Will Xanax effect my withdrawal progress?

[pmflaherty]

I know this is probably an old or relatively common question, but how do you guys feel about xanax during withdrawal? Will it hinder my withdrawal progress as far as letting my brain heal up? Thanks.

[Johnnny off Paxil]

Originally Posted by pmflaherty

I know this is probably an old or relatively common question, but how do you guys feel about xanax during withdrawal? Will it hinder my withdrawal progress as far as letting my brain heal up? Thanks.

Are you currently taking Xanax?.

Regards, Johnny

[nicemom]

I don't know the answer but I do take it when I have to. I only take 1/4 of a pill and that might be several times a week, if that. I am so afraid of getting addicted. I would not want to take it in large doses or daily.

[LinLou]

I was given Ativan for Zoloft withdrawal, and I quickly became physically dependent on that. Trouble is, with benzos you develop tolerance VERY quickly and suffer withdrawal symptoms even while you are still taking it. And I was taking the lowest dose ( .50mgs ).

Pat...I am convinced that had I not used Ativan to "help" with Zoloft withdrawal, I would be well by now. Adding the benzo is what sent me over the edge. If you think AD withdrawal is rough, wait until you try benzo withdrawal. Adding in benzos ( on a daily basis ) for AD withdrawal is jumping from the frying pan straight into the fire.

If you do choose to go the benzo route, please use either valium or Klonopin instead. Their half-lives are much longer than Xanax and Ativan and they are what people use to taper off benzos. I hear it is next to impossible to taper Xanax and Ativan.

Using other drugs to "help" the w/d from another drug is like treating a chemical burn with more chemicals. I had to learn the hard way before I found these forums. Just ride it out, and enjoy knowing you never have to put another one of those terrible pills in your body. Just let it heal.

[babs]

I used Klonopin on an as-needed basis to help with the worst of my withdrawal but only took .25 mg at a time and made sure I never took it 2 days in a row. It did help when the anxiety got really bad. I probably took it around 3 times a week in the beginning but cut back as I started to feel better. I am of the opinion that used sparingly benzos can help you keep your sanity through the worst of it. Whether or not that had any impact on how quickly I recovered, I don't know. For me, it was worth it.

[pax80]

no problem if taken ocasionly

[safarigal]

I used Ativan during my Paxil withdrawal without problem. I also use Ativan now without problems. Some days I take .25mg and other days I need more. I'm one of the lucky few who didn't develop a physical addiction.

I used Xanax in the past and had no problems with that either.

Everyone is different.

[mapleleafgirl25]

i had a horrible reaction to Ativan...so i personally dont adivse it..ect..but you have to do what is best for you!!

michele

[CELESTEP]

On the very rare occasions I used Xanax it caused depression for me. A hangover too, and I only took granules. I took granules of Ativan once and it was okay. That is my history (very limited) to benzos. They are depressants so be careful. You have been thru too much already.

[Casey1231]

For what reason would you be taking the xanax - for anxiety? I seem to recall you saying anxiety wasn't a problem for you anymore, but maybe I'm wrong. Anyway, xanax works great to reduce anxiety, but it frequently causes rebound anxiety within hours of taking it, which is only alleviated by taking more, and then the cycle begins. I kicked a xanax addiction about 16 years ago and it was worse than paxil, so proceed with caution.

[LinLou]

Originally Posted by Casey1231

For what reason would you be taking the xanax - for anxiety? I seem to recall you saying anxiety wasn't a problem for you anymore, but maybe I'm wrong. Anyway, xanax works great to reduce anxiety, but it frequently causes rebound anxiety within hours of taking it, which is only alleviated by taking more, and then the cycle begins. I kicked a xanax addiction about 16 years ago and it was worse than paxil, so proceed with caution.

Casey,

How long did it take for you to recover from the Xanax addiction? Is that the reason you went on Paxil?

[TryingtoGetWell]

Originally Posted by Casey1231

For what reason would you be taking the xanax - for anxiety? I seem to recall you saying anxiety wasn't a problem for you anymore, but maybe I'm wrong. Anyway, xanax works great to reduce anxiety, but it frequently causes rebound anxiety within hours of taking it, which is only alleviated by taking more, and then the cycle begins. I kicked a xanax addiction about 16 years ago and it was worse than paxil, so proceed with caution.

That's so true. I was prescribed benzodiazepines as an adjunct anticonvulsants, then when xanax came out doctors thought it was safer (this was at the height of the valium addiction scare) and switched me. At first it seemed to work about the same, but then it would wear off with a CRASH. I told doctors I could set a clock by how I felt; I'd start shaking and feel ghastly.

I tapered off it (in the late 1980s) on my own, over a period of two weeks, as I recall. Then I went into a hell that I had never experienced the likes of before, and which didn't stop. The reason I was put on paxil was partly to try to deal with the effects of that, which still continued six years after I took the last dose of xanax and showed no sign of getting better. It's scary stuff.

I suspect a lot (though certainly not all) of my problems in recovering from paxil are the problems that resulted from the xanax. I used it regularly, however. I wish I knew if occasional use could cause that kind of rebound problem when it wears off. I'm very leary of all medications with short half-lives now -- xanax, paxil...

(Knowing what I know now, I probably should have done a slow taper like what's advised for SSRIs here on PP. But I had been on various anticonvulsants and tapered off each one of them in two weeks with no problems. Xanax was different... Caveat emptor.)

[Casey1231]

Originally Posted by IWGMLB

Casey,

How long did it take for you to recover from the Xanax addiction? Is that the reason you went on Paxil?

My situation was a little complicated, because I also drank a lot of alcohol during my time (5 years) on xanax. Then I decided to get sober, and was told that I couldn't take any medication in sobriety. So I was going through withdrawal, then having hellacious panic attacks with no therapy to deal with them, then developed PTSD, was hospitalized about 3 times in 18 months, had major, major depersonalization and depression, it just went on and on. Then I was diagnosed with fibromyalgia and chronic fatigue, which was no doubt a result of complete systemic exhaustion from all this stress. Then I was put on imipramine, which actually helped me a lot, I went to nursing school and was doing quite well. Then I decided to start drinking again - big mistake! After a year of on and off binge drinking, I got sober for good, but still didn't know how to handle the frequent anxiety attacks as well as fibro symptoms (fatigue, muscle pains, cognitive fogginess, etc.) The imipramine was giving me unpleasant side effects, like dry mouth and constipation, so that is when I was put on paxil, so I was off xanax for about 2 and a half years at that time.

So, sorry about all that rambling, but it's hard to say - was I still going through xanax withdrawal at that time? I don't think so, but I definitely was sorely lacking in coping skills, plus felt spacy and tired so often, I just couldn't fight it anymore. Needless to say, the psychiatrist reassured me that I would never go through with paxil what I did with xanax, I could just stop when I wanted to, etc. To be fair, I do believe she was a very kind and caring doctor who truly believed this to be the case. I just avoid benzos like the plague now. When I first started withdrawing from paxil too quickly, the anxiety was terrible, and I took some ativan, and the rebound anxiety was atrocious. That's when I had my worst feelings of burning, agitation, etc. I now just try to rest and chill out when I have surges of anxiety, because I know that the temporary relief I will get from taking a benzo is not worth the days of suffering I will go through afterwards. In absolute worst case scenarios, I will take 2.5 mg of valium, and I haven't even done that in months, thank God.

[pmflaherty]

Yeah, I have taken xanax lately to get some sleep. I don't have overwhelming anxiety. I just can't sleep. Honestly, I don't even feel the effects of Xanax. I never really did. I just am able to fall asleep and stay asleep. Ambien and other sleeping aids don't work on me and it just seems like Xanax is the only thing that somewhat helps. My main concern is that I am somehow hindering any brain healing goin on in the way that Paxil messed up.

[texgirl]

This can be a slippery slope. Studies have shown that the hynoptic effects of benzos often don't last more than a few weeks. Xanax is an especially bad choice because of its short half-life. If taken regularly (i.e., nightly), it may not work for long and you'll wind up with rebound anxiety, even if you didn't have it before, and insomina that's worse than your original condition. That said, some people can take it for years at the same dose and never reach tolerance. The trouble is that you may not know which category you fall into till it's too late. As a sleep aid I wouldn't use it more than once every week or two, and at the lowest possible dose.

[Johnnny off Paxil]

Originally Posted by texgirl

This can be a slippery slope. Studies have shown that the hynoptic effects of benzos often don't last more than a few weeks. Xanax is an especially bad choice because of its short half-life. If taken regularly (i.e., nightly), it may not work for long and you'll wind up with rebound anxiety, even if you didn't have it before, and insomina that's worse than your original condition. That said, some people can take it for years at the same dose and never reach tolerance. The trouble is that you may not know which category you fall into till it's too late. As a sleep aid I wouldn't use it more than once every week or two, and at the lowest possible dose.

I agree... benzo's have this ability to bite back and bite back hard .... Have you considered any "natural " alternatives?

Passionflower or Valerian?


Regards, Johnny

[texgirl]

Originally Posted by texgirl

the hynoptic effects of benzos

Sorry, that should have read "the hypnotic effects." Dyslexic typing is a curious new side effect of w/d for me . . .

[pmflaherty]

Thanks for the feedback everyone. Still not sure if I got an answer on whether xanax is going to hinder the healing of my brain/ neurotransmitters (if there is any happening at all anyway).

[nicemom]

Does ativan not cause the reboud anxiety that xanax does? Can anyone tell me.

[nicemom]

pm, I think the anwer is that it should not if you take it only when necessary. Whenever things like that are brought up members are concerned more about addiction.

[Johnnny off Paxil]

Originally Posted by pmflaherty

Thanks for the feedback everyone. Still not sure if I got an answer on whether xanax is going to hinder the healing of my brain/ neurotransmitters (if there is any happening at all anyway).

Benzo's like xanax and ativan heal nothing ..and Pat we went over this before..and the final verdict was... just stay away from any drugs..period.

Regards, Johnny

[LinLou]

Originally Posted by nicemom

Does ativan not cause the reboud anxiety that xanax does? Can anyone tell me.

Ativan ruined my life. It absolutely caused a hellacious rebound anxiety for me. But, I was told by my doc to take it daily, so I did for 8 months. I believe I would be healed from the Zoloft withdrawal by now, had I not added in Ativan to "help". For me, that is one wicked little drug.

[texgirl]

Originally Posted by nicemom

Does ativan not cause the reboud anxiety that xanax does? Can anyone tell me.

Diane, Ativan and Xanax are two of the worst for rebound anxiety as they have short half-lives (Xanax's is the shortest except for Halcion, which I don't think is widely prescribed anymore). I hate to seem as if I'm endorsing a benzo, but Klonopin and Valium are "better" in that they stay in the system longer and are supposedly easier to taper off. But the risk of abuse and addiction is the same for all of them, and tapering off any benzo can make Paxil w/d seem like a picnic. I never had depersonalization or thoughts of self-harm during Paxil w/d, but I struggled with these for a few weeks during Klonopin w/d. And I'm going slow. Light at the end of the tunnel now (I decided to stay on a very low dose and stabilize before doing the final drop), but for a while there things were rough . . .