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Taper from Xanax and Klonopin Support

Help, beginning to Taper... I attempted to post a full description on what happened to me over the years with these meds and SSRI, and I exceeded the character limit.  Here is what I am on to this day, and I am beginning to taper.

Morning – 7AM – 8AM
-Adderal XR: 20MG (recently added (October 28th 2009) to pull me out of a depression and calm anxiety)
-Adderal: 5MG  (recently added (September 9th 2009, if needed to pull me out of bed)
-Klonopin: 1MG
-Prolosec Generic: 40MG (Have always been on this since the SSRI’s were prescribed because of acid reflux)
Vitamins: Recently Added on November 23rd 2009
-L-Glutamine Powder: 5 grams (Taken on empty stomach at night)
-SuperFoods Supreme Powder: (1 Scoop during dinner per day)
-Pre-Ground Flax Seed:  (1 Tablespoon mixed in Oatmeal for breakfast)
-Vitamin C 1000mg

MidDay: - 2-3PM
-Adderal XR: 20MG
-Adderal: 5MG (if needed at all)

Night: - 9 – 10PM
Xanax XR: 2MG twice a day, at the same time.  4MG
Klonopin: 1MG, two of them (Total 1.5MG)
Pristiq XR: 50MG (switched from Lexapro 5mg to 10mg in July 2009)


-The next process is to begin the taper and being in VT and that I suffer from SAD I am scared out of my mind.  Dr E. would like to eliminate the Klonopin first, which I am doing by now only taking 1.5mgs of Klonopin at night.

-I’m also a full time student who just changed careers to get my PhD in Clinical Psychology and am working on finishing up some credits as a senior prior to entering Grad school, as not all of my credits transferred into the School of Arts and Sciences from Computer Information Science Degree.

-And realized my Migraines and Depression were misdiagnosed from when I was younger, as I had ADD do to family situations and not Depression, although a DR put me on SSRI's when I was 14, which triggered my anxiety, which is how I ended up on Xanax since the age of 27 and am now tapering off of these meds.  The Migraines were missed by four doctors and turned out to be related to Degenerate Disc Disease in my Neck, which was causing me to have a form of sleep apnea too.  I see a PT twice a week, and use a home traction unit everyday and I no longer wake up gasping for breath.

-My doctor is doing her best using Adderal as an augmenter, to pull me out of the depression though that has great side effects as well.  Though for me it stopped me from having such severe anxiety attacks that lasted over 36hrs.

-I’m also a bit freaked out because I also have apparently ground my teeth down so bad that I need over 12k worth of restorative work to fix them.  Which, my father is not happy about and I am on a budget so tight that I can barely afford to drive.

-I turn 32 this December 22nd and am having a very difficult time with the taper process.  If anyone has a second opinion on treatment please help.  I realize it's a process to get off of these meds and can take up to 18 months to become 'normal' again.  I've looked into inpatient facilities, however insurance covers none of them and I won't go to a 12-step recovery program.  My DR believes the best method to taper is in the real world, and not in a bubble.  Though, I was attended a 6 week program to help me stop drinking and that worked and I was also able to taper down to 3mg of Xanax and 1mg of Klonopin and then situational changes occurred in my life that triggered my anxiety back to where I could barely pull my sell off of bed and changed from Lexapro to Pristiq.  I simply want off all of these meds, and don't know the best method.  I would prefer inpatient, though that would require 120k of money that my father isn't willing to spend as he doesn't believe this will help and wants me to pull through in the real world like my DR.  Though I can barely focus on school, when I used to be an straight A student with no problems like this before.

5 Responses
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Avatar universal
Hi, Yes I feel the same way on it, very agitated a lot of the time, like my emotions are exaggerated or something.  Also after being on for seven months  have ALOT of diahrea (sp.) and stomach pain.  Going back to Cymbalat
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Avatar universal
Do you have a plan on how to I would switch over from XR to IR Xanax?  Because I would think that would be step 1.  You can't break the XR up.  How would I spread 4mg (2x 2mg pills) of Xanax up throughout the day and night using IR?  Just trying to best avoid a rebound anxiety attack related to the meds... once that's in place then I could start the taper.  
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Avatar universal
The formula you mentioned is effective but too prolonged.I would personally taper Xanax first and then the Klonopin as it is better to taper that later.
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Avatar universal
I am currently taking Xanax XR 2MG for a total of 4MG.  They are not the fast acting, though are supposed to be extended release.  When Xanax went generic is when I remember my body burning through them much faster, which is why I most likely keep experiencing rebound effects, as it burns through my body to fast.

-I would have to switch over to the short acting, and then accumulate to that change and find the proper times to take it, as it seems my body just burns through food, water, everything.  I eat very healthy and well balanced, and exercise daily, though find having to eat ice cream and more carbs to gain weight as I am constantly cold, prior to Xanax when I was anxious I would break a sweat and completly go mind blank.  I have pretty bad night sweats now though, and I sweat heavily under my armpits and drink about 4 gallons of water or gatorade a day as I am constantly thirsty.  Though I think this has to do with the Pritiq.

I read through this woman's manual: http://www.benzo.org.uk/manual/index.htm
-who has done research on extensive research on Benzo and Antidepressants and has come up with a pretty comprehensive guide to tapering. Where she mostly uses Valium (diazepam) to taper from both meds.

Here's what I got out of it, whether you are taping from Xanax (alprazolam) or Klonopin (Clonazepam), she uses Valium (diazepam) to taper and switch over as it has a shorter half life.  Though in detox centers like Passages of Malibu (which is like 120k), they use Ativan (lorazepam) to taper from both though they are going at a much faster pace, and apparently Ativan has the shortest half life of them all (according to them).

I'm not sure anyone really knows.  I wish I could find away to email this woman and ask her for a taper plan, as it differs from patient to patient.  I actually don't have much of an issue tapering from the Klonopin and it appears to not do much for me.  Though I could be mistaken, as it never did anything for me when I was initially put on it and the dosage was upped several times and still nothing worked.

My experience from both are as follows:

Xanax: alprazolam
-Immediate Release Formula: _3-4 hours
-Extended Release Formula: ~ 7- 10 hours

Klonopin: Clonazepam
-Release time: Approximately ~4-6 hours.

Xanax: alprazolam
Immediate Release Formula: 3-4 hours
Extended Release Formula: ~ 7- 10 hours

Klonopin: Clonazepam
Release time: Approximately 4-6 hours, although It appears to be known to have a longer half life.

However according to Web4health.info they state the following:

Xanax: alprazolam (non XR)
Half Life: 6-12 hrs
Half Life of XR: 12-24 hrs? (can’t find any info on that, one so I through out general number as it was designed initially to last longer than the IR formula)

Klonopin: Clonazepam
Half Life: 18- 15 hrs

Valium: diazepam
Half Life: 20 - 100 hrs

Ativan:  lorazepam
Half Life: 10-20 hrs

Now from my understanding Benzo's stay in your fatty tissues for some amount of time, which is why many people relapse back onto them.  Many alternative med places use sauna treatment to sweat out all of the left overs that could be released during the next three years.  If this isn't taken care of, then the risk of relapsing back onto them is severe.  They also recommend Acupuncture, as this has been known to help settle the muscles and nerves that become completely tenses up during a taper.

-I'm kind of at a loss, and not quite sure what to do as she wants to taper Klonopin first and then Xanax.  Though I think it would make sense to work out a taper plan for both using Valium (diazepam) as a cross-over.

-Then I wonder how much damage this crap did to my system and my mind, as I have a hard time concentrating and retaining information which is making school and life a pain in the ***, as before every paper or exam I have to pull all nighters to retain the information and then crash and my anxiety gets worse after the all nighter's, as she has me taking the Adderall IR every 3-4 hours.  

-I mean I have heard horror stories on here where people had to learn how to talk again, and even walk.  I could kill the DR who put me on this crap as he told me I might be on it for life, when these drugs have been around for years and it is well known to only use these meds for short term use only.

-Let me know what you think about coming up with a chart using Valium to cross taper from both.  Though the question again, is which one do I come off first?  Or do I cross taper both at the same time?

This drug shouldn't even be on the market, Christ.  

Thanks for the input
Helpful - 0
Avatar universal
It is best that you try to taper your Xanax first from 3mg to below 1mg by reducing it by 1/2 of a 0.25 mg tablet(0.125 mg) every week till you reach 1 mg as otherwise a faster  Xanax taper could be risky at 3 mg and could give you seizures.You should keep your Klonipin at 2.5 mg which I believe you are taking as it will help you with the anxiety which you will experience during Xanax withdrawal.Once you bring the Xanax down to no Xanax as I told you to do,then you can resume tapering of the Klonipin by reducing it by 0.125 mg every two weeks till you bring it down to no Klonipin.This will bring down the doses of both medications safely.Hope this helps.
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