Kicking off Valium

[[Ni...]]

Hi!

 

I've been kicking off Valium for some time now. Now I am at the point like 5 mg. a day. I thought to kick off every second week 1 mg. and so 1st on June no Valium at all. What do you think about this? I'm doing just fine at the moment, no big deal. Benzo addicted for tens of years though.

[[Co...]]

Hi Nikki,

 

I'd suggest that you take it more slowly. We find that people have an easier time of it if they cut by no more than about 10% of their dose - at 5mg, that's a cut of 0.5mg. Of course, it is inevitable that cuts will as some stage have to equate to more than 10%, otherwise we would never actually get to zero, but I don't think you are at that stage yet. Cutting by a smaller does not necessarily mean a longer taper, as you may find you can cut more regularly. The important thing is to make the taper a gentle one - small frequent cuts are tolerated better than larger less frequent cuts.

[[Ni...]]

You mean like 0,5 mg a week?

[[Co...]]

Hi,

 

Well a cut of 0.5mg, and then see if you can manage another cut after a week, yes. The important thing is to keep the cuts reasonably small, and then make new cuts as you feel able. That is to say, when you feel reasonably recovered from the previous cut. The chances are that you will begin to find your taper tougher if you stick to cuts 1mg. Be kind to yourself!

[[Ni...]]

I've been OK in one week after a cut and had the other week as a holiday. Now I think do go on the same, meaning 1 mg every 2nd week. Why wait? This is not going to be a trip without pain, so why just go this way, 1 mg. and after 14 days one more 1 mg?.

[[Co...]]

Hi Nikki,

 

It is up to you. Cuts of 0.5mg every week as opposed to 1mg cuts every two weeks, will take the same amount of time to complete. The 0.5mg cut route is likely to be kinder to you, and will certainly be no worse than cutting by 1mg at a time. It is up to you though, we are just giving you the benefit of our experience.

[[Ni...]]

Alright, I got the point. I answered there in my blog, thanks.