30 years on Valium

[[Be...]]

Hello pppl

First time here. Im looking to taper off valium and really have no idea how to do this. Ive had previous attempts while in long term rehab for alcohol with terrifying results so I left more for the benzo than the alcohol. Ive pretty much been taking 5mg a day for 30 years occasionally reaching 10 or 15mg daily. Ive always assumed that I had all of this under control but this no longer appears to be the case. Besides my anxiety and panic I have been getting lots of weird things going on. Strange vision, sweating, increased anxiety and depression to name a few. I guess my question is how the hell do I taper and for how long?

Ive got a medical tomorrow for a mine job here in Australia and I know I will fail the drug test and not get the job so its time for me to get this beast out of my life for good.

Any suggestions would be appreciated.

Regards Ben

[[Co...]]

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

You mention that you will probably fail a drug test tomorrow - are you prescribed Valium? Usually, prescribed benzodiazepines are not disqualifying for a job, unless you are an airline pilot, an HGV or train driver, or for some other safety-critical jobs.

The symptoms you describe can be caused by benzodiazepines. But they all can have other causes too. So, although might well be correct in your assumption, please see your doctor to have your symptoms checked out.

The good news is that 5mg per day is a very moderate dose of Valium. From what you describe about your present dose of 5mg and occasional use of 10 or 15mg, I assume you use 5mg tablets. For the purposes of tapering off, I strongly suggest that you ask your doctor for a prescription for 2mg tablets, as these will allow you to make smaller reductions to you dose via pill-splitting.