Post Benzo Freedom Withdrawal Support Group

[[ro...]]

Hi V, Angel, Piano, and many other post benzo recoverers!

 

V; you made a huge difference for me when I sent out my SOSss!!  You always responded quickly and very caringly.  Many thanks and kudos to you for helping me and so many others.  I nominate you for the Benzo Master Oscar!!  Your presence will be missed but as we all know, there does come a time to move on and get on with life. 

 

Angel; hope your mom settles into her new living arrangement.  The transition is difficult for her and you, but I hope it will work out beautifully, given more time.  ...and I hope your anxiety settles down to a bare whisper, it at all.  I did have some days of low level anxiety for short periods of time during my post recovery.

 

Piano; hope you are playing the 88's again with vim and vigor.  I love your screen name!! 

 

Mimi; -- you there?  Hope you are doing well too.  I think we all have a newfound appreciation for living large in life again.  Every day is a gift, more precious than the one before. 

 

I'm planning my trip in June to Puerto Rico and trying to get my espanol up to par.  Bought Rosetta Stone levels 1 - 5.  Anyone ever use these to learn a language?  Pretty comprehensive stuff!!

 

V -- mucho gracias, merci beau coup, and a 1,000 others ways to say "thank you."  You are a gem!!

 

Best regards,

Rocko

 

 

 

[[mt...]]

HI Fellow POST Benzo Peeps!

Sorry I have been busy with spring gardening which included a visit to our 60 acre "farm" in northern California to oversee some irrigation and clean up work on the property.  How wonderful to be able to travel and hike and NOT be overwhelmed with the upcoming seemingly unending work that needs to be accomplished over the next few months.  Mowing the yard is alot of effort but caretaking 60 acres can be completely overwhelming.  And alot of things just could not be done due to my taper and so now it is ALL on my plate.  But the good news is I am actually looking forward to it all!  I did feel a bit frustrated as I was able to do SO much less than everyone else.  I almost felt like crying when I think back to my former energy levels.  After an hour or so I was pretty spent but everyone reminded me of how far I have come and its true I am able to do everything I used to...just not as long!  I will get there.  Plan on breaking it down into small objectives and knock them off one by one.  Being out and about in nature has it own rewards.

 

For Mother's Day and Birthday on Saturday I was taken off to Osmosis Spa in Freestone CA.  They are renowned for their Cedar Enzyme baths which are only found in Japan.  I had a 75 minute massage, an enzyme bath and a facial.  It was wonderful and I had no reaction whatever.  My first massage since tapering and the heat in the bath was pretty intense but felt great.  Another step forward.

 

I have been helping out on the Liquid Valium thread so limited with time but wanted to check in and let you all know I am doing fantastic.  Sad of course to hear that Vertigo is getting ready to move on with his life.  However I send him the most sincere blessings of goodness and well being for all he has done for so many over the years.  I am moving on myself and have days where I am so busy with my own life I cannot be here as well.

 

I am working with my DR and Jana from BDR website to see if they can collaborate on a book, workshop, retreats for benzo dependent individuals.  It would be wonderful to be a part of a process that teaches a method where folks can taper with as little suffering as possible.  It would be so wonderful to develop a new protocol based on further clinical trials to investigate further the fallacies and truths as well as best practices on benzo tapering.

 

I send you all blessings for continued healing and peace.

Mimi

 

 

 

 

 

 

[[ib...]]

 

Thus, I have decided to leave the  forum this summer. Vertigo

 

Hello Vertigo,

 

Hope things are well with you. It has been some time since I have been on the forum and posted anything. I still pop in occasionally and read the post to help me get through the difficult  days...I sure will miss reading all your kind words.  I know I told you in the past but I want to say it one more time, thank you so very much for all that you did for me, I don't know what I would have done without all the help... I read that you are coaching your son’s team.  My husband did that for years...(god bless his soul) we have great memories of those years.  Cherish the moments, kids grow up so fast, I don’t know where the time went.

 

God Bless

ibmom

 

[[ve...]]

V; you made a huge difference for me when I sent out my SOSss!!  You always responded quickly and very caringly.  Many thanks and kudos to you for helping me and so many others.  I nominate you for the Benzo Master Oscar!!  Your presence will be missed but as we all know, there does come a time to move on and get on with life.  I'm planning my trip in June to Puerto Rico and trying to get my espanol up to par.  Bought Rosetta Stone levels 1 - 5.  Anyone ever use these to learn a language?  Pretty comprehensive stuff!!

V -- mucho gracias, merci beau coup, and a 1,000 others ways to say "thank you."  You are a gem!!

Best regards,  Rocko

 

Benzo Master Oscar?  You're too kind, Rocko .  Seriously, I'm glad if I could be of some assistance in your post benzo journey and end of taper.  Yes, there is a time to move on.  I've cried wolf a couple of times last year, then saw a few more stragglers who were still needing a little support.  I guess I've had a secondary addiction, to this forum .  I've been fortunate to have the ability to put in some time giving back to some buddies here over the last year or two.  Yet, this time I really do need to step away in a couple weeks.  It's going to be a busy summer and I've got to spend more time with my family.  I hope you enjoy your trip to Puerto Rico, Rocko. I've heard that it's quite pretty and hope to visit some day. I've not used Rosetta Stone but I hear it's a unique approach to second language learning.  I'll still be lurking for another couple weeks before I fade off into the sunset.

 

Vertigo

[[ve...]]

 

Thus, I have decided to leave the  forum this summer. Vertigo

 

Hello Vertigo,  Hope things are well with you. It has been some time since I have been on the forum and posted anything. I still pop in occasionally and read the post to help me get through the difficult  days...I sure will miss reading all your kind words.  I know I told you in the past but I want to say it one more time, thank you so very much for all that you did for me, I don't know what I would have done without all the help... I read that you are coaching your son’s team.  My husband did that for years...(god bless his soul) we have great memories of those years.  Cherish the moments, kids grow up so fast, I don’t know where the time went.

God Bless

ibmom

 

Hi Ibmom.  So good to hear from you.  How are you doing now?  Will you be taking a cruise this summer with your sister?  Many thanks for your kind words.  Truth be told, you were one of the ones I stuck around a little longer for.  Your story, courage and perserverance moved me.  I'm so glad you were able to make it off and succeed in getting off and staying off the benzo .  Yes, I'm coaching my son's sports team this Spring.  It's been a challenge but I'm glad I made the extra effort. 

 

God Bless you and your family too,

 

Vertigo

[[ib...]]

Hi V,

 

Oh how frustrating...timed out on me and I lost all of my post... so here is the short version...

 

Well it is just over a year off the benz, and I still am not feeling 100% but I know the day will come. Yes we leave for our cruise on May 27th I am so looking forward to the down time.  We just  returned from an unplanned trip to Clearwater, Florida. We did absolutely nothing but relax, it was so nice not to have a schedule to follow, just walks on the beach and relaxing by the pool. That was when I knew things would get better, I felt really well during that time. Of course reality hits and back to work we go .... I really need to win the lottery (I play in the office pool and we missed 7.7 million about a week ago by one number, we hit 5 of the 6 numbers

Enjoy your evening...hope to hear from you again

 

[[ve...]]

Hi V,

 

Oh how frustrating...timed out on me and I lost all of my post... so here is the short version...

 

Well it is just over a year off the benz, and I still am not feeling 100% but I know the day will come. Yes we leave for our cruise on May 27th I am so looking forward to the down time.  We just  returned from an unplanned trip to Clearwater, Florida. We did absolutely nothing but relax, it was so nice not to have a schedule to follow, just walks on the beach and relaxing by the pool. That was when I knew things would get better, I felt really well during that time. Of course reality hits and back to work we go .... I really need to win the lottery (I play in the office pool and we missed 7.7 million about a week ago by one number, we hit 5 of the 6 numbers

Enjoy your evening...hope to hear from you again

 

Sorry you lost your post, IB.  Congrats on being one year off the benzo.  It's more common than you think to not be 100% at a year off.  I really needed that first six months of the second year to complete my recovery. You will also likely continue to heal from here.  Enjoy your cruise and summer vacation.  That sounds like you came very close to a life long vacation if you only had made the six numbers!  I'll still post for a couple more weeks.  I look forward to hearing about your cruise!

 

 

V

[[ve...]]

HI Fellow POST Benzo Peeps!I have been helping out on the Liquid Valium thread so limited with time but wanted to check in and let you all know I am doing fantastic.  Sad of course to hear that Vertigo is getting ready to move on with his life.  However I send him the most sincere blessings of goodness and well being for all he has done for so many over the years.  I am moving on myself and have days where I am so busy with my own life I cannot be here as well...  I send you all blessings for continued healing and peace.

Mimi

 

Hi Mimi. Many thanks for your continued help on the liquid valium thread.  I've not spent a lot of time over there although I've posted a few times on Oscar's "valium taper" blog.  Since then I think somebody started another Diazepam taper blog.  Seems like ages ago that my "Under 4mg and Chipping Away" blog was active.  Yes, it's time that I best be moving on now.  As I've posted earlier, it is that time.  It's been a year since I wrote my "success story" and I've watched many others move on since then.  It sounds like you have found your healing spot as well.  I agree that there is still much work to be done for those in benzo withdrawal.  Who knows, maybe one day I'll reach out again, but for now I've done my part.  I'll stil be around for a couple weeks but will be moving on in June.

 

Take good care,

 

Vertigo

[[ve...]]

Hi KMarie.  I'll respond to your post here since I usually don't post much on the protracted thread.  Yes, fortunately I did not go protracted.  I was able to post my "success story" a year ago last May right at 18 months off.  Over the last year, it seems I've read more and more stories of folks who did not feel healed by 10, 11 and 12 months.  This was the case for me as well, although I started this thread at a few months off when I was still feeling symptomatic.  It took me a year and a half to feel comfortable before writing a success story and I was probably only about 90% healed at the time. 

 

Yes, I've decided to leave the forum.  It's been three years since I first came to the forum during my taper off valium in May 2009.  I'll still post on forum for the next couple weeks but I have a busy summer planned and it has come time to move on.  We've not had many newbies posting here for a while.  I think some are posting on the protracted thread even though they are not 18 months out and may not in fact be protracted, but they probably feel protracted.  In any case, hope we'll connect a few more times before I leave in June.  I think the thread has been helpful in my own healing and hopefully to others who have had a chance to check it out.

 

Best,

 

Vertigo

[[km...]]

V,

I will ask when you turned your corner did it just happen on it's own?  I'm 20 months out and my anxiety and dealing with life seems to be getting worse instead of better.  When I got of my anti-depressant 5 months ago I was hit with this monophobia.  I'm wondering if getting off the antidepressant has caused me to go backwards.  I thought by 5 months off the antidepressant I would be starting to feel better but I just feel like I'm slipping backwards and it's making me doubt myself even more.  I just want to move forward for a change and feel my start to come back. I still have a fear of being to far from home even though I force myself.  Did you have to work on getting your life back or did it just happen?  Maybe I"m not working hard enough

Hugs

Kristin

[[ve...]]

V,

I will ask when you turned your corner did it just happen on it's own?  I'm 20 months out and my anxiety and dealing with life seems to be getting worse instead of better.  When I got of my anti-depressant 5 months ago I was hit with this monophobia.  I'm wondering if getting off the antidepressant has caused me to go backwards.  I thought by 5 months off the antidepressant I would be starting to feel better but I just feel like I'm slipping backwards and it's making me doubt myself even more.  I just want to move forward for a change and feel my start to come back. I still have a fear of being to far from home even though I force myself.  Did you have to work on getting your life back or did it just happen?  Maybe I"m not working hard enough

Hugs

Kristin

 

Hi Kristin,

I did read some books on how to cope with anxiety better.  One was "The Mindful Way Through Anxiety" by Susan Orsillo and Lizbeth Roemer.  I do still have anxiety and sometimes get hit by the blues, particularly after a long trip to visit family, but I am coping pretty well.  My father still has cancer and my sleep is not perfect,  so some of the basic reasons I first took the valium for are still here.  If you've been depressed for a while, it may be that you were not ready to go off the a/d?  How are you sleeping and how is your appetite?  Are you able to exercise a few times a week?  Do you have fun on the weekends or in your spare time?  What does your doctor say?  Have you tried talk therapy?  I think the real work begins when one is off the benzo.  One's problems and life's challenges do not just disappear.  Now we have to face them without a mind numbing pill.  Some folks still need an a/d to help while others can gut it out and get some relief via exercise and maybe some therapy. 

 

Hang in there,

 

Vertigo

[[km...]]

My doctor is all about the medications and is upset I refuse to take them.  I keep telling him I was not like this before I had my daughter or the pills so I shouldn't need them now but he says it's like diabetes yada yada. I've tried talk therapy but they never help they just want me to keep rehashing my past and never helping me get over my fears.  The past is the past I can't change it I just want to move forward.  Honestly I don't exercise I can't seem to get motivated.  I sleep ok once I get to sleep but latey since the fight with my mom sleep has been rough.  I do have good weekends which makes it hard to go back to work and reality on MOnday.  The anxiety itself is getting better as well as the agoraphobia but the fear of being alone is still a huge hurdle for me.  Life stressors trigger the depression so I try to deal with those the best I can.  I bought the book Mindful way thru Anxiety but I haven't started reading it because I'm afraid it will be another book that won't help. 

Hugs

Kristin

[[Ma...]]

My doctor is all about the medications and is upset I refuse to take them.  I keep telling him I was not like this before I had my daughter or the pills so I shouldn't need them now but he says it's like diabetes yada yada. I've tried talk therapy but they never help they just want me to keep rehashing my past and never helping me get over my fears.  The past is the past I can't change it I just want to move forward.  Honestly I don't exercise I can't seem to get motivated.  I sleep ok once I get to sleep but latey since the fight with my mom sleep has been rough.  I do have good weekends which makes it hard to go back to work and reality on MOnday.  The anxiety itself is getting better as well as the agoraphobia but the fear of being alone is still a huge hurdle for me.  Life stressors trigger the depression so I try to deal with those the best I can.  I bought the book Mindful way thru Anxiety but I haven't started reading it because I'm afraid it will be another book that won't help. 

Hugs

Kristin

 

Hi Kristin

I am sorry you are still suffering. You might want try CBT therapy. Every self-help book or therapist will suggest work on yourself, on your thinking and your behaviour. At start I thought that my therapist don't get it (w/d) and my anxiety, cause she always insist that this is 'my anxiety', but now I really am following her instructions and starting to feel much better. It is not talk therapy, we never talk about my past, parents or such things. It is all about learning new techniques to deal with stress and anxiety, and about changing the way you think. You have some exercises (exposure) to do (not easy) but that is how you will help yourself.

I realize now that I am standing on the way of my healing. I insisted that this (w/d anxiety) is different and acting like that. And it is different in w/d for sure but my therapist said that this anxiety is mine, I feed it. Without me it will never exist . Basically, it is stronger, and sometimes we feel we don't have control of some things (and we do not have of many), but we can change the way we think and learn how to control our anxiety. I can't stop some symptoms I have right now but I can control how to react on them. That is what I am learning with my therapist. I am still not so confident in things I am learning but I see a lot of improvement from the day I start with therapist, and will continue to work on that new way of thinking.

(sorry for my English)

I hope you feel better soon.

Thinking of you

 

Marry 

[[km...]]

Marry,

You are such a sweetheart to help me with this.  I was so wondering if therapy was helping you and I see it is so I will get myself an appt.  The books I have read say the same thing you do that the anxiety is mine and I feed it and a mindset changes it.  I just need help implenting it.  I was hoping you would let me know how things are going thanks so much.  You english is just fine!! 

Hugs and continued healing.

Kristin

[[Ma...]]

Marry,

You are such a sweetheart to help me with this.  I was so wondering if therapy was helping you and I see it is so I will get myself an appt.  The books I have read say the same thing you do that the anxiety is mine and I feed it and a mindset changes it.  I just need help implenting it.  I was hoping you would let me know how things are going thanks so much.  You english is just fine!! 

Hugs and continued healing.

Kristin

 

I am so glad I could help you somehow.

my last appointment with the therapist was a real revelation. My therapist saw 'perfectionist' in me(which can be a reason for my anxiety now and before) but I denied that all the time even I listened her with some exercises I have to do or write about 'Why is not good be perfect'. Then I realize all about my anxiety like I wrote you.

I hope you will find some good CBT therapist. That therapy will give you great tools for every segment of your life. I use it in parenting my child, when I have to confront my parents (I live with my parents and they are sometimes not so 'easy' persons to live with), with my husband.

My therapist is great person and my cousin so we talk sometimes about that therapy, how that help her in some aspect of her life. So I strongly recommend it.

Take care and have a nice day

 

Marry 

 

[[Ma...]]

Just forgot to say. I read a lot of books but was always confused, didn't know what to do, where to start or how to put things I learn in book to real life. I needed someone to help. I found therapy.

 

Marry 

[[ve...]]

Thank you for your words of encouragement, Marry.  I am glad that therapy helped you with your anxiety and in your relationships with your parents and family.  I think that therapy or even the techniques one might read about in a book, can be helpful in post benzo recovery.  It can be like a tool box, some tools may be more helpful than others.  Ultimately we must choose which tools are most useful for the situation we might be in.  Well, I noticed this thread has reached it's 300th page .  I was wondering whether I'd be around to see it happen.  It's been just over two years since I started this post benzo freedom thread.  We're about 9 replies from reaching 3000.  I wonder if I have a wee bit of OCD today .

 

Cheers,

 

Vertigo

[[Li...]]

Verti I'm sorry to hear you won't be around soon, as you've been such a support here. But I also very much hear you that it's time. I'm definitely not there yet, but I hope when my day comes to move on from the forum it will be 100% because I'm completely healed and ready to move on. (There is still a tiny part of me that wonders if my headaches, mood swings, belly issues, insomnia, cog fog, fatigue, etc that come and go are REALLY w/d and will REALLY go away. I'm nearly sure it's w/d but there's a small part of me that wonders/worries about what years of being polydrugged did to my body and how much I will heal...) Can't think about it yet as I still really need the support here and have made some amazing friends, but the day will come for all of us. Anyway, thank you so much for your support and wisdom and I wish you all the best in life!!

 

Libby

[[ve...]]

Verti I'm sorry to hear you won't be around soon, as you've been such a support here. But I also very much hear you that it's time. I'm definitely not there yet, but I hope when my day comes to move on from the forum it will be 100% because I'm completely healed and ready to move on. (There is still a tiny part of me that wonders if my headaches, mood swings, belly issues, insomnia, cog fog, fatigue, etc that come and go are REALLY w/d and will REALLY go away. I'm nearly sure it's w/d but there's a small part of me that wonders/worrys about what years of being polydrugged did to my body and how much I will heal...) Can't think about it yet as I still really need the support here and have made some amazing friends, but the day will come for all of us. Anyway, thank you so much for your support and wisdom and I wish you all the best in life!!

Libby

 

Good to hear things are going well, Libby.  I think it is possible that some of those symptoms could be in part a result of a sensitive CNS, but you're going to heal, regardless of cause.  Whether it's benzo related or some other health situation or stressor, we do heal in time.

 

Best wishes,

 

Vertigo

[[Su...]]

Hi Vertigo,

 

You have been around here for a while, and know a lot about withdrawal.  I was hoping that you might be able to help me understand what is happening to me.  I will be 15 months off this week...and month 14 was a bad one.  I started having more heartburn and IBS type symptoms right after Christmas, and was scared to death to take any medications.  Finally, I started taking very small amounts of bentyl out of a capsule a few times a day....and 10 mg pepcid at bedtime.  I could handle the side effects...but they both caused foggy head, headache, side effects for a while after taking the dose.  I really hated this feeling since my head had felt so much clearer for some months, and burning pain symptoms were pretty much gone. 

For whatever the reason....I am having a hard time dealing with stress since being off my drug.  I walk everyday, do some deep breathing, relaxation, work in my yard...but it seems so hard to shake the fear of this whole withdrawal.  Like wondering if I will ever heal and feel normal, again...and then the changing symptoms.  I went through menopause right before my c/t deal.....so I don't know whether that left me less able to cope with stress.  I wish that I knew.   The drugs doctors put me on just seemed to mess me up more.  Some of them had horrible side effects, so there was no way that I could take them.  I finally stayed away from doctors and tapered off the Librax....which I had reinstated after 3 months.  I still have reactions to medicines and any new supplement that I try.

I finally went to a new GI doctor in April, and he wanted me to have a colonoscopy and endoscopy the following week.  I broke out in shingles a few days before the procedures and took a anti-viral medication.  You may have taken it when you had shingles.  Endoscopy showed erosive gastritis, duodenitis, inflammation in my esophagus....and biopsy confirmed h-pylori infection.  I was on the antibiotic treatment for 2 weeks, along with prilosec.  It wasn't easy, but probiotics helped.  I started feeling burning, tingling sensations that I thought prilosec might have caused.  After the 2 weeks, the nurse said that I could take the pepcid instead of prilosec....and will be taking it on to my next appointment in June.  I am still feeling the burning, tingling on the tops of my feet, legs, sometimes hands, arms, head.  I don't know whether my W/D symptoms have flared up again, or the antibiotics treatment, propofol....or what is causing this.  My head feels goofy at times....depressed feeling at times...jittery or shakey. 

Since I had shingles....could my nervous system be in a tizzy from the stomach problems....and a set back of w/d symptoms...or could the drugs be causing side effects.  I told my GI doctor about the c/t, .....and how sensitive I am to drugs now, and he said that I had been off the drug over a year, so it shouldn't be a problem.  I was still feeling w/d symptoms at 1 year off....and the gi symptoms had gotten worse. 

 

Have you read of others who had to take antibiotics or other drugs that set them back in w/d ?  I have to take something to reduce acid for my stomach and all to heal.  This is so frustrating !  

 

If you don't have time to answer.....I understand.  I just wanted to catch you before you leave.  I really would appreciate your thoughts on this, Vertigo.

 

It always seemed to me that you were looking out for all of us, and you will be missed this summer.  You better come back and check on us this Fall. 

 

Thank you so very much, Vertigo.

Sunny girl

[[ve...]]

Hi Sunny,

I'm not an expert by any means, but I have had both reflux and Shingles.  As a matter of fact, I'm taking an antibiotic as I write this (picked up a sinus infection on my flight back two weeks ago).  In my case, the Shingles was a pretty severe case and I had post herpetic neuralgia for a year afterward.  Fortunately, it wasn't severe pain as I've heard some can get, mostly light tingling or itching sensations intermittently would return in that first year off, particularly under stress.  Where was your rash?  Mine was on my forehead which was particularly disturbing.  Yes, I took antivirals which seemed to help curb the virus and might have prevented things from really getting bad, in terms of vision loss.  I don't believe I had any negative impact from taking those anti virals, as far as withdrawal time frame, but I can't say for sure. 

 

Yes, I think hormonal issues (menopause...) could have impacted your withdrawal in that any changes in the body are going to interact with what the benzo withdrawal is throwing at you too, whether it's a shortage of hormones or excess of them.  There have been many who have reported on forum and on this thread about having issues after taper when dealing with adding or going off bioidentical hormones and/or menopause type issues.

 

Sorry to read about your GI issues.  I recently had a colonoscopy and was fortunate to be clear.  The doc wanted to do an endoscopy too but I wasn't up for it.  I take a prilosec every other day and occasional zantac when I feel like my system is on overload.  The prilosec can interfere with absorption of medicine so it definitely can impact one's taper.  Once off, I think it can also impact vitamin D and B12 which can lead to other problems such as fatigue or even osteoperosis longterm.  It's probably a good idea to take probiotics.  I don't take them all the time, but they help a lot when I take an antibiotic like I am now.  I only have a few more days left of this course.  I woud consider not just stopping the prilosec suddenly.  You can taper off it in conjunction with gradually adding pepcid, that's what my ENT told me.  I almost successfully tapered off prilosec a year ago but had to go back on, but as I say, only take it every other day now. 

 

Well, I hope you feel better soon.  Shingles can be a rough ride, hopefully you had a mild case.  Stress has been more difficult for me since I went off the valium.  I think others have posted about how they feel somewhat sensitive or more vulernable when things get more difficult as they sometimes do in life.  I think it's gotten better for me in the last six months but I have also noticed some blues creeping up at times too.  As I posted to a buddy earlier, some of the things that were causing stress in my life two years ago before I took valium are ongoing.  My father still has cancer, my sibling continues to create conflict and my sleep is less than perfect.  So some of this is just having to deal with pre benzo issues for which no pill can fix.  I'll still be around til June.  I don't know if I answered all of your questions.  Remember, we're all different and your experiences might be different from the next buddy.  It does seem like a coincidence though that some folks like you and me were prone to Shingles after the benzo.  About how old are you?  I got mine in my late forties which seemed young for it but my doctor said more and more college age students are getting it from all the stress of final exams and such.

Vertigo

[[da...]]

First, thank you so much, Vertigo, for providing this place for former TRAP people to find the same supportive atmosphere. Trying to be as brief as possible, I would like to ask others who have made the tapering journey whether how I feel at the 7.5 mg out of original 10mg Valium is about par. I have been reducing 0.5mg every 4 weeks since December 2011. Today, 15 may 2012, I am half way through the 7.5 dose stage. I find the following symptoms:waking after 4 hours, able to sleep again but with almost continuous dreams, wake at 7. By noon, stomach feels slightly uncomfortable, same again at 4 pm, tendency to nap at 4;30, stomach feelings again when I lie down to sleep. Light massage of abdomen relieves it. Do people find this familiar? Is my reduction rate average? Could I reduce the interval to 2 or 2 and 1/2 weeks and feel about the same? Can I keep the .5mg reduction until I get down to 5mg? I will be hugely grateful for any opinions.

[[ve...]]

First, thank you so much, Vertigo, for providing this place for former TRAP people to find the same supportive atmosphere. Trying to be as brief as possible, I would like to ask others who have made the tapering journey whether how I feel at the 7.5 mg out of original 10mg Valium is about par. I have been reducing 0.5mg every 4 weeks since December 2011. Today, 15 may 2012, I am half way through the 7.5 dose stage. I find the following symptoms:waking after 4 hours, able to sleep again but with almost continuous dreams, wake at 7. By noon, stomach feels slightly uncomfortable, same again at 4 pm, tendency to nap at 4;30, stomach feelings again when I lie down to sleep. Light massage of abdomen relieves it. Do people find this familiar? Is my reduction rate average? Could I reduce the interval to 2 or 2 and 1/2 weeks and feel about the same? Can I keep the .5mg reduction until I get down to 5mg? I will be hugely grateful for any opinions.

 

Hi Davidwb.  I'm not sure what you mean about being half way through the 7.5mg stage.  Do you mean it's been about two weeks and you're wondering if you can cut earlier than 4 weeks?  Some folks seem to do fine with 2-3 weeks between cuts, particularly at higher doses.  As you said, once getting to about 5mg or less, some find that lowering the cuts and holding at least 2 weeks can help.  When I tapered, most of my cuts were every 10 days and that was a bit rapid at times.  Is there some reason why you feel you wish to speed things up now?  In my taper, I made .25mg cuts starting at 6mg.  I seemed ok until I got to about 2 or 3mg and ten days was not long enough to hold.  4 hours of sleep seems reasonable and the nap probably helps.  Some folks find the nap to be paradoxical.  I found that it really helped to catch up even if only for 30 minutes.  I can barely get 5 or 6 hours sometimes today and I finished my taper a couple years ago!  I can't say if you will feel the same if you switch to 2.5 weeks now.  Why not try 3 weeks and see how it goes?  As far as continuing with .50 cuts to 5mg, it seems there's only one way to find out.  I personally found that 5% cuts were better than 10% cuts but I was holding for shorter periods.

 

Good luck,

 

Vertigo

[[ve...]]

As my days on forum are now limited, I want to post a few comments on coaching my son's sports team this past Spring. Of all the things I've accomplished in the last year or two off benzos, making the decision to coach has by far been one ofthe best ways for me to measure how far I've come in the last couple years. I did not coach any sports before benzos, in part due to anxiety, but mostly because of having to fly out unexpectedly for my father's various chemotherapies the past six years.

 

When I decided to make the commitment to coach this Spring, I decided to make my son a priority and put myself in a fairly anxiety provoking position. I've come to realize that I probably have had some type of social anxiety that has caused me to avoid some activities in the past, even before benzos. It's not like a panic attack or anything like that, mostly just a sense of being evaluated and wondering if I could pull it off.

 

I know some of you have some fears of leaving home or being away from home, perhaps more of a type of agoraphobia.  My mother had some agoraphobia, growing up.  I've not had agoraphobia but I have avoided being inthe spotlight on several occasions before benzos. The withdrawal and anxiety after benzos can cause a further lack of confidence. So that is why this has been a very important experience for me, regardless of being on and off the benzo.  For one thing, it shows that some of the coping strategies I've read about are actually working. Also, that despite feeling a bit battered by the last couple years with Shingles and post herpetic neuralgia, and my father's ongoing cancer, I could try something new and put myself out there and do just fine. I hope many of you will take some risks too in your post benzo journeys. It can be more rewarding than you expect and I guarantee will make you stronger .

 

Best,

 

Vertigo

[[ro...]]

Hi V;

 

I think the coaching of your son's team might have helped you confirm more benzo healing.  Might be the end result of benzo tapering and healing is to challenge ourselves for the bigger task and see how we handle the stress of it.  You are doing very well and that is inspiring for us all. 

 

I guess my trip to PR is my big challenge post benzo.  I hope to fare well -- it's the long flight and unexpected that makes it the big challenge for me.  ...even though it is supposed to be a vacation!!

 

Sunnygirl;

 

As a result of an endoscopy/colonscopy in 2005 (not on benzos at all), I was confirmed with gastritis and H pylori infection.  I tried two different times to take the antibiotic treatment (tetracycline, pepto bismo, and prilosec), but both times I had burning and tingling in my legs and butt, so would stop mid-way through the two weeks.  Finally, (before I started my taper in May 2010), I started the treatment in Sept. 2009, taking Moxifloxacin, pepto bismo, and prilosec for 11 days.  I made it through the treatment and did not have the burning and tingling stuff.  I don't know how long it has been since your H pylori treatment with antibiotics, but this might resolve on its own given time. 

 

I have been  on and off zantac since off the benzos, and it does not seem to cause any side effects for me.  So things just might need more time to settle down after the two week treatment for H pylori.  This is a rough treatment to go through -- I prepared myself for the worst but made it through.  I did get retested with another endoscopy in Feb. 2010, and the H pylori was eradicated.  No more gastritis!  Please be sure you get retested for the H Pylori to ensure it is eradicated with the treatment.  I believe they can do a stool test for it too. 

 

David;  congrats to you for getting down in your valium!!  I was a successful C/O to valium and tapered off 3.75 mg. in 5 months.  I reduced by .25 to .5 mg. every few weeks and that seemed to go well enough.  Sleep and sweats (and excessive dreams) were par for the course.  I did slow it down once I got to 1 mg.  Tried to switch to liquid V, but decided to ride out with the tablets down to .25 mg. and then off. 

 

I can add that my healing has taken the USUAL ups and downs.  Months 6 and 9 were the roughest for me.  I feel on the upswing again since March.  The healing process is slow and while frustrating, one does see some forward progress.  I keep a daily log of my symptoms, moods, and activities.  So, I can chart week to week, and month to month.  I highly recommend two factors for your taper and post recovery:  it greatly helped to follow the hypoglycemic diet and reduce stress triggers as much as possible.  That was the double BINGO for me. 

 

Bes regards to all,

Rocko