Titration started and feeling sooooo awful, right to feel switch at first?

[[ch...]]

My bf is so bad today, we started titration on Saturday, we didn't remove any ml's until Monday, we have only removed 2ml so far and its like he has made a massive cut?

 

What's going on, will this settle down, we have stopped removing any ml's at the moment, he keeps saying maybe titration isn't for me..........but what else is there? are we being a bit impatient here?

 

please help  :'(

 

Chig x

[Guest [la...]]

How much liquid are you using?? In other words, how much did you cut by pulling out 2mLs?

 

I don't think you're being impatient, but he is the one who has to suffer through the w/d...everyone says to listen to your body, to hold or to slow down if things get unbearable. However, at some point, I think you have to bite the bullet and make some cuts. The only way OUT is through...

 

None of it is fun and he will have symptoms, the purpose of titration is to minimize the symptoms as much as possible. I am doing small, daily cuts and have been able to manage OK, but we are all different.

 

I'm sorry that your boyfriend is having such a difficult time. Please tell him to hang in there and that he is in my thoughts and prayers. I have no doubts that he can get through this.

 

Much love, Nicole

[[ch...]]

Hi Nicole

 

We start with 1.5mg K crushed and blended into a powder in the pestle and mortar, move powder into a beaker and add to 100ml whole milk. We leave to sit for 30 mins and then stir. We remove the 2 ml( We are only planning on removing 1ml per day, its 2ml because we did that over two days and have held since)

 

We then pour back into the cylinder to check it as gone down 2mls and then divide doses of three. On the last dose we swill out the cylinder and the beaker and add to the last dose in case any bits left.

 

I have been told that some people have to treat the switch over to titration as a cut, but I just need to see a few people they felt rough at first and it got better  

 

Chig x

[[xe...]]

We then pour back into the cylinder to check it as gone down 2mls

 

This seems unnecessary.

 

I thought you agreed that 1ml/day from 100ml's would probably be too painful for him? But don't misunderstand, I highly doubt he's feeling the 2% increase in his dose just yet.

 

and then divide doses of three.

 

Has he always been doing this?

 

I have been told that some people have to treat the switch over to titration as a cut, but I just need to see a few people they felt rough at first and it got better  

 

Oh it did get better, when I was still much higher at least...

[[ch...]]

We then pour back into the cylinder to check it as gone down 2mls

 

This seems unnecessary.

 

I thought you agreed that 1ml/day from 100ml's would probably be too painful for him? But don't misunderstand, I highly doubt he's feeling the 2% increase in his dose just yet.

 

and then divide doses of three.

 

Has he always been doing this?

 

I have been told that some people have to treat the switch over to titration as a cut, but I just need to see a few people they felt rough at first and it got better  

 

Oh it did get better, when I was still much higher at least...

 

Yes he was having his dry tablets 3 times per day.

 

He wanted to try the 1ml per day, did you feel when you switched then?

[[xe...]]

Oh yes I felt it when I switched. I went ahead and made a cut anyway, felt pretty bad, but stabilized from that cut and felt better than I did from the switch. And the next one. And the next one. Then I lost the plot, but that's another story really... But if I had to do it over, I would have waited to feel better from the switch over before beginning cutting... But also I was totally stable before switching to titration, he wasn't.

 

I have been able to cut daily without getting any WORSE, but I have not gotten any better either in the long run and it is taking forever. But I can't handle feeling any worse than this.

 

(That should have said 2% DECREASE)

[Guest [la...]]

I'm not sure crushing the pills and all of the transferring back and forth is necessary. I put my pill in my milk at night, let it sit, and then shake vigorously in the morning. The pill dissolves w/o crushing. I then use a syringe to pull out my cut from the main mixture. Then I divide the doses into 4 baby food jars (to make 4 doses). I rinse my main mixing jar and the baby food jars w/ water, drink the contents and lick the lid. I also rinse the syringe w/ water and drink that as well. If you're doing too much crushing and transferring from jar to jar, etc...you're losing benzo each time you do this. Keep it more simple if you can.

 

If 2mL was too bit of a cut for him, perhaps try the 1mL cuts daily and hold when necessary to see how that works for him. He ultimately has to gauge what he can handle and that sometimes means slowing down/speeding up/holding the taper in accordance with how he is feeling. I have been able to cut daily since February, even after a brutal 4 month C/T, and am actually feeling a bit better than I was initially. Not sure how the rest of the taper will go, but I plan to just keep cutting and listening to my body as I decrease. If I have to slow down or hold, I will. I think, in his case, it's all about finding the cut that works for him, and then holding as needed. It WILL get better...he just has to know and accept that this is going to hurt. There's no getting around that. It took me a LOOOONG while to accept (and still working on it some days) that this was the ONLY way that I was going to get my life back and that I was going to HAVE to have patience and that there was no "silver bullet" or easy way out of this mess. Fighting against the symptoms always leaves me a wreck as well. So, I TRY, as best as I humanly can, to just acknowledge them as symptoms and keep fighting. One day they will all be gone and we'll be back to health.

 

Much love to both of you. Time and a slow, controlled taper will bring him out of the woods...Hang in there. He'll find the rate at which he can cut- it might just take some experimenting on his part.

 

Love, Nicole

[[ch...]]

I'm not sure crushing the pills and all of the transferring back and forth is necessary. I put my pill in my milk at night, let it sit, and then shake vigorously in the morning. The pill dissolves w/o crushing. I then use a syringe to pull out my cut from the main mixture. Then I divide the doses into 4 baby food jars (to make 4 doses). I rinse my main mixing jar and the baby food jars w/ water, drink the contents and lick the lid. I also rinse the syringe w/ water and drink that as well. If you're doing too much crushing and transferring from jar to jar, etc...you're losing benzo each time you do this. Keep it more simple if you can.

 

If 2mL was too bit of a cut for him, perhaps try the 1mL cuts daily and hold when necessary to see how that works for him. He ultimately has to gauge what he can handle and that sometimes means slowing down/speeding up/holding the taper in accordance with how he is feeling. I have been able to cut daily since February, even after a brutal 4 month C/T, and am actually feeling a bit better than I was initially. Not sure how the rest of the taper will go, but I plan to just keep cutting and listening to my body as I decrease. If I have to slow down or hold, I will. I think, in his case, it's all about finding the cut that works for him, and then holding as needed. It WILL get better...he just has to know and accept that this is going to hurt. There's no getting around that. It took me a LOOOONG while to accept (and still working on it some days) that this was the ONLY way that I was going to get my life back and that I was going to HAVE to have patience and that there was no "silver bullet" or easy way out of this mess. Fighting against the symptoms always leaves me a wreck as well. So, I TRY, as best as I humanly can, to just acknowledge them as symptoms and keep fighting. One day they will all be gone and we'll be back to health.

 

Much love to both of you. Time and a slow, controlled taper will bring him out of the woods...Hang in there. He'll find the rate at which he can cut- it might just take some experimenting on his part.

 

Love, Nicole

 

Wow Nicole, thank you so much for the encouraging reply, I have emailed this to him ,thanks so much hunny xx

 

Much love to you to, and you hang in there too hun

 

Chig x

[[ch...]]

Nicole

 

Email back from my bf

 

sounds like we're doing way too much transferring from one thing to another then? how can you let it dissolve then shake it vigorously, in what? ask how exactly please? and is that in milk or water, if in milk how can you tell it's dissolved? you can't see it?

 

soo many questions but if it sounds like we're doing it all wrong then that's the reason I feel so crap I'm probably cutting alot more than we think.

 

Hope you don't mind replying, sorry to be a pain.

 

[[xe...]]

You guys aren't doing it all wrong. Plenty of people do it exactly as you do. Especially when you are washing every surface and drinking the wash, and drinking your entire titration, I don't really know how you can be losing more than you think. Lamberfn's method is better than yours though, in the long run, IMHO. I'll let her elaborate. I really don't like mortars and pestles and think if you can avoid it that is best. But at this stage again if you are washing it and drinking everything I don't see you losing more than you think. My method is even more different, but it's a little complicated to someone not used to it, I wouldn't advise it.

 

Nicole -- so happy to hear you are still hanging in there and maybe even feeling a bit better, yay! I'm in a bit of a wave of some nasty mental stuff, but I think it'll pass.

[[nc...]]

Chiggy:

 

I am using milk titration and cutting a miniscule amount every other day. I am on a 1/20 milk ratio for 7 mgs. of valium so I start out with 140 mls. of whole milk. My husband extracts .1 ml. every other night which is the equivalent of .005 mgs. of valium. He has now extracted 3.90 mls. I know I am probably tapering at about the smallest amount on this forum. (If there is anyone else going this slow please let me know). I cut the .1 ml. and then hold for a night and then forge ahead. My system is so sensitive that I can feel the cut the next morning. If I don't go this slow my digestive tract becomes so bad that I can't eat anythng. Also, I take three doses per day, each eight hours a part.  I think that I drew the short straw as far as tapering is concerned. I started at 20 mgs. of valium and was able to cut .5 mgs. every two weeks. Hit the wall at  15 mg. had to reduce to .25 evey two weeks, hit the wall again at 10 mgs. reduced down to 1/8 mg. every three weeks and then at 7 mgs. I had to find a new method because my husband could no longer dry cut the valium accuratedly. I switched over to milk titration then.  Alot of symptoms have disappeared. I am much better cognitively. I can now read a book and remember the entire storyline when I am done.

 

My digestive tract and chest wall pain remain my worse w/d side effects and probably will until this is over.  I had no

idea that this would take so incredibly long but I have learned to deal with it.

 

I am sure your boyfriend will eventually find what works for him. It is a constant process of listening to your body and having to adjust to its needs.

 

He will suceed and I know I will to.  I am 60 and I consider this to be the hardest thing I have ever had to do.  I will be very proud of myself when it is over.

 

Nancy

[[nc...]]

Sorry Chiggy:

 

I made a mistake when I read your first thread. I thought your boyfriend was titrating also but it's only you. I can't believe I just told you my cognitive skills were better.

 

Let me rephrase: I'm sure YOU will find the right amount and just be patient (with me to, please).

 

Sorry for my mistake. I hope I didn't confuse you to much.

 

Nancy

[[ch...]]

Sorry Chiggy:

 

I made a mistake when I read your first thread. I thought your boyfriend was titrating also but it's only you. I can't believe I just told you my cognitive skills were better.

 

Let me rephrase: I'm sure YOU will find the right amount and just be patient (with me to, please).

 

Sorry for my mistake. I hope I didn't confuse you to much.

 

Nancy

 

Nancy it is me confusing you hun, I am supporting my boyfriend through withdrawal, I myself are not on any Benzo's and have never been.....just my bf.

 

Thanks so much for your reply, it is very helpful xxx

 

Chig x