Lorazepam - Diazepam Quick Taper

[[ra...]]

Hi there,

I was prescribed 2.5mg Lorazepam for insomnia to be used as needed.  6 weeks use in total, 3 times a week for the first 2 weeks at 2.5mg and then 4 weeks of daily use, mainly 1.25mg a night, occasionally 2.5mg.

I have also used Diazepam over the last 6 weeks, on nights where I did not take the Lorazepam, 10mg on 3 occasions at the start and 20mg on 4 occasions in the last month.

Last 10 days have been as follows (this wasn't a taper schedule, went too high on the switch over to try and get some sleep due to the insomnia being so bad)

Days 1-4 1.25mg Lorazepam

Days 5 1.25mg Lorazepam and 20mg Diazepam

Day 6 20mg Diazepam

Day 7 15mg Diazepam

Day 8 12.5mg Diazepam

Day 9 10mg Diazepam

Day 10 8.75mg Diazepam

Today 8.75mg Diazepam.

 

I would like to do as short a taper as possible to try and ensure a smooth taper off.  I have been through bad alcohol withdraws before requiring hospital detox twice and have self tapered off alcohol 3 times myself also using a reducing dose of Diazepam over a week, all this was in the last 18 months.  Last detox was from alcohol 6 months ago (the worst one, 3 days in hospital, given 150mg Diazepam day 1, followed by 40mg day 2 and then released on day 3 cold turkey, took a few months to feel near normal again).  So I am concerned I already have some kindling with GABA.  I am already feeling some effects of cutting down such as insomnia, anxiety, muscle jerks at night which I think is due to the sudden up dose on the weekend mainly and subsequent drop.

I only have Diazepam to taper, 5mg prescription tablets and a supply of (hopefully) 56, I have 28 at the moment but should be able to get the rest tomorrow, probably no more after this.

I was thinking of the following as I'm not sure how much dependence I have at the moment so don't want to prolong any longer than needed but also want to try and avoid PAWS which I had fairly bad for the first few months after the recent alcohol detox.

 

Day 1	8.75
Day 2	7.5
Day 3	7.5
Day 4	7.5
Day 5	6.25
Day 6	6.25
Day 7	6.25
Day 8	5
Day 9	5
Day 10	5
Day 11	3.75
Day 12	3.75
Day 13	3.75
Day 14	2.5
Day 15	2.5
Day 16	2.5
Day 17	1.25
Day 18	1.25
Day 19	1.25

 

 

Many thanks.

 

[[ou...]]

I agree that after short term use a rapid taper is called for. My general rule of thumb is taper approximately as long as you've been taking it regularly. Thus I think you should consider going a bit more slowly, especially since you've gone through previous detoxes, say 1.25mg cuts every 4 days for a total of 4 weeks.

[[ra...]]

1 hour ago, [[o...] said:

I agree that after short term use a rapid taper is called for. My general rule of thumb is taper approximately as long as you've been taking it regularly. Thus I think you should consider going a bit more slowly, especially since you've gone through previous detoxes, say 1.25mg cuts every 4 days for a total of 4 weeks.

Thank you that makes sense, thankfully I have got the prescription today so have 56 x 5mg tabs available so more than enough to do a 4 week taper with room to adjust if needed, I will do 1.25mg cuts every 4 days and let you know how I get on. 
 

Today will be day 3 on 8.75mg.  Insomnia is really bad, the muscle jerks stopped last night (sure they will return) and anxiety is mild-moderate today, also have some digestive issues and feeling extremely tired from the lack of sleep but all tolerable so far and hoping it will even out over the next week as I’m sure the large doses for the few days a week ago did not help. 

[[ou...]]

You say insomnia is bad but tolerable. If symptoms start getting intolerable it's a sign to slow down. Also I'm no expert when it comes to short term use so you should definitely hear from others with similar experiences.

[[ra...]]

8 minutes ago, [[o...] said:

You say insomnia is bad but tolerable. If symptoms start getting intolerable it's a sign to slow down. Also I'm no expert when it comes to short term use so you should definitely hear from others with similar experiences.

Thanks - the insomnia was here before I started taking them (it was the reason they were prescribed) so I’m not expecting it to go away any time soon but it’s been a lot worse the last week since I upped the dosage during the switch over so hoping it stabilises a bit. 

[[Co...]]

Hello @[ra...]. Welcome to BenzoBuddies.

[[ra...]]

8 minutes ago, [[C...] said:

Hello @[ra...]. Welcome to BenzoBuddies.

Hi there, thank you

[[ra...]]

Just wanted to check in with how I've been doing.  All managable so far, feeling OK in general, mainly insomnia which is why I was on the Lorazapam in the first place.  I have adjusted the taper slightly depending on what days the cuts land on and my work scehdule.  I'm moving down from 5mg Diazapam to 3.75mg tonight, I've got 2 half days in work and then 2 days off then a full day in work Monday (all WFH), so aiming to stay at 3.75mg until Monday night then reducing to 2.5mg providing all OK.

 

Anyone else got any thoughts?  I know it's a quick taper by usual standards but hoping it will be long enough given I was only taking the Ativan/Lorazapam for 3-4 weeks nightly.

 

8.75	Done	Day 1	Wed	Bad anxiety
8.75	Done	Day 2	Thu	Not great but better
8.75	Done	Day 3	Fri	Not great but better
8.75	Done	Day 4	Sat	Not great but better
7.5	Done	Day 5	Sun	Not great but better
7.5	Done	Day 6	Mon	Felt OK all day, little bit tired
7.5	Done	Day 7	Tue	Felt OK all day, little bit tired
6.25	Done	Day 8	Wed	Felt OK all day, little bit tired
6.25	Done	Day 9	Thu	Felt OK all day, little bit tired
6.25	Done	Day 10	Fri	Felt great all day
5	Done	Day 11	Sat	Felt great all day
5	Done	Day 12	Sun	Felt OK all day, little bit tired
5	Done	Day 13	Mon	Insomnia / poor sleep night before, jumps when falling asleep, very tired today
5	Done	Day 14	Tue	Insomnia / Poor Sleep last night, tired today, slightly agitated at night
3.75	Tonight	Day 15	Wed	Insomnia / Poor sleep last night but felt OK all day.
3.75	Tomorrow	Day 16	Thu
3.75		Day 17	Fri
3.75		Day 18	Sat
3.75		Day 19	Sun
2.5		Day 20	Mon
2.5		Day 21	Tue
2.5		Day 22	Wed
2.5		Day 23	Thu
1.25		Day 24	Fri
1.25		Day 25	Sat
1.25		Day 26	Sun

 

[[Co...]]

Hi @[ra...]

You seem to be doing a good job. And keeping diary is a sensible idea.

Given your history of relatively short-term use, and other complications around your past use of alcohol, I think your plan makes a lot of sense: get off as soon as practicable (and safely).

Some difficulties during withdrawal is to be expected of course; and pushing through manageable difficulties is necessary for many of us.

So long as you continue to be flexible, where necessary potentially sticking at a dose for longer than you had planned, I expect you will be OK.

Good luck.

[[ra...]]

Thank you Colin  

I’ve got 37 x 5mg tablets left so more than enough to extend if needed / hold at doses a bit longer if needed. 
 

I will continue with the above plan and diary and check back in over the next week when I’m hopefully down to 2.5mg.

[[Co...]]

@[ra...] I look forward to the update.

[[ra...]]

Still going OK so far, best sleep last night for the last week or so, cutting down from 3.75mg to 2.5mg tonight   Definitely having some symptoms but very manageable and I was getting the restless legs, jumps falling asleep and insomnia and tiredness during the intermittent usage so was expecting them to return as I taper and come off.  I have got 60 x 5 mg as prescription was refilled Friday so I've got plenty of scope to hold and taper longer if needed coming towards the end.  Thoughts?  Or am I better getting off asap due to the short usage?  I'm currently at 6 weeks of daily usage, 3 weeks Ativan 1.25mg and 3 week Valium tapering down (I checked my dates and it was 28th Oct the daily usage started)  I'm off work from the 23rd - 4th Jan so will have a chance to rest up during this period so I feel like it's a good time to jump just before then on the 21st 

 

Taper plan and progress:

Nov 22	8.75	Done	Day 1	Wed	Bad anxiety
Nov 23	8.75	Done	Day 2	Thu	Not great but better
Nov 24	8.75	Done	Day 3	Fri	Not great but better
Nov 25	8.75	Done	Day 4	Sat	Not great but better
Nov 26	7.5	Done	Day 5	Sun	Not great but better
Nov 27	7.5	Done	Day 6	Mon	Felt OK all day, little bit tired
Nov 28	7.5	Done	Day 7	Tue	Felt OK all day, little bit tired
Nov 29	6.25	Done	Day 8	Wed	Felt OK all day, little bit tired
Nov 30	6.25	Done	Day 9	Thu	Felt OK all day, little bit tired
Dec 1	6.25	Done	Day 10	Fri	Felt great all day
Dec 2	5	Done	Day 11	Sat	Felt great all day
Dec 3	5	Done	Day 12	Sun	Felt OK all day, little bit tired
Dec 4	5	Done	Day 13	Mon	Insomnia / Poor sleep night before, jumps when falling asleep, very tired today
Dec 5	5	Done	Day 14	Tue	Insomnia / Poor Sleep last night, tired today, slightly agitated at night
Dec 6	3.75	Done	Day 15	Wed	Insomnia / Poor sleep last night, feel OK today
Dec 7	3.75	Done	Day 16	Thu	Insomnia / Poor sleep last night, feel good today
Dec 8	3.75	Done	Day 17	Fri	Insomnia / Poor sleep last night, very tired today, slightly anxious at night
Dec 9	3.75	Done	Day 18	Sat	Insomnia / Slightly better sleep last night, tired today, restless legs in evening
Dec 10	3.75	Done	Day 19	Sun	Insomnia / Slightly better sleep last night, tired today, little bit spaced out in morning
Dec 11	2.5	Done	Day 20	Mon	Reduced Insomnia and slightly better sleep last night, some jumps falling asleep, felt good all day
Dec 12	2.5		Day 21	Tue	Half day in work
Dec 13	2.5		Day 22	Wed	Full day in work
Dec 14	2.5		Day 23	Thu	Day off
Dec 15	2.5		Day 24	Fri	Half day in work
Dec 16	1.25		Day 25	Sat	Day off
Dec 17	1.25		Day 26	Sun	Day off
Dec 18	1.25		Day 27	Mon	Full day in work
Dec 19	1.25		Day 28	Tues	Half day in work
Dec 20	1.25		Day 29	Weds	Full day in work
Dec 21	1.25		Day 30	Thurs	Half day in work
Dec 22	jump		Day 31	Fri	Full day in work

 

 

[[Co...]]

18 minutes ago, [[r...] said:

Still going OK so far, best sleep last night for the last week or so, cutting down from 3.75mg to 2.5mg tonight   Definitely having some symptoms but very manageable and I was getting the restless legs, jumps falling asleep and insomnia and tiredness during the intermittent usage so was expecting them to return as I taper and come off.

Congratulations on your progress, @[ra...]

18 minutes ago, [[r...] said:

I have got 60 x 5 mg as prescription was refilled Friday so I've got plenty of scope to hold and taper longer if needed coming towards the end.  Thoughts?  Or am I better getting off asap due to the short usage?  I'm currently at 6 weeks of daily usage, 3 weeks Ativan 1.25mg and 3 week Valium tapering down (I checked my dates and it was 28th Oct the daily usage started)  I'm off work from the 23rd - 4th Jan so will have a chance to rest up during this period so I feel like it's a good time to jump just before then on the 21st 

Yeah. After short term use, it is usually better to finish your taper sooner rather than later. The longer you take it, the greater the risk of developing or deepening your dependency. Though, this should be tempered with what is manageable for you. If you need to take a few extra days between cuts towards the end, then so be it.

I understand your desire to finish this before you return to work. But on the other hand, I am sure you wish to avoid returning to work feeling unwell due to a too rapid withdrawal. My suggestion is have your aim (that's good), but do not let constrain you so much that you fail to do what's best in the situation. The precise date is not important; what is important is to get off in a reasonable timeframe, to do it safely, and to complete it in manageable way.

[[ra...]]

Thanks again Colin, will see how the next 5 days go on 2.5mg and go from there

[[ra...]]

Still going, struggling with insomnia, tiredness and bad moods but to be expected?  Tonight will be night 3 of 1.25mg, going to try and jump this week then.

 

Dec 11	2.5	Done	Day 20	Mon	Reduced Insomnia and slightly better sleep last night, some jumps falling asleep, felt good all day
Dec 12	2.5	Done	Day 21	Tue	Reduced Insomnia and slightly better sleep last night, some jumps falling asleep, felt good all day
Dec 13	2.5	Done	Day 22	Wed	Better sleep last night, felt great all day
Dec 14	2.5	Done	Day 23	Thu	Poor sleep last night, felt good all day
Dec 15	1.25	Done	Day 24	Fri	Insomnia / Very bad sleep last night, jumps falling asleep, very feel tired and bad mood all day
Dec 16	1.25	Done	Day 25	Sat	Insomnia / bad sleep last night, tired and bad mood in afternoon
Dec 17	1.25		Day 26	Sun	Same as yesterday
Dec 18	1.25		Day 27	Mon	Mon
Dec 19	1.25		Day 28	Tues	Tues
Dec 20	0		Day 29	Weds	Weds
Dec 21	0		Day 30	Thurs	Thurs
Dec 22	0		Day 31	Fri	Fri

 

Edited December 17, 2023 by [ra...]

[[Co...]]

Looking good, @[ra...].

Yes, within reasonable bounds, some discomfort and/or effects on mood are to be expected.

By the way, for other members, what app do you use to generate your withdrawal tables?

[[ra...]]

1 hour ago, [[C...] said:

Looking good, @[ra...].

Yes, within reasonable bounds, some discomfort and/or effects on mood are to be expected.

By the way, for other members, what app do you use to generate your withdrawal tables?

Thank you Colin.

Its just an Excel Spreadsheet that I copied and pasted  

 

[[Co...]]

1 hour ago, [[r...] said:

Thank you Colin.

Its just an Excel Spreadsheet that I copied and pasted  

Great. I've not tested it with this forum software (as we only moved to this software a few months ago), but I expect this is possible using Google Docs too (which is free).

[[ra...]]

Hope everyone has had a good Christmas.

Christmas day was probably the worst (most tired) I have felt unfortunately, got hardly any sleep Xmas Eve, I think the thought of not being able to sleep with the big day ahead just made the insomnia worse.  Managed to still enjoy the day with the family though and felt better as the day went on.  Slept much better Xmas night and felt OK boxing day but tired in the night, have had insomnia since then the last 2 nights but not as bad as it has been and not feeling too bad at the moment.  Day 8 since stopping.

Wondering if the following could be withdrawal related -

Digestive issues, a lot more gassy then usual.

Mild neuropathy in hands and feet (burning /tingling sensation)

I had both following alcohol withdrawal and they eventually went away so thinking might be the same again with the Benzo withdrawal?  Still getting some jumps when falling asleep but mostly gone for now, insomnia is the main issue which then makes me feel tried and groggy but apart from these things seem to be settling down, anxiety has gone which was bad at the start.  Not drinking at all btw, has been 8 months now since quitting daily drinking, with just 1 night a few months ago where I had a few beers (avoided benzo's that night).  Going to stay off it for a while longer to hopefully let my nervous system reset, would be nice to enjoy a few beers in the summer or next year!

[[ra...]]

Happy New Year to everyone

My sleep is starting to improve now and I'm feeling a little better.  I do have a few more symptoms the last couple of days however with pressure in my head and slightly blurry vision.  I will check my blood pressure is OK, if that comes back normal then I'm thinking it's part of withdrawal?  The anxiety, jumps falling asleep have gone and sleep is improving.  So it's the head pressure, blurry vision, digestive issues and neuropathy the remain at the moment, are all of these common symptoms? 

[[Co...]]

How are you feeling now, @[ra...]?

[[ra...]]

Hi Colin

Thanks for checking in, I’ve been feeling really good the past few days. Blurry vision has gone and the head pressure has reduced to a minimal amount just in the evenings, blood pressure checked and it’s fine (125/80). Sleep this week has been the best it’s been in months which is making me feel so much better. Digestive issues have calmed down also, still got the tingling/pain/cold feeling in my feet and very slight in my hands but nothing too bad, I had it for a while after alcohol withdrawal and it went away so hopefully it will go away following the benzo withdrawal also.

So all in all very good at the moment with just some mild lingering symptoms. 
Day 16 since jumping.

Edited January 5 by [ra...]

[[Co...]]

That's really great @[ra...], especially on the sleep front. And I expect those lingering withdrawal symptoms will continue to improve over the coming weeks.

Please continue to let us know of your progress.