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Getting off of Xanax!!!

I have been taking .25mg of Xanax for 4 years, every day.  I want to come off of it and I do not want to have any withdraw symptoms, or at least keep them to a minimum.  What do you suggest, since it is the lowest dose? I Took half of the .25mg on Friday and for the past 2 days have not taken any.

Thank you!
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Avatar universal
Honestly, I think I am better off with out them.  Who knows if it was really working anyhow.  I have been taking it for 4 years and never increased the dose or took extra.  I think I most definetly grew a tolerance to it and I think with some good counseling and church. I personally feel that the meds def helped, but I feel there is also some underlying things that I have never dealt with (i.e. things from childhood etc) and these medications are hindering me from really dealing with it.  
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Avatar universal
i know. the seizure thing really is scary. but why do you think you're better off without preventative meds? bad side effects or do you just think you're ready to go on without them?
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Avatar universal
Well - I took only .125 (half of my .25) on Friday, Sat & Sun I did not take it at all and Mon I went to the Dr to see if what he thinks for my tapering off of it.  My blood pressure was pretty high, 150 / 90 which, I am only 27 and NEVER have had high blood pressure before. So his suggestion was to take half of my dose for one week, then the next week half of the half dose and so on. I am also on Effexor XR, which is 150 mg per day and after I get off of the xanax, I am getting off that too!! I will never again take any meds, its been 8 years on and off, and I think I am better without them! As for the withdraw symptoms, I have none (other than a little high B/P at the Drs.)  I was very nervous about the whole seizure thing and how everyone says to not quit cold turkey
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370181 tn?1595629445
If YOU want off the meds, your doctor is bound by that decision. He cannot force you to take anything you do not want to.
You have not been on the Xanax long enough to have developed a real tolerance for it, but as we always say here, we are ALL different...........
Since your anxiety only began a short while ago and was, in my humble opinion, directly related to some very real issues, losing your dad, which I'm very sorry to hear and some medical problems..........I could understand your doctor prescribing a VERY short course of antianxiety meds. But, as you said, he seems to want to keep you on pills.
You say that during your walks, you have recently begun to feel light headed and that you may faint. You also stated that you had a bad headache that day, all of which has got you thinking about tumors and strokes. (Classic "anxiety thinking!")
I think you're dealing with a mixed bag of some pretty intense emotions, grief over your dad, very painful medical issues, and now your feeling some anxiety regarding your meds.........it all adds up.
Time, I strongly believe, to have a very real discussion with your doctor about what is really going on with you. Sounds to me like he just wants to mask your problems with meds when he should have, in MY humble opinion, pointed you in the direction of some therapy to get through this difficult period............AFTER ruling out an organic reason for your feelings of lightheadedness and the changes you're feeling during exercise. (I do not want to totally discredit him for perscribing a short course of Xanax to help you cope with your dads passing) but think he should have done a more complete eval of your emotional state before dashing off yet another script.
A therapist will help you sort out what is "normal" grief and what is an "anxiety disorder."
I think I gave you a rather confusing answer, and I aopologize for that. You have some confusing issues all going on at once.........I'm sure you're a bit overwhelmed and have no doubt you're wondering what the hell is going on. I'm sure your doctor is just trying his best to help you, and I know you trust him, but even a trusted doctor can sometimes make a wrong decision.
Talk to him again, tell him what you're feeling, both physically and emotionally, if you feel strongly about not wanting to be on meds, ask him for a referral to a good therapist.
I hope you let us know how you're doing, and I wish you the very best.
Peace
Greenlydia
But these feelings of being lightheaded need to be addressed. They COULD be related to the Xanax and the sort of "hit or miss" method you have of taking them, to grief, to switching your meds around..........to a combination of ALL these things. I think it's time to slow the bus down and figure out exactly what issues you're dealing with and go from there.
      
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Avatar universal
I have been taking Xanax (.5 up to 3 times a day) for just over six weeks. 10 days ago my doctor told me to switch to Lorazepam, once a day, but since it takes some time to take effect to continue the Xanac as needed. Well, I don't want to be on any of these meds and after reading some of the stuff on this site about Lorazepam it sounds like a nightmare drug. In fact I'm afraid I am already addicted to the Xanax.

I only began suffering from anxiety on 7/27 and was reluctant to take the Xanax for a few weeks. In fact I was actually managing until a bad anxiety attack on 8/15. (I should tell you that I lost my Dad on 7/9 and was also suffering from painful Anal Fissures). Now I wish I never would have started. I feel like the drugs might be making the anxiety attacks worse. I had an EKG two weeks ago and it was fine. I have a stress test next week. For awhile one or two Xanax was all I needed but occasionally I have taken three in one day. Over this past weekend (9/26 and 9/27) I cut back to one a day (about 19 - 20 hours in between). Last night my wife and I went for a walk, now up until 7 weeks ago I could do two circuits of brisk walking and light jogging around the neighborhood, about 2 1/2 miles  total. On Monday (9/21) I was doing a very light workout and after 20 minutes began feeling light headed and felt like I was going to faint. Last night the same thing happened after a light walk around 3/4 ot the neighborhood. I thought for sure I was having a stroke or I had a brain tumor. I was also suffering from a very bad headache all day. I took a Xanac at 1:30 AM this morning (19 hours after the previous one) and again 8 hours later. I still have the pain and light headedness but the Xanac is helping me cope and work today.

My wife has been great and today I called my company's employee assistance line and they are setting me up with some counseling. I can't believe what has happened to my life. I am 46 and was relatively happy, now I am miserable. I am also afraid my doctor will not give me a new prescription for Xanax. I have maybe a weeks supply left. Although I am going to try not to take another one until tomorrow. I was better off without the meds, but my doctor (whome I have been seeing for 25 years) just seems to want to keep me on pills.

I should also mention I have been having a pounding headache for a number of days, but I see others also suffer from this with anxiety. It does make it hard to cope, but I also thought it may have been triggered by reducing the Xanac.

Any help or advice will be greatly appreciated. Thank you.
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Avatar universal
over the past 2 days, have you experienced any withdrawal symptoms? if not, i'd say you're just fine. .25 is the lowest dose and you can split those in half...but at a once a day dose, i don't know that you would need to. you might ask your doctor....but if you haven't experienced symptoms yet, i'd say you're in the clear.
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Avatar universal
First of all, don't do it on your own.  Ensure that you are doing through the advice of your doctor.  My mantra has always been the slower the better.  
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Arlington, WA
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