New at tapering - need help. Re-instate previous dose ?

[[Wi...]]

Hello - thank you for allowing me to join the forum. 

 

I am the mother of a 25 year old son who I am trying to help with tapering off valium.  He has been on a benzodiazepine for past 19 months.  His situation is complicated by underlying bipolar disorder, with poly pharmacy through the years, and tapering off a number of medications.  I currently think much of his recent increased psychiatric symptoms are due to benzodiazepine use and too fast of a taper.  He also recently got started on depkote as a mood stabilizer for his bipolar disorder, which seemed to help him initially, but not so much now - I am having difficulty understanding how these two meds may be interacting.

 

I understand now that he lowered his dose too quickly, and subsequent tapering must be much more gradual.  He is very very sensitive to med changes I think due to a prolonged episode of bipolar relapse and lots of failed psychotropic meds/polypharmacy and other withdrawals he has gone through these past 2 years.  I plan to have him do a very very slow (5% per month??)  micro dilution taper once he regains some stability.

 

But in the meantime, I have 2 questions:

 

1)  should he re-instate more of the valium dose he was on before the withdrawal symptoms got severe in order to regain stability?  If so, How much should he go up?

 

2)  how does depakote interact with diazepam, and should any adjustments be made for that either with depakote or diazepam?

 

Details of past benzo dosing and cuts:

 

Tamezepam 30mg  for 7 months  (Oct 2017) started for sleep issues related to bipolar relapse after needing to stop lithium due to kidney issues)

diazepam    15 for 2 months          (hospitalized - very unstable psychiatrically, on multiple meds probably making him worse)

diazepam    10mg for 1 month      (still psychiatrically unstable;  weaning off multiple meds;  re-hospitalized several times for suicidality, anxiety)

diazepam      8mg for 1 month        (improving some off the other meds)

diazepam      6mg for 4 months -      stabilized some;  added depakote which seemed intially to help;  felt much better;  sleeping well, anxiety went away

 

Most recent tapering after being somewhat psychiatrically stable (he thought he was well enough to get off the diazepam)

 

Diazepam 6mg --->5mg  January 2019  Felt quite stable during this month after adding depakote to his therapy for bipolar disorder.

diazepam 5mg ---> 4mg February 2019  Sleep disturbed some; otherwise feeling okay

diazepam 4mg ---> 3mg April 3  2019  Noticed sleep got much worse with this cut

Diazepam 3mg---> 2mg  April 19  2019    Really feeling bad;  increased depakote which didn't help;  made brain feel worse;

diazepam 2mg --> 3mg  May 13 - increased due to feeling very anxious,

diazepam 3mg --> 4mg May 22 - increased due to feeling worse and worse psychiatrically - but it is not like his bipolar states;  it is more like withdrawal I think

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[[ba...]]

Welcome to Benzo Buddies. We are a support and information group for those wanting to get off of benzodiazepines. We are here to help.  We can not give specific medical advice, as we are a support group and information resource.  Your questions regarding your son's medication need to be worked out with a doctor.

 

Tapering is the safest, and most tolerable method for getting off of benzo's.

 

The max recommended cut is 5-10% every 2 weeks. Many of us have to go slower, depending on our medication and what we can handle. Here are the boards on tapering. Feel free to print out anything you wish, and share it with your doctor. From there, you can formulate a plan, and, you are always free to change it up if it's not working. It can take some trial and error. What works best for me may not be what works best for you.

 

http://www.benzo.org.uk/manual 

 

http://www.benzobuddies.org/forum/index.php?board=56.0

 

http://www.benzobuddies.org/forum/index.php?board=145.0

 

"What is happening in your brain," is a wonderful place to start your self education. It explains why we experience all the things we do, and that they are all signs of healing. I still read this at least once a week when the symptoms are overwhelming  me.

 

http://www.benzobuddies.org/forum/index.php?topic=66397.0

 

This is a list of withdraw symptoms:

https://www.benzo.org.uk/manual/bzcha03.htm#4

 

In the forums pertinent to your circumstances, you will find other buddies going through their own tapers. This is a good place to ask questions, and receive guidance.

 

Again, welcome to Benzo Buddies, you have come to a safe, confidential informative support group, and we are happy to have you as a member. You can do this, with knowledge and finding coping skills.

 

Please take some time to Create a Signature. This will help other members understand your history so they will be better able to support you. Go to the top of the page and select Profile, then choose Forum Profile, insert drug history/timelines into the text box and click Change Profile.

 

We look forward to reading more from you over the forthcoming days and weeks.

 

Take care,

BB Team

 

[[ba...]]

Want to add that multiple medications (poly drugging,) add a level of complexity to tapering. It can be difficult to know what symptoms are coming from where.

 

Many of us are poly drugged, so no fear, it's common. And, it is doable with a lot of information and medical support. The peer support you will find in here will help you as you determine what course of action to take, or what to try.

 

The general rule of thumb is one medication at a time, or tapering one for a while, until stable, then tapering another , and so on.

 

It is complex, this is why a qualified physician would be a great option for your son to figure out how to taper/ dose his meds.

 

We have support groups for those on multiple medications:

 

-The BB team

http://www.benzobuddies.org/forum/index.php?board=60.0