3,2,1: Under 3 mg Valium people

[[Co...]]

I did not tolerate Vallium well at all. It gave me terrible anxiety. I stayed on Flurazepam (Dalmane) for my taper and seem to be having a better time (although this whole experience is totally brutal, don't get me wrong). I believe Flurazepam have an even longer half life than Vallium but for me it is way smoother and softer, although now that I am down to 1.6mg or my 30mg capsule, I get no relief from it and even feel worse after taking it. I also pondered just jumping but I quickly realized a rush of benzo WD symptoms and reinstated the taper from where I was at. Lesson learned. 

[[...]]

At the halfway point for this club.

1.5 V equiv

Soooo ready to be done and for all the sxs to go away.

Wishing you all a little peace in your day!

[[Ho...]]

At the halfway point for this club.

1.5 V equiv

Soooo ready to be done and for all the sxs to go away.

Wishing you all a little peace in your day!

 

Yay libr! I’m around 0.9 and ready to be done as well. It’s been rough lately.

[[ka...]]

Yep, me too!! I'm at .19mg. Will probably take me months and months.

[[Ho...]]

I wish I had your patience Kasey! I’m shooting to be done by end of March. I’m so over this!

[[...]]

Wow, kasey, you’re so low! You’re almost there! Stay strong.

 

Hope76 - under 1! Amaing. Sorry it’s gotten rough. Has the fatigue lifted any? I still have a lot of sxs. I wonder when my dependency will be gone- certainly not yet.

 

What’s the leading theories on benzo being stored in our cells (fat, brain, liver??)?  Some say it’s stored and continues to get released after we’re done taking it... some say even yrs later, little amounts can be released and that accounts for the setbacks some people experience. Does this even make sense? Builder says the stored stuff gets released as you go lower in dose to compensate in part for taking in less benzo. And that by the time you hit zero (in a slow microtaper), all the stored benzo has been released.  Not sure if it even matters... but curious if there’s any info on this.

[[ka...]]

That's a great question, I've wondered the same.

[[Ho...]]

Wow, kasey, you’re so low! You’re almost there! Stay strong.

 

Hope76 - under 1! Amaing. Sorry it’s gotten rough. Has the fatigue lifted any? I still have a lot of sxs. I wonder when my dependency will be gone- certainly not yet.

 

What’s the leading theories on benzo being stored in our cells (fat, brain, liver??)?  Some say it’s stored and continues to get released after we’re done taking it... some say even yrs later, little amounts can be released and that accounts for the setbacks some people experience. Does this even make sense? Builder says the stored stuff gets released as you go lower in dose to compensate in part for taking in less benzo. And that by the time you hit zero (in a slow microtaper), all the stored benzo has been released.  Not sure if it even matters... but curious if there’s any info on this.

 

You know I have no idea? I honestly don’t think it hangs around for years if I had to conjecture (at least not in a clinically significant amount). I do think it takes a couple months though to completely clear your system. I would have to pull papers but that’s no fun Lolol.

[[ka...]]

Girls,

we are going to do this and do it well. Yep I can smell the small victories that lead to the big one.

Thanks for the encouragement,  just what I needed, right when I needed it!

 

[[...]]

Girls,

we are going to do this and do it well. Yep I can smell the small victories that lead to the big one.

Thanks for the encouragement,  just what I needed, right when I needed it!

Kasey/ totally rooting for you. Woohoo!!! I’ve read many times on here that there’s no medal for finishing, but you my friend, deserve a medal ... as does everyone who warriors thru this!

 

Hope76- what you said abt released benzo makes sense. I’m sure it gets released at least for a couple months. But it’s all speculation. No way (yet) to measure if there’s any stored in our brain cells for yrs.

 

I see the light at the end of this tunnel.... but it feels sooooo far away still and that has me really frustrated right now. I’m more functional and motivated and want to do more things but I get slammed when I do. My body is just sooo weak and fragile and sensitive.  Got a new sharp pain in my dominant wrist. I didn’t even injure it. It started when I was cutting up some apples. WTH?!? Aaaarrgh!!!

[[Ba...]]

How do you measure out such a small amount of flurazepam?  Or librium?

 

 

I am just lying in bed all day crying and vibrating and i don't sleep hardly.

 

Just saw someone post who went from lunesta and ativan to valium doing well with tapr now.

 

I am still on 10 ambien and les than 3 valium but totally non functional and have to be to exist.

 

Anyone?  Someone said as long as I on amien won't be able to get off valium.  True?  Some seem to get off...

 

Mythoughts are confused and looping and can't make decisions.  Dr. finally aid ure, ativan instead of valium but everyone on these pages seems to think that bad idea.  So I won't pick up the rx but what do I ay to him? I worried he will feel I am hopeless and don't listen to him yet it is me agreeing to stuff I don't follow thru on.

 

  What do I suggest?  He is good guy but I just immobilized here and he does think i need to sleep to be able to get off.

 

Dont seem to be able to take adjunctive meds to get off.  Tried supplements...

 

 

I am wondering wh not just take 1/4 of a clonazepam and see if I function.

 

Sorry I so desperate and need a hug.    sniff.

[[ca...]]

Down to 1 mg V and have been holding for a week, in that phase where I think I need to hold but just not sure. I know everyone has been there. I wake up in the morning with rapid HR or at least it feels like it, I just breath deep and it goes away, then I drift back off to sleep.

I'm back to having a very stiff neck , headaches, some nerve pain,  last time I went to PT for a month and really helped.

Everyone seems to be doing as expected, wishing everyone here the best. I don't get on here often but when I do I noticed I'm not alone in this battle. I feel like this is the only place I can communicate to people who really understand .

I work everyday and it's been extremely difficult, everyone stay the course, we'll make it.

[[...]]

Barb- sorry you are suffering. Listen to your intuition abt what to do. There is no one way or one right way. But longer acting seems to work better for most. The ambien is short acting. Have you considered converting that to V or tapering if 1st? As for measuring small quantity, you can use a liquid or a scale. Both are doable and pretty easy once you get the hang of it. Once you get settled on a Med and method, ask for specific help on the how.

[[Ba...]]

libr,

 

thx.  Sleep is the problem and valium does nothing; ambien not much.

 

IF cn get sleep could taper.  Without that, I'm stuck.  Mybe change ambien to lunsta?

 

I don't think dr knows what to do.  After al this time hate to giv up and updose (and to what med?)  but this taper has nevr been stabilized.  Perhaps need to bo back to klonopin before taper 2 years ago...  I just don't know.

 

Or I ould try dalmane/flurazepam instead of valium and or ambien.

 

I have bad chest cold now that can't shae cuz no sleep.  This is not sustainable at all. 

[[...]]

Barb you’re throwing around a lot of Med names. I’m not familiar with most of what you mentioned. Idk that there’s any magic med combo that will make everything feel good. I know the desperation struggle of trying to find an “answer “ but there is none. The only way out is through.  You could read on the insomnia board. Keep in mind that indecision revs up sxs too. Good luck!

[[Ba...]]

thx, Libr.  Yes, anxious and indecisive is me.

[[Co...]]

I am down to 1.3 of my Flurazepam. I no longer take it right before bed cuz I realize I actually sleep more if I don't. So now I take it early evening. It sucks so bad that I don't want it, it offers NO benefit, but I HAVE TO take it. http://emoticoner.com/files/emoticons/smileys/angry-smiley.gif

 

Barb, this is my second taper and both times I had to accept that I was not going to sleep more than a couple hours a night for months. And the couple hours is not even good sleep, it's just very light lucid dream sleep. The not sleeping is torturous, http://emoticoner.com/files/emoticons/smileys/count-sheep-smiley.gif but I have tried EVERYTHING to get around it and nothing has worked. The good news is, even without sleep I am way less depressed than I was on benzos and I'm acutally starting to have good days. http://emoticoner.com/files/emoticons/smileys/bliss-smiley.gif Hope you can hang in there. Flurazepam is a benzo specifically for sleep, so it might be worth a shot to change-over to it and go down from there. But once you go down in dose the insomnia will still be an issue.

 

 

[[Ba...]]

Cowchick,

 

wow, how do you measure your flurazepam?  I assume you dump out the capsule and weigh it?

 

So it might be more useful for sleep but eventually it will be bad again if I taper, right?

 

What about depression.  Having lots of that with valium... and being very nonfunctional.  Have not gotten stable.  Possibly I do better on Dalmane?

 

Well you are one of the few on that one!  tx for reply.

[[Co...]]

Yes I weight the powder on a tiny scale. It is a 2/1 conversion to Vallium. So my 1.3mg is equivalent to .65mg of Vallium. I think Dalmane got brushed aside when the more powerful benzos showed up, but of all the ones I've tried it has been the smoothest and most reliable. I was on it for over 20 years and never had to increase my dose.

 

HOWEVER, it did lead to me having major depression and anhedonia, which I am desperately trying to relieve. It took me forever to figure out it was the benzo, cuz until recently, I didn't even know what a benzo was or what it did. The periods of natural good mood I am having are so amazing to me that it motivates me to put up with the totally fucking awful WD symptoms.

 

I feel the best when I just stick to my taper and do not attempt to relieve any of my symptoms. Every time I tinker with herbs or supplements it bites me in the ass! Others have some luck relieving their symptoms, so it just depends on the person.

 

I have been non-functional, but I am super lucky in that I work from home and can work when I am feeling up to it. I also live alone. I have mad compassion for anyone trying to do this who has to get up in the morning and get themselves to work and/or take care of kids, etc. 

[[Ba...]]

Well guess valium and dalmane may both cause depression...  maybe all of them can.  but trying this makes more sense than ativan I think, as is short a cting.  Dr. does not know what to do with me.

 

2 to 1?  I found equivalences that were from 2 to 1 to 6 to 1.  I wonder if i can just plain switch over.  I also have the ambien, 10 mg, which does not work much.

 

IF one 15 mg flurazepam would cover oth valium and ambien that would be helpful!!

 

Glad I found someone who knows about this drug.

 

Yes, have had little success with alternet meds for sleep.  However, have a horrible chest cold for over 2 weeks so having to try some immune boosters (yin chiao, goldenseal) and hope for the best.

 

Benzo withdrawal goes on for so long you are bound to get something along the way.... sheesh...

 

[[Co...]]

You could try one 2:1 equivalent dose of flurazepam and just see how it is with your chemistry. I use generic flurazepam though, not Dalmane, I suppose Dalmane might be 6:1 but I don't think so. I would have to google around.

 

15mg of flurazepam is a full size dose. If you are on 2.8 of Valium I would try 6mg of flurazepam. I don't know about the Ambien in the mix as I have never taken that.

 

For sleep, if you are not using orange glasses as night DO IT. They are the ONLY reason I even get a couple hours. And only $8! Try it!!

[[Be...]]

Hi, everyone. I hope you don’t mind me posting here. I’m currently at 5.2 mg and holding, as I feel I should try to become less symptomatic before going forward. I have worked through ten years of benzo nightmares, but I have a bit of apprehension of what lies ahead. My question is whether some found it harder but then, at some point, easier in their taper. Would love to hear some encouragement, if it is out there. Thanks!

[[So...]]

I am at 3mg and cutting to 2.5mg tomorrow then using Tapering Strips to go from 2mg to 0 in 56 days - I hope this is slow enough.

[[Be...]]

I am at 3mg and cutting to 2.5mg tomorrow then using Tapering Strips to go from 2mg to 0 in 56 days - I hope this is slow enough.

 

Sounds aggressive. If you do the math of no more than 10% reduction, it goes on several months.

[[So...]]

Hi Benzo3 - I was cutting 1mg as per Ashton but maybe that is too fast. Now I am cutting .5mg of Valium every 10 days. My taper hasn't been too awful - tolerable even with some symptoms. I am using Tapering Strips to go from 2mg to 0 in 56 days - this doesn't seem too fast. I can't seem to get my head around the whole liquid tapering and how to make it. I am math challenged. Thanks for writing!