Going off of Xanax

I've been on 1mg of Alprazolam for 17 years, have never exceeded the dosage and many times needed only half a tab (.5 mg) at bedtime. My PCP has cancelled any refills, without warning, and has Rx'd 30mgs of Buspar daily. I was not able to tolerate a lower dose when we tried it years ago so I'm essentially going cold turkey. Also, my other meds have changed since then and a few don't play nicely with Buspar but apparently I'm the only one checking. The doc said that if I want to continue the xanax I'll have to get it from a psychiatrist but I know from past experience that they'd only push antidepressants and I had adverse reactions to all of them. Once I read that Buspar is very addictive, that did it! I don't need to trade one problem for another.

I found out the hard way how difficult it is to get off Xanax. My MD never warned me of this . 3 days with no Xanax sent me to the ER with 300 BP.. horrid headache, nausea. I thought I was dying or having a stroke . ER team did a brain scan to check. People must be made more aware of this. Check with your Pharmacist. I did not have this problem with Prozac...quit easily.

It's more of the dosage I'm currently on 2mg 3xs @day, and no it's actually the perception,I've been told they don't like to write for that particular med due to the strong addiction that comes with it ,which I already have ,like I said they put me on it at age 15 I'm now 54 , I feel I'm being denied my medication due to all the drug problems going on and I've only been living in the area for a year , although my blood work has come back what it should ( is what they say ) my next step is to write a letter to our congressman and or governor of Indiana and see what happens there . I feel this state put me on it and I've been on all these years,this state should continue to keep me on it , I was told I could sue the makers of this drug ,but that won't get me the med I need and as far as changing meds ,it can't happen that fast , I've been told by so many different Drs they have never heard of anyone being on XANEX for this long and at this high of a dose :((( ( my phone may not be displaying my words as written, apologies in advance.

Why don't you try to wean yourself off them? I did that with cigarettes and the patch. When I got down to the lowest dose, I cut the patches in half and then I cut them in quarters. You could try 2/3 s of a pill for a few weeks and see what happens, if ok then cut the pill in half, etc.

Actually my bio is my question, I was told if I try to come off xanex I'd die , I was put on it at age 15 and now I'm 54 I didn't know any better or what the med was or what it could do to my body over time , all in all honesty I wish I could sue tge makers of this drug, not only am I addicted, the state of Indiana whwre qe bought a home wont write tge perception so wvery 3 months i drive 14 hours 1 way to get it , i cant hardly take tgis ride anymore as i have other issues like deteriorating bones and more , help please . Thank you 🙏

It’s CRUCIAL that a some point you find a doctor that will not discontinue your prescription and do a very, very long proper taper. As a former 25 year Xanax user I will stick my neck out here and say it will take many years for you to get completely off this drug. You need to start looking for someone now in my opinion. Please go listen to ALL of Dr. Josef Witt-Doerring’s benzo videos on YouTube. He used to work for the FDA, he’s a physchiatrist and an unaddiction specialist. He explains things perfectly. Please listen to this doctor. It will take quite some time to listen to all his videos. Please message me if you would like to discuss anything else.

Also go on FB and get on a benzo site. Ignore the horror stories . Most try to get off too fast . There is a man named David you email for a slow personalized taper. After going to countless Drs and psychiatrist which have no problem prescribing it but have no idea how to taper anyone off or want to taper you too fast. Put you in rehab ( useless and damaging for benzo dependence)I had to do my own search. It is so important you taper slowly off of these, with a good taper plan. Also check out water taper on U tube which David can make out a plan for you also. That is what Iam doing after being prescribed Ativan after my husband died and not being told how addictive it was . I wish you all the luck and as scary as this is you need to get a good taper plan ASAP. Iam 72 and this is not what I had planned on doing in my senior years.
You can do this❤️

Thank you ,someone else had mentioned Dr Josef and I've even written through an email about my story ,I did receive a reply and a phone call however I don't live in the states they serve , with all my new health issues,I plan to speak again with my Drs about the xanex ,I have thought about suing Pfizer ,I have a claim nbr already,just not sure what type of lawyer to look for and evwn if ine would help me ,my opinion is a 15 yr old kid had no business being put in xanex ,also my mom was told this isnt an addicting medication, 40 years later I'm now 55 and I can't come off of it and I drive 14 hrs every 3 months to get the script just so I don't have with draws, when I get low I get nervous.. Thank you for writing and my condolences for the loss of your husband, God Bless you 🙏and stay safe 🌹

I don’t think that there’s a one size fits all, I have been reading so many stories about benzodiazepines addiction and some people are happy with the meds and others are very tormented. I think it might be due to numerous issues, I never had too much trouble with this drug until it started getting a bad review and although I agree that they aren’t the best meds for long term use many people have been taking them for years, so who’s at fault here, big pharmaceutical companies for putting them on the market, doctors who gave them out like candy to solve our problems, I think it’s more like it solved their problems in dealing with patients quickly, I even took most of the blame because that’s what the doctor wanted. Every medication has it’s list of problems and the endless struggle for us to find what is best for us, nothing is going to change this and although we support each other in time of need, the pain and suffering is a personal struggle and uniquely your own. I’m sure that if benzodiazepine is totally okay to use whenever you need it we probably wouldn’t have much to say about it, what makes it worse is that they really work to get control of anxiety and stress. I think in a perfect world we wouldn’t need meds but I realize that’s not possible at this time.

Actually my bio is my question, I was told if I try to come off xanex I'd die , I was put on it at age 15 and now I'm 54 I didn't know any better or what the med was or what it could do to my body over time , all in all honesty I wish I could sue tge makers of this drug, not only am I addicted, the state of Indiana whwre qe bought a home wont write tge perception so wvery 3 months i drive 14 hours 1 way to get it , i cant hardly take tgis ride anymore as i have other issues like deteriorating bones and more , help please . Thank you 🙏