Anyone have experience with Xanax withdrawals, or other benzos? I stopped taking Xanax Friday. I was taking 0.5mg 3 times a day plus sometimes as many as 4 or 5 extra tablets. I took Xanax for SEVEN YEARS.
I’ve been having terrible headaches, my hands and arms are numb/tingly, I have chest pain, and I’m having a lot of trouble concentrating.
How long is this supposed to last? Is there anything I or a doctor can do to make it better?
This might sound s bit corny but make sure that you are drinking plenty of water and getting enough rest.
Strap yourself in. Benzo withdrawal is nasty and can last ages. The withdrawals wax and wane. They don’t go in a straight line.
You should be over the acute withdrawal phase in about 2 weeks, but complete recovery can take months.
I’ve been on Klonopin for years and didn’t have a hard time coming off of them.
Zero withdrawals for me really.
Maybe because I tapered down over months.
i’m sorry @Sooner88, i have been taking ativan for about three years now and i tapered down to just taking it when i absolutely need it. it was a bit rough but i haven’t taken it in about 4 days and am hoping i can make it to saturday without itl
You have to slowly taper off benzos to give your body time to adjust.
I would go to the ER before you become too disoriented, just to play it safe and guard against a seizure.
Yes, its better to taper down instead of going cold turkey. I hope you are stopping this drug with your doctors knowledge and approval and that he’s monitoring you.
Better safe than sorry.
I was in the hospital from Thursday until Monday and they said the risk of seizures was over. I took an unknown amount of Xanax Thursday in a suicide attempt and have not taken it since then. Doctors gave me low dose of Ativan in the hospital but didn’t give me an rx for home.
I’m really sorry that you’re going through such a difficult time, but the reason you didn’t die is because this world needs you more. Everyone has hidden treasure inside of them–we must find it–then we must share it with the world.
It sounds like you’re going to be okay, but it’s going to be rough.
It gets better.
What @kindness is saying is that everyone has potential.
And choices.
I am going through the same thing with Ativan, I am sick as dog with all kinds of weird symptoms like memory loss and not being able to think straight, tingling in my hands, and all kinds of other stuff. The best advice I can give you is to wean yourself off of it slowly. Also if your feeling ill and are tempted to take some to feel better just remember-- if you fight the urge it WILL get better. Unfortunately benzo withdrawals are some of the worst, it may take some time to get free from it. The good news is Xanax is very short acting so it should be easier than some of the other ones (like Ativan, which stays in your system for 2 days).
I was out of Xanax for about 3 weeks back in Nov 2016. I got jaw pain and tinnitus. The pdoc said it was withdrawal. I was finally given my usual dose. Since then I’ve tapered down from 1mg to 0.5mg.
The sx kind of went away and then waxed/waned for the next 4 months until now. I went to the Rapid Care Center cause I was worried about hearing loss from things being muffled and the pain/pressure in my ears had gotten a lot worse in just a few days.
Turns out I have water in my ears from backed up sinuses. The PA I saw was sceptical that it was ever withdrawals from xanax as I was on a small dose.