3,2,1: Under 3 mg Valium people

[[Tr...]]

Hi Jimmy,

 

Right now I'm holding because I am starting on an SSRI.

After that I have to take it the way my body and mind tell me to.

I changed from Diazepam to Tranxène a few weeks ago. It's supposed to give me less fatigue and nausea. Could be some truth in that.

I did find out much earlier in my taper though, that 10% cuts in 2 weeks are way too big for me.

So, there's no telling when I can finally get off this benzo.

 

Good luck with your taper.

[[Ji...]]

Thanks 🙂Good luck too!

[[Jo...]]

How do you join this group?

[[ki...]]

How do you join this group?

 

By posting in this thread you will now get updates whenever someone posts here. Welcome! You are in good company!

[[Jo...]]

Thank you for telling me how this works. This last cut from 3 to 2.5 was going great until last night! Full on sleepless terror. I am watching too much COVID19 media. Puts me in a state of somatic hypervigilance.  Today I am going to be prudent but not get all psyched out. Literally slept 1.5 hours. Palps,  shakes, tension for several hours.   

[[Ma...]]

Thank you for telling me how this works. This last cut from 3 to 2.5 was going great until last night! Full on sleepless terror. I am watching too much COVID19 media. Puts me in a state of somatic hypervigilance.  Today I am going to be prudent but not get all psyched out. Literally slept 1.5 hours. Palps,  shakes, tension for several hours.   

 

Hey Joy . I just looked over your taper.  You may need to hold for awhile.  You have been cutting alittle fast as low as you are.  Now may be a good time to slow down and lower the % of those cuts.

You aren't just getting off the meds now, but are trying to match up with getting your brain and central nervous system in tune with having no more benzo.  So, it's not just a race to the end, but coming off in good shape.  Valium has such a long half life, you never know when it might cause a bad wave.  It's just a suggestion.  I know everyone wants off, but so many run into issues in the last few mgs.  Hope you feel better very quickly, let your symptoms guide you as much as possible.  Love, Mary 💚

 

 

 

[[Jo...]]

Mary thank you so much . My confusion is how to accurately split a 2 mg pill into anything other than quarters. I bought a scale on Amazon but maybe I'm doing something wrong. I weigh a pill....get a number. Then weigh it a couple more times, always getting a different number! So I'm  left with filing away a certain number, but it might not be accurate. I would like to taper at .25 now....but can't figure out how to do it dry. I don't want to get involved with liquid titration. You can see I started out quite a large user....i just want this over so badly.My doctor is stingy with pills so i can't  afford to file away pills and throw any out. So I seem doomed to dropping  5 mg at a clip now toward the end.  Do you gave any advice? I'm sure ready to listen.

[[Jo...]]

Omg I meant dropping at .5 mg per cut not 5 mg. Lololol

[[Ma...]]

I am horrible with numbers and my husband does it.  If you don't want to file , then have you considered a Diazapam Liquid?  I am on one.  If you don't want to do that, you can try making your own liquid.  The place to get help is on the titration thread.  I would love to be able to explain it but I am just not good at it.  Bob7, a moderator, I believe used a scale and he is incredibly nice and really good at explaining it, and will hang with you until you get it.  No question is a dumb one, never worry about that.    Others will pop up and help also.  Just put your info on titration thread and tell them how you want to proceed..

You can do it, keep me posted.    . Mary ❤️❤️

[[Ol...]]

Mary thank you so much . My confusion is how to accurately split a 2 mg pill into anything other than quarters. I bought a scale on Amazon but maybe I'm doing something wrong. I weigh a pill....get a number. Then weigh it a couple more times, always getting a different number! So I'm  left with filing away a certain number, but it might not be accurate. I would like to taper at .25 now....but can't figure out how to do it dry. I don't want to get involved with liquid titration. You can see I started out quite a large user....i just want this over so badly.My doctor is stingy with pills so i can't  afford to file away pills and throw any out. So I seem doomed to dropping  5 mg at a clip now toward the end.  Do you gave any advice? I'm sure ready to listen.

 

Hi Joy,

At the end of my taper, I dry cut my 2mg pills without using a scale. I'm sure it was not perfect, but I got pretty good at splitting .5 into .25 pieces! My theory was that with the long half life of Valium, as long as you are keeping a consistent level in your blood stream then whether the bit was a tiny bit off didn't matter. The dose at that point is not therapeutic anyway so I really never noticed the difference if my crumb was a few minuscule grains off.

 

 

 

 

[[Tr...]]

Hi,

 

Two weeks ago I went from taking Diazepam to using Tranxène. Less nausea and maybe less fatigue,  but certainly much more muscle pain and stiffness! I researched it and found out Tranxène only relaxes the muscles when used in a high dose. I use just under 4 mgs. Started noticing more stiffness after just a couple of days. So I am going back to using Diazepam. Hope the changing back isn't going to be too bad. But I have no choice. This pain and stiffness are so bad. Wish me luck, please.

 

 

 

[[Ma...]]

Hi,

 

Two weeks ago I went from taking Diazepam to using Tranxène. Less nausea and maybe less fatigue,  but certainly much more muscle pain and stiffness! I researched it and found out Tranxène only relaxes the muscles when used in a high dose. I use just under 4 mgs. Started noticing more stiffness after just a couple of days. So I am going back to using Diazepam. Hope the changing back isn't going to be too bad. But I have no choice. This pain and stiffness are so bad. Wish me luck, please.

 

I send you lots of luck Trouch, back pain has been my #1 worst symptom, so I feel for you.  I hope the Diazapam helps.  I would be careful and not change or add anything for awhile.  Your brain and central nervous system need stability.  LY,  Mary 💚

[[Jo...]]

Mary thank you so much . My confusion is how to accurately split a 2 mg pill into anything other than quarters. I bought a scale on Amazon but maybe I'm doing something wrong. I weigh a pill....get a number. Then weigh it a couple more times, always getting a different number! So I'm  left with filing away a certain number, but it might not be accurate. I would like to taper at .25 now....but can't figure out how to do it dry. I don't want to get involved with liquid titration. You can see I started out quite a large user....i just want this over so badly.My doctor is stingy with pills so i can't  afford to file away pills and throw any out. So I seem doomed to dropping  5 mg at a clip now toward the end.  Do you gave any advice? I'm sure ready to listen.

 

Hi Joy,

At the end of my taper, I dry cut my 2mg pills without using a scale. I'm sure it was not perfect, but I got pretty good at splitting .5 into .25 pieces! My theory was that with the long half life of Valium, as long as you are keeping a consistent level in your blood stream then whether the bit was a tiny bit off didn't matter. The dose at that point is not therapeutic anyway so I really never noticed the difference if my crumb was a few minuscule grains off.

 

Thank you!!! That is so reassuring! I see you have jumped. So happy for you! Did you ever, toward the end, have some pretty hairy days? This last cut has been a bear the past 3 days. Trembling, terror, palps....the whole circus. Please let me know.

[[Mo...]]

 

 

At 2,85 mgs.

 

Tapering off is really very hard to do. Need long holds after a minor cut. Going to take ages to get off. Ughh

 

What kind of timeline are you looking at?

 

When do you aim to jump - 0.5 mg or less?

 

I'm aiming for 1 year from now to drop from 5mg.

 

It does seem to get harder but I plan to continue cutting at least 10% every 2 weeks.

 

If my maths is correct, that will be about a year.

 

I feel the same way. I think I have a year to go myself. I give myself an end date (but extend it if necessary). I just need the thought of. Only 11 months to go etc. I'm now cutting 5% every three weeks. That seems to be the best thing for me.

 

Sometimes the thought of feeling this way for another year then another year or more to heal is daunting. But I have no desire to speed up. I need days where I'm feeling ok during the taper. I haven't done a long hold since Dec. (three months). And hopefully won't have to do a long hold again.

 

Every three weeks when I cut my pills up, I'm a little surprised how fast those three weeks went by.

 

 

[[Ca...]]

Mary thank you so much . My confusion is how to accurately split a 2 mg pill into anything other than quarters. I bought a scale on Amazon but maybe I'm doing something wrong. I weigh a pill....get a number. Then weigh it a couple more times, always getting a different number! So I'm  left with filing away a certain number, but it might not be accurate. I would like to taper at .25 now....but can't figure out how to do it dry. I don't want to get involved with liquid titration. You can see I started out quite a large user....i just want this over so badly.My doctor is stingy with pills so i can't  afford to file away pills and throw any out. So I seem doomed to dropping  5 mg at a clip now toward the end.  Do you gave any advice? I'm sure ready to listen.

 

Hi Joy,

At the end of my taper, I dry cut my 2mg pills without using a scale. I'm sure it was not perfect, but I got pretty good at splitting .5 into .25 pieces! My theory was that with the long half life of Valium, as long as you are keeping a consistent level in your blood stream then whether the bit was a tiny bit off didn't matter. The dose at that point is not therapeutic anyway so I really never noticed the difference if my crumb was a few minuscule grains off.

 

Thank you!!! That is so reassuring! I see you have jumped. So happy for you! Did you ever, toward the end, have some pretty hairy days? This last cut has been a bear the past 3 days. Trembling, terror, palps....the whole circus. Please let me know.

I also pill split with a cheap pill splitter (1/8 or 0.25v)... I just found I had to spread the cuts more towards the end...

As Olive mentioned, the long half life helps.. I split one 2mg tablet and alternated largest then smallest pieces, ending up with the average size last.. It all went pretty well given I was also tapering another med (slowly) at the same time..

 

Mary’s thoughts will work too... I think Bob7 has info on using a “filler” to help get the scale to behave...

 

***

...and a big thumbsDOWN to muscle problems.. I feel for you guys that get hit hard with it..

 

 

[[ki...]]

Mary thank you so much . My confusion is how to accurately split a 2 mg pill into anything other than quarters. I bought a scale on Amazon but maybe I'm doing something wrong. I weigh a pill....get a number. Then weigh it a couple more times, always getting a different number! So I'm  left with filing away a certain number, but it might not be accurate. I would like to taper at .25 now....but can't figure out how to do it dry. I don't want to get involved with liquid titration. You can see I started out quite a large user....i just want this over so badly.My doctor is stingy with pills so i can't  afford to file away pills and throw any out. So I seem doomed to dropping  5 mg at a clip now toward the end.  Do you gave any advice? I'm sure ready to listen.

 

Hi Joy,

At the end of my taper, I dry cut my 2mg pills without using a scale. I'm sure it was not perfect, but I got pretty good at splitting .5 into .25 pieces! My theory was that with the long half life of Valium, as long as you are keeping a consistent level in your blood stream then whether the bit was a tiny bit off didn't matter. The dose at that point is not therapeutic anyway so I really never noticed the difference if my crumb was a few minuscule grains off.

 

Thank you!!! That is so reassuring! I see you have jumped. So happy for you! Did you ever, toward the end, have some pretty hairy days? This last cut has been a bear the past 3 days. Trembling, terror, palps....the whole circus. Please let me know.

I also pill split with a cheap pill splitter (1/8 or 0.25v)... I just found I had to spread the cuts more towards the end...

As Olive mentioned, the long half life helps.. I split one 2mg tablet and alternated largest then smallest pieces, ending up with the average size last.. It all went pretty well given I was also tapering another med (slowly) at the same time..

 

Mary’s thoughts will work too... I think Bob7 has info on using a “filler” to help get the scale to behave...

 

***

...and a big thumbsDOWN to muscle problems.. I feel for you guys that get hit hard with it..

 

I used Bob’s method for my previous taper with success. You don’t have to use a filler if you’re tapering V because of the long half life and larger mg’s per tablet (even though it’s a less potent benzo). I have a friend who tapered all the way to zero on V using the same method as well. She’s been off since mid-Jan and doing well.

[[Ol...]]

Mary thank you so much . My confusion is how to accurately split a 2 mg pill into anything other than quarters. I bought a scale on Amazon but maybe I'm doing something wrong. I weigh a pill....get a number. Then weigh it a couple more times, always getting a different number! So I'm  left with filing away a certain number, but it might not be accurate. I would like to taper at .25 now....but can't figure out how to do it dry. I don't want to get involved with liquid titration. You can see I started out quite a large user....i just want this over so badly.My doctor is stingy with pills so i can't  afford to file away pills and throw any out. So I seem doomed to dropping  5 mg at a clip now toward the end.  Do you gave any advice? I'm sure ready to listen.

 

Hi Joy,

At the end of my taper, I dry cut my 2mg pills without using a scale. I'm sure it was not perfect, but I got pretty good at splitting .5 into .25 pieces! My theory was that with the long half life of Valium, as long as you are keeping a consistent level in your blood stream then whether the bit was a tiny bit off didn't matter. The dose at that point is not therapeutic anyway so I really never noticed the difference if my crumb was a few minuscule grains off.

 

Thank you!!! That is so reassuring! I see you have jumped. So happy for you! Did you ever, toward the end, have some pretty hairy days? This last cut has been a bear the past 3 days. Trembling, terror, palps....the whole circus. Please let me know.

 

Yes I had many very bad days. I basically had agoraphobia, couldn't leave the house for days on end. Even at home all I could do was lay in bed and watch Netflix. And I used to travel the country in a band performing in front of thousands of people! The only thing that helped me was a 1.5 year hold at 2mg. After that, the rest of my taper was a breeze, I didn't even notice when I cut. I'm sorry you are going through this, I SO understand.

 

 

[[Ma...]]

Mary thank you so much . My confusion is how to accurately split a 2 mg pill into anything other than quarters. I bought a scale on Amazon but maybe I'm doing something wrong. I weigh a pill....get a number. Then weigh it a couple more times, always getting a different number! So I'm  left with filing away a certain number, but it might not be accurate. I would like to taper at .25 now....but can't figure out how to do it dry. I don't want to get involved with liquid titration. You can see I started out quite a large user....i just want this over so badly.My doctor is stingy with pills so i can't  afford to file away pills and throw any out. So I seem doomed to dropping  5 mg at a clip now toward the end.  Do you gave any advice? I'm sure ready to listen.

 

Hi Joy,

At the end of my taper, I dry cut my 2mg pills without using a scale. I'm sure it was not perfect, but I got pretty good at splitting .5 into .25 pieces! My theory was that with the long half life of Valium, as long as you are keeping a consistent level in your blood stream then whether the bit was a tiny bit off didn't matter. The dose at that point is not therapeutic anyway so I really never noticed the difference if my crumb was a few minuscule grains off.

 

Thank you!!! That is so reassuring! I see you have jumped. So happy for you! Did you ever, toward the end, have some pretty hairy days? This last cut has been a bear the past 3 days. Trembling, terror, palps....the whole circus. Please let me know.

 

Yes I had many very bad days. I basically had agoraphobia, couldn't leave the house for days on end. Even at home all I could do was lay in bed and watch Netflix. And I used to travel the country in a band performing in front of thousands of people! The only thing that helped me was a 1.5 year hold at 2mg. After that, the rest of my taper was a breeze, I didn't even notice when I cut. I'm sorry you are going through this, I SO understand.

 

 

What kind of band OK, are you famous and that's why we all want your virtual life?    :D

[[Ma...]]

Today is National Adopt a Pet Day!!

And here at least , seniors can adopt senior pets for free, they still come with all their shots and in good health........I think the pet is 7 years old or more.  So if anybody is thinking about it, it's all done with no close distancing.  You find the dog online , come look through the front window, if you decide you want, you pay with credit card over phone, unless Sr, and they bring the dog out on long leash. No touching.

 

🐶🐱🐕🐩💜💜💜💜

[[Jo...]]

What a difference a few days makes. Holding my own, cutting pills into 6 pieces now. And,considering we are in the middle of a global medical meltdown, I would say we are a pretty tenacious band of brothers.

 

There already was a certain level of anxiety that accompanies a taper, but this monkey wrench of COVID has probably set us all a bit back on our heels. Remember there is still good news around us. We will heal. We are trying our best. And, of course, "This, too Shall Pass." Hang in there. Make a good moment, when you have one, last and make a mental memory of how it feels in that good moment. You can return to that memory when you feel hopeless, or at the mercy of symptoms. We are a tough bunch, and together, we will make it to the end of the tunnel. Sunshine awaits. 

[[Tr...]]

Hi Joy,

 

Thanks for your uplifting words! 

I needed to hear those so bad.

Having a bad week with lots of muscle pain and exhaustion. Ughh.

No idea what caused this setback.

 

[[Jo...]]

Hi Joy,

 

Thanks for your uplifting words! 

I needed to hear those so bad.

Having a bad week with lots of muscle pain and exhaustion. Ughh.

No idea what caused this setback.

 

Sometimes there is no pattern, no rhyme or reason. Please just float along, and know you will reach the shore in good time. You will.

[[Tr...]]

Hi Joy,

 

I see you're coming down in Valium quite quickly at the moment.

Are you doing a daily micro taper or making bigger cuts?

 

[[Jo...]]

Hello!

I am trying to follow Ashton, just a bit modified. I figure I am nervous anyway, in a pretty constant panic really,  due to fears surrounding catching this infernal virus, soj I might as well keep to a cut every 2 to 3 weeks as per the good Doctor. I take a 2 mg pill, using a pill cutter on the score line. Then manually break each half into thirds. I will remove a sixth of a 2 mg every 2 to 3 weeks. Dr Ashton says you can jump at .5, but I will jump at the last 6th or .33 mg. 

 

Cutting a 2 mg pill into 6 roughly equal pieces yields just about .33 mg. I am over 2 years tapering and only in the very beginning was it minimally symptomatic. Lower I go, the more symptoms rear their ugly heads. I may have fuzzy logic, but like I said at the start, I am miserable and scared due to COVID, scared for my husband and kids. I know that many people are in the same boat. So why not keep putting one foot in front of the other.

Windows for hours at a time happen almost daily, so that is encouraging me.

A doctor friend of mine says he is bombarded with pleadings for Xanax and Valium. People are going stir crazy in quarantine! But he rarely gives it out as he knows several people like me for whom the benzo off ramp is a terrifying bear.

So, I am basically doing Ashton, and holding for 3 weeks if that cut was especially hairy. Are you doing ok? 

[[Tr...]]

Thanks Joy,

 

Wow, I could never go that quickly.

Last night I made a cut of just 0,1 mgs. Today is an awful day: a morning of severe muscle pain,  followed by an afternoon of deep exhaustion and head pressure. I always react to a cut this quickly. Hard to believe,  I know, but had this with every cut.

I'm anxious all the time, except for the evenings,  when I feel more at ease and my muscle tension gets less.

Been trying to get on Seroxat for three weeks just now, but I just cannot do that. This was my fifth try in just over a year, still the outcome is the same. It only made things much worse.

Dreaming of the day I 'll be off all this poison.