Has anyone had to pause there taper because symptoms are too intense

[[An...]]

Symptoms are too intense and I don’t think I can continue to cut at this rate. Is week 3 the worst week after a cut ? 

[[be...]]

16 minutes ago, [[A...] said:

Symptoms are too intense and I don’t think I can continue to cut at this rate. Is week 3 the worst week after a cut ? 

can u tell us your dose and your symptoms?

[[An...]]

49 minutes ago, [[b...] said:

can u tell us your dose and your symptoms?

Sure I am currently on 11.25 mgs of diazepam. I have been tapering at a rate as go as I feel sort of thing. 17 may I started ro taper 0.6mgs a week up. I tapered 0.6mgs a week over the course of 4 weeks so in total 2.5mgs reduction. 13.75 to 11.25 mgs and was feeling fine till a couple of days ago. Whacked with depression, anxiety, ocd, extreme muscle aches back and neck. Tremors, feeling of doom, insomnia, acrophobia. This taper has been a blur so I’ve started to note things down, could I be at peak or a wave maybe ? 

[[An...]]

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

Sure I am currently on 11.25 mgs of diazepam. I have been tapering at a rate as go as I feel sort of thing. 17 may I started ro taper 0.6mgs a week up. I tapered 0.6mgs a week over the course of 4 weeks so in total 2.5mgs reduction. 13.75 to 11.25 mgs and was feeling fine till a couple of days ago. Whacked with depression, anxiety, ocd, extreme muscle aches back and neck. Tremors, feeling of doom, insomnia, acrophobia. This taper has been a blur so I’ve started to note things down, could I be at peak or a wave maybe ? 

Disclaimer. ; my starting dose was extremely high, a dosage I am afraid to say, and done a rapid taper at the beginning and a long hold to recover from that cut back in June last year. I felt recovered then proceeded to continue my taper slowly towards the end 

[[En...]]

4 hours ago, [[A...] said:

Sure I am currently on 11.25 mgs of diazepam. I have been tapering at a rate as go as I feel sort of thing. 17 may I started ro taper 0.6mgs a week up. I tapered 0.6mgs a week over the course of 4 weeks so in total 2.5mgs reduction. 13.75 to 11.25 mgs and was feeling fine till a couple of days ago. Whacked with depression, anxiety, ocd, extreme muscle aches back and neck. Tremors, feeling of doom, insomnia, acrophobia. This taper has been a blur so I’ve started to note things down, could I be at peak or a wave maybe ? 

Diazepam has a long half life. If you are cutting every week it may have now caught up with you as you wont feel the effects of a cut until a week or so later. 

I am tapering off clonozapam currently. I was doing too rapid a taper myself with some manageable symptoms until one day I hit the wall. I had to hold for 4 weeks to recover. I have started my taper again a week and a half ago and am holding for at least 2 weeks between each cut for a chance to feel the effects before I move on. 

I have still had symptoms but it is more manageable. That wall I hit was horrible never felt like that in my life. 

[[An...]]

15 minutes ago, [[E...] said:

Diazepam has a long half life. If you are cutting every week it may have now caught up with you as you wont feel the effects of a cut until a week or so later. 

I am tapering off clonozapam currently. I was doing too rapid a taper myself with some manageable symptoms until one day I hit the wall. I had to hold for 4 weeks to recover. I have started my taper again a week and a half ago and am holding for at least 2 weeks between each cut for a chance to feel the effects before I move on. 

I have still had symptoms but it is more manageable. That wall I hit was horrible never felt like that in my life. 

It was until today I found out it takes 10 days to leave the system completely 😭😭 how did you feel after holding for 4 weeks, I too have held once for 3 months in September, it was brutal 

[[An...]]

16 minutes ago, [[E...] said:

Diazepam has a long half life. If you are cutting every week it may have now caught up with you as you wont feel the effects of a cut until a week or so later. 

I am tapering off clonozapam currently. I was doing too rapid a taper myself with some manageable symptoms until one day I hit the wall. I had to hold for 4 weeks to recover. I have started my taper again a week and a half ago and am holding for at least 2 weeks between each cut for a chance to feel the effects before I move on. 

I have still had symptoms but it is more manageable. That wall I hit was horrible never felt like that in my life. 

The issue is I can’t work whilst I’m tapering and I can’t stay jobless for longer than 6 months so I’m abit stuck in continuing my taper or taking it slow for another year but I’m abit stuck 

[[En...]]

2 minutes ago, [[A...] said:

It was until today I found out it takes 10 days to leave the system completely 😭😭 how did you feel after holding for 4 weeks, I too have held once for 3 months in September, it was brutal 

I got better after 4 weeks hold and continued my taper. I am doing it slower now but I still get some symptoms but they are more manageable. Anxiety in the morning is the hardest to deal with. 

[[An...]]

20 minutes ago, [[E...] said:

I got better after 4 weeks hold and continued my taper. I am doing it slower now but I still get some symptoms but they are more manageable. Anxiety in the morning is the hardest to deal with. 

I’m glad to hear you are doing better ! 

[[En...]]

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

I’m glad to hear you are doing better ! 

Thank you. I felt like I was dying but held out. It was so tempting to updose. 

If you hold your dose you will feel better too. 

[[An...]]

13 hours ago, [[E...] said:

Thank you. I felt like I was dying but held out. It was so tempting to updose. 

If you hold your dose you will feel better too. 

Thank you so much for this 

[[Ca...]]

I updosed two mgs from 12.2 to 14 valium because symptoms were so bad and just started my taper back two days ago. I am tapering one mg a month as a microtaper. Once that taper rate hits ten percent it is going to be slowed down. I have been in tolerance withdrawal since I started my taper over two years ago.

[[An...]]

On 18/06/2024 at 14:39, [[C...] said:

I updosed two mgs from 12.2 to 14 valium because symptoms were so bad and just started my taper back two days ago. I am tapering one mg a month as a microtaper. Once that taper rate hits ten percent it is going to be slowed down. I have been in tolerance withdrawal since I started my taper over two years ago.

I’m so sorry to hear you suffering. Has your taper taken two years how do you feel with micro cuts do you feel it really bad ? 

[[Ja...]]

My recent hold is 5 weeks tommorow,.I’d basically had enough,.I’m currently sitting at 8mg,I’m most definitely getting interdose withdrawals know though.

I think when your withdrawing your CNS feels the dose like a rollercoaster,.anxiety at both ends being the first of the day always the worst 

i know I need to move forward again very soon though  

[[Cr...]]

Thats all you can do @[Ja...]. Some people may pause for awhile due to wanting symptoms made by previous cuts to settle. That is probably the best thing to do. However, if most of the symptoms are from interdose withdrawal then waiting will not be of benefit.

Usually interdose symptoms are tied to specific times of the day between doses and occur regularly, so it shouldn't be hard for those that use their meds at regular intervals to be able to recognize what they are from. Although there have been some that didn't realize and waited in vain.

[[Ja...]]

Crono,..yep same time daily,.my sleep settled with the hold,.and the waking up anxiety was a bit better to

i know it’s time to make the next drop,.the doses feel uncomfortable anyway buddy

when your sleeps been ok for a while the thought of no hardly sleep again it of putting,and the racing thoughts snd anxiety 

but yea I know it’s needs to be done to move forward 

[[Ca...]]

I restarted four days ago after a three month hold and a 2 mg updose to 14 mgs valium. I don't know that it helped. My anxiety and restlessness and depression and physical pain are sky high until maybe ten pm. I stay up way too late because I am afraid to go to bed. I just keep telling myself that I better get off of this valium before someone decides they are not dispensing it anymore or prescribing it anymore and I am forced into detox. We have this heat dome thing occuring so I can't walk right now and I am too agoraphobic to go and walk in a mall.

[[An...]]

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

I restarted four days ago after a three month hold and a 2 mg updose to 14 mgs valium. I don't know that it helped. My anxiety and restlessness and depression and physical pain are sky high until maybe ten pm. I stay up way too late because I am afraid to go to bed. I just keep telling myself that I better get off of this valium before someone decides they are not dispensing it anymore or prescribing it anymore and I am forced into detox. We have this heat dome thing occuring so I can't walk right now and I am too agoraphobic to go and walk in a mall.

It’s scary I have the same fear of not getting prescribed 😑 I think about it everyday, and think what if my doctor cuts me off if this is going to take another year what will I do? Maybe it’s our anxiety maybe not 

[[An...]]

20 hours ago, [[J...] said:

Crono,..yep same time daily,.my sleep settled with the hold,.and the waking up anxiety was a bit better to

i know it’s time to make the next drop,.the doses feel uncomfortable anyway buddy

when your sleeps been ok for a while the thought of no hardly sleep again it of putting,and the racing thoughts snd anxiety 

but yea I know it’s needs to be done to move forward 

This medication should be illegal 

[[Cr...]]

3 hours ago, [[A...] said:

This medication should be illegal 

I don't feel it should be illegal but that there needs to be a major overhaul on how they are used/prescribed going forward. I say going forward because I would like to safeguard the current patients. Perhaps a future where patients are only prescribed a small amount of pills with a strong caution not to take daily. Also only prescribed for severe panic attacks, not general life anxiety or minor off label issues. Even then a patient must be informed of potential dependency from intermittent use to encourage 'last resort' mindset for use.

I don't want any current benzo-dependent people forced to suffer  at the expense of protecting the future users. Any changes going forward should only be applied to new users. A woman in her 70s or 80s that has been on benzos for 30 years and is happy with her life should not be forced to come off and suffer withdrawal due to new rules put in place. Other younger benzo users that have already become dependent and are using them for anxiety or minor medical issues should be informed of the risks of remaining on and offered a chance to come off via an appropriate taper method according to their dose and duration.

There are some seizure disorders where benzos are the only med that helps and patients have better quality life on than off. Another reason not to ban them.

We all know that many doctors are not aware of the full extent to which these meds can cause long-term harm. They were so easily prescribed for so long because the broad mentality was benzos were 'generally safe'. If we change that broad mentality to the opposite too quickly and legislatively, many of those same doctors will now cause harm by forcing quick tapers on a lot of their current patients.

Anyway @[An...], sorry for running off on a tangent in your thread. I am sure there are even problems with my own suggestions that I am overlooking. This matter isn't as simple as 'They should be banned!'. A stroke of a pen instantly changing their legal status could have a lot of dire consequences for current patients and even those tapering.

[[Ca...]]

Chrono -- I think you are correct. And I am afraid that the draft guidelines for deprescribing that were just issued for comment put a bullseye on the back of anyone over 65 as they seem to deem this population suitable for in patient care. Which, is an oxymoron, as anyone who foolishly like me went to a rehab for benzos. There is very little medical care there and they pull you off max two weeks.