Daily Micro-Tapering Support Group

[[...]]

SG..i had been using pieces for a couple weeks now and not cutting on my whole pills and my ears were fine..its that crazy high pitch like tinnitus and it started this morning a bit after i took the first dose..and has gotten worse as the day has went on..and not sure how to pull out of it..i have to leave in like 20 mins to get my hair done and not sure how i will get through this..hope to get some help as to what to do to get to 4 doses..a better way not all at once..or else get back to where i was at 3 doses..

 

thanks

 

deep

 

 

Hi DeepCanyon,

  That tinnitus is a weird thing. I have found that every time I make a micro cut, the tinnitus kicks in for a couple days then goes away. I am convinced it is my nervous system rebelling against the decreasing Xanax dose and the increased number of exposed receptors. Hang in there, Rose

[[...]]

CD..thank you for getting back to me..and i have only had a few episodes since i started my taper but nothing like this..i hope it eases up before i get to the place to get my hair done ..dont know if i will be able to let them color and wash it all out and sit still with all this going on in my ears...

 

and thank you for telling me to hang tough..i sure seem like i have turned into a scared wimp lately..and just need to suck it up i guess 

 

deep

 

 

Hi, I can't see how long you've taken a benzo, but I know that for myself, ANY change I make with my benzo causes a big upset to my nervous system making my withdrawal symptoms really act up. Fortunately they do calm down after a couple of days. It seems my nervous system is extremely sensitive. I've taken Xanax for 14 years and the prescribed dose was 1mg three times a day. However, I rarely took it three times a day, I took it twice a day, about 1 o'clock in the afternoon when the stress of my job as an RN peaked because of the end of shift time crunch, then at night time to sleep. I had multiple nasty hot flashes during the day and ones that woke me up at night. The whole time I figured it was menopause kicking in and job stress, but in reality it was withdrawal symptoms every day and night- for 14 years! Even as a nurse I had no idea that benzo's would do that to you. I trusted my doctor and the med worked so well for anxiety that I never bothered to learn about it. After learning about it here I wished like hell I never took it. The result is my system is super kindled, hence the ultra sensitivity to any change, whether a small increase or decrease. A couple weeks ago I was really busy, I fixed my afternoon dose but forgot to take it. OMG, I paid for that, three days of hell, cold sweats, hot sweats, tinnitus, heartburn, stomach upset.

 

I think it is entirely possible for you to have symptoms from a change in your dosing, even dividing it from 3 times to 4 times a day. It seems our brain gets really set in taking the med in a routine manner. But I do think things may smooth out for you after a few days- hang in there.  Rose

[[Ma...]]

Deep,

I'm so sorry you are having a hard time! I evened my doses last month and I had a really hard time. It also mostly, SG figured out, had to do with a GI med switch. I also think my body was sensitive at the time and that evening out the doses made things harder. I switched back to the old med and held for about a week and I felt better. If I were having really bad interdose wd and needed 4 doses, I would hold and see if there is improvement. I have to dose 4 times and still get interdose wds, so I can relate to that. This time I evened out my doses more gradually. Now thinking back I did the same when I added a 4th dose. I would wait and see if there is improvement and if not maybe try to switch more gradually. Also make sure there isn't something else that could be affecting you. I really hope you feel better! I know that you have so much going on already. Sending you lots of love and big hugs!

 

XO Maya 

[[Ul...]]

Jeff and V,

 

Kindling due to substance withdrawal refers the neurological condition which results from repeated withdrawal episodes from sedative-hypnotic drugs such as alcohol or benzodiazepines. Each withdrawal leads to more severe withdrawal symptoms than the previous withdrawal syndrome.

 

So, when you try to taper off a second time, people could have more problems with a second taper..

 

 

Moo, I've often wondered if the 4-6 months of serious inter-dose withdrawal I went through due to psych nurse prescribing all my X at night was sort of like a gazillion mini withdrawals which sensitized me. Every morning I woke up in full blown withdrawal, every day was worse than the day before, and every night I reinstated by taking my prescribed bedtime dose. Now I am having a terrible time tapering at a normal pace. 5% per month is all I can tolerate. Or maybe it's just the bleeping Xanax. I couldn't budge an inch on it for over a month until I did a partial cross. Not crossing any more if I can help it, though. I like my already-liquid X and I find the L depressing. So, I'm sort of balancing with one foot on each side while crawling along with my micro-micro-taper.

 

Anybody going to still be left on this thread with me when I'm finally off in 2+ years?? 

 

Gard

 

5%?? Off in 2 years?? You're doing good, Gard!! Like I said before, I'd be happy if I were on track to reduce 5% in a YEAR!! This "no sleep" trash along with the cortisol blasts throughout the night and then the thyroid challenge....man, it's ALL a challenge for each of us. Definitely stinks, but we can do it. NOW GIVE ME SOME DA## SLEEP!! Sorry...a little cranky 

 

Jeff, I finally realized I could not recover without getting those nighttime cortisol blasts under control. My psychiatrist is alternating a couple of meds that are sedating in order for me to get adequate sleep so I can move forward with my taper. I didn't want to do it, but without them, I was a nonfunctioning zombie and my brain could not heal. I know I will have the sleep issue to deal with still at the end of the taper but I'll cross that bridge when I come to it. Maybe your new psychiatrist can help you come up with a way to get 5 or 6 hours/night. That's about what I get these days with my meds routine.

 

Well Gardener, if my new psychiatrist could even tie his own shoes on any given day, then I think he would consider that a success. He's pretty "out there". I wouldn't trust him with my night time blasts...he's adamant that benzos are NOT addictive and that I could quit my 2mgs in less than a month if I wanted too. Clueless, man!!  That's one heck of a rapid taper, huh? I'm not sure if I'll do this, but as of right now I have an appointment scheduled with a functional medicine doc in Winston Salem, NC. Long story, but I did LOTS of research about func. med docs, and my wife found one who actually takes insurance (that's unheard of in the func. med field) and can supposedly help with adrenal/thyroid issues, etc. The appointment isn't until October 27th and it's about a 6 hour drive from where I live, but we'll see. It took me 2 months just to get an appointment scheduled, so I made that and now I'll think about it. I don't have many other options, and I definitely don't have the money for the trip, but I still have time to think. If you get bored sometime, then tell me what you and your doctor have done to get the blasts under control. Did he just sedate the heck out of you to get you through the night, are did he/she do something to correct the root cause of the problem? Just curious.

 

Bless ya, Gard!!

 

Jeff

[[ga...]]

 

Well Gardener, if my new psychiatrist could even tie his own shoes on any given day, then I think he would consider that a success. He's pretty "out there". I wouldn't trust him with my night time blasts...he's adamant that benzos are NOT addictive and that I could quit my 2mgs in less than a month if I wanted too. Clueless, man!!  That's one heck of a rapid taper, huh? I'm not sure if I'll do this, but as of right now I have an appointment scheduled with a functional medicine doc in Winston Salem, NC. Long story, but I did LOTS of research about func. med docs, and my wife found one who actually takes insurance (that's unheard of in the func. med field) and can supposedly help with adrenal/thyroid issues, etc. The appointment isn't until October 27th and it's about a 6 hour drive from where I live, but we'll see. It took me 2 months just to get an appointment scheduled, so I made that and now I'll think about it. I don't have many other options, and I definitely don't have the money for the trip, but I still have time to think. If you get bored sometime, then tell me what you and your doctor have done to get the blasts under control. Did he just sedate the heck out of you to get you through the night, are did he/she do something to correct the root cause of the problem? Just curious.

 

Bless ya, Gard!!

 

Jeff

 

He sedates the heck out of me with low-dose Seroquel (25-50mg) for 2 nights (1 hour before bedtime) and then with 400mg gabapentin for 2 nights (2 hours before bedtime). I get 5-6 hours of sleep with medications. Without them, I was getting 0-1 and was in danger of being locked up because I was almost completely non-functioning. I have a severe sleep disorder that started before I took my first benzo. The benzo was prescribed for sleep by a clueless psych nurse. I am on disability Medicaid so have a hard time getting specialists to see me. If I could get better insurance somehow maybe I could see specialists who could help me and maybe I could get better. Meanwhile, I'm stuck with my current routine.

 

Seroquel at low doses is a powerful antihistamine which is sedating (never go over 100mg or it turns into an anti-psychotic). But it aggravates my restless leg syndrome and makes me wake up feeling stiff and out of sorts for hours in the morning.

 

Gabapentin actually is a treatment for RLS and makes me like a happy drunk for about 2 hours in the morning, room tipping and everything. So, my mornings are shot. I just set aside mornings for puttering around the house doing simple things like laundry and cleaning and resting until the drugs wear off. The idea with alternating is to keep me from habituating to either of them.

 

My psych suggested the Seroquel. I came up with the gabapentin because I had tried it for nerve pain many years ago and found it too sedating for daytime use for me. I have this vague recollection that one of these 2 meds may suppress cortisol, but I don't know which or if my memory is playing tricks on me.

 

Both my meds are actually generics and I have a very low copay for generics. You could also try searching on the insomnia threads or on crazymeds and maybe come up with some more ideas that you can bounce off this shoe-lace-challenged guy. I did a lot of researching before I made up my mind.

 

Gard

[[Sh...]]

Just my two cents.  Seroquel was what caused me to truly understand that WD is for real.  I tapered off last fall and it was not fun in the least. I was up to 100mg at one point. The 50mg to zero was when I developed insomnia, tinnitus, parathesia,  sweats, facial tension and pulsing in my face. Before that I had never had any problems stopping meds. It has a whole bunch of potential and real side effects.  Terrible time during and after taper. I am started my benzo taper 9/1/15.  I would be cautious using any psych meds during your taper.  Again, just my personal opinion. In the end we each must do what we feel is best for us individually. 

 

5.25mL reduction of K.  Doing okay for now.  Thanks to the MT team who has helped me with the math.

 

Hang tough. Shaani

[[an...]]

CD..thank you for getting back to me..and i have only had a few episodes since i started my taper but nothing like this..i hope it eases up before i get to the place to get my hair done ..dont know if i will be able to let them color and wash it all out and sit still with all this going on in my ears...

 

and thank you for telling me to hang tough..i sure seem like i have turned into a scared wimp lately..and just need to suck it up i guess 

 

deep

 

I also agree that going from 3 to 4 doses will feel like a cut.  You are at the same daily dose, but you are used to larger individual doses. I think it will take a few days for you to adjust.

[[de...]]

good morning and thank all of you for the kind words..help advice and replies..

 

i am going to try and hang on with dosing the 4 times a day and see how today goes..but when i took the 4:30 dose at 4 by the time i left to get my hair done the ringing and sound in my ears were gone and i could think straight to drive..it hasnt returned as yet..just took my first dose this morning at 4:30...so will see what today bring between now and 10:30 and then 4:30 today..i did well till my 10:30 dose last night..

 

I am going to wait awhile before i start to taper this to see how it works out..i cant remember how i went from 2 doses to the 3 doses many months ago when the 2 wasnt helping me any longer..then i went from the 2mg tabs to the 1 mg tabs so many changes .

 

and for how many yrs i have been on k ..28 yrs at 4 mgs..so i know i have a really long hard battle to get off this cause i dont remember my life without it..

 

hope everyone here has an easier day today and many more windows..

 

deep

[[Ho...]]

Random question:

Has anyone found that getting a professional massage increases sxs? I'm wondering if it could have adverse effects since it "releases toxins" in the body? And they always say how important it is to drink lots of water afterwards to "flush them out". Just curious if this effects withdrawal?

Thanks!

[[Be...]]

Deep,

I remember when you went from 2 mg pills to 1 mg pills, and from 2 to 3 doses. There was a prolonged dizzy thing at one point but don't think it was due to a transition. You have seemed best at 3 doses. Four doses may be another change your brain is flipping out about. But I'm wondering if you might get yourself .50 mg pills now to make easier sized cuts? Can't remember if your doc said he would do that.

 

Bennie

[[VC...]]

Shaani, does that l-theanine help with sleep for you? I stopped Seroquel early 2014, but was in such bad tolerance withdrawal from xanax by then, that I never considered Seroquel a real problem, minus the inevitable insomnia. Was in such a dark desperate wave yesterday from losing several nights sleep, that I considered asking for Seroquel again. Trying NOT to add p-meds to the mix, but I need to work soon and this is hell. Going thru divorce.

 

V.

 

PS--hello everyone - sorry for my random post here.

Appreciate this thread very much. 

[[Ho...]]

We all need to slow down as the dose gets smaller.  It is not psychological.  It is a very real physical thing and is a result of the way drug concentration is related to receptor occupancy.  Basically, the same cut exposes more and more receptors as we go lower and lower so we need to slow down.  As a guide you can keep tabs on your monthly percentage and keep that within your range.  Congratulations on getting down so quickly.  Your dependence seems to be light.

 

SG,

I went from .171g to .075g on the scale in one month. If my calculations are correct that is a 42% cut?! Which I am clearly seeing is way too much now that it's catching up with me. My question is: do I hold and wait this tough period out (anxiety and nausea and general un-easiness) or try to up dose a bit more and hope to stabilize? I also was taking 2 doses (one in the morning and one in the nighttime), but was cutting down on my nighttime dose with the cuts so the nighttime ended up being cut out altogether leaving me with my remaining Klonopin in the morning only. The nighttime dose was cut out about 5 days ago and I've just been taking K in the morning now. Could this be effecting me too? 

Thank you

 

[[...]]

SG,

I went from .171g to .075g on the scale in one month. If my calculations are correct that is a 42% cut?! Which I am clearly seeing is way too much now that it's catching up with me. My question is: do I hold and wait this tough period out (anxiety and nausea and general un-easiness) or try to up dose a bit more and hope to stabilize? I also was taking 2 doses (one in the morning and one in the nighttime), but was cutting down on my nighttime dose with the cuts so the nighttime ended up being cut out altogether leaving me with my remaining Klonopin in the morning only. The nighttime dose was cut out about 5 days ago and I've just been taking K in the morning now. Could this be effecting me too? 

Thank you

 

Could it be that you tapered yourself into interdose symptoms?  If you need two doses, tapering one at a time will do just that.

 

If you feel well enough I would just keep holding.  I think of updosing as more for emergencies.

 

What is your total daily dose?

[[Ho...]]

 

Could it be that you tapered yourself into interdose symptoms?  If you need two doses, tapering one at a time will do just that.

 

If you feel well enough I would just keep holding.  I think of updosing as more for emergencies.

 

What is your total daily dose?

 

SG,

My total daily dose is .075g right now (although today I up-dosed to .092g thinking a knock up in dose would help) - and this one dose is now only taken in the morning.

 

When I was making my cuts, I was making them from my nighttime dose, only reason being to get rid of that dose and only have one dose in the morning to worry about. Then start cutting my morning dose til I was down to nothing.

 

I did it this way because my sxs have always been worse in the morning so I figured best to keep the morning dose in place and get rid of the nighttime dose first. Perhaps interdose withdrawal is the problem. What exactly is interdose withdrawal?

 

And, do you think 42% is just too high of a percentage cut over one month?

 

I will try to hold where I am (since I did updose this morning to .092g maybe I'll stay here until i stabilize). It's not unbearable, but very uncomfortable. It's not new to me so I can suck it up until I stabalize.

 

[[...]]

SG,

My total daily dose is .075g right now (although today I up-dosed to .092g thinking a knock up in dose would help) - and this one dose is now only taken in the morning.

 

When I was making my cuts, I was making them from my nighttime dose, only reason being to get rid of that dose and only have one dose in the morning to worry about. Then start cutting my morning dose til I was down to nothing.

 

I did it this way because my sxs have always been worse in the morning so I figured best to keep the morning dose in place and get rid of the nighttime dose first. Perhaps interdose withdrawal is the problem. What exactly is interdose withdrawal?

 

And, do you think 42% is just too high of a percentage cut over one month?

 

I will try to hold where I am (since I did updose this morning to .092g maybe I'll stay here until i stabilize). It's not unbearable, but very uncomfortable. It's not new to me so I can suck it up until I stabalize.

 

I need to know your pill sizes...the weight alone does not tell me dose.  Is it a .5mg pill?  And how many do you take a day?

 

Interdose withdrawal just means your blood peaks and valleys through the day are too tall and deep, so as hours go by you begin to feel withdrawal as you go into the "valley" periods as the time for the next dose approaches.  This is helped a great deal by simply dosing more often.  It evens you out.

 

42% in a month is a lot, but if your dependence is light it may not be for you.  That much would have made me comatose when I was tapering, but you seem to be handling it.  I would suggest that if you can go that fast why not reel it in a little, since your taper will not be that long anyway.

[[Ho...]]

SG,

My total daily dose is .075g right now (although today I up-dosed to .092g thinking a knock up in dose would help) - and this one dose is now only taken in the morning.

 

When I was making my cuts, I was making them from my nighttime dose, only reason being to get rid of that dose and only have one dose in the morning to worry about. Then start cutting my morning dose til I was down to nothing.

 

I did it this way because my sxs have always been worse in the morning so I figured best to keep the morning dose in place and get rid of the nighttime dose first. Perhaps interdose withdrawal is the problem. What exactly is interdose withdrawal?

 

And, do you think 42% is just too high of a percentage cut over one month?

 

I will try to hold where I am (since I did updose this morning to .092g maybe I'll stay here until i stabilize). It's not unbearable, but very uncomfortable. It's not new to me so I can suck it up until I stabalize.

 

I need to know your pill sizes...the weight alone does not tell me dose.  Is it a .5mg pill?  And how many do you take a day?

 

Interdose withdrawal just means your blood peaks and valleys through the day are too tall and deep, so as hours go by you begin to feel withdrawal as you go into the "valley" periods as the time for the next dose approaches.  This is helped a great deal by simply dosing more often.  It evens you out.

 

42% in a month is a lot, but if your dependence is light it may not be for you.  That much would have made me comatose when I was tapering, but you seem to be handling it.  I would suggest that if you can go that fast why not reel it in a little, since your taper will not be that long anyway.

 

Sorry I'm not good with the math. I use/cut from .5mg pills.

Will the interdose sxs eventually even out? Or do you think it's good to go back to dosing twice a day and split the .092g between morning and night doses?

[[...]]

I need to know your pill sizes...the weight alone does not tell me dose.  Is it a .5mg pill?  And how many do you take a day?

 

Interdose withdrawal just means your blood peaks and valleys through the day are too tall and deep, so as hours go by you begin to feel withdrawal as you go into the "valley" periods as the time for the next dose approaches.  This is helped a great deal by simply dosing more often.  It evens you out.

 

42% in a month is a lot, but if your dependence is light it may not be for you.  That much would have made me comatose when I was tapering, but you seem to be handling it.  I would suggest that if you can go that fast why not reel it in a little, since your taper will not be that long anyway.

 

Sorry I'm not good with the math. I use/cut from .5mg pills.

Will the interdose sxs eventually even out? Or do you think it's good to go back to dosing twice a day and split the .092g between morning and night doses?

 

I'll assume you have one .5mg pill that weighs .171g.  Each .001g is .0029mg K.  So you went from .171g (.5mg) to .075g (.219mg) in a month.  That is really moving - more than 5.5mg V.

 

Interdose is controlled by how quickly you metabolize the K and if you need two doses it will not even out.  If you only need one then the second dose was never needed.  Do doses give you relief when you take them?

[[Ho...]]

 

 

I'll assume you have one .5mg pill that weighs .171g.  Each .001g is .0029mg K.  So you went from .171g (.5mg) to .075g (.219mg) in a month.  That is really moving - more than 5.5mg V.

 

Interdose is controlled by how quickly you metabolize the K and if you need two doses it will not even out.  If you only need one then the second dose was never needed.  Do doses give you relief when you take them?

 

Correct.

 

Thank you. I have not really noticed if they give me relief as I've been feeing "normal" with no sxs for some time. Until recently. I do suppose they give me some relief of anxiety when I take doses, but not a huge relief. My anxiety is always present in the morning when I wake at 5:30am from a deep sleep with an anxiety rush, and it eases by end of day.

 

What do you think of this plan: 1.) increase morning dose from .074g (the lowest I got) to .092g and add back a nighttime dose of .25g and stabalize. 2.) re-start micro taper once stable at a slower rate of 10% per month.

 

I don't mind taking a step back and restarting again. I know it's back tracking but I am fine with that if it relieves hear symptoms in order to feel better again.

 

Do you think this is a good plan?

 

[[...]]

Correct.

 

Thank you. I have not really noticed if they give me relief as I've been feeing "normal" with no sxs for some time. Until recently. I do suppose they give me some relief of anxiety when I take doses, but not a huge relief. My anxiety is always present in the morning when I wake at 5:30am from a deep sleep with an anxiety rush, and it eases by end of day.

 

What do you think of this plan: 1.) increase morning dose from .074g (the lowest I got) to .092g and add back a nighttime dose of .25g and stabalize. 2.) re-start micro taper once stable at a slower rate of 10% per month.

 

I don't mind taking a step back and restarting again. I know it's back tracking but I am fine with that if it relieves hear symptoms in order to feel better again.

 

Do you think this is a good plan?

 

Did you mean add a nighttime dose of .025g?  You could try that.  The thing is updosing does not always work so it may or may not pay off.

 

And normally I would say 10% a month is fine, but you just got done handling 56% pretty well.  So, although 10% would be fine, you can probably handle more than that.

[[Ho...]]

Correct.

 

Thank you. I have not really noticed if they give me relief as I've been feeing "normal" with no sxs for some time. Until recently. I do suppose they give me some relief of anxiety when I take doses, but not a huge relief. My anxiety is always present in the morning when I wake at 5:30am from a deep sleep with an anxiety rush, and it eases by end of day.

 

What do you think of this plan: 1.) increase morning dose from .074g (the lowest I got) to .092g and add back a nighttime dose of .25g and stabalize. 2.) re-start micro taper once stable at a slower rate of 10% per month.

 

I don't mind taking a step back and restarting again. I know it's back tracking but I am fine with that if it relieves hear symptoms in order to feel better again.

 

Do you think this is a good plan?

 

Did you mean add a nighttime dose of .025g?  You could try that.  The thing is updosing does not always work so it may or may not pay off.

 

And normally I would say 10% a month is fine, but you just got done handling 56% pretty well.  So, although 10% would be fine, you can probably handle more than that.

 

Thanks so much for your help. I do think you're right about the interdose withdrawal.

My question now is:

If I do what I say and take a step back and take .092g in the morning and .025g at night, once I stabilize, which dose do I cut from? Alternate cuts between morning and nighttime so am taking 2 doses until the end of my taper and thus eliminating (or at least lowering to the extent it can be lowered) the inter dose withdrawal? Since one is a smaller dose than the other, how would you handle that?

[[...]]

Did you mean add a nighttime dose of .025g?  You could try that.  The thing is updosing does not always work so it may or may not pay off.

 

And normally I would say 10% a month is fine, but you just got done handling 56% pretty well.  So, although 10% would be fine, you can probably handle more than that.

 

Thanks so much for your help. I do think you're right about the interdose withdrawal.

My question now is:

If I do what I say and take a step back and take .092g in the morning and .025g at night, once I stabilize, which dose do I cut from? Alternate cuts between morning and nighttime so am taking 2 doses until the end of my taper and thus eliminating (or at least lowering to the extent it can be lowered) the inter dose withdrawal? Since one is a smaller dose than the other, how would you handle that?

 

My opinion is that keeping the blood levels even overrides the idea that you should dose big in the morning (to curb higher morning symptoms) or big at night (to help sleep).  I just think it is more important to send a consistent message to the brain 24/7 that upregulation is needed.  If one dose is way higher for part of the day the brain might get the message that things are okay and updosing is not needed.  After all, having a benzo shortage is the only way the body knows it has work to do.  The shortage is what makes it respond.  IDK, just my opinion.  A nice even quiet blood level with no ripples on it sends a consistent message.

 

But if you take .092g AM and .025g PM I'd bring the .092g down until you got to .025g, then bring them both down together from there.  This way you will be tapering yourself into more and more even blood levels.

[[sh...]]

Correct.

 

Thank you. I have not really noticed if they give me relief as I've been feeing "normal" with no sxs for some time. Until recently. I do suppose they give me some relief of anxiety when I take doses, but not a huge relief. My anxiety is always present in the morning when I wake at 5:30am from a deep sleep with an anxiety rush, and it eases by end of day.

 

What do you think of this plan: 1.) increase morning dose from .074g (the lowest I got) to .092g and add back a nighttime dose of .25g and stabalize. 2.) re-start micro taper once stable at a slower rate of 10% per month.

 

I don't mind taking a step back and restarting again. I know it's back tracking but I am fine with that if it relieves hear symptoms in order to feel better again.

 

Do you think this is a good plan?

 

Did you mean add a nighttime dose of .025g?  You could try that.  The thing is updosing does not always work so it may or may not pay off.

 

And normally I would say 10% a month is fine, but you just got done handling 56% pretty well.  So, although 10% would be fine, you can probably handle more than that.

 

Thanks so much for your help. I do think you're right about the interdose withdrawal.

My question now is:

If I do what I say and take a step back and take .092g in the morning and .025g at night, once I stabilize, which dose do I cut from? Alternate cuts between morning and nighttime so am taking 2 doses until the end of my taper and thus eliminating (or at least lowering to the extent it can be lowered) the inter dose withdrawal? Since one is a smaller dose than the other, how would you handle that?

 

Hey Hopeful Mom,

 

I would vote for cutting from the morning dose only for a while to start to level out the 2 doses once you stabilize.  You want to try and keep equal levels of the stuff in your system as much as possible to eliminate the chances of interdose withdrawals.

 

Stay strong!

sharkey

[[Hi...]]

Somebody please help me set up a micro taper planning I been asking and someone did a long time ago but I'm lost

 

I'm very sick and very very kindled after 6 detox and reinstated times. I have no interdose withdrawal just tolerance or bad waves I don't understand but my waves are severe like ct

 

I'm on 6mg of ativan. 2mg 3x a day

 

Each pills weighs .300

 

I had recently tried to switch to v and couldn't tolerate it I have symptoms and waves and very sick and constant terror and psychotic like depression no matter what I do but my liver is getting really bad

 

And I just want off the poison my reinstatement actually made me worse  but here I am 5months later and at 6mg still

 

Should I start at .002 a day cuts? Please Help I getting to the point where I can't think and I'm so sick all the time I feel like I'm dying and I have e nervous breakdown regularly.

 

I'm tapering methadone at the same time right now but I need to make some progress on the ativan is .002 a good place to start if I'm very symptomatic no matter what and can't do a symptom bases taper.

 

I hope I can get off I'm in excruciating mental torment and agony it's incomparable to what most on here are going through. But I do have a couple ok days or moments here and there but they are getting less and less and I'm getting lost in my symptoms nothing else exists each day is a living hell

 

Please Help

[[Ul...]]

SG..i had been using pieces for a couple weeks now and not cutting on my whole pills and my ears were fine..its that crazy high pitch like tinnitus and it started this morning a bit after i took the first dose..and has gotten worse as the day has went on..and not sure how to pull out of it..i have to leave in like 20 mins to get my hair done and not sure how i will get through this..hope to get some help as to what to do to get to 4 doses..a better way not all at once..or else get back to where i was at 3 doses..

 

thanks

 

deep

 

 

Hi DeepCanyon,

  That tinnitus is a weird thing. I have found that every time I make a micro cut, the tinnitus kicks in for a couple days then goes away. I am convinced it is my nervous system rebelling against the decreasing Xanax dose and the increased number of exposed receptors. Hang in there, Rose

 

Hey Rose. Just what does "the increased number of exposed receptors" mean? Explain that, if you would. When we "cut", does that increase the # of receptors in the brain (if so, is that a BAD thing)? Not sure how that works or what that even means. I've heard SG mention upregulation and down regulation, but never truly understood that. Thoughts?

 

Thanks!

 

Jeff

[[Ul...]]

CD..thank you for getting back to me..and i have only had a few episodes since i started my taper but nothing like this..i hope it eases up before i get to the place to get my hair done ..dont know if i will be able to let them color and wash it all out and sit still with all this going on in my ears...

 

and thank you for telling me to hang tough..i sure seem like i have turned into a scared wimp lately..and just need to suck it up i guess 

 

deep

 

 

Hi, I can't see how long you've taken a benzo, but I know that for myself, ANY change I make with my benzo causes a big upset to my nervous system making my withdrawal symptoms really act up. Fortunately they do calm down after a couple of days. It seems my nervous system is extremely sensitive. I've taken Xanax for 14 years and the prescribed dose was 1mg three times a day. However, I rarely took it three times a day, I took it twice a day, about 1 o'clock in the afternoon when the stress of my job as an RN peaked because of the end of shift time crunch, then at night time to sleep. I had multiple nasty hot flashes during the day and ones that woke me up at night. The whole time I figured it was menopause kicking in and job stress, but in reality it was withdrawal symptoms every day and night- for 14 years! Even as a nurse I had no idea that benzo's would do that to you. I trusted my doctor and the med worked so well for anxiety that I never bothered to learn about it. After learning about it here I wished like hell I never took it. The result is my system is super kindled, hence the ultra sensitivity to any change, whether a small increase or decrease. A couple weeks ago I was really busy, I fixed my afternoon dose but forgot to take it. OMG, I paid for that, three days of hell, cold sweats, hot sweats, tinnitus, heartburn, stomach upset.

 

I think it is entirely possible for you to have symptoms from a change in your dosing, even dividing it from 3 times to 4 times a day. It seems our brain gets really set in taking the med in a routine manner. But I do think things may smooth out for you after a few days- hang in there.  Rose

 

Got another one for ya, Rose: The night time hot flashes...is that due to your adrenals blasting out cortisol at night? I started having the "wake up" problem before I even started the taper or knew what the taper was (mega K dose for over 2 decades plus a snot load of other psychotropics along the way). I talked to multiple people and they told me to do a saliva test for adrenal stress. I ordered a saliva test kit and, sure enough, my cortisol reading at 4am was through the roof. It was out of the upper end of the range. That's high! I was waking up like clock work at 3:30am with a blast of a panic, feeling super hot, really nervous, etc. I still do. It's so bad now that I haven't had a remotely decent nights sleep in almost 8 months. I honestly do well if I can doze for an hour or two. After that, the blast hits and then I'm up the rest of the night. No wonder I can't cut!!!  Anyway, just thought I'd ask you about YOUR night hot flashes, etc.

 

Hugs!

 

Jeff