Xanax Withdrawal: A Week-by-Week Timeline

The "Sprinter" of Benzodiazepines

Xanax (Alprazolam) is considered a "high-potency, short-acting" benzodiazepine. Because it has a half-life of only 6-12 hours, your body begins to crave the next dose before you even take it. This creates a rollercoaster effect known as Interdose Withdrawal.

If you are tapering directly off Xanax, your timeline will look different than someone tapering off Valium or Klonopin. It is often sharper, faster, and more intense.

Week 1: The Initial Drop

Symptoms: Anxiety, irritability, insomnia, "clock-watching."

When you make your first cut, your blood levels drop rapidly. Unlike Valium, which has a "buffer" effect that can last days, Xanax cuts are felt within 24 hours.

• The Challenge: You may wake up with "morning anxiety" (cortisol spikes) because the drug has completely left your system while you slept.
• Strategy: This is why many doctors recommend dosing 3-4 times a day to keep blood levels steady.

Week 2-3: The Peak (The Acute Phase)

Symptoms: Physical tremors, heart palpitations, sensory sensitivity (lights/sounds), rebound anxiety.

For short-acting benzos, the withdrawal symptoms tend to peak earlier than long-acting ones. This is the hardest part of the curve.

• What is happening: Your GABA receptors are uncovered and "screaming" for the chemical they are used to.
• Safety Note: If you feel confused or have severe tremors, you may have cut too fast. Hold your dose. Do not cut again until you stabilize.

Weeks 4+: The Stabilization (or The Wall)

Symptoms: Brain fog, fatigue, "waves" of anxiety that come and go.

By now, the acute physical shock should lessen, but you may hit a "wall." This is common with Xanax tapers. Because the drug leaves the system so fast, it is mathematically difficult to make small enough cuts at the end (e.g., cutting a 0.25mg pill into 10 pieces is impossible).

Why the Timeline Often Stalls

Many patients find they can taper Xanax down to a certain point (often 0.5mg or 0.25mg) and then cannot go further without severe symptoms.

This is not your fault. It is simple pharmacokinetics.

At lower doses, the "peaks and valleys" of Xanax blood levels become too extreme for the nervous system to handle. This is usually the point where the Ashton Manual recommends switching to a long-acting benzodiazepine (like Valium) to smooth out the ride.

Read our guide on The Ashton Switch / Crossover Protocol here.