Going off of Xanax

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.

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.

I found myself taking .5 mg Xanax too often, realizing I was becoming addicted. I researched and found a psychiatrist in Great Britain who successfully freed clients from years of large doses of Xanax By slowly replacing it with Valium and then slowly weaned them of the Valium, which is easier. I convinced my physician to prescribe me Valium and then slowly went off it. It took months but worked.

Heather Ashton?

Helo! I'm new in this online gathering and I have questions about Xanax. I am 74 years old and I take 0.5 Xanax occasionally to control anxiety and depression. I developed ME/CSF in 2022 and the struggle with this monster cannot be described adequately. A number of doctors threw their hands up once they took my history and recognized ME/CFS. I live in Greece and my current local doctor prescribe 0.5 Xanax for occasional use because I have suffered a terrible family incident in 2019 when I was separated from my family in the US (long sad terrible story). ME/CFS is almost unknown in this country and the go-to solution is to feed you depression medications by the bushel which I HATE ( and threw away completely after a 10-week withdrawal odyssey that thankfully succeeded). Xanax, however, has had decent success in controlling my disintegrated mood and, recently, my increasing difficulty walking. Sleeping is a struggle but Night Ade serotonin does a decent job, although I wake up a bit "drunk." Occasionally, I bypass the serotonin and take one 0.5 Xanax which delivers a bit more shuteye.

Does anybody in this helpful gathering have similar circumstances and impressions? Should I be concerned abt getting addicted to Xanax? My doctor says Not to worry. But my experiences with psychiatric drugs is AWFUL. Xanax, however, does the job without any discernible trouble, at least for now.

Any ideas/personal stories re Xanax will be highly appreciated. And I wish good health and happiness to all in a world that seems to go awry by the DAY!!!!

Cheers, Anestis

Hi, I am a 60 year old woman who started Xanax due to high anxiety and panic attack. I’ve been on it for almost a year unknown that it was very addictive. I would not suggest that you rely on Zanax cause rather you use one milligram once a week as I did, you still fire yourself with bad withdrawals my whole body ache and I’m in five days as we speak into withdrawals and the older we are with medical issues. It will be harder to wean off this drug. I would not recommend it to anyone for any reason.

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.