trying to get off zanax tried posting in medications no response?

[TWINCAM]

I am getting very desperate I was on 1 1/2 mg of zanax for many years ..theres only a few times I took 2 full mg's only on real stressfull days but I was proud and determined not to go over 1 1/2 mg's because all the horror stories I have heard if you go over 2 mg's a day . I asked my doctor a year ago if I should get off zanax she told me she took over 3 mg's a day so her answer was 1 1/2 mg's a day is nothing ,,the problem I have is I drive a semi tractor trailer and with strict dot regulations zanax is on the prohibited disqualifyer list ,, I'm stressed out on top of my dependency, if I get tested I'm out of work ,,, I was taking 1 1/2 up until a month ago than I dropped a 1/4 ,, so 1 1/4 has been doing ok for about a month . last week I tried just 1 mg at bed time it worked for 3 days I was felling better.. than on the 4 th day up all night shakes ,puke felling.. I gave in and took another 1/2 right before the alarm went off( not good) ,,,,so back to 1 1/4 for another week , thinking I will try again 3 more days at 1 mg , last night on the 4th night just like last time within 2 hours sleep up like a light, real bad shakes trembling , but I did not take any more  last time I gave in (THANK GOD), my head is pounding and don't know how I'm gona drive all day. please if anyone has gone through this taper , I'm lost .... work just passed out a letter that if your on any controlled substance and don't tell HR its automatic termination .even with a doctors note"  now I'm pressured to stop as soon as possible , I've been there 3 years and its non union I'm scared.  if I knew it was cut a dried 2 weeks on 1 mg than 2 weeks on 1/2 than stop but is it that easy????? I almost feel like I should be locked in someplace to get through this but with 2 kids I have to work please any advice, I started with lunesta ambien and a 1/2 dozen others i was so glad when the zanax helped me sleep it was great now my jobs on the line please any advice will be appreciated

[TWINCAM]

I forgot to mention i told my doc i was going to attempt to taper down so he doubled my blood pressure med lisinopril from 20 mg to 40mg because as i decreased my zanax my blood pressure went up over dot standards now blood pressure is lower but arms and legs feel like lead 

[Warbirdwf]

I've gone thru Xanx withdrawals and it wasn't pleasant. You've got two choices. Check into a detox center where they typically remove you from the Xanax in 7 days or, find a addiction specialist who can treat you as an outpatient. I was only on Xanax for 4 months. The avg dose I took each day was less than 2mg. I found a psychiatrist who helped me detox as an out patient.  The problem was, he had to put me on MORE DRUGS to help me with the withdrawals. He started weaning me down while also starting me up on Valium to cross taper. This lasted a few days then I really crashed. He then put me on a mood stabilizer along with the Valium and Xanax. This went on for roughly a month. Then I slowly weaned off the valium and then the mood stabilizer.

I don't know if you have vacation time or not but...you can call some local detox places and see what they recommend. You should also talk to a doctor who's also an addiction specialist. He could guide you on a plan and possibly tell you your rights as far as the law is concerned to protect your job.
Don't be scared by my post. Your body has become dependant on the Xanax. As a result, when you discontinue or take less, your getting the withdrawal side effects. Tons and tons of people have developed this problem which is why many doctors no longer prescripe Xanax. There's plenty of information on the internet in regards to benzo addiction and Xanax withdrawal. Simply type in benoz withdrawal on Goggle to see.

You can get off them and if you do it with professional help, you'll be fine.
Good luck!

[TWINCAM]

What a night mare that was, it was my idea to try and go off zanax , 1st off i have no health insurance and  doctors office calls for me are $75 cash. and you usually get to see a assistant not even a doctor  , I was out of zanax and went to get my blood pressure and cholesterol meds  and talk about going off zanax , so this young kid less than  1/2 my age said my dosage of zanax was so low 1 1/2 mg per day that he would switch me over to trazadone , so i left and went to wallmart  and filled my scripts , took my pills at bed time  i had a bad reaction to the trazadone it closed off my sinus i could not breath , i sat up almost all night tying to breath , so that was a full night without any zanax, I wasn't happy at all i called in the morning after no sleep at all, went to work all day.. My wife picked up my scripts, when i got home i opened them he had called in 10   1/2 mg zanax , i called back the next day un happier than the day before. it took them 2 days to call me back and they said the assistant was cutting back on my zanax ,( it was my idea to start with), and this kid figured he would reduce my dose from 1 1/2 Mg's for many years  down to  1/2 mg for 10 days  and that should do it (WRONG) I finally payed for another office call and seen a real doctor i told him my plan and i suggested doubling my blood pressure meds  when i  noticed my pressure was up from the zanax dose being down , all the doctor did was listen to me and agree with every thing i said,

[OnTheEdge]

i replied to your other post, but can offer no help..only support

my current dose is about the same as yours for the past month...  0.5-2 mgs a day

your story makes me want to quit altogether, but there are days that xanax becomes a "must have"...my panic/anxiety attacks end within 10 minutes of a dose and im laughing at myself for worrying about whatever it was...

when i didnt have insurance i was forced to order xanax online, which increased my anxiety (what if they bust me?) but when the pkgs came...good lord relief was instant.

i have insurance now and my supply is running low, im contemplating talking to the doc for a script...but i hear horror stories about addiction and withdrawal and my job is quite hard and requires me to be "on point" at all times...going through withdrawal or not having my xanax isnt even an option, i just started this job less than 6 months ago....

im scared to the point that im joining sites like this to help me get through it...and really, it helps to vent/talk about this.

[jasonibs9]

twincam,

 I took that stuff a long time ago and I didn't care for it either. I felt that when a person would talk to me when i was on that med, they'd think I was mental.

  If you want off that stuff then prepare to have 4 down right horrible days. You don't have to taper off it, just stop cold turkey. You will be in for a rollar coaster ride! But after that , you'll be able to deal with life naturally.

[anxious anna56]

:sick0002:I ALSO WAS ON XANEX FOR YEARS I FIRST STARTED WITH 0.5 FOR A FEW YEARS NO PROBLEM ALONG WITH MY PROZAC IWAS FINE. MET A NEW DOC PUT ME ON THE BARS 2MG. 4X A DAY.   I GOT HOOKED INSTANTLY I WENT TO OTHER DOC TORS TO GET MORE WAS EATING THEM LIKE CANDY. I WILL KEEP THIS SHORT IENDED UP IN THE HOSPITAL A FEW TIMES NOT FOR OVERDOSE BUT FROM WITHDRAWL!!!!!! WITHDRAWLS R SO HORRIBLE I CANT EXPLAIN IT MINE LAST FOR WEEKS PARANOIA, HALLUCINATIONS TREMORS NO SLEEP FOR DAYS AT A TIME DIAREHEA NOT EATING NO MOVEMENT JUST LAID ON COUCH ALL DAY I ACTUALLY SMELLED THE DRUG COMING OUT OF MY BODY. METAL TASTE THE LIST GOES ON. WELL I ENDED UP IN A PSYCH WARD WAS THERE FOR A COUPLE WEEKS DOC GOT ME ON CLONZOPIN SMALL DOSE ITS BEEN ALMOST A MONTH NOW AND I FEEL GREAT!!!!!! I WILL NEVER TAKE ANOTHER ONE OF THEM AGAIN I CANCELLED ALL MY REFILLS GOT RID OF THE QUACKS AND LIFE IS GOOD AGAIN I PRAY U FIND THAT PEACE..........

[OnTheEdge]

holy shiza...2mg 4 x a day? wow

did you start off that high or did you work your way up the dosage ladder?

im thinking my 1mg/day usage might not be so bad...

[stephopesmom]

I was on xanax for 10 years. I started at .5 and by the end I was perscribed 2mg 4xs per day and i was taking even more than that and yes I became severely addicted. I went into rehab and it was horrifying I shook for 2-3 months after. Problem is now the medication has been removed but the PTSD, anxiety and panic attacks havent. I am to the point I am in my bedroom 24 hours a day, the anxiety is horrific. I have been to the doc but nothing is working and I just gave up. I have been in my room for 4 months now and it is killing me. I did make an appt with a new doc on the 11th. Does anyone know another medication to try. I am desperate! or should i just go back on the xanax and just take major precautions. I am concerned because I have been told if you are on the mediation longer than 2 months and have to take it daily or a few times u will become dependent even if u dont abuse??????



Thanks

[doctorwho737]

I was taking about a lilligram a day but stopped myself, the headaches were the worst bit for me, but I hope you can conquer this and move on, it's hard, but you can do it.

 Good luck.

[surfmonkey]

Ugh xanax is so hard to drop! But when you do its awesome! It made me feel like I was in tune with the world. Being sober is a gift. Allow yourself to have that. 

[markidee]

I went to detox for Xanax. Clonopin is much better for me. I've been on it for a while, and know it will probably take time to taper, but it is so much better!

Xanax is nasty! I feel your pain...one doctor told me that intense anxiety is far worse for your mind that the "benzo band-aid." Willingness to taper, change, and look for healthy release (exercise, diet, yadada), will keep it at an easier level.

Thanks for sharing. Keep up the hard work!

[cubmanben]

I've not taken Xanax, but am currently withdrawing from Klonopin after over a year and a half. There are times it's been horrid as well. Benzo's are a son of a... like that! The one thing that I can tell you is that Mark is absolutely right. Keep up some sort of exercise and eat well! I have got up in the morning and felt absolutely horrible and wanted to stay in bed and call in sick and just lay in bed feeling like garbage, but honestly, getting up and going was the best thing for me as it actually helped me clear my thoughts and think about something other than feeling miserable.
Just keep in mind that it's a process. Much like overcoming anything, it's not something that just goes away. It takes time. Part of the "addiction" is your body getting used to having the GABA inhibitors in your system, so when it's removed, your mind is hyperstimulated and can cause all sorts of havoc and there is nothing other than time that actually helps you get it all out of your system and let your brain get back to functioning normally. But, as others have noted, once you're off, you'll feel so much better being clean!! Good luck to you!!