I Want To Stop Taking Xanax And Rivotril

Question: I want to stop taking 1.5mg of Xanax and .05mg Rivotril prescribed by my GP who says I must accept that my brain needs them. I don't believe this, yet I can't find a Dr and/or Psychologist who can help me. I was initially prescribed Xanax due to a bad reaction to a one off dose of Prozac. I was told to take Xanax for 3 months then change to 2mg of Rivotril, which I was supposed to take for 3 weeks then stop. It didn't work. GP said to keep on taking Rivotril. I managed to wean myself off it down to .05gm, but started getting bad withdrawal symptoms. I was then put back on Xanax. I do not suffer from depression, abnormal anxiety or stress, only bad medical decisions. I would really appreciate someone helping me. This situation has existed for 4 years and I'm weary of it.

First Answer: You need a proper assessment of your situation by a Psychiatrist. If you have seen one already, ask to be referred to another, particularly one who is known to be skilled in psychopharmacology, rather than one whose practice is solely or mainly psychotherapy based. I can't give you specific directions without seeing you and understanding your situation more thoroughly, but in general terms, the best way to wean someone off Xanax or Rivotril would be to replace the Xanax/Rivotril with Diazepam (Valium) and wean the Diazepam slowly over 3-6 months. Diazepam is a long acting drug, whereas the other two are short acting and much harder to wean off.

Answer provided by Dr Jerry Gelb

Second Answer: I'm afraid I cannot agree with Dr Gelb's assessment of your situation. You have now what is called an iatrogenic condition. In your case, an addiction actually caused by medical treatment. What Dr Gelb suggests is that to help wean yourself off the two addictive benzodiazepines originally prescribed for you, you substitute a third addictive benzodiazepine, called Valium. The regime he suggests may work but whatever the upshot, the original problems you sought help for probably still exist, plus the present addiction problem. Medication being used as a last resort, instead of the first line treatment of choice, would save many patients from your predicament.

Answer provided by David White