Xanax: Uses and Risks

[Louise]

Hi Karen! x

No, I don't take Clonazepam at all and am nearly off Pregabalin altogether.

I've worked hard to ignore it and not let it stop me getting back to normal - work I mean. I was determined to work. And, determined to shift my focus and not let it be such a big part of my life. I think as well I stopped searching for cures/help or whatever and accepted I have it now and that's that.

I've had long periods where I've forgotten about it (big chunks of the day at work). I lost that 'I'm a person with tinnitus' feeling a lot of the time.

Unfortunately the noise got worse this week when I cut the Pregabalin down to half a tab. But I think it'll go back to normal again - hopefully.

How are you Karen? x

 

[Bart]

Yesterday we where out all day in the city, at was nice weather and we went to a busy market in the morning and later we did some bars, sat outside in the sun (i just drank deca coffee btw), and in the evening had a lovely diner outside in a nice restaurant.

Wore my earplugs pretty much all day because the city is a very noisy place for my ears, later when we where driving home and I took my plugs out my T spiked horribly, it was so damn loud I could hear it through everything, the pitch changed to this horrible screeching sound, it was unbearable.

Got home and took 0.5 mg Xanax and my T almost dissapeared, I went to bed couple of hours later and the T was almost completely gone ! Tried to enjoy the relative silence for awhile but i felt so relaxed i fell asleep immediatly.

Was that spike just stress related ? I slept bad for a couple of days and had alot of stress before that and felt abit depressed before yesterday, I understand Xanax only calms you down and does not actually tackle the T loudness or pitch or am I wrong ?

Slept for almost 10 hours non-stop, and the T is low when i woke up, called my doc and she said I am too focused on my T and I need to relax and not feel totally stressed for days by every 'noise' i hear next to my head, and that is why it spikes so often and so horrible, is this correct ?

Thanks,
Bart

 

[undecided]

Lots of members on this site have seen (small to huge) benefits regarding benzos and tinnitus.
Myself included - using 3mgs of lexotanil, it is almost certain that my T will be almost gone for the day.

However, using benzos for a problem such as tinnitus is a problem in itself - sure, we can use them for the rest of our life but is that really what our future is going to feel like?
Counting pills, going to the doc for prescriptions and waiting for the next dose?

I hope not. I'd rather think that the anxiolytic effect of xanax is a real clue as to why tinnitus appears and disappears. There may be a stressful condition in our life (or maybe more conditions) that need to be taken care off before our tinnitus leaves us for good.

We need to balance our life, maybe that will cause the the auditory nerve (90% of the body's balance depends on it) to let go of the T.

Sorry for sounding like Mr. Miyagi but I'm starting to believe that T is our body's cells telling us to sort our lives out and start taking care of stuff.

 

[Lisa88]

Xanax and Lorazepam have been known for quietening t. Cut my sounds by half. But if you are on it daily for longer than a month or so, it can cause a lot of problems for tinnitus in the long term. Daily benzo use down regulates our natural GABA, which is the inhibitory action used to gait the overfiring excitatory neurons that are our t.
In the short term, benzos are great to sleep and quieten t.
But in the long term, t could actually become worse.
Withdrawal or tolerance symptoms of benzos also include ... you guessed it ... t.

 

[amandine]

So just wishing to understand here folks.
Is it ok to take half a 0.25mg xanax whenever needed? So when the T is just too loud and the anxiety is too much, can I safely take this small dose?
Or am i doing more damage?
By taking one half pill as and when, I am getting the impression from these forums that this may be causing an increase?
Anyone know if it is safe to take half (0.125mg = half of 0.25mg) of xanax when i need it - or is it a bad thing to do?
anyone know?

 

[davidchampoux]

I really had a rough period since a few weeks, so my doc prescribed me some Xanax. So far, I take 0.250 mg in the AM and 0.250 mg at the end of PM.

It's about the first pills that helps my condition a little... It helps me to settle down, and relax a bit, and I think it also reduce my Ts a bit. The effect is about 4 hours long.

My question is: I know those pills might not be good in the long runs, so I hope I can stop them as soon as possible. Is there a chance that my Ts will be worse when I stop? If yes, would it be only for a few days or perm?

 

[undecided]

You're on a low dose, that's a good thing.
Xanax (alprazolam) helps reduce anxiety and maybe also temporarily provides some relief from tinnitus (this has been partly proven in studies).
Be careful not to stop xanax cold turkey as there is a slight possibility that it could aggravate your tinnitus. Talk with your doctor for a slow taper-down and you'll be fine.

Having said that, I think xanax is probably one of the worst benzodiazepines out there.
It has the same addiction and withdrawal potential as any other benzo but it has a very short half life and duration.

So take your own advice and stop them as soon as possible. Or only take on a need-to-use basis.

 

[David J]

I have been taking 0.5 mg/day of Alprazolam (Xanax) for more than twelve (12) years. I can't say that I've experienced any significant negative effects. I took it for at least eight years before my "T" reared it's ugly head! I usually take a single .5 dose at bedtime. There have been occasions when I've taken it during the day for severe anxiety.
I am going to start tapering and get off of it very soon. For no reason other than I just don't want to be dependent upon it anymore.

 

[SteveO]

Due to relapse being so so loud ive started yesterday (resisted 2 months). on one 0.250 at night to gauge sleepness then will up dose. Was trying to resist. I will post findings and follow yours also.

 

[SteveO]

Davidj are you worried your t will increase if you come off? And in the 12 years did you have drug breaks. Like a dry january etc to detox the addiction. Or just carry through? Good if you kept same level and didnt have to up dose etc oh...Thats if my gp carries on giving me them...i have like. 15 day supply

 

[LadyDi]

My psychiatrist just last week told me he thought it was time for me to stop regular use of Xanax. Like @David J, I take it only at night-time, as I tend to have sleep problems and get anxious at night. I also am on a low dose: .25 mg to .5 mg nightly. I almost never take it during the day. Have been on it for about 1 1/2 year.

I only have taken the drug post-tinnitus, as I did not have anxiety prior to T. My main worry is that I won't be able to sleep without it but I am giving it a go. I am starting the taper now.

@SteveO, I don't think a few weeks on this med is going to increase your tinnitus. And if it does, it should be only temporary.

 

[Carlo]

I really had a rough period since a few weeks, so my doc prescribed me some Xanax. So far, I take 0.250 mg in the AM and 0.250 mg at the end of PM.

It's about the first pills that helps my condition a little... It helps me to settle down, and relax a bit, and I think it also reduce my Ts a bit. The effect is about 4 hours long.

My question is: I know those pills might not be good in the long runs, so I hope I can stop them as soon as possible. Is there a chance that my Ts will be worse when I stop? If yes, would it be only for a few days or perm?

No problem. It's a very low dose

 

[David J]

Davidj are you worried your t will increase if you come off? And in the 12 years did you have drug breaks. Like a dry january etc to detox the addiction. Or just carry through? Good if you kept same level and didnt have to up dose etc oh...Thats if my gp carries on giving me them...i have like. 15 day supply

No, I am not worried that my "T" will increase. It might, but it is really loud all of the time now. I do recognize that it will get worse before it gets better! I have never taken a complete break from alprazolam. However, there were times a few years ago when I was taking two 0.5 mg pills at bedtime. It was a stressful time and I was having trouble sleeping. I probably did that for several months before I decided to reduce my dose. The doc prescribed 1 to 2 doses at bedtime as needed.
You know, I've read a lot of bad stuff about alprazolam here. There is no doubt in my mind that it is very addictive, but it is also very helpful for me and pretty darn safe at low doses. As my doc told me, they are very fast acting and clear out of your system quickly.

 

[jeannie]

i have been on Xanax for about 15 years.. and my tinnitus just started 2 years ago. o.5 at bedtime until i got tinnitus and at first i was taking 3 a day just to cope with this noise and anxiety. but have since went back to 1 0.5 at bedtime. sometimes i will take one during the day if my tinnitus is getting the best of me, these have been a lifesaver for me since i got tinnitus. i know all the negative about this drug , i would love to get off of it, but my anxiety is horrible and so is my panic attacks.

 

[David J]

i have been on Xanax for about 15 years.. and my tinnitus just started 2 years ago. o.5 at bedtime until i got tinnitus and at first i was taking 3 a day just to cope with this noise and anxiety. but have since went back to 1 0.5 at bedtime. sometimes i will take one during the day if my tinnitus is getting the best of me, these have been a lifesaver for me since i got tinnitus. i know all the negative about this drug , i would love to get off of it, but my anxiety is horrible and so is my panic attacks.

I think that the fact that your "T" didn't start until 13 years after first taking alprazolam combined with my 8 years at least would indicate that it alone did not cause the "T". If you have taken it for 15 years without problems, then I would not worry that much about it. As far as the terrible things that come from using it...........well, I think some are exaggerated. The effects from discontinuing it.................I guess that I'll find out. I started tapering from 0.5 to 0.25 last night.

 

[David J]

Just an update;
Began down-dosing from 0.5 to 0.25 alprazolam for the last two consecutive nights. This is the first time in over ten years I have been on this low of a dose. My goal is to discontinue use next week.
So far, so good! I felt a little edgy the first day and didn't sleep quite as sound, but other than that it has been pretty uneventful. I feel good! It is a bit liberating.

 

[davidchampoux]

After all I read, I'm also trying to stop it... From .250mg twice a day to 0! I'm on this drug for 2 weeks only and I can feel the adictive feeling already... Tough. My Ts are back to previous level. Hard, but I try to deal with them...

 

[David J]

After all I read, I'm also trying to stop it... From .250mg twice a day to 0! I'm on this drug for 2 weeks only and I can feel the adictive feeling already... Tough. My Ts are back to previous level. Hard, but I try to deal with them...

Yeah, I don't know if there is as much to all the negativity surrounding this drug as you read here. Frankly, it has served me very well. I have no reason to think that it had anything to do with my "T", but then nobody knows! I will use it once in a while as necessary. I just don't want to be dependent on it on a daily basis. I quit smoking over 3 years ago and so this is the last monkey on my back.

 

[LadyDi]

Congratulations to all of you who have wanted to cut back on your alprazolam and are doing so. While I think this drug isn't as bad for everyone as one might believe, I do believe its important to be able to take the lowest dose possible -- including not taking it at all, or only as needed. I now am doing .25 a night, after often needing to do .5 mg. So far, not too hard. But I haven't taken more than .5 mg daily for many, many months.

 

[David J]

Congratulations to all of you who have wanted to cut back on your alprazolam and are doing so. While I think this drug isn't as bad for everyone as one might believe, I do believe its important to be able to take the lowest dose possible -- including not taking it at all, or only as needed. I now am doing .25 a night, after often needing to do .5 mg. So far, not too hard. But I haven't taken more than .5 mg daily for many, many months.

Congrats to you also! I am in total agreement with your philosophy. After taking this drug for more than 12 years, I am so curious to find-out if it has had any negative impact on me that I am unaware of. I assume that if it negatively impacted my memory or made me tired early in the day, side effects such as those will become apparent when I stop completely........................

 

[jeannie]

please keep us updated David J.. and good luck to all who are tapering down in it!!!

 

[David J]

Well, I tapered throughout the week from 0.5 mg to 0.25 mg and went to zero last night. I think that I was up most of the night and got out of bed this morning feeling terrible. So I quartered a 0.5 mg dose to approx. 0.125 mg and took it in the hope of feeling better. Within 30 minutes I felt good again. So tonight I will take a 0.125 mg dose at bedtime and see how that goes. Will try zero again in a couple of days.

 

[David J]

I have been on 1/4 of 0.5 mg (0.125 mg) for the past several nights. I have been feeling very good at that dose. Think I'll stay on it for another day or two and then go to half of that (1/8 tab=0.0625 mg) if I can cut it that small? We'll see...........

 

[David J]

It has been almost 48 hours since my last does of Alprazolam (0.0625 mg). I am done down-dosing. I feel really good aside from being tired. Have had trouble sleeping, but I think that is to be expected. Toss and turn throughout the night. I sleep, but then wake about every hour or so. Got up early (about 5 am) after going to bed around 11 pm. I am not complaining. Just hope I start sleeping better as time goes on. My appetite is good. My "T" has actually been a little quieter of late. That is a little unusual, because it has been very consistently really loud for the last couple of years. It is much quieter today, but I've noticed that the volume has been fluctuating a lot throughout the day.
Been trying to figure-out when I started taking Xanax. As best I can recall, it was more than 15 years ago. So this is the first time I have gone more than 24 hours without taking any in about 15 years.
YES...............

 

[ezzy]

I'm a newbie to this website and relatively to tinnitus, having had it for 3.5 months now. Because of high anxiety, I let myself take .25 mg xanax every couple days just to get a little rest. I also take Ambien at night to sleep. I know there are differing opinions about the relative safety of xanax. I'd like to know what members of this list think. Will that amount every 2 days be ok? Do I run the risk of having to start taking more? I keep trying to manage my anxiety level without it but am no doing too well. I just cant seem to be able to lie down and get badly needed rest or sleep without drugs now. If I can stay busy I am better, but being so tired, I do need to lie down and when I do, my heart starts racing.

 

[David J]

That is an extremely low dose. You seem to be able to minimize the frequency so that there is little risk of becoming too dependent. I personally have taken it for about 15 years and don't feel that it has caused me any harm. It has helped me a great deal! I have recently successfully stopped taking it without any serious problems.
If the doc prescribed it and it helps you, then I would continue to take it and not worry.

 

[Glutenphobic]

I have been on Xanax for 4 1/2 months - .25 in the am and .25 in the pm. My tinnitus (which I have had for 5 years) has reduced by half. I am hoping to continue to silence.

 

[erniej]

I ended up on 8MGs of Xanax daily for my tinnitus for seven years after increasing dosages. Now I am trying to taper of it because it stopped working and my ringing is worse than it has ever been and the withdrawals have been horrific.
In addition, long term use can cause depression, and early dementia in older people. I'm 65. The problem with medications in the same class as Xanax is that you WILL build up a dependence in a short period of time.