Help tapering V thank to everyone who will help!

[[Gi...]]

Hi, I need help tapering my V… please don’t be judgmental… I ve been on Lorme pills since 2015 (I started taking them after a personal loss that affected me tremendously and could no sleep, but I had to function to keep my job!) them around 2019 I understood I was into kindling and switched to V after finding the Ashton manual online. 
Unfortunately due to personal issues and poor knowledge by my doctors I started abusing them, till the point I was delivered to the hospital right before the pandemic. 
Now I feel better I talked to my doctor on march 19 and booked an appointment for April 20 with a top psychiatrist that has knowledge of pharmacology, but till then I have to do by my own: 
I started tapering from half a bottle at night to some drops as needed but I was not able to ct it due to enormous wd symptoms, yesterday I took 25 drops in the morning 25 in the afternoon and 100 to sleep.. I woke up once at 3 but I was able to sleep and today I’m going to work, I have no more shacking.. is it ok in you opinion to keep this until April 20? 

[[Co...]]

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

I cannot properly respond properly to you right now, but others will be along to help you.

Please know that you are amongst friends and will not be judged here.

[[Gi...]]

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

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

I cannot properly respond properly to you right now, but others will be along to help you.

Please know that you are amongst friends and will not be judged here.

Thank you Colin for your kindness… Hope that someone who has tapered V will answer… 

thanks again for your kind words 

[[Co...]]

Hi @[Gi...]

To what dose does 25 drops of Valium equate?

[[Gi...]]

Just now, [[C...] said:

Hi @[Gi...]

To what dose does 25 drops of Valium equate?

Hi Colin, 25 drops equate to 1 ml and 5 mg… 

I usually used V only to sleep, now that I’ve drastically reduced the intake, I feel good taking 5 mg before going at work and 20 mg to sleep…

[[Co...]]

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

Hi Colin, 25 drops equate to 1 ml and 5 mg… 

I usually used V only to sleep, now that I’ve drastically reduced the intake, I feel good taking 5 mg before going at work and 20 mg to sleep…

Than you for responding. Can you describe your taper so far: staring dose, the date you started your taper, most recent reduction to dose, and anything else you feel might be significant.

9 hours ago, [[G...] said:

I understood I was into kindling and switched to V after finding the Ashton manual online. 

Why do you think you were experiencing kindling effects?

9 hours ago, [[G...] said:

is it ok in you opinion to keep this until April 20?

I am unsure what you mean by the above. Please clarify.

[[Gi...]]

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

Than you for responding. Can you describe your taper so far: staring dose, the date you started your taper, most recent reduction to dose, and anything else you feel might be significant.

Why do you think you were experiencing kindling effects?

I am unsure what you mean by the above. Please clarify.

Hi Colin, and thanks for your support. 
I think I experienced kindling cause in the start sleep was every good and relaxing. I didn’t even hear my phone ring or louder rumor ( sleep has always been my one n only issue and the reason for this meds) in the end, even at a very high amount my sleep was very poor. 
 

on March 19 I went to my general Doc and explained this and my will to get off, since they had no more the effect. 
she agreed, did a prescription and suggested, while I waited for the psychiatrist to start tapering “following my body” I’ve cut half my drops the first night and started taking only 25 drops before sleep. I could sleep but I was shaky and couldn’t work. So she suggested me to take: 10 drops morning, 10 drops 5 pm and 70 before sleep. That’s about 14mg, and go on like that till I see the doctor…

[[Gi...]]

Ok so after March 31 I finally settled down to this: 70 drop of V only at night to sleep, that is about 14mg. I’m able to work, drive and I can sleep! 
first night I slept 5 hours yesterday I slept 8!! 
I still wake up all of a sudden and it takes me half an hour to calm down, and be able to prepare my self for work, but as the day goes on I settle and I feel better… planning to go down to 65 drops tomorrow so it will be 12.5 dmg and see if it works! Still have tingling mostly in the morning but def improved… maybe cause I have turned down communication with the most toxic people in my life that tried to gaslight me and stress me: my mom and my sister. 
I know for some it will sound strange but avoiding toxic people in my life makes me feel extremely better!

[[Co...]]

On 03/04/2024 at 20:35, [[G...] said:

Hi Colin, and thanks for your support. 
I think I experienced kindling cause in the start sleep was every good and relaxing. I didn’t even hear my phone ring or louder rumor ( sleep has always been my one n only issue and the reason for this meds) in the end, even at a very high amount my sleep was very poor.

It seems that you might misunderstand 'kindling'. The concept is borrowed from alcoholism, and refers repeated cycles of use of benzodiazepines and results in ever more difficult withdrawal cycles. There is very good evidence for this something occurring with alcohol. And increasingly good evidence for this for benzodiazepines. But this not occur with most people, and only to some of those who have gone through multiple cycles of use and withdrawal.

On 03/04/2024 at 20:35, [[G...] said:

on March 19 I went to my general Doc and explained this and my will to get off, since they had no more the effect.

Is this your first time withdrawing?

On 03/04/2024 at 20:35, [[G...] said:

she agreed, did a prescription and suggested, while I waited for the psychiatrist to start tapering “following my body” I’ve cut half my drops the first night and started taking only 25 drops before sleep. I could sleep but I was shaky and couldn’t work. So she suggested me to take: 10 drops morning, 10 drops 5 pm and 70 before sleep. That’s about 14mg, and go on like that till I see the doctor…

OK. It seems that you have a good and responsive GP there. That's great!

[[Co...]]

15 hours ago, [[G...] said:

Ok so after March 31 I finally settled down to this: 70 drop of V only at night to sleep, that is about 14mg. I’m able to work, drive and I can sleep! 
first night I slept 5 hours yesterday I slept 8!! 
I still wake up all of a sudden and it takes me half an hour to calm down, and be able to prepare my self for work, but as the day goes on I settle and I feel better… planning to go down to 65 drops tomorrow so it will be 12.5 dmg and see if it works! Still have tingling mostly in the morning but def improved… maybe cause I have turned down communication with the most toxic people in my life that tried to gaslight me and stress me: my mom and my sister. 
I know for some it will sound strange but avoiding toxic people in my life makes me feel extremely better!

More good news! Well done.

It is more important that you finish your taper without experiencing too many problems than it is to do it quickly. Take it steady, keep the reductions small, and make new reductions only after you feel reasonably recovered from the previous dose reduction.

Good job!

[[Gi...]]

On 07/04/2024 at 00:39, [[C...] said:

More good news! Well done.

It is more important that you finish your taper without experiencing too many problems than it is to do it quickly. Take it steady, keep the reductions small, and make new reductions only after you feel reasonably recovered from the previous dose reduction.

Good job!

Thank you Colin, it’s not the first tipe I try to stop benzos but it’s the first time I do it with determination, and avoiding everything that can disturb my body: mostly alcohol and toxic people. 
after 8 nights at 70 drops yesterday I started going down at 65 and I feel good! 
thank you for your explanation, I’m Italian and I thought kindling means “being addicted to a dose” 

I ll keep updated and I hope mine will become a successful story!

[[Gi...]]

So today I finally saw my psychiatrist: he told me I’ve been very good but pushing myself too hard from so much valium a day to only 8mg in drops at night and 5 in the morning (about 2mg). 
he told me now we’ll taper only one drop at week and that if I feel bad I need to call him but jot up dose alone. He also gave me hope. He told me that if I’ve been successful in letting go lormetazepam alone, that for him Is the worse and most addictive benzo, I’ll be successful also in letting go valium! 
He told me absolutely to not CT and continue tapering with him while following El with him psychotherapy, cause he thinks I have do much inside to let go, and when I’ll be able to let go, it will also be more easy to let valium go.. I feel so full of hope right now!!