"I am currently taking .25 Xanax about 4 times a day for anxiety and pain. I have been told that you can’t just stop taking benzos. So how do I switch from Xanax to Cannabis?"
First off, everyone reacts to cannabis differently, so you will have to keep track of how you react to the different options suggested below. For our patients, we recommend developing a dosing protocol before starting. The plan should be based on the following:. There are two issues that can be addressed: the acute pain you experience and helping to reduce the chronic issues, such as inflammation, that are affecting you
I would recommend a three-pronged attack: 1. smoking or vaping a heavy indica strain for immediate pain relief ( try substituting the cannabis for your dose of Xanax until you have break through pain or feel the withdrawals). 2. getting a 1:1 cbd/thc tincture OR getting edibles for longer term pain relief.
3. And, if need be, taking a CBD only product during the day. The key here is to keep cannabinoids in your body 24 hrs a day. We have pharmacists on staff at calstatecaregivers.com if you would like a consultation.
A number of variables also come into play:
- your comfort level with cannabis ( psychoactivity and metabolism)
- the level of your physical dependency on Xanax.
- The type of pain ( nerve or musco-skeletal) you are enduring.
Best of luck and hope this helps. We have seen numerous people successfully accomplish what you are looking to do, so there is hope.
dneice