The Easier Taper Support Group

[[Ho...]]

Question:  Do you guys think a 10% taper from 10 mg is too fast?

[[be...]]

Question:  Do you guys think a 10% taper from 10 mg is too fast?

I guess it matters more...what you think.

[[Ho...]]

Hi everyone - I was having an easy taper. Easier than the stories I see on BB all the time. Now I've been holding at 0.1 mg for a week and a half, and my symptoms keep getting worse! The only thing I can think that's different is I've been getting a bowl of chili in the cafeteria at lunch along with my usual salad. But chili??? Chili is causing my symptoms? That's ridiculous, right?

 

Hopeforrecovery, do you mean a 10% cut and hold? I am doing the daily liquid micro taper. I was going pretty fast. But a sudden cut of 10% seems like a lot. But if you can do it, do it.

[[Ho...]]

Hi everyone - I was having an easy taper. Easier than the stories I see on BB all the time. Now I've been holding at 0.1 mg for a week and a half, and my symptoms keep getting worse! The only thing I can think that's different is I've been getting a bowl of chili in the cafeteria at lunch along with my usual salad. But chili??? Chili is causing my symptoms? That's ridiculous, right?

 

Hopeforrecovery, do you mean a 10% cut and hold? I am doing the daily liquid micro taper. I was going pretty fast. But a sudden cut of 10% seems like a lot. But if you can do it, do it.

 

I also noticed some issues when I got around .1 mg.  What I am feeling currently does not feel like what I used to get when my dosage was higher.  I used to feel fear, panic and anxiety coupled with elevated pulse and blood pressure which was very unpleasant.  Currently I just feel a bit of pressure in my head and a little bit spaced out.  There is a chance that what I am feeling lately could be sinus pressure from the crazy, inconsistent Florida weather, but not sure. 

 

Either way I figure I am going to keep going, I only have nine more days left in the taper which has me stepping off the day after the Super Bowl.

 

 

[[Ho...]]

HorizonZD are you below 0.1 mg now? Of ativan? Congratulations! I'm at 0.1 mg per day and I was thinking I had 25 days left but now I think I will stretch it out to 50 or 100 days

 

 

[[be...]]

HorizonZD are you below 0.1 mg now? Of ativan? Congratulations! I'm at 0.1 mg per day and I was thinking I had 25 days left but now I think I will stretch it out to 50 or 100 days

Your cuts may have caught up with you, the Brain needs time to adapt to cuts and if is stressed...it is going to cause you more sx's. Best to you.

[[Lu...]]

I am thankful for the positive of this group!    I am having a fairly easy taper that I am able to manage.    I am at .13 K and tapering at .05/day. You can see my signature on things that have helped and how I got into this mess.    I realize it’s faster than most but I’m finding it is doable for me.    I am a full time teacher and have a family and am still able to work and be productive unless I dwell on symptoms.  I realize I’m one of the fortunate ones.  This is in no way saying I have not struggled some but I am saying I have to not dwell on it. 

[[be...]]

I am thankful for the positive of this group!    I am having a fairly easy taper that I am able to manage.    I am at .13 K and tapering at .05/day. You can see my signature on things that have helped and how I got into this mess.    I realize it’s faster than most but I’m finding it is doable for me.    I am a full time teacher and have a family and am still able to work and be productive unless I dwell on symptoms.  I realize I’m one of the fortunate ones.  This is in no way saying I have not struggled some but I am saying I have to not dwell on it.

"Welcome." If it is working for you, then do not worry, but if things change, then you need to slow down...some do well with going faster, we all must make the decision what is best for us. I feel that functioning for me is key...hence my slow turtle pace, but this time around is like night and day...I am doing well, better than I could ever hope for. Being grateful and not letting things get you down is key too. Dwelling on how one feels is a no-no, sadly some can't help it, because of feeling so bad. Lots to read here on this thread. Have a nice day. 💖 Peace and Healing.

[[Ho...]]

HorizonZD are you below 0.1 mg now? Of ativan? Congratulations! I'm at 0.1 mg per day and I was thinking I had 25 days left but now I think I will stretch it out to 50 or 100 days

 

Yes, Today I am at .06 mg.  Thanks!  I was thinking for a couple of days that I may need to hold around .15 mg but the issue I was having went away after a good nights rest.  I felt a little off this morning, but much better after hitting the gym.  I am planning on a 50 mile bike ride this afternoon over near the coast.  Exercise seems to have made a big difference in my taper.  If you need to stretch it out I say definitely do that.  Better to err on the side of caution.

[Guest [Sa...]]

Glad you are all feeling well. My last cut down to 3.75mgs seems to have caught up with me. My husband advised to hold here a little longer. My aunt is coming to stay with us this weekend and I’m looking forward to that. Be well pals !

[[Ho...]]

When I was 50 going through menopause & docs gave me adivan bcuz I could not tolerate HRT meds, I got off it by myself cutting each week and was off in like 2 months!  And I was on it longer than this time.  Like a couple of years.  Now, 20 years later, doc misdiagnosed my High Blood Pressure as Anxiety, gave me Adivan, thot I could get off it easily like last time, but noo it got a good hold of me this time. 

 

  Thinking I could get off it easily like last time, I just tapered 2mg a week ...got down to 20 mg off in less than 4 months.  When I got to 10mg, I hit the WALL HARD!  VERY HARD!  I have been on 10 hold for 3 months now.  Yesterday I started Milk Liq Titration.  I am just doing the liquid 5 mg during the day and 5 mg before bed and no WD for now till my CNS adjusts to the change from tablet in the day to liquid. 

 

  January 1st I just started 10% taper and CNS went nuts after only four days.  So had to go back to the tablets.  So this time, I'm going to let my CNS adjust to the change for the first 7 days or however long it takes then I'm plan to start at 5% taper for 7 days and see how I adapt to that and if I'm good, then I'll try to take out a little more percentage till I reach 10% and if I'm good with the 10% (which is my prayer) then I'll stay with it and if I begin to have horrific sxs, I'll either slow it down or HOLD.  That is my plan and I pray it works this time!

 

  So just bcuz it was easy when I was 50.....shows you that it is not for me at 70....it got hold of me good this time.  So when you get off this poison, never go near it again, no matter what any doctors tell you!

[[Ho...]]

 

  So just bcuz it was easy when I was 50.....shows you that it is not for me at 70....it got hold of me good this time.  So when you get off this poison, never go near it again, no matter what any doctors tell you!

 

Amen!  This whole experience has greatly lowered my trust in doctors...it was already pretty low before this.  I will never take another psychiatric drug and will thoroughly research any medication, course of treatment, etc that my doctor prescribes.

[[Ho...]]

Horizon,  AGREED WHOLEHEARTEDLY!

[[Ro...]]

I am thankful for the positive of this group!    I am having a fairly easy taper that I am able to manage.    I am at .13 K and tapering at .05/day. You can see my signature on things that have helped and how I got into this mess.    I realize it’s faster than most but I’m finding it is doable for me.    I am a full time teacher and have a family and am still able to work and be productive unless I dwell on symptoms.  I realize I’m one of the fortunate ones.  This is in no way saying I have not struggled some but I am saying I have to not dwell on it.

 

Yeah, I have had a similar experience.  Sleep decently (about 7 hours, but no worse than 6), enjoying work and family and I dont dwell much either.  symptoms are very manageable.

 

Right now I am at .12 and plan on cutting about .03 a week for 3 more weeks and then jump off.

 

[[ga...]]

IMHO, the keys to an easier taper are:

Don't cut too fast.

Don't cut too fast.

Don't cut too fast.

 

If you are having intolerable symptoms, you are probably cutting too fast.

 

Tips:

Do a symptoms-based taper. This means keeping track of your cuts and symptoms in order to figure out a rate that works for you. You will figure out your own safe taper rate.

If your symptoms are unmanageable, hold until you have recovered. This might take weeks or months.

Visit the Long Hold Support Group if you want good advice and support while holding.

If you are having a lot of stress in your life, slow down or hold.

Did I mention don't cut too fast?

 

Turtles win this race.

 

Gardie

 

[[So...]]

Agree 100% with Gardie!

[[be...]]

IMHO, the keys to an easier taper are:

Don't cut too fast.

Don't cut too fast.

Don't cut too fast.

 

If you are having intolerable symptoms, you are probably cutting too fast.

 

Tips:

Do a symptoms-based taper. This means keeping track of your cuts and symptoms in order to figure out a rate that works for you. You will figure out your own safe taper rate.

If your symptoms are unmanageable, hold until you have recovered. This might take weeks or months.

Visit the Long Hold Support Group if you want good advice and support while holding.

If you are having a lot of stress in you life, slow down or hold.

Did I mention don't cut too fast?

 

Turtles win this race.

 

Gardie

 

Thanks Gardie, perfect...should be a Stickie, words that I live by. 💖 Peace and Healing.

[[ga...]]

Agree 100% with Gardie!

 

And I 100% agree with Sober!

[[ga...]]

Thanks, BG. I was in big hurry when I started this. Bad plan. Taking it slowly now. I learned a lot the hard way and a lot from fellow turtles like you!

[[Ca...]]

I'm another turtle in the group, lol.  I've been tapering 11 mg of Valium since January 2017, down to 4.1 mg now.  I'm taking out .01 mg per day, a true daily liquid micro taper.  I started out cutting and holding 1 mg at a time, and gradually reduced down to this pace as my body showed me it needed a slower pace.  I was feeling AWESOME for a while, then had a mini wave last week after being sick with a cold virus for a week, and now it's touch and go.  My sleep has been really rough for the past month after having improved for quite some time.  There are times where I feel this is so easy, and there are times where I feel like I can not take anymore.  The non-linear nature of the healing process has been my greatest teacher, showing me the way back to self-compassion, patience, and mindfulness, over and over again.

 

Hugs to all of you warriors. 

[[ga...]]

I'm another turtle in the group, lol.  I've been tapering 11 mg of Valium since January 2017, down to 4.1 mg now.  I'm taking out .01 mg per day, a true daily liquid micro taper.  I started out cutting and holding 1 mg at a time, and gradually reduced down to this pace as my body showed me it needed a slower pace.  I was feeling AWESOME for a while, then had a mini wave last week after being sick with a cold virus for a week, and now it's touch and go.  My sleep has been really rough for the past month after having improved for quite some time.  There are times where I feel this is so easy, and there are times where I feel like I can not take anymore.  The non-linear nature of the healing process has been my greatest teacher, showing me the way back to self-compassion, patience, and mindfulness, over and over again.

 

Hugs to all of you warriors. 

 

Hi, Candice. I'm sorry about your cold and the symptom spike it caused. I hope you're able to hold until things settle down. I've also noticed my sleep get worse as I've gotten lower. I think the benzo was sedating me, so it makes sense this would happen. I can also relate to the waves and windows pattern leading me back to mindfulness again and again. Patience, maybe not so much! But even if I don't feel patient, I try very much to act on what I know is right, a turtle to the finish!

Gardie

[[be...]]

I'm another turtle in the group, lol.  I've been tapering 11 mg of Valium since January 2017, down to 4.1 mg now.  I'm taking out .01 mg per day, a true daily liquid micro taper.  I started out cutting and holding 1 mg at a time, and gradually reduced down to this pace as my body showed me it needed a slower pace.  I was feeling AWESOME for a while, then had a mini wave last week after being sick with a cold virus for a week, and now it's touch and go.  My sleep has been really rough for the past month after having improved for quite some time.  There are times where I feel this is so easy, and there are times where I feel like I can not take anymore.  The non-linear nature of the healing process has been my greatest teacher, showing me the way back to self-compassion, patience, and mindfulness, over and over again.

 

Hugs to all of you warriors. 

It is hard when a virus sneaks in and upsets everything...and right now we need to be as well as we can. You are doing well, your Brain may just need some time to rest and maybe hold for a while and let it adjust to the cuts. I find as I get lower, my sleep is returning and dreams too, step by step, we will get there. Turtles Unite, we are Strong...our tough shell protects us always. Best to you. 💖 Peace and Healing.

[[mo...]]

This seems like a nice group to be a part of. I’m not having a horrendous time it’s been reasonable. Exercise seems to make a difference for me. And I find that I need a lot of patience because the process isn’t as fast as I’d hoped. I was going at a nice clip then I’ve been feeling extremely fatigued the last few weeks and need to function to care for my children and work. So I think I’ll be holding at least a few weeks and see how I feel then. I keep telling myself it’s not a race.

 

I completely agree Horizon, never cared much for doctors but this completely changes my outlook going forward. Wishing much healing to everyone.

[[Ca...]]

...and dont taper TOO fast...

 

(-just lurking)

[[be...]]

Thanks, BG. I was in big hurry when I started this. Bad plan. Taking it slowly now. I learned a lot the hard way and a lot from fellow turtles like you!