Switching from pills to liquid Valium--do I take the same amount?

[[Ba...]]

Is oral solution less nausea-producing than pills?  Am cutting pills.

 

I was going to try equivalnt dose of klonopin, whichis .5 mg pills not 5 (valium).  I took one small crumb, tho, and think it also giving nausea.

 

In which case, which best to taper off or ask for from dr.  Losing weight as appetite is trashd. And can I cut at least 10% as want to be off this. 

 

thx.

[[co...]]

Barbaraave, I have not started the oral solution yet.  As you have read in this thread, it requires dilution with water.  I have not figured out how to incorporate it into my taper plan, nor how much to use.

 

As I believe I posted in this thread, when I mixed a 1 mg of valium with 60 ml of water (while taking the rest in pill form) the solution made me very nauseated every day and gave me headaches.  The goal of mixing some of the Valium with water was to allow me to taper more gradually.  When I went back to taking it in pill form I had no nausea problems or headaches, but I am limited to tapering it in .5 mg increments--which is the smallest amount I can accurately cut a 2 mg pill into using a pill spliitter to cut it in quarters.

[[Ba...]]

Confused,

 

ok, I get that liquid was awful for you and pills ok.

 

So now you are getting the rx liquid to try.  Someone said it was good with them.

 

I am having weird stuff going on with taking pills but should start a new post.  It is like almost instantly feeling the stuff.  It is not psychosomatic... it is real.  Just tried tiny tad of clonopin and the same thing.  It is not a coincidence and not in my head. 

[[co...]]

I am far from started with the liquid Valium, but I did try mixing 9 ml of water with 1 ml of liquid Valium and just tasted a tad of it, and it tasted horrible--like horrible liquorice.  It made me wash my mouth out.  I imagine if you swallowed a properly calibrated dose and then followed it with another liquid in a short period of time you would risk diluting the amount that you had already swallowed. 

 

I can definitely see why it needs to be diluted and can understand Builder's important points about not trying to make the solution in small amounts as there is too much room for error that can get amplified if you are off by a little bit--be it in adding or mixing the solution or drawing the liquid Valium.

 

This is just a baby step in a long process.  I am not done yet, but have no idea where this is going.

 

 

[[bu...]]

Thanks so much, Builder.  I can't tell you how much I appreciate all of your information and advice and your patience.

 

As background, I am currently on 6.5 mg of Valium a day in pill form which I take once a day. 

 

I am planning to transition to doing 1 mg of liquid Valium and the rest by pills.  The reason that I am not going to all liquid right away is because the last time I tried to transition to just 1 mg of Valium in crushed form mixed with water while taking the rest of my medication in pills, it had a really bad effect.  I plan to gradually switch to completely using liquid Valium.

 

Given the viscosity of the liquid Valium, I am trying to figure out all of the steps necessary to mix it with water. 

 

The following are the steps I would take to mix 1 ml of liquid Valium with water:

 

I imagine I would have about 4 ml of water in a small jar, then  I would draw 1 ml of water into a syringe and then draw 1 ml of liquid Valium into the same syringe and shoot it into the jar. 

 

Then I would draw 6 ml of water into the syringe and use it as a rinse to shoot into the jar.  Then I would put a top on the jar and shake it up and drink it.  I would then add some more water to the jar, shake it up, and drink it to get any residual.

 

Does this sound correct?

 

If not what am I missing?

 

Thanks again for you kind help.

 

The reason your first attempt with liquid failed is because 1) diazepam is NOT water soluble and 2)  it low viscosity makes it an ineffective suspension agent. You cannot use plain water to liquefy your benzo.

 

There is nothing special about diluting your liquid diazepam.  Put 50mls Rx liquid diazepam in a container and add 450 mls water.  Give it a light stir and your done.  Its like adding cream to your coffee.

 

And frankly, saying you don't like the taste is the silliest reason of all not to use liquid diazepam.  Your on a powerful,  debilitating, habituating drug, and you don't want to follow the easiest way to get off of it because you don't like the taste?  If that's really an issue, just mix it in with fruit juice, a soft drink, or any other liquid of your choice.

[[co...]]

 

The reason your first attempt with liquid failed is because 1) diazepam is NOT water soluble and 2)  it low viscosity makes it an ineffective suspension agent. You cannot use plain water to liquefy your benzo.

 

There is nothing special about diluting your liquid diazepam.  Put 50mls Rx liquid diazepam in a container and add 450 mls water.  Give it a light stir and your done.  Its like adding cream to your coffee.

 

And frankly, saying you don't like the taste is the silliest reason of all not to use liquid diazepam.  Your on a powerful,  debilitating, habituating drug, and you don't want to follow the easiest way to get off of it because you don't like the taste?  If that's really an issue, just mix it in with fruit juice, a soft drink, or any other liquid of your choice.

 

Thanks so much, Builder.  The instructions on the liquid Valium say to keep it at room temperature  (68-77 degrees Fahrenheit) .  Would pouring it into a fruit juice that came out of the refrigerator cause a problem?

 

Also, if a made a large batch of liquid Valium mixed with another substance that would last me several days, I suppose it would have to be something that id not require refrigeration.

 

thanks again for your invaluable answers and your experience.

[[bu...]]

 

The reason your first attempt with liquid failed is because 1) diazepam is NOT water soluble and 2)  it low viscosity makes it an ineffective suspension agent. You cannot use plain water to liquefy your benzo.

 

There is nothing special about diluting your liquid diazepam.  Put 50mls Rx liquid diazepam in a container and add 450 mls water.  Give it a light stir and your done.  Its like adding cream to your coffee.

 

And frankly, saying you don't like the taste is the silliest reason of all not to use liquid diazepam.  Your on a powerful,  debilitating, habituating drug, and you don't want to follow the easiest way to get off of it because you don't like the taste?  If that's really an issue, just mix it in with fruit juice, a soft drink, or any other liquid of your choice.

 

Thanks so much, Builder.  The instructions on the liquid Valium say to keep it at room temperature  (68-77 degrees Fahrenheit) .  Would pouring it into a fruit juice that came out of the refrigerator cause a problem?

 

No.

 

Also, if a made a large batch of liquid Valium mixed with another substance that would last me several days, I suppose it would have to be something that id not require refrigeration.

 

Just dilute it with water, then mix it with whatever you want when your ready to take your dose

thanks again for your invaluable answers and your experience.

[[co...]]

 

Just dilute it with water, then mix it with whatever you want when your ready to take your dose

 

Thanks, Builder.

 

Your personal experience with liquid Valium is a lifesaver to me

 

So if I understand you correctly I could dilute it with water and then mix it into another substance that tastes better and consume the whole substance.  Am I correct in this?

 

Also could I mix the liquid Valium with water, carefully draw some out for tapering, and then mix it with another substance to take my dose?

 

thanks again!

 

 

[[bu...]]

 

Just dilute it with water, then mix it with whatever you want when your ready to take your dose

 

Thanks, Builder.

 

Your personal experience with liquid Valium is a lifesaver to me

 

So if I understand you correctly I could dilute it with water and then mix it into another substance that tastes better and consume the whole substance.  Am I correct in this?

 

Also could I mix the liquid Valium with water, carefully draw some out for tapering, and then mix it with another substance to take my dose?

 

thanks again!

 

Based on your concentration ratio (.1mg=1ml?) you simply draw out the appropriated dosage.  Once you have to appropriate dosage, it doesn't matter what else you do with it.  As long as you wind up ingesting the appropriate dosage, that's all that matters.

[[Ba...]]

Not sure how I came upon thi thread again but glad I did.

 

Having horrible time trying to taper valium (and ambien).  Dr. open to suggestion but not ure he would rx liquid (why is it a red flag??)

If he would, worth trying?  Am at 3 mg valium and 10 ambien.

Very severe symptoms now--  bedridden mostly.

 

Thx.

[[co...]]

I am the person who started the thread.

 

It seemed complicated, but it wasn't.  I will try to write detailed instructions.

 

I followed Builder's instructions.

 

I create a mix of 1 part liquid diazepam/Valium to 9 parts water.

 

The Liquid Valium/diazepam that I use comes in a large container.  It is listed as 5ml diazepam 5 mg diazepam.  In other words, each ML of the liquid equals 1 mg of Valium.

 

I make a large batch that I later draw my doses from because it is much easier than trying to mix one dose at a time when I need it

 

I use a 10 ML syringe that I bought in a batch from Amazon:  https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B01JJYMOP6/ref=oh_aui_search_detailpage?ie=UTF8&psc=1

 

And a jar that I bought from them: https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B076DJHYK4/ref=oh_aui_search_detailpage?ie=UTF8&psc=1

 

Here is a simplified example of what I do to mix it up:

 

I use the syringe to measure out 10 ML of water and I spray that into the bottom of the jar.  I do that twice so that I have 20 ml of water at the bottom of the jar.  This prevents any of the liquid Diazepam from sticking to the bottom of the jar--even though it would be an imperceiveable amount if any.

 

I then use the same syringe to draw out 10 mg of liquid Diazepam and spray it into the jar..

 

The jar now has 20 ml of water and 10 ml of liquid diazepam in it.

 

I then use the same syringe to draw 10 ml of water and spray it into the jar.  I do this 7 times so that the jar now has a total of 90 ml of water and 10 ml of liquid diazepam in it. 

 

By drawing the water into the same syringe after I used it to draw the liquid diazepam and spraying it into the jar, I make sure to wash out any of the liquid Diazepam that might have stuck in the syringe--although none is visible to me.

 

I now have a jar with 100 ml of solution with the water at a 9-1 ratio with the liquid diazepam.  At this point I close and shake the jar.  I also shake it every day before drawing my daily dose.

 

I've actually been making about twice that amount, but I stayed with those numbers to make it easier to understand since the ratio is the same.

 

Another thing that I do is pour a bunch of the liquid diazepam out of its container into a glass jar and use that to draw from to make my mixture. 

 

I do this for two reasons:

 

1. It is very hard and awkward to draw the liquid diazepam out of its container while it is much easier to do so out of a jar since the jar has a wider top to get the syringe into and is smaller and easier to work with.

 

2. I am afraid that I might wind up dropping or spilling the liquid diazepam container if I am trying to tilt it to draw liquid out of it with a syringe. 

 

You might also want a 1 ML syringe to make finer cuts: https://www.amazon.com/Syringe-Luer-Slip-Needle-Non-Sterile/dp/B01N01TO2O/ref=sr_1_1_sspa?ie=UTF8&qid=1544846668&sr=8-1-spons&keywords=1ml+syringe&psc=1

 

More to come . . .

 

[[Ba...]]

Does it work better than cutting pill?

 

I can get some 2's...  I am at 3 mg... doing badly, tho

[[co...]]

When taking my dose, I shake the jar with the mixture, open it, and use the 10 ml syringe to draw out 10 ml of the mixture.  Then I spray it down my throat.

 

Remember, Each 10 ML of the liquid I mixed consists of 9 ml of water and 1 Ml of liquid Valium/Diazepam.

 

I take as many 10 ml doses as I need for each mg of Valium that I take.

 

The 10 ML syringes have 4 markings between each individual ml mark to allow you to measure .2 of each ml.  This allows you to gradually taper. 

 

As you get to lover levels, you may want to get a 1 ml syringe from Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/Syringe-Luer-Slip-Needle-Non-Sterile/dp/B01N01TO2O/ref=sr_1_1_sspa?ie=UTF8&qid=1544846668&sr=8-1-spons&keywords=1ml+syringe&psc=1.  This will let you reduce by smaller amounts more accurately than the 10 ml syringe.

 

When I started using the liquid diazepam/Valium I was taking 6 mg of valium by using three 2 mg pills.

 

I started my switch by using 5 mg in pills, by cutting one of the pills in half, and then  taking 1 mg by liquid.  The liquid was the mix I described.  I drew 10 mls of the liquid out of the mix that I made with the syringe which was the equivalent of 1 mg Valium.

 

When I first went to that mix, I experienced some mild withdrawal symptoms, even though I was taking the same amount total amount of valium.  After a few weeks once the symptoms subsided.  Then I switched to 2 mg of valium/diazepam by liquid and 4 by pills.  Once I saw that I had no symptoms I started my tapering by using the indication marks on the side of the 5 ml syringe to draw .2ml less out each day.  That was like cutting .02 mg of valium a day.

 

If I was at a lower level, like 3 mg of Valium a day, I would use a 1 ML syringe that has more markings that would allow you to taper at an even slower rate. 

 

[[co...]]

Does it work better than cutting pill?

 

I can get some 2's...  I am at 3 mg... doing badly, tho

 

Yes it does work better than cutting a pill.

 

I was using 2 mg pills and using a pill cutter the smallest I was able to split them in was quarters.  Each quarter would be roughly the equivalent .5 mg.  That may be fine when you are at a higher dose, but when I got to about 7 mg, cutting by  .5 mg at a time became more and more uncomfortable in terms of side effects.

 

By using the liquid and the right  syringes, you can make far smaller cuts more accurately than you can by cutting pills.  This should make your tapering much easier.  You should be able to easily make cuts of a tenth of a ml.  This is the equivalent of making a cut of a hundreth of a milligram of valium if you are using the mix that I got from Builder--1 ML liquid Diazepam wixed with 9 ml of water.

[[ch...]]

what shelf life does the pharmacy liquid have?. Mine is 1.1 ratio and is alcohol based and a year old next month

[[bu...]]

what shelf life does the pharmacy liquid have?. Mine is 1.1 ratio and is alcohol based and a year old next month

 

It has a 3 year shelf life from date of mfgr.  And I used mine beyond that to finish my taper.  The shelf life is really about the stability of the solution, not the benzo itself.  The benzo will remain potent way beyond that.

[[Ho...]]

I cannot do the alcohol ....so I'll just have to chance it and do liquid alone.  I'm going to taper 1/2 mg a MONTH.....so that will be 20 months to get off 10 mg of Valium.  2 years on all that daily alcohol would not be healthy for me, plus I've always been overly sensitive to alcohol, even when I was in my 20s.  So that's OUT!  I'll crush the pills and bought a special mixer that will help combine it.  That is my only choice.

[[ch...]]

I could not tolerate the alcohol a year ago but have heard some had success after one or two tries so if I get desperate, I will have to bite the bullet and tolerate the nightmares

[[co...]]

I don't think that the solution I am taking has alcohol:  the 5 mg per 5 mL has any alcohol.  I could be wrong.  The webpage seems to indicate this to me:

https://www.rxlist.com/diazepam-intensol-drug.htm#description

 

"The flavored 5 mg/5 mL Oral Solution contains bitterness modifier, citric acid, D&C Yellow No. 10, FD&C Red No. 40, polyethylene glycol, propylene glycol, sodium citrate, sorbitol, water and wintergreen coriander spice blend.

 

The 25 mg per 5 mL (5 mg/mL) Intensol™ Oral Solution (Concentrate) contains alcohol, D&C Yellow No. 10, polyethylene glycol, propylene glycol, succinic acid and water."

 

I interpret this to mean that the 5 mg/ 5 ML which I am taking does not have alcohol in it, but the 25mg per 5 ml does.

 

You really want to get the 5 mg/5 ml oral solution, since it is much easier to dilute with water using 9 parts water per one part of the solution, and use that to taper from.

 

Once I got this going, I found it to be far easier in terms of minimal withdrawal symptoms and easier tapering.  Due to a few complications with my life that have prevented me from continuing my taper at times, I am down to the equivalent of 5.4 mg of Valium/diazepam per day.

 

I built it from info provided by Builder which made my tapering infinitely more tolerable.  If you look at some of my posts on the previous page, starting with this one, I go into detail about how exactly I do it: 

http://www.benzobuddies.org/forum/index.php?topic=209572.msg2763687#msg2763687

[[bu...]]

You are correct.  The 5mg=5ml (1:1) diazepam Oral Solution is a PG-solvent product with no alcohol.

 

The 5mg=1ml diazepam Intensol uses an alcohol solvent.

[[ch...]]

so does the one with pg solvent have a shelf life? My 1 to 1 says it has 9.6% of alcohol in it so it would have at least a year's shelf life?

 

[[co...]]

The sample that I have that was bought in sept or Oct of 2018 has a listed expiration date of Apr 2021.

 

To me, even if it had a 3 month expiration date, I would still do it, since microtapering with it is so much more comfortable than trying to 2 mg pills in quarters to be able to taper by .5 mg at a time.  Even compared to various dry tapering methods with powdering pills, this way seems much easier.

 

For example, today I am down to 5.37 mg of Valium.

 

I took two 2 mg diazepam/valium pills.

 

I then used a 10 ML syringe to draw 10 ml of a mixture of 9 parts water to one part liquid diazepam and took that to get the equivalent of another 1 mg of diazepam.

 

Then I used the 10 My syringe to draw 3 mls of a mixture of 9 parts water to one part liquid diazepam and took that to get the equivalent of another .3mg of diazepam.

 

Finally I used a 1 ml syringe to draw. .7 mls of a mixture of 9 parts water to one part liquid diazepam and took that to get the equivalent of another .07 mg diazepam.

 

I used the 1 ml syringe to be able to draw a more precise amount than I could with the 10 ml syringe.

 

 

[[bu...]]

so does the one with pg solvent have a shelf life? My 1 to 1 says it has 9.6% of alcohol in it so it would have at least a year's shelf life?

 

The mfgr's shelf life to the PG-based liquid V (Diazepam Oral Solution) is 3 years.