3,2,1: Under 3 mg Valium people

[[Ma...]]

I'm learning the hard way, the lower the dose the smaller the cuts with longer holds.

 

Most of us learn the hard way Lonely , really....but it sounds like you have it figured out now  :D

[[yo...]]

Hi there

 

I was put on 4mg diazapam for sleep back in November 2019 after an emotional time.

Managed to taper to 3mg by January and 2mg by March with pretty much no symptoms. Thought I was doing ok so halved the dose to 1mg

Lock down in the UK triggered some things (having counselling for complex trauma) so really struggled with the withdrawal this time. Anxiety and insomnia and the usual flu like headache symptoms. After 3 weeks and debilitating anxiety attacks I was advised to take on alternate days 2mg and 1.5mg. I did this for a week but felt terrible and read on here that it is important to take the same amount everyday. I knew I desperately needed to stabilise on a dosage that I could cope with, so I Decided to up back to 1.5mg (1.3mg on my jewellery scales as the actual 2mg tablet doesnt weigh  that on the scales) and have stayed at that for the past 6 weeks while I stabilised physically and emotionally. Initially I felt really bd and there have been good and bad days but currently I cant seem to get rid of the constant headache and sinus pain and a feeling of extreme fatigue and tiredness. I thought it was just due to being in fight and flight and chronic anxiety and insomnia for so many weeks but I do think it may also be linked to the withdrawal. Anyone else experience really painful headache and sinus pressure and my sinuses are very dry. Today I feel like I have the hangover from hell and am I right in saying this happens even during the stable period? I have noticed people have mentioned waves??? Is this when symptoms reappear for a while. I have only just started to sleep better and am practising lots of grounding techniques. I am really scared to taper again but I dont want to be living with these symptoms forever. What is the usual time between tapers? I know it is individual but I feel pressure to taper as I am worried I am becoming more dependent as the weeks go by. Am I right in saying that? I would really appreciate any advice regarding this. I am trying to tell myself it is just the brain healing and slowly starting to adjust but the fear is huge. Thank you so much

[[va...]]

Hi Yogi,

 

I don't have much time so I'll be concise and tell you my point of view based on my own struggles and what I've read here.

 

You are in a wave. You'll have waves and windows for a while before you stabilize. Nobody knows how long it'll take you to stabilize. It's better to hold for a couple more months than to taper yourself into hell. No, you're not becoming more dependent when you hold, you're allowing your brain to heal. Stress is well known for triggering waves, as a matter of fact, it's happening to me right now, I'm in a hellish wave triggered by life stressors. This is a great group, stay here. Check out the "easier taper support group", there are great posters there. If you stick to the same dose for a while, you will get better, but you might get worse before you get better. Don't freak out and wait for windows : they will come.

[[Ma...]]

Hi Yogi,

 

I don't have much time so I'll be concise and tell you my point of view based on my own struggles and what I've read here.

 

You are in a wave. You'll have waves and windows for a while before you stabilize. Nobody knows how long it'll take you to stabilize. It's better to hold for a couple more months than to taper yourself into hell. No, you're not becoming more dependent when you hold, you're allowing your brain to heal. Stress is well known for triggering waves, as a matter of fact, it's happening to me right now, I'm in a hellish wave triggered by life stressors. This is a great group, stay here. Check out the "easier taper support group", there are great posters there. If you stick to the same dose for a while, you will get better, but you might get worse before you get better. Don't freak out and wait for windows : they will come.

 

Great post Vali :thumbsup:

[[va...]]

Hey Mary. I'll catch up when I get a break 😘😘

[[Ma...]]

Hey Mary. I'll catch up when I get a break 😘😘

 

🙋🏼🙋🏼🙋🏼.  🙏♥️😷😘🙏♥️😷😘

[[yo...]]

Thank you so much for the reassurance. I know very little about this as I have only ever been on a low dose so cutting and tapering is all new to me. I think I will hold a little longer and then cut a small taper and see how things go. I didn’t expect to have waves after holding 6 weeks but I can see that this is healing and not anything dangerous

THANKS once again

X

 

Hi Yogi,

 

I don't have much time so I'll be concise and tell you my point of view based on my own struggles and what I've read here.

 

You are in a wave. You'll have waves and windows for a while before you stabilize. Nobody knows how long it'll take you to stabilize. It's better to hold for a couple more months than to taper yourself into hell. No, you're not becoming more dependent when you hold, you're allowing your brain to heal. Stress is well known for triggering waves, as a matter of fact, it's happening to me right now, I'm in a hellish wave triggered by life stressors. This is a great group, stay here. Check out the "easier taper support group", there are great posters there. If you stick to the same dose for a while, you will get better, but you might get worse before you get better. Don't freak out and wait for windows : they will come.

[[Jo...]]

1 mg. Never thought I would see the day. Began this carnival ride at 40 mg.

Next stop .66 then .33 then boom! Jump time. I am shaking, palps, not sleeping  but I will hold at this level a good 3 weeks and keep telling myself, "so, this is what healing feels like!"

[[Ma...]]

1 mg. Never thought I would see the day. Began this carnival ride at 40 mg.

Next stop .66 then .33 then boom! Jump time. I am shaking, palps, not sleeping  but I will hold at this level a good 3 weeks and keep telling myself, "so, this is what healing feels like!"

 

, great attitude, good luck.....

[[Jo...]]

1 mg. Never thought I would see the day. Began this carnival ride at 40 mg.

Next stop .66 then .33 then boom! Jump time. I am shaking, palps, not sleeping  but I will hold at this level a good 3 weeks and keep telling myself, "so, this is what healing feels like!"

 

, great attitude, good luck.....

 

Thank you Mary...you have been a beacon of shining light throughout this entire ordeal. I wish you every good thing you have wished for others.

[[Ma...]]

1 mg. Never thought I would see the day. Began this carnival ride at 40 mg.

Next stop .66 then .33 then boom! Jump time. I am shaking, palps, not sleeping  but I will hold at this level a good 3 weeks and keep telling myself, "so, this is what healing feels like!"

 

, great attitude, good luck.....

 

Thank you Mary...you have been a beacon of shining light throughout this entire ordeal. I wish you every good thing you have wished for others.

 

Thank you Joy!   

[[...]]

After a wave caused by a tooth infection, I'm finally starting my taper of my last 1 mg. I'll be doing a liquid micro taper at a rate of .01 mg every 3 days or 10% a month. I've held for 2 years and have no symptoms so it's been hard to justify tapering but I know even on such a small amount it's having an effect on gaba production and down regulation.

[[va...]]

After a wave caused by a tooth infection, I'm finally starting my taper of my last 1 mg. I'll be doing a liquid micro taper at a rate of .01 mg every 3 days or 10% a month. I've held for 2 years and have no symptoms so it's been hard to justify tapering but I know even on such a small amount it's having an effect on gaba production and down regulation.

 

You go Jwl!! This is your last stretch to freedom 💪. May I ask you, when you decided to hold for two years, what symptoms made you decide to hold, and at what point did the symptoms go away. I held for seven months, then I cut four times since March. Maybe I need to hold longer like you and olive kitty did, my psychiatrist also wants me to hold. Or maybe I'll never get better than this because I see that unfortunately some people don't get better.

[[Ul...]]

After a wave caused by a tooth infection, I'm finally starting my taper of my last 1 mg. I'll be doing a liquid micro taper at a rate of .01 mg every 3 days or 10% a month. I've held for 2 years and have no symptoms so it's been hard to justify tapering but I know even on such a small amount it's having an effect on gaba production and down regulation.

 

You're leaning into the tape at the finish line! Ya almost got it

 

 

[[...]]

After a wave caused by a tooth infection, I'm finally starting my taper of my last 1 mg. I'll be doing a liquid micro taper at a rate of .01 mg every 3 days or 10% a month. I've held for 2 years and have no symptoms so it's been hard to justify tapering but I know even on such a small amount it's having an effect on gaba production and down regulation.

 

You go Jwl!! This is your last stretch to freedom 💪. May I ask you, when you decided to hold for two years, what symptoms made you decide to hold, and at what point did the symptoms go away. I held for three months, then I cut four times since March. Maybe I need to hold longer like you and olive kitty did, my psychiatrist also wants me to hold. Or maybe I'll never get better than this because I see that unfortunately some people don't get better.

 

Hey V, don't get discouraged. You will get better, you're almost there. Just be patient with yourself. One thing that WD does is leads us to negative thinking because our feel good, happy, positive neurotransmitters are being suppressed. When I had a neurotransmitter test done, I expected my GABA to be low but was surprised when I saw that all of my "calming" NTs were too. I'd like to think that everyone will get better because that what the body does. It wants to heal and reach a point of homeostatis.

 

About 3 years ago I was in bad shape too. Out of desperation I saw a functional/integrative doctor. He's the one who suggested I take a break and focus on getting healthier. Most of my symptoms were gone after a year but I can't say if it was the result of the hold or the treatments: vitamin IVs, treating infections/inflammation (candida, Epstein Bar virus...) At 2 years all of them were gone.

[[va...]]

Thanks for the info and the encouragement Jwl 😊

[[...]]

Thanks for the info and the encouragement Jwl 😊

 

Oh you asked what my symptoms were. you name it I had it: anxiety/panic attacks, brain fog, fear, pain in my joints, insomnia, depression, fatigue...

 

I'm not suggesting everyone should seek alternative treatments because some people don't react well to supplements. I think the body can heal given the right nutrients.

[[va...]]

Thanks for the info and the encouragement Jwl 😊

 

Oh you asked what my symptoms were. you name it I had it: anxiety/panic attacks, brain fog, fear, pain in my joints, insomnia, depression, fatigue...

 

I'm not suggesting everyone should seek alternative treatments because some people don't react well to supplements. I think the body can heal given the right nutrients.

 

I have all that, but if only the cognitive fog went away, I could function better. I'm dealing with stuff : a bank claim, insurance claims, remodeling a flat, contractors... My cognitive fog makes me have to dosify everything I do. I held seven months. No idea if I'll get better with a longer hold or not. I think olive kitty held two years and did feel better. Hoping for the best but really worried that I'll just be like this or worse. I can't start supplements. The ones I tried made me sick, and I can't afford one of those expensive fictional doctors.

[[ki...]]

Thanks for the info and the encouragement Jwl 😊

 

Oh you asked what my symptoms were. you name it I had it: anxiety/panic attacks, brain fog, fear, pain in my joints, insomnia, depression, fatigue...

 

I'm not suggesting everyone should seek alternative treatments because some people don't react well to supplements. I think the body can heal given the right nutrients.

 

I have all that, but if only the cognitive fog went away, I could function better. I'm dealing with stuff : a bank claim, insurance claims, remodeling a flat, contractors... My cognitive fog makes me have to dosify everything I do. I held seven months. No idea if I'll get better with a longer hold or not. I think olive kitty held two years and did feel better. Hoping for the best but really worried that I'll just be like this or worse. I can't start supplements. The ones I tried made me sick, and I can't afford one of those expensive fictional doctors.

 

I think Olive Kitty also did vitamin supplements, but I’m not 100% on that, so you might ask her.

[[va...]]

Thanks kitsune. I will 

[[...]]

I'm sorry you're going through so that V. WD is bad enough without the added stress. Yes cog fog is the worst but I found that people around me didn't notice it as much as I thought. I felt like I was losing my mind. You will get better if you just keep holding. Many get impatient or panic and feel they need to start tapering again and that's when they run into problems.

[[va...]]

Thank you Jwl. Yes as a matter of fact I think after seven months I should've kept holding. I still had plenty of sxs from the crash that had led me to updose and hold. I'm not sure if it was really withdrawal, I think it's more glutamate damage from that terrible crash. If it were bwd it would subside eventually, but about the glutamate damage I'm not sure. Others however, have crashed badly, then held for a year or more and then been able to taper again. I'm thinking for instance Begood and Gardener, and of course olive kitty. I hope I can stabilize too. My life circumstances don't help as we all know stress doesn't make bwd easier. But it is what it is. I'm working on acceptance. You're right, others don't notice it, but I've spent three days organizing a claim to the bank and can't get myself to write it because the stress makes me dumb. This I would do with my eyes closed and now I need a week.

[[...]]

Thank you Jwl. Yes as a matter of fact I think after seven months I should've kept holding. I still had plenty of sxs from the crash that had led me to updose and hold. I'm not sure if it was really withdrawal, I think it's more glutamate damage from that terrible crash. If it were bwd it would subside eventually, but about the glutamate damage I'm not sure. Others however, have crashed badly, then held for a year or more and then been able to taper again. I'm thinking for instance Begood and Gardener, and of course olive kitty. I hope I can stabilize too. My life circumstances don't help as we all know stress doesn't make bwd easier. But it is what it is. I'm working on acceptance. You're right, others don't notice it, but I've spent three days organizing a claim to the bank and can't get myself to write it because the stress makes me dumb. This I would do with my eyes closed and now I need a week.

 

 

OMG I didn't know you were in crash. Yes concussions can present a whole level of problems. I've had several bad ones that led me on the road of poly-drugs and painkillers. I'm sure it's what cause my fibromyalgia and chronic fatigue. You need to be gentle and patience with yourself and don't beat yourself up when things aren't progressing like you'd like.

 

I can say through experience that the brain is incredibly resilient. Even when brain cells are damaged, the brain develops new pathways.

[[Ji...]]

After a wave caused by a tooth infection, I'm finally starting my taper of my last 1 mg. I'll be doing a liquid micro taper at a rate of .01 mg every 3 days or 10% a month. I've held for 2 years and have no symptoms so it's been hard to justify tapering but I know even on such a small amount it's having an effect on gaba production and down regulation.

 

You go Jwl!! This is your last stretch to freedom 💪. May I ask you, when you decided to hold for two years, what symptoms made you decide to hold, and at what point did the symptoms go away. I held for seven months, then I cut four times since March. Maybe I need to hold longer like you and olive kitty did, my psychiatrist also wants me to hold. Or maybe I'll never get better than this because I see that unfortunately some people don't get better.

 

You've done really well!

 

I'm starting to live a normal life. Went to a poker game last night and am sure people were looking at me in  a strange way. Maybe just a bit of paranoia but it's good to be free from the fog of drugs. I'm on 1 2mg tab and a crumb. Going for 2mg on Monday. Will start contemplating a jump off at about 1 mg. I hope to get to 1 mg in 3 months.

[[va...]]

Hi Jwl dear, I had no car crash thank God! When I say "the crash", I mean the tapering crash I had last summer. I'm sorry for leading you to confusion. I really feel for those of you who've had a concussion on top of all this. I hope you all wake up feeling a bit better today 😊