xanax detox

[LDSpunkrocker]

Well its been a while since i really posted on here other than a few drive by comments, i managed to get myself addicted to xanax over the last few months. i have always had issues with anxiety and had a few "bad" panic attacks in my life, the last few months i had been feeling overwhelmed with life and everything going on in the world, i had been focusing on mostly the bad and started feeling alot of anxiety, road rage etc. the ER Dr. gave me some ativan a couple months ago and it seemed like a breath of fresh air, i could function, things werent bothering me anymore so when i ran out i tried to get more (i am uninsured medically) well the doc wouldnt prescribe anything so i decided to do it myself, i was able to get a bottle of xanax and started taking them as i was the ativan, one in the morning and one at night to sleep and i felt even better, well 2 months passed i ran out of the pills and last thursday i had the worst panic attack of my life, i thought i was having a heart attack, rushed to the hospital where the did nothing, i didnt even realize at this point it was the xanax withdrawals i was shaking constantly, sweating, hot and cold, i ate maybe one full meals worth of food in 6 days, sleep was impossible and by yesterday i was scared to death so i went into a detox center so they could observe me. i had a priesthood blessing sunday night and got a couple hours of sleep, my wife at this point was beside herself, she felt helpless and i felt like i was living a nightmare, i got home today, still a bit shaky and there are a few withdrawal symptoms i am having but it all pales in comparison to the last 6 days. i think this is possible the worst drug i have ever had to kick and i wasnt even using it to "get high" i thank heavenly father that i am making it through, it is not advised to detox off this stuff cold turkey like that but i was able to do it through the power of prayer, constant prayer and the blessings. i dont know if this is the right forum for this so i apologize. has anyone else been through this? how did you do it? what do you do after it runs its course? again i apologize, my mind is still a little foggy. i dont know if i could have done it if it wasnt for the priesthood, i should probably get in touch with my bishop and finally get myself to church. hopefully the missionaries stop by tonight, no one is home and i need someone to talk to.

[TruthSeeker]

Hey man,

I know how you are feeling. I started having VERY bad anxiety a couple of months ago and thought I had about every diease alive, and had a bunch of tests done and was told it was probably anxiety. The doctors put me on .25mg of xanax. I sometimes cut them in half, but it is a very small amount to take. I too usually take one before bed, and take one if I am going into a situation where my anxiety will be very high.

Panic attacks are no fun. I feel like im choking, my throat tightens up amongst other things. I will go a day or 2 without xanax but fear, a little bit, the day where I have to live totally without it. Here are a couple of things I do to help me not take the xanax:

1) Running

2) Just getting outside and feeling the sun on my skin(souds weird, but the fresh air really helps)

3) Yoga

4) I have changed my routine up and do things a little bit differently every day, as to keep my mind guessing a little bit

As for coming down from the xanax, I would imagine that it would be easier and maybe healthier to just decrease the dosage little by little, under a doctor's supervision. I understand that you said that you are not covered health wise, but if this is a money issue, I would ask your bishop if there are any services the church offers to help people like you and I to get through tough times like these.

Trust me man, I have been through a lot of physical agony and tough times, but nothing has made life as hard as anxiety. A lot is about how you control your thoughts and the way you breathe. I have been trying to give my anxiety to the Lord to handle. I have found that has helped me go a couple of days without taking a pill.

Good luck.

[LDSpunkrocker]

thanks man, today is day 7 without any xanax, i enrolled into a 3 night a week therapy so im hoping i can learn some better coping skills, on top of all the anxiety i also have pretty bad asthma so there are times where i tend to over use my rescue inhaler which dont help at all, just got back from a long walk with my dogs and that has helped , im still worried about bed time though, the thought of not being able to sleep and anticipating the anxiety isnt helping me either. i thought about tapering off but that would mean i would have to go back on it after these 7 days of hell and i dont know if i could do that. i have kicked other addictions so i know i can do this with the lords help.

be carefull with the xanax, benzo's are highly addictive but im sure you already know about that . you'd think that being in arizona thered be some sun today but its been overcast, hot showers seem to help me a bit. have you found what triggers your anxiety? im still trying to identify mine.

[ColorMEreal]

I'm not a doctor, but here's a few things that have helped my anxiety attacks 10 fold. Take two flax seed oil gel caps. They sell them at Walmart for around $8. I have no clue why it gets rid of my anxiety attacks, I just know it eliminates them. I've depended on these gel caps to help me cope with job interviews and first dates ect...

Also, I discovered that if you have bad acid reflux, heartburn or gird...it leads to even more horrific anxiety attacks. Treat your acid reflux affectively, then you'll also be treating the anxiety attacks.

[Nikkie85]

I have suffered from anxiety and depression pretty much my entire life. I would recommended maybe talking to your doctor about being on daily antidepressants and anti anxiety meds. They do not automatically work and take a while to get in your system but they have reduced my panic attacks to about once a year instead of three times a week. People who do not have anxiety do not understand how hard it is to function and why it is so easy to be addicted to xanax. When you take something that almost instantly makes you feel better its hard not to want to feel that way all the time. I currently take prestiq and celexa which together have changed my life. It might also be good to get some kind of therapy so you find what triggers you anxiety and learn breathing exercises to help when you are going into a panic attack. Good luck!

[TruthSeeker]

I have found that when I am in situations where I don't have total control of leaving or getting up and going to the bathroom that I get bad anxiety(classroom, meetings, etc.). Also, a lot of my axiety is related to sickness, so if I notice I have a little bit of a fever, runny nose or whatever, I jump to the absolute worst case scenerio and think that I am going to die. It is pretty rough.

[MaMeeshkaMow]

Exercise helps me a lot. I find that I can breathe better when my heart is in a good place. Also be specific in prayers like "please help me so I won't have panic attacks, anxiety attacks, etc"...I used to fear big groups/crowds (even church) and things I couldn't control. I would think that I would burst into some crazy words/noises in a big silent group (like sacrament meeting, Broadway play, you name it) Luckily I found out that Tourettes syndrome develops only in an early age. THe mind is so interesting in that you can convince yourself of odd things, which literally can affect your physical self (the panic attacks). If you physically take care of yourself (like exercise), your body is like "hey, I'm in control, get your mind to be positive..."

[Nikkie85]

I have found that when I am in situations where I don't have total control of leaving or getting up and going to the bathroom that I get bad anxiety(classroom, meetings, etc.). Also, a lot of my axiety is related to sickness, so if I notice I have a little bit of a fever, runny nose or whatever, I jump to the absolute worst case scenerio and think that I am going to die. It is pretty rough.

I do this too! Whenever I go to the doctor I am always a nervous wreck thinking they are going to come in and tell me I have like six months to live or something. I try to bring a book to read to keep my mind busy while I am waiting.