xanax withdrawl

[Peaches5036]

I was given xanax in1991 for a panic disorder specific to driving, 3mgs a day. During the past 4 years i have reduced to 2mgs a day and was doing OK. I am wanting to get off the medication and tried tapering down .5mg earlier this month with extreme pain, disorientation and a bunch of intense side effects, twitching, nausea etc. The only thing I can compare it too was the side effects of chemotherapy, (am a 6 year breast cancer survivor). After about a week of this, with no lessining of the pain, headaches, body pain in every joint and muscle,I saw my psyciatrist. She advised me to go back to my 2mgs a day dosage and seek hospitalization for xanax de-tox.She advised me it was too dangerous to do alone, due to possibilty of seizure, stroke, neurological issues and more.She said I should be very closely monitiored..
It seems hard to understand why the tapering down from the 3mgs to 2mgs was not that bad, which I also did in.5 mg increments and stepping down a bit more was so awful. Actually I tried this about 6 months ago with similar symptoms , but for only 3 or 4 days as I felt horrible..
We are planning an in-patient stay at Peachford Hospital in Atlanta. I have already contacted them and researched the staff etc.My insurance will cover up to 15 days. I am not sure what to expect.
The counselor I spoke with at Peachford informed me that they can give me other meds ? to help.
I will find out more when I go for an assessment, but she also said to be prepared to be admitted the same day. I am getting things in order to be ready to enter the hospital sometime in mid-January.
Can you advise me as to what I might expect in this 15 day stay? I know they do alot of group therapy . The medical staff qualifications seems first rate.
By the way, I di not experience much anxiety tapering, just immense physical discomfort.
Thanks, peaches

[Peaches5036]

Hi,
Just wondering if any folks have successfully gotten off of xanax and how you did it.Today is day 29 of the 1.75mgs dosage, down from 2.0 mgs.

Am feeling pretty emotional today and confused, as far as the future. I spoke to a friend who had withdrawn from xanax cold turkey 19 years ago in treatment. She reported that she had bben taking huge amounts of xanax, prior to treatment, abusing the drug. She reported that they only gave here phenobarbitol to prevent seizures and she suffered from withdrawal symptoms for 14 months after that. That sounds pretty awful as a cure. That was along time ago  and seems rather barbaric.

I called a hospital that she recommended and asked a counselor about their treatment plan. She advised me that they typically use Tranzene  for rapid 1 week inpatient de-tox. Then they do out patient follow up treatment for an intermined lenght of time.I have never heard of Tranzene and wonder if this is a realistic option.

She had not heard of The Ashton Manual either. On Benzoisland.org, that is the only system that they support.

I know the next taper is going to be pretty rough. Sorry, am not teribly cheerful today.

Thanks for all your input. It really helps alot.

[JSGeare]

Well, aren't you just moving right along! Day 19! It will be interesting, I think, to see what kind of reponses are made to your tapering question, but I caution you to bear in mind that personal opinions are just THAT -personal opinions. The value of experiences people share is that if we run into some of the same, we can take some assurance from the fact that others have been there before us.

That said, I wish you well and am so GLAD you've kept us up-to-date.

[Peaches5036]

I have one question, the consensus on other benzo sites and benzo books seem to be the only way to taper without incurring damage to oneself is the Ashton method. This recommends using valium, a longer acting benzo in the weaning process. There is a detailed shedule for this process in The Ashton Manual, which can be read on-line or purchased. I have one and it is excellent.

Another person here suggested Klonopin for the same purpose. Dr. Reg Pearl discusses this in his article, Valium vs. Klonopin in Benzodiazipine withdrawl. I plan on giving this to my doctor.

However nobody has informed me of specific DANGERS in slow weaning off of Xanax without using another  longer acting  Benzo.

I do understand fully that Valium is easier to reduce in tiny doses beacause of the size in mgs of the tablets.

Thanks so much again.

Day 19 of direct taper.Maintaining 1.75 mgs, down from 2.0 mgs. Slept 8 hours last night as did the previous few nights. Woke up feeling good

[Peaches5036]

Thanks again,

Regarding lawsuits, in Jack Hobson_Dupont's "The Benzo Book", he does site a lawsuit, successfully won in UK.

The main problem is NO INFORMED CONSENT.  Doctors have a responsibility to inform you of all the pros and cons of any treatment.

I di not get this information in 1991. In fact when i told my psychiatrist, after the first mont of bing on xanax, that I was only taking it on work days ( I don't remember if I mentioned I had a driving phobia, and at 47 I had to learn how to drive, for my family's sake, to get a good job)
Anyway that's how I started on Xanax. I was desperate and xanax helped me overcome my  paralyzing fear of driving. I only wanted to take it PRN, an hour before I had my commute. My shrink told me I needed to take it EVERY DAY, 3X A DAY.

I still don't drive in cities. Thankfully now that I am retired , no longer living in Northern California, and live in outside a small city/town in Georgia, I don't need to drive much and everything I need is within 10 or less miles of where I live.

Also I've been getting alot of help from Benzoisland.org. They have forums there and I would recommend it to anyone here. Nice to have 2 places to go.

My greatest sense of strength is my unflagging faith in Higher power, whom I call THE LIVING GOD, cause that's true. Having a strong spiritual focus is essential for me to grow and be what I was intened to be. Certainly not a victim.  Maybe God had a reason for all of this, another big challenge to overcome. I can see why some folks refer to xanax as SATAN.. Cunning baffling and powerful. Promises release from anxiety, at what cost.

My soul, all souls are precious.These drugs are just another way to entice  THE VERY SENSITIVE ONES AMONG US to become enslaved.

We are ultra-sensitve people. That can be a great gift.The world as it is, is harsh and cold often. To numb ourselves from the harsh realities of a dog-eat-dog society,panic of isolation and alienation,  many people . feeling that they are "sick" or emotionally un-sound ignorantly look for help from doctors who ignorantly prescribe these drugs.

As Jack hobson-Dupont states
" The signpost on the road to Hell reads " Heaven Straight Ahead".

I'm doing pretty good. Day 18 of taper. God Bless you all.

[JSGeare]

You are a TOTAL inspiration. Total, COMPLETE. Seldom does one have the opportunity and privilege of watching a fellow human move toward his or her own health and well-being. A remarkable example of self-healing.

I'm not just saying all this to hear myself speak (although that happens sometimes). If you -if ANYONE- reads all the responses to your post, they will immediately discern that you not only had the challenege of the withdrawal and re-entry into a new life, but also the challenges of some of the scary material in the posts themselves, which you handled with grace, dignity and aplomb. And, there is the background is your old relationship with John Barleycorn, whom you've sent packing!

Peaches, you've got ia all together, altogether! The spiritual grip, community support, nutritional component and magical ability to handle the psychiatric cases who treat you! Promise me, PROMISE me you'll hang out here to keep us abreast of your progress and insights -and to begin the work of helping others to whom your example alone is the 24 carat evidence that, yes, it CAN be done.

[MrGreen]

Why on earth, in this day and age, are such tablets allowed exist? It is clear what they have done to so many people. Turned us into xanax addicts. Now it is up to us to try and get off the things. Am about to do the same thing myself. Reading of all the trouble people are having makes it sound like a long road back. I would seriously love to see somebody take a law suit out against their doctor for leaving them on these tablets and getting them addicted to them. It would be a landmark case and if the ruling went in favour of the patient you could imagine the amount of similar cases that would follow. As patients we depend on our doctors. We know nothing about these tablets when we are given them. It's only years down the line we find out the truth about them. By then we are hooked. Look at the pain so many people are been forced to go through. Simply because a doctor left you on a tablet he / she never should have left you on. Good luck to all trying to come off the demon drug.