Any positive stories about Benzo tapering? I need hope

I took 1 mg of Xanax for 24 years and my body hit tolerance. I decided it was time to wean off of it and used water titration. After 8 months, I stopped it completely. However, I went into PAWS (protracted acute withdrawal syndrome.) I tried GABA but it didn't do anything for me. I became addicted to riding my bicycle--that was my therapy. Sometimes, I had insomnia, and I would take Benadryl which did help at times. I discovered that supplements didn't help me during weaning. However, they did start helping me a great deal, after 2.5 years. It was at that time, that I stopped having withdrawals and I found that L-Tryptophan, 1,000 mg helped me sleep a lot better at night. For anxiety during the day, I would take L-Tyrosine, 500 mg., which also worked well. For better sleep at night, I also take the gummies that have Melatonin, L-Theanine, Chamomile Extract, Passionflower Extract, Lemon Balm Extract and Ashwagandha (works well with Serotonin.) I also eat two small pieces of dark chocolate every day, in order to increase Dopamine, not to mention how well it goes with tea and coffee. When my mother weaned off of Xanax, she told me that she took St. John's Wort. She said that it helped her a great deal. In the final analysis, I felt that just as supplements can interfere with drugs, the reverse can happen, also. Drugs can interfere with the effects of supplements and that is why supplements did not work well for me when I was going through the withdrawals. Now they work very well. I feel like my old self again today. There is light at the end of the tunnel, and everyone finds their strategies that works the best for them. In May, it will be four years since I went off of Xanax and I do miss it sometimes, but it isn't worth the price to go backwards. The side effects I was having from Xanax was awful, i.e., causing me anxiety, weight gain and even insomnia. It was never meant to be taken, every day--that was my huge mistake. On the bright side, when I got off of Xanax, I dropped 30 pounds, got rid of dry eye, sleep better, love more and care more about life. Being numbed out like I was, wasn't the real me. I sure to do hope that this helps in some way. God Bless you on the journey and keep pressing forward.

THANK YOU! Adding your reply to my bookmarks folder "xanax withdrawal" as your experience is more informational than a lot of the clinical studies I've read.
I especially like your method for increasing dopamine!
My time on xanax has not included the weight gain or numbed out feeling but it will be interesting to see if sleep quality improves once it is out of my system. Menopause led to the panic and poor medical practice led to the addiction. Now that I'm too old for hormones to play much part in my overall chemistry, it will be interesting to see how this unfolds. First attempt was too ambitious so scheduling a longer weaning period.
Again, thank you, for your gracious and helpful response.

Hello again. I am so glad that the information was helpful. I can admit that I did experiment with myself, but I wasn't ready to have a doctor administer another medication to me, because I did not want to have to try to get off of something else later. I meant to add that I do believe that the brain has to heal, as it is going through the withdrawal process and one of the Vitamins that I did find had a calming effect, was Vitamin B1. I do not know if I was lacking in it or not. I think it can be helpful for people to request a blood test to see what vitamins they could be lacking in, especially during the withdrawal period. Another tip that I wanted to tell you was that the "success stories" are what helped motivate me to press on so much more than hearing about symptoms. We do need both accounts, but the success stories gave me so much hope. Take care and keep us posted.

You're certainly right about the success stories!! Yours is the first I've read that had as long term usage as I have, so especially useful. I've changed the weaning schedule to one not as ambitious. I'm ok with a set back, just not failure.
I was interested to read about the tyrosine. So, you had a good experience with it? The warnings have me a bit spooked. There's just not a lot of evidence I've found to substantiate the nootropic sites that praise it. I use and have used l-theanine for some years at various doses. It has been a friend that helps me focus and adjust my naturally snappish moods.
Thanks for the feedback!

How much Ltheanine do you take? I’ve been experimenting with this also.

Usually, 400-600mg a day in 200mg doses on an empty stomach. I understand from google sources, 800mg is the top amount. I'm not sure that is true for everyone.
The first of the day with coffee is good to get the day in focus, after an early lunch, then before bed. Another of the "nootropic" babies but I started using it long before this faze in mind tweaking. I don't know about now, but years ago it was suggested by doctors for panic. Wish I had used it more instead of falling into the comfort of xanax!!! Ah well, another one of those "shoulda, woulda, coulda"s. Good luck with it!

Thank you!

I've been told that you're only supposed to change your medication like that through your doctor's help are the people on here doing it just on their own and disregarding what their doctors tell them

What are you referring to? It’s hard to keep up with these threads sometimes.

I did this about 8 years ago. It was physiologically extremely difficult, but I persisted. One day at a time is the only way to slowly taper. I was in pain, sleepless, crabby and had electrical shocks buzzing thru my brain. It took me about 6 months to start feeling normal again.