XANAX withdrawal

Posted by dianrib @dianrib, Jul 16, 2018

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.

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Colleen Young, Connect Director | @colleenyoung | Mar 24 12:27pm

In reply to @fhkrph95 "Are there any providers at Mayo Clinic who work with patients that are withdrawing from benzodiazepines..." + (show)

Welcome, @fhkrph95. Good question. Tapering off a benzodiazepine safely and reducing the risk of withdrawal symptoms can take a long time. Tapering is most successful when you have the support and supervision from a medical professional. Mayo Clinic advises that you work with they physician who originally prescribed the medication for you. It is also helpful to have your doctor's support close by.

Are you still being seen by your prescribing doctor?

fhkrph95 | @fhkrph95 | Mar 24 2:37pm

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.

david707 | @david707 | Mar 25 1:00pm

In reply to @fhkrph95 "I am still being seen by my provider, however, he is not well informed about the..." + (show)

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.