Did you experience delirium? And when did it get better?

[[xo...]]

Second post here. I tried to stop oxazepam (20mg per day) cold turkey a few days ago and experienced delirium immediately on the second night. It was terrifying. My thoughts were racing so fast I couldn’t respond to the person talking to me. Also sweating profusely. Then I heard a certain sentence from a childhood videogame over and over and over and over, I had no control. It felt like going insane and didn’t stop until I took my oxazepam.

I want to start tapering soon. Is it normal to experience symptoms this intense, this fast? And how do I find the trust that it will pass? Any experiences? I feel like I keep coming back here for reassurance that I’m going to be okay. I don’t know if I’ll be able to handle the withdrawal symptoms unless I’m 100% certain that i’m safe. Which of course isn’t really possible. I just need to have faith. But it helps to hear other peoples’ experiences. 

Also, I re-started taking fluoxetine (antidepressants) a few weeks ago. Am I higher risk because I’m on antidepressants? Or will they actually help me in the process? 

Edited May 17 by [xo...]

[[Ja...]]

Hi,.I’m no expert but your body’s reacting extremely to stopping CT like that,even tapering to quick can put you in a bad way bud,.you have to do it right if you don’t want to risk you health long term,.it’s a pain in the arse but you’ve got to be patient and taper down,.I started from 30mg in January and I’m down to 9mg,.even that’s quick but I slowed it right up and got more control,.be careful bud,read the Ashton manual for a good taper schedule,get some micro scales and start your taper safely.

[[je...]]

When we have an experience like yours it’s only natural to have fear of the process. My doctor gave me the wrong prescription and reduced my dose by 75%. I became bedridden. I was physically incredibly sick. And we didn’t know what was wrong with me. 

But here’s the good news. Once we figured out it was the meds, and I updosed, I became stable. Then I started tapering. I tapered for about 18 months and I was functional throughout. I’m now off for 18 months and I’m recovering. I’m not where I would like to be, but I’m so much better than I was when I started tapering or when I stopped the meds. 

If you taper slowly you should be able to remain functional. You will be okay. You can do this!