thought I was carrying a bomb and that I would be arrested when I landed. It was all in my head but it felt real! I scoffed down 4mg as soon as I got my hands on the bottle, although I still felt ill for a further 3 days. Everyone is different but it’s my belief that some people genuinely need to be on a medication like this.
I wasn’t one of those people, I was an abuser in denial who became trapped by the physical dependence. Anyway it’s years later and I’m finishing my taper, my timeline is as follows. After 4 years of 2 to 4 mg a day I asked to be given the 1mg tabs. I cut down to 1mg a day for 4 months with not too many issues, after 4 months I then cut down to .5 a day for 2 months. I just started .25mg once before bed.
It’s not easy, there are nights I don’t sleep but after a few nights I felt fine. I intend to keep tapering and supplement with gabapentin. If I hadn’t experienced the sheer hell of freezing cold turkey and hallucinating on a plane I don’t think I could have come this far. however I don’t recommend CT to anybody, I felt brain damaged after and never quite the same. A healthy time line is 20% of your total time.
So in my case almost 5 years, I’m tapering off over a year and it has made it far less work so far. I’ve had to stop all stimulants and make substitutions like hot water instead of coffee. The worst side effects have been blurry vision and extremely dry eyes and mouth. Xanax, for me, stimulates the adrenal glands, not sure if anyone else noticed that.
Also my face is starting to look different because the muscles are adjusting back. I look like I need a facelift and I’m not out of my 30s yet. Anyone who’s having severe problems giving up, I swear by my methodology. I have successfully stopped other medications through the same 20% rule/time line. Good luck.
I have been taking xanax for about 8 years. The first 6 1/2 years I was on .5 once a day. Then quickly I became more stressed and anxious so over a year 1/2 I had gotten up to .2mg 3x a day. 6mg a day. I was on the 6mg for about a month and I started to notice it was having the opposite effect. It wasn’t calming me down anymore, I became aggressive, angry, short fuse until I almost hit my mom.
I knew I had become physically dependent and my behavior was unacceptable, especially since I have children. So I decided to taper off slowly with a doctor’s supervision. It’s been 4 months of pure hell but I’m down to .5mg 3x daily. My withdrawals are hell, can’t drive or function very well. Pretty much stay in the house and cry.
The only thing that keeps me going is people who have been through this say I will feel so much better after I get off them and my family. I just don’t know when it’s going to get better it seems like going down a half mg is even too much. Maybe someone can tell me a way that worked for them and how long it took them to feel better. Thanks.
This pill is the devil in disguise. They should take off of shelves. I only had twenty .25 took as needed last five I split in half was finished seven days ago. Today is horrible it started last night couldn’t sleep. This morning restless, hyper, head fogged. I’m praying God takes this off me. I can’t function properly. I will tell anybody and everybody don’t take this devil pill.
Hi Connie, How long were you taking xanax? I was on it for 4 years at 6 mgs a day. I decided 2 years ago to get off of it and it took me about a year an a half to get back to normal, fully. Recently, I went on it again for only a couple weeks, and had been taking probably 1mgs a day, forgetting about all the detoxing I went through on the first round. This round seems to be much worse for some reason.
I started off tapering down when I realized my Rx ran out and my doctor would not refill it for me. So I tapered for a few days then almost ran out. It has been 4 days of detoxing, the withdrawal is horrendous. Pure mania, Eyes rolling around in the sockets and trembling. I could barely get out a few words because my jaw hurt SO bad. I just started a new job and already had to quit after the first week because I knew withdrawal was not going to be easy OR fast.
The first time round they put me on gabapentin which helps to slow down the gabba receptors that are released when taking xanax. When stopping cold turkey the GABA receptors start to release at their normal pace which your brain is not used to when you were taking the xanax. The gabapentin helped a lot but only with the migraines and the eye/head pain. Ask your doctor about that if you feel the need to get off xanax or for the withdrawal process.
This time around I didn’t have the luxury of getting doctor Rx’s so I had to quit cold turkey, and almost seized last night while trying to fall asleep. I remembered that I still had one xanax left in my bottle so I took off a little tiny piece of it just so I wouldn’t go into convulsions. I am worried I will have to go to the hospital, but I sincerely do not want to considering all the sh*t I put myself through the first time.
I am very upset at myself. It is SO easy to get addicted to xanax or for your body to get addicted, that you don’t even realize it is happening. Some of the things I have been doing at home to help with the withdrawal are simple and effective.
-DO NOT watch TV for a long period of time. This can noisy up your brain and make the migraines MUCH worse. If you can, put on some soothing music or “sound machine” noises while you are at home, in the background. They are much more soothing. And do not send high frequency sound waves into your body. Your body is already going through enough trauma as it is.
-Reading. Read something, anything. An article, or a book, or pages in a magazine. This will help focus your mind and help gather your thoughts as they may be all over the place. Most of the time, in early withdrawal, you will hear noises and feel paranoid. Close your windows if there is a lot of noise outside
-Take hot baths. These can be soothing to your achey muscles.
-PassionFlower: this is a vitamin supplement you can find at whole foods or any natural food store. It has anti-anxiety properties along with tension relief. I found taking 1 3X a day to be helpful.
-Chammomile drops also help relieve your tension. Or chamomile tea. Whichever you prefer.
-DO NOT isolate yourself from the outside world. Try if you can to get out of the house at least once a day. Go to the store or go for a walk, try to be around people for at least 20min this will help you get you back into the real world over time.
-EXERCISE: I CANNOT STRESS THIS ENOUGH. Get a lot of exercise!!!! This helps relieve tension naturally. Even if it is a climb up the stairs a couple times a day, a 30 min walk, a yoga or workout video, it really helps to calm down your brain and your anxiety.
-Try to eat healthy but also, maybe eat some grounding food that you like, some comfort food helps to ground you more so you feel on your feet. I don’t know really how to put that, but it really helped me feel fuller longer. BC you already don’t have an appetite, eat something filling. When your blood sugar gets low it can also trigger anxiety.
-And lastly, Find a soothing meditation app on your phone or on tape or dvd that you can do daily or however many times a day you need it. I listen to mine in the morning and at night and whenever i’m feeling like i’m really going to fly off the handle.
Stay away from headache medecines until you are at least a week out of withdrawal. These can trigger seizures. Also, any over the counter sleep aids can also slow down your heart rate and cause seizure as well. This is only really in the first week and a half or so when symptoms are really bad.
I hope this finds you well, whoever is reading this. I am on day 6 and am really feeling low. Please send me positive vibes.
Thank you for this very informative forum. I was initially given 1 mg of Xanax, taken twice a day (advised to bite crumbs off during the day), approximately 7 years ago for anxiety, PTSD (I am a 100% disabled) military Commissioned Officer who couldn’t sleep, or function in crowds, loud noises…etc…). Additionally, I was given ambien. After sleep walking, falling down and a terrible rage all the time, I stopped the ambien…
The problems stopped… No more sitting in a bathtub thinking it was a toilet, as an example. The Xanax worked by its self. Two years ago My dosage was increases to 2 mg twice a day, with the daytime dose still to bite off crumbs to get me through the day and one half or up to a full 2 mg dose at night in order to sleep. Now, most of us take being able to sleep as a normal part of life, I have gone over 4 days without any sleep, and sadly, kept my service Beretta nearby for outside noises that I perceived as a threat.
Now Having nightly sleep, the my weapons are put away. Recently, a government physician took me off Xanax (he was not the MD who prescribed this medication). He gave me temazapam for sleep (which did not work!). I was back to watching television all night. I need to add that I am a type 2 diabetic, have an implanted intrathecal pain pump, a false right shoulder and numerous herniated discs and vertebrae, and a head injury.
The last day after stopping the Xanax after a little over two weeks, I began to speak (what sounded like to me) a combination of pig Latin and Russian. The last thing I remember was laughing at this oddity. I awoke in an ambulance, with a paramedic shaking me and was asking who the President was. I asked him who he was, then noticed my wife, in her pajamas sitting next to me crying.
At the hospital, I was given a CT scan, which was normal, but the headache and memory loss was very pronounced. An EEG showed a positive “glitch” in the brain, and a (happen to be in the hospital that night neurologist) told me I was an epileptic and walked out. I have never had a seizure in my life! My wife asked if not sleeping for over 48 hours, very little eating and taking 1000 mg of metformin could have caused the seizure.
This neurologist then gave me Xanax and told me to not stopping the Xanax. Now that I have researched this thoroughly, and with additional MD’s, it seems “cold turkey” from the Xanax is more than likely the reason for the seizure. I am now back to biting off crumbs of a 2 mg dose of Xanax and uo to 1 to 1.5, or 2 mg of this medication to sleep. Sleeping (now) every night is indescribable.
The downside is, my drivers license is suspended until the first neurologist (who said I was an epileptic) releases me, and this doctor will not see me, as I have too many injuries, such as the pain pump, which needs refilling every 90 days. In summation, do not immediately stop taking Xanax without proper medical supervision. Thank you, Captain, Infantry, USA, Retired
If you are withdrawing from any type of anxiety / depression / opiate medication, do not watch Television. The commercials and flickering lights from the TV can create an anxiety attack. Withdraw somewhere that is calm and quiet.
I starter neurontin two months ago 300 mg X 3 a day for seizure control from detox from Xanax. Which I had taken for anxiety occasionally at first the eventually four years later three times a day. (Max Xanax dose 1.5 per day.) Dr prescribed. Detoxing from Xanax in itself has been a living hell. Xanax is the worst drug ever!
I spent 10 months in inter-dose withdrawal from it before detox. Since detox I have been tapering off neurontin ending last Monday! I am now short of breath when I do anything including sitting! I have developed acid reflux where I have a hard time eating. Food gets stuck in my throat and it feels like a lump is in my throat at times. I have muscle cramping, jerky motions, palpitations, etc., and anxiety has come back with a vengeance!
Needless to say, I feel horrible and it is Christmas Eve! Ha! Merry Christmas! Since stopping neurontin I question if the symptoms I now have are from neurontin or Xanax withdrawal returning or both? How much longer will I suffer from this? I have been to ER twice. Once in November and again last week for shortness of breath and palpitations. Had chest X-ray, EKG, blood work.
Both times results were normal. Was told my symptoms were withdrawals. And withdrawal anxiety. Has anyone gone through this or experienced this? This has been the worst year of my life! I can’t do anything! I am so wore out from everything!
I’ve been taking Xanax XR (alprazolam actually) for generalized anxiety disorder and panic attacks for so long I can’t remember when I didn’t take them (8?9? years). I recently got new insurance, which meant a new medication management person. On the 15th (almost one month ago), she stopped my 2 mg of alprazolam a day.
I knew what the ramifications were by not titrating, so I asked her why I had to quit cold turkey; she said it was because I used medical marijuana. (Has anyone heard of this particular issue coming up?). She said she was giving me clonidine to ensure I didn’t have any seizures, so that’s something. She also put me on Geodon (I am bipolar btw), I’m still going through withdrawal, and although not as bad as the first week, I’m having panic attacks that are manifesting in the form of overwhelming body sensations.
“Crawling out of my skin” and “Being jettisoned into the stratosphere” are two ways that I can describe some of my physical symptoms. And that’s on a good day. ? It has been mentioned already, but I can’t tell the difference between withdrawal symptoms, returning anxiety, or mania. Any suggestions are welcome and appreciated. ✌️
I was an intensive care nurse for 42 years. The stress of the job and things in my personal life made my anxiety unbearable. I ended up taking Xanax, against my better judgement. My psychiatrist persuaded me because other meds weren’t working. At first I began with the usual dosage of 0.25mg three times a day, but within a year I was on 1mg on the morning and 4mg at night just so I could manage the anxiety and get some sleep at night. It did work and I have to admit I don’t think I would have survived those last 3 years without it.
I ended up having taken 5mg a day for about 4.5 years. Then I retired and my personal life was greatly improved. I asked to be weaned off and with my Dr’s help I got down to 1.5mg. At that point I started experiencing withdrawal symptoms, despite a very slow wean (a 0.25mg decrease every 7 days). We agreed to have me stay at that dose for a while and try again in a few months. Last winter I read several studies that found an 85% increase in Alzheimer’s disease for those taking benzodiazepines for longer than 3 months and at doses higher than 0.25mg 3 three times a day.
I was on MUCH higher doses, for way longer than that! My mother has had Alzeheimers for 20 years and is now in a vegitative state. For that reason I wanted completely OFF! I was at 1.5mg for about 2 months. We slowly weaned me off, dropping 0.25mg every 5 days. My last dose was April 14, 2015. Withdrawal symptoms were minimal until after that last dose. That’s when HELL began. Luckily I experienced no psych symptoms during the withdrawal and to this point, 8 months later.
I’m not experiencing ANY anxiety or depression. I’m sure that’s due to my improved home life and not working!! As a nurse I feel compelled to list the symptoms I did experience not using medical terms. Rate them on a 0 = no symptoms 10 = worst symptoms ever and state how long they lasted. I should also state that I am of normal weight for my height and am a very physically fit 64 year old.
1. Rapid heart rate and pounding in my chest. These symptoms were a 10/10 for the first week, for the next 3 weeks they were about a 5/10 and then gradually decreased and were gone at about 8 weeks.
2. Chest tightness. This symptom came & went and was about a 5/10 and was gone after about 3 weeks.
3. Shortness of breath. I experienced this, about a 5/10 for about 3-4 weeks. It was worse with any physical activity.
4. Runny nose. This annoying symptom continues. It was a 10/10 for 7 months and in the last month has decreased to about a 3/10.
5. Ear pain – internal and external ear area ached. This was about a 5/10 for about 2 weeks, gradually receded and was gone by 4 weeks.
6. Ringing in my ears. This was one of the most annoying symptoms and I still have it. The loudness of the ring was a 10/ 10 for about 6 weeks, decreased to a 7/10 and stayed there for about 3 months. Decreased to about 4/10 for about three months and I still experience it at about a 2/10 level.
7. Dizziness. This was about a 3/10 and lasted about 2-3 weeks.
8. Blurry vision and light sensitivity. This was about a 4/10 and lasted about 2-3 weeks.
9. Abdominal pain, diarrhea, nausea (felt like morning sickness). These started at a 8/10 level of symptoms and very slowly decreased over about 6 weeks and were gone by 2 months.
10. Constant excessive salivation. This annoying symptom also continues to plague me! It was about a 6/10 for 6 months and now has decreased to about a 2/10 and is worse in the morning.
11. Feeling hungover. 10/10 for the first 2 weeks and gradually receded and was gone by 6 weeks.
12. Fatigue. Felt overly tired all the time. This was a 6/10 for the first month and slowly decreased over time and by about 4 months was gone.
13. Loss of appetite. Is about a 3/10 and I still have it. This is very weird to me as I have always loved to eat! Now I never feel hungry and food doesn’t interest me.
14. Muscle twitches. 5/10 When I yawn my right shoulder twitches. Happens every time and has not gone away!
15. SEVERE sweating! 10/10. Around 3-4 am I find myself starting to sweat. Most especially the back of my head, neck, arm pits and trunk. I drip when trying to do any activity and showering makes it worse. As does coffee. By mid to late afternoon it stops, only to return again around 3-4am. Over just the past 4 weeks it had slowly receded to about a 3/10.
16. Insomnia. 10/10. If I could just turn my brain off! Thinking, thinking, thinking! I’m taking Belsomra which has helped a little. But most nights it takes at least 2-3 hours to get to sleep and then I wake up every couple of hours and am lucky to get 4-5 hours of sleep in a night. Usually after a week or so I ‘might’ get 1 night of good sleep consisting of 6-7 hours with only 1 or 2 wake- ups and only 1 hour of trying to drop off!
All in all, the runny nose, hypersalivation and ringing in my ears have been very annoying and I can’t wait for them to be gone. The sweating I would not wish on my worst enemy. And I am afraid I am never going to get to have a good night’s sleep again. NOTE: I had a total hip replacement 7 days ago. I asked not to be given any benzodiazepines but was told they needed to give me a dose for pre-anesthesia and muscle relaxation. I received a single IV dose of 5mg of Versed.
I woke up in recovery room and was awake for the next 27 hours. At about 40 hours after that dose of Versed the sweating, rapid heart rate and shortness of breath returned with a vengence. Don’t let anyone talk you into a single dose of a benzo. Many of your withdrawal symptoms will return. I will post again to let you know when, or if I am finally symptom free.
How long did your returned symptoms last after being forced to take the 5mg. for surgery?
My first year in college aged daughter just told me she has been taking .25 to 1 mg xanax daily for a month, hasn’t taken it for 3 days, and has been too sick to get up and go to class for 2 days – nausea, vomiting, headache, can’t sleep – which took me all day to figure out it’s most likely connected and withdrawal symptoms. She only weighs 95 pounds and has a fear of vomiting, and the anxiety of going through this and missing classes is making it all worse. How long do you think it will last and might she be in serious danger?
I am 41 yrs old and have been prescribed xanax since she 15. So I started taking one .10mg per day 26 years ago. In that time period I have been raised up to 5 2mg per day, however my tolerance is so high I normally take around 12-20mg per day. It’s there any hope for me after 26 years? Been through all the withdrawals listed in the first article about 2 & 1/2 yrs ago when I was having my 2nd child, my regular MD took me off of them child turkey as soon as he found out I was pregnant.
I went through minor withdrawals about 3 days later so I started buying them off the street and yrs I read the risks of taking them while pregnant after all I have a 16 year old that took them as I did while I was pregnant pet me Dr at the time, both my children are perfectly healthy. I’m scared because my Dr now is dropping me rapidly and having to guy them off of the steer which is quite expensive.
I don’t know what to do, tired off depending on them. Have no-one to watch my little one if I went through placement. If anyone had any advice for me… please help.
I have been taking 1 mg. of alprazolam every night for about 6 years in order to get a good night’s sleep. I am 72 years old and would like some advice about tapering off of it. I live alone and am afraid of the withdrawal effects that I have been reading about in the above comments. My doctor says to take .5 mg for 4 nights and then stop and I should be fine, but am not so sure of that after reading all of your comments regarding withdrawal issues. Could I get some thoughts from you all about his tapering of advice? I would appreciate it. Thanks.
I stated taking 0.25 mg of Xanax in 1999 due to a divorce. I have been taking this drug for 16 years and have gotten up to 1.5 mg daily. I work as an Opiate addiction nurse and see people detoxing off Heroin daily. I started a taper about 6 weeks ago and am down to 0.75mg at bedtime. I was fine up until this week. I am able to fall asleep and although I wake up 3 to 4 times a night, I am able to fall back asleep.
The withdrawal symptoms I am dealing with are constant tingling and pins and needle feelings all over my face, neck, gums, and legs. I also am blowing up and getting very agitated at the smallest annoyances. Had I known that I would suffer withdrawals like these I would never have gotten the prescription filled 16 yrs ago. It is an awful change your body is subjected to when your dose is decreased. I feel worse each day.
I look at the Opiate addicts I work with and wonder how I could ever have gotten dependent on Xanax knowing what withdrawal does to people. Xanax is wonderful in low doses for short term periods, however, it only takes 15 days for your body to become dependent on a substance of this nature so my advice to anyone is Don’t Start Taking Benzos! The withdrawals are 24 hrs a day. My muscles twitch and spasm uncontrollably and I am becoming paranoid and anxious now.
Please don’t take this drug… Find an alternative homeopathic med and work through your problems with a counselor and support groups. This is a horrible addiction. It is easy to get on Xanax but it is so hard to come off of it… I am going to continue a slow taper until I have completely detoxes but I fear it will take months if not years.?
I have been on 10mg. For over 10 years and my doctor I guess got in trouble because he cut me from 10mg. To 4mg in about 2 months time! He put me in this position and because of his own failures has put my health in jeopardy I’ve already had one seizure and I won’t have another because I have no intention of stopping because I have been on every anti anxiety medication out there and they don’t work! And I couldn’t function without them before and I won’t be able to after!
This doctor should have his license taken for making Xanax and my body as one I know I will start having massive seizures if I ever stop because of the extremely high dose for over 10 years! I know people will read this and think I’m just a junkie but that is far from true my demon was alcohol which I’ve been sober for over 18 years I haven’t had a cigarette in 15 years and marijuana for about 10 so far as quitting addictive substances is not a problem.
But I would rather stay on the Xanax and function normally than go through years of withdrawal and seizures that could possibly kill me! I’ve never had a bad experience on them and they work exactly how they are supposed to! To me they are a miracle drug but I can understand the dangers but I feel I face greater danger being taken off them after such high doses for so long. Because like I’ve stated I’ve already had one seizure trying to stop myself but by the third day my son called an ambulance because of a seizure.
It was recommended to me to stay on them by a neurologist because the damage had already been done! I don’t suggest anyone to start taking them but I feel because my extreme anxiety and panic disorder plus the dosage and length of time that my body will shut down no matter how I taper off because going from 10mg to 4 has already caused me social issues. And I’m in college for nursing and my social anxiety is extreme. If I quit I will become agoraphobic and my life will be worthless either way!
Hi everyone, I started talking Xanax about 20 years ago for panic attacks. I am prescribed 2 x 0.5 mg bit only take a single dose of 1.5 mg at night.I feel it’s about time I free myself on the tyranny of benzos but am not quite sure how to do it. I’ve experienced some weird high anxiety feelings the few times in those 20 years when I had to go without my nightly doses but would quickly make up for it the next morning so the retrieval symptoms wouldn’t last too long. Has anybody here tried the slow tapering down using a longer lasting benzo? How did that go?
After being on Xanax for the last 10 years it has been a roller coaster ride. Started coming down from 5 mg per day to the present 1 mg at bedtime. Now how all this started was being diagnosed with hyperthyroid and all the symptoms that comes with it. I blame no doctor what so ever but kinda blame all for not telling me about the long term side effects plus a very long time to withdraw from the Xanax.
It has taken me 3 full months to adjust without the high volume of Xanax. This medicine is far worse for withdraw than any type of pain pills. Have had experience with the withdraw from both. Folks please take plenty of time to adjust in your new life without using Xanax. Have no idea why Xanax is not a class 2 drug. Never knew what folks meant by using the term “take a chill pill”. Never intended on getting on such a high dose daily but made it through it and feel so much better every day.
It has now been a full year since starting with a lower dose each and every week. Go very slow with this drug… so what if it takes you 6 months to fully withdraw.
Well this is day 2. Coming off of 1 two 2 milligrams a day depending on the situation. I did not even realize I had become so dependent on a drug. But now looking back I can see how. Second day so far has been the worst for me not sleeping. nausea has been awful depression and mood swings as well. I’m going to try some other things to help sleep.
The nightmares and nausea are the worst for me. What brought me to this siteare the symptoms that I think everyone seems to share some what in common. I’m 39 years old never did I think that the withdrawal symptoms from xanax would be this bad. I haven’t addictive personality and talk to speak no big deal let me tell you something it sucks. That being said I am willing to do what is necessary do not have to be on this drug.
Xanax works so well but the withdrawal symptoms are a higher price to pay in the end… I will fight my way through this. And I’m glad this site exists. It made me realize and I understand that the withdrawal symptoms are just that the symptoms and I have to fight through.
I’ve been taking 1mg Xanax for about 3 weeks now, as prescribed for my anxiety. I decided that I wanted to stop taking it because I can tell my tolerance is getting up and I can’t stand being dependent on a med. Anyway, is it too late to quit cold turkey? I’ve been tapering and I’ve gone from 2-3mgs a day to 1.5mg for the past 3 days. I haven’t taken one today and I can definitely already feel the withdrawal symptoms. They’re not pleasant, but seem manageable for now. I know it’s only day 1 of not taking one, but can I just stop taking the med now, or should I keep tapering and take .5 or 1mg today?
I’ve been on 1mg twice daily for 4 years. I take it in the morning and at night. I am ready to come off of it and have been cutting my dose. The biggest thing already is ear ringing, headache, muscle spasms and nightmares. I’m scared I’m going to have a seizure if I cut down any more. I’m trying to get pregnant but I’m scared to if I’m still withdrawing from xanax. My doctor recently gave me trazodone to take to help me sleep instead of the xanax which helps but I just wake up my ears ringing all over again. I want to get off of this any suggestions?
Well, my experience is a little different from others here. I take 1 mg of alprazolam daily (divided into 0.4, 0.2, 0.2 and 0.2 doses) and have been doing so for about a year in order to cope with social anxiety at work (I’m a teacher). However, I generally don’t take any on weekends unless I have to attend a social get together and on holidays my girlfriend and I generally travel somewhere and I don’t take any xanax.
I find that the day after I stop taking xanax I don’t sleep very well and, of course, my social anxiety is worse, but other than that I haven’t really experiences any side effects. On holidays I sometimes stop taking it for 2 weeks at a time with no real withdrawal issues. Maybe that will change with time? I’m not sure but I intend to continue using it as I have been for the foreseeable future.
This is a sad and unbelievable situation. But real in every sense. I can’t even smile anymore without grimacing and having mouth tics. I tend to cover my mouth now when I smile. A constant reminder that after several years on Xanax XR 4mg for unbearable PTSD, a physician and pharmacist colluded and abruptly stopped my Xanax cold turkey while I was in a medical hospital. Many other things went terribly wrong as a result.
My withdrawal has been horrible to the point where I became severely suicidal with a plan to check into a hotel and slit my wrists. I was admitted to the psych hospital a week after I was discharged from the medical hospital. That Dr. and pharmacist almost orphaned my children, made my husband a widower and made my friends miss me for life.
As I have said, I can’t even smile at them anymore without shamefully covering my smile. I used to laugh a lot. Now it’s just an embarrassment. However, I am a survivor and have fought my whole life to become a healing wounded warrior. I don’t play, ever. Currently I am negotiating with the medical hospital now, full force. And believe me I AM a force for sure.
That incident is just a minuscule example of my so called treatment. I have the means and gumption to bring that hospital to their knees. And if you knew me, you would more than believe it. I can prove all of their shenanigans and I never play unless I know I can win. Let the games begin! NEVER QUIT COLD TURKEY!
Yep went cold turkey two weeks ago and after 48 hrs, called my Dr. I was on 1mg per day for two years because of an annoying head tic making ny back sore. I started feeling more anxious, vibration and tingle feelings and that “walking on a boat feeling” when walking. The. Dr stepped me down to 5mg three times a week for two weeks but I still have the weird sensations. I have been exercising and eating fine but DID have a day or two of nausea and diarrhea. I am also seeing a PT twice a week for stress reeducation/back exercises and deep tissue massage…ahhh…still, a scary withdrawal!
I have been on Xanax 0.5mg for about 3 yrs once a day. It was originally prescribed 0.5mg 3x a day, but it made me so loopy I only took it once daily to help with my insomnia. I am on day 3 of not taking this medication due to refill expiring and forced withdrawal until Monday. I knew from this happening before that I was going to go through flu like symptoms, however I am on Gabepentin for herniated disc, I think its helping me.
Usually I can go a day or so without it. This last time my 2nd day was crazy! I felt like I was out of my body, seeing things like shadows, couldn’t think, just numb beyond belief! I have the nasal issue like I have a cold. My head feels a bit funny…its hard to describe. I do have a slight headache too along with some vision blurriness. I’m not going back on this stuff. I’m not having any anxiety though I feel calm; just weird calm.
I go back to work tomorrow and am worried about a coworker who really annoys me. I hope that I don’t wig out on anyone. I’m also going to tell my Dr to stop scripting Xanax to her patients. I happen to work in the clinic I’m a patient at. Never in my life did I realize the withdrawal is so bad for people. I’m hoping mine will be easier since my body tends to heal rather quickly. To think I feel like a drug addict. I don’t like it and more awareness should be made about this drug. Good luck to everyone!
My nightmare was I tried the cold turkey thing and per my cardiologist that is what caused me to develop LQTS. I had a cardiac arrest and was in a coma for 6 days and now I can never stop or I will die again. The timeline was 4 days then all hell he broke loose and my heart stopped. Thank God my wife held it together and saved my life. I have an implanted defibrillator and now a very bad heart. I have it to thank 34 times after cause my heart stops when it wants.