Hi Silverfox

Is your doctor helping you to wean from Xanax?

Here is some of our information about getting off of Xanax: "This medication may cause withdrawal reactions, especially if it has been used regularly for a long time or in high doses. In such cases, withdrawal symptoms (such as seizures) may occur if you suddenly stop using this medication. To prevent withdrawal reactions, your doctor may reduce your dose gradually. Consult your doctor or pharmacist for more details, and report any withdrawal reactions immediately."

So whatever you do, don't go cold turkey in stopping the Xanax or any medication for that matter.  Depending upon your current dosage your doctor can create a plan for gradually decreasing how much you take.

As far as the original question of "how long does Xanax stay in your system?" let me preface my answer with this.  There are many people who ask this as a legitimate question like you Silverfox.  But there are many more people who ask this because they are taking Xanax illegally without a doctor's prescription.  They are using it in combination with other drugs...sometimes street drugs...and alcohol and then they are faced with a drug test to either get a job or stay employed.  Basically...some people are asking this question so that we can tell them how to pass their drug test. And this is something that I refuse to do. 

It seems this question about how long xanax stays in your system is asked a lot on our anxiety site and here is but one example of how this question is answered and you will see why I worry. 

Here is information from a medical detox center web site:  "Xanax and other benzos are increasingly being used, mostly without prescription, by younger people seeking a high, according to the National Institute on Drug Abuse. A government survey in 2000 found that about 5 million Americans have abused Xanax or a similar anti-anxiety drug at some point."

It is a big problem. 

I would personally much rather give someone information about a detox center or rehab than help them to pass their drug test. 

This is why I ask the reason for someone asking this question.  Most of my reply was not intended for you Silverfox but to make a general statement about the nature of this question.  Please forgive me for my longwinded answer.