I take 2-3mg Xanax every 2-3 days for anxiety, and have been doing this for nearly 6 months now. On average, I take 2mg EVERY OTHER DAY. It works wonders, and I would take it every day but I am terribly scared of benzo withdrawal. However my question is this; if I continue to take 2-3mg Xanax every 2-3 days, will I eventually become physically dependent? Or is am I spacing my doses out far enough to where I will avoid physical dependency? If I continue dosing this way for a few years and suddenly stop, will I have withdrawal symptoms? I am absolutely terrified of benzo withdrawal and want to avoid it at all costs, I am unwilling to give up the Xanax altogether however. It really is my saving grace when it comes to relieving my general anxiety. Any responses/thoughts/answers will be greatly appreciated!
If I take 2mg Xanax every 2-3 days, will I become physically dependent? Will I have withdrawals?
Question posted by ambler16 on 12 Aug 2018
Last updated on 16 July 2020
8 Answers
Hello!
Unfortunately, yes.. you will have withdrawals unless you wean properly. I don't want to scare you, but I took only .5 mgs of Xanax every 36 hours for 7 months and suffered HORRIBLE withdrawals. (I didn't wean enough!)
I'm 6 weeks out from stopping and it's been SIGNIFICANTLY more intense than I thought (and the symptoms continue, albeit they are less severe for a long time). The GABA in your brain takes a a long while to get back to normal, so expect it to take weeks and months to get back to the "you", before you started Xanax.
When you're ready to stop.. WEAN, WEAN, WEAN! I mean like 10% every 10 days to 2 weeks. Look at Benzobuddies.org and their weaning suggestions...
You CAN do it!! I had no idea withdrawal would be this intense (or this long), but it will be worth it. I think the longer you take the meds, the longer it takes to get back to yourself (IMHO)
Good luck!!
I started taking my xanax every 3 days by complete accident. I have a severe panic disorder and started taking them illegally from a reliable source to self-medicate. I get free health care from the Choctaw Nation who have there own clinics. Problem is, the current chief is an anti-drug religious fanatic. You can go in with a railway spike in your head and they'll give you Tylenol 3 for the pain. So getting a benzo for me is practically impossible. Anyways, the first time I used a benzo was a 2mg xanax bar. It stopped my panic attack dead in it's tracks the second it kicked in, I was very surprised how well it worked, and noticed the relief extended well beyond the time the psychoactive effects stopped (usually 2-4 hours) and instead didn't feel anxiety until it completely left my system which takes 3-5 days. Usually 3 for me.
However I google searched the same question you asked because I'm beginning to notice in the past week, The anxiety is starting to come back every morning, and I've been on them for about the same amount of time as you have. Maybe this past week was just a fluke, but I am now starting to worry if I've developed a tolerance and I could already be on my way to a full blown physical dependency. Idk your specific condition, but I'm desperately looking for an alternative to benzos. Btw, even if you keep up the dose your on, you will still most likely suffer long term negative side effects, like loss of memory, and possibly getting full blown Alzheimer's by the time your fifty (assuming you're around my age of 27).
This sounds like rebound anxiety. With Xanax, a short-acting medication, one can experience a bit of anxiety as the drug begins to leave your system. For some people (like myself) this is very noticeable and feels like the anxiety that you took the medication for in the first place. This happens with pain medication too, from opioids and even Tylenol for some. Hope you're doing ok now.
I’ve been taking Klonopin intermittently like that for sleep for 5 years. I’m good. My doctor said I don’t take enough to have withdrawals.
you do realize that Klonopin half-life ranges from 30 to 40 hours. This means that it will take between one to two days for just 50% of Klonopin to leave your system. In other words, it will take about 4-6 days before you have withdrawals, but it will happen,
I agree with the other responses. One good thing is that you are on a low dose so the withdrawal may not be that terrible. What you may want to try is taking just 1 or 1-1/2 instead of 2 for a week or so and then reduce it again. But you also said they help you a lot, so I'm curious as to why you want to get off of them? You were obviously put on Xanax for a reason.
I agree with the responses. I do the same with my Dilauded as if I take it every day I quickly build a tolerance and it really doesn’t work so I space and use sparingly ensuring relief.
Everyone eventually gets tolerant to any drug, some more quickly than others. I am an ex alcoholic so My brain is different than others and unfortunately I quickly grow tolerant to basically all medications until I max out the dosage and move on to another.
Holy cow yes.
Given that Xanax is fully eliminated from the body in just over two days (~62 hours), you are not going to become habituated in the same way you would if you were taking it daily. Having said that I am not a fan of Xanax for my general anxiety disorder as I find it a little hard for the effects (potency) to be predictable.
Yes as this drug is highly habit-forming and you are likely to have withdrawal symptoms. Some people took it for years, and they said they cannot live without it.
Thanks for your response. I am not worried about forming a habit, as that has already happened. I’m already psychologically addicted, I’m purely trying to avoid physical dependency. I do intend to quit altogether someday, and being physically dependent will make that far more difficult to do when the time to quit comes. So I’m wondering how often I can take it without having to face withdrawals.
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Further information
- Xanax uses and safety info
- Xanax prescribing info & package insert (for Health Professionals)
- Side effects of Xanax (detailed)
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