Having severe anxiety!

[Melly1209]

I am having severe anxiety and I take 3 mgs. of Xanax daily. Lately I've cut it to 2 mgs. My symptoms are severe muscle tension, pounding heart off and on, insomnia, hot flashes and cold chills, brain zaps? my head will involuntarily nod. Feels like I'm on the verge of having a seizure and panic attack. So I have dx'd myself with a brain tumor. I had both ovaries removed last March and have been under extreme stress for about a year. I am terrified that I'm dying. I can deal with the shaking etc. but I can't deal with this seizure like feeling. And I don't understand why I'm having all this while taking Xanax! Please help!!!!!

[Agora1]

Hi Melly1209, more than having a brain tumor I would think that it's about cutting

the dose by 1mg. Did you do that under the direction of a doctor? That's a big cut

and would explain why symptoms like you are experiencing are breaking through.

I would have a talk with your doctor. What was the reason to cut back on Xanax

when having severe anxiety? Is he planning to put you on another med? x

[Melly1209 in reply to Agora1]

Thank you for responding! No my Dr doesn't know about that. I did it because he has had me on hydrocodone for post op recurring pain and I didn't want to get too sedated. I have talked to him about my severe anxiety and seizure like feelings but he blew me off. I feel less me I'm going through cold turkey withdrawal. I've done that before and wound up in the hospital with uncontrollable body movements. But I've had these seizure like experiences before when I wasn't on a benzo. Do you really think I could be going through withdrawal by cutting down to 2 mgs.? Thank you so much for your help!!!

[Agora1 in reply to Melly1209]

Melly, I may not be a doctor but I weaned off 30 years of 0.25mg of Xanax

and even at that small dose, it took me 2 years to wean off it slowly under

the direction of my doctor. Even with small cuts, I still experienced some of

the same symptoms you are going through.

It is important that your doctor knows what you are doing regarding medications.

This is for your safety. Please be careful. xx

[Melly1209 in reply to Agora1]

What withdrawal symptoms did you experience? This is like living in hell!

[Melly1209 in reply to Melly1209]

Oh...and yes...he's putting me on lorazepam starting Friday. He wants me to finish the last of the Xanax first

I'm scared about that too!

[Agora1 in reply to Melly1209]

Everyone is different Melly and I hate putting ideas into your mind.

I did however experience the "jutting forward" like a spasm that made

my body go forward while sitting quietly. Embarrassing, not painful.

Buzzing under my feet while standing. Whooshes up my head. Shaking..

The difference Melly, is that I knew I was headed in the right direction and

expected some breakthrough symptoms to occur. You have to understand

that our brain gets use to a medicinal change in our brain chemistry and once

we start cutting back, it fights as tooth and nail because it wants that fix.

It's normal to go through withdrawal however you have to do it safely.

And that's why I say your doctor should be involved also because you are

on hydrocodone. Since I'm not a doctor, I don't know if you stay on 2 mgs

if the symptoms will quiet down esp with your severe anxiety. xx

[Melly1209 in reply to Agora1]

I took 2 again last night. I was so amped up before I took them but when I did I felt much calmer and was able to sleep. However, I woke up very early with a pounding heart and feeling very jerky. I only take them at night. Why he has me taking 3 mgs. at night seems strange. That leaves me with nothing thru the day. I am so agitated right now but can't take any until about 11:00 pm. I wonder why he has me taking them all at once at night? I don't think he's such a great dr after all. He is the reason I had to have that horrible surgery and he is the reason I have to wear a colostomy bag today. Time to find another dr I'd say.

[Agora1 in reply to Melly1209]

I'm sorry you are going through all of this Melly. You really need professional

guidance and that might take finding another doctor. It does seem strange to

take one big dose at night instead of spreading it over the day. Xanax is quick

acting but doesn't stay in your system long enough. So you come crashing

down in the morning. x

[blue-angel1001]

Hyperthyroid? Have you had thyroid hormones checked. I know jittery symptoms for me were a result of the thyroid so I am on propanlol three times a day!

[20minutes]

Hello Melly,sorry you're having such a rough time at the moment.As Agora1 one says I think the reduction in your benzo could be causing all your uncomfortable sensations.Im no doctor either but hav had withdrawal from meds over the years and certainly hav had some funky symptoms like you're describing-I have thought I was going crazy at times and felt I was crawling out of my own skin!It's horrible,sorry.Hopefully when your new meds start kicking in you'll feel much better;couldnt you stay at the 3mgs until you change to the new meds?And im no expert but could you possibly use the over sedation you described just to get you through this rough period;don't forget adjusting to a stoma is a huge thing(my mum had one)and that's enough anxiety by itself let alone all else you're going through?i do use oversedation myself at times to get through periods of heightened anxiety/stress.This is just my view but could you not work on reducing/addressing the possibility of dependence on the meds once you hav settled down and accepted your current situation?I don't know if im allowed to mention this but at worst for withdrawal further down the line from the meds-kratom is an excellent source to alleviate the withdrawal process(although safer than synthetics still best not to stay on it too long and end up like me!!)I do hope you find the solution and really do think you should change gp's(we have gp's(meaning doctors) in England-does it mean the same where you are?But I do think you need a more caring supportive gp if possible?God bless you Melly

[20minutes]

Dear Agora1,Peanutbuttercup, Jeff1943/Kel76 and anyone else who welcomed me into the group last year.Sorry it has taken me so long to post back on this site but it has been quite a journey.I did indeed get Claire weekes book "Self help for the nerves",thankyou for the recommendation it really helped,.Mostly to understand what had been going on and that I had in fact had a nervous breakdown.I needed to know this to know how to heal myself because to be honest,i got more help on here than I did through the medical profession(apart from my gp changing my medication to venlaxafine which has helped)Your words,support and advice really paid off thankyou.The strangest thing is as I became stronger ,around about December/January my Dad,who I was really close to and my best mate,started becoming weak,tired and having bad tastes when eating.To cut a long story short,my Dad was rushed into hospital January11th,kept in for two weeks and sadly passed on 27th January and wasn't even diagnosed until his passing(cholangiocarcinoma).I mention this because, as heartbreaking as it is and it has always been one of my greatest fears,whereas I would have expected to be pushed over the edge by such an event,somehow i'd become stronger than before my breakdown???Please don't get me wrong we are all shocked and gutted at Dad's rapid decline and loss but am amazed that by going through the anxiety/depression previously have been built up to deal with this life event of which I was convinced I would never have been able to handle.But I was wrong,im still here,have sad moments,still hav anxious moments/days but also have serene and happy moments too!I wanted to share this because anyone doubting they can ever recover from a nervous breakdown/severe anxiety and or depression,need to know it is possible to get yourself back as you would want to be again,honestly it is.I sincerely hope you are all well,love Steve Adams(20minutes)

[morgenfreewoman]

I might have missed some of the replys, but i'm gonna try chiming ind also. They key word here is SLOW-SLOW-SLOW. When coming of these powerful drugs, like benzos and anti-psycotics you really have to go slow. Like no more than 10% a week. So if you're on 3mg a day, thats 0.3mg a week, and as soon as you get side effect or withdrawel symptoms you gotta chill on the dose you're on or even go back up to the dose you were on the week before. The way to do this is to get one of those "drug" scales that can meassure 0.01 grams and then try to get 10% off your starting dose per week. Maybe you can handle more, maybe you can handle less, but 10% seems to by the rule of thumb as far as i can understand.

It's completely demoralizing that this is so hard and the very few doctors are able to help. Trust me, i understand.

I've found great comfort in youtube videos of people explayning different symptoms from withdrawel and they realizing that we all are different wich meens that we get different side-effects when trying to quit a drug.

Also would highly recommend "Getting off psychiatric drugs safely" by James Harper.

Last but not least, how is your diet? Food intake plays a much larger role than most people think. Looking into GAPS diets here might be a thing. Remember that something like 90% of the body's neurotransmittors are in the gut so whatever you stuff you face with will most likely affect you more than you think.

Hang in there, you just have to find your own way

[Yogi15]

Having a reaction to cutting the dose would be my guess. I am not a doctor but seems pretty obvious that a 1 mg reduction is a-lot if you have been on 3 for a long time. Maybe ask your doctor to try Klonopin with a longer half while reducing.

[Melly1209]

Thank you all for your replies! My dr won't order the blood test for my thyroid even tho he said he thought he needed to. He's sick of me but it't partlly his fault I'm in this mess. I live in a beautiful boarding house and am confined to my bedroom all day...everyday. And it's hard. Too much time on my hands. Imagination runs wild. In Nov. of 2017 I began experiencing severe lower abdominal pain along with massive diarrhea. I went to this dr and he ran a scan and sure enough I had an abscess on my colon. I've had diverticulitis many times before and it's dangerous. It nearly killed my brother several years ago. Anyway, my dr sent me home with amoxicillin and tylenol 3.Big mistake! He should've immediately admitted me to the hospital as my other drs did. The pain is so bad that once you're admitted they put you on morphine. He blew me off. I was hospitalized 7 times before they got rid of it. He was not involved. So it damaged my colon so badly that the surgeon had to remove my uterus, fallopian tubes and both ovaries. I don't believe he needed to remove the right one! Two feet of my colon has been removed thus the colostomy bag which drives me almost insane. I hate it. And it most likely can't be reversed. So I've been under an enormous amount of stress for a year and a half. My diet is terrible as the landlord doesn't allow us to use the oven and I don't eat fried food. So my diet consists of mostly sandwiches. Ugh! I am currently trying to find another dr. He used to be very kind and compassionate but since that surgery I've had to see him so many times that now he just blows me off. If anybody reads this...what are tge chances of having a seizure since I haven't stopped cold turkey? And has anyone experienced stress induced seizure activity? Again...thank you all for helping me. And yes...in America we refer to them as gp's ❤❤❤