On Valium Since 2001

[[He...]]

Hello all.5mg of Valium was prescribed for vertigo in June,2001. The vertigo abated completely by late 2003 but the refills continued all through the following years. By last July,2016, I decided to taper off on my own.

 

My first mistake was to not research the affects of withdrawal. Dropped doen to 2.5mg daily at the start. No side affects for several months. Then even after experiencing numbness, fatigue,palpitations and more, dropped to 1.25mg daily in January. Severe WD problems caused me to go back to 2.5mg after 6  weeks.

 

All is worse now. Holding at 2.5 with extreme misery. 72 years old and was mentally and physically in fine shape until this nightmare began. Any and all help will be appreciated!

[[ma...]]

Hello Heavy Reader Welcome to BenzoBuddies.

 

You are going to be okay, you can do this.  Don’t taper off too quick, it’s not worth it!  The generally accepted taper rate is 5-10%, every 10 to 14 days.  You can go slower if need be, whatever is comfortable.  Tapering slowly can help keep withdrawal symptoms manageable. 

 

I know the symptoms can be severe at times but it will get easier, we do eventually recover from this experience. Our members have been through all aspects of benzodiazepine use and withdrawal, and will share their experiences with you.

 

The Ashton Manual  is an excellent resource for information about these medications and gives a lot of information about withdrawal/tapering. 

 

Here are some additional links:

 

General Taper Plans

 

Withdrawal Support 

 

When you can, please add a signature (history of meds/doses etc) it will help members give you relevant advice this link will show you how to”Create a signature”

 

Welcome Aboard

 

Magrita

 

[[He...]]

Thank you very much for the kind words and encouragement, Magrita. I will work up the signature profile ASAP.

[[He...]]

Finished my taper successfully on September 23, jumping off at .05mg. It was certainly gruelling at times. Now my primary doctor is advising me to take 10mg of Lexapro daily for 6 to 8 weeks to address some lingering anxiety problems.

 

The last thing I want is to get hooked on another drug, even a non benzo. What do members here think about my doctors proposal?

It fills me with apprehension.

[[je...]]

Hi!  I can attest that when getting down to 3 or 2mg Valium your body will go into terrible withdrawal (based on many of our feedback).  Don't know why that happens but it does.  Taper slow as Magrita suggested and be aware that you will have withdrawal symptoms which are NOT pleasant.  Try to get an optimistic outlook and find activities that are distracting, even if it's only social events as coffee with a friend or a few phone calls to loved ones.

 

I jumped in October of 2016 but during the last 2.5 months anxiety has gotten the best of me that I could not control with any alternative holistic product.  I know that, unfortunately, anxiety is just hardwired as a part of me.    As my quality of life was getting severely affected, I began 10mg Lexapro about 5 weeks ago which quelled the anxiety and ruminating thoughts greatly.

 

While we'd all like to be totally drug free, there MAY come a point when you have to decide if a drug may help you or not.  As the saying goes "life is too short" - why not try and enjoy it any way YOU deem appropriate?

 

Wishing you well.