Posted by AtlantaRunner on February 6, 2004, at 18:00:12
In reply to Re: Xanax and Lowering Tolerance, posted by Kon on February 3, 2004, at 20:43:41
> > So the question I forgot to ask him is how long should I stop taking xanax in order for my tolerance to drop back down to 2mg. Should I stop taking it for 3 months, 6 months, 1 year? Does anyone know or have any idea about lowering one's tolerance to Xanax?
>
> That's a good question. My guess is that it varies but I doubt it would take that long. I'll see if I can find any info. I use clonazepam for the exact same reason (public speaking). I do develop tolerance to sedating/hypnotic effects if I use it for a few days in a row. But if I take 2 weeks off, the sedation returns. So a 2-week wash-out period from clonazepam brings back the sedation. Tolerance to anti-anxiety effects hasn't developed much with over 1.5 years of as-needed use. I've never had to take more than 2.0 mg. It's surprising that tolerance to anti-anxiety effects has developed for yourself and others because I've come across research suggesting that (even with xanax) tolerance to anti-anxiety effects is quite rare. Do you take it regularly? I ask because some argue that occassional use may prevent tolerance from occuring (assuming you aren't concurrently taking other benzos).
>I'm so surprised by this conversation. I have pretty extreme GAD and have been on Xanax in combination with Lexapro for a year and a half. I have never taken more than 1 mg in a day. My prescription is for .25 mg up to 4x a day - and that (120 per month) lasts me generally 6-10 weeks. I had no idea people took and could tolerate such high dosages!
poster:AtlantaRunner
thread:309057
URL: http://www.dr-bob.org/babble/20040204/msgs/310267.html