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From: Sebastian on 9 Aug 2008 04:57
Scribo "John" (2008-08-08 21:27):

>>> Ok, so I guess in your case benzodiazepines where no long term
>>> solution. I suppose it's very individual, since I've heard others who
>>> do fine and reach a stable dose after some time. Probably the only
>>> way to find out if it works long term for a certain individual is to
>>> try it? Sad, since there are usually very severe withdrawal symptoms
>>> associated with discontinuing usage that has been ongoing for more
>>> than a month or so.
>>
>> I used Xanax for about 20 years, and it worked most of the time, so
>> you could say it was a long term solution. But in the end I had to
>> increase the dose, and it still did not work.
>>
>> I think using Xanax (or any other benso) is OK for some months or even
>> years. For this sort of short time usage Xanax works very well indeed,
>> and I think it should be used that way. The drawback is that it is
>> extremely difficult to stop using it (as you wrote above).
>>
>> S.
>
> So, in the beginning, how long did it first take to reach a stable dose?
> And how many mg Xanax were you using per day then?

Just a couple of weeks.

> Also, how long time did it go between each dose increase after that (I
> assume that you periodically had to increase the dose to keep the same
> level of anxiety relief), and how much did you increase the dose each time?

Several years. I increased from 0.5 mg/day in the beginning then
gradually to 4 mg/day for several years, and in the last months to 10
mg/day.

S.
From: Sebastian on 9 Aug 2008 05:02
> Several years. I increased from 0.5 mg/day in the beginning then
> gradually to 4 mg/day for several years, and in the last months to 10
> mg/day.

Then of course I could not continue (no doctor would prescribe so much),
so as I wrote before I was hospitalized, and the dose was tapered from
10 mg/day to 1.5 mg/day very rapidly. I had hallucinations and several
epileptic seizures, which were caused by too fast Xanax tapering.
Luckyly enough I have no permanent injuries (both EEG and tomography of
the brain were done).

I have also tried 1 mg/day and I can't say I notice any difference.

S.
From: ~*LiveLoveLaugh*~ on 9 Aug 2008 14:12
"Sebastian" <none(a)none.com> wrote in message
news:v2dnk.1620$U5.770(a)newsb.telia.net...
>> Several years. I increased from 0.5 mg/day in the beginning then
>> gradually to 4 mg/day for several years, and in the last months to 10
>> mg/day.
>
> Then of course I could not continue (no doctor would prescribe so much),
> so as I wrote before I was hospitalized, and the dose was tapered from 10
> mg/day to 1.5 mg/day very rapidly. I had hallucinations and several
> epileptic seizures, which were caused by too fast Xanax tapering. Luckyly
> enough I have no permanent injuries (both EEG and tomography of the brain
> were done).
>
> I have also tried 1 mg/day and I can't say I notice any difference.
>
> S.

I went from taking 3 mgs. a day for 24 years to 6 mgs. in the last few
months before going into rehab (alcohol and pain pills... and Xanax). The
first week of detox was absolute horror. But, one year later (actually
today is my one year sober/clean date), I have not needed Xanax at all. I
take lithium (bipolar), Seroquel (which I'm tapering off from), Lexapro (20
mgs/day) and Trazedone (200 mgs. a day).

All is well!!! :)

--

�.��� �)) -:�:-
�.�� .����))
Laurie
((��.�� ..��
-:�:- ((�� �.�

*~*LiveLoveLaugh*~*

All that I am or hope to be, I owe to my angel mother.
~Abraham Lincoln



From: John on 9 Aug 2008 15:43
>>> Several years. I increased from 0.5 mg/day in the beginning then
>>> gradually to 4 mg/day for several years, and in the last months to 10
>>> mg/day.
>>
>> Then of course I could not continue (no doctor would prescribe so much),
>> so as I wrote before I was hospitalized, and the dose was tapered from 10
>> mg/day to 1.5 mg/day very rapidly. I had hallucinations and several
>> epileptic seizures, which were caused by too fast Xanax tapering. Luckyly
>> enough I have no permanent injuries (both EEG and tomography of the brain
>> were done).
>>
>> I have also tried 1 mg/day and I can't say I notice any difference.
>>
>> S.
>
> I went from taking 3 mgs. a day for 24 years to 6 mgs. in the last few
> months before going into rehab (alcohol and pain pills... and Xanax). The
> first week of detox was absolute horror. But, one year later (actually
> today is my one year sober/clean date), I have not needed Xanax at all. I
> take lithium (bipolar), Seroquel (which I'm tapering off from), Lexapro
> (20 mgs/day) and Trazedone (200 mgs. a day).
>
> All is well!!! :)

Laurie & Sebastian, now when looking back, how do you feel about the time
you were on Xanax? I get a feeling that you still found it helpful although
you had a hard time discontinuing it, is that right?

Also, since both of you seem to do fine on antidepressants (which also are
used to treat anxiety) such as Lexapro now, how come you didn't try such
medications first? From what I understand that is considered to be the first
treatment choice for anxiety (i.e. before trying benzos)?

Finally, in my case I have tried more than 5 different antidepressants which
also are supposed to have anti anxiety properties, but they have not worked
for me. I'm now considering trying benzodiazepines long term. Based on your
experiences and my situation, do you think I should do it or not?

** Posted from http://www.teranews.com **
From: Figaro on 10 Aug 2008 08:29
On Fri, 8 Aug 2008 00:52:17 +0200, John wrote:

>
> Ok, so I guess in your case benzodiazepines where no long term solution. I
> suppose it's very individual, since I've heard others who do fine and reach
> a stable dose after some time. Probably the only way to find out if it works
> long term for a certain individual is to try it? Sad, since there are
> usually very severe withdrawal symptoms associated with discontinuing usage
> that has been ongoing for more than a month or so.

This isn't correct. There may be a few people who experience severe
withdrawal symptoms after only a month, but they are the rare exceptions.

Benzos do cause physical dependency, but the degree of withdrawal
discomfort, if any, depends upon the individual. For example, I have had
little or no discomfort in discontinuing from 30mg of Valium or from 3 mg
of Xanax. Others do go through hell, particularly if they stop or cut back
too abruptly. According to Sebastian's earlier post, he was at 10 mg/day of
Xanax which is a dangerously high dosage level and would account for his
need to detox under supervision in a hospital.
>
> Is there anybody who successfully is using benzodiazepines long term that
> can describe how they found the correct dose? Also, in that case, how long
> did it take for you to reach a stable dose?

Well, I started at 15mg/day of Valium and escalated over about 3 months to
30mg/day; it is normal to develop a form of tolerance during the initial
stages as your body learns how to metabolize the drug more efficiently. I
increased it to 45mg on my own and felt much better, but got read the
compliance riot act by my doctor so I dropped back to 30 and went on the
anti-depressant merry-go-round to try to find supplemental relief - didn't
work. After a while my doctor gave me latitude to increase to 40 or 45
mg/day for short periods as needed. (Personally, I still think that
escalating to 40-45mg as part of the initial start-up regiment would have
saved me a great deal of grief, but that's H2O over the dam.)

My "correct dose" varies over time. Right now I'm running lower than my
previous levels, but that could certainly change.

All I can say about finding your right level is to start at your doctor's
recommended level, give it at least a month, evaluate your response and
increase as necessary until you feel stable.

Fig
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