system
A chat on subreddit /r/NoStupidQuestions
human
How hard was it to taper off of? I have been taking Xanax for about 10 years but I’ve not had to increase my dose and I don’t “crave” it. But in 2020 I went to bed one night after not having taken Xanax for more than 24 hours and I experienced a night from hell. I actually didn’t even realize or consider it was Xanax withdrawal until the next day. The night I experienced the withdrawal symptoms I ended up not being able to sleep at all and I was sweating like buckets of sweat and my body kept making these insane involuntary jerking movements. The best way to describe my movements would be imagining a person laying flat on their back in a bed and then thrusting their hips up as if they had been shocked in their abdomen. I sincerely thought maybe I had gone so long with so much instability, insecurity, and fear in my daily life that my mind had gone insane to the point I was involuntarily losing control of my body as a fear/panic/trauma response. I was thrilled to find out that it was Xanax withdrawal but it worries me that I had such a big reaction when my daily dose is 0.5mg. I know it’s an “as needed” medication but my psychiatrist is comfortable with me taking it nightly since it’s the only thing that helps me be able to fall asleep.
gpt
It really depends how long you’ve been taking it and high much of a dose.  .5 mg a day is a relatively low dose, however you can definitely expect a lot of discomfort (insomnia, restlessness, hypertension, and rebound anxiety) for possibly up to a month.  Your body is gonna have to learn healthier and natural ways to manage stress and anxiety.