Tapering help

[[Di...]]

I have been doing a DLMT for quite sometime it has been pretty rough the whole way down.  I can't seem to fine a good schedule for myself, i.e. %, length of time to cut or hold.  I tried a cut and hold (3%)  2 1/2 weeks ago and am really struggling.  I don't know if I shocked my system too much.  I was tapering three days then hold for four with a total of .002 mg decrease in those three days.  Any help would be appreciated.

Thanks

[[Pa...]]

Are you using liquid or dry titration?  What symptoms are you dealing with?  Have you got something in mind?

[[Di...]]

Hi Pamster,

I am using liquid.  I have horrible anxiety everyday, digestive issues and a very odd taste in the back of my mouth...these are the three worst symptoms.

I just really don't know what to do everything I try seems to backfire.  I don't think I can do a c&h it has been brutal.  I'm open to any suggestions.

 

[[ho...]]

I have been doing a DLMT for quite sometime it has been pretty rough the whole way down.  I can't seem to fine a good schedule for myself, i.e. %, length of time to cut or hold.  I tried a cut and hold (3%)  2 1/2 weeks ago and am really struggling.  I don't know if I shocked my system too much.  I was tapering three days then hold for four with a total of .002 mg decrease in those three days.  Any help would be appreciated.

Thanks

 

DD- Is there a way to have your liquid so that you can reduce everyday x%/mo, instead of a % over a 3days like that? That is more like a cut and hold.  I reduce every 2 to days (sometimes 3days) so I am gradually going down each month.  Today was 1.54, tomorrow 1.54 and then 1.53x3, 1.52x2, 1.51x2 and on and on.  If I feel like I am getting sx, I just hold for a week. 

 

I’m sorry you are feeling bad 

 

Marie

[[Di...]]

I have been doing a DLMT for quite sometime it has been pretty rough the whole way down.  I can't seem to fine a good schedule for myself, i.e. %, length of time to cut or hold.  I tried a cut and hold (3%)  2 1/2 weeks ago and am really struggling.  I don't know if I shocked my system too much.  I was tapering three days then hold for four with a total of .002 mg decrease in those three days.  Any help would be appreciated.

Thanks

 

DD- Is there a way to have your liquid so that you can reduce everyday x%/mo, instead of a % over a 3days like that? That is more like a cut and hold.  I reduce every 2 to days (sometimes 3days) so I am gradually going down each month.  Today was 1.54, tomorrow 1.54 and then 1.53x3, 1.52x2, 1.51x2 and on and on.  If I feel like I am getting sx, I just hold for a week. 

 

I’m sorry you are feeling bad 

 

Marie

 

Thank you Marie that is something to consider.  I really appreciate your help.

[[ho...]]

I have been doing a DLMT for quite sometime it has been pretty rough the whole way down.  I can't seem to fine a good schedule for myself, i.e. %, length of time to cut or hold.  I tried a cut and hold (3%)  2 1/2 weeks ago and am really struggling.  I don't know if I shocked my system too much.  I was tapering three days then hold for four with a total of .002 mg decrease in those three days.  Any help would be appreciated.

Thanks

 

DD- Is there a way to have your liquid so that you can reduce everyday x%/mo, instead of a % over a 3days like that? That is more like a cut and hold.  I reduce every 2 to days (sometimes 3days) so I am gradually going down each month.  Today was 1.54, tomorrow 1.54 and then 1.53x3, 1.52x2, 1.51x2 and on and on.  If I feel like I am getting sx, I just hold for a week. 

 

I’m sorry you are feeling bad 

 

Marie

 

Thank you Marie that is something to consider.  I really appreciate your help.

 

You’re welcome 

 

Marie

[[je...]]

Hi Diane

 

I finally made it to your thread! A couple of questions:

 

1. What liquid are you using - commercially manufactured, compounded or you own?

2. How were you doing with symptoms before you switched to liquid?

3. What's the longest you've held your dose?

4. Do you ever experience windows or is it consistently bad all the time?

[[Di...]]

Hi Jelly Baby,

I use the manufactured Lorazepam Intensol 2mg/ml.

 

I have used the intensol since the fall of 2020.  My symptoms weren't bad but the doctor started me off fast and it caught up to me.  I switched to intensol so I could slow down with smaller cuts.

 

The longest I've held is 7 weeks couldn't tell much difference.

 

Occasionally I will get a small window.

[[je...]]

Are you getting interdose withdrawal?

[[Di...]]

Are you getting interdose withdrawal?

 

Yes I do and I dose 4x/day.

[[je...]]

How are your doses split up (can you give me the mgs of each) and when you taper, which dose/s do you taper from?

[[Di...]]

How are your doses split up (can you give me the mgs of each) and when you taper, which dose/s do you taper from?

 

.093 mg all 4 doses.  I try to taper each dose so I can keep them even.

[[je...]]

Diane

 

I'm just speculating here. Your combined dose is still pretty high but your single doses are equivalent to 0.75mg Valium. When I got to this equivalent in my dose, my pre-existing benzo condition got very bad. I had it surfacing before but around this dose it was really bad which made me suspect that the therapeutic effect of the drug was wearing off. Now, I have no experience with split doses so it's difficult for me to fully understand. But because you've been experiencing interdose withdrawal and the half-life is so short, I'm wondering if the very low doses of the split drug might contribute to you feeling so horrible and not being able to level out? So if it's split up like this and when you are in the low quantities I'm wondering if there's enough therapeutic effect of the drug to carry you to your next dose? And then the half-life is so short, it might not last long enough from dose A to dose D to give you the combined therapeutic effect of all four doses? I might be wrong, but this is what comes to mind.

[[Di...]]

Hi Jelly Baby,

That could be a possibility.  So do you think I just need to wait it out and continue with the tiny reductions?  I don't know what else to do.

[[je...]]

Diane

 

This is such a tough spot to be in. Obviously you're still getting some level of therapeutic effect from the drug because you're still feeling the cuts, I'm just thinking it's not the same as it used to be. You could cross to Valium if it's unbearable and try to see if that works better but at this stage in the journey I don't know if it's worth the risk and the effort. It's probably best to continue with the tiny reductions. I know this is not what you wanted to hear and I wish I had better options for you. But I honestly think the therapeutic effect might be slowly working out. I'm hoping that as you get lower it will get better as your body is now adjusting to it and hopefully this is the hardest part.

 

Keep reaching out to us for moral support so we can help carry you through. You've done such a great job getting this low!   

[[Di...]]

Thank you so much Jelly Baby!  I so hope to be where you are very soon.  I am so glad you are doing well.

[[he...]]

Hey D,

 

I'm sorry you're still struggling so badly.

 

Just a thought, based on what JB said: if the individual doses are too low and ineffective, what if you went to three doses a day that were individually of greater amounts? You might run into greater interdose WD, but you might not and you might do better... I don't know.

[[Di...]]

Thanks J.  That is something for me to think about.

I hope you are continuing to feel better.

Hugs🤗