xanax withdrawals / Emergency Room

[lisa20020]

I have been out of Xanax for a week now.  I have already been to the Emergency Room where I was given 10 Ativans.  That lasted for 5 days at 2 mg per day.  This is day one with no anti anxiety medications at all.  I was taking xanax for years at 3 mgs a day and moved to another state 2 months ago.  I have no money and no insurance yet and thought my body was going to give out yesterday as the withdrawals started again.  I feel like an animal that can get no help.  My blood pressure medication helps slightly (Clonidine), I feel a little better than yesterday but I don't know if I will make it.  I feel detached from my body, my heart is racing, every part of my body feels tingly with hot flashes, I am sweating and feel I will die. My body is exhausted from fighting this feeling. Will it be easier this time since I have been on Ativan for a week now with no Xanax.  Should I go yet again to the Emergency room or WAIT TILL I DIE FOR THE MEDICAL COMMUNITY TO HELP ME?????????????????????/  I have called NAMI, I have called all the numbers I have been given for medical help as referrals all with dead ends.  That was over 20 #'s.  Should I just tough this out ??? I am so embarrassed over this.  How many times can I go to the ER?  

[ILADVOCATE]

Yes since no one is helping you that would probably be your best option. Don't let it get out of control. They can prescribe you what you need and then you can go home. If don't have any insurance you could then apply for emergency Medicaid which could then turn into straight Medicaid with the proper application process.

[juliesculpt]

You need to get a prescription and then taper down slowly...this really does require help from a doctor, so get there any way you can.  I have no health insurance, either and know how frustrating it can be seeking help.  The emergency room has to treat you, but then you have a huge outstanding bill and collectors..if you can find a doc who will take payments, or a reduced cost clinic, that would be great...if it were me and I had to choose between paying my rent and going through intense withdrawal without any help, I'm pretty sure I would use that rent $ to see a doc...make up the rent later...I know it's not necessarily that black and white, I'm just saying, get to a doctor any way you can..you need to taper slowly...The doc may be $150 dollars or so, depending on where you are..they often give a discount for csh/uninsured patients, and the xanax itself is cheap..you just have to find someone who will work with you. Good Luck, please let us know how it is going

[Paxiled]

Listen everyone knows you can't just quit a benzo.  Have you called the manufacturer of Xanax?  They're always advertising they help people without money.  I can't believe these people are risking you having a seizure or going through a painful withdrawal because you have no money or insurance!  

[abby10]

You've got to get long acting benzo in your system. But you need to do a "cross over" from Xanax to valium or klonopin. The taper needs to be very, very slow. A doctor has to taper you. You are addicted. You will find that doctors, hospitals, rehabs and detoxes will taper you WAY to fast.

Go to site  benzo.org.uk (the ashton manual).

Cry from the roof tops to the ER that you need a script to come off and a doctor to taper you. Tell them that you are not a drug seeking person, you got dependant accidentally and you just want off these drugs. You do need to get a benzo in your system now.

Don't take no for an answer. Insurance usually doesn't pay for benzos anyway, and possibly the county can get you to a doctor to help you taper.

abby

I know what you're going through. And so do others. This is a crime.

abby

[nursegirl6572]

"You've got to get long acting benzo in your system. But you need to do a "cross over" from Xanax to valium or klonopin. The taper needs to be very, very slow. A doctor has to taper you. You are addicted. You will find that doctors, hospitals, rehabs and detoxes will taper you WAY to fast. "

I disagree.  There is a difference between "addiction" and "dependency".  Both require help, but in different ways.  Also, not ALL docs, hospitals, etc will taper someone way too fast, that simply isn't true.  I also disagree that this poster needs a long-acting benzo "in the system".  If he/she is trying to get OFF of them for good, then he/she does NOT want to trade one for another!


"Don't take no for an answer. Insurance usually doesn't pay for benzos anyway,"
I also don't understand this.  Of COURSE insurance will cover benzos if they are prescribed properly.  

It sounds as though you've had a bad experience with benzos, and I'm sorry for that, but please do not assume that EVERYONE will have the exact same experience...or will need the exact same course of treatment that you needed.  Every person and situation is different!

[RubyWitch]

Have you contacted the prescribing doctor from the state you came from? I would suggest you call them IMMEDIATELY and explain what is going on. That doctor SHOULD understand that you cannot just "cold turkey" from Xanax, and SHOULD fax a script to a local pharmacy for you. This doctor had you on a hefty dose (3mg qd) "for years," and owns a great deal of responsibility for the position you now find yourself in. You also should have made sure you had an adequate amount of refills BEFORE leaving...........but that barn door is already open.
You can go to the ER as many times as you want, but you CANNOT use the ER like your own personal pharmacy. I understand you have no doctor nor any insurance at the moment. Is that something that will hopefully change soon?
Have your medical records faxed to you, which will give proof that Xanax was a regularly prescribed medication. Take that to the ER the next time and ask them to hook you up with a social worker associated with the hospital, (which is free) who can help you find inexpensive medical help until you get yourself squared away.
First call your old doctor. It's only been two months...............they should have a good memory of prescribing Xanax to you for THREE YEARS!
Once you get "things" under control again, please speak with your new doctor about putting you on a long acting benzo.........AFTER tapering you very slowly off three years worth of Xanax. A cross-over taper would, in my humble opinion, be the best way and your doctor should know about that method. If not, find another doctor who does! I would also look into getting into some therapy down the road so you could hopefully get off the benzo bus for good.
In the meantime, I hope things work out for you.
Peace
Greenlydia    

[abby10]

Good grief!!!

[Paxiled]

All benzos are addictive.  I think you're thinking of ssris, which have terrible withdrawal problems but aren't addictive.  On the other hand, if you need them to have a life, it doesn't really matter if they're addictive.  This is the same for opiates -- if you need them you need them, but that doesn't make them not addictive.

[lisa20020]

  Thanks for your comments.

At first yesterday was going really good. I was seeing glimpses of normalcy throughout the day without my medication. I thought, "I can really do this, I have this beat!" Then it just hit me all at once. The withdrawal symptoms came back full force right when I was getting ready for bed. One minute I am fine, and the next I am having every panic attack that the Xanax suppressed over the last 8 years.

I went to the Emergency Room last night about 10 pm. I was honest and told them I was there about a week ago. I again explained the situation of desperately needing a doctor.

After seeing a doctor who gave me a 1mg Ativan tablet and 2-1mg to go, I felt better but worn out. The doctor, oops I mean "Clinician" informed me it was now ok to go cold turkey off the benzos because my vital signs were all normal. I came in with my blood pressure in the 180's and after the ativan it went down to 108. He told me it was all mental and not physical. SIGH!! He even went on to suggest rehab. I sort of snapped at that because I was really frustrated and told him I would have went to rehab in Michigan if that is what I wanted for my life. WHO IS HE to dictate what I should do?

I just want to feel normal again.

I am aware I need to switch to something longer acting and taper down. I just can’t do it on my own.  He gave me a number to call Monday morning and a clinic that is free.  I can’t wait till yet another place tells me they cannot prescribe any benzos.  Hopefully, my appointment July 29 at a Mental Health Care facility will put an end to all this chaos.  I want my life back.  I can’t even continue looking for employment with the state I am in.

As for the original doctor back in Michigan, I talked to him last Thursday and the office assured me they would call the Pharmacy and tell them to give me my last refill.  It is not like I came to another state unprepared.  My mother told me Utah has one of the highest drug abuse rates in the nation, and that is why I am having so many problems.  Who knows if that is true because she is an unmedicated Bi-Polar mess without any clue to what is going on.  Anyway, they never called it in or bothered to call me back and let me know what was going on.  I called back Friday and still no response.

I have enough Ativan to get though Monday, and then I will see what happens.

Sorry for rambling on and thanks again.

[abby10]

I'm sorry for your situation, but your story is all too familiar. See the site I recomended and you can find benzo sites from there also. Or look up the word benzodiazepine. You'll learn more about these drugs. They are powerful as you have found out. A slow taper with a longer acting benzo is better on your brain and will do less damage in the long run. What's happening right now is hurting you. You are not alone, many others have made it through your horrible situation.

There needs to be a federal law enacted to prevent doctors from "yanking" people off these drugs. They can have seizures and long term damage. Why would a doctor want to do this?

btw, the rehabs will do an inadequate fast taper as most don't know how long it takes to properly come off benzos and they aren't set up for the time it takes.  And many doctors don't know and don't take the time to find out how long it takes to taper. Or it's just too much work. The Pharmas supress the information from the public as that would make sales decline. So people just don't know.........

Hugs,

abby

Hang in there and pm me if you want to let me know how it's going.

[RubyWitch]

Call your old pharmacy back and tell them you did NOT receive any medication! This "oversight" on their part is totally unprofessional and their lack of compassion, which is more likely ignorance, is unacceptable! I would call them every hour on the hour until a script was faxed to a pharmacy! They obviously have no idea what you are going through..................

As for the doctor, (or clinician) you saw in the ER, his ignorance of benzo withdrawl is frightening, to say the least, and his attitude is abhorant.

I will hope the clinic you're going to on Monday will be a bit better informed on these types of Meds and help you until your appointment with the Mental Health Care facility. If they don't, call that clinic and tell them you have an emergency that the ER is NOT helping you with. I think once you explain the nature of your problem, they will help you. If not, go back to the ER and to bloody hell with their attitudes! YOUR well being comes first!

I wish you the best of luck!
Peace
Greenlydia    

[nursegirl6572]

So sorry you are going thru this mess.  It really is a shame.  I agree with lydia that you need to stay on the prescribing doc until something happens.  Especially b/c you are wanting to get off the Xanax in the first place...and yet no one is helping you do that safely.  What a shame.  :0(

Paxilled....I don't want to waste valuable space in lisa's thread...but just to clarify what I was saying.  Of course I am aware that benzodiazepines are addictive.  What I was trying to say with my intitial comment is that "addiction" and "dependency" are two different things, and while both require treatment...the treatment vastly differs.  Addiction is a pattern of misuse, seeking the drug for reasons beyond what it is prescribed for...often taking it NOT as prescribed in order to obtain a certain "feeling", where dependency is our body's physical NEED for a medication that develops over time....so much so that withdrawals will develop if stopped abruptly. Addicition involves a much different treatment plan, with intense aftercare.

That was all I was trying to get at.  "Addicition", "tolerance", and "dependancy" are words that are often erroneously used interchangably...and while there are a lot of similarities, there are vast differences between the three terms.

:0)

[Paxiled]

No, addiction isn't a pattern of misuse.  Addiction can occur with the perfectly correct use.  Addiction has several conditions as part of its definition, one of which is that you need to take more of it to get the same benefit, something that isn't always but is usually true with benzos but not true with ssris, but ssris do cause terrible withdrawals.  I only brought it up because there's a lot of confusion on this website about what words mean, and it makes it hard to discuss these things.  Oxycontin, for example, is addictive, but if you need it, you take it anyway -- you don't have to abuse it.  Same with benzos.  Dependency is equivalent to habit forming, but the truth is, dependency isn't a medical term with any definite meaning, it's more of a psychological condition.  Addiction is a physiological condition.  Also don't mean to waste space here, but the question keeps coming up particularly regarding Xanax.  Xanax is an addictive drug, but I don't see that as any reason to stop using it if it's the only thing that helps, yet people continually come on here saying their new doctors are forcing them to stop taking it because it's addictive.  Cancer patients are addicted to their painkillers, but you wouldn't make them stop taking them, they would have no life but pain.  It also keeps coming up with marijuana, which can be habit forming, but isn't addictive.  I get what you're saying, which is let's not focus on sideline issues, and you're right, but we do need to talk about the same thing.

[mjbrown]

From "What's in a word? Addiction versus dependence in the DSM-IV" The American Journal of Psychiatry, 163, 2014-a, November 2006

"The American Pain Society, The American Academy of Pain Medicine, and the American Society of Addiction Medicine, for example, have developed a consensus document with clear and useful definitions of opioid-related phenomena:

Addiction is a primary, chronic, neurobiological disease, with genetic, psychosocial, and environmental factors influencing its development and manifestations. It is characterized by behaviors that include one or more of the following: impaired control over drug use, compulsive use, continued use despite harm, and craving.

Physical dependence is a state of adaptation that is manifested by a drug-class specific withdrawal syndrome that can be produced by abrupt cessation, rapid dose reduction, decreasing blood level of the drug, and/or administration of an antagonist"

[lisa20020]

Addiction vs. Dependency:

Whether I am an Addict or Dependant does not matter when experiencing the frightful and painful detox / withdrawal period off xanax.

When I can think straight I might be able to elaborate more.  

[mjbrown]

How many days have you gone without xanax or another benzo to cover you? Still no luck getting a hold of your doctor? I hope you're hanging in there. You can always go back to the ER if things get really bad.

All the best..

[lisa20020]

Thanks.

The most i seem to go is 72 hours.  I found a doc who is calling me in the morning and has heard of the Ashton Method.  They are going to call me in the morning.

Things feel hard but under control took my last 1 mg ativan yesterday morning.  I will either make it, go back to the ER, or my son will be home with a script filled.

I am hopeful that at least I found a doctor who would listen.  

Thanks again

[mjbrown]

That is great news that you found a doctor who takes benzo withdrawal seriously. Hang on to this doctor! Hopefully everything will work out, and you won't have to suffer like this for too much longer.

Best of luck.. and keep us posted!

[lisa20020]

I got my klonopin today.  Now to start a taper process with a new doctor.

Thanks for all the wonderful feedback on this issue.

[Hensley258]

Yea, Xanax withdrawl is hell on earth. I also take 3mgs a day and I once ran out. I pretty much went insane for 8 days.

Funny thing is that when you call your doctor and tell him your in severe withdrawl from Xanax, they don't give a **** and will not refill. Their attitude is have a sezure and deal with it punk.

Doctors lock that Xanax up so damn tight that they squeek when they walk. They don't care how sick you get, nor does the hospital because if they did they would have given you a 45 day supply of 2Mg bars.

It's like HELLO doc I'm already an addict. You can't make my addiction any worse than it already is by making me get sick.

[mjbrown]

I hear ya! I went through hell for 5 days at the onset of my latest breakdown, and my shrink refused to give me an extra .5mg to take once a day (I only take .5mg 3x a day). She knew I was freaking out.. and she just told me to go to the ER if I feel like killing myself. Mind you.. I've seen her for the last 5 years, and never once asked for an increase in my xanax, never "lost my meds," and never took anymore than was prescribed to me. The lock down on xanax is insane.. and unnecessary for people who really need it.

[Hensley258]

I have been thru 6 different Psychiatrist in the last 18 years and they are all the same when it comes to Xanax. The worst part is that it is medical fact that if one stops taking Xanax cold turkery then they run a serious risk of going into sezure.

This fact is lost on Psychiatrist and even MD's. There is a reason for this happining. You see, doctors that prescribe Xanax are worried that the patient they are responsible for will build an addiction to the drug. If a patient get's addicted then that patient can file a law suit against the doctor that prescribed more than what is deemed "an exceptable dosage and amount."

This is the doctors best interest at work and is counter productive to our mental health. Not only that, but this fear of legal action by the FDA and DEA makes doctors completly indifferent to what their patients needs are.

I have to call my doc this week to get my Xanax refilled and I have a feeling that he will say no. That means I must make a trip to the hospital just to get enough to get me by a couple days or else I risk sezure.

[lisa20020]

Loved that post!!!!!  Took the words right out of my mouth.  Now look at what I have just found.

"Zoloft withdrawal can cause jolting electric "zaps", dizziness, motor instability, extreme nausea, vomiting, high fever, abdominal discomfort, flu symptoms, agitation, anxiety, insomnia, aggression, nightmares, tremor, seizures, and confusion. In some persons, Zoloft withdrawal has become so painful that it lead them to commit suicide rather than face the agony any longer."

Excuse my language but WTF???????????????  I have been out zoloft for the last 2 weeks also.  I am sure the most of my situation was caused by the xanax, but I am becoming too frightened to take anything at this point.  

[nursegirl6572]

Oh boy lisa......sounds like maybe the Zoloft withdrawal may have been playing a factor here, too, yikes!  Yes, the SSRI meds have a withdrawal phenomena of their own, and also should not be stopped abruptly.  Unlike benzodiazepines, that may result in seizure activity if abruptly d/c'd....the SSRI w/d's aren't necessairly "dangerous" in the same ways...but w/d can be absolutely wicked.

Have you found a new p-doc who you can work with to set up a solid treatment plan?  It's great that you're now oon the Klonopin, that's a great start...but I think you need to find a caring doctor who can set up a treatment plan and work with you to meet your goals, including if you are going to stay on Zoloft...or another kind of maintenence med.

Keep in mind as well that it isn't uncommon to experience a significant amount of emotional w/d's after discontinuing Zoloft (and other SSRI's)....so keep that in mind.  If you haven't taken any Zoloft in 2 weeks...then most likely you'll start noticing an improvement in those symptoms pretty soon.

Sorry you've had such a rough time, things will start looking up real soon for you.  Good luck!