Crossing to Liquid Valium - Need help, at end of Taper

[[Ch...]]

2 hours ago, [[a...] said:

Hi Libertas @[Li...],

Thanks so much for all your support. I have had little change in the last week. I fear things will not return to normal. I feel so upset and hopeless. After just a few doses of antibiotic, I got horrible symtoms so scared these will remain. I feel like I am in withdrawl. If I hold at current dose, I will only be able to hold for so long. On such a low dosage I am worried about reaching tolerance and getting more symptoms. My Doc wants to me to updose to see if there is any improvement. At this point, I feel so unstable, Help! How can I move forward now? Await your super advice....

Are you still at .25mg of Valium? Is that correct? If so, why? I mean, why haven't you jumped??

[[an...]]

@[Ch...], thanks so much for your kind response. I have been holding to see if my symtoms return to previous levels. I started getting burning after I took the antibiotic Its been a week and I feel I am now in withdrawl. Should I just jump or hold longer? Don't know what to do? My Doc suggested updosing. So Scared. Would greatly appreciate any advice...

Edited June 3 by [an...]

[[je...]]

I would not updose. This is the cycle that I was describing previously. Your current symptoms are likely due to the antibiotics. I also doubt very much that as such a low dose there’s an inherent risk for tolerance, because I don’t think there’s any therapeutic effect. I think for now just hold for the psychological benefit. When you jump it has an anxiety component that could aggravate your symptoms.

Hopefully you’ll recover from the antibiotic setback soon. And try not to worry about it. 

[[an...]]

Hi Jelly baby. @[je...]Thanks for your response, greatly appreciated. I will hold, but I feel the burning is getting worse not better. I did not have this befoe the antibiotic and I only took a few doses. Very scared, do you think the burning will go when I have recovered from the setback? 

[[je...]]

I can't say for sure. In withdrawal most of the time we're guessing.

I know when you're in the thick of it, it is so tough and scary and it feels like it will never end. But it does. Sometimes it just might take a while. Hopefully the burning will settle as well. That is generally the pattern. Time is an amazing healer. 

[[Ch...]]

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

Hi Jelly baby. @[je...]Thanks for your response, greatly appreciated. I will hold, but I feel the burning is getting worse not better. I did not have this befoe the antibiotic and I only took a few doses. Very scared, do you think the burning will go when I have recovered from the setback? 

You are well within the safety zone for stopping the Valium. From my experience tapering that drug, I think that you should NOT hold and just stop taking it. While it may be helping you "psychologically.," I suspect it is only aggravating you physically. Be done with it so that you can really start healing.

[[an...]]

Hi,

After more that 23 days on hold at .25mg I broke down and updosed, so sorry but I was so discouraged with my failed taper, did not know what else to do. I updoses 1 mg Valium last night and up .25mg previous 2 nights and was wondering if I could just go down to previous dosage tonight. I believe it was a mistake, symtoms are now worse. Please help, I don't know what to do....I am so afraid this is fatal mistake and I will never heal.....

Edited June 19 by [an...]

[[an...]]

@[je...] Hi Jelly belly, I feel so bad I panicked. Any of your fantastic advice would greatly be appreciated. Could I just treat this as one updose and go down to previous dosage tonight? I thought that I would updose to a point where I was more stable and then start tapering again, but I don't know if thats possible. Thanks so much......

[[je...]]

I’m not sure I understand. How many days in total did you updose? 

[[an...]]

Hi Jelly baby @[je...], thanks for you kind response. I took extra .25mg, .50mg two nights and last night took 1 mg Valium (3 days). Can I just go back to .50 mgs? I appreciate all your advice and support. So upset...

[[Ca...]]

i updosed similarly to you and was persuaded to updose by two mgs from 12.2 to 14 and hold. That was mid march. I did. I think it was an error. It did not help me at all. Now I have restarted my taper and I am feeling it. So in my view if youre going to feel awful at least make progress on the taper.

[[je...]]

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

Hi Jelly baby @[je...], thanks for you kind response. I took extra .25mg, .50mg two nights and last night took 1 mg Valium (3 days). Can I just go back to .50 mgs? I appreciate all your advice and support. So upset...

I would go back to 0.25mg. It was probably the 1mg that made you feel more intense symptoms. You ultimately want to avoid what I said here:

 

On 19/05/2024 at 16:49, [[j...] said:

My biggest concern of what I have seen here, is that people taper down very low, start experiencing symptoms and then updose, don't feel better, struggle even more to taper down a higher dose when they should've just jumped when they were low enough.

 

And try not to be too upset with yourself as anxiety and stress can make symptoms worse.  

[[an...]]

Hi Jelly belly @[je...], thanks for your continued kindness. I don't know if should start a new thread but I really need help now. I jumped back to .50mgs last night (did not get your response til today) and upon advice of my Doc and something is just not right. I feel heavy, weighted, extreme anxiety, sinking chest, weighted feet and the feeling that I will be crushed and die. This has never happened to me before, I am so scared. Have I kindled myself? Have I completely screwed things up? Should I stay on this dosage or should I jump back to .25mgs? I have been up all night and things seem to be better. Why did the dose turn on me like this? Once again greatly appreciate your wonderful advice...

[[je...]]

I am so sorry this is happening. I can't imagine what you're going through.

4 minutes ago, [[a...] said:

Have I kindled myself?

No, kindling is only when you are completely off and reinstate. 

5 minutes ago, [[a...] said:

Have I completely screwed things up?

No! This might have happened even if you jumped a while ago. This could be a wave. I'm 1.5 years off and last week I had two horrible days. No stress, no change in diet, vitamins, meds or anything. Why is this happening? I don't know - benzo withdrawal - the gift that keeps on giving. But at least I'm not feeling like this every single day like I used to during tapering. Of course at 1.5 years off, I'd like to not have any days like these at all. But oh well, it is what it is. 

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

Why did the dose turn on me like this?

None of us really understand withdrawal. But I think as we get lower, our brain gets used to less. When I was having insomnia on 2mg Clonazepam I used to take 4 tablets of Phenergan to sleep (an antihistamine - four tablets were the max dose on the instruction on the package). When I started tapering, I stopped taking it. Now I cannot tolerate a single tablet as I feel like a complete zombie the next day and I can barely function if I take it. So that happened to me with over the counter meds.

Anyway at 0.5mg you are still at jumping dose. Please don't get discouraged. I am sorry this is so hard.

[[an...]]

Hi Jelly baby, @[je...] so much again for the kind words. So this dose isn't toxic? Would it be better to jump back to .25mg b/c that was where I was most stable? Can I stablize on this dose or has this dosage become paradoxial since I updosed?  Yes if only I had jumped when I was supposed to (stupid antibiotic). I have continued to have same symptoms new at this .5 mg dosage, pins/needles in feet, heaviness in chest, intense anxiety, soffocating, extreme fatigue in the morning plus burning. Help,scared! Looking foward to your wonderful responses and advice....

Edited June 22 by [an...]

[[je...]]

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

So this dose isn't toxic?

I don’t know what this means.

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

Can I stablize on this dose or has this dosage become paradoxial since I updosed?

I don’t know if you’ll be able to stabilise. There’s unfortunately no certainty in benzo withdrawal. Paradoxical reactions as I understand it means your symptoms start increasing soon after you take your dose. 

 

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

Would it be better to jump back to .25mg b/c that was where I was most stable?

I don’t know unfortunately. The symptoms could still be related to the antibiotic or maybe it’s related to the updose or both. 

I wish I could be of more help, but I have to be honest with you when I don’t know. It’s going to be okay. Time is an amazing healer. I know it’s difficult to wait things out when you’re suffering but over time you will get better.

[[an...]]

@[je...],thanks much jelly baby for all your support. Should I repost this to the forum to get some new ideas? I am little worried that my updosing may have started some sort of tolerance withdrawal? I have a knot in my stomach most of the time and my head is heavy, lots of brain fog...

Edited June 22 by [an...]

[[je...]]

Yes you’re welcome to start a thread in Benzodiazepines Withdrawal Use and Recovery. Whatever advice you get, I would strongly advise against updosing at this stage. 

[[an...]]

@jelly baby, thanks so much Jelly,

Do you think I might be experiencing some sort of tolerance level with these symptoms at .5mg Valium? So worried what to do. I know you don't have all the answers but in your opinion would there be any risk at this point to going back down to .25mgs, since I am having these symtoms at .5mgs and do you think the aftermath of the updose will hit at some point? I am also going to post another thread in Withdrawal and Recovery. I really appreciate the time and hope you have given me 

 

 

Edited June 22 by [an...]

[[je...]]

I think the more likely explanation is either the antibiotics or the updose or both. Of course I can’t rule out tolerance but I think it’s more likely to be the other. There is always a risk when you make changes to your taper. You have to decide if the risk is worth it for you. 

[[an...]]

@[je...], thanks jelly baby. I know it most likely has to do with the updose b/c I was at .50mg before for 2 doses with little change. The question is where do I go from here.....

[[Ch...]]

On 22/06/2024 at 16:48, [[a...] said:

@[je...], thanks jelly baby. I know it most likely has to do with the updose b/c I was at .50mg before for 2 doses with little change. The question is where do I go from here.....

Have you considered going...OFF?