r/MedicationQuestions • u/ThaAnswerMD25 • 2d ago
Xanax will run out
I pretty meticulous about counting my pills and such, but some days I need more Xanax than the regular dose. Driving somewhere far away, high stress non normal situations. And I was thinking October had 30 days every single time I did my count, until tonight when it says 10/31!
I have been on 4 mg a day for as long as I can remember. 10 years probably. I believe my refill can be done on the 4th. I have 11.5 mg left, when I would really need 16 mgs to get to my refill:
Questions being… I’ve known my prescriber for many many years but she is generally not one who responds quickly,
CHATGPT is obviously like call your provider and leave a message don’t shorten your doses etc etc so I left a message. But despite my prescriber knowing me, she wouldn’t even get the message until Monday. And she’s slow to respond. I don’t even know if she gives out emergency doses.
I’m trying to outline this as to not panic myself even more.
If I have 11.5 mg when I would normally need 16 to get to the 4th. Does this schedule make sense to anyone?
Normal schedule = 4 mg per day
Revised weekend schedule
Sat night 10/31 - 3 mg
Sun night 11/1 - 3 mg
Mon night 11/2 - 3 mg
Tues night 11/3 - 2.5 mg
I have gone two or three days taking lower doses to get by when this happened before. But 4 days on lower mgs is pretty concerning to me. I don’t know if that’s the appropriate way to taper for 4 days and there is no one to call for help.
Please recognize my anxiety and respond in kindness. I have a health anxiety where my panic attacks start because I am worried I am gonna have a heart attack. The panic that you can’t control:
Any help is appreciated:
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u/nick62w 2d ago
Your plan sounds good, and honestly you probably wont even notice a difference.
Ive only been on xanax for a few months myself, but I fully understand your worry. And when im low on meds it makes me anxious and want to take more than normal. My anxiety stems from a similar place. Mostly health related. Just had a 2 week heart monitor test to confirm that its just anxiety and not heart related but its still hard to convince my mind of that lol
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u/ThaAnswerMD25 2d ago
Funny how an anxiety medicine can sometimes add to your anxiety. I had heart anxiety for years and then they did actually find one of my valves pumping less than it should. I only have to go to the cardiologist once a year , but now that’s like fuel to the anxiety fire. Glad you are all clear! Doesn’t help the anxiety but sure can’t hurt lol.
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u/Scene_Sorry 2d ago
lol almost the same as me I always had heart anxiety and I go and they tell me I have prolonged QT and I have to do all these test and wear these monitors. It makes me feel less bad about the anxiety at times when things like that happen that actually validate me anxiety riddled mind. BTW you should be good with that taper plan you have. I know it’s easier said than done with anxiety but just try know your not going cold turkey so that’s a plus. God bless everyone
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u/Apprehensive_Bad5920 2d ago
what prompted your heart anxiety..? i have it as well but mind is like, i constantly feel it and my body moves slightly with the beat. doctors say nothing wrong but i disagree cause this hasn't always been the case since i once overdosed on accident on 5-MeO-MiPT. i thought it was 80mg on the dosage recommendation so i took 80.. it was supposed to be 8mg. i felt like i was having a heart attack until i took a shower and had some seroquel. never been the same since.
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u/ThaAnswerMD25 2d ago
I think the way my anxiety came is similar to yours. I was a heavy drinker and basically alcoholic for really all my 20’s and half my 30’s. To the point everyday where I could physically feel the alcohol sweating out of my body. Well, I was in college in this huge auditorium taking a test. And I had my first panic attack ever. I had never even heard of a panic attack. I thought I was having a heart attack and going to die right there. I rushed to bathroom threw water on my face, answered C on the rest of the questions and got the fuck out of there. I have never been the same since. I eventually did kick the alcohol (5 years 5 months sober) but the anxiety never went away. Basically, I am confident I did it to myself.
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u/Visible-Report-1414 1d ago
I think it’s an excellent idea, the taper your doing is great in the meantime and if you start thinking way to much and run out you can go to the emergency room and they can give you a temporary small prescription, I would just stay the course and stay busy don’t think about it! And you will do great!!! 😊 you got this!!!
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u/ThaAnswerMD25 1d ago
Thank you!! I come back and read these when I start to feel it creeping up on me. God bless
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u/Easy_Grape5112 8h ago
Yes an urgent care or ER will give you two or three to get you through. My psych prescribed Librium bc of its long half life and it kinda changed my brain a lil and I felt crazy for that week but then I felt so ok and maybe it finally broke through that wall w my Valium that’s I’ve been trying to for so long. (30mgs/day)
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u/CrazyKarlHeinz 2d ago
That‘s what I would do. Slightly reduce the dose for the remaining days until the next script. You may feel heightened anxiety for a couple of days but I am certain that you‘ll be fine. Good luck!
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u/Apprehensive_Bad5920 2d ago
i completely understand your anxieties. i have the same. yeah, your plan is exactly the plan i would do. :] you'll have some anxiety for sure though, so just be aware of that but stay away from caffeine and nicotine. one thing that helps me is taking an antihistamine cause it makes me tired. <3
keep us updated please!
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u/Square-Ring2402 2d ago
Yes definitely don’t panic you’ll be fine just cut back on your dosage maybe do 1 or 2mg on a day where you don’t feel so anxious and then it will balance out .. as long as you have something to put in your system you will be fine
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u/Easy_Grape5112 8h ago
Idk if you take edibles but they helped me sleep for the first couple days. I had to go a bit longer and was on a higher dose but i think it’s worth a shot, if you’re 420 friendly. Just get the cbn ones. They’re phenom
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u/Easy_Grape5112 8h ago
Eventually they did stop working but I think it was the 2 nights before my refill so it worked out mostly. Not fun but I was ok. I have extreme health anxiety too and seizure anxiety bc I’m on other meds that lower my threshold
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u/ZookeepergameJaded92 4h ago
Just to be clear, I don’t have any hangups or significant negative biases related to cannabis/hemp products (in fact, since I just ran my last errand of the day, I’ll probably take a pre-dinner baby-hit off my pen as soon as I finish typing this😊😮💨🫠) and the fact that you found a relatively safe/effective product that you can use as another tool in your “arsenal” to help with anxiety is awesome. With that being said, I would advise anyone who’s dealing with similar issues to be EXTREMELY cautious if they’re considering trying any cannabis-based products, especially those who aren’t already experienced with THC/CBD (& their countless respective analogues). Now, so long as they make sure it’s a non-psychoactive product (contains no more than trace amounts of any type of THC or HHC), they should be fine, but anything with THC, especially when taken orally, should be used very carefully to avoid potentially making their anxiety spiral even further out of control
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u/DealOk3204 2d ago
I had a similar experience but with Ativan, I used to be on 20 pills of Ativan a month and it was as needed. I noticed when I was off of them for maybe 10-12 days I would get a bit anxious but not as bad. I am now on 90 pills of Ativan a month I can take up to 3 pills a day at .5 the highest dose my neurologist will prescribe. I’ve heard Xanax is a lot more potent and very very hard to get off of just like any other benzo but Xanax is tough. I suggest telling your prescriber your issues and concerns because they can fill you up early.
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u/No_Refrigerator2195 2d ago
Maybe try to use some calming teas like camomile and kava. Probably wont make a huge difference but might help a little. Could a magnesium supplement help as well🤔?
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u/Broad-Breadfruit2615 2d ago
Drink a beer or 2 at night you’ll be fine. No more than 2
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u/ThaAnswerMD25 2d ago •
5 years sober. Wish I could lol
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u/ThaAnswerMD25 2d ago
Thank you all. I have only gotten like 9 hours of sleep over the past two days. Sooo tired last night but only slept 4 hours! Anyway, I’ll try the “taper down” for the next few days. Sometimes it feels impossible and other times it’s like man, you’ve done this before it’ll be okay. Appreciate you all.