Should I hold longer or continue down?

[[gr...]]

It has been about 1 1/2 months since I made a 7.5% reduction and I cannot stabilize. I am having bad inner restlessness (Akathesia)  and I have severe pain in my neck shoulders and arms. The pain is so bad that I can hardly lift my arms. When I move my arms I can hear all sorts of popping and cracking noises and it is so painful. I was having right arm pain prior to this cut but it was not even close to  the pain I have now. And now the pain is also in my left arm and it is excruciating...  Should I wait til I stabilize or should I just continue reducing my dose? Is it bad to hold for over 1 1/2 months? Will this cause more problems for me by holding for such a long time?  Please help!!! Any advice would be greatly appreciated!! 

Thank you so much!!!

[[op...]]

I don't know the answer to this, but I am so sorry you are suffering so badly. I don't think it's bad to hold for a long time - a lot of successful taperers have had to do that - but I don't know if it makes more sense to hold longer, go back up, or keep going down when you're in so much agony. Maybe someone with more experience can chime in. Sending lots of care to you.

[[gr...]]

Thank you so much for responding openroad!! I hope you are doing well!!

[[ho...]]

It has been about 1 1/2 months since I made a 7.5% reduction and I cannot stabilize. I am having bad inner restlessness (Akathesia)  and I have severe pain in my neck shoulders and arms. The pain is so bad that I can hardly lift my arms. When I move my arms I can hear all sorts of popping and cracking noises and it is so painful. I was having right arm pain prior to this cut but it was not even close to  the pain I have now. And now the pain is also in my left arm and it is excruciating...  Should I wait til I stabilize or should I just continue reducing my dose? Is it bad to hold for over 1 1/2 months? Will this cause more problems for me by holding for such a long time?  Please help!!! Any advice would be greatly appreciated!! 

Thank you so much!!!

 

I too am so sorry that you are suffering so much.  I don’t know the answer either.  I do remember seeing one persons’ post somewhere about her hold and it took like 3 months before she finally started to get relief.  My first hold, I felt better at about the 3rd week, and then began my taper at 4 weeks again and felt like such a new person.  I held again, and again felt much better after a few weeks.  My last hold, I held for about 6 weeks and just wasn’t getting much better, so I just went ahead and continued to wean down.  I started to feel better about a week later ( I do a daily micro dose wean) so I don’t know? 

 

Maybe try holding a little bit longer and see if you get some relief.  I do know that slow and steady is more important in this process. 

 

Hoping you get the answers you need 

 

Marie

[[Gy...]]

It has been about 1 1/2 months since I made a 7.5% reduction and I cannot stabilize. I am having bad inner restlessness (Akathesia)  and I have severe pain in my neck shoulders and arms. The pain is so bad that I can hardly lift my arms. When I move my arms I can hear all sorts of popping and cracking noises and it is so painful. I was having right arm pain prior to this cut but it was not even close to  the pain I have now. And now the pain is also in my left arm and it is excruciating...  Should I wait til I stabilize or should I just continue reducing my dose? Is it bad to hold for over 1 1/2 months? Will this cause more problems for me by holding for such a long time?  Please help!!! Any advice would be greatly appreciated!! 

Thank you so much!!!

 

 

Hey Gray

 

I too am in the same position as you, I am doing a microtaper and just kept going without holding for a bit to stabilise so my cut ended up being about 18% and it hit me really bad. Terrible aches, anxiety you name it. I have done this before and I did an extremely long hold until I felt better, this time was worse so I updosed and will wait it out then do it slower.

 

We are all different, so you have to do what is best for you, there is no right or wrong way.

 

Keep safe

 

Gypsy

[[Wa...]]

I don't know what to say about holding. I tried to tape her and I had months go by where I stopped like when covid started and when I had surgery I let 345 months go by. And I could never tell because things would happen. I recently up toast to my regular dose and then up do Stephen Moore to see if my pain will go away and now I'm in excruciating pain. I have the arm pain aren't my arms feel like they're being broken I can't lay on them shoulders in the neck and everything is so tight my job has gotten tight over the last week. And I think I'm sitting here at my starting dose and 2 years ago I could have been done why did I up those you know we all think that maybe if we do this or we do that we wouldn't be where we are at where it'll be easier and I really I don't know I think that we should do but we think we can get through if you think you can get through it just cut a tiny bit and it'll put you closer to your goal I guess I wish you lots of luck I see you've only been on it for a month that's such a short amount of time. And it affects you like this? I've been on my mind are you going to give me a ride over 23 years.

[[Wa...]]

Sorry for all the mistakes I'm not doing well

[[gr...]]

Thank you for all the responses! I think I am going to hold a bit longer...

Wanttofeelcalm. Did you try heating pads? That is what I am doing now and it seems to relieve the intense pain in my neck and shoulders. I bought the sunbeam heating for the neck and shoulders and I also just purchase one that wraps on your arm and is held on by velcro. Haven't                            received the arm one yet ...  Hope you start feeling better soon..

[[Et...]]

I can tell you that I was concerned about long duration holds during my own taper impeding the end result but I still finished just fine and I finished without strong PAWS despite how dependent I was, how long I was on them, and how many attempts to quit had happened. As long as you're not updosing and you're either staying steady or moving down, you won't hurt anything, it will just take longer. I can tell you though that there are definitely diminishing returns from long holds. My last long hold finally convinced me to move to a daily liquid micro taper and that got me through the last ~7mg of Valium. 7.5% is a large cut to make all at once. It can take awhile for the CNS to adjust to it.

[[gr...]]

Hi Etherealremnant, Thank you so much for responding!!  I feel a little better about holding now. This has been a living hell. It just feels like it will never end..  I hope you are doing well Etherealremnant. And Thank you so much for  your words of wisdom!!!

[[gr...]]

Etherealremnant, Did you use just water for your liquid taper?  Also did you use the method where you remove 1ML of water per day and then drink the rest?  I tried the water taper using the alcohol to dissolve the lorazepam and I had a bad reaction to the alcohol. Then I tried milk and that didn't work either. I am thinking of just trying it with plain water.  If you have any advice that would be greatly appreciated!!

Thank you so much!!

[[Et...]]

Hi Etherealremnant, Thank you so much for responding!!  I feel a little better about holding now. This has been a living hell. It just feels like it will never end..  I hope you are doing well Etherealremnant. And Thank you so much for  your words of wisdom!!!

 

I am glad that I was able to give you some reassurance. The process is absolutely hell but the end result of being free and recovering is totally worth it and it takes as long as it takes. Like I said, just try not to updose and you won't set anything back.