Xanax Withdrawal - LIGHT HEADEDNESS HOW LONG WILL IT LAST???

[faithprayer]

I had been taking xanax for a little over a year.  For six months my doctor had me on 5 mg. of xanax a day.  He never told me that it was addicting.  I trusted him.  After taking 5 mg. for six months, I tapered down to 2 1/2 mg.  , got sick, ended up in the hospital and then saw the doctor next day.  He put me back up to 3 mg. xanax every day and 10 mg. zyprexa zydis. So, I've been taking that then since last summer.  I finally got off all the medication, the zyprexa I got off in January completely and the xanax I finished my last dose on April 13th.  I reduced sometimes every week a half mg. and then someone told me to reduce by 1/4 mg.   I never even had panic disorder to begin with...my doctor misdiagnosed me.   MY QUESTION is it's been over 2 months since I have had NO xanax and I'm still feeling lightheaeded and brain foggy practically EVERY DAY!  WHEN WILL IT GO AWAY?  I've had other tests done while being on xanax, MRI, seen a neurologist and they couldn't find anything wrong, and told me to get off the medicine.  I did, but I'm still suffering with this lightheadedness.  I hate it.  I've actually had this since last summer, but it's worse now that I'm not taking anymore xanax.  Can someone please help me with this, I've been off it for over two months, I can't even enjoy my 2 year old daughter much because I don't feel well.  Does anyone know if this is ever going to go away??  Please answer if you can.  It's so frustrating feeling like this?  I've been praying a lot and trusting God, I just want to talk to someone who maybe has gone through it or can give me some advice?  IS there anything I can do or take to help get rid of this lightheadedness?  If I get pregnant will that help take away the lightheadedness and brain fogginess?  Thanks for answering me in advance.  

[brokeIrishbloke]

Don't touch xanax. It seems great at first but it's a deadly drug. I know. I'm four months on them now. Over the past few weeks I've been weaning myself slowly off them. I'm now down to .25mg a day and STILL getting withdrawal symptons - blocked sinuses, panic attacks, heart pounding in my chest, hot, tired, emotional, eyes feel like they're about to pop, headaches, etc, etc. Stay away from xanax.

[donewitis]

This is a highly unusual way to taper xanax..due to it's short half life. Please educate yourself about Benzos by googling Ashton manual...another good source of info is Benzo buddies . Org. I'm just concerned this taper plan isn't so good...call ur dr. and inform him of these symptoms...seizures are a possibility. I am in the midst of tapering xanax and have had to get educated. How long were you prescribed these?
I don't want to worry you ..just want you to be safe.
(Many Dr.s are not aware on how to do tapers..my Dr. included)

[charlotte617]

I take Xanaxx 1 mg once every 3 days now..which is apart of my withdrawal process.  My doc. stated that it is not good to cold turkey Xanax! My symptoms include lightheadedness, flurry vision, when I walk..I feel as though I will fall(this happens all the time, a backwards and forward feeling) and mainly I get 5 to 10 minute headaches!!!  I agree with you all, this drug is evil...as someone as stated, I just want my life back..any suggestions

[AgedladY]

80 year old lady
Age 80 ... And here I am!!! Who'd of even thought it.  I want my life back also, what is left of i
Pins ANF needles all over mybbodfy its painful!

[Danny111]

Hi AgedladY and welcome,  You are commenting on a very old post.  If you post as a new question you'll get a bit faster response.  Things are pretty slow here these days so you have to be patient.

I don't have any experience with Xanax withdrawals although I'm not sure that's what you're going through.

[dkwco]

good luck, I was a pharmacetule drug designer, and I can tell you xanax is a mirical drug if you suffer like I have for the past 30 years, first panick attacks, anxity attacks, social anxity disorder runs in my family my grandfather,  mother, aunt, uncle, and 2 first cousins all have this problem, my mother had to be hospitilized, and 1 of my first cousins had to be several times over them, the other is disabaled and I have filed for disibility over them, the regular xanax is probably not what you should have been put on their half life is only about 3-4 hours top's, I was on them for 29 years, 90 per month finially got refered to a psycrist who immeadiatly stopped the xanax immeadate release and changed me to xanax er 1 mg 2 x daily now im dow to only 60 per month and feel so much better and rarely have a attack, my attacks progessevly got worse until they were constant, the xanax er has smoothed out my entire day, now getting off xanax I do know you can have relapses for up to 2 years or longer as they store in the fatty cells in the body and the brain is fat, thus tetering off is not as easy as it sounds some are lucky some are not.
I tried to get off of them myself some years back and almost had a stroke, my doctor advised me that considering my family history and such that even if I was able to get off the xanax that the original reason I was put on them would still be their thus im cought in a circle now im older and in pretty good shape other than the attacks, I would personally keep the white .25 1/4 mg on hand just in case that way you can trial and error if your light headness is xanax related or not next it takes more than 14 days of continuse use to become addicted so if you can go for days weeks or months without symptoms and then you have a attack taking one wont re addict you just dont go back to taking them on a daily basis, and ask your doctor about the extened release.  good luck in staying off them we and our doctors do our best and somtimes it really is trial and error

[deedee8764]

im currently withdrawing from 3mgs a day down to 0.5 - 0.75 a day there is noway i would be able to do this cold turkey for me but the withdrawals are so hard i feel like im going crazy but i know im not.
i dont know how i ended up here there were days i would be taking up to 5mgs i have found myself alot calmer since i have been on a smaller dose.
you need to keep stong i think. as for the withdrawals i pray to God they get better and not worse everyone seems to think they will improve i hope to God they do xanax is 100% evil

God bless you all.
Nothing is impossible you can all do it ~

[jamm57]

you quit cold turkey hear is mine i have only been taking them for about 6 months .5 mg in the morning and at night i dont want to take these anymore so i decided to go cold turkey here i am on day two and i feel like crap no vomiting but i am nausus i get lightheaded i should have never started taking these i hate it sometimes im not sure if it is withdrawls or if it is actually anxiety ive delt with anxiety my whole life and never took pills and the stories i am reading are scaring me even more does any one know how long these symptoms last hopefully no more than a week cause im doing cold turkey but i was only taking one mg a day for about 6 months can anyone tell if i will have severe withdrwals or mild i dont know but i dont like the way ifeel now im just glad to know im not alone in this they should get rid of this drugs very habitual