I will be starting my weaning off of Xanax due to being denied mental health med management that has worked for me for 20 years, very soon. I refuse to go in patient. I've spent a long and HARD 23 years living with my mental health issues and being a functional parent and adult. Never once having to go in patient during the mirage of medicine cocktails that it took in order to find what worked for me and my issues. Since I moved back to where some pharmaceutical companies are being sued and they cry victim about an opiate addiction/meth addiction issue. Yet they won't allow what has been proven to work for someone, because..it doesn't pay to, like it once did. So for that, I won't put myself into a detox hospital because my healthcare didn't pay the doctors to maintain. No thanks.

And here.

I have been stuck on what I call garbage in other words benzodiazepines since I was 38. I have been trying to get off of it 3 years after I started it. I am now 66 and I'm still attempting to wean myself off of it. Going off of it abruptly is extremely dangerous. Please never attempt to do that! The only way I got down to 1 mg and 1/8 is by literally taking 1/8 of a milligram off of the tablet for months sometimes. I am still not off of it but I am trying 1/8 off of it again and it is a hideous feeling.

I need to get off of my Xanax. I am now taking .25 mg four times a day. I have been at this level for maybe six weeks. Is there a doctor in the metro Detroit area, preferably in the northern suburbs, that I could contact and would be willing to assist me in setting up a tapering schedule which would be following the Ashton Method?

I’ve been taking 0.5 Mg. (30) Alprazolam for years and recently had a stressful day took 1/2 in the afternoon and half at bed 2 or 3 days. I’ve run out and can’t get a refill till tomorrow. I’ve been without for 6 days. Had a bad headache off and on but I’m thinking I’d like to quit this medication. I need something else for sleep and occasional anxiety

ksmith14818 | @ksmith14818

I am not familiar with Alprazolam, but advice against switching or stopping any medication without consulting your provider. If still need something for sleep and anxiety, maybe they can suggest something else.

Is there a reason you want to stop taking Alprazolam?

Laurie

Xanax is a benzodiazepine and you can get very ill or die cold turkey. Seizures can occur. I would STRONGLY suggest talking to any doctor, preferably psych. Iit worries me for you

I have been taking Xanax for insomnia for about 14 years, 1.5 mg per night. I want to stop this medication because it can contribute to falls, especially in older individuals, & I am considered a high fall risk. I have tapered off to 1 mg per night, for one week without any side effects, thus far. The doctor who initially prescribed it, is deceased & I am currently looking for a new primary care physician. Please advise. Thank you.

Are there any providers at Mayo Clinic who work with patients that are withdrawing from benzodiazepines ?

I am still being seen by my provider, however, he is not well informed about the dangers of withdrawing from psychiatric meds. Most providers are not . Up until a few years ago, providers continued to prescribe these meds on a long term basis, not realizing how such meds, like benzos, can alter the architecture of the brain by downregulating the GABA receptors. Now we know better, but so many people , including myself, have already been harmed because of this lack of knowledge in the medical community.
I implore all providers to become familiar with the dangers inherent in long term use of benzodiazepines and the suffering that these medications cause and find ways to help the thousands of people who are struggling with this issue.