@bachissimo I was prescribed Xanax (Alprazolam), a short lasting benzo, for the dizziness. It worked wonders for me awhile, I took 0.5 mg 2x/day (started at once a day for awhile), so a relatively small dose, and it allowed me to keep working when I absolutely couldn’t stop working because my husband was still in school and then took awhile to find a full time job after he graduated. But it is as others have mentioned above, a temporary band-aid, no fix. I did do vestibular rehab therapy before I was started on the Xanax and didn’t fully recover so at that point in my treatment something was still causing issues (now I know it was migraines not being under control). But now I fear the Xanax is preventing my brain from compensating, in addition to the fact that my migraines aren’t under control (I’m having trouble tolerating preventatives, a long story not for this thread). And, since I’ve been on Xanax for 5 years, trying to taper off of them while being housebound and barely able to walk proved to be too difficult. I tried tapering 2.5 years ago, and the former doctor did have me taper too fast, but it was a miserable disaster and resulted in giving me major medication anxiety. And, now I’m back on the original 0.5 mg 2x/day and the Xanax doesn’t have the same benefit that it did for me before I tried to taper. I don’t want to take more as I know it’s messing with compensation.
So, it depends on what you need in your life. My doctors didn’t expect me to have this much trouble tapering off of such a small dose, but I’ve become super sensitive to everything. If you need a band-aid, benzos can be great. If you can afford not to use them every day, I recommend what others above suggested and just take them in the worst cases as a back up. Benzos (some but not all) work as a vestibular suppressant, so yes they, so far, are the only things that have helped my symptoms. Right now I get relief from some doses but not every dose, and it’s much shorter of a relief than it used to be, but it gets me through the day. Overall I don’t recommend being on them long term. Clonazepam is longer lasting than Xanax at least so it shouldn’t be quite as difficult for you to taper from it, depending on how long you’ve been on it and the dosage. Hope this helps!
Oh, and I actually feel that being on Xanax long term has made my anxiety worse. And several close relatives around me have observed the same thing about me. I don’t know if it’s inter-dosing withdraw that’s doing it or the fact that I should be taking more to get the same effect and am not taking more.