Was switching from Xanax to Valium the turning point for you?

[[Kh...]]

29 minutes ago, [[M...] said:

Update:

After meeting with my doctor today he agreed that I should switch over to diazepam.

He was very understanding and supportive. 
We are starting by replacing my evening .25 mg dose of X with 5 mg of diazepam. See how that goes. Then we will do the same with the morning .25 and so on. 
he said there is no rush. 
I am so relieved that he is on board with the program!

Wish me luck

It’s gonna go well for you.  And once ur comfortable with the V you could move to single dose before bed.  Helps sleep and easier to deal with one dose.  Best of luck keep us posted 🙏

[[or...]]

Good luck, @[Ma...]. Crossing over to valium sure worked out for me! Hope it will do the same for you. 

[[Ma...]]

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

That's wonderful! I'm so happy for you. And I'm relieved you don't have to go to a facility to do it. Well done for successfully navigating this situation with your doctor! 

I hope the crossover goes smoothly.

I hope it goes smoothly as well. I start tomorrow night. I’m not sure what the possible problems switching over are but I am glad my psychiatrist listened to me and agreed with the Ashton method.

Even though he wanted to do a straight switch initially. After looking it up on the computer in front of me he thought the slower switch made since.

🤞

[[Hu...]]

8 hours ago, [[M...] said:

I’m not sure what the possible problems switching over are

🤞

fatigue, memory problems

Let us know how it is going for you.

[[Ma...]]

On 20/02/2024 at 18:17, [[k...] said:

I began tapering from 4mg of Klonopin and 1mg of Ativan daily to 60 mg of diazepam and started down from there.  It's probably the only good thing that my original psychiatrist did for me.  This was all done just as my BZ taper started.  Feel free to check out my taper history on my profile.  It's not a model by any means.  Way too quick and too much of a drop at each interval.  I think you'd better go to the site that jelly baby suggested to get a better take on things.  I've gotten into trouble at the lower doses and had to reinstate (from 2mg to 4), but they do make Diazepam in liquid form and many folks here have used it finish up when they get to the low levels.  I take my dose in the AM.  Interdose symptoms seem to follow a pattern for me: AM is a struggle, Mid Day probably the worst  and things improve in the PM hours.  Evidence posted here cites changes in the cortisol levels as the culprit.  

I have to agree I’m only in the very beginning of my crossover but in general with my first cut without Valium I agree about the times of day 100% best of luck to you 🩷🩷

[[Ma...]]

Question??
Did diazepam affect your sleep and mood?
I have been on it two nights and am finding it difficult to sleep and having vivid bad dreams. My anxiety is better but my mood is worse. Lack of motivation as well.
Does this go away over time or could this affect happen during the switch??

[[wi...]]

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

Question??
Did diazepam affect your sleep and mood?
I have been on it two nights and am finding it difficult to sleep and having vivid bad dreams. My anxiety is better but my mood is worse. Lack of motivation as well.
Does this go away over time or could this affect happen during the switch??

You’ll get 20 different answers to these questions. No one can tell you these answers as everyone has such different experiences. 
 

I’ll say it again, Valium is not a miracle pill. It’s known to cause mood issues, vivid dreams and like all benzodiazepines, ironically screws up sleep. 
 Plus your tapering, things are not going to be pleasant, and crossing over is an odd experience.
 

Good luck on your journey.

Edited February 24 by [wi...]

[[Ma...]]

6 hours ago, [[w...] said:

You’ll get 20 different answers to these questions. No one can tell you these answers as everyone has such different experiences. 
 

I’ll say it again, Valium is not a miracle pill. It’s known to cause mood issues, vivid dreams and like all benzodiazepines, ironically screws up sleep. 
 Plus your tapering, things are not going to be pleasant, and crossing over is an odd experience.
 

Good luck on your journey.

I am not tapering yet I’m just in the very beginning stages of switching over. It would be nice if I could hear other peoples experience while they started switching over to diazepam.

[[je...]]

How are you doing @[Ma...]?

[[je...]]

@[Ma...] @[Ma...] and @[...] meet each other. You’re all currently in a Xanax to Valium crossover. You might want to reach out to each other and share your experiences to support one another. 

[[Ma...]]

3 hours ago, [[j...] said:

How are you doing @[Ma...]?

I’m going ok but I can’t sleep at night. And my gastric issues are getting worse from nerves I guess.

[[je...]]

24 minutes ago, [[M...] said:

I’m going ok but I can’t sleep at night. And my gastric issues are getting worse from nerves I guess.

I think Xanax has a very strong effect on getting you to sleep. 

I also know that stress and anxiety can really make symptoms worse. I also feel it in my stomach when I stress.

[[Ma...]]

You’re probably right. It doesn’t help matters that I stopped my nightly glass of wine the day I started diazepam. I’ve had a glass of wine before bed for a long time. 
Don’t want to mix it with diazepam. A lot of things going on at the same time and a big family trip coming up next week. Trying to figure it out. So far I’m just replacing my evening dose with diazepam. After two weeks I’m going to replace my morning or noon dose.
I wish I could find something to make me sleepy.

Edited February 26 by [Ma...]

[[Pa...]]

52 minutes ago, [[M...] said:

A lot of things going on at the same time and a big family trip coming up next week.

This sounds like it could be stressful given what you're dealing with and stress is one of the biggest contributors to increased symptom severity.  Do you have any tools you use to help with anxiety and stress? 

[[Ma...]]

20 minutes ago, [[P...] said:

This sounds like it could be stressful given what you're dealing with and stress is one of the biggest contributors to increased symptom severity.  Do you have any tools you use to help with anxiety and stress? 

Just breathing exercises and mindfulness. I need something to help me sleep that is ok to use with diazepam.

i can get very relaxed but can’t fall asleep. It’s very difficult. I think since Thursday I’ve had about 12 hours of sleep. I thought diazepam was used for sleep. It’s having the opposite effect. I walk until I’m so tired and then take a warm bath but still can’t sleep. 

[[Pa...]]

Sleep is tough to come by, I know some members mention cannabis and CBD as being helpful, others not so much and I've read medications containing histamine can be helpful.

I'm glad you have some tools for anxiety but sleep, that was impossible for me too. 

[[An...]]

I have read anecdotal stories about ppl who reboot their sleep cycles by on purpose going more than 24 hours without sleep. Even if you are getting let's say only 2-3 hours per night, force yourself "on purpose" to not sleep or even try at all one night. Then, the following day, do not nap (even if the urge is strong) and then go to bed at your regular time the next night.

I don't know if this will help or not. I am just throwing it out there for consideration. I eat a whole food plant-based diet for example. It can get pretty boring and bland at times b/c I basically eat the same things over and over, so I can suffer with what I call food boredom at times. What I will sometimes do is fast for 24-36  hours without any food, just stay hydrated by drinking 8 cups of water. When I eat again, I have an appreciation for the food I have been eating daily and gotten bored with b/c I am really hungry. The same meal then tastes especially good b/c of what Dr. Joel Fuhrman refers to as true hunger. This strategy btw is what some use (like at True North) to transition ppl from SAD (standard American Diet) to a more healthier way of eating by introducing things into your diet that are a lot healthier but you don't like or eat a lot like fruits, veggies, and whole grains.

[[Kh...]]

On 25/02/2024 at 19:13, [[M...] said:

Just breathing exercises and mindfulness. I need something to help me sleep that is ok to use with diazepam.

i can get very relaxed but can’t fall asleep. It’s very difficult. I think since Thursday I’ve had about 12 hours of sleep. I thought diazepam was used for sleep. It’s having the opposite effect. I walk until I’m so tired and then take a warm bath but still can’t sleep. 

Surprised.  Valium helped me sleep.  Until I quit it and then insomnia turned up. 😞

[[Ma...]]

17 hours ago, [[P...] said:

Sleep is tough to come by, I know some members mention cannabis and CBD as being helpful, others not so much and I've read medications containing histamine can be helpful.

I'm glad you have some tools for anxiety but sleep, that was impossible for me too. 

Are you talking about Benadryl type medications?

How about Melatonin?

[[Re...]]

@[Ma...]Classic antihistamines (doxylamine, promethazine, diphenhydramine, etc,) might be beneficial, but in the short term only. These have sedation as one ot their side effect. Many OTC products contain these antihistamines, too. 

It is wise to speak with your doctor before taking them, and discuss conditions and other medications. Some might have cardiovascular side effects, etc. 

Melatonin helped me sleep personally, the only thing I experienced was daytime drowsiness, the same as antihistamines. 

I hope your sleep will improve after crossing to diazepam, and the other issues will resolve soon, too. 

[[Pa...]]

I don't know if you've read this post @[Ma...] but many have found it helpful. 

 

[[Ma...]]

I actually got some sleep last night. Maybe 4 hours. Feel like I have a nervous hangover. 
Made it to work. (Trying to be productive but not so much) Hopefully when I make the full switch over to Valium this will smooth out 🙏

Edited February 27 by [Ma...]