Seemed to be doing so well on taper till now...What happened? Help!

[[Sh...]]

My 1st month of valium tapering went surprisingly well: averaging 6 to 7 hours of sleep/night (except while away for a weekend, but that's to be expected) and just some minor itchiness/dry throat/upset stomach -- certainly nothing debilitating. So I was able to go back to working a regular schedule and resume at least some of my fun activities (getting together with friends, playing music, even some dancing).

 

Then out of the blue, just a couple nights ago, I practically lost my ability to sleep again. I can go to sleep OK at first, but awaken after like two hours, and then nothing. And I just can't figure out why. Does anyone have a theory based on their own similar experiences? Any advice, please?

[Guest [ba...]]

Insomnia is a challenge for many of us.  My first two attempts to jump off Ativan failed after two sleepless nights (and two bad days).  Perhaps you've just hit a point in your taper where your body is wanting more diazepam than you're giving it.  You could hold for a while and see if your body/sleep stabilizes a bit.  And/or you might switch to doing daily micro-tapering instead of weekly or bi-weekly jumps.  You might also try some OTC sleeping meds (e.g. diphen, doxy, melatonin)  - they work for some people.

 

The most important thing, IMHO, is to not fret about sleep.  The anxiety that you can add by worrying about insomnia can really mess up your ability to sleep.  I often went 2-3 nights with very little sleep, but then would get a couple nights of 4-5 hours (sometimes even 6).  That was my cycle for much of my withdrawal.  Not ideal, but I survived.  Moreover, I accepted whatever sleep I did (or didn't) get.  I hope you get back to your 6-7 hour sleep nights very soon.

[[Di...]]

I agree with badsocref about the insomnia and trying not to worry about it. 

 

The more you worry about it, the more likely you may get anxious about it.  (Easier said than done)

 

I will say that for a year, each time I cut, my sleep got worse.  The last 2 cuts, my sleep has gotten a bit better.  Not the BEST, but better than it had been during earlier months tapering.

 

Maybe you could slow your taper down a bit, and see if that helps.