hisfilth Posted March 10, 2013 Share Posted March 10, 2013 This is one of the two main reasons i signed up here... Ive been prescribed Xanax for nearly 5 years now. I have averaged 2 mg a day( a while back, when i wasnt havent bad anxiety i would take less or none at all here and there). I dont have much of an addictive personality and ive never needed/wanted to take any more than that. I did however find myself taking it daily just because it made what I thought were physical symptoms from anxiety go away. For at least a year I have noticed that it is pretty much impossible for me to skip a dose. If I do, my chest feels tight the entire time, I feel like I am going to faint, stomach issues, and sometimes the worst..panic attacks. So I take it. I dont know if this is what dependence means and I am not sure if its a bad thing yet because like i said...it still works and i havent had any addiction problems. I just want to know if anyone else has taken it daily for as long as i have and what your experience has been like. Thanks! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
melissaw72 Posted March 10, 2013 Share Posted March 10, 2013 I've been on Xanax since 2000/2001, and have never had any problems on it. When I was with one pdoc he had me on A LOT of it every day, and my current pdoc weaned me down to about the same amount you are on now. Since then I've weaned down to 0.75 mg a day. It wasnt easy, but I found that that amount (0.75/day) did just the same as the 2 mg. It took a lot of distraction, keeping my mind constantly on things, to wean down xanax. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bpladybug Posted March 10, 2013 Share Posted March 10, 2013 (edited) I have tapered down very slowly, by .25 per week. If you taper slowly enough you won't have too much miserable withdrawal. And then after, a small amount such .25 or .5 will be more effective. You can do it. There are entire web sites devoted to tapering off benzos. you can take the little .25's and snap them in half, and also use a good sharp pill cutter to cut those in halfs. If you do that, several at a time you will have minute amounts with which to taper. Go as slowly as you need. Edited March 10, 2013 by bpladybug Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lanry78 Posted March 10, 2013 Share Posted March 10, 2013 BPLadyBug is correct. I took Xanax for two years, switched to Klonopin and took it at 3-4 mg per day for another 10 years. I decided April 29th to stop taking it due to my memory and cognition. Looking back most of the issues were actually probably due to having Bipolar but hindsight is 20/20. That was the worst month of my life and is only comprable to a real visit to hell. I am not, by any means, overstating this. All doctors and most uneducated people will tell you it would only be a few days of withdrawal and it is out of your system. This is not true. If you decided to stop make SURE you do it slowly and prepare yourself for a tough time. There are two reasons why. The first is the actual withdrawal itself. The other is it will agitate the symptoms you started taking it for in the first place. Unfortunately even if you don't have an addictive personality you can still become dependent on substances like benzos. I wish you the best of luck with whatever you decide. If the medicine is helping you and there is no abuse potential you may just need to look at accepting it is a lifetime medication. That is most likely what I should have done. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hisfilth Posted March 10, 2013 Author Share Posted March 10, 2013 thank you all for answering. I am terrified of most medications and especially psychiatric meds. I feel that taking them takes control away from me. I know..a little bit ridiculous. That is part of the reason i dont take the lexapro as i have been prescribed. I also didnt think it helped at all with anxiety but thats another topic. I just wanted to know if there were people out there that were prescribed daily use of xanax. A lot of information on the web says its never intended for long term use and being the worrier i am led me to believe that my doctor might have been wrong for prescribing so much of it for so long. She has told me that it is up to me. She has no issues with my usage as long as im not abusing it. I dont know its just hard to tell if i would be experiencing the anxiety symptoms anyway (like if i didnt take it at all) or if its caused by the tolerance i have built up and the constant need for it in my system. I feel like I am rambling so i hope this makes sense! Melissaw72- Can I ask why you decided to decrease your dosage? Also, i noticed you listed in your current medications that you take klonopin, is that in addition to xanax? Because I have heard that some people say its better for long term use. BPLadyBug- Same question, what made you decide to do that? lanry78- I have considered the possibility of xanax being a permanent...but i am young and i dont want it to just get worse with time. If i have to start taking more then I think i would notice a difference in my memory etc. and with what i am studying..that just wont work :/ Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
melissaw72 Posted March 11, 2013 Share Posted March 11, 2013 My pdoc was on my case to lower Xanax ... he has this "thing" about me falling, and didn't like me on "so much." Yes, I am on Klonopin also, that being for a daily long-acting effect; I think it works better for me that way. Xanax is more for breakthrough anxiety for me. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hoko_onchi Posted March 11, 2013 Share Posted March 11, 2013 My pdoc recommended GABA calm as an alternative to Xanax. It does help me when I want to take A PILL for the anxiety (I capitalized it because that's how I feel when I need TO TAKE A PILL TO CALM DOWN). The GABA calm really *does* help a little, so it is a good alternative if you are still wanting/needing something after tapering off (if you need it). I do have an addictive personality, so for me, it's best to stay away from benzos. You sound like you are managing really well, and good luck to you. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hisfilth Posted March 12, 2013 Author Share Posted March 12, 2013 melissaw- I hope to talk to my psych soon about alternatives. I think something needs to be changed. but ill let her decide that. Thanks for the input! hoko-I have never heard of that. is it an OTC type thing? Also i just got diagnosed with endo. in November. Its kind off topic here but its been challenging and im always looking to talk to others who have it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
melissaw72 Posted March 12, 2013 Share Posted March 12, 2013 melissaw- I hope to talk to my psych soon about alternatives. I think something needs to be changed. but ill let her decide that. Thanks for the input! hoko-I have never heard of that. is it an OTC type thing? Also i just got diagnosed with endo. in November. Its kind off topic here but its been challenging and im always looking to talk to others who have it. You're welcome Good luck! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hoko_onchi Posted March 12, 2013 Share Posted March 12, 2013 Hisfilth: it's OTC... I got it on Amazon. It's also available in stores like Whole Foods. I used it this AM for anxiety and it really helped. Feel free to message me about endo. I'm actually sitting in the OB office right now waiting to meet a new doctor. Fingers crossed..... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Brokendishes Posted March 14, 2013 Share Posted March 14, 2013 Hisfilth, I take Xanax daily per my shrink's orders. I initially took it as needed for panic attacks and GAD(among a host of other anxiety-related disorders), but the attacks were so frequent and uncontrollable, I was put on a daily dose of 1mg. At first, I took less than the 1mg...I'd quarter each pill and take a .25 in the a.m., one in the afternoon and one at bedtime. My life went out of control when I lost 2 brothers to cancer, my mom lost part of her lung(cancer), and then last may my sister died. Needless to say I had alot of shit going on--and a hellish job, a lousy excuse for a husband, and I really dont like the city I live in(at all...). So my shrink upped my dose ...I still take the 1 mg pills, but take .25 in the am, .25 at noon, .25 towards dinner, and .5 at bedtime...So all told, I'm still under 2mg a day, so I don't feel too bad about it. And I skip one of the afternoon pills depending how bad my day/anxiety is. I will be on this stuff for life. I've done all the therapy there is and this is as good as it's gonna get. I may switch to Xanax XR at some point as it's non-addictive since it's time release--you can't abuse it, supposedly. I'm not ready to switch though cuz of all the stress I have right now--if I ever get it under control I'd try it. I can say def there is some memory loss with Xanax and a bit of cognitive impairment. I'm not too concerned though...The things I forget weren't important anyway--if I start forgetting my way home, I'll get concerned.lol If I stay on a steady dose like now, I don't notice any cognitive probs, but if I take extra due to a severe attack, I will have a 'hangover' the next day--My thinking is slowed down then and I need a moment to process before I can respond to something complex. Also, if I do take extra, I find there is a paradoxical effect that happens where I will be way more angry the next day....Like I'll be grumpy and super-pissed all day for no reason than the Xanax-induced hangover. But I only take extra .25mg if I have a huge issue, like when my sister died... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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