Ive posted here a number of times over the past few days on my quest to get stable.

Here's whats happened so far: I have been prescribed. 5mg of xanax for about 2 years with little issue (or so I know) until recently. I ran out of my medication and assumed that I would be ok if I stopped taking it over the weekend last weekend. On Monday I started having really bad tinnitus and then heart palps and dizziness so I asked if I should go to the ER and I went. I was given 1 dose of oral xanax and 4 to take home.

I think I may have induced some kindling because this week has now been incredibly bad with constantly feeling dizzy and persistent anxiety. My issue now is that I only have half of one tablet left from the ER and my follow up Dr appt isn't until monday. Initially I believed that maybe with a longer weekend I could pull off what I did last weekend and be done with the xanax but its clear that isn't going to happen. About 14 hours after my last .25mg dose I started to experience withdrawal again so I had to redose another. 25.

What should I do about the weekend? Should I try to see my doctor tomorrow and see if he can put in the refills for Saturday so I don't withdrawal over the weekend? I can't afford to play around with kindling anymore.

I don't even know how my Dr is going to respond to all of this.

Thanks,

I reduced my alprazolam (Xanax) dose a little too quickly, from 2 mg to 0.75 mg. I would like to know if anyone else has experienced these symptoms and how long they took to go away.

Tingling in my hands and feet.
Pins and needles throughout my body (this has already gone away).
Paresthesia (still bothering me a little in my back and arms).
A strange sensation in the skin of my thighs and shins. I don’t know how to describe it, but it feels as if my skin were numb, even though it isn’t actually numb.
Blurred vision (this was the least bothersome symptom, and it has already gone away).
Eye floaters.

When did all these symptoms finally go away for you? How long did it take to feel normal again?
I’d really appreciate hearing about your personal experiences. Thank you! 🤍

Hi guys, 5 weeks into acute flare after alcohol and a quick jump at the end of my taper (6 weeks ago since any Lorazepam.)

Sometimes I’m like I can do this, other times I’m like nope nope nope it needs to be over already.

I know it’s different for all, my gp seems to think within another few weeks then I will start having windows etc

Can peeps give me some encouragement I am fighting so hard and no-one around me realises how hard this shit is to conquer

Hi, me again. Anyone here who tried ketamine treatment such as MindBloom with even small improvements in depression or anxiety? I’ve read of people trying it -while- withdrawing with overall not positive results. However, I’ve read a couple of stories of people trying months after jump off with good results -one even saying it was “a lifesaver”. I’m at 15 months. Anyone here with direct or close indirect experience? Just struggling with my morning problem of “I am not at all interested in doing anything, how am I going to get through the day”? I am not sure how much longer this can go on.

Well, continuing my taper off what was once a 24mg a day clonazepam dose.

I was able to get the diazepam liquid compound covered and started using it. After the drop from 7.5mgs to 7mgs kicked my ass, I held for over a month. I was starting to level out finally around 5 weeks but I then got whats called "BPPV" basically where these crystals in your inner ear break loose and create horrible vertigo. I was not gonna taper more while dealing what that shit show.

Anyways I finally got past that wrench thrown into my situation and have been using diazepam pills for the bulk of my dose then using the liquid compound for the .5mgs I want to take off in whichever amount of time.

I started doing .1mg reductions every 3 days or there abouts from 7mgs and have made it to 6.6mgs total daily and will go to 6.5mgs total by Saturday, which will be a 2 week time frame. Then hold and see how it pans out.

So far I've gotten a few waves of not feeling good but nothing really harsh. My tinnitus is noticeable and a couple days I was getting pretty sweaty and some higher anxiety, but I'm used to it really kicking my ass then needing a few weeks to start to recover. Im trying to keep the same pace i would aim for before getting the compound, about .5mgs in a 2-3 week time frame. I kept it to 2 weeks off the bat to see how it'd feel doing it in that short time. Its not too bad. But I think doing .5mgs in a 3 week period would probably be better. Not quite sure. But I will say it is definitely better and was the right call. I seem to be pretty sensitive to dose reductions.

My psychiatrist has never done a micro taper as liquid valium for oral use is discontinued in Canada so it needs to be compounded. Thankfully he's on board and is willing to let myself be a test.

If anyone is struggling, or having a hard time going smaller than ¼ of a 2mg tablet, see if your prescribing Dr can get a 1mg/ml liquid script sent in because with a 1ml oral syringe its pretty easy to do .1mg reductions or even smaller. Has made a big difference for me so far. Tastes like ass but when only taking at most half a ML its not too bad lol.

Anyways, I'll update as I go. But I think this will be a game changer for me. As that last .5mg reduction done all at once really hurt. I dunno why, the drop from 8mgs to 7.5mgs went pretty smoothly, 7.5 to 7 really sucked. But I've stopped trying to make sense of what to expect with benzo tapering.

Started the year bad realizing I’m to old for this shit and need a change you know. Yea it affecting my marriage and family but damn worse it affects me. I don’t want to be a loser no more it’s not cool.

Rehab well atleast detox goes this my 3rd rodeo and honestly I’m scared.

I love my wife so much I feel like my body is tired sometimes but still wants to fight I just hope it his withdraw season is not so horrible because to be honest I hate them and never had a serious one or deadly withdrawal but still makes me scared cause I feel horrible and idk some detox places idk where I’m going now just went to the ER and told them..
wish me luck

I know they say the best and 1st step is to ask for help. I watched Spider-Man brand new day yesterday and realized that everyone loses stuff but we have a chance to keep getting up. Ofc with the love of my lord Jesus savior who is the reason I’m still alive…

Wish me luck went on a 8 month bender of 4-7 xans a day 2mg from Valium , kpins and Xanax

Doc canceled my appt. due to an emergency or something and i had to reschedule to 7 days later, which leaves me with 3 days with no meds. I have been on clonazepam for 15 years. I managed to taper from 2mg to .5mg and .25mg if i drink. My drinking wine has increased i think because of the rebound anxiety. Anyway I recently stopped the nightly wine consumption but having bad anxiety and palpitations. Will going 3 days without clonazepam be too much? I tried to get a bridge prescription but was told no prescription till Doc sees me on the 29th. I am very frustrated and want off this poison. My insurance tripled this year, and i could no longer afford it. In addition, my refill appoint costs me $250 for a 5 minutes. I have to take my next 3 month supply and taper and thats if he prescribes it, as he said he would. I know that me not having all the blood work and testing will cause him to stop prescribing it unless I can get back on insurance. Any thoughts are appreciated.

My boyfriend and I dated for 9 months, and then he ended up in inpatient detox due to severe withdrawal from benzodiazepines. After this, he spent about a month in rehab.

We tried for a few weeks after rehab, but he wasn’t communicating with me much at all, and eventually we ended things amicably.

During that final week, he became very distant and basically avoided me. He hardly texted me, didn’t call, and repeatedly avoided meeting with me in person to talk about what was happening. He kept telling me that, “things are hard,” but ultimately I was left feeling like I had no choice but to end things over text. When this happened, he was about at the 3 month sobriety mark, fully engaged in his recovery, and it seemed like things were getting better for him.

I’m trying to understand this better. For people who have experienced benzodiazepine withdrawal, addiction/recovery-Can someone genuinely be too emotionally overwhelmed to communicate with their partner while still being capable of attending meetings, seeing family, or doing recreational activities? Is there something about romantic relationships that can make them uniquely difficult during early recovery?

Since our breakup, I haven’t contacted him because I want to give him the space to heal without having to worry about one more thing.

I’m not looking to demonize him. I genuinely just want to understand what he may have been experiencing, from people who have been through it.

A doctor put me on Klonopin about 20 days ago for panic attacks. .25mg 2x per day. Since using it I’ve had extreme crying spells and started to taper off.

Monday - Both doses - Cried all day

Tuesday - .25 at night only - felt OK

Wednesday - .25 at night only - Extreme headache/dizziness and vomiting, minimal crying

Thursday - Felt so out of it all morning with a headache … deciding on evening dose tonight??

My symptoms seem to let up during the day time and I’m wondering if the evening dose is still too heavy , or if this is part of withdrawal?

Should I start tapering to .125mg tonight or will things get worse?

Just a quick reminder: I'm starting a benzo reading group to review interesting benzo related literature, starting with recent discussions on the distinction between BIND and withdrawal.

Please DM me if you intend to come along. Cheers

First reading:

Ritvo, A.D., Foster, D.E., Huff, C., Reid Finlayson, A.J., Silvernail, B. and Martin, P.R. (2023) 'Long-term consequences of benzodiazepine-induced neurological dysfunction: A survey', PLoS ONE, 18(6), e0285584. Available at: https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0285584.

First meeting: 20 October, 2026, 7:30 BST (2:30 EST)

Zoom log-in details to follow.

Last year I successfully tapered ativan/lorazepam. My mom is older and wants to wean off of ambien. There is not a liquid version and getting it compounded would be expensive. Has anyone weaned off of this and how did you do it?

So, I'm at the point where my doctor says I'm pretty much off the medication, I'm not at zero, but I'm pretty much there, and my brain needs to learn to live without the medication again.

It's been so many years since I have had to calm myself down, I have had a pill for so long. My doctor told me that this is why people have trouble going to zero, because they're used to taking the pills, and if you taper slowly enough, below zero is a mental hurdle.

And I admit, it's not easy, but I'm holding it together. I'm guessing it probably takes time, and it's going to be a while before I start feeling good everyday, but right now, there are moments when it is calm, and moments when it's not.

What did you guys do to help yourselves learn to cope again? I'm reframing everything like I'm back before I started taking the medication, I was able to live without anxiety back then. I will be able to do it again. I've also been realizing that I have no reason to be anxious, and also, noticing that my brain is a lot better at keeping me calm than it was when I was on 2 mg a day of clonazepam.

hi, I've been prescribed .05mg of ativan for nearly a year now as needed for panic attacks In the beginning I would take maybe one to two pills a week, and then go through periods where I didn't refill the prescription so I would go a few weeks without it. However in the past two months I have been taking it almost every day, the longest I think I've gone without it was a week and a half? It has gotten to the point that I don't even feel relief from taking it anymore. I think my ativan usage is what led to my increasing panic symptoms, making me feel like I need to take it more often- creating a nightmare cycle. Right now I am a little over 24 hours with no ativan and I think I am experiencing withdrawals, however, my psychiatrist said I haven't taken it long enough and a high enough dose for physical dependence to occur. I am experiencing intense depersonalization, the impending feeling of doom, intense chest tightness/pain, dizziness, and other really crappy symptoms. The thing is I know nothing is physically wrong, that these are all symptoms of my anxiety but I can't seem to shake them. I don't know what to do. I almost want to go to the ER because my symptoms are so bad and have been going on for 12 hours now, I haven't been able to stop crying and I am desperate for any sort of relief. However I don't know what they would even do, and I'm scared they would try to admit me into the psych ward- which I personally do not feel is fitting, I do not want to hurt myself or others. It is 10pm so I can't talk to my psychiatrist, I can leave a message but they won't see it until tomorrow and even then I might not hear from him until Friday or Monday. This feels like hell and I don't know how to tough this out.

Hi everyone, I am relatively new to this thread and its unfortunate I ended up here.

For background I have been prescribed .5mg of xanax for about 2 years now. Didn't always take it every day and would sometimes go a week or two without any with no issues.

Now I feel I have become physically dependent and the majority of my day is spent worrying about what to do.

This past week or so I ran out of my medicine early and had an episode at work and went to the ER where they gave me a .5 mg xanax and 4 to take home for the next week. My usual refill day is monday.

Should I make an appointment with my gp for monday and talk to him about wanting to taper?

I was going to try to quit this weekend as I have 4 days off and have been able to go days at a time in the past as mentioned. But I also don't want to kindle myself.

I'm really scared. I have no family support it is just me here to support myself and my dog.

Fwiw the ER doctor said the .5 mg rx was too low a dose to have severe wds on but im skeptical that hes well informed.

I also found a website called Safe Taper for a doctor who follows the Ashton manual but he doesnt take insurance and its 395 a month for that service and idk if I can afford that.

Thanks

So I am about 2 months finished with a year long taper off lorazepam and I have surprisingly felt okay minus a few lingering symptoms. For the most part I am doing way better than I thought I was, but am issue I am currently having is feeling emotionally overloaded. Pretty much the entire time I was on the medicine I felt like an emotionless zombie. Any emotion I was supposed to feel I knew I should be feeling it, but never actually felt it. Just never felt like myself, but ever since being off of it I feel everything. The happiness, excitement, love and any other good emotion feels amazing, but things like sadness and depression feel way heavier which hasn't been the greatest.

I know this isn't a terrible symptom like I know many go through having gone through a ton of bad symptoms myself, but just wanted to hear from anyone if you have had this and if so did it ever get better.

Hello I’m a 22M, I’ve been taking 3 mg of Xanax everyday for a year and 2 months(1mg Xanax 3 times a day as needed). Im tired of freaking out or going manic if I don’t have my prescription on me or freaking out because my body and brain stopped naturally calming its self down without Xanax. I can easily get down to 1mg a day but after that it’s hell and I don’t know what to do to taper. I’ve never tapered Xanax or any Benzo before and I’m worried I’ll do it wrong and end up in the hospital( I’m a hypochondriac). I work a lot as I’m a final inspector at an oil and gas company. I just want to be free and not be chained down to this drug.

I had an appt with my GP today to discuss slowing my taper down and they’re checking if they can switch me to liquid as my symptoms have skyrocketed.

I started at 20mg diazepam, even though I probably should have started at 40mg if not 60mg. Last week, they cut me from 3mg to 2mg. I genuinely haven’t felt worse than I do right now.

I have nonstop migraines, I want to rip my skin off, I get random whole body twitches, my appetite is gone, and a new one for me, I can’t sleep. I rarely stay up past 10pm but I’ve been up un til 4am.

I think worst of all, I feel defeated. There is no danger m/safety risk but if this is how it will feel even just next week, I don’t know how to do it. My partner is out of town and I’m alone with my thoughts and misery and it all seems too hard to handle.

I’m so close but it needs to get easier. I just need some support and success stories.

How long do ur waves usually last? So far, my waves last 6 months. Then I'll get a window that lasts about a month. Right now I'm going through the hardest wave. It's every single day for 5 months. It's crazy. I need a break. I really hope by next month it will ease up. When BIND 1st started, it was every day for a month. Now, in year 2 its everyday for 5 months. Thought it's supposed to get better, not worse. Fewer n far between. Not more frequent n more severe.. this shit sucks!

Hey all, been on Diazepam 10mg for years steady

Main issues are Agoraphobia and severe anxiety

Dr has agreed to prescribe Pregabalin as past experiences with SSRI’s were horrible. Is it a good idea to taper down to 5mg Diazepam alongside a minimum dose of Pregabalin (150mg a day) and see how that goes or stick to the same level of Diazepam to begin with

What are the main differences in how the Pregabalin will make me feel in comparison

Is this a sensible way to think about tapering down the Diazepam? (I obviously get that Pregabalin has dependency issues too but not as bad a rep as Benzos)

Any advice/ help much appreciated TIA

Been on 20 mgs for just under 6 months. Nightly.

Have lowered down to 17.5 it’s been almost a week and besides the headache and head stuffiness feeling I’m feeling okay. Still sleeping well.

How long before I drop another 2.5?

Is it necessary to switch to diazepam for the taper when withdrawing from clonazepam?

Are there cases of people successfully tapering off clonazepam directly, slowly reducing the dose without switching to another drug?

I have been on and off diazepam for nearly 7 years, I had a long break from them in 2021-2024 only using them rarely for severe panic, I have been on 40mg roughly from end of 2024 to end of 2025 I went down to 10mg a few months and now I’ve been on 5mg for a few months and I’m stable and found it fine, my doctor was trying to taper me from 40mg-0 in three weeks and I was in and out and the emergency room with uncontrollable shakes, the feeling of not able to breathe and panic attacks so severe they lasted back to back 11 hours with a few minute break between each panic attack, my heart rate spiked so high the paramedics said I needed to be seen; despite this my doctors still firmly think rushing the taper is the best way no matter how hard I’ve tried to explain it’s not safe, there for I have been stock piling my diazepam prescription of 2mg a day and bought some, which alllowed me to do the taper at my own pace, I’m now on 4.5mg and all the other reductions have been rough but bearable but this reduction is writing me off with anxiety, is there any herbal supplements or anything that can help with the last stages of tapering and the unbearable anxiety I can’t do any thing day to day without panic attacks, I’m also on 150mg modified release quetiapine - I tried L theanine and it helped slightly but my GP said it was a dangerous combination with diazepam and quetiapine- I don’t react well to any SSRI or SSRNI so that’s not an option and same with pregablin they all have negative impacts

What has going through this taught you about yourself, life etc, has it changed you?