Xanax Withdrawal. What Has Been Your Experience?

Ok so my Neuro has prescribed xanax 0.25mg for a month due to my concussion related anxiety and insomnia. Although xanax keeps T at a minimum level, I am a little worried about withdrawal symptoms and how it affects T while tapering off. How has been your experience with xanax withdrawal ? Will it spike my T temporarily ? Withdrawing from benzos can be difficult I have heard. Will I still face problems if I slowly taper off of it? I suppose my duration on it is less and my dosage is also low so there shouldnt be a problem?

 

The dosage is very low, as short is the prescribed period. So don't worry.

 

Xanax for me changes the pitch. Lowers it to a buzz. If you find your tinnitus worsens you might consider staying on xanax .25 twice a day. It is a low dose and shouldn't interfere with your daily life

 

Don't add to your anxiety by worrying about withdrawal, you are on
Relatively low dose any tapering should be done under doctor's
Supervision.

 

Why not stay on it if its help? Its a low dose.. Ive been on a low dose of klonopin for two years and it helps so thats all that matters

 

You're on a very low dose and have only been taking it a month, you will be alright. If you want to be extra cautious you can do your own little taper by trying to accurately breaking down your tablets but that might prove difficult with .25mg depending on the type of pill you have.

If you're really concerned I would ask over at http://www.benzobuddies.org/forum/ - there is plenty of information available on that forum and many people are willing to help others taper, but again don't get sucked into the horror stories. The short duration of your use and low dose mean coming off the Xanax will be very easy, I guarantee it.

I've seen a couple of members here recommend that you stay on them, I would be very cautious of this and really recommend the opposite.

Benzodiazepines are not meant to be used long term at all. I completely understand some people need it to function, but benzodiazpeine use (as I've mentioned many times before) becomes a very slippery slope for many patients that can often lead to debilitating dependency and hellish withdrawal symptoms, it's amazing how little doctors are aware of this and how many patients end up in some deep trouble because they were just following their doctors orders. I've seen friends end up all sorts of drama because of benzodiazpeines, and countless other stories online of severe dependency that people struggle with for a very long time. I myself have struggled with dependency on zolpidem (hypnotic, that works exactly like a benzo on the brain) for years, and believe that it has played a role in my tinnitus and hyperacusis development, no doubt.

Continued daily use of any benzodiazepine will cause a down regulation of GABA receptor enhancement. As the brain begins to down regulate GABA, you begin to experience what is referred to 'dependency': instead of the drug just relieving anxiety, the body begins to need the drug to basically 'feel normal', otherwise you enter what is called withdrawal. Withdrawal symptoms are endless, http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Benzodiazepine_withdrawal_syndrome - tinnitus and hyperacusis are amongst these symptoms and there are a couple members here who got their tinnitus during benzodiazepine withdrawal.

Even if you were to take a stable dose (daily) for a length of time, like say a few months. You can also begin to develop what is called 'tolerance withdrawal'. This refers to your body requiring an increased dose of whatever drug you're taking to maintain normalcy. It doesn't happen to everyone, but it happens to most people and is to be expected given how the brain and body work, the baseline dose becomes ineffective and users will continually up their dosage until they feel 'right'.

Some benzodiazepines are trickier than others, depending on the 'half-life' of the drug, that is: how long it takes for the drug to be eliminated from your system. Something like Xanax (Alpraolam) is tricky because is has a very short half-life in comparison to something like valium or clonazepam. This factor makes is especially unsuitable for long term use because you will basically enter withdrawal as soon as the drug leaves the system, thus why doctors usually prescribe it to be dosed two times daily depending on what you're dealing with. Many patients who have used something like a Xanax for an extended period of time and then decide to quit, will usually switch over to something like valium (diazepam) which has a much longer half life and then gradually reduce their dose over a length of time.

Sorry for the rant, I just think it's important to make people aware of the possible dangers of long term benzodiazepine dependency. I understand why some members would recommend that you stay on it if it makes you feel better, but there are very significant factors one must consider when it comes to making the choice of using a benzo long term, factors that are dangerously overlooked by doctors and patients all too often.

TL;DR OP: You will be fine given dose and short duration of use.

 

no problem, i did that all my life

 

Yes, like others say, if you have been on a low dose daily for just a month, you should be fine tapering off.
Daily use of benzos for longer than a month is not recommended.
I was not told this, when I was prescribed long term benzos in the US. They give it out like candy for t out there.
Only on .5mg Lorazepam (Ativan) daily for 4 months, I am now tapering off slowly. And my t does not like it. My natural GABA, which has been theorized to inhibit the excitatory t neurons overfiring, has been down regulated by the drug, so cannot right now stand up for itself and fight.
Light sleep, vivid dreams and loud multi tonal t is my battle right now during the taper. This is typical of a long term daily dose taper.
Thing is I was on the original low dose for 4 months, but the taper lasts 5 months, so that is 9 months of daily use of this evil drug in my first year of t. Grrrr.

 

My doctor prescribed Xanax when I saw him 4 days ago. I tried to talk him out of it and asked about alternatives like Rozerem or maybe a small course of Ambien. He didn't want to listen. My stress and anxiety over T is due to me not being about to sleep. I love quiet to sleep, but now I have to use a fan and noise to cover up T.

I took a .25 mg pill for three nights at bedtime and slept about 4 hours, then got up for a bit and then down again for 2 more hours. Last night I decided that I don't want to use Xanax to sleep and I was able to get to sleep. Still only got 4 hours, but at least it was med free.

I wouldn't worry so much about withdrawal, doesn't sound like you are in danger of dependence. I only got a 2 week course of Xanax and I didn't want to get to the end of those two weeks and start panicking because I'm running out of my sleep meds. I cut the cord last night and did sleep, so you should be fine. Going to see another doctor on Friday who is hopefully a bit less of a pill popper and can help me in a more comprehensive way.

 

just wondered if anyone had any ideas.
Doc prescribed xanax at 0.25mg pills cut into half and taken 3 times a day.
I did this for 3 days but found it made me nervous so stopped.
Then I was given prednisolone by another doc - this reduced the t right down but it came back.
He also prescried sleeping tabs but they only gave me 3 or 4 hours sleep which i get without them so stopped taking that,
Then went back onto xanax for the past week - finally 2 days ago took 2 and then one (half of 0.25mg) at 5am to get some more sleep.
Yesterday took one Betahistine in the morning with some toast....then went to doc who was horrible and started screaming and being very rude to me so gave up. Left his office and took one whole xanax of 0.25mg...Have not taken anything else since then. Do you think that it is okay just to stop taking these meds? My t seems to be getting louder and louder each day.....i am obsessing about it as well and it is all i do all day - looking on the web and reading all this all the time. I have started to re-read stuff i have read before. Totally anxious and frightened. Any advice....can i stop with this xanax? Will it do any harm. Have not been on it for long.....any advice please?

 

Xanax made you more anxious?????

 

I

im sorry your goin through such a hardtime :-/.. My advice is to stay on the xanax.. Its there to help and you clearly need it. Some can do it without meds but me personally i wouldnt be able too, ive tryed. Xanax is not ottotoxic it doesnt cause auditory damage, it may only cause T in rare cases when someone withdraws cold turkey from being on it awhile.

 

Anddd you havent been on them long enough to make anything worse. Taking a few pills here and there does not cause dependence, obviously i would advise you too discuss it with your doc, but he sounds like an incompetent prick. So you should fire him, and find a new one that cares. I remember i was with a friend once who went to a doc about being anxious and i went into the room with her cause she didnt wanna be alone, and her doc was screaming at her cause he gave her a antidepressant a week before and she didnt like it so she told him, and he threw up his hands and said well what do you wanna try really rudely and i jumped in and said exuse me your the doctor i think you should show a little more concern and stop raising your voice and he turned to me and said this doesnt involve you so i said well im now involved and we left. Dont take there shit. And bring someone along in the room with you for support if youd like.

 

yes you are right about the doc. Right prick. But cannot bring anyone with me as i am the only one from the 2 of us entirely alone here in france who speaks french - so he will be useless to be with me. I have to find another doctor but he she will not do anything for me.
I am glad to hear that i have done nothing yet with the xanax to cause me a problem - so not been on them long enough....havent taken anything since yesterday.....
yes in the beginning xanax made me more anxious. Now all it does it makes me feel exhausted all the time. At least today i dont feel bone tired...without the meds.....not sure what else to do....no point in going for an mri - what good will that do? only worse i think......

 

jusst read the link above re xanax and other drugs - http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Benzodiazepine_withdrawal_syndrome
Frightened the life out of me! So you say though that i have not been on them long enough to have a problem cos i have not taken any today at all.
Yesterday took one 0.25mg pill
In the night before yesterday, in other words yesterday early morning, i took one half of 0.25mg
then the days before for about a week or a bit more i took 0.125mg x 3 a day....
so presumably it is not going to harm me having just stopped with the meds
i am beginning to think that my only way out of this is to occupy my mind with other stuff and not think about the buzzing in my head and try to let it go...
what does anyone think about what i have written...i know Grace that you advise to stay on them but i really dont want to do meds - i think that they will make it worse or make more problems in the long run....looking forward to hearing your view Grace and anyone else who obviously has much more experience then I have as my experience with this is nil....bless you all

 

Do not quit suddenly, even though you have been on them for just a month or so. This has been known to CAUSE t. Slow taper off.
Ashton Manual and benzobuddies are two sites that will give you more info.

 

no i have been on them for much less than a month. Few days ago I took only 1 pill during the day of 0.25mg, then i took another half the next day at 9.30pm cos i was so nervous.
Then i have not taken any more since then and the nervousness seems to have lessened a lot....
so what do i do now? go back onto them? was xanax at 0.25mg cut into half and taken 3 times a day for aobut max 10 days.....

 

It all depends. Xanax (like other benzos) give you some relief and drops your anxiety (the biggest issue with T).
It does not increase or decrease T. But you can cope much better.
But benzos are addictive, so one must be careful taking it.
Some here take and took Xanax over several months and then slowly taper off.
I myself sometimes take a Tavor when I start freaking out or panicking. But I try avoiding this and better talk with friends, go out for a walk, distract with anyhing.
My suggestion (how i do it):
Take a xanax only when really needed.
Try finding other meds (against anxiety and depression; for example Remeron).
Mask your noise in the beginning with nature sounds, crickets etc.
Distract with hobbies, doing something outdoors etc.
You will become better, but it takes time.

 

my fav thing to do was to go to the lake with a picnic and dog....cant go outside any more cos of the quiet....what do i do about this? please......

 

do you still have your dog @amandine?

 

the beautiful dog that you can see in the picture passed away on december 10th at around 4pm. She was 17 4 months and 11 days. I loved her like nothing else possible. Same day another female yorkie was found - and ended up with us - pretty amazing really that she was found same time as the other passed on.....but i dont love her like i loved marcelle....i miss marcelle every day and yearn to hold her again....i love marcelle....

 

Just to be straight forward, you might not agree with what I have to say. First, I don't trust your French doctors, they seem to be pill pushing and not understanding. A doctor should never scream and be very rude to a patient ever, it's very unprofessional. I can clearly see you are under a lot of stress and this is what you need to deal with before the Tinnitus can be resolved. So the best thing for you at the this point in time is to take a deep breath and exhale the negativity. Leave everything for the moment, start a hot bath, add 2 cups of Epsom Salt and your favorite essential oils and relax in the tub for 30 minutes. Hopefully after doing this bath it will take you into a more calm state of mind.

If you are feeling up to it, rather than chatting about the Tinnitus, start by writing a review online about that doctor you had problems with so that other people can be informed of their lack of performance. Maybe doing this review of the doctor will help release some stress. If it causes you more stress then don't worry about it. Some times being on the computer and surfing the internet can make anxiety worse, so try not to over think your problems online, that is one of my issues as well.

Secondly, you don't need to see a general doctor, they are not trained to help deal with these kinds of problems. You need to see a Psychiatrists, they are able to prescribe medicine and provide a variety of psychological therapies to treat a disorder. Xanax is normally taken for anxiety and panic, a girl friend of mine used to take it, but later she switched over to Klonopin and few other things. As the others have said, take your time coming off the Xanax.

The first doctor that gave you Prednisolone is very interesting. Why did it help for the Tinnitus in the short term, perhaps the inflammatory? Feels like such a random thing from the doctor, I just want to know what he is thinking. Just out of curiosity, without checking your other posts, are you old enough to be going through menopause?

Anyways, pulling information from Wiki, http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Prednisolone

Prednisolone is a synthetic glucocorticoid, a derivative of cortisol, which is used to treat a variety of inflammatory and auto-immune conditions. It is the active metabolite of the drug prednisone and is used especially in patients with hepatic failure, as these individuals are unable to metabolise prednisone into prednisolone.

Prednisolone may cause serious mental health problems, these affect around 5% who take such steroids.[10] Symptoms include:

· depression, including suicidal thoughts
· feeling high (mania) or mood swings
· anxiety
· insomnia
· difficulty in thinking / confusion
· memory loss
· visual, auditory or tactile hallucinations
· having strange and frightening thoughts, changing behavior or having feelings of being alone
​

Wow that's a lot of bad stuff.. Now back to the stress and this is a big part of what can make Tinnitus worse. I did read a few of your posts and I can clearly see you are dealing with a bad relationship. It sounds like you want to deal with the stress and carry on as you did once before. Well clearly you can't do it that way anymore. Most of us do reach a tipping point when our problems begin to build so much that we crash physically and mentally. Now I don't agree that we all need to take drugs like Xanax, but when faced with that or the worst parts of life, then I understand.

You don't need to answer this question, but why are you living in France with a man that can't speak the language? Is it love? Why is he living there, and why are you there for that matter? Is he hiding from the law or does he have no place else to go? Why is he your problem?

In short, I feel like you are stuck, you want to leave, but at the same time would have guilt or think he would never let go and bad things will happen. It's easy for us on the outside to say leave him and let it be his own problem because you have enough issues to worry about. To solve this, you can either teach him french and then leave him. Or take him with you to some other country where you can drop him off to get away knowing he is safe and then you can start a new life. Easier said than done. All of that is hard to deal with, a big part of Tinnitus management is controlling stress.

When you are not getting sleep while taking these medications it is alarming to me because they should be making you more sleepy. Maybe you should try the more basic things first such as Melatonin, Magnesium, fresh organic foods, find a place to relax and maybe try some therapy, or counseling.

Good Luck

 

Wow so almost 17,5 years old, that's quite an age for a dog Amandine. Of course you still love her! I'm sure she lived a happy life with you.
@J-rod: what a great post. I agree with you about French doctors. My mum is French and when I lived there when I was younger, I used to get ear infections and the amount of medication they would give me would send me into a state of hallucination for days, I'm not exaggerating. But the doctors would keep insisting that if I (in other words: my parents) didn't stick to the dose, the infection would never go.
Years later, when I moved to Amsterdam (don't ask, long story!) I was also given Prednisolone once because water got stuck behind my eardrum. How that was supposed to help I don't know and why I took them is an even bigger mystery. What happened was that this medication (which is also used to treat tinnitus!!) gave me my first long-term episode of tinnitus that lasted for more than two months.
Anyway, back to @amandine: we've been exchanging private messages on this forum and have spoken about a few of the concerns that you raise J-rod. I mentioned l'Institut IMERTA in Marseilles. Yes its far, more than 6 hours on the road from where you live, but maybe give them a call and perhaps they can refer you to someone closer. Their English is not great, but they will at least try!
It could be a first step! Its important for you to at least have someone to talk to who you can trust and who can help you.
Good luck Amandine and take care,
Maria

 

I was reading and found someone that has Meniere’s and was given Prednisone and their Tinnitus went away. This sounds a lot like the Prednisolone that was given to @amandine. So now I understand what the doctor was thinking. Tinnitus is one of the worst symptoms of Meniere's disease.

http://ratguide.com/meds/endocrine_hormones/prednisone_prednisolone.php

"Prednisone and prednisolone are synthetic members of the glucocorticoid class of hormones. They are an intermediate acting, broad anti-inflammatory, medication. Typically stating, this means that the action of one dose lasts from a day to a day and a half."

"Though prednisone and prednisolone are used in the same manner and equally as effective, they should not be confused with each other. Prednisone is activated by the liver into prednisolone. For this reason, and because it is more easily absorbed, prednisolone is the drug of choice when hepatic disease or insufficiency is present."

"Used as an anti-inflammatory and immunosuppressant in the following:

• Inner ear infections so called wry neck or head tilt
• Adjunctive treatment in respiratory disorders such as pneumonia
• Supportive/palliative treatment in the presence of tumors
• In severe itching (e.g. dermatologic disorders)
• Adjunctive treatment for autoimmune disorders
• Adjunctive treatment in adrenal disease
• In treating shock to improve circulation (Prednisolone sodium succinate)"

​

 

Wow J rod and Mariah:
I just read your messages. Thank you so much to both of you - your messages are very informative.
It is now 4 in the morning and I think that I would like to try to get some sleep.
So please may I reply to both of you tomorrow. I just wanted to get this off to you now so you know that I have read them and that I am not simply ignoring you.....I deliberately took time off today from the TT site...as I have been obsessing about it for 2 months now and I dont think that is healthy at all......hence the delay in my reply to both of you.
I would also like to add that suddenly today the sound has gone down and the nervousness that i had seems to have passed. I had a couple of jitters today but went out playing frisby with the yorkie dog and that kept me off the meds....sound is still down and when I feel like I am listening for it then I am punching myself in my forearm and telling myself off. I got angry today with it all and have decided that I must get better....no choice.....but I shall reply fuller tomorrow but now must try to sleep...this is my biggest problem...no sleep although my eating is better now...but yes the Pred defo reduced the T to barely audible. The xanax just made me feel either edgy or totally relaxed. The Pred stopped me sleeping and my blood pressure seemed to have a mind of its own. Now I find that I am trying to do some exercise but feel so weak and tired and my heart just seems to go mad beating really fast. Never before this did I have any problems with heart or blood pressure or energy....and it all started about 2 or 3 months ago...got bad in august and then worse in september...it started the first morning in this new house....
anyhow off to bed so will be back in touch tomorrow
sweet dreams to both of you
for now amanda (sorry amandine wass a typo error)

 

I went and saw my doctor last week and told him I was wanting to get oft my Xanax .025 and how much should I take to wean oft this drug. Well to my surprise and wonder he stated that I should just not take one pill a month till my monthly allotment was down to zero! My prescription is for 60 pills a month and I told him that would take five years! This to me I was a ridiculous statement he made and so here I'm wondering if he was right or wrong? I have been taking this med for probably 10 years oft an on but never over doing the amount that I was prescribed for. Now my question is that I do not feel as though I'm dependent on this drug and would really like to wean oft this drug as I do not feel it's doing me any good. Any thoughts about this weaning oft program? Really would like to get some other ideas beside one pill a month for five years. Thanks jon

 

Just to clarify: are you taking 0.25 mg twice a day?

Even though you haven't been abusing the Xanax, your body is still almost certainly dependent on it. I'm in the midst of what will probably be over a year long taper from 0.5 mg of Klonopin per day - and I was only taking it for a few months. That said, 5 years seems like a long time. (As a side note, most doctors seem to want people to cut back too fast so consider yourself fortunate on that front.) The reason I am taking my time is that tinnitus is a common side effect of tapering too quickly.

I'm doing a liquid titration. I was taking 0.25 mg in the morning and 0.25 mg at night. I started by crushing a tablet and mixing it with 50 ml of water. Then every couple of days, I use a syringe to remove 1 ml of water. This allows me to make very small changes and gives my brain a chance to restore its usual function. Other people make a 10% cut and then hold for 2 weeks or so and then make another 10% cut. Klonopin comes in an orally dissolvable tablet so I switched to those from crushing. When I got half way there, I switched to 0.125 tablets and started over at 50 ml of water. That cut the concentration and keeps the percentage cuts relatively small. (There comes a point where a 1 ml cut is a large percentage cut - e.g., going from 2 to 1 ml is a 50 percent cut - so at some point the percentage cuts get big. The hope is that the very small amount of the drug that is left in your system means this isn't a big deal.)

Search for the Ashton Manual. It has a lot of information about tapering. There is also information at benzobuddies, but be warned there are many horror stories.

As I said, 5 years seems a bit long, but I would encourage you to take your time.

Good luck.

 

I quit 3 months of heavy xanax use (and a little recreational abuse) almost cold turkey as I ran out of pills. Had no withdrawal symptoms whatsoever.
I'm now quitting about 5 months of almost constant bromazepam use, also cold turkey. Again, no problem.

The only feeling that I get is... I sort of miss them, but I don't feel any physical need to take a pill.
I only have fond memories from benzodiazepines and they've been quite helpful in my case.

 

Hey @Aaron123 and @cowdodge: When it comes to benzos, and quitting them, everyone is very different. So maybe cowdodge needs a second medical opinion.

My experience: Took Xanax (actually, took the generic alprazolam) for about a year and a half immediately post tinnitus onset, due to severe anxiety and panic. Took it daily. Started at about 1 mg to never more than 1.5 mg daily. After a month, took it less and less as my anxiety abated due to my using CBT techniques and meditation. By the time I got to a little over a year, I was at about .5 to .75 mg daily, mostly at night for sleep (and alprazolam is not meant to be a sleep drug, even though many use it for that).

Then my psychiatrist told me it was time to quit. Wrote me a prescription for 60 pills, .25 mg each, said that would be it. I initially was concerned but have to say, within two months, my taper was done and I was off aprazolam. I had a minimal amount of rebound anxiety but it went away pretty quickly. I still have about 20-30 pills left from that "final" script, in the event of an emergency. But with a few rare exceptions (airplane flights), haven't needed it.

 

Thanks for the reply! I still have the ringing but I think I have the anxity under control somewhat? The anxity issue is why I. Want to cut back on the Xanax to see if it helps with anxity issue as what I have read Xanax can cause anxity. Funny you take it for anxity and then it can cause anxity what an oximoron! Anyway back to the subject at hand how much split should I take on my present pill? 1/16, 1/8 or maybe a quarter? What signs will I have when I do the weeing? I took myself oft of oxicodine last month with no problems, but what I have read is that Xanax is a whole lot tougher to get oft.