"Hello. I am hoping I could get some advice. I have been prescribed Xanax and Zoloft for over a decade, and I am definitely seeing the long term damage it has been doing to me, and I have recently tried to use cannabis to taper off these terrible pharmaceuticals. I am currently taking 150mg of Zoloft once a day, and only .5-.75mg of Xanax per day. How could I incorpoate cannabis with assisting me to finally get off these medications, as I know even if I lowered my dose just slightly, the side effects become absolutely horendous.
Thank you in advance for any help, I greatly appreciate it."
If you haven’t already done so, inform your mental health provider or primary care MD that you are interested in a slow taper for both your SSRI and the benzodiazepine. Everything in the literature focuses on performing this taper SLOWLY & under supervision to avoid what has been called "discontinuation syndrome". While you are performing this slow taper, slowly introduce cannabis products that have the optimum CBD/THC ratio for daytime use (you might need a separate product with more THC and CBN to help with sleep). I might even suggest tapering off the SSRI first THEN moving on to tapering benzodiazepines; trying to taper down on both seems like it’s too much (but this is just my humble opinion). Also make sure you are employing other treatment modalities (the literature points to doing regular cognitive behavioral therapy/ CBT). Besides tinctures, having a vape-pen to allow for rapid dealing with mood and anxiety manifestations should be useful. We wish you luck!
drpark
