About to jump

[[ce...]]

I am very close to jumping and want advice on how bad acute can be and roughly what to expect.  I have suffered tolerance (combined with high cortisol) for most of my taper but have been careful and done a nearly 2 year taper of 6mg of Valium.  Just looking for support and advice really 'cos very frightened.

 

Also, I have had to go on gabapentin to get any sleep ( 400mg), will I still heal while taking gabapentin.  I did not want to take it but I had no option.  If I don't sleep my symptoms are magnified 10x and are almost insufferable - severe high cortisol and gasping for breath and severe anxiety - almost to the point of psychosis.  (I am treating my high cortisol.) I tried mirtazapine but has stopped helping so will probably wean that very soon after jumping from Valium.

 

Thanks for any advice.

[Guest [ba...]]

You've been very responsible.  I don't think that you'll get slammed a lot when you jump, but I'm hoping that you're going to do a little more tapering before you jump.  I think the gabapentin will help to mitigate some of the withdrawal.  Gabapentin also helped me sleep a little better during withdrawal (I took 300mg at bedtime).  fwiw - I dropped the gabapentin three months after my jump without much issue.

 

Nothing to fear here.  You've already seen what withdrawal is like.  You may be anxious.  You may twitch or sweat.  But you've seen it all before and will get through it again.  But after this final round, it will be over.

 

After you jump it may feel weird (empty) to not do the daily routine of measuring out your med.  That activity actually becomes a bit of a habit.  You may want to continue going through the motions of weighing something out and taking it (salt, sugar, a cracker...) just to placate the habit.  Just an idea.

 

You're going to be fine.  Congratulations on getting this far.

[[ce...]]

Thanks Badsocref for your reply.  I am actually down to about .25mg of Valium now.  I will taper for another 7/10 days but think I may jump then as I have been at this so long.  I have soooo many tolerance/withdrawal symptoms - insomnia, high cortisol, muscle pains in back, severe anxiety, pounding heart in waves, blurred vision, dark vision, DR/DP, feeling really toxic on waking etc. etc.  I can't imagine things being even worse than they are, but I will soon find out.

[[Gr...]]

Hi Ceejay, congratulations on getting nearly to the end. I jumped from .25mg at the end of January. For me, acute lasted about six weeks and didn't really hit until the third week off. Once it started I had a lot of dramatic ups and downs where I would feel really bad one day then almost normal the next, then back to bad. It started leveling out two months off. I'm 5-1/2 months off and while I'm not back to normal, I'm doing a lot better. I was really tempted to take some rescue doses on the bad days but glad I didn't since things often dramatically changed in just 24 hours.

 

I think you did a good slow taper, definitely slower than mine, so maybe you won't feel any worse than you do right now. Like Ashton says, true healing begins once you're completely off. Just settle  in and be gentle with yourself over the next few months.

[[ro...]]

I'm going to be jumping soon too, but am going very slowly right down to the bottom. I still had withdrawal symptoms at .25, in fact it was a tough go for about a week at .50 and again near .25 with milder symptoms between, now that I'm down at .13ml I am hardly having symptoms at all. Why don't I jump? I just feel better taking it down to the bottom. Will probably be done end of the month. It's exciting getting near the end after all this time, isn't it? Wishing you the best!

[[ce...]]

Thank you guys for all your love and support.  I will taper like I said for another week to 10 days down to dust and then stop.  I am having to take so much stuff to try and calm my adrenals and then I have hypothyroid issues thrown into the mix so it is almost impossible to know what is what, but I do know I need to get off this poison.  Thankfully the gabapentin is getting me to sleep -even if it is not quality sleep.

 

I have never been stable and symptom free but I think this is because of high cortisol which can cause bad anxiety, weakness and the jitters...

 

Is anybody able to tell me what can happen during acute!!!

 

Thanks again.

[[ly...]]

I'm going to be jumping soon too, but am going very slowly right down to the bottom. I still had withdrawal symptoms at .25, in fact it was a tough go for about a week at .50 and again near .25 with milder symptoms between, now that I'm down at .13ml I am hardly having symptoms at all. Why don't I jump? I just feel better taking it down to the bottom. Will probably be done end of the month. It's exciting getting near the end after all this time, isn't it? Wishing you the best!

 

This is me.  I took it all the way down - very slowly the last 6 months.  It's paid off in spades.  I feel great!

 

ceejay, you'll be in my thoughts buddie.  All the best to you!

[[ro...]]

That is very encouraging to hear Lynn..!

[[ly...]]

That is very encouraging to hear Lynn..!

 

Based on your taper I think you'll do fine RR.

[[Ma...]]

My worst taper was from Lorazepam. I remember that the months before jumping were even worse than jumping itself finally because after having reached the "0" a lot of body functions came back very quickly so that I could see it was the right decision. Just stay brave and calm, go your way and you will be fine. I don't think that new WD symptoms will show up,- so you already know which devils might visit you - and when they come,- you have strategies to cope.

 

good luck buddy and congrats! its such a huge step!