What should I expect from withdrawal?

[[IC...]]

As someone who is really only just starting to get off Valium, I don't know what I should expect. Should I expect to have some withdrawal symptoms along the way? I have had 3 failed attempts to get below 6mg, each time experiencing unpleasant withdrawal. I have realised my body does not like it one little bit. 3 plans have down the drain. Now will have to go slower in the process. But as I taper is it normal to feel withdrawal? Should I just put up with the horrible symptoms as I taper and pump aspirin in my body to cope?

Or should it be easier that that? I don't like the thought of being in a miserable state for months while I get off it.

[[Da...]]

If you except withdrawal you will get it. Be positive and cut how much you can handle. Be your own best friend. For me when I cut I feel like crap for two days and then things even out, maybe try cutting by half a mg.

[[un...]]

 

ICU,

 

If you are like most folks who need the help of BenzoBuddies, you can expect this to be much harder than you think it should be. Approach your taper with respect for the power these seemingly mild drugs have and you can have a manageable taper. By manageable, I mean you might feel like you have the flu the whole time but you can still get out of bed and do the things you have to do. However, everyone falls on their own special place on the spectrum of suffering when it comes to benzo withdrawal. 

 

There are a variety of taper methods to choose from. If I were you at 6 mg, I might try shaving off with a razor or other sharp blade just a little bit from the pill. I'd stay at this dose for 10 - 14 days before slicing off a bigger chunk. It takes up to a week to feel the full effect of a cut and then you need time to stabilize at that dose. Cutting .5mg is too ambitious at this point as you have discovered. 

 

Look over the section on the main forum page under Planning Your Taper>>General Taper Plans. There's also good Valium taper support under the Support Groups heading.

Many people get their basic education about tapering from benzos from the work of Dr. Heather Ashton. Check this out:  http://www.benzo.org.uk/manual/

 

Hope you have great success kicking Valium and welcome to BB--you're in the right place. 

[[be...]]

Maybe liquid Valium or titration? Cuts at this point are harder and harder to make.

[[Di...]]

Maybe liquid Valium or titration? Cuts at this point are harder and harder to make.

 

I agree with BG. Basically whatever symptoms you have been feeling will probably continue to be the symptoms you will continue to experience if you cut too much. The aim is to match your cuts with the amount your body can handle. Some people can do this by cutting larger amounts of 0.5mg or 1mg, but after reading your other posts I would say you won't be one of those people.

 

That's not the end of the world. It just means you're in the very good company of a lot of other people on BB, and you will need to make much smaller cuts. The best way of doing this is switching to some kind of daily taper.