# I had a seizure from Xanax withdrawal.



## gilbertgrape (Jan 10, 2006)

Well, I went to go take a bath on Tuesday evening and the next thing I remember is waking up in the ambulance with 5 faces around me staring down at me. I was completely freaked out as you can imagine seeing as I had no idea what happened. After staying in the hospital for 2.5 days and having an EEG, MRI, and CATscan, they concluded that there was nothing wrong with me. I had been taking Xanax for about 4 months (though I've taken it before for longer periods) and the doctor, in his infinite wisdom, said that my body had become tolerant to it and had suffered a withdrawal seizure. So I guess I am just putting it out there for those of you (like UltraShy) who have been taking benzodiazepines for anxiety for a over a month; I have never had a seizure, I've always been very healthy and taken care of myself for the most part so it was completely out of the blue. Of course the doctors want me to wean myself off of it (even though it's the only thing that actually works and improves my quality of life somewhat, which I told them) and try Lamictal. So I guess my point is to be careful, and if you've been on benzo's for over a month, DON'T MISS A DAY or you might end up in the ER.


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## nothing to fear (Mar 23, 2005)

your doctor didn't warn you about that? if its the case, that is very very irresponsible of them.

sounds scary, especially since you were in the bath at the time.


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## GSH (Jul 16, 2009)

Did they take your license?


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## hightimes2 (Apr 13, 2009)

how much were you taking daily?


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## gilbertgrape (Jan 10, 2006)

Haha, no, but they told me not to drive for 6 MONTHS. I just drove over to Walgreens to pick up my prescription lol. I was taking around 2mg a day, which was my prescribed dose.


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## hightimes2 (Apr 13, 2009)

are you going to keep taking it and up your dose or come off it?


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## gilbertgrape (Jan 10, 2006)

It is a very tough decision. On the one hand, I don't ever want this to happen again, but on the other, Xanax is the ONLY drug that's ever really had any effect for me. I think that as long as I am very careful I'll be okay. Do you think it's foolish to keep taking it?


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## jim_morrison (Aug 17, 2008)

gilbertgrape said:


> It is a very tough decision. On the one hand, I don't ever want this to happen again, but on the other, Xanax is the ONLY drug that's ever really had any effect for me. I think that as long as I am very careful I'll be okay. Do you think it's foolish to keep taking it?


As I posted in another thread, i think you may benefit from switching to a longer acting benzo such as klonopin or valium, if you need to keep taking them.


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## Thomas Paine (Mar 29, 2008)

I get tolerance withdrawal even from klonopin, but never had a seizure unless I was quitting. Mine actually happened _in_ the emergency room though because they didn't take me seriously when I said "I think I'm about to have a seizure.".

Definitely gotta be careful with this stuff. Sorry you went through that. I know how weird it feels to wake up with doctors all around you, or in my case, to them putting stitches in your head.

I wonder if it was the heat and dehydration from the bath that actually triggered it for you while the tolerance withdrawal made it possible. Just a thought.


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## db0255 (Jul 20, 2009)

gilbertgrape said:


> It is a very tough decision. On the one hand, I don't ever want this to happen again, but on the other, Xanax is the ONLY drug that's ever really had any effect for me. I think that as long as I am very careful I'll be okay. Do you think it's foolish to keep taking it?


I would say it's pretty foolish to keep taking it just from the standpoint of that you can't be "careful and you'll be okay". I don't think it works like that. From your description of the seizure, it sounded like it happened out of the blue, so what's to prevent it from happening again?

If you take Lamictal concurrently though, I don't see any problem, because it's an anticonvulsant.


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## hightimes2 (Apr 13, 2009)

I am curious what does it feel like just before you are going to have the seizure?

I am about to start withdrawing from klonopin and i want to be careful.


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## gilbertgrape (Jan 10, 2006)

I am going to try the Lamictal; I took one last night before I went to bed and don't really feel any different this morning. Hightimes: I honestly don't remember anything. I did feel really nauseaus (sp?) and was projectile vomiting in the ambulance and ER afterward. Good luck to you in your pursuit to quit the Klonopin


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## Thomas Paine (Mar 29, 2008)

hightimes2 said:


> I am curious what does it feel like just before you are going to have the seizure?
> 
> I am about to start withdrawing from klonopin and i want to be careful.


For me it felt sort of like having the stomach flu while you're having a bad lsd trip and a hangover. :stu

I pretty much knew there was something wrong at that point, but I wasn't able to express it well enough to scare the hospital staff, I guess.

I started waking up with it getting worse and worse every morning until it reached that point where I was so sick I just called a cab and went to the ER.


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## jim_morrison (Aug 17, 2008)

gilbertgrape: what dosage of xanax were you taking daily before the seizure anyway? were you taking it every 4 hours?


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## Happ2beme (Jul 13, 2009)

Thomas Paine's post has a good point.



> I wonder if it was the heat and dehydration from the bath that actually triggered it for you while the tolerance withdrawal made it possible. Just a thought.


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## Paul'sBunyon (Dec 7, 2008)

This is fairly common I think from xanax isn't it? That's why tapering off all these drugs we talk about here is the safest way.


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## gilbertgrape (Jan 10, 2006)

jim_morrison said:


> gilbertgrape: what dosage of xanax were you taking daily before the seizure anyway? were you taking it every 4 hours?


I was taking 2 mg/day: that is, one 1 mg pill in the am and one in the pm, but sometimes I admit, I would take 3 or even 4 in one day depending on severity of anxiety. I guess I had the seizure because I WAS taking it everyday with no "benzo vacations" to give my body a rest from it. I've been prescribed longer-acting benzo's before (i.e., Ativan, Valium, Klonopin, and even Librium), but I would just end up taking more than my prescribed dose to compensate. I've noticed that a lot of you guys seem to like Klonopin. Is there any particular reason? Like have you tried other benzo's and concluded that Clonazepam works best for you?


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## DMBfan (Aug 29, 2008)

Paul'sBunyon said:


> This is fairly common I think from xanax isn't it? That's why tapering off all these drugs we talk about here is the safest way.


It's not very common at doses under say 4mg/day. It's also not common to happen within a day of missing a dose. Usually people start feeling withdrawal symptoms well before they have a seizure.

To gilbertgrape, were you taking or recently stop any other medications at/around the same time? Also, have you had seizures in the past or any head injuries? Once you have a seizure it lowers you seizure threshold and the same thing is true with head injuries.


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## db0255 (Jul 20, 2009)

DMBfan said:


> It's not very common at doses under say 4mg/day. It's also not common to happen within a day of missing a dose. Usually people start feeling withdrawal symptoms well before they have a seizure.
> 
> To gilbertgrape, were you taking or recently stop any other medications at/around the same time? Also, have you had seizures in the past or any head injuries? Once you have a seizure it lowers you seizure threshold and the same thing is true with head injuries.


I agree DMBfan, it's not very common from what she said in her circumstances, but knowing the mechanism of action of Xanax, it's not uncommon to see seizures, especially if you're tolerant to the drug. But yeah, there has to be some precipitating factor like head injury or seizures...


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## Thomas Paine (Mar 29, 2008)

So the fact that I've had a seizure after being knocked out in a fistfight, had a seizure after doing that stupid make yourself pass out for the high thing, had a seizure from huffing paint fumes, and had a klonopin withdrawal seizure, puts me at what type of risk for another one?


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## michealjackson (Aug 24, 2009)

I can already smell the brushes burning when it's cranked up high.
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## Anxiety75 (Feb 10, 2004)

I have never had a seizure but a couple of times when the doctors delayed filling my meds I felt like I was going to die, could barely move, breath and felt the most awful feeling of fear and panic on the face of the earth and I never want to feel like that again! If any doctor just stopped me cold-turkey or didn't fill it and I ran out, I think I'd sue. Because like I said I won't go down that path again. :afr :mum


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## Anxiety75 (Feb 10, 2004)

What does that mean? Should I delete your post that has nothing to do with the subject matter? :um



michealjackson said:


> I can already smell the brushes burning when it's cranked up high.
> plan solution commission de surendettement - commission de surendettement, vous pouvez demander un dossier de surendettement.plan solution commission de surendettement


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## User (Mar 20, 2004)

I'd be careful with Lamictal. I was on the drug for bi-polar disorder, and within a half a year it washed out my memory. Unfortunately, I took the drug for almost a year after I realized that it was blotting out my memory (psychiatrist didn't really care). I only stopped in early March, and it's taken me months to recover part of the memory that I lost from Lamictal. My uncle took Lamictal for epilepsy and he says that he also had memory issues, even though he wasn't sure if it was from depression, seizures, or what.


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## jim_morrison (Aug 17, 2008)

Anxiety75 said:


> I have never had a seizure but a couple of times when the doctors delayed filling my meds I felt like I was going to die, could barely move, breath and felt the most awful feeling of fear and panic on the face of the earth and I never want to feel like that again! If any doctor just stopped me cold-turkey or didn't fill it and I ran out, I think I'd sue. Because like I said I won't go down that path again. :afr :mum


Wow, thats no good, may I ask what medication your taking?


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## gilbertgrape (Jan 10, 2006)

Thanks for all the responses, guys.



DMBfan said:


> It's not very common at doses under say 4mg/day. It's also not common to happen within a day of missing a dose. Usually people start feeling withdrawal symptoms well before they have a seizure.
> 
> To gilbertgrape, were you taking or recently stop any other medications at/around the same time? Also, have you had seizures in the past or any head injuries? Once you have a seizure it lowers you seizure threshold and the same thing is true with head injuries.


The day I had the seizure (last Tuesday), I woke up feeling naseous and threw up a couple of times and felt pretty crappy in general for the entire day. That's the baffling thing about this whole ordeal: I've never had any head injuries or seizures in my 23 years. About two years ago, though, I was drinking pretty heavily, taking pills (painkillers), and even tried huffing that Duster stuff people clean their keyboards with a few times (I know, I made some real smart choices). I almost died twice in a one year span: the first time I accidentally overdosed on Xanax and alcohol (had to be put on a ventilator); the second time I was given Methadone by a "friend" and overdosed again. It's possible, I suppose, that I have done some irreparable damage to myself and that those two incidents contributed to this one.


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## gilbertgrape (Jan 10, 2006)

User said:


> I'd be careful with Lamictal. I was on the drug for bi-polar disorder, and within a half a year it washed out my memory. Unfortunately, I took the drug for almost a year after I realized that it was blotting out my memory (psychiatrist didn't really care). I only stopped in early March, and it's taken me months to recover part of the memory that I lost from Lamictal. My uncle took Lamictal for epilepsy and he says that he also had memory issues, even though he wasn't sure if it was from depression, seizures, or what.


Yes, in all seriousness I FORGOT to reply to your post. I've only taken 3 of the Lamictal so far and I've already noticed that I don't feel like 'myself'. I feel more anxious/agitated than usual and my memory has definately been affected. The only positive thing is that I seem to sleep better than usual while on it. I have an entire drawer full of every class of med. with most of the bottles still half full because of the way I felt after taking them (Abilify, Remeron, Prozac, and now I can add Lamictal...$40 in copays down the tubes). I'm about to give up on trying anything else.


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## Neptunus (Oct 29, 2007)

Wow, how awful! :afr Thanks for posting this.


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## Anxiety75 (Feb 10, 2004)

jim_morrison said:


> Wow, thats no good, may I ask what medication your taking?


I was on alprazolam (Xanax) now I am on clonazepam (Klonopin). Much more slow released in the body and last longer.


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## UltraShy (Nov 8, 2003)

Anxiety75 said:


> I have never had a seizure but a couple of times when the doctors delayed filling my meds I felt like I was going to die, could barely move, breath and felt the most awful feeling of fear and panic on the face of the earth and I never want to feel like that again! If any doctor just stopped me cold-turkey or didn't fill it and I ran out, I think I'd sue. Because like I said I won't go down that path again. :afr :mum


That's why I'd never allow my supply to get too low. Today my Xanax bottle from April will run out and I'll start using my May fill. So at the moment I have 600 bars of Xanax on hand (150 for each of May, June, July, and August). Doesn't look like I'll be running out.


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## RockiNToM (Jun 15, 2009)

My god, please share. Just joking. Do they always work the same, or has your tolerance built up to a point where you need to keep taking more to have the same desired effect?


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## UltraShy (Nov 8, 2003)

First, I want to make sure I have this clear. The OP was taking her Xanax as usual and did not stop nor reduce dose nor forget a pill (not that forgetting a 1 mg pill should do this) and this just happened out of the blue?:stu In all these years of reading what seems like every bad med event under the sun, I've never heard of anything like this happening without actually stopping a benzo. Is there any history of seizures in your family? I ask because I'm wondering if there might be something that would make you more prone to a seizure, since this sure doesn't seem typical at all.



gilbertgrape said:


> I was taking 2 mg/day: that is, one 1 mg pill in the am and one in the pm


Given the short duration of Xanax you'd effectively be getting withdrawal to some extent every single day between doses. That's why Xanax is typically divided into at least 3 doses a day if used constantly.


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## UltraShy (Nov 8, 2003)

RockiNToM said:


> ...has your tolerance built up to a point where you need to keep taking more to have the same desired effect?


I'm not certain if that reply was directed at me, but if it was, do you think I'd have a collection of 600 bars -- enough for 10 mg x 120 days -- if I used more than directed?

No, I don't keep taking more & more. And no benzo has had any significant effect on me. Yesterday I was so worked up that I went to an OTC remedy: alcohol. 5 ounces of whiskey and a can of beer helped vastly more than any benzo ever has.


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## jim_morrison (Aug 17, 2008)

Ultrashy, my apologies if you've already adressed this before, but I'm a bit curious, if you have to take benzos every day, is there a particular reason why your not taking/being given a longer acting one like klonopin?


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## UltraShy (Nov 8, 2003)

jim_morrison said:


> Ultrashy, my apologies if you've already adressed this before, but I'm a bit curious, if you have to take benzos every day, is there a particular reason why your not taking/being given a longer acting one like klonopin?


I preferred Xanax over Klonopin. All else being equal, Klonopin is a more likely choice for constant use due to longer duration of action. Not all is equal though. Some prefer one over another benzo. Taking Xanax a number of times a day isn't a problem IMO, though there are some who think it's the biggest problem in the world.

The right benzo is whichever works best for you.


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## RockiNToM (Jun 15, 2009)

UltraShy said:


> I'm not certain if that reply was directed at me, but if it was, do you think I'd have a collection of 600 bars -- enough for 10 mg x 120 days -- if I used more than directed?
> 
> No, I don't keep taking more & more. And no benzo has had any significant effect on me. Yesterday I was so worked up that I went to an OTC remedy: alcohol. 5 ounces of whiskey and a can of beer helped vastly more than any benzo ever has.


So in answer to my question, you essentially take the same dose each day and experience the same effect. Ok.


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## Hippo (May 10, 2009)

gilbertgrape said:


> I had been taking Xanax for about 4 months (though I've taken it before for longer periods) and the doctor, in his infinite wisdom, said that my body had become tolerant to it and had suffered a withdrawal seizure.


Is your doctor a psychiatrist?

If I were put on a powerful medication like a benzo, I'd want to make sure my doctor is a specialsit. I wouldn't allow a family doctor or generalist to prescribe me psychiatric meds.


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## raven848 (Apr 6, 2010)

Hey everyone,

I had a grand mal seizure last week _while I was DJing at a club_. I hadn't taken my xanax for a few days, maybe even a week. Only take 1mg a day, split in 2.

I had been much happier in the last month or two, and had also resolved a situation with a girl that had been really getting to me. I went on vacation to South Beach on 3/25 and had a great time (with no xanax). Came back last Sunday night (3/28), and had the seizure Wednesday(3/31). I have only been on the xanax for about 5 months and it seemed to be the first thing to really work for me. I would skip days when I felt I didn't need any, and like I said, it recently got up to about a week. Apparently I (we) can't do this. I'm at the same crossroads as many of you... do I keep taking it and hoping the effectiveness doesn't wear down? do I wean myself off of it now? I have had 4 seizures now over the last 6 years. Obviously i'm more seizure prone. This was a really bad one, its almost a week later and i'm just today starting to feel better (physically and emotionally). Waking up in the club with everyone staring was not fun. I can't go through this again anytime soon. I did have a red bull about 20 minutes before I had it. Does that affect the body more since I hadn't had the xanax for about a week? 
Anyways, I guess I need to keep taking the same dose each day. I still haven't gotten back on track because i've been so out of it since the seizure.


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## euphoria (Jan 21, 2009)

raven848 said:


> Hey everyone,
> 
> I had a grand mal seizure last week _while I was DJing at a club_. I hadn't taken my xanax for a few days, maybe even a week. Only take 1mg a day, split in 2.
> 
> ...


Once you're dependent on benzos, skipping doses isn't a good idea. The choice is really: use as-needed occasionally, or take them constantly. Withdrawal or skipping doses when dependent can cause seizures. If you need to withdraw, taper slowly using a long-acting benzo.

Red Bull may have lowered the seizure threshold even more, due to the caffeine (and maybe other ingredients).

Having tried these anticonvulsant drugs: carbamazepine, pregabalin, lamotrigine, I can say without doubt lamotrigine has had FAR fewer side effects. The others messed up my ability to think and made me a depressed zombie. Having seizures is really unpleasant and unnerving (I've had many), and I'd much prefer to take my anticonvulsant than have that risk. The feeling I get before seizures is horrible, like my brain is all firing at once and I can't think clearly, I sometimes get feelings of deja vu, and even weird psychotic-like thoughts that are impossible to describe. So yeah seizures are bad, do what you have to do to avoid them.


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## nothing to fear (Mar 23, 2005)

what the hell is with doctors not warning patients of the dangers associated with stopping benzos cold turkey?

seizures sound so awful. i am on lamictal and have had no noticeable side-effects as well (but its for bipolar).


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## UltraShy (Nov 8, 2003)

gilbertgrape said:


> So I guess I am just putting it out there for those of you *(like UltraShy)* who have been taking benzodiazepines for anxiety for a over a month...


According to my count I've filled Xanax scripts 62 times for a total of 2mg x 9,240 tablets.


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## Hoodhippie (Jan 28, 2011)

*advice*



hightimes2 said:


> I am curious what does it feel like just before you are going to have the seizure?
> 
> I am about to start withdrawing from klonopin and i want to be careful.


Well, I was addicted to xanax pretty bad a few months ago. I was getting them off the streets because i had no insurance. I was taking around 22 bars a day, then i ran out and couldn't find none.. the first couple of days was dizziness, nausea, scrambled thoughts, seeing spots.. then a few days later i felt dizzy and faint. I immediately went into a sizer. when i came to, it was like nothing happened, but i could tell something was missing, I looked at my boyfriend who already called 911, i asked him what happened, he told me and it was really hard to believe i had a sizer, i didn't remember any of it, i just felt weird. i don't remember going to the hospital, when i got there i had another one while i was in the e.r. they kept me there for four days on Kepra and other med.s. They released me with a script of Kolnopin, well i hadn't learned my lesson and took the whole script before i should, before i knew it i was back in the hospital for three days this time. after that i decided to slow down, but not enough.. sure enough i was back in the hospital for a few more days. by then i could tell when they were coming, its a very distinct feeling as well as horrible. i passed out in the ally and had another one laying in the mud.. a few more days at the hospital and i had finally learned my lesson..... so my point is this is what it feels like before you have one..

At first you feel dizzy and disoriented, you have a hard time walking, you can't really move your feet. you have to hold on to someone or something or else you feel like you would just fall. you see spots and it's hard to open your eyes, it feels like the world around you is spinning out of control.. then you feel faint, your body locks up and then your having one. then before you completely come back your body starts freaking out, like with me, my subconscious mind went back to my Tae-Kwon-Do and i started shouting lines and punching and kicking, basically your body flips out.. a few minutes later it feels like nothing happened but you cant think straight.

my advice.. just take them a couple here, a couple there and you will be fine!


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## Hoodhippie (Jan 28, 2011)

*advice*



nothing to fear said:


> what the hell is with doctors not warning patients of the dangers associated with stopping benzos cold turkey?
> 
> seizures sound so awful. i am on lamictal and have had no noticeable side-effects as well (but its for bipolar).


they are the worst, i had a total of four from withdrawing on xanax and now i cant remember anything about my life before and it has also ****ed up my short term memory severely!


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## jimmythekid (Apr 26, 2010)

Lamictal can give you seizures if you go cold-turkey, even if you take it for bipolar! You really gotta be careful not to miss doses with some of these Meds.


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## Medline (Sep 23, 2008)

gilbertgrape said:


> The day I had the seizure (last Tuesday), I woke up feeling naseous and threw up a couple of times and felt pretty crappy in general for the entire day.


Maybe you threw up your Xanax pill(s) too? This in combination with following dehydration and the heat of the bath makes the thing more plausible. Another factor might be that you didn't take constant doses daily, but sometimes significantly more.

Nevertheless normally other withdrawal symptoms like intense anxiety set in before a W/D seizure happens. Having a seizure while taking a bath sounds really scarry, great that you were lucky.


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## UltraShy (Nov 8, 2003)

> So I guess I am just putting it out there for those of you (like UltraShy) who have been taking benzodiazepines for anxiety for a over a month


Yeah, daily for 8 years in my case. I've actually cut back on my Xanax usage. It's currently around 6 mg a day instead of the previous 10.


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## Nocturnalbutrfly84 (May 21, 2013)

hightimes2 said:


> I am curious what does it feel like just before you are going to have the seizure?
> 
> I am about to start withdrawing from klonopin and i want to be careful.


My doctor got in a car accident, and no one returned my calls to refill my Klonopin and gabapentin. I ran out, a couple days later i started seeing colors, a circle of rainbow i jumped in the pool then laid down, next thing i knew i was laying in my exes lap and he was telling me I just had a seizure (first time ever) paramedics were called, I had gone unconcious so I didnt know and was arguing i didnt have one. finally I agreed to let them take me. when I got back I had 2 more in a row that I was awake during, and then a day later I had one more, I went to the er 3 times in about a month. They finally gave me a temporary script. Do not drink with meds!!! It will mess up your brain chemistry and make them less affective. I just went to a general practioner today, and have 2 follow ups. They did a CAT scan in the ER, everything was fine thank goodness. I a now suffering from short term memory loss andapplying for disability. They told me I prob shouldnt drive, I waited 4 days to make sure I was ok once back onmy meds. I am driving now but everything seems hazy and I dont enjoy many things i used to. Everyday gets a little easier. If you ever taper make sure you do so under dr supervision. Good luck!


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## Nocturnalbutrfly84 (May 21, 2013)

nothing to fear said:


> what the hell is with doctors not warning patients of the dangers associated with stopping benzos cold turkey?
> 
> seizures sound so awful. i am on lamictal and have had no noticeable side-effects as well (but its for bipolar).


Is there some sort of consequence to the doctor for not returning my calls to refill my prescription for klonopin, it resulted in 4 seizures and 3 emergency room visits. I dont want to get anyone in trouble but i dont wantit to happen to anyone else :/.


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