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Withdrawal of alprazolam

Posted , 8 users are following.

king23460
king23460

Has anyone suffering from withdrawal of alprazolam I have suffering from dizziness tingling numbness in left side and heavy head is this curable I am taking paxil everyday

0 likes, 11 replies

11 Replies

  • mariano
    mariano king23460

    Posted

    Depends how much you are taking....I take 2mgs spread over the day...I tried cutting down and got awful off balance feeling...plus anxiety went through the roof...My DR told me to just break off a tiny bit for 2 weeks, then another ,and so on...Please dont stop them completely all at once...its not recommended...it can cause seizers .Do it very slowly, even if it takes a year...Hope you get off them safely...xx
  • Jhow21
    Jhow21 king23460

    Posted

    You have to taper off benzos slowly. The dr usually writes out a regime to follow to avoid severe withdrawal signs and symptoms. I followed the ashton manual. 
  • steven47549
    steven47549 king23460

    Posted

    I have a good deal of experience with this subject. I’ve been on Alorazolam for three years, and have been actively trying to get off it for one year after realizing my tolerance had built up and that it had become  detrimental to my daily functioning.

    I almost got off it completely by doing a very slow taper about seven or eight months ago, then a doctor gave me a insane amount of pills and I found myself “relapsing” (even though I was technically never exceeding the maximum prescribed dose, this doctor just prescribed it like candy). 

    I’ve made steady progress doing a faster taper over the past few months, definitely not cold turkey, but I attribute my success to the fact that I’m very preoccupied with achieving other goals in my life right now, so I’ve been able to power through the discomfort (I’m still doing this under doctor supervision though). 

    What I have found is that seemingly every symptom you can imagine is able to be elicited by alorazolam withdrawal. That includes dizziness, balance issues, amplified anxiety, palpitations, digestive problems, and I’ve even read some complaining of skin problems. Don’t push yourself, but some discomfort is mandatory. Getting off it is not going to be easy, even if you take it as slow as possible. In my case, I initially started developing withdrawal between doses when I was simply taking a consistent dose daily, this was due to tolerance. 

    I wish you the best of luck, it’s hard, but it’s also doable and you have tons of options when it comes to tapering. Some people cross over to a longer acting bento for tapering processes (as you know, alprazolam is relatively short acting), but  that’s all stuff do discuss with your doctor.

    Also, the symptoms will come and go, it’s not always a linear process. One week you may feel great and stable, the next you could feel worse even though the dosage hasn’t change. I don’t know why this is, but I’ve read enough anecdotal accounts, in conjunction with my own experiences, to know it certainly can be the case. 

  • Guest
    Guest king23460

    Posted

    The trade name for alprazolam is Xanax. I quit them cold turkey, but I was only on a low dosage-.25 mg/day as a sleep aid during a period of heightened anxiety. Took them nightly for about 6 months.

    My hands and feet felt fuzzy/numb for a few days after I stopped. And I felt a little uncomfortable, as you would if you quit smoking. That's about it. But, I was only on a light dose-effects from quitting are probably greater with increased dosage.

  • lee12629
    lee12629 king23460

    Posted

    My doctor said if I ever decide to quit,it must be done slowly,you can not quit taking it cold turkey. Please google about how important it is. Ive heard of doctors taking a patient off cold turkey,dont they read about the meds they prescribe?
  • magmag1116
    magmag1116 king23460

    Posted

    Hi everyone who replied to this post , I am a Benzo dependency victim too. I am on 15 mg of diazapam and needed to wean off too. I am seeing a psychiatrist for close medical supervision . I want to ask during the withdrawal or tapering (on a very slow pace) are the withdrawal symptoms bearable ? I am really scared . Please advice 🙏🏻

    • steven47549
      steven47549 magmag1116

      Posted

      Yes, the symptoms should be bearable, though you are undoubtedly going to experience some degree of discomfort. A lot of it depends on your mindset, in my opinion, since one of the biggest side effects can be rebound anxiety. The physical things are bad as well, but if you can attribute them to withdrawal and view them as part of a process necessary to improve your life, then you will be fine. You’re doing this with medical supervision and you aren’t going cold turkey, so physically you will be fine. Try not to worry about the process and find other things to focus on if possible.
    • lee12629
      lee12629 steven47549

      Posted

      I think the main thing is a slow taper under doctor supervision. It can caus seizures if done too fast.
    • steven47549
      steven47549 lee12629

      Posted

      Agreed, though I’ve found that different physicians have  different definitions of what “slow” means. I’ve had some recommend cutting .25 every two weeks, which many people would probably find to be incredibly fast (definitely faster than the Ashton manual recommends, I believe). I do think that the average dose taken at the start of the taper process is a big factor as well. When I was on 2mg a day, I suffered tremendously from even the slightest cut. I’m currently working on getting down from .5mg now and it’s a much easier time for me personally (but I know everyone is different).

      Never cold turkey, and listen to your body and doctor. 

  • Guest
    Guest king23460

    Posted

    Hi king,

    You are under doctors supervision so I would not worry too much. As long as you taper down slowly and under supervision you should not experience anything you can't handle. Just take it slow and easy.

  • johnkov
    johnkov king23460

    Posted

    As mentioned before - you would need to follow the Ashton manual (Google it). It is extremely difficult to stop alprazolam due to its very short half-life time. Most strategies rely on replacing alprazolam with an equivalent dose of diazepam (0.5 mg alprazolam = 10 mg diazepam) and then taper off diazepam. The process is likely to take many months...
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