Hi Joe. I guess you are speaking of Xanax? Benzodiazapene withdrawal is a very uncomfortable experience to go through. Maybe your doctor can suggest mindfulness meetings and support groups to go to. I was uncomfortable with being around people at that time, during my taper. As a result, I connected with Benzo Buddies.org. To some degree, it was helpful to hear other people's experiences so that I could compare notes. It sounds like you have made a great deal of progress, now that you are at 2 mg--wow! From what I read, depending on how long a person is on it and/or if it was abused would determine how long the withdrawals will last. I can honestly tell you that my withdrawals lasted 2.5 years, but they did weaken considerably as time went on and now, I get them only seldom. Dr. Heather Aston's Manuel is very informative. She spent many years working with so many people suffering from what you are going through.

I have no faith in anything. After decades of taking 2-4 mg/day of Xanax, I've had to go cold turkey after getting back to the states and trying to get compensated for Parkinson's Disease. I'm also bipolar and even though I'm receiving Medicare, I am still working full time in order to survive. I can relate to the paranoia. The work I'm turning out is unacceptable to me, and I often feel as if someone's coming in at night and changing my entries. I finally got diagnosed with PD, but already have a high disability rating due to injuries incurred in Vietnam, so it won't help much. I have some good days and some awful ones--never know how I'm gonna feel until I get home and write about my day in my journal, and need to keep at least a mg of Xanax on me in case of a panic attack or even an anxiety attack, especially at work. Please let me know how you're getting along. I know it's not at all easy. Thanks to being bipolar, I can get a lot of work done when I'm manic (just need to stay away from co-workers or at least try not to do any talking lest they think I'm a nut case--which in fact I am), but during my down time, I generally sit at my desk and use my personal i-pad to study foreign languages--keeps my mind sharp. At lunch I go out away from everyone and do my tai chi which helps a lot. I'm really playing it day-to-day and hoping for the best. I tried AA meetings, but that just made me feel worse. Now I'm taking no med's at all and feel as if I'm on the verge of a nervous breakdown. Sorry if I couldn't be more helpful; just wanted to let you know there are other people out there who are experiencing what you're going through. The self-doubt, anxiety, and paranoia are extremely debilitating. Keep posting to let myself and others how you're doing, and if you find anything: books, groups, connections who help you get through all the horrors you're no doubt facing.