Short term benzo users

[[sp...]]

My first taper from 6 months of 1mg a night of ativan use in 2006 went pretty smoothly.  Crossed over to 10mg of valium, dropped a mg every 2 weeks, no lasting side effects except a super sensitivity to smells.  17 years later, figured it was safe to take 10mgs a night of valium for four weeks, after my son died.  Not so!  I am now in a difficult taper, that i was about to abandon, I was so depressed and unwell.  I have started gabapentin now to help me through it and it helps a bit, but I will have to taper that as well.  Lesson, never touch benzos again, once you've been through your first taper!

 

well your not alone. I got off of Xanax 10 years ago by crossing over to valium after being on xanax for only 3=4 months. Taper was not that terrible, took me about 6 months and i started at i believe 15MG and went down 1MG every 2 weeks. I dont remember it as being a big deal, i mean i would have some withdrawls on day 2-3 like insomnia and anxiety but going down to 0 i never stopped the taper.

 

This time its different, i went down from 10MG to 5MG, but have to hold.... the last cut from 6-5MG was really pretty harsh..... threw me off for about a week with a ton of anxiety and depression and insomnia. Im holding because it was so bad that i started drinking, now i have a drinking problem and am trying to stop that before i continue the taper. Ive never had  a drinking problem in my life, getting down from 10-5MG gave me one. Ill go a week no alcohol but inbetween the cuts i just cant take the symptoms they are too much so i drink to sleep or drink to work or drink to survive the day. Then its back to being on wagon for a week waiting for effects from next cut, then here we go again. I guess my point is no this 2nd time around is not as easy as the first time.

[[Jo...]]

Any new Buddies on this thread? Seems pretty old now.

[[jo...]]

I'm new. 

[[ei...]]

On and off use of 0.125mg X from October 2022- May 2023.

 

Last dose taken May 20, 2023. The feeling of sometimes floating or unbalance on feet is withdrawal from Xanax right. Shallow sleep, had to wake up middle of the night and could not go back to sleep.

 

When will this "low dose (ugh)" withdrawal improve.