two - three weeks on valium

[[Ni...]]

hi! i was on gabapentin for my severe anxiety and found out it was that giving me the severe anxiety, i tapered off of it and have taken 1-2.5mg of valium everyday for a week then a few days of 5-10mg. now i have been on a steady 2.5 for a few days. in total 2 weeks. i stopped using the gabapentin today. would it be okay to use the 2.5mg valium for a few more days then go down to 1.25 for three days then 0.5 for a few days and off? or am i at any risk of seizure? that’s my only fear.

[[je...]]

Hi @[Ni...]

I checked out your previous posts and it seems as if the week prior to starting the Valium you were using Xanax and Librium.  Is that correct? Have you been using benzos prior to the Xanax incident? It is important to mention prior use as it might contribute to kindling. 

On 09/03/2024 at 15:28, [[N...] said:

I had a small binge of alcohol and xanax, 1mg a night of xanax for a week and drinking two weeks beforehand, i did a short librium taper, 25mg for two days, 10mg for two days then 5mg for two days, i had almost no withdrawal symptoms but on day 10 had serious ear ringing and anxiety so i took half of my 5mg dose, its been three days since and i had really bad anxiety today and some derealization. am i going to be okay? is there any risk of serious withdrawal and am i back in withdrawal after using the 2.5mg of librium after 10 days off.

 

[[Ni...]]

19 minutes ago, [[j...] said:

Hi @[Ni...]

I checked out your previous posts and it seems as if the week prior to starting the Valium you were using Xanax and Librium.  Is that correct? Have you been using benzos prior to the Xanax incident? It is important to mention prior use as it might contribute to kindling. 

hi! yes but i only used for a short while and after talking to my doctor she said i wasn’t having any withdrawal, it was side effects from being on the gabapentin. it was a short binge and i tapered off. i don’t think i have any kindling because it wasn’t really misused 

[[je...]]

Kindling is not about abusing or misusing benzos. Kindling refers to stopping and starting benzos and each subsequent attempt at stopping benzos might result in worse symptoms. Sometimes people are fine just stopping benzos cold turkey until one day they’re not. That’s because of kindling. You just need to keep in mind if you have a history of benzo use then we cannot guarantee a short usage of two weeks will have no withdrawal effects whatsoever. 

I think your tapering schedule is fine to attempt. I don’t think there’s a risk for seizures. 

[[Ni...]]

19 minutes ago, [[j...] said:

Kindling is not about abusing or misusing benzos. Kindling refers to stopping and starting benzos and each subsequent attempt at stopping benzos might result in worse symptoms. Sometimes people are fine just stopping benzos cold turkey until one day they’re not. That’s because of kindling. You just need to keep in mind if you have a history of benzo use then we cannot guarantee a short usage of two weeks will have no withdrawal effects whatsoever. 

I think your tapering schedule is fine to attempt. I don’t think there’s a risk for seizures. 

what if i did a slightly longer taper? like 2.5 for a week; then 1.25 for a week and then 0.6 for a week? does that sound better? that just a few days. thank you so much for the help

[[ns...]]

Nik346, 

Just wanted to chime in here about the gabapentin. 

Please get your sodium checked.

Gabapentin depletes sodium and can cause some severe side effects. 

Normally it's recommended to taper gabapentin, I did. It was a gradual step down but not too long of a taper.

I had some withdrawal but not too bad.

Add a little extra salt to your diet for awhile ok.

If you weren't on gabapentin very long you should be ok, but just the same, extra salt to be on the safe side. 

Low sodium can feel like anxiety, or for many, you feel tired, worn down, lethargic, exhausted. Dry mouth, excessive thirst.

When my anxiety is ramped up for no apparent reason, my sodium is usually low and I require iv fluids.

Please err on the safe side and get your sodium checked if you have these symptoms ok

Take care 

Ns

 

[[Ni...]]

17 minutes ago, [[n...] said:

Nik346, 

Just wanted to chime in here about the gabapentin. 

Please get your sodium checked.

Gabapentin depletes sodium and can cause some severe side effects. 

Normally it's recommended to taper gabapentin, I did. It was a gradual step down but not too long of a taper.

I had some withdrawal but not too bad.

Add a little extra salt to your diet for awhile ok.

If you weren't on gabapentin very long you should be ok, but just the same, extra salt to be on the safe side. 

Low sodium can feel like anxiety, or for many, you feel tired, worn down, lethargic, exhausted. Dry mouth, excessive thirst.

When my anxiety is ramped up for no apparent reason, my sodium is usually low and I require iv fluids.

Please err on the safe side and get your sodium checked if you have these symptoms ok

Take care 

Ns

i tapered down the gabapentin by 100mg every two days, i was only on it for a month at 400mg. thank you for the advice, i have noticed when i eat more fatty foods especially like burgers i feel better while eating. i’ve been adding more potassium to my diet as well. thank you so much for the advice. it’s my first day fully off the gabapentin and feel better than what i was on it, the valium is definitely helping. i’m gonna start tapering the valium later this week. 

[[je...]]

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

what if i did a slightly longer taper? like 2.5 for a week; then 1.25 for a week and then 0.6 for a week? does that sound better? that just a few days. thank you so much for the help

I don’t think an additional week will be beneficial. By now you have either developed some type of dependency or you have not. If you are not dependent you don’t want to create it by staying on longer. I also think it’s irresponsible for a provider to prescribe three benzos within one month. 

[[Ni...]]

13 minutes ago, [[j...] said:

I don’t think an additional week will be beneficial. By now you have either developed some type of dependency or you have not. If you are not dependent you don’t want to create it by staying on longer. I also think it’s irresponsible for a provider to prescribe three benzos within one month. 

so my original taper plan of a few more days on 2.5 then a few days of 1.25 then 0.6 is better than doing each for a week?  i agree if im not currently dependent i dont want to risk dependence or serious withdrawal. thank you so much for all of the help. 

[[je...]]

3 minutes ago, [[N...] said:

so my original taper plan of a few more days on 2.5 then a few days of 1.25 then 0.6 is better than doing each for a week?  i agree if im not currently dependent i dont want to risk dependence or serious withdrawal. thank you so much for all of the help. 

Yes, I would limit use to as little as possible.