Was taking 1 mg clonazepam a day, have since tapered off. take .5 mg xanax (alprazolam) as need now; notice when i haven't had it in 72 hrs i get spacy/shaky. why?

Drug dependence: Your body has built up a dependence to this class of medications (benzodiazepines). Withdrawal symptoms include sleep disturbance, irritability, anxiety, tremor, sweating, difficult concentration, confusion, nausea, palpitations, headache, hallucinations, seizures, psychosis, and death. Discuss with your physician before making any medication changes. http://www.bcnc.org.uk/symptoms.html

Anxiety: these symptoms may be a recurrence of anxiety as the 0.5mg of Xanax (alprazolam) would wear off much sooner.

Withdrawal: if you have been on sedatives for more than a few months , you will have withdrawal upon cessation and need to wean off. consider 5 mg of valium a day and drop by 1 mg at a time