Needmylifeback: Dr was weaning down Xanax and replacing with buspar; I need off buspar asap!

[Needmylifeback]

First off I apologize if I am starting this in the wrong place. Without a doubt, I blame the buspar! It's as if I can't think thru anything anymore or keep simple tasks straight in my head anymore.

 

I have a lot of endocrine issues and have many drugs for those. One of which recently changed it's formulation. So I have been experimenting with varying titrations of multiple meds for thyroid and hypertension to compensate for the this new hcg formulation. But I still am sweating and clammy cold so severely I can't get off my heating pad 24/7. Plus with three new aggressive hypertension meds, and a low well controlled BP each morning, I have spikes in BP and head rate by midday. Today I finally tied all my exhaustion, grogginess, drenched from being sweaty clammy, inability to focus, lightheadedness, and tons of others to the buspar I was started on back in sept/oct. I now want OFF this drug asap!! I feel flat and hopeless all at once on this med! Which I initially thought was the drop in Xanax. But I am now convinced by how many other side effects I am having that it's the buspar.

 

I am one tough sob. I cold turkey off of anything. Alone. But... I now have a relationship I care deeply about! I cannot put him thru the hell of withdrawal (I typically wait until my kids will be gone for at least one week and let it rip! Even ct off a high dose of fentanyl patches). And buspar is affecting my heart and liver. I can't risk a cardiac episode. But if I can't get off this quickly, I won't be able to pull off Christmas!!

 

So from reading posts here it seems -10% every 2-3 weeks is recommended. Ok so I can't be off it in time to save Christmas but I think it was late sept or oct that I began this med: 7.5mg bid for one month, then 15mg bid for one month, then 15mg x2 in am, x1 pm. I was supposed to go up to 30mg bid but refused to go up based on my instability. I was wanting to reduce my pm dose... I can do 10% for that. But I need that am dose to go down as dramatically as possible!!

 

I have liver issues which are irritated and have been anorexic (not nervosa!!) for years due to other causes and have only been eating again for 8months. Now am nauseous again! And completely anorexic. Plus am freezing cold and drenched in sweat and unable to leave my bed within 40mins of taking buspar in the morning.

 

Can I safely take the am dose down more dramatically upfront?? What am I watching for, both safe and unsafe signs of withdrawal??? I need to know what to watch for so I don't adjust something else by mistake. Like I said, I have A LOT of issues being treated right now and this drug is feeling like it's at toxic levels right now. Most issues and meds I have flexibility in titrating on a daily basis.... So I need to be sure what symptoms I should attribute to this drug and it's withdrawals.

[Petunia]

Hi Needmylifeback, I moved your post from tapering to here.

[Meimeiquest]

I think it would be worthwhile for you to share your whole medical and medication history. There is a thread somewhere on making a signature. Endocrine meds interface with psych meds.

[Needmylifeback]

No dang!! I was so hoping my cardiac meds and endocrine meds would not be a factor. I think I am really hating where I am at right now!!

 

I actually thought I had typed in my meds history somewhere .... But I am a bit lost! And I don't know how to connect it to my posts yet. Plus I only listed the meds I thought were relevant: opiate pain meds, muscle relaxers, hydrocortisone, Xanax, buspar. I did not include my hormones as I see those as a necessary evil since my pituitary stem has been severed and effects everything "downstream" from there.

 

I can construct a more thorough medication history and then try to find out how to attach it as my signature. I need to travel to meet my fiancée family in 36hrs .... Rough since I have zero energy or ability to think thru things on buspar ..... So it may take me until next week to finish this task. Don't give up on me!!

 

I am hoping my recent introduction to buspar will allow me at least rapidly retreat to my previous dose of 15mg bid, Nov 23 we raised it to am 30mg/pm 15mg. Has anyone here caught problematic symptoms less than 3wks into a new higher dose and been able to back out more quickly?? I have not been on these classification of meds for long at all. The Xanax began feb 2011.... And from start of oct-late nov went from: {Xanax 1/2 0.5 tab 4xday} to {1/2 0.5tab 2xday} after reading here I will change that to be stretched out over four doses throughout the day again but overall at the lower overall daily dose.

[Petunia]

Welcome to the forum, I'm sorry you are having bad side effects from Buspar.  I have taken it, not in such high dosages, but did experience some side effects, mostly dizziness for a couple of hours after taking it.

 

Meimei is right, we really do need to know more about your medication history before we can offer any suggestions, here is information about how to add this to your signature:

 

http://survivingantidepressants.org/index.php?/topic/893-please-put-your-withdrawal-history-in-your-signature/

 

We generally recommend tapering Buspar by no more than 10% as with all psyche meds, but because you only increased your dose very recently, you may be able to reduce it again at a faster rate, but I'm hesitant to suggest anything, your situation is complex.  If you have started or stopped other medications, this could be a factor.

 

Here is our link for tapering Buspar:  http://survivingantidepressants.org/index.php?/topic/3210-tips-for-tapering-off-busipirone-buspar/

 

Once we have a clearer picture of your history, we will be able to offer more help.  Please don't stop any medications suddenly, withdrawal can be very unpleasant and last a long time in some people.  You may be able to get away with it once, but there is a limit to how much flexibility our nervous systems have.

 

I hope you have a pleasant trip.

 

Petu.

[Altostrata]

Welcome, Needmylifeback.

 

Here's a place to check drug interactions http://www.drugs.com/drug_interactions.html

 

The more drugs you take, the worse the effect on your overall health. You may wish to discontinue all unnecessary drugs, including a stomach acid blocker if you happen to be on that for anything but truly severe chronic acid reflux.

[Needmylifeback]

Thank you! Dr has not called back yet after I urgently called yesterday morning. I am in really bad shape.... Struggle to be out of bed even 20mins an entire day! Can't do simple simple tasks (run the dishwasher, hang up clothes) seriously basic tasks. Not to mention the symptoms that are giving me significant cardiac issues.

 

I was struggling but assumed it was the adjustment from decreasing Xanax and adding in buspar. But since last dosage change nov 23 (buspar up to am 30mg, pm staying at 15mg; Xanax from 1/2 of 0.5mg tid down to 1/2 of 0.5mg bid) my BEST day I managed to eat a small handful of dry fruit and nuts and managed to hang up two shirts from the laundry. And can't even fold laundry for the life of me!! It's bad. I have a few dozen symptoms being caused by the buspar right now.

 

So last night I took 90% of a 15mg buspar and my typical 1/2 of a 0.5mg Xanax. This morning took a leap of faith: took the 1/2 of 0.5mg Xanax and only ONE of the 15mg buspar .... Since I wasn't anywhere close to this bad 2 1/2 weeks ago on 15mg buspar bid. My thinking is if I find this is too much of a change I can always take the remaining partial dose, a titration of the second 15mg pill in smaller doses throughout the day .... Since 30mg first thing in the morning takes me from feeling pretty good to completely miserable within 40mins!!! And today I will begin spreading my Xanax out over the day four times a day, 1/4 of a 0.5mg, since I did well taking Xanax 1/2 a pill four times a day.

 

When people say they do an initial cut, what are they referring to? I realize a 50% reduction of the morning dose (33% overall) sounds radical.... But it's the same dose I was on for one month until just 2weeks ago. So as an initial cut, this may be ok. But I am curious what others mean when they do an initial cut??

[Altostrata]

You may be experiencing withdrawal symptoms from decreasing Xanax.

 

When did you go on Buspar?

[Needmylifeback]

I was actually Rxd a variety of nutraceuticals for my underlying malnutrition and the inability of my body to absorb or synthesis things from food, like VitD. But recognizing all possible interactions, I just couldn't. So a very focused whole food diet... And then only the smallest amounts of anything absolutely necessary. Only hinky item is Gatorade. I know.... But I was drinking 3G water/day and still ending up dangerously dehydrated with serious heart issues. This does help.

 

The OTC I use are done sparingly and only when the need is high. Aspirin, plain generic uncoated, is the most common... 1-3 pills less than once a month with some months consecutively needing none.

[Altostrata]

Put ALL the drugs you take regularly into the drug interactions checker and see what comes out.

[Needmylifeback]

Initiallly last mon, DEC 2, I began calling dr bc I believed it was all from Xanax decrease. So after four days of persistent calling finally got ok to not reduce Xanax further. Have been on reduced Xanax of 1/2 0.5mg tab bid (down from 1/2 tab x4/day) since Nov 11. Symptoms worsening.... Becoming dangerous through Nov to end of month. By end of Nov on new buspar dose (30mg am; 15mg pm) wake up feeling well.... Tank soon after taking mid-morning meds (hydrocortisone, synthroid, buspar 30mg) which I take between 9:30-11am including my BP going from 100-120s/60-80 to >160-200s/90s-130s!! Plus since my injuries my resting heart rate has been 60-80s; on buspar it's been trending dangerously high. On am/pm buspar 30/15mg, my resting heart rate is 90s-120s. This is while on cardiac meds, needed on buspar are at 4-6x the dose needed when heart was stable, plus we have added additional medication for cardio.

 

These are just some objective markers. My subjective Sx are even worse. Yesterday I could not have made a post like this, my brain was so blocked. I need to sit down with my charting and analyze exactly which doses of which meds (Xanax/buspar) created what symptoms. Less than one week after increasing am buspar to 30mg, I was suicidal and felt chemically toxic (have had chemical toxicity before). I needed to urgently reduce my intake! Yesterday I could not have dressed myself and sat up to be driven to airport and put on plane. On 90% of 15mg buspar pm dose last night, and only 15mg this morning instead of 30mg - and taking it at 5am so that misery occurred from 5-10am then slept for a couple of hours and for the first time since OCT I woke up feeling rested! Not drenched in sweats, not clammy shaky and freezing, not in an incomprehensible fog, not feeling poisoned. First time since oct.

 

Spoke with my pharmacist to recreate and confirm what days each dose change occurred. He agreed that taper rec is 10% managed by dr.... But also thought that I should be ok to take the am dose back down to 1 buspar 15mg; instead of the 2 buspar 15mg I was placed on Nov 23. My thoughts are if withdrawal symptoms begin I can: take One 15mg each am/pm, take 10mg (a 5mg reduction from an overall 45mg/day dose) titrated in smaller doses throughout the day. Perhaps the 10mg divided to take equally 3 times during day... In between the am and pm doses. All I know is that a 50% drop in my am dose has given me a life today!!! So I will scramble to prep for travel tomorrow. Then sit down to analyze exact symptoms emerging with regards to the varying changes in dosages

 

What a nightmare. At this point my overall goal is to have buspar cleared from my system as fast as possible. Outside of severe problems like a cardiac failure, I don't really care how miserable it is, bc it won't likely be worse than the miserable existence ON buspar. Then take a longer view to go off the Xanax. My attitude now is that I just cannot risk the issues associated with these type of meds. I will post more accruate dates/doses and changes when I can stop and analyze my charting notes. So very grateful I have them to reference!!

[Needmylifeback]

I am thrilled to be functional today! And I stopped to Eat! I love having an appetite today and I used this time to begin making summaries of the changes in Xanax/buspar from my notes.

 

Xanax began feb 2011; been on 1/2 of 0.5mg Xanax x4/day (Rx was for One 0.5mg Xanax bid; I did much better spacing it out!)

 

Buspar began sept 10th @ 7.5mg bid; Sept 29th increased buspar to 15mg bid; Oct 3rd still 15mg bid; Nov 23rd buspar am 30mg and pm 15mg. Symptoms too severe to endure or change anymore by Nov 30th.

 

Dr had me drop Xanax by -50% of daily mg dose in only 16 days! From Oct 6-21, he took me from 0.25mg Xanax x4/day to 0.25mg x2/day!! I am furious. That was dangerous. And then when I called to say I needed to go back up a bit on Mon Dec 2nd to survive, it took four days to just get the message thru to my dr. I am appalled at how callously my safety and well being was treated. Following the recommended tapering of 10% red for 1month, I would not be at this low of a dose until May 5th!! So I plan to be extremely assertive about how recklessly he had tried to make this change.

 

I need off buspar first and foremost. Then after I have been completely off buspar for a few months and stable.... Then we can talk about tapering the Xanax at a responsible rate. And I need the flexibility to hold at a dose or even add back in a partial dose on dangerously low days. I did that on Dec 1st bc my reactions were dangerously severe. And have been fine back down on the low dose of Xanax since, but on that one day, I needed more. From my reading here it seems that does happen occasionally while tapering when the WD Sx are too much.

 

So far today feel great, clear headed, tired bc I am doing much more, enjoying an appetite again.... No signs of any WD Sx at all... Even though I did a redux of -33% ttl daily buspar dose, by taking only 1 of 15mg buspar (instead of 2 buspar 15mg in am) this morning, which is a -50% redux of my entire am dose.

 

Does the timetable on Xanax/buspar help?? I am hoping that since the new buspar dose of 2 of 15mg each morning began Nov 23, that I may be okay to drop back to my prior dose of 1 of 15mg buspar in am just this once. Only bc it's been a fairly new increase in dose.... So far for day one it's better. Back up plan is to take 10mg divided into 3 doses throughout day, in between am/pm doses. But I am Hopefull I won't need that titrated 10mg.... Hoping my body will respond positively to having the toxicity of the higher dose being removed.... That I won't have negative backlash from this one initial cut. Has Anyone had any similar experience with a new higher dose for a short time period, and being able to back it back out to the prior dose???

[Meimeiquest]

The only thing I would watch out for is how much Xanax WD you are having. A few weeks after I stopped my AD, it seemed my body detoxed to a point where it metabolized the benzo faster, even though the dose was the same. My BP went to 180/110, high pulse. Consensus was that it was AD withdrawal, but leading symptoms (especially sound sensitivity) are the same whenever I cut the benzo. Just to be aware that it is probably Buspar, but the Xanax reduction could have an impact. It is probably really about autonomic dysfunction, which could just be agitation about med changes in general. Just observe yourself carefully with an open mind, and things will become clearer over time.

[Needmylifeback]

Thank you!! In spite of the haze I have been under.... Which sept/oct I attributed to major life changes: new fiancée, merging households, mine of which was in one bedroom in a condo + multiple scattered storage units, and suddenly trying to be a function adult every evening which I have not been functioning as for nearly six years. So I hadn't even stopped to question how aggressively he had reduced my Xanax! I just believed I tried too soon to do too much. While that's is true!! Lol! I now am seeing how the Xanax withdrawal played into that and even more so my personal toxicity on the buspar.

 

The more I dig, the more aware I am that buspar should never have been considered for my conditions.

 

My one piece of advice is: chart!! Chart every dose, every day, every symptom, every stat.

 

Bc even in my sickness and haze, the things I scratched out each day allows me to see the bigger picture of what's gone on these last few months. I would be in bad shape if I didn't have my notes!! I will watch for any additional Xanax withdrawal which I did feel as I did he such a dramatic take down.... But I have not changed and gone any lower on the Xanax since late oct. And I do feel pretty stable there.

 

I need to better understand what you mean by the Benzo metabolizing faster?? So if xanax is a benzo will I feel increasing tolerance = some degree of withdrawal, as I move further away from my last decrease in dose?? Or will my Xanax dose affect me differently bc I am tapering actively the buscar?? I am just trying to push thru my fog to understand what you are giving me a caution to watch for . Thank you all for your help this far!!

[Needmylifeback]

Update:

Trip almost over.... Have done fine with a big drop in am buspar dose! Saturday DEC 14- had some sweaty clamminess... But I am living in a very dry climate, and am visiting a place with increased humidity. So I am not sure if it ws WD or just adjusting to the humidity around me. But I have not had any other symptoms... And while I still need more sleep than most, I have been able to get up and do everything that was needed each day

 

So very glad I backed off that high buspar dose!!! When I get home I will begin slowly backing down off the buspar entirely.

[mammaP]

Glad you are doing so well and enjoying the trip away. Thank you for sharing it with us. 

[MrAnxious]

I have to say that when I went to 30mg of buspar it was too high and settled at 20mg. I think though your xanax is a bigger problem than buspar because buspar has a very low effectiveness in a lot of people but that's just from what I've read and experienced. Like any drug you must taper off slowly else you will bring out the withdrawal monster. Its really hard to tell what is what when you are introducing so many different drugs into your system. I hope you are feeling better and just remember don't rush, that's when bad things happen and it sounds like you are sensitive to pysch meds.

[Needmylifeback]

I have checked for list of CNS meds.... And know that drs have tried them here and there when I was rearended badly-> severely pinched nerves, chronic splitting migraines, insomnia induced by the pain, etc. Neurologist threw the kitchen sink at me!! The chiropractor fixed me ;P six years later.

 

In that time I went on and off several of these categories of meds w/o any issues. And I know we cut some out cold! The buspar caused symptoms of toxicity... Especially in my liver which cannot process certain meds thru it. Buspar was worse than using Tylenol based meds which almost killed me! Buspar is metabolized in the liver. So I am convinced that that the primary reason I feel so toxic on it. And I feel fabulous down to 15mg bid!!

 

I am holding my Xanax at the level it's been at since oct 21. Dr took me down dramatically in 16days!!! And that probably has contributed to my near fatal fall but I don't feel any emotional disruption since I stabilized emotionally by thanksgiving. And I have experienced none since cutting my am buspar dose by 50% (33.3% of overall daily total). My intention is to NOT reduce the Xanax further until the buspar is gone. But I see my dr on Dec 30th. He needs to let me handle this how works best for me.... Especially after cutting the Xanax at such a dangerous rate!!!

[Altostrata]

Going on and off neurologically active drugs -- your nervous system is changed each time you do this. It can become sensitized over time. This is a sign you will want to be very careful about such drugs in the future.

 

Please use the drug interactions checker to check ALL your drugs, not just the CNS meds. They ALL can interact badly, including the ones you think aren't doing anything much.

[Needmylifeback]

Yes.... The time w the neurologist over six plus years would have been adding and subtracting a variety of meds in rapid succession.... On again off again and altering doses. I had complained to him that he was making too many rapid changes and it was making it impossible to isolate any single variable!!

 

But since the injury w the dog (May 2008) I have been left with the sudden onset of autoimmune symptoms. Simple meds and OTC types even foods which I have eaten all my life I was suddenly having dramatic reactions to. Often I had to find the info myself about which drug was yielding which symptoms since they were so rare that none of my drs had ever even heard of them. But a print out from every major medical overseer convinced them.

 

After spending five years in a hyper reactive chronically inflammatory state, I found a dr who thinks outside of the box.... And who shares my foundational belief the food like everyother organic substance is made up of a variety of chemical components.... Making eating food as much of an exposure to having a chemical reaction as any drug compound. He placed me on a strict elimination diet, during which time I spent at least three times longer in each phase, beginning with the detox, than his program calls for.... Simply bc I knew I was in such a hyper reactive state. Had I added foods in sooner I would have just begun reacting to everything all over again!

 

Having reduced my overall GI tract inflammation (began detox phase mid Jan 2013) and improved noticeably in how reactive I am has helped me isolate better what symptoms are from drugs introduced vs from my own body's over reactions. It's helped a ton! I always find it funny that my mom will swallow every and any hand stuffed capsules her friend whose gives her massages packs... Without asking a single question about what's in it!! Even when it's caused her to be an absolute emotional wreck.... Defending

this practice by saying "it's very healthy! It's all natural!!" my standard reply is: so is tobacco, opium, and hemlock but that doesn't make them healthy.

 

Before I cut back my am dose by 50% (as of Nov 23, 2013... My dose had been 30mg buspar am and 15mg buspar pm) I had tried in vain to reach my dr to explain the bad side effects I was having ~ a couple of dozen significant reactions including liver damage {I had become acolic July/aug 2013 bc of chronic liver problems... And had severe gallstones go ignored for years even though I was classically symptomatic and repeatedly sought out my dr as well as help from the ER. My common bile duct was more than twice its normal size indicating I had been passing large quantities of very large stones for years!! And the hundreds of tiny stones had been crystalizing in my liver causing it to back up, become swollen, and seep~ giving me ascites for years} My liver is so sick and fragile right now I cannot risk being on any meds which will further injure it. But my dr never responded to my messages. I did manage to speak with my pharmacist who agreed that it was likely I would be ok since it had only been slightly more that two weeks since my dose had been raised. Also I needed to get down dramatically enough to stop the swelling of my liver which had become a major issue in those two weeks!! I risked even more severe medical problems had I remained anywhere close to the 30mg dose.

 

I dropped the am dose from 30mg down to 15mg on Dec 11th, nine days ago. Immediately I was able to leave my bed!! And do simple task like laundry and bathing. I still have side fx symptoms associated w buspar: interferes w sleep, difficulty urinating and kidneys backing up, lethargy (although improved on the lower dose), etc. So I still am needing a lot more sleep on this dose, still unable to do day to day functions which I had begun doing again prior to introducing buspar, brain mostly shut down, still emotionally flat, etc. But all the symptoms are better than they had been since going up to 30mg am/15 mg pm on Nov 23rd. So my body is definitely reacting negatively to the buspar.

 

I have held my Xanax dose to 0.5mg/day. But rather than taking half am and half pm, I cut it into 1/4ths and take throughout the day.

 

However, I know that lowering buspar further will take more time than I wish it would I only began taking it in sept 2013 ..... So by the end of 3months I knew I was on a bad drug for me! I wish I could back off of it as fast as I was placed into it. But reading many threads and replies here, it appears it will take much longer than 3month to taper back off. Based on the 10% of current dose, I would have gone almost six month I think to elimate that second 15mg pill in the mornings!! My liver doesnt have that kind of time!

 

While my liver is still swollen enough to be making my ribs burn, from being pushed out, the swelling is down by more than half!! And my ascites is slightly less as well. The concern I have is that even when I have completely stopped taking any buspar (down the road), there will likely be a significant amount of the drug leftover in my liver.... Which as I continue to heal my liver, will become metabolized and released into my body and blood stream long after my final dose!!! I am expecting this whole mess to be protracted bc of my liver problems.

 

My intention had been to wait until after the holidays to drop my dose any further, but I was wiped out from our short trip to OK ... And still needed to be clear enough and functioning enough to buy chirstmas gifts and prepare for our house guests arrivals! So I did drop my am dose from 15mg to 12.5mg ~ while my pm dose of 15mg is holding for now.

 

If I can deduct each new 10% first from my morning dose, and then after several weeks deduct the next 10% from my pm dose....it will give me the most functionality in the daytime at the fastest possible rate. Does this seem reasonable to anyone else??

 

So for 3-6 weeks, depending on tolerance and symptoms, I will drop my am dose by 10% first; then move on to drop the next 10% reduction from my pm dose. I also stopped taking buspar between 10-11:30am and 9:30-10:30pm and began taking my am buspar dose between 5-6am. The meds I take btwn 5-6am allow me to finish sleeping in less pain. The sleep I receive from 5-10am is the most crucial sleep I get!! It's the only sleep I have where my pain is reduced and manageable enough for me to get into a good deep rem cycle. Moving the buspar increases my ability to sleep those final morning hours.... And I become somewhat functional earlier in the afternoon! As opposed to only beginning to be able to get up and do something by 7pm in the evening

[Altostrata]

I'm confused. How much Buspar are you taking now? Did you make a 15mg cut on Nov 23, 2013 and Dec 11th?

 

When did you made another cut in your a.m. dose from 15mg to 12.5mg?

 

You're currently taking 12.5mg and 15mg?

[Needmylifeback]

Nov 23: dr doubled am dose from 15mg to 30mg; pm dose stayed at 15mg

Dec 11: I dropped it back down to 15mg am and left the pm dose at 15mg

 

Bc I needed to be functional wed dec 18th...

Dec 17: dropped pm dose to 12.5mg (to help me be able to get up and move the next day

Dec 18: took 12.5mg in am

 

Able to move and do much more Wednesday!!

 

By Wednesday night my fiancé came down hard with the flu. Within a few hours I had a sore fuzzy throat. So I am focused on caring for both of us to hopefully shorten the flu as much as possible so we can still have the kids come for christmas!

 

I will hold this reduction of my am dose for now.... My drs likely to think the reduction can go faster... But I don't trust that since he also had me cut Xanax by 50% then >50% just two weeks apart.

 

Just unclear as to how to know when you can drop the next 10%?

[Needmylifeback]

Oh and I also began taking my buspar with my first thing in the morning meds.... Rather than late morning. That way the side effect of extreme fatigue and inability to think clearly lifts earlier in the day. It had been that I was forcing myself to try to make it to the kitchen by 5pm. Now I seem able to begin slowly doing things btwn 9-11am ... And can be fairly functional by early afternoon.

[mammaP]

Hope the flu doesn't last long, and that you manage to avoid it taking hold. 

You can do without that right now! 

 

It would be helpful if you could you put your meds in your signature for us,

it would make things easier to see at a glance any changes that have been

made without having to go back to the beginning. 

 

Here's how to do that. http://survivingantidepressants.org/index.php?/topic/893-please-put-your-withdrawal-history-in-your-signature/

[Needmylifeback]

Yes I am sorry! I had hoped to do that after we took our quick trip... But btwn a fast scramble to buy ALL of christmas and the flu setting in hard and fast and deep.... It has to be back burnered for urgent matters and until my head is clear enough to not make mistakes on what I write.

 

I have been reading as much as I can between naps and being nursemaid. I may be coming from benzos from a different place. It may or may not matter.... But I was put on a variety of meds (which I am recognizing here in a variety of posts) after having a nerve bundle pinched in my neck.... Neuro dr said it would help with headaches and neck pain. He threw a variety of cocktails at me for six years!! None of which made any difference. But I know he regularly added a handful of meds to my daily list.... And never spent more than two weeks weaning me back off. Over six years he rotated me thru more meds than I had ever taken cumulatively in my life!!

 

The dog injury in may 2008, left me laid up for two years unable to heal. Meanwhile my ex threw a ton of modifications of our decree at me while I was hospitalized ... Hoping he would get his way bc I was bedridden and in traction at the time. After three years of non stop major medical problems while replying to chronic legal hassles... I would just burst into tears anytime I had to face those legal issues again!

 

So the pain clinic put me on Xanax 1 pill 0.5mg bid. I found it made me too drowsy. I think it was feb 2011. So I broke it in half and took it four times a day. Sept 2013 dr said I had to switch to buspar.... Began buspar. Oct 2013 my dr dropped my xanax from 2.0mg/day to 1.0mg/day and down another 50% inside of 16days to 0.5mg/day. I was not doing great, but also had a ton of lifestyle changes happening. Then when they upped my buspar to 30mg am/15mg pm (pm dose stayed the same).... My liver was in terrible shape!! By DEC 2nd I realized I was fighting off hopeless suicidal feelings and I believed it was the Xanax. I called the dr and said I could not maintain dropping at this rate!! And I stayed level taking 1/2 of a 0.5mg tab bid. After reading here, I have spread that out to four times a day.... which is how I had been taking the original Rx of one 0.5 tab bid. Four times a day works better for me.

 

Dec 11th I took radical cuts to my buspar and so far have had no problems. I have had one or two days where I was so overwhelmed and physically unable to do what was needed.... I took an extra 1/4 of a Xanax tab on one day and everything evened out. Since then I have been taking buspar 12.5mg am/pm. I would drop the am dose more but feel like I need to wait until I am thru the holidays before I risk rocking my boat.

 

As I read other histories and tapering journeys... One thing that stands out as different to me is that I never have been diagnosed with an underlying anxiety disorder of any type. I do know that when I have been given these various meds I have at times felt anxiety being induced! I know the meds and changing the meds has caused them bc I have never felt anything like this before in my life!!! But still... It doesn't last very long... It's a couple of days here and there surrounding an event... Like changing doses or meds.

 

I know I was on lexapro .... And I just took half a pill for maybe a month then did half a pill every other day and then just once or twice a week and then nothing.... It took maybe six weeks?? And the whole thing was over. I never had any other issues. And even with the dramatic cut in Xanax in oct and the very rough start to dec, which I think was a combo of the sharp drop in Xanax in oct and my body's toxic response to buspar ... That all ended when I stopped dropping the xanax dose. By DEC 9th I began looking hard at the buspar and found that my underlying medical condition (esp my inability to metabolize certain drugs thru my liver) was contraindicated for buspar.... I read up and found out I was having a slew of bad reactions to buspar.

 

I had one or two bumpy days over the last ten days and one time took an extra 1/4 of Xanax.... Those bumpy days popped up under physical duress and drop in buspar but they werent that bad. Just a few hours where it was hard to think thru things and get things done, which was only a problem bc Christmas is coming!! ;P it's one of the few things that still has a deadline in my life.

 

But I still plan to keep the Xanax even, if I can convince the dr of how dangerous his prior actions were!! And get back off the buspar as fast as humanly possible. I don't imagine I will be able to do that without any bumps in the road.... But I only began buspar in sept.... And I don't have a protracted history of underlying anxiety. What I DO have is two major injuries that have set off a variety of autoimmune reactions as well as varying organ failures.... So the chance of meds built up in the liver or kidneys and suddenly releasing is high. And disruption to my mood as these levels change... But I just don't suppose I will have some of the side effects some posters are describing during their taper.

 

I have been on Xanax over two years; so I anticipate that being more difficult. But the buspar was barely three months before I began cutting back. Has anyone had a withdraw that was less protracted than is common here??

 

Currently:

Xanax: 1/4 of 0.5mg tab x 4/day

Buspar: 12.5mg bid (down from 30mg am/15mg pm - took at that dose from Nov 23-DEC 11th)

[Needmylifeback]

Fiancé is hit much harder with the flu... But he was the one exposed directly at work. I started zinc the minute my throat felt fuzzy! He waited until his joints hurt so badly that he could not walk during a 15min trip to the grocery store.

 

Taking loads of zinc, emergenC, airborne, and while I avoid Tylenol products as a rule.... I do use them sparingly for flu symptoms. I was able to hold off until last night and then I took nyquil to help with the body aches and chills. But back to zinc all day. My fiancé is definitely worse off as he is dealing with far more head and chest congestion. My chest is tight but it has improved since yesterday.

 

His office is out sick .... The staff left a message that they will go thru and disinfect everything before everyone comes back!!

[Altostrata]

Yes, many people have a relatively easy time coming off a psychiatric drug. However, if you test the waters with a small decrease, you'll get a better idea of your tolerance for dosage reductions.

[Meimeiquest]

Hi NMLB, I think I am an easier taperer than many. So far, I seem to storm around a lot in the process, but by 4 months off, it seems to be over. I have many of the troubling symptoms others have, but they seem to resolve more quickly. BUT when I stop one drug the next drug rears it's ugly head.... Also, some of the drugs I am still on are probably cushioning the WD from the previous drugs.

[Needmylifeback]

I am thinking I may be ok coming off the buspar. I had very real problems when my dr dropped my Xanax so dangerously fast!!! But now I won't allow him to dictate the rate of withdrawal.

 

My body was very toxic on the buspar!!! It's horrible for me. On Nov 23rd they raised my dose to 30mg am/15mg pm stayed the same. By dec 10th, I dropped back down to 15mg am/pm. On dec 17th, I dropped again to 12.5mg am/pm .... Beginning with my pm dose. Each time I have dropped my dose I begin with my bedtime dose. And its gone beautifully.... I almost hesitate to say that here. But I felt horrifically toxic on the buspar!! Coming off of it has been a relief!

 

For the last few days I keep rechecking the calendar to see if I can drop again bc I feel VERY stabilized. And truly feel ready for another drop in dose. I want to take my am dose down 2.5mg to a 10mg am dose. And then in several days drop the pm dose to match. Bc it makes me feel sick I would love to take every cut from my morning dose! So I am not so exhausted (virtually comatose lying in bed; unable to move no matter how important it is; I don't think I could have gotten up if my hair were on fire... I would just decide hair isnt essential) all day long. I can't believe how fatigued I am on this drug!! But I have the feeling it's important to keep it balanced so there is not a huge disparity btwn my am and pm doses.

 

So to drop an am dose: I typically drop my pm dose to the new level; then the next morning I take the new low dose as well. And I have had renewed energy levels every time I make a drop following that method. I cringe taking the buspar though... I feel as though I am just poisoning myself with every dose. My liver is still tender but much of the swelling has improved and my ascites has also reduced a bit. A few days this last week I even had a waistline again!!!

 

But the flu could also be causing some of my remaining liver tenderness. We are over the contagious aspect... But a few lingering symptoms. Still taking zinc, Vit C, airborne, guafenisen. Headache the last couple of days has been my most prominent symptom. But that's been a consistent part of the flu I have had.

 

Even though it's been less than two weeks I think I will drop my buspar dose to 10mg in the am.... Wait 4-5 days to drop the pm dose to match. Then wait to see how I do.

 

I have read and re-read so many peoples stories here.... And I terrified of going too fast! My ex and his family of origin have profoundly debilitating anxiety. So I have several children who have been on most of the meds mentioned here..... None have experienced any significant symptoms withdrawing (with one exception- my 2nd oldest daughter in her freshman yr of college got multiple kidney stones; I had to leave town to be w my oldest who was in labor having her first baby; 2nd oldest stayed w her dad who left her ignored for days on end w/o food or water or any help while writhing in pain with kidney stones and he refused repeatedly to take her back to the hospital. I came home and got her into a urologist, onto pain meds, and scheduled for surgery .... But she had gone 3wks w/o her anxiety meds and thought she could restart.... But a month from when she began missing her meds bc she was left alone in pain w/o food, water, or any care, she became suicidal) Outside of that one incident, I have four children who have been on and back off many of the meds discussed here w/o any difficulty. And as I mentioned I recognize several of the meds as ones my neurologist tried on me which never helped bc my migraines were caused by physically pinched nerve bundles in my neck vertebrae. But I don't recall any withdrawal symptoms.... But I had so much pain from the pinched nerves that was all I could even care about.

 

So I am thinking it's worth trying to come down further on the buspar (keeping Xanax stable at the much lower dose- 1/4 of a 0.5mg x4/day) even though it hasn't been quite 2 weeks since I last lowered the dose from 15mg bid to 12.5mg bid on dec 17th dropping the pm dose first. I am feeling fine (re any WD symptoms) and stable ..... I spent just about one week at the 15mg bid dose when I dropped to 12.5mg bid. Even though I felt ready to drop again after about one week, I have held off just bc it's the holidays and my family is in town -which is extremely stressful!!! And I don't want to be tenderly emotional when I have to deal with them. That's the only reason I have waited to drop down again

[Needmylifeback]

It is reassuring to know that some people do manage to withdraw from these drugs without significant pain and struggle for years from doing so!!! Thank you

 

Alto.... My dose was increased nov 23 from buspar 15mg am/pm to 30mg am/15mg pm remained unchanged. Dec 11th I dropped back to 15mg am/pm .... Only change was I felt the ability to pry myself from bed! And able think enough to be able to pack and go on a short trip. I have been able to manage my own basic personal care again, do laundry, and dishes, and able to cook some again. I still struggle with thinking thru muddy thinking or prioritizing tasks or making decisions. I have had improvements in those areas with each drop in dose but not fully resolved those symptoms.... I believe bc I still take quite a bit of buspar!! I hope to regain a clear thinking mind once my body is rid of buspar.

 

But I have seen no negative side effects from dropping my buspar dose. Not even when I dropped my am dose by 50% ( a 1/3 drop of my daily total dose).

 

It is possible some symptoms could have been lost in the massive flu symptoms that have swarmed my body for the last week and a half. I realize that. But my fiancé has had the same symptoms.... His were worse primarily bc I began attending to mine when they first appeared and he did not start any zinc and such until his second day of symptoms. I have not had anything different than he has.... And my headache rises and falls along with my sore throat and sharp pain in my ears and overall achiness. So I am still seeing the headache as tied to my overall flu symptoms. Time will tell as the flu finishes out and I will see what remains.

 

So as the flu resolves, if the headache remains I would guess it's a result of dropping the buspar. Could it be from the sharp drop of Xanax?? That was reduced drastically twice in Oct. Another drop in Xanax dose was ordered Nov 23rd but I could not take it... I was suicidal and cried all day every day. So the week of dec 2nd I stabilized by taking a half of a 0.5mg tab once in a day (instead of one of my 1/4 a tab doses that day); I did that two times that week, and once or twice since the week of dec 2nd.

 

If the headaches came from dropping either buspar or Xanax, how long is normal?? At what point should I try a small increase to resolve the headaches?? Is that the correct thing to do??

 

Does my lack of negative withdrawal symptoms from dropping buspar give me any indication about how to proceed?? Or about how sensitized my body is to buspar?? I only began it in sept..... So I am hoping to be able to be completely off buspar in a few months.

[mammaP]

I'm glad you are feeling better, but please be careful, it is common to feel better following a drop and 

many people take that as a sign to drop again.  Then withdrawal can hit out of the blue! 

I would hold for a while to allow the brain and nervous system to stabilise properly. You are feeling so

much better it would be a shame to lose that because of going too fast. 

[Altostrata]

NMLB, since you've had the flu, I don't think you can draw any conclusions from your reaction to this decrease in Buspar. Please proceed carefully.

[Needmylifeback]

Well I felt not sick for only a few days (sat dec 28-jan 1) .... Last night, sore throat popped up, then crushing headache this morning, and by midday my chest is tight and tender. All the same symptoms in the same order as what we endured prior to Christmas!!

 

Found out we had H1N1 .... Did some research and it turns out you CAN become reinfected with H1N1 twice in the same flu season yay.

 

But meanwhile.... I hadnt checked back here bc I was moving so rapidly trying to catch up and try to still have SOME type of Christmas with my family. I did drop my buspar dose to 10mg am.... and within a couple of days I moved the pm dose to 10mg also. I am hoping to just stay here for several weeks and wait to see how things shake out. I haven't felt any withdrawal symptoms outside of the ones that might coincide with the flu. Which is fine with me!! If I am going to be down and non functioning with the flu anyways pile on anything else that might similarly wipe me out! I would rather feel like death all at once.... Rather than drag it all out and have weeks end on end where I can't get up off the floor.

 

What I HAVE felt is more awake... Sleeping more consistently (even with the flu).... Less light headedness except for the first few hours after I take a dose..... No blackouts.... More energy.... Most of all: clarity of thinking!!! Remarkably clearer.... I can see a random box full of a variety of things and quickly in my head I can think thru where at least half of those items should end up. I have Not had that ability this entire time!! And we have been moving and unpacking and merging households since august. So this side effect of muddled thinking has virtually paralyzed me!! The only frustration is that I see all these need to do tasks around me that I now know what I need to do.... But I feel too crappy to move and get it done. at least the flu will be gone in two weeks

[Needmylifeback]

The much more shocking issue is that I spoke with my dr on dec 30th.... Explained that I did ok with the first two Xanax drops which were 50% off the original dose EACH!! But the last drop beginning nov 23 nearly killed me!!

 

I spent four days calling trying to reach him and receive permission to stay at the prior dose!! But MAs weren't getting me called back as promised, hadn't had the drs call as promised, and every day I had to start from scratch all over again with whoever answered my next call!! No continuity!!

 

His reaction was Anger at ME for not coming off Xanax as fast as he wanted!!! If I didn't have seizures he said I am not going off it too fast.... And he had never heard of the 10% standard which I had already confirmed thru multiple medical standard sources prior to finding this site!!! He dismissed that rate as ridiculous. Btw.... He is only a PA who is in his 20s and just had his first kid last nov. And now I am terrified.

 

Plus I pointed out that he was not only too aggressive in dropping my doses... But that I should NEVER have had an anxiety med dropped while they knew I was moving and I am a mom of a very big family and he tapered me drastically going into the holiday season!!! He argued with me that he was not going to worry about working around my life issues when he's more stressed about getting me off a drug.

 

I wanted to scream "wait a minute!!! I did not ask for this drug! YOU put me on it and then decided to rip it away as if it is no big deal!!" but he was so busy justifying that he was not dropping my dose too fast bc lots of people come off things that fast just fine.... I kept saying "BUT *I* didn't!! I was suicidal!! I would rather be successful than to do it too fast and have you throw more drugs at me!" which IS exactly what he recommended to get me off the Xanax (HE CHOSE TO USE 2yrs ago... and now has been told he has to take his patients off of it. It is NOT my fault that he chose this dangerous drug combo!!). But I refused to take another CNS med!!! Adamantly. I said we will stop dropping the Xanax... And will aggressively get completely the buspar bc the it has been toxic to me. THEN when I am stable off buspar for a couple of months.... Then we will wean the Xanax more sanely and following the recommended 10% drops at most.

 

Are there any resources that I can reference .. And print off to hand to him!!.... To convince him that he IS in fact reducing neuro mess far too fast?!?

[Needmylifeback]

Ftr.... On a psych wedsite I read several articles and book reviews which stated that any weaning of these meds SHOULD be worked around ones life events and stressors for the best success!!! Arrrgggghhh the problem with this guy is that he is too ignorant to know what he doesn't know!!

[Meimeiquest]

I think the clue is in "he's more stressed"...he's in trouble and he wants you to cooperate in getting him extracted from his problem. Is he your only option? He probably won't read it, but there is a book entitled....drumroll....Xanax Withdrawal. Did I already mention it? Author is Stuart Shipko, MD.