hi i am new here and hope im posting in the correct area.was just woundering if anyone else here has been using xanax for a long period of time and having trouble with it now?i have been using it for 15 yrs @ 0.5-5x a day past 6 months now.i used to take 0.5-8 to 10x a day.i am trying to ween off it but is very hard and having alot of ..i think withdrawl symptoms..any ifo would be great..have a great day everyone

If you're trying to wean yourself off the meds....stop! This is something that truly needs to be monitored by your physician. Your body can have adverse reactions (that you may not even be aware of) if left unchecked. Your doctor needs to be actively involved in your downgrading process. I say this for your safety. You truly never know how you will react to coming off the meds. Good luck and best wishes for your sucess!

I agree with the previous p oster, This can be a dangerous drug to wean off of. You can have seizures if this is done incorrectly. You have to be under the care of a doctor while getting off this drug. Never try to do it yourself. This drug was originally intended for short term use, but some doctors put their patients on it long term, and then it causes the patient problems coming off it.

So please contact your doctor about weaning off. God bless and best of luck. Hugs, Lee

Hello, and I can relate to you. I am currently taking that med. I have been for the last 9 months or so, and do want to continue it, through the surgery time I have ahead of me.I will definately want OFF this medication after all is said and done. I will go to my doctor to get off it. I wouldn't try it myself as I have heard of these problems that go along with it. Good luck to you. Ginnie

thanks for the advice to all of you who replied to my post..i will see my doc

thank you so much for the advice i will see my doctor about it.

I started taking xanax 0.25 mg once a day back in 2002 due to panic attacks. I dont have these attacks anymore but somehow over the years I have increased it to 1mg x 2 daily. I cant sleep without xanax at night. I tried weaning but always failed. Sometimes i think " What the hell, just go on with it, its not going to kill me" I just feel that i cant live without it. On some days i kind of abuse it by taking 1mg x 4 just to get over a bad day. I am just sharing my "xanax life" with you. If you guys have some suggestions for me, I,ll be most happy to hear from you. God Bless.

Hi Royrand ~ I totally relate because I was first prescribed Xanax for panic attacks, and my doc kept refilling the prescription as she saw how anxious i was and how nervous. i've always been that way. so i continued takiing it, and like you if i was having a bad day, or something happened that upset me, i'd pop a pill. well, i became addicted to it, like i suspect you have. i didn't want to admit it tho. who wants to admit that they're addicted to something? i sure didn't want to. but i had to because xanax is a very DANGEROUS DRUG.

so i broke down and told my doctor that i had become addicted to it. afterall, she had prescribed it! but it wasn't her fault - i abused it. so i asked her how to get off it because you CANNOT JUST STOP IT. it's very dangerous to just quit cold-turkey. you could die. you have to wean off very slowly and your doctor should help you.

ask your doctor for a weaning schedule. this should be done under the doctor's supervision or you could go into seizures or die if you go too fast. so get a schedule and get off it. this is no way to live, believe me. god bless and take care. hugs, lee

ps - if you want to talk, let me know.