The Easier Taper Support Group

[[ga...]]

 

I've learned that what i focus on expands though... so i try to focus on the positive -- Without being annoyingly cheerful!  (I would've wanted to strangle that guy too  )

And I am half way through a 90 day soul saving hold...  holds are such a good tool for turning things around I've found.

SS

 

So good to see you SS. I love your quote! I hope your hold turns things around for you soon.

[[Ha...]]

Love this thread!  yes to turning a very problematic taper around with positive thoughts --holds 

And listening to supportive and positive people!

Not so chatty these days, but wanted to reply to you all!

This made my day 

:smitten:

SS

 

Awww! 

 

SS, you were one of the first people to really talk to me on here. I love how you manage to stay so cheerful. I hope you're feeling better!

 

Gwinna

Oh sweet Gwinna!

Trust me I have my days -- and how....

I've learned that what i focus on expands though... so i try to focus on the positive -- Without being annoyingly cheerful!  (I would've wanted to strangle that guy too  )

And I am half way through a 90 day soul saving hold...  holds are such a good tool for turning things around I've found.

SS

 

Hi SS  You were one of the people who first welcomed me too  Was such a wonderful feeling of support and encouragement. So thank you 

 

Good to hear things are going well, and you are so right about what we focus on grows, kind of like Law of Attraction stuff  Not always easy though, but I think we would be  a little weird if we were always like the post office man     

Harmonee

[[Su...]]

Love this thread!  yes to turning a very problematic taper around with positive thoughts --holds 

And listening to supportive and positive people!

Not so chatty these days, but wanted to reply to you all!

This made my day 

:smitten:

SS

 

Awww! 

 

SS, you were one of the first people to really talk to me on here. I love how you manage to stay so cheerful. I hope you're feeling better!

 

Gwinna

Oh sweet Gwinna!

Trust me I have my days -- and how....

I've learned that what i focus on expands though... so i try to focus on the positive -- Without being annoyingly cheerful!  (I would've wanted to punch  that postal guy too  )

And I am half way through a 90 day soul saving hold...  holds are such a good tool for turning things around I've found.

SS

 

Hi SS  You were one of the people who first welcomed me too  Was such a wonderful feeling of support and encouragement. So thank you 

 

Good to hear things are going well, and you are so right about what we focus on grows, kind of like Law of Attraction stuff  Not always easy though, but I think we would be  a little weird if we were always like the post office man     

Harmonee

:laugh:

I don't trust people who are always happy..... make me nervous

SS

 

[[Gw...]]

Today I made another cut. Details are in my signature. I'm a little nervous about alternating doses, but I want to give it a try before assuming that I'll need liquid titration (holding that in reserve, though!). This previous hold was two and a half weeks - short by most standards on this board, but I felt pretty stable after about 7 days, and after 10 days it was pretty much all a window. (Not symptom-free, but close!) My NP has me doing 2-4 week holds at my discretion and while I want to hold for long enough to be safe and functional, I think it's time to press forward - so...here goes!

 

Gwinna

[[Su...]]

Good luck with it all Gwinna,

It sounds like you've thought about it carefully and have had fairly easy times with the previous cuts.  Fingers crossed for you.

Always so tricky to know -- but what I hear from you writing is that you haven't let the impatience bug interfere with your choices.  That was my issue earlier in the taper and it bit me hard.... but I learned 

Now today is day 50 of my first long hold..... feeling pretty good all told

SS

[[ga...]]

Gwinna, Glad to hear you are moving forward with a sensible plan.

 

SS, You're being very patient with your long hold! I'm so glad it's helping.

 

Ding dong me forgot to take my morning dose today. Alarm went off; took my gabapentin, left the Librium siting there. I saw it 3 hours later and took it. I was thinking of slowly and carefully shifting my doses to later so I didn't have to wake to my med alarm every morning (obnoxious thing). Well, looks like I just did shift it in one swoop. No more thinking about it and wondering if I should do it. Will shift my evening dose, too, and be done with it. Sometimes benzo brain works out to be good.

 

Gard

[[be...]]

Hi SS,and Gard, glad to see you here, I am wondering how jp is doing, he walked off a long time ago, but getting back to life is what this is all about. I am now at 0.40mg of Valium and presently on my 30 day hold. Doing OK as long as I do not listen to the benzo lies that the  beast is niggling in my ear all the time...Stay strong both of you and all others here, we will get there, so many before us and we will be there too. Stay Strong. 💖 Peace and Hugs.

[[ga...]]

[move] :yippee: :yippee:[glow=red,2,300]Congratulations, BG!!![/glow] :yippee: :yippee:[/move]

[[Su...]]

Love this thread!  yes to turning a very problematic taper around with positive thoughts --holds 

And listening to supportive and positive people!

Not so chatty these days, but wanted to reply to you all!

This made my day 

:smitten:

SS

 

Awww! 

 

SS, you were one of the first people to really talk to me on here. I love how you manage to stay so cheerful. I hope you're feeling better!

 

Gwinna

Oh sweet Gwinna!

Trust me I have my days -- and how....

I've learned that what i focus on expands though... so i try to focus on the positive -- Without being annoyingly cheerful!  (I would've wanted to strangle that guy too  )

And I am half way through a 90 day soul saving hold...  holds are such a good tool for turning things around I've found.

SS

 

Hi SS  You were one of the people who first welcomed me too  Was such a wonderful feeling of support and encouragement. So thank you 

 

Good to hear things are going well, and you are so right about what we focus on grows, kind of like Law of Attraction stuff  Not always easy though, but I think we would be  a little weird if we were always like the post office man     

Harmonee

Hi Harmonee!!💕

I’ve been wondering how you are doing with your taper... your sig sounds like it’s going well...

And I love your list of how you get through it all...

We’ve had some good virtual chats around the benzo campfire — so to speak...

Hope that metaphor makes some sense 😆

 

I truly think — in those positive moments— that we’re all going to be fine— older and so much wiser!

Lenny made a lot of sense, and the Gods know that benzos cracked me! Now for the light...

actually I see it quite a bit.....

I can not say this has all been for naught.

💔💔💔❤️❤️

 

 

[[Ha...]]

Hi SS 

 

Taper going well (early days I know) but one day at a time as they say  Still, I'm down >33% of my original equivalent X dose which is encouraging. How's your Feldenkrais going? Watched a YouTube vid on it (trying to ease a sore shoulder).

 

I see you're giving yourself a nice long break. Perfect healing for spring/summer, to enjoy the sunshine, get well deserved relief and have some fun!! :thumbsup:

Harmonee

PS like your hearts, how do you do those?

[[Su...]]

Hi SS 

 

Taper going well (early days I know) but one day at a time as they say  Still, I'm down >33% of my original equivalent X dose which is encouraging. How's your Feldenkrais going? Watched a YouTube vid on it (trying to ease a sore shoulder).

 

I see you're giving yourself a nice long break. Perfect healing for spring/summer, to enjoy the sunshine, get well deserved relief and have some fun!! :thumbsup:

Harmonee

PS like your hearts, how do you do those?

Harmonee

33% is fantastic— my theory is that if we start tapering before the body gets into and interpose wd pattern that the road down will be smooth...

And I saw that you researched so carefully how to proceed with your taper— so mindfully and cautiously...

Feldenkrais is great! There is somianout those ver subtle movements, done with awareness that feels like it does reset the brain in some ways. That and a very good osteopath have been super helpful.

Oh those iPhone icons :

💕💞💓💗❣️💖💊💊 💔💔 ‼️

SS

[[Ro...]]

Hello Everyone!

I am so so happy to see all of your here making the best of what can be a bad situation! I don't really even read any of the horror stories anymore, they just scared me and made me expect the worst.

However, it's time to make another cut and i'm nervous anyways! I have no proof that it will be anything but fine, in fact i have proof that when i cut things do not go sideways, but i'm nervous all the same!

I am certainly going slower than what my psychiatrist recommended, but at least when i call her and tell her that i'm not ready to make the scheduled cut, she just tells me to do what i need to do, and if that is hold for a bit longer that she has no problem with that and will see me through till the end, no matter how long it takes.

 

Happy healing to all of you!

[[Gw...]]

Rosabell, I'm so glad you have an understanding psychiatrist!

 

[[ga...]]

Wonderful, Rosabell! As slow as it takes, as long as it takes, and always one day close to freedom.

 

Gard

[[Ro...]]

Rosabell, I'm so glad you have an understanding psychiatrist!

 

yes Gwinna, i am so happy i do as well. We had a bit of a rocky start to things when i realized that she started me on drugs that could be so hard to come off of, i was super resentful and angry, and let her know this in maybe not so nice words! But once i calmed down and got over the bitterness (took a couple months!), she was able to make me understand why i was put on them and that she was there to support me and wouldn't leave me blowing in the wind as i have read so many others on here have been left.

 

Thanks for the thumbs up Gard, it's nice to know we all have cheerleaders here!

[[ga...]]

Hi everybody. Thought it was time for an update and a bump!

 

I pushed my taper a bit faster in May because I wanted to get down to 2 capsules. It went better than I thought it would. And then I did a short hold to be safe.

 

Switched to dosing 2 times/day instead of 3 times/day this month. I love not having to carry a bottle of liquid around in my purse during the day. Held another week after the switch, again to be safe. No change in symptoms so started up tapering again. I have my good days and my bad days, but I'm doing OK.

 

I think the key to success is smaller cuts, particularly a daily liquid micro taper for those who are able, and incorporating holds as often as needed. And overcoming my impatience!

 

Hope everyone else is doing well, too. Would love to hear from you!

 

Gard

[[Ha...]]

Hi everybody. Thought it was time for an update and a bump!

 

I pushed my taper a bit faster in May because I wanted to get down to 2 capsules. It went better than I thought it would. And then I did a short hold to be safe.

 

Switched to dosing 2 times/day instead of 3 times/day this month. I love not having to carry a bottle of liquid around in my purse during the day.

Hi Gard, that is simply fantastic news!!! Excellent reason to give this thread a good old BUMP. Go Gard Go, so happy for you  :thumbsup:  Harmonee

 

[[Gw...]]

I'm glad your taper is going well, Gard! 

 

My previous cut was one awful wave with debilitating anxiety. I pressed forward with my next scheduled cut and I'm feeling a little bit better now. Not a window, but not a wave either. I'm down to 2.5 mg!

 

My NP has me finishing my Wellbutrin taper - quickly too, just 2 weeks. She claims that since it's not an SSRI, the withdrawal symptoms are usually minimal. She actually predicted, at the start of my taper, that the Wellbutrin was making me more anxious and that as my V dose got smaller, I'd feel it more. Looks like she was right! It was a risk to taper a second medication and 2 weeks seems very fast, but she weighed the risks and benefits with me and I agree it was the right call. I haven't felt any worse than normal, so fingers crossed that it doesn't complicate things.

 

(Obligatory disclaimer: I know that multiple tapers are not usually advisable and that some people have difficulty stopping Wellbutrin. In my specific case, my NP and I agree that it's necessary and I'm tolerating it well so far.)

 

She wanted me to start another medication before finishing my V taper because she was concerned about my PTSD being entirely unmedicated, but she did not argue - not once - when I said no. It's been a decade and I need to know what my baseline is without pills if I'm ever going to feel comfortable considering meds again. She understood the logic.

 

So right now I'm hanging in there. Not great, but making it one day at a time.

 

 

 

[[ga...]]

Hi, Harmonee. Hope you're doing well.

 

Hi Gwinna. You really do have a challenging taper, two meds at once. But it sounds like you are doing reasonably well recovering from your cut in spite of that. I hope you are being allowed to go as slowly as you need to with the benzo. I think I would be tempted to pause my benzo taper while tapering off the Wellbutrin.  It may make your taper gentler.  As for the NP's idea to add yet another med so quickly... .

 

Gard

[[Ro...]]

YAY Gard! i'm so happy for you that things are going relatively well and you have been able to move forward at a pace that works for you.

Gwinna, i give you props for tapering two at once, not sure if i would be able to do that, and good on ya for stating what you want instead of letting your dr. talk you into starting another drug!

 

Happy healing to all

[[ga...]]

Good to see you, Rosabell. From your signature, looks like you are doing well also.

 

Today I had to run out in the middle of the day to help my son with buying work clothes. I was able to dash out the door and not even think about whether or not I needed to take any meds with me, especially that little bottle of liquid. Getting rid of that 2PM dose was wonderful!

 

Gard

[[Su...]]

I love this thread,

way to go getting rid of the 2pm dose Gard. 

And sticking to your ideas Gwinna.  Yes we do need to know a baseline to be able to see what might be helpful I figure.  it Sounds like you have a thoughtful sensible plan!,

Hi Harmonee -- so glad to see that you taper is going well.

 

I'm recovering from a bit of a cut that it seems was premature.  So back to holding for now.  Although I'm down another .002mg  ( ).

The numbers they get small!

SS

[[ga...]]

I love this thread,

way to go getting rid of the 2pm dose Gard. 

And sticking to your ideas Gwinna.  Yes we do need to know a baseline to be able to see what might be helpful I figure.  it Sounds like you have a thoughtful sensible plan!,

Hi Harmonee -- so glad to see that you taper is going well.

 

I'm recovering from a bit of a cut that it seems was premature.  So back to holding for now.  Although I'm down another .002mg  ( ).

The numbers they get small!

SS

 

Hi SS. Good to see you.  I'm sorry your last cut put you in a wave. Sounds like holding is a good idea. Hope things turn around for you really quickly.

 

Gard

[[Gw...]]

Hi guys, thanks for the support.

 

Gard, congratulations on getting rid of that afternoon dose! I'm holding my current V dose for 3 weeks, and the WB taper should only take 2...hopefully, that is gentle enough. I'm certainly prepared to hold the V for longer if the WB taper makes me more symptomatic. And yes, the NP's schedule has a lot of flexibility built in. I hold each step anywhere from 2-4 weeks, depending on my symptoms. During our last appointment, I proposed the schedule I'd worked out - it wasn't all that different from what she'd suggested, just tweaked to suit my preferences. She listened and obliged. (I was annoyed at the suggestion of another medication at first, then considered from her perspective - I have a rough psych history and she hasn't known me that long. I'm just glad she didn't push the issue.)

 

Rosabelle, thank you! I've had some really terrible and traumatizing experiences with doctors in the past, so I've approached this whole process with caution and more than a little assertiveness. This NP has really impressed me with her knowledge about benzo withdrawal and her willingness to listen to what I want. I was not thrilled with the idea of two tapers and was planning to wait, but I think she was right that the WB was making me even more anxious than the benzo or benzo withdrawal. I needed some relief and I've already found it even with the reduced WB dose.

 

SS, it's good to hear from you! I'm sorry your last cut was rough and hope you feel better soon. 

 

So I took an actual, real, nap today! 

I haven't been able to do that since this all began. After a wave that lasted two weeks, I'm not even feeling guilty (much) about staying home from work today. I'm just so glad for the relief. Anxiety is back down to manageable levels, at least for now. Gotta just keep pressing forward...

[[ga...]]

Ah, Gwinna, a real nap!

 

To celebrate, pillows for everybody! :sleepy: