Has anyone seen such a profound effect from stopping alprazolam before?

[willheal]

0.5-1mg daily

I've had to keep tabs on my heart rate for a recent paroxysmal arrhythmia to make sure the beta blocker is working.

Here goes (date on top, then time/BPM):



2015-03-02
06:45 68
14:56 78
22:45 78

2015-03-04
11:30 82

2015-03-05
00:44 78

SWITCHED XANAX->ATIVAN

2015-03-06
04:13 79
22:58 101, 101, 101 (possibly arrhythmia?)

2015-03-07
01:41 76 (after meditation)
04:27 99, 110, 100, 96, 92 (feels fluttery, I can't tell?)
05:25 79
16:23 130, 103
17:07 95
18:56 98
20:13 93

2015-03-08
00:04 97, 141
11:00 82
14:32 110
15:08 105
edit: These are all at rest. When there are multiple numbers I did them back-to-back to double check.

Whoa bro!!

I'm on 2mg daily of ativan to try and counteract the widthdrawal. I've always felt bad when stopping xanax therapy before but I'm never on it long! A month at a time. Stopping it is always so heinous. Good thing they switched me to Ativan because I'd probably be back in the hospital....

Does anyone else get such a whacky reaction to stopping?

[Two One]

Although I've never had to withdraw from a benzodiazepine, I do recommend you inquire about switching from Ativan to Valium. Valium has the longest half-life of all benzos. It provides for a smoother withdrawal process.

[gypsylee]

Although I've never had to withdraw from a benzodiazepine, I do recommend you inquire about switching from Ativan to Valium. Valium has the longest half-life of all benzos. It provides for a smoother withdrawal process.

Yep I think I went from Xanax to Valium. Valium is one of the "safest" benzos I think. I came off it cold turkey after many years without much problem - not recommended but it shows how much milder the withdrawals are compared to Xanax.

[willheal]

That's the thing too, .5mg for not too long and I'm experiencing severe withdrawal symptoms, even with the help of ativan? Something seems wrong

[gypsylee]

That's the thing too, .5mg for not too long and I'm experiencing severe withdrawal symptoms, even with the help of ativan? Something seems wrong

Nah Xanax withdrawals are pretty intense from memory (I haven't been on it for about 15 years). I haven't been on Ativan so not sure how that compares. Don't forget that in any withdrawal there's a psychological component which is often very underestimated. That doesn't mean you imagine symptoms.. Giving up smoking is mostly psychological and it's one of the hardest things to stop. Pills are a bit different but yeah.

[willheal]

Right now I'm on what my girlfriend calls an "adventure you'll never remember" at only 2mg of Ativan which should be shutting up the xanax withdrawals, but my teeth taste like metal and I'm getting fits of muscle tension, both of which remind me of the first time stopping xanax. I think it's been less about dosages for me and more about repeatedly using it and stopping over years. Does this make sense? Do I have anything to worry about here? It gets really bad when it peaks I just want to make sure I'm safe, medically

[willheal]

Another note I will never ever take xanax again in my life.

[gypsylee]

I've come off a few things cold turkey including a very high dose of morphine. I didn't sleep for a week and had shocking anxiety but I didn't end up in hospital. The only withdrawals you can die from are alcohol (done that as well lol) and perhaps heroin. So 0.5mg Xanax withdrawal with the help of Ativan should be ok :)

[willheal]

Thank you that is reassuring

I'm mostly worried as it seems to be raising my heart rate and I was just in the hospital for paroxysmal arrhythmias.

It's still below 110 though and I have a cardio appointment so I'm sure I'll be alive until then at least :)

Thank you

[willheal]

Well just went to the cardio today since I had an appointment with him anyway.

my EKG didn't show any arrhythmia (YAY!!!!) but holy crap they definitely caught my panic attack right on the paper. Looks like a kid scribbled frantically on the ekg machine.

They're upping my beta blocker and my ativan to stop this from ruining my life. The important part was the cardiologist said I'm not going to die, I just have to work on getting my anxiety in check.

With that reassurance I walked a mile home in the cold weather without even breaking a sweat. Unbelievable. That reassurance was extremely powerful.

[NixonRulz]

That is great news. Get the mind in check during times of calm. WHen you can think rationally it is easy to see where we go off the deep end with our thoughts

Keep kickin ass

[gypsylee]

Well just went to the cardio today since I had an appointment with him anyway.

my EKG didn't show any arrhythmia (YAY!!!!) but holy crap they definitely caught my panic attack right on the paper. Looks like a kid scribbled frantically on the ekg machine.

They're upping my beta blocker and my ativan to stop this from ruining my life. The important part was the cardiologist said I'm not going to die, I just have to work on getting my anxiety in check.

With that reassurance I walked a mile home in the cold weather without even breaking a sweat. Unbelievable. That reassurance was extremely powerful.

Excellent. But I told you that :-P

[willheal]

I had to go anyway--it was a follow-up after I did go into Afib and was sent to the hospital.

After I got discharged and cleared I saw a follow-up doctor. This guy scared the crap out of me by saying I'd never know if I went into arrhythmia, and I should be on other (harder) daily medications to keep my heart beat regular. That's where I got the heart phobias from.

I initially thought I would just be able to tell by feeling my chest and seeing if my heart beat wasn't synchronized, but that doctor said that was unreliable, I was in Afib and if I didn't have immediate medical attention I was going to have a stroke. (I of course wasn't in afib, I was just tachycardic, a beta blocker fixed that.)

He made me think I couldn't trust my own body/wasn't even able to diagnose my own heart status or say "I'm going to be ok". He literally stole all of my coping mechanisms After I told him I had severe anxiety and to stop he kept saying "no, I have to tell you about your condition" and continued to tell me about clots and strokes and such. It's like he was HAVING FUN.

Doctor today was really good. He told me that even if I WAS in Afib again, I'm at such a low risk for clotting, that I'm young, and that there's no way for me to die from this condition.

Just a huge freakin relief after having that bad doctor yknow?

[gypsylee]

I had to go anyway--it was a follow-up after I did go into Afib and was sent to the hospital.

After I got discharged and cleared I saw a follow-up doctor. This guy scared the crap out of me by saying I'd never know if I went into arrhythmia, and I should be on other (harder) daily medications to keep my heart beat regular. That's where I got the heart phobias from.

I initially thought I would just be able to tell by feeling my chest and seeing if my heart beat wasn't synchronized, but that doctor said that was unreliable, I was in Afib and if I didn't have immediate medical attention I was going to have a stroke. (I of course wasn't in afib, I was just tachycardic, a beta blocker fixed that.)

He made me think I couldn't trust my own body/wasn't even able to diagnose my own heart status or say "I'm going to be ok". He literally stole all of my coping mechanisms After I told him I had severe anxiety and to stop he kept saying "no, I have to tell you about your condition" and continued to tell me about clots and strokes and such. It's like he was HAVING FUN.

Doctor today was really good. He told me that even if I WAS in Afib again, I'm at such a low risk for clotting, that I'm young, and that there's no way for me to die from this condition.

Just a huge freakin relief after having that bad doctor yknow?

Ohh you're the afib guy! I remember your story; that was pretty scary and the doctor was a "bastard" :) glad you've got a decent one now.