my dad just died and my doctor put me on xanax to help me sleep and now i wanna get off and i cant...how can i

Question

i ran out and now i am feeling so weird and my head is pounding ...I have never been addicted to anything but i am scared i am withdrawing from it..I am getting a refill tomorrow but i need to know how to get off of them..can i ween myself? please help!

Answer 1

First of all, please dont let the people on here telling you that you shouldnt be taking the xanax in he first place bother you! I lost my dad almost 2 years ago (new years) and its not an easy thing to deal with. Hot chocolate is NOT going to do the trick here people!! Know that it IS okay to take something to help you through this hard time. Talk to your dr about maybe a lower dosage or xanax xr (extended relase) which helps but doesnt make you feel drugged up, ya know? Thats what I have and now just take it as needed, which is maybe once a month, if that. Dont let you scrips run out...refill them when you notice you are geting low. Its better to be safe than sorry. I would recommend that you continue taking the xanax tho, even if it is a lower dose at least thru the holidays. This is the worst time of year for those of us who have lost someone close to us and its not the time to try to cure your grief with hot chocolate and bubble baths. I only wish life was that easy!!

Answer 2

Xanax is a very addictive tranquilizer and is also very helpful with sleeping.
The best way to get off those kind of drugs is slowly.
It you take one at night, then drop to 1/2 tablet for about a week and if you have to, go even lower. It's just a gradual process.
I did the same thing as you and ask my doctor about it. I was having panic attacks and felt like I was losing it. She ask if I was still taking the medicine. I had stopped and that is why I was having the problems. She said to gradually stop. After 10 days I am off of them and feel like I am in control again.
Good luck and God Bless you on the loss of your Dad.

Answer 3

You can ween yourself off. Just take less every few days. Break the pills in half or get a pill splitter. You can do it. You may have a bit of trouble sleeping or not. don't make yourself crazy worrying about it. Just lower the dose once or twice a week. Take it slow, keep the goal of getting off them in mind and you will be fine. Go one step at a time, don't rush, just lower it to nothing. Then take it every other day, every third day and it'll be over.

I took xanax when my father passed away, too. I'm sorry your Dad is gone. It is a stressful time. Take good vitamins, magnesium. Have warm baths, pamper yourself.

Answer 4

Yes, you can. I took myself off Paxil. Just remember - whether you do it with a doctor's help or by yourself, you will have withdrawl symptoms, so do it when you have a few days without work. I chose last year after Christmas, when the holidays were over and I didn't have to work.

Start cutting your dose little by little. For example, I was on 30 mg. For three days, I took only 20. Then for three days, I took only 10. Then only 5 for three days. I was able to do this because I had both 30 and 10 mg pills, and I cut them in half as needed. If you need to, break yours into little pieces and estimate the dose amount.

Here are some of the symptoms I experienced when I went off Paxil, after being on it for 6 months:
blood in stool
dizziness
nausea
vertigo
migraines
cold sweats
hot flashes

But it was well worth it. Prescriptions drugs wreak havoc on our bodies!

Answer 5

to start off with, I'm so sorry for the fact that your dad died.. my deepest condolences to you.

xanax, the sleeping medicine you take is a mere supplement to mentally give you the strength to fall asleep and set aside all the thoughts in your head. all the medication in the world will only help if you've set your mind to it that the medicine you're going to consume is for the better and that it is going to help you. if you think otherwise, the medication, no matter how high of a dosage, will definitely NOT help.

since you're going to stop taking this medicine, you should take an alternate "medicine" to fall asleep. you could take a glass of warm milk, light meals before hitting the bed or a glass of hot chocolate. these will aid to long sleeping hours. anyhow, as i said before, it's all in your head. if you think that a glass of hot chocolate can do the job that xanax did, it CAN!

all the best!

Answer 6

How much have you been normally taking? Try to cut down on it. Instead of a whole pill, cut it in half.

When you go in to get your refill tell this to your pharmacist or doctor. They can tell you if it is perhaps another medicine you are taking and the Xanax affected it somehow, or if there is something more serious like you are, in fact addicted to it. Good luck!

Answer 7

Have your doctor put you on xanax xr (extented release) which will slowly go through your body instead of the instint reaction of the normal pills. This will cause your body to become less addicted to the drug and after the xr they can bring you down to a safe level to get you off of it.

Answer 8

Best thing to do would be to wean yourself off. Take a full pill for the next seven days, then drop it to a half pill for the following seven days, then half a pill every other day for seven days...then you should be ok. I was taking xanax for anxiety, but my Doc wanted to switch meds...this is what he had me do to get off of it.

Ok, now for the disclaimer: this is not an intent to diagnose or treat any addiction, or to render medical advice. I am NOT a Physycian or any other healthcare provider (yet.) If you have further questions, you should direct them toward your Pharmacist or Physician.

Answer 9

I would never attempt to "ween" MYSELF off a drug like that without consulting my doctor. Don't allow yourself to run out---get your Rx filled until you can discuss wanting to come off your medicines with your doctor. A doctor can help you do this successfully so you have little to no side effects like you mentioned.
I'm sorry about your dad.

Answer 10

First off your Docctor was an idiot for prescribing xanax jsut to help you get some sleep. But you still need to contact him and ask him how to wean yourself off that junk. Pull up xanx on the net. What its side effects are will scare you.