3,2,1: Under 3 mg Valium people

[[ed...]]

Hey edzo,

 

Hang in there buddy.  The work you're putting in is worth it.  My first two weeks off were shitty as I thought I was crashing but I didn't and it gets better.  Just be careful at the end of your taper and listen to your body. 

 

Shamo,

 

Hey man I am glad you're getting better.  I am sorry about the intrusive thoughts but it sounds like that is becoming less intense.  You'll get better in time.

 

Thanks Arcade. A quick question: Do you think some of us just never stabilize toward the end and have to just fight through it? I've held at my current dose for 5 days now with minimal improvement and am in a bit of a pickle right now.

 

Thanks,

Ed

[[ar...]]

Hey edzo,

 

Hang in there buddy.  The work you're putting in is worth it.  My first two weeks off were shitty as I thought I was crashing but I didn't and it gets better.  Just be careful at the end of your taper and listen to your body. 

 

Shamo,

 

Hey man I am glad you're getting better.  I am sorry about the intrusive thoughts but it sounds like that is becoming less intense.  You'll get better in time.

 

Thanks Arcade. A quick question: Do you think some of us just never stabilize toward the end and have to just fight through it? I've held at my current dose for 5 days now with minimal improvement and am in a bit of a pickle right now.

 

Thanks,

Ed

 

Everyone is different but if it were me I would hold until stable.  For me if I powered through it the symptoms just build.  Some people can power through it and feel better.  Maybe take the safer route and continue to hold.

[[ed...]]

Hey edzo,

 

Hang in there buddy.  The work you're putting in is worth it.  My first two weeks off were shitty as I thought I was crashing but I didn't and it gets better.  Just be careful at the end of your taper and listen to your body. 

 

Shamo,

 

Hey man I am glad you're getting better.  I am sorry about the intrusive thoughts but it sounds like that is becoming less intense.  You'll get better in time.

 

Thanks Arcade. A quick question: Do you think some of us just never stabilize toward the end and have to just fight through it? I've held at my current dose for 5 days now with minimal improvement and am in a bit of a pickle right now.

 

Thanks,

Ed

 

Everyone is different but if it were me I would hold until stable.  For me if I powered through it the symptoms just build.  Some people can power through it and feel better.  Maybe take the safer route and continue to hold.

 

Thanks. Will do. They build for me as well.

[[so...]]

Hey y'all. Happy to be part of this group

I resumed my taper now that I am better from pneumonia then virus

I am at 1.10 tonight

I am not sure what has changed but I am having a lot of wake ups through the night and don't feel I sleep much

I am on remeron as well

I am still using a levabuterol inhaler and started taking juice plus for my immune system bc I MA having a problem catching everything ( it has a bit of spirulina in it)

Also taking zinc

I tried the cherry tart juice- still woke up

Last night ditched the cherry tart but still woke

Are you guys having trouble sleeping through the night and if so what helps? What does your sleep look like?

I am going to be at 1 in 10 days and hold it for 10 days then resume taper to make sure I don't get hit

Then it's all liquid. Scary.. Plan on about 100 days or more from there but I wish I wasn't going to end the taper in February which is the worst month of the year for me with colds and flus etc

 

 

I've been taking benadryl when I can't sleep (just one tablet) and the bonus is that it helps with muscle tension. I don't want to rely on it so I take it as rarely as possible, but it helps a lot when I need it!

[[so...]]

I'm way overdue for an update in this thread. Gonna paste again from the Valium support group if you don't mind!

 

An update on my journey... I'm two or three nights into this cut and I'm both happy to be free of my nighttime dose and also a bit uncomfortable and on edge. I'm still having slight vertigo upon sitting up from a lying position and vice versa. It's so mild compared to the nightmarish spinning I suffered years ago that I'm handling it quite well, but at the same time I feel depressed that it's happening at all and saddened by all the things I've missed this month out of fear. I haven't left the house in a few weeks except for last night when I finally took a short walk around the neighborhood. I'm working full days though (I work from home) so it's not like life has completely stopped. I'm just afraid again and it's unsettling.

 

My main symptoms this cut and last have been the shakes, sweating, headaches, and muscle pain. Not too bad so far though and tonight I seem to have had a break from all of it. Last night was rough. A lot of emotional crying, some panic, some dizziness that was all in my head and caused by the panic... once I realized it was my own doing, I managed to relax and let it go. But wow, did I ever cry and complain a lot. Lol.

 

But you know, it's still just bad moments. Never bad days. I keep wondering, will things continue to be this easy the rest of the way down? Or will it all hit me like a ton of bricks? I'm quite terrified of the final jump. I know I shouldn't be thinking ahead but it's so close! End of November. I can see that I'm having an emotional time letting go already. I have a feeling I'm going to make it tougher on myself than it needs to be.

 

Just my thoughts tonight. How's everybody doing?

[[2t...]]

solaceandpeace, you seem to be doing great.

I can relate to making yourself feel bad as I just cut to about the equivalent of 2.3mg of valium and was so worried that I would get hit I worked myself up into a mess, had to give myself a good talking to and I calmed me down.

Keep the faith and you will be through this.

[[...]]

Dear Buddies,

I am down to 3.3 mg and dry cutting a little every 10 days or so.  Smaller cuts of .15 mg seem to work well for me. I am using the gram scale. I hope to be down to 3 mg by the end of the month. 

 

I am getting a good spell of wellness at the moment. I know that if I can rev my symptoms up I can also rev them down and I remind myself of this all the time. I think I too have bad moments now rather than bad days. I can handle bad moments.   I believe the last 3 mg will not be any harder than going from 6 mg to 3 mg. Cutting from 4 mg to 3.3 mg I have had no symptoms. Recently I seem to forget to take my doses. I changed my higher dose to night time yesterday (2 mg) and daily dose is smaller (1.3 mg). I relied on Valium to help me with social phobias, agoraphobia and other phobias. I need to rely on self now. I continue to live a very active (day life). I tried not to change anything when I started this taper. I still meet friends, go shopping, dentist, hairdresser, do voluntary work.....things are much the same as before.  Taking less by day is preparing myself for when I will take nothing at all.  That will be one special day as I have been on Benzos for 38 years. I have been able to sleep most nights which is a huge blessing.

 

If we can work ourselves up, we can work ourselves down again. I just need to believe a bit more in my ability to continue to face fears when taking little or no medication.

 

Thinking of everyone and sending healing and wellness. I can hopefully join this thread properly at 3 mg.

 

Moya XX

[[Ja...]]

Hi y'all

Good to hear from people with great attitudes

I am five days away from being at 1mg of Valium.

I have tried this twice before (cold turkey and fast taper) so this next part I am going slow.

I am doing 1ml per day.

Concerns: I have been getting a ton of pvc heart palpitations. Confirmed by cardiologist not in my head. They have reemerged since my bout w pneumonia and my virus. I wish I didn't have to leave the house or take care of my kids right now ( I know that sounds awful).. Mainly I wish I was well so I could do those things is what I meant.

So.. What do I do about these heart palpitations? Anyone experience them? My magnesium was dangerously low at my cold turkey and though it is on the low side now it is normal so I am not sure what is causing this or what to do about it.

I need to hold for about a week when I hit one. I got slammed hard one week into being at 1mg last time and didn't pay attention to the warnings. Pls anyone slow down! Maybe I will get hit again either way. But once I got hit last time there was no going back, I ended up reinstating to stabilize. So I am worried now. Mainly I have pvc, nausea, chronic fatigue like feeling ( could be pneumonia recovery as I was hiking daily before that esrly September ). Thank you

[[2t...]]

As of Monday 31st Oct I dropped to .0975mg of klonopin so at the standard conversion rate of 20 to 1 I am now at an equivalent of 1.95mg of valium.

Tuesday and Wednesday were hard but last night I slept for 8 or 9 hrs and feel much better this morning. 

I was getting scared as I got lower but today am confident again, this I know will go up and down but I am determined to beat this thing.

[[ed...]]

As of Monday 31st Oct I dropped to .0975mg of klonopin so at the standard conversion rate of 20 to 1 I am now at an equivalent of 1.95mg of valium.

Tuesday and Wednesday were hard but last night I slept for 8 or 9 hrs and feel much better this morning. 

I was getting scared as I got lower but today am confident again, this I know will go up and down but I am determined to beat this thing.

 

Congrats and great job with your taper!  You're almost home free now. Just take it easy and don't get too impatient as you get closer.

 

All the best,

Ed

[[so...]]

I think it's been a while since I've updated in this thread. I'm three days into my cut to 0.5 mg and so far so good. My muscles are ridiculously tight today (I'll probably take a Benadryl tonight to help with that) and I'm a little dizzy and uncomfortable, but I'm working and staying busy. I frankly don't care about the physical side effects as long as I can keep it together mentally.

 

It's blowing my mind that I'm actually in the last month of this if all goes well. I heard my mom telling a relative about it on the phone earlier and she sounded proud so it made me feel proud too. Which is a lovely contrast to the guilt that I usually feel about getting on benzos in the first place!

 

I had a pretty rough patch during my last cut but I'm not sure if I posted that in this thread or not. I felt like DR/DP was coming on, but it left me pretty quickly. I'm making a lot of choices right now, cutting out bad habits and working on learning new ones, and I think being active in that sense is keeping me from losing it. Ruminating just doesn't help. Gotta keep moving forward.

 

How is everybody?

[[Gr...]]

H SandP, well done for keeping on and getting this low! So close, think about how nice it will be to be benzo free at Christmas.

[[so...]]

H SandP, well done for keeping on and getting this low! So close, think about how nice it will be to be benzo free at Christmas.

 

That is the best thought in the world!

[Guest [ch...]]

At 0.1mg Valium. Next cut is to 0. Can't believe I'm almost there. Feels like I've been tapering for an eternity. Soon, no more dissolving pills / measuring out doses. Done!

[[Ma...]]

CP

 

SO HAPPY FOR YOU!!!!!

Thank you for all your help.  I know your positive attitude has alot to do with your sucess!!

 

 

[[Ma...]]

CP

 

What do you attribute this taper success to vs. The last one?

[[ka...]]

At 0.1mg Valium. Next cut is to 0. Can't believe I'm almost there. Feels like I've been tapering for an eternity. Soon, no more dissolving pills / measuring out doses. Done!

  FANTASTIC!!!!

[[so...]]

Really fantastic, Chessplayer. It's going to go great for you.

[Guest [ch...]]

The success of my 2nd taper vs the failure of my first. Factors:

- Crossed to Valium for 2nd taper

- Went slower (almost a year, vs 8 months)

- "Long tail" taper schedule (fast at start, slower at end) vs linear the first time. Sequence of Valium doses were 10, 9, 8, 7, 6, 5, 4.5, 4.0, 3.5, 3.25, 3, 2.8, 2.6, 2.4, 2.2, 2, 1.9, 1.8, 1.7, 1.6, 1.5, 1.4, 1.3, 1.2, 1.1, 1, .9, .8, .7, .6, .5, .4, .3, .2, .1, 0. Soon to be patented as the "CP taper schedule"

- Long holds when symptomatic

- Doctor's support, vs tapering on my own the 1st time w/black market Ativan. Able to obtain supporting drugs like Trazadone when needed.

- Support of friends and family and co-workers. I was more open with everyone the 2nd time.

- Support from an in-person benzo withdrawal support group that I found during my 2nd taper

- Just the fact that it was a 2nd taper, and some healing had already commenced during taper #1.

- Last but not least, the support of all my BB friends, thanks!

 

[[Ma...]]

Wow. Fantastic explanation!!

[[ed...]]

Great job Chessplayer!  Did you manage to stabilize at each of the doses at the lower end or did you have to fight through?

 

Best,

Ed

[[Gr...]]

At 0.1mg Valium. Next cut is to 0. Can't believe I'm almost there. Feels like I've been tapering for an eternity. Soon, no more dissolving pills / measuring out doses. Done!

Wonderful news, Chessplayer!

[Guest [ch...]]

The roughest part of the taper was from 3mg to 2mg. I had to fight my way through that part. I held at 2 for about a month. Below 2mg things got better. Below 1mg i've had no symptoms and am basically healed.

CP

[[Sh...]]

Congrats Chessplayer ! You're nearly there !

To me from 3.25 mg and below were harder 2. That's why i'm going this slow now hoping that i will heal week by week and there will come a time that maybe i can go faster but for now i'm snaildriving and am able to go to zumba again and that's the reason why i'm doing this for !

Really proud that you got this far already !    Party !!!!!!!

[[Ma...]]

CP

Read your blog/novel yesterday.  Haven't been that engrossed in a story in a long time. Excellent!!  Pursue that career as a writer. You are Good!!!!!