Xanax: Getting off

Disclaimers: Do not take this medicine if you are not prescribed it, do not take this medicine with grapefruit, do not take this medication with methadone... USE ONLY AS DIRECTED BY YOUR DOCTOR. : )

Hi. I'm Jess. I have PTSD and generalized anxiety disoder. I have been taking xanax for about 5 years, and started slowly tapering a year ago. I started that because I beleive I have gotten all the benefit I can out of it's use and I may want to have a child down the line. I have found it to be highly effective in treating anxiety disorder, and when taken as directed, rarely causes death or injury. This medicine is also used to treat seizures and tachycardia.

I have seen many vids posted about cold turkey withdrawl from Xanax, which can be a very bad thing to do. You can feel like you are having a heart attack, have a seizure, or rebounding (needing more than what you were originally on). I have found by studies also that going cold turkey has a lower success rate than tapering.

I found some useful tapering schedules here for xanax and other kinds of medications:
http://www.benzo.org.uk/manual/bzsched.htm

As an opinion, I would say it's wise to study a medication fully before you start to take it. If you would like more info:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Xanax

here is a Q&A article I found about xanax: http://www.cnn.com/2010/HEALTH/expert.q.a/03/23/xanax.long.term.use.raison/in...

Category:

News & Politics

Tags:

• xanax
• withdrawl
• alprazolam
• tapering
• safe
• benzodiazepine
• medication
• opinion
• personal
• experience
• CNN
• questions
• answers
• videos
• cold
• turkey
• rebounding

[0Brilwen0]

Ugh I hate Xanax my doctor put me on it because I was in so much pain and I couldn't even sleep he said it was anxiety attacks in the hospital and before I got therre, I hope I don't have to stay on them.

[shalindriaharam]

@0Brilwen0 I'm sorry to hear that. I can relate not wanting to take medication and sometimes because of the insurance industry people get put on pills rather than healthier alternatives like biofeedback, hypnosis, or therapy (occupational, as an example). My best advice is expressing to your doc you don't want to be dependent on drugs, pure and simple. 

[OriginialSnooks]

well the dumbass doctors didnt know what caused it so two yrs pass' by yes i said 2 YEARS (ughhh) and they give us some thought of maybe why it happend.

-Medications (side effects)

-Loss of sleep

-Neck pain (servere)

-Stress

well my moms not an epileptic so what else could it be?...the xanax and when i had said tht the doctors where finding studies about it and it turns out tht it was frm that or stress. so just be careful about your meds u take bcuz you know docs they dont give a damn..

[shalindriaharam]

@OriginialSnooks petite mal seizures can be a one-time event (I'm assuming that's what happened, seems the most plausible) triggered by all those things. Someone doesn't have to be epileptic to have a seizure. If your mother would still like to get off of those meds without the excruciating effects, google "xanax tapering schedule". Hope that helps : )

[OriginialSnooks]

my mom was on this and she "attempted" to quit cold turkey becuase im only 13 and ya know i have to get around with my moms help of like driving to school events and stuff becuase my mom is a single parent...so who else do take me to these events and stuff? ya know and so she tried to quick cold turkey but after mabey 3 wks of getting of it she had a seizure with me at home it was the most frightening expirence of my life so then when we arrvied at the hospital she had 2 more...

[shalindriaharam]

@OriginialSnooks I'm sorry to hear she had a seizure. When coming off of these meds it has been shown that tapering (cutting out a little at a time) is far more successful than quitting cold turkey.  If someone who has been on the meds a long time quits cold turkey it can cause seizures. Xanax is sometimes used to treat the seizures that alcoholism creates. Also when going cold turkey the rebound anxiety is far worse.

[Flerg3]

had a seizure while driving due to withdrawl of xanax on saturday. went in reverse through 4 lanes of traffic without even knowing it. I almost died. Im getting off of it and starting weed, fuck the law.

[ThePandoh]

I'll take the xanax off of you. I appreciate it. It helps me survive. No joke.

[dolengelic82]

Thanks for this video. I dont think my docs seem to understand that i need to be tapered off slowly. I've been on xanax and lexotanil for 13 years now.I tried quiting a few months back and it screwed me inside out! Your advice is realy good. I wish I could find a good doctor here in london to help me taper off with minimal withdrawal effects! If anyone does know, please let me know!

[hegigwa7]

Its when I realized that it wasnt me that needed to be on med's "Including xanax", that I was finally able to stop using them. Its a long hard road of getting to know and understand yourself all over again.

[HerbalJah]

Xanax withdrawal can cause a grand mal seizure and you can potentially die... I dont know how people can take xanax in the daytime?! You won't remember shit or be able to pay attention to anything... Ever try watching a movie or tv show on xanax? Its almost impossible to pay attention to it.

[EvilMrDark]

Xanax is a poison-pot is a cure...LEGALIZE A POT!

[LyleVertigo]

The only medication I take is my migraine meds and insulin.

Never ever take any psychological medication no matter how hard any PHD trys to push it on you. They do not tell you all that can go wrong with taking them as well as not informing you that some side effects can become permanent! Fight Pharma to win back the true goal of medicine, to cure not to treat.

[chenrazi]

Highly recommend neurofeeback I think I could not have had a safer means of getting off clonazapm/klonipin

[TheCrabby09]

LOL my first time taking Xanax was with my friend in school. He brought me 2 pills. I went to the bathroom and popped them and got sooooo dizzy in my Study Hall class. Ahhhh the good days mann. Those were great. The days I smoked weed and popped pills with friends. Ahhhh good times, good times.