Getting tougher to cut at the 13mg Valium mark...so close yet so far

[[Tw...]]

Been cut and holding my Valium taper by 1mg a week up until 13mgs. I've been holding this one for 10 days or so and have had a little improvement but panic attacks have been daily lately. Hands start getting sweaty, headache sets in and my chest pains and breathing become nasty as hell. Feeling ok today so going to cut tomorrow by 1 mg but just have to say the whole waiting till we feel decent and then cutting to misery thing sucks the big one. I just can't prolong this thing out into a 2 year process bc I need to work again but I am trying and that's all I can say. What was your hardest cut points you can remember on Valium? When was 1 mg cuts too much?

[[Sh...]]

Hey Wheels. How long you have been at this thing? I started at 10mg and found the first 3 cuts easy. I did really big ones at 2.5mg each time. Once I tried to get below that though. My Dear Lord!! Absolute hell. I know exactly what you mean by cutting and waiting in severe misery. And how bad is it when you start thinking 'well even if I do level out I still need to do this again anyway!?' So that's when I threw in the towel with big cuts and started doing .4mg per cut.

[[Ca...]]

Hey Wheels... -i hear what ur saying, -is like doing a wheelie, but knowing ur going to flip it!!!

Hard to answer your question cos my last cut was my first "real"  cut... but it was nasti.. too much -20% and too soon... see sig...

-i prob should have started from 5v not 2.5v as 20v was my peak for a month or two.

Think i will hold a bit at 2v and look at titration...

I cant see why this shouldnt b much smoother if done the right way for me...

 

Isnt 1mg/wk 10% of 20mg over 14days?? (Ashton(ish)) -so i guess u will have to consider slowing it down a bit, if ur not liking how its going for u... if u hold longer between, i think it will make ur stated problem worse imho... -so perhaps smaller cuts... 0.5v/wk at 10mg is still 10% each 14days... so at 5v or sooner or later, -its going to get hard...

Which i suspect is why Builder suggested a liquid titration type taper, when i first joined...)

As always, we are all different and need to find our own style... like u said, time is a factor for you, so your trade may or may not be some sxs...  But dont many people function quite well and work a job on a slow daily taper?? -this i have read here...

Either way, i wish u the very best...

 

 

 

[[Na...]]

Been cut and holding my Valium taper by 1mg a week up until 13mgs. I've been holding this one for 10 days or so and have had a little improvement but panic attacks have been daily lately. Hands start getting sweaty, headache sets in and my chest pains and breathing become nasty as hell. Feeling ok today so going to cut tomorrow by 1 mg but just have to say the whole waiting till we feel decent and then cutting to misery thing sucks the big one. I just can't prolong this thing out into a 2 year process bc I need to work again but I am trying and that's all I can say. What was your hardest cut points you can remember on Valium? When was 1 mg cuts too much?

 

Just my opinion but I think you've cut way too fast......V is sneaky and will bite you hard. I would consider holding and stabilizing, THEN consider a liquid MT, OR much smaller cuts. Lots of folks work while tapering because they're going about a sensible taper. Try not to look at the time frame.......the turtle wins the race. 

[[so...]]

Wheels, I agree that you are cutting too aggressively. Big cuts close together - now it's pummeling you back.

 

Hold and see if you can stabilize. Then make smaller reductions with longer holds in between. It's frustrating to have to go slower, but often is necessary.

[[Gr...]]

Been cut and holding my Valium taper by 1mg a week up until 13mgs. I've been holding this one for 10 days or so and have had a little improvement but panic attacks have been daily lately. Hands start getting sweaty, headache sets in and my chest pains and breathing become nasty as hell. Feeling ok today so going to cut tomorrow by 1 mg but just have to say the whole waiting till we feel decent and then cutting to misery thing sucks the big one. I just can't prolong this thing out into a 2 year process bc I need to work again but I am trying and that's all I can say. What was your hardest cut points you can remember on Valium? When was 1 mg cuts too much?

I was cutting 1mg every TWO weeks at 13mg so I think you're cutting too fast. Either hold longer with the 1mg cuts, or make smaller cuts. For me, the hardest cuts happened whenever I hit 10%. Then I would have to hold a bit longer and switch to smaller cuts.

[[Be...]]

I have to agree here: that's probably way too fast. It will catch up with you. The WD sxs start piling up on top of each other when u cut every week.

 

I ignored advice to slow right up. In the end I wasn't any faster and I went through hell.

The one piece of advice that no one seems to ever regret taking is 'go nice and slow'.

(There are rare cases of paradoxical reax but you don't seem to be one of them)

[[be...]]

My very hardest time was 13 mg but I too had made some large, fast cuts. So I started to cut just . 5 and bingo was down to 12 without trouble. And for me I've discovered that if I make smaller cuts I can make them a bit faster. I'm on 9 right now and so glad I passed that huge bump at 13. I thought I'd be there forever. So now I listen to my body and cut according to how I'm feeling. The smaller cut made an huge difference and I might need even smaller ones on the road down but for now I'm doing ok. Not perfect but it rarely is. It's more than tolerable though. Listen to your body. It helps. B

[[Tw...]]

So I have full control over my taper and your right why have symptoms pile up again. So I guess I'll cut .5 instead of 1mg and just see how it goes from there. Once again it's like I'm tapering fine cutting on schedule then slammmm.  Thanks all you guys and gals. Encouragement in any kind is so appreciated!

[[Co...]]

Without doubt slow and steady wins the race ....I do find this hard as am desperate to get the poison out of my system.

I crossed over from Zopiclone to Valium as recommended by Ashton and have reduced by approximately 10% per month .

I will have to update my signature as am now down to 2 mg taken in the evening.

I have found it harder the lower I have gone and have held at 2 mg for 6 weeks so far and may hold longer.

I am not able to work but do not have some of the worst physical symptoms...it is more the psychological stuff.

 

I am sure we need to go slower the lower the dose we reach...and possibly hold for stretches.

 

Congratulations on getting down to 13 mg.....every day brings you closer to health.

 

Al the Very Best.

[[...]]

I have to agree you tapper to fast.

Good thing that you make it slower.

 

I had to jump from 30 to 15 mg. That's a journey i don't wish on anyone.

 

Still in severe wd at 15 mg. You have the time, try to cut .5 as you said.

And hold til you feel stable.

I think you will feel mush better on that schedule.

 

 

 

[[Jo...]]

I'll concur with all of the above.  Slow down the cuts.  I started on 1.0 mg of K, which equates to 20 mg of V.  supposedly.  I crossed over from K. to V at 8 mg, and have slowed right down. 

 

When I originally conceived this it was supposed to take 5-6 months.  Well its been 11 now, and I am down to 6 mg V.  I have to remind myself not to be in a hurry.  Everytime I get a good window, have a couple of good nights sleep, I think I can speed this up.  But, it just doesn't work this way. 

 

I keep lengthening the schedule.  And what does it really matter.  I have been on these drugs closing on 20 years.  What difference will a few months, a year, or even more make?  I have to keep reminding myself that.  My main goal has become not to have to updose, and to avoid psychiatrists, no matter what. 

 

If I rush this and end up having to go way back up to stabilize then I have to go through it all again, so why rush in the first place?