Posted by Ddog on April 19, 2006, at 8:38:29
In reply to Re: Xanax XR tolerance problem » DDog, posted by yxibow on April 19, 2006, at 3:17:28
> > I have been taking. Xanax XR 3mg once daily since 8/03....Before that I was on Ativan 1 mg 4x daily for a year.
> > The Ativan wasn;t working so my pdoc put me on the 3mgs of Xanax XR which worked great for about 2 years or so then I started experiencing a mild depression
>
> Its possible with most benzodiazepines...
>
>
> > Which I think was from the Xanax he says no.....Anyway I started taking Carisoprodol 3x a day not prescribed by the pdoc beween the months of August thru October '05.
>
> For the back or recreationally?
>
> >
> > I just told him recently about this at the last appt. He said I raised my tolerance to the Xanax being that Carisoprodol metabolizes into Meprobomate which is a Barb and has a croos tolerance to benzos.
>
>
> Meprobamate, which is correct, is Miltown, an old anxiety drug from the Quaalude days (not one of them), and is -not- a barbiturate but has some similar properties. Oh how I wish I could have Soma for my muscle spasms, but I'm on too high of a benzo dose, and this is exactly correct.
>
>
> >
> > Now I feel like hell since I stopped the Carisoprodol in Oct '05. I feel the Xanax has lost its effects.
> >
> > The anxiety is bad and my short term memory is shot to hell,insomnia,muscle twitching etc.. since then.
>
> It can happen with Soma tolerance -- I dont know how slow you went off of Soma.
>
>
> > He put me on 15mg of Remeron at the last visit it seems to be helping somewhat with the sleep, but I
> > feel I need to either get off the Xanax but how if I am already having symptoms.
> >
> > Pdoc refuses to increase the Xanax Xr dose or switch to any other benzo.
>
> That's unfortunate because switching to an equivalent dose in Valium or even Librium would make getting off of Xanax a heck of a lot easier.
>
> I would make a strong case for switching to Valium and then tapering off, because even Xanax XR does not necessarily have the half life and metabolites that Valium has (exceeding 24 hours easily). Even increasing the Valium dose a little before going off of it completely if that is what you want to do. If you're heading for a brick wall with the doctor I wouldn't say dump the doctor but try to make a strong case for the above -- Valium has this sordid history but it really is a good long half life benzodiazepine -- I don't know what sort of situation you have with him and that's not my business.Thanks I will ask him about the valium but I don't think he will go for it.
I was taking the soma for back problems and didn't taper from it properly.The Remeron 15mg is not working for sleep the way it did for about 2 weeks now I am lucky if I get 3 hours from it.
What can I do for the sleep.
Any other advice what is the valium switch over dose.
poster:Ddog
thread:634663
URL: http://www.dr-bob.org/babble/20060417/msgs/634735.html