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New here & trying to make it through


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Hi,

I just found this forum and wish I had known about it a few weeks ago. I am trying to get off of Valium (diazepam). I was on 5 mg at night (plus a teeny dose of mirtazepine, a sedating antidepressant for sleep) for the past 20 years due to insomnia. 3 months ago, I decided to wean off of it because my PCP was suddenly difficult about renewing my Valium prescription and told me to start taking it "as needed" and at most, every other night. The doctor did this without warning. I was planning to switch doctors anyway and needing my Valium and mirtazepine prescriptions was holding me back from switching. So I'm motivated.

 

I went down to 2.5 mg (1/2 a tab) of Valium and down to 1/4 tab of mirtazepine (3.75 mg) for a total of 2 months. I think I can skip the mirtazepine, but I'm really struggling without the Valium. When I tried to go off, it didn't work out, so I went back to 2.5 mg. 3 weeks later (around 3.5 weeks ago), I went out of town for a week and forgot to take my bottle of cut up Valium and mirtazepine tablets with me (I know, really dumb move). I did ok and when I came back, I figured I could just keep going without taking my sleep meds.

 

I was okay the first 2 weeks and usually took valerian, skullcap, and Benadryl to get through and made sure to exercise every day. The 3rd week is when I began having much more difficulty with sleep. I am waking up 3 times a night and getting up way too early. I'm not terribly stressed out or anything, but I miss having a good night's sleep.

 

So I went off, I guess you could say "cold turkey" but from a very low dose of 2.5 mg after being on Valium for a very, very long time. My hunch is that I should go back to 2.5 mg perhaps every other night and taper off from there or else follow the ideas for tapering in this forum. I know it was risky going off completely and I never intended to. But when I returned from my trip, I felt as though I'd be failing if I went back on Valium. I realize now, I likely should have.

 

Thank you for reading this far and I look forward to learning more about getting off of Valium in this forum.

 

YSG

 

 

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Hello, yogasquirrelgirl - Welcome to BenzoBuddies!

 

Congratulations on becoming bento-free.  You have been off of the valium for a few weeks now without too many withdrawal symptoms other than sleep disturbances, which are very very common.

 

There is information on the boards about tapering if you decide to reinstate.  You may want to seek input from your fellow benzo buddies about whether you need to reinstate if you are not experiencing symptoms other than sleep interruption .  Even with a taper, sleep can be difficult .

 

Our members have gone through all aspects of benzodiazepine use and withdrawal, so you'll be able to connect with others who understand what you're going through and can tell you what has worked for them.

 

I also went through benzo withdrawal and have been benzo free so I understand some of the issues you are facing.  I find this community to be very supportive.

 

Please feel free to post to any of the specialized boards, which can all be accessed from the BenzoBuddies Community Forum homepage. Based on the information provided in your introduction, the following links may be a good starting place for you:

 

 

General Taper Plans

 

Withdrawal Support During Your Taper

 

 

Cold Turkey, Detox & Rapid Withdrawal

 

If you have not already done so, please take a look at The Ashton Manual, which is an authoritative source on what to expect during withdrawal and recovery, authored by Dr. C. Heather Ashton, who is an expert in the field. It provides a great deal of information that can be very reassuring during any stage of this process, including a list of common symptoms with helpful explanations on the reasons for their existence.

 

For those who are currently tapering, we suggest reducing no faster than 5-10% every 10-14 days, and some taper even slower than that. One exception: very short-term users of a few weeks or less may be able to taper faster than that. 

 

Please take the time to Create a Signature. This will allow members to see where you are in the process, so that they can better support you.

 

Again, welcome!

 

Carol Jean

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Thank you, Carol Jean. I'll work on setting up a signature. I guess I am experiencing a few other withdrawal symptoms--mild headaches and lots of yawning (at times when I yawn I feel as though I can't completely fill my lungs).

 

I'll follow up on the other boards, and I'm reading through The Ashton Manual link now.

 

Thanks again.

 

YSG

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