Using a compounding pharmacy from 10 mg Valium to???? HELP!

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Hi there,

I thought as I am due to make a cut tomorrow and everyone says daily micro-cuts are the way to go, that I would get our reputable compounding pharmacy to make up a bunch of really small increment pills and do it that way. I am a math-idiot (art historian) and no matter how many posts I have read on titrating cannot seem to understand it. Can someone who has experience with this let me know how I would figure out how to reduce the total of 1 mg over 4 weeks using regular pills AND the compounded pills? Meaning, I know I would get a scrip for 28 days of 9 mg. regular size tablets and then specially made pills in increments of how much???

Sorry if this sounds complicated.

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If you want to reduce 1mg over 28 days that is .036mg per day.  Even if they would make a unique pill for each day of the month this is very inflexible if you need to hold.  It would lock you in to a certain reduction whether you are ready for it or not.

 

Really, I would recommend using liquid V and having people here tell you how much liquid to remove each day.  It really is not hard once you get started.  I've seen time and again many people say there is no way they can do it, then they do it.  And they say how doable it actually was.

[[bu...]]

 

Really, I would recommend using liquid V and having people here tell you how much liquid to remove each day.  It really is not hard once you get started.  I've seen time and again many people say there is no way they can do it, then they do it.  And they say how doable it actually was.

 

Absolutely agree!  Liquid titration is a piece of cake...nothing to it.  And if your doc would give you scrips for compounded tablets, I suspect he would also be willing to scrip liquid.

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Well, that point about it being inflexible is a pretty good one. I have heard a few horror stories about "things breaking down when people used liquid V," but are those just the rare ones? And which taper do I post to to ask how much I take each day?

Thank you!

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Well, that point about it being inflexible is a pretty good one. I have heard a few horror stories about "things breaking down when people used liquid V," but are those just the rare ones? And which taper do I post to to ask how much I take each day?

Thank you!

 

There have been posts about "disasters" resulting from almost everything here on BB, and at other websites.  People have problems with every conceivable taper method, every possible med, including things like aspirin, switching between generic brands,  supplements, etc.  You name it, and someone will tell you its a disaster.

 

Most folks that have switched to  liquid have found it to be a godsend.  Many of us have been able to successfully taper with liquid after unsuccessful attempts with different  "dry cut" procedures.

 

Apparently some of the solvents (probably glycol) in the liquid V causes some digestive problem for some folks.  But when you dilute it 10:1, 20:1, 100:1, and only take 1 mg or less each day, its kinda hard to believe it could cause much distress.  As  precaution, I took liquid for 10 days with no reduction, just to be sure I would have no problems...and I didn't.  And if you actually do have problems adjusting to pharma-grade liquid there are several other ways to "liquify" you dose.

 

Pharmaceutically, the active ingredient, diazepam, is the same in the liquid as in the tablets,  so there is no reason that  the change should have any impact psychically or emotionally.

 

No offense to you or other BBs, but I often have a perception that many folks are more obsessed with reasons why they can't withdraw, and just can't take that first step to get off of benzos.  I feel reasonably certain that the vast majority of  people you have used liquid V to withdraw have had good success, and few if any problems.  I can assure you I would still be stuck at 9 mg/day if I had not started daily titration with liquid V. 

 

I know its controversial here at BB, but at Jana Hill's old BDR website, there were hundreds of members successfully coming of benzos by daily tapering with liquids.

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Great, thanks Builder, I think I am doing pretty well considering I have dropped from 1.5 K at beginning of August to the 10 mg V I am on now. I would do it as fast as I could if I were not a parent of two tweens and the breadwinner. I just don't want to f-up, that's all. It's not about excuses, just fear. I will proceed with the liquid, and assume there's a method of doing it somewhere on this site.

Thank you again.

[[bu...]]

Great, thanks Builder, I think I am doing pretty well considering I have dropped from 1.5 K at beginning of August to the 10 mg V I am on now. I would do it as fast as I could if I were not a parent of two tweens and the breadwinner. I just don't want to f-up, that's all. It's not about excuses, just fear. I will proceed with the liquid, and assume there's a method of doing it somewhere on this site.

Thank you again.

 

BB Diaz-Pam has an excellent tutorial on her page.  And there are others.

 

http://www.benzobuddies.org/forum/index.php?action=profile;u=24896

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I agree that I don't think getting compounded tablets would be the way to go. I guess on the surface it could appear to make things easier, but the main idea with daily tapering is flexibility, and that you can adjust the size of your dose - every single day if you wanted to. That's why liquid really is the best way to do it.

 

I thought you had already read the method I used, but you can check out the links in my signature below. People tell me it's very easy to follow, but you can ask as many questions as you like. They cover using both milk and liquid valium (in the first link) and vodka (in the second link). I've used all three methods, and I probably have a leaning towards vodka as my preferred method, but that's a personal choice of course.

 

You really don't have to be a math genius - because I'm certainly not. All you have to be able to do is cut a 2mg V tablet in half and drop it into some liquid and the put out how much you want to reduce each day. You can choose how much liquid you use, but my preferred amount is 100ml. So if you use that amount, and you want to reduce 1mg over 1 month...

 

100ml liquid (which is equal to 1mg V) ÷ 30 days = 3.3ml reduction per day. I would round that down to 3ml per day.

 

If you decided to use 10ml of liquid it would be.....

 

10ml liquid (which is equal to 1mg V) ÷ 30 days = 0.3ml reduction per day.

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Okay, builder and Diaz-Pam,

You have convinced me. I am going to go for it, if the doc will prescribe the liquid valium that builder said he used. I guess I will need to buy the supplies, too. I guess my last question is: if both of you had "help" while tapering with insomnia, from other meds, at what point do I know my insomnia is from the tapering and hold or just inevitable and move on?

The whole reason I am in this damn mess is from 5 days of insomnia due to HUGE stresses in my life and the last thing I want is to still be dependent on another med to get me to sleep...

Thank you: YOU ARE BOTH GREAT! SO HELPFUL!!!!!!

[[bu...]]

Okay, builder and Diaz-Pam,

You have convinced me. I am going to go for it, if the doc will prescribe the liquid valium that builder said he used. I guess I will need to buy the supplies, too. I guess my last question is: if both of you had "help" while tapering with insomnia, from other meds, at what point do I know my insomnia is from the tapering and hold or just inevitable and move on?

The whole reason I am in this damn mess is from 5 days of insomnia due to HUGE stresses in my life and the last thing I want is to still be dependent on another med to get me to sleep...

Thank you: YOU ARE BOTH GREAT! SO HELPFUL!!!!!!

 

What difference does it make?  Whether you sleep problems are from WD, or other causes, the "solutions" are the same. As a generalization,  I really advocate not trying to use meds of supplements to reduce  WD sxs, but sleep problems are an exception. 

 

If your doc will give you a scrip for remeron (mirtazipine), a small dose (7.5 mg) should be plenty.  About halfway through my taper, I switched to doxylamine, and OTC antihistamine.  Its the strongest OTC sleep aid yoiu can buy, and is said to be as effective as many of the perscription sleep aids.  BTW, I only took sleep aids PRN.  I never took them than 1 or 2 days a week, and usually only once or twice a month.

 

Glad to hear you are going to try daily tapering/liquid titration.  I feel almost sure you will have great success with it.