Does anyone have experience with Xanax addiction?

[AliceAnne]

Hi. I'm ashamed to admit that I am prescribed 4mg of xanax a day, I've been on it for many, many years, but not that high of a dose. I feel so powerless over my addiction, and I feel hopeless. I've started attending 12 step groups a week ago. I'm afraid and I don't know how to live without taking it. Thank you for reading this and any feedback would be gratefully appreciated, especially if you kicked the habit.

[Fearoffear]

Please don't be ashamed. You are prescribed that, so your doctor has authorized the dependence. Have you gone for therapy or CBT? Do you take the maximum dose everyday? What does your doctor say about weaning you off? I was on 4mg a day of ativan for 9 years and I am off of them as a daily medicine. I won't lie sometimes when I need a reset bad time high stress I take .5mg. Sometimes it's just once sometimes it's 4-5 days. I take them as needed now and sometimes I go months without needing them. Don't beat yourself up, slow and steady is how you get off benzos. I hope this helped and I'm here to talk if you need it. Gentle hugs 🤗🤗

[AliceAnne in reply to Fearoffear]

Thank you very much, Fearoffear, I really appreciate your response. I am going to start with a new pyschiatrist this month and I'm assuming he will lower my dose. I do have a therapist, he isn't that great. CBT? Is that cognitive behavior therapy? That's what I believe my therapist is. I do take the maximum dose every day, 2 in the morning and 2 in the afternoon. I use it because of panic attacks, but mostly just to escape. I think it's marvelous that you took that dose of ativan (I used to take that as well, no longer) and that now you don't. It really sounds like you beat that addiction, good for you, it give me hope! Thank you again! Hugs to you. ❤️

[MsLila]

I used to take it for a few years, but then realized it wasnt helping me the way I hoped it to. I had rebound anxiety , fatigue and sleep disruption more than usual so i stopped cold turkey. It was hard, i couldnt sleep, anxiety through the roof, just miserable. Then I began to settle and the more i just resigned to being uncomfortable, accepted myself and tried to work many of the principals of 12 steps programs on my own, I never took them again. Im not cured from my anxiety but it helped me get comfortable in my own body. I hope this helps. I still struggle with my anxiety everyday, but im not taking any medication and I have a family and work and things are relatively good. That does not mean we are all meant to be off medication. Talk to your provider and find what works best for you. Dont feel ashamed because you take medication, medication has many benefits and serves an important purpose for many people. You are not alone. Trust your gut youll know what to do.

[AliceAnne in reply to MsLila]

Thank you, MsLila. I'm familiar with the withdraw side effects, they are horrible. I really appreciate your input!

[Agora1]

Hi AliceAnne, I prefer to call the time that I was on daily Xanax, a dependence. I couldn't accept the fact that I might be addicted to it. I went to a 6 week program at the hospital for

Addiction support and they agreed with me that it was more a dependence.

I was placed on 0.25mg of Xanax once a day for 30 years. It was a time that I had anxiety as well as suffered with daily tension headaches as well as multiple times of month with migraines.

My doctor kept refilling the prescription because he said it was a very low dose. Low or not,

I realized our brain becomes dependent on that amount and wants more. So we either live

in continuing anxiety or we give in by taking more and more each day. I once thought, when

the day comes that I no longer need it and life treats me kind, I'll get off it. Well that never

happened until one day the anxiety symptoms went out of control and I was told, I was having withdrawal symptoms. Withdrawal from what? I was still on the same small dose.

But rather than want to up the dosage, I choose to be weaned off it.

Through a specialized psychiatrist who I had seen at times and was trained in Benzo withdrawal, he saw me through the next 2 years of my life. Using the Dr. Heather Ashton method of benzo withdrawal, it was done slowly and safely. To my amazement AliceAnn,

it brought a clarity to my mind that I hadn't felt in years. I realized than that the daily

Xanax was causing me to feel more anxious as well as in a foggy state of mind. I'm completely off benzos and feel amazingly calm and at peace.

I'd be more than happy to talk with you. You are on a large dosage and need to be

brought down slowly and safely. I wish you well. xx

[AliceAnne in reply to Agora1]

Thank you very much, Agora1. I truly appreciate your feedback. Similar to you, after I take xanax it doesn't really help me, I sometimes feel more anxious and in a fog. I like that you call it a dependence instead of addiction. It is wonderful you are completely off benzos. I look forward to the day I can be. Thanks again!

[Nothing_but_books in reply to AliceAnne]

Here is the Ashton manual Agora1 talked about. You can read it yourself and share it with your doctor.

benzo.org.uk/manual/

[Agora1 in reply to Nothing_but_books]

Thanks dear for sharing that info. xx

[Nothing_but_books in reply to Agora1]

👍 🦜

[AliceAnne in reply to Nothing_but_books]

Thank you very much for sharing that link, Nothing_but_pain. I read through some of it tonight. Much appreciated.

[Nothing_but_books in reply to AliceAnne]

Welcome. Hope it helps.

[MsLila in reply to Agora1]

Great response, I was only on .25 mg as well when I went "cold turkey" i should have mentioned that, I dont want to support cold turkey for higher doses that would be dangerous. Thanks for sharing!

[AliceAnne in reply to MsLila]

Thank you. I will not be stopping cold turkey because I'm aware of the danger, I'm just gonna try cutting the dose down slowly. Today I took 3 and a half, but yesterday I took 6 because it was a terrible day. Thank you for your concern, MsLila, much appreciated!

[MsLila]

You sound like you are doing everything right. I will pray for your journey. You are making big changes and thats exciting and horribly uncomfortable 😅 hang in there!i found playing barbies with my kiddos helped me during withdrawal bc you have to be very present for example playing jack frost in an elsa /jack frost wedding with dinner and dancing at the barbie play house🤣 it was excruciating and wondeful if that makes sense

[AliceAnne in reply to MsLila]

Lol, thanks again! 😊

[b1b1b1]

I am currently weaning off 3 and a half mgs of Ativan, and am now down to 1 mg. My doctor told me to reduce it by 1/2 mg. every 14 days. Sometimes I took longer than 14 days between reductions. You should follow your doctor's approach in weaning as Xanax may be different than Ativan. I have not had any ill effects while weaning. I will be glad to no longer be taking it routinely and just have it for occasional use because it does lose its effect as your body gets used to it.

[AliceAnne in reply to b1b1b1]

Thank you for sharing, b1b1b1. That's how I'm planning on reducing it, by 1/2 mg a day. I've had success with that for a couple days, but then I'll have a really bad day and take more than prescribed. That's good you haven't had any ill effects while weaning. And yes, it does lose effect the more you take, that happened to me.

[b1b1b1]

I reduced it by 1/2 milligram every 14 days. You may be doing it to fast. Check with your doctor.

[AliceAnne in reply to b1b1b1]

Ok, thank you.

[Spooky99]

Don’t be ashamed! At least you want to stop them. I’ve been on 2mg of clonopin a day for 30 years!!!! It helps me get out the door and live. Believe it or not I’m in recovery for alcohol. I self medicated and abused that. People in AA would say I’m not really sober. My sponsor and Dr know. I think I’m much older then you. Good luck to you and everyone should live by the 12 steps ! Hugs

[AliceAnne in reply to Spooky99]

Thank you very much, Spooky. It's not so much that I want to stop them, I rely on them and am hooked on them, I just think I need to stop. I'm familiar with 12 step programs, I find some of them to be rigid. I've been prevented from sharing in groups because I'm not 24 hours clean of xanax, but I think if a doctor prescribes it to me I should be able to share. If you have stopped drinking I would say you're sober. Reach out to me if you ever want to chat. Best wishes to you! Hugs! xo

[GodKid in reply to Spooky99]

I'm in A.A. and I say that you are sober. I am also, very gradually, weaning off of Klonopin. The difference between Klonopin and and alcohol for me is that taking one pill doesn't mean I'll take the whole bottle! I've slowly gone from 3.0mg to 1.75 mg. of Klonopin. Every body's different, but I am grateful to God that I'm slowly becoming Klonopin-free

🙂

[GodKid in reply to GodKid]

I meant 1.875!

[Spooky99 in reply to GodKid]

That’s great!!! I wish I could!! The weaning for me was awful!!!

[GodKid in reply to Spooky99]

A lot of doctors I worked with wanted to go down .5 a month. No. Way. (for me!). I did that once, and it was rough! Right now, I'm trying for .125 a month. I'd love to go faster, but my body rebels. A slow and gradual cut is what works for me.

[Agora1 in reply to GodKid]

It did for me too. (until there was nothing but dust particles) xx

[GodKid in reply to Agora1]

Good for you!

[Spooky99]

That sounds ridiculous not to be able to share. Nowhere does it say that! I would flip lol. People make these stupid rules!!! Reach out to me as well!!!

[Oct18]

I was not addicted to Xanax but my ex-wife and mother of our 3 kids was and still is (over 20 years). My advice as one who admittedly deals with things as "black and white" or "when things are tough we must persevere" and all other life lesson cliché's, is to make getting off of Xanax your ultimate goal. Find the best routines for your day that you CAN control, like meditation, healthy diet, exercise, therapy groups as well as individual therapy, prayer (if you are a believer) and that will help you be stronger in dealing with things that are out of your control. I have had primary custody of our kids for over 10 years and it is safe to say her addiction to Xanax had an influence on our marriage suffering. I am dealing with stage IV prostate cancer and very thankful to God that I still feel good and am working and still taking care of our kids. She has trouble getting out of bed most days and her inability to kick her Xanax addiction is still very real. Xanax is like alcohol in a pill form. It has its purpose. But only for short term assistance. Otherwise, it will not be helpful, only harmful.

[AliceAnne in reply to Oct18]

Thank you very much for your feedback, Oct18. I am very sorry for your struggles. Hang in there, it sounds like you're handling everything very well. God Bless!

[Georgie777]

Hi AliceAnne - Join the group Beating Benzos on facebook. It really is fantastic and you will get loads of help too. 4mg of Xanax is a high dose and is equivalent to 80mgof Valium. Beating benzos can give you a taper programme to follow and just reading other people's posts daily really helps - you don't feel so alone. You shouldn't taper anymore than 10% of your dose every 2 - 4 weeks x

[AliceAnne in reply to Georgie777]

Thank you very much for the Facebook info, Georgie777, I'll look into it.

[Hidden]

Hi, Xanax is a very powerful drug. I've never been on it but years ago my grandfather got hooked on it because he had problems with severe anxiety and I swear, that drug ruined him. I won't get into all the details about that but I think it's great you recognize that it is easy to develop a dependency on it and it's good your trying to wean yourself off of it. It's always helpful to try to find more natural ways of dealing with anxiety than relying on a drug. Things like learning deep breathing techniques, trying some meditation videos and music that can be found on YouTube, aromatherapy- the scent of lavender really relaxes me, and even taking a warm shower or a relaxing bath to calm down have all been things that have helped me. Take one day at a time.💖

[AliceAnne in reply to Hidden]

Thank you Googoodollsfan for sharing your story, I'm so sorry about your grandfather. I'm scared of coming off of xanax but I know I must because I realize it has been ruining my life. Thank you for your suggestions on ways to calm myself naturally, much appreciated! ❤️