Coming off xanax how long

You can experience symptoms as early as 6 hours after your last dose. They will begin to get worse over time and peak in their intensity around 48 hours after your last dose. Most of your withdrawal symptoms will be gone after 4 to 5 days. However, Xanax can permanently affect the brain, especially if you were a heavy and long-time user. Your brain will need time to heal and time to relearn how to function normally without the drug.

If you began taking Xanax as a treatment for anxiety, expect your condition to feel worse or more intense after you stop taking Xanax. Other long term effects that can be lifelong include psychosis, permanent cognitive damage, memory loss, and dementia.

You may also experience post-acute withdrawal syndrome PAWS that can also lead to withdrawal symptoms for months or years after quitting. With PAWS, you can experience classic withdrawal symptoms, drug cravings, permanent changes in mood, depression, social issues, and more. To better understand the effects of Xanax withdrawal, learning about the drug itself is critical.

Benzodiazepines are a class of drug that can be prescribed in the treatment of anxiety disorders, panic disorders, insomnia, and even seizures. They act on the central nervous system and produce a calming effect by enhancing the effects of GABA, a naturally-occurring chemical in the body. Xanax, or alprazolam, is a type of benzodiazepine that is highly addictive when taken in high doses. GABA is a natural sedative in the brain, responsible for slowing down particular functions and muting reactions to stress.

Over time, Xanax may cause the brain to stop producing GABA naturally, making the body completely reliant on the drug to achieve the same calming effects most people experience daily. Not only does this lead to increased risk of addiction, but extreme withdrawal symptoms. There are two forms of Xanax withdrawal symptoms — physical and psychological — both which can have detrimental effects on the body.

Since Xanax is a fast-acting drug with long-lasting effects, severe adverse effects can be had if it is not weaned off slowly. Xanax, being a central nervous system depressant, as it minimizes anxiety, stress, and panic attacks.

Xanax has also been used to reduce the risk of epileptic seizures, although this form of treatment is not considered mainstream.

People with a history of complicated withdrawal syndromes and people with underlying health issues should also work closely with their doctor.

Xanax withdrawal does carry a risk of seizures. Some women continue taking benzodiazepines throughout their pregnancy while others follow a dose tapering schedule. If you have acquired your Xanax illicitly, you can still work with a doctor to taper down your dose. Start by visiting a primary care doctor or urgent care center and tell them that you are in or are planning to be in benzodiazepine withdrawal.

If you are concerned about the risks involved in Xanax tapering for any reason, discuss these concerns with a doctor. You may be better suited for inpatient detoxification. While inpatient treatment is typically more expensive, it is covered by many insurance plans. When it comes to the long term management of getting off benzodiazepines, there are two directions you can go. Research shows that most stable, healthy adults will achieve long-term abstinence after completing a taper. The key to achieving this goal is to follow the tapering schedule to the very end.

By the end of your taper, you might be cutting pills into halves or quarters. Some individuals may be better suited for a harm reduction approach, in which the taper leads to a maintenance dose rather than abstinence. If you are ready to quit Xanax, you will need to meet with your prescribing doctor. Alternatively, you can find a free community health clinic with this searchable database from the U. Department of Health and Human Services. For more mental health resources, see our National Helpline Database.

Quitting Xanax takes time, patience, and determination. There will be days where you want to give up and give in. But with medical supervision and support, you can be successful. In the long-term, the health benefits to you will be considerable. Learn the best ways to manage stress and negativity in your life. Brett J, Murnion B. Management of benzodiazepine misuse and dependence. Aust Prescr. Updated July August Benzodiazepine dependence and its treatment with low dose flumazenil.

Br J Clin Pharmacol. Lautieri A. Xanax withdrawals duration, dangers, and treatment. American Addiction Centers. Updated February 4, Weeks four through eight: This time during the weaning stage no further reductions are made to allow the body to adjust to about half the dose it was accustomed to.

Weeks nine and beyond: Xanax dose is continually reduced by 25 percent until the individual is no longer taking the medication. If the individual has severe reactions to this reduction, some healthcare professionals will wait an extra week or more between dose reductions or reduce the dose by less than 25 percent to ensure withdrawal symptoms remain tolerable. In some cases, some individuals may be switched to a longer-acting benzodiazepine such as Valium while going through the tapering process.

Because Xanax is a short-acting benzodiazepine medication, it enters and leaves the body at a relatively fast rate, which can cause issues for people trying to come off of the drug. Nearly all individuals who wish to cease using Xanax alprazolam will need the help of a medication-assisted tapering program.

Call now to be connected with one of our compassionate treatment specialists. Individuals may start to decrease the amount of Xanax they take on their own but then experience intense cravings for the drug.

They may be able to resist the urge to take more of the drug for a while, but if they do give in after reducing their dose, they could take too much Xanax for their body to process at once, resulting in an overdose. Weaning off of Xanax in a controlled manner, under medical supervision, is the safest and most reliable way to stop using the drug. Medical supervision can also help an individual avoid potential adverse outcomes of Xanax withdrawal such as seizures and possible coma.

There are no quick fixes when it comes safely weaning off of Xanax alprazolam.