[MusicLover82]

*This was also posted in the Bipolar Forum. Please forgive the duplication.*

I decided to try to reduce my Xanax XR on my own now that my anxiety has improved drastically with a new med change (started Abilify). I really don't like being on 1 mg of Xanax XR twice a day, and I'm sure my pdoc won't mind me trying to reduce it as long as my anxiety is under control. Pdoc only puts me on Xanax XR when my life is extremely stressful, and things have gotten much better.

I reduced 1 mg XR to .75 mg XR last night and this morning, and so far I feel fine.

If you have ever tapered of a benzo, how quickly or how slowly did you do it, and by how much at a time? I'm thinking I'll do .75 XR for a week and then go down to .5 XR next week if things are still going well. I'm aware that it can be hard getting off a benzo, so I am prepared to deal with withdrawal symptoms.

Any advice?

Diagnoses: Bipolar 2, OCD, GAD
Rx: Lithium, Trileptal, Latuda, Abilify, Risperdal (tapering off), Xanax XR and Xanax PRN

[*Laurie*]

My advice is to go more slowly than you've planned to. If you go too fast you could very well end up with benzo withdrawal syndrome, which is like having a bad flu ALL of the time PLUS anxiety and depression.

Seriously...go slowly.

[MusicLover82]

Originally Posted by LauraBeth

My advice is to go more slowly than you've planned to. If you go too fast you could very well end up with benzo withdrawal syndrome, which is like having a bad flu ALL of the time PLUS anxiety and depression.

Seriously...go slowly.

Thanks for the advice! I will go slower than originally planned.

[slode]

I am currently withdrawing from Xanax. I didn't have to high off a dosage (.5 twice a day) and for only 9 months. I first went down to .25 during the day and kept night the same. That was fine so after a week stopped any during the day and did that for a week. No problems, actually felt more motivated during the day. Night has been harder. Went down to .25 at night about 4 nights ago and since i also take trazodone at night I upped that from 100-150... First two nights only slept 5-6 hours. Last night about 7... But today I hurt my back and now I am anxious that I can't go on vacation and bored. Also want to take tramadol tonight but then don't know what to do with the xanax.

[sub-dural]

I am currently tapering off of valium. I have taken valium every night for the last few years so I decided to go under the care of a private psych doctor to do the taper as I tried by myself and just couldn't.

I started in January (10mg) and am now down to 4mg, but I expect I will be off it completely by the end of the summer.

The first 5 months I was very strict about dosing, remained completely sober (alcohol) and just went through the withdrawals. I had some severe dissociation episodes and anxiety and insomnia, complete loss of appetite (not good as I border a malnourished state from a physical illness). About 2 months ago I noticed I was not having anxiety nearly as much nor have I had any sort of dissociative / derealization states at all.

I feel much better about getting off the drug now than I did in January. It seemed impossible then considering the intense withdrawals that seem to go on for weeks. But you just have to grin and bear, unfortunately. It is well-worth it. I never believed I would feel this way - I can live without the drug and I can live without having to worry about how I will ever sleep. That needs to be dealt with without the use of tranqs. I was originally rx'ed valium for insomnia. I've never been dx'ed with an anxiety disorder - nor do I believe I have one.

Interestingly enough, my lifetime of poor sleep and insomnia is in fact due to something completely separate from a psych illness. However, S*%t rolls downhill, and insomnia of course causes depression. Insomnia and stress cause depression. Depression causes stress and insomnia.

I wish you well and keep the determination through-out. Benzo-buddies is a great website for help withdrawing from benzos.

[-jimi-]

I want to cut my 0.75 mg Xanax to 0.5 mg. Because between there is my line where I stop being creative. Anxiety wise I could get by like during normal conditions on 0.5 mg if allowed emergency med. Right now I'm allowed emergency med up to 1 mg in all. Which works. So I'd like my emerg dosage to stay the same.

At the same time I'm not sure how to fix the dependence issue. I have been on Xanax 15 years. And for 10 of these, I was not dependent, hard to believe, but true. It snuck up on me the last 5 years or so. I don't know how the heck to taper, it all makes me confused.

I also wish I had a better grasp on my sleep because it would be easier to drop dosage slowly if I was allowed a better sleep med. But right now my doc says sleep is "not important". I also lack suggestions on what sleep med to try, since I tried a lot. She wants me on Seroquel, but I have terrible reactions to all meds in that class.