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Anxiety adrenaline waves every AM waking me from sleep.
Depression & Anxiety | Last Active: 3 days ago | Replies (110)Comment receiving replies
I thought I should post my experience in case it might help someone else. About 4 years ago I developed insomnia and fairly severe anxiety when Trazodone (that I had been taking because I worked different shifts all the time) just stopped working and I couldn’t sleep. I had never had anxiety before. Because I am sensitive to side effects of all SSRI type antidepressants, the doctor prescribed the lowest dose of Xanax which worked wonders for the anxiety (although it had such a short half life) and it also helped me sleep. Being mindful that any benzodiazepine can cause dependence, I never increased the dosage and tried natural supplements over the next two years without much success so I had to keep falling back on very low doses of Xanax- most often half a dose which I generally only took at night. Around year two my anxiety seemed to be getting worse and I developed night terrors where I would scream out loud occasionally during a nightmare and scare my poor husband to death. I also started waking with a feeling of panic and my heart racing. What I ultimately discovered was that I was having rebound anxiety the next day to the Xanax that I would take the night before. Once that realization hit me, I discontinued the Xanax. It has taken me another full year to finally start sleeping most of the time without waking with my heart rate elevated and that panicky feeling. My point to share is that rebound anxiety is not that uncommon with benzodiazepines and that sometimes the cure is worse than the condition it is intending to treat. I thank God that I was able to figure out what was happening. My body is finally healing from a 4 year nightmare and I have great empathy for anyone going through extreme insomnia and resulting anxiety. It nearly ruined my life.
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I’m reading these threads because I’ve become very concerned about the benzodiazepines I’ve been taking for over 5 years. I am very scared I will end up in your situation if I try to stop taking this medication. Can I ask what your dose was and the frequency? I’ve mentioned stopping to my doctor but because I never had any problems with side effects and it only seemed to help my sleep and anxiety, I never pursued the conversation. Well, I think it’s time to pursue the conversation. I’m 72 years old now. I have taken .5 mg of Xanax once daily for the last five years. Lately I have found that if I don’t take another half a pill midday, my heart is racing and I feel a little out of body. Now, the second bad part of my story. I take .25 mg Halcion nightly for sleep. Without it, there’s no hope of falling asleep. Over the last few years, my sleep has gotten pretty bad and I’m lucky to get 5 to 6 hours at best, but at least I’m able to fall asleep with the medication. So, I am now taking a minimum of .75 mg (closer to a full milligram for the last month) collectively of benzodiazepines a day. I am becoming more and more withdrawn and have other health issues now that really make me not want to have to take medications if they are not absolutely necessary. I am at the point that I don’t know if I even need either of these drugs now because I feel fully dependent on them. I can’t tell if my body wants them or if I still need them. I have a doctors appointment in three weeks and I’m going to address getting rid of these meds if I can. Has anyone else stopped taking benzodiazepines after an extended period of time? If so, how did you do it successfully? I would love to hear others stories. My doctor usually says my dosage is so low that if it’s working, why do I need to stop? Honestly, I don’t know why. I just don’t want to take them if I don’t need them. Any help is greatly appreciated.