Tapering off Xanax Need Advice

I have OCD and Anxiety Disorder NOS. I do not get symptom relief from SSRIs and there are too many side effects. My psychiatrist has had me on alprazolam .5 mg once daily as needed for about 10 months now. I have noticed that if I do not take the alprazolam in the afternoon I start to feel dizzy and anxious. This concerns me and I think I want to taper off and discontinue the alprazolam. Problem: I’m in school and doing well. I’m balanced and stable. If I get off the alprazolam now it might seriously hurt my attendance and grades because of withdrawal symptoms. Or worse I end up in an inpatient psychiatric unit. My ideas are 1.) wait until the end of the semester to taper off it. Or 2.) taper down to .25 mg once daily and test the water.

What are some tips for getting off benzodiazepines? It’s a great medication but I want to avoid developing a stronger dependence than I already have. How long does withdraw last? Should I monitor my blood pressure frequently? Any feedback would be appreciated. Thanks you.

Hi Paracelsus

Sorry that I am the first responder after all of this time. I want to reply because I am now in the midst of withdrawing from clonazapam, also a benzo like alprazolam. I agree with you that I also do not want to be stuck on medication and have a dependence on them. It is known that xanax is very tough benzo to withdraw from so I hope you wait and go off of it very slowly when the semester ends because you will most likely suffer a withdrawal syndrome. Don't get me wrong as it is very doable but expect to taper off for a while at no more than a 10% reduction over a few months even on your dose. I am having all sorts of discomfort to include fatique so I would wait until you are in a place where you are not overloaded with responsibilities. Some people taper off using a liquid form but whatever you do, do not cold turkey. I wish you the very best.

Thanks for the comment. Everything is going great. I successfully reduced my alprazolam dose to 0.25 mg once daily. It was uncomfortable and I slept a lot less the first couple weeks. I started the taper during spring break. It worked great. I hope the clonazopam taper is working well for you too. This medication is so useful but psychiatrists and doctors underestimate how difficult it is to discontinue the med.

I've withdrawn many times but because I've run out of benzodiazepines. It isn't pleasant. I would wait till the semester ends and then, do it very slowly. Expect to feel like shell, but if you feel twitchy ,as though you might have a seizure, get help fast. Good luck. It isn't easy, but it is do-.able.

I noticed light sensitivity, dizziness, anxiety, heart palpitations, nausea, hot and cold sensations, headache, decreased appetite, depression and insomnia during the withdraw process. The worse part is not being able to get more than two hours of sleep. I did not have any twitching. But sometimes I was scared and felt like something was seriously medically wrong. These symptoms decreased for me over time though. The medication was worth it in the end. It helped me in school during a difficult time in my life.

It's pretty bad, but go so slowly that you think it's ridiculous. I tapered from 4.0 to none. It took about 6 months, but I should have gone slower.

You can do it though!

Talk to your dr first though....

Juste Milieu: Benzo Withdrawal

I wrote about it in my blog. I'm going through it and pretty much want to die at the moment.

What helps is supplementing with magnesiusm, l-theanine, and taurine- they all help to calm the nervous system. (pdoc approved.)