Horrible benzo withdrawal

[[Ja...]]

Hey folks. Been on valium 10mg for almost 2 years. I have postcovid right now also. I try to taper, but the withdrawal comes so quick and is horrible. Before the dosage was 10mg-15mg, daily. Now I tried to taper, 2.5mg this morning, and after some hours I got pale, shaky, extreme anxiety etc. No aptite since i lowered my dosage.

Is this normal to have so rough withdrawal so quick after last dose? Please give me some tips on how to taper from 5mg twice daily. Much love

[[Pa...]]

Hello @[Ja...], welcome to BenzoBuddies,

I'm sorry to hear you've been ill, have you somewhat recovered from Covid, I'd hate to see you add the extra stress on your body by trying to taper if you're not well.

Typically, Valium is slow to leave your system because of its long half life, but its not out of the ordinary to feel symptoms any time we've reduced.  It looks like making a 50% reduction to your morning dose was too much for you, I would suggest tapering much slower since you've been on it for so many years.  It might be a good idea to go back up to your normal dose for a couple of days in order to get stable, then reduce by 1 mg to see how you handle that.  I would hold whatever reduction you make for a couple of weeks or when your symptoms have leveled out a bit.  Tapering according to your symptoms is a smart way to go. 

Lets keep talking so we can help you work this out.

@[Pa...]

 

[[Ja...]]

@[Pa...] Thank you for your support. How to make 1mg out of an 5mg, its hard to even cut them in half. I took 5mg this morning, im gonna try to stabilize as you say..

[[Al...]]

@[Ja...] The easiest way to go from 5 to 4 mg would be to get 2 mg tablets and take 2 of them. 

[[Pa...]]

If your doctor is unwilling to prescribe smaller pills, here are some ways to get smaller doses.

Titration - Benzodiazepine Withdrawal Support (benzobuddies.org)

[[Ja...]]

Hey again guys! Am now on 2mg per day, 1x2. Has been on this dose for 3 days now. Will keep this for a week or two, to then go to 1mg per day. Wich one is the best to have in the last dosage when I am down on 1mg per day, morning or night dosage? ( I think the night dosage?)

 

And one more question, can ssri help later on instead of valium? Bcs I still have Long covid fatique etc.. Much love

[[Pa...]]

Hey there @[Ja...], way to go, you've really done well on your taper, it almost seems too fast, are you dealing with many symptoms?

It doesn't really matter what dose you keep for the 1 mg, I'm not sure 1 mg would be much help with sleep or morning anxiety. 

Your question about an SSRI, are you depressed, is that why you're thinking about adding one?  

 

[[Cr...]]

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

And one more question, can ssri help later on instead of valium? Bcs I still have Long covid fatique etc.. Much love

I am not sure that ssris will be of much help for long covid symptoms, especially fatigue. Certain ssris can actually cause fatigue as a side effect.

With a sensitive cns due to benzo withdrawal, you may not want to take the choice to use them lightly. They are most effective for severe depression (Major Depressive Disorder). While they may provide some relief, they also have their own side effects and withdrawal to consider as well.

[[Ja...]]

On 27/07/2024 at 21:20, [[P...] said:

Hey there @[Ja...], way to go, you've really done well on your taper, it almost seems too fast, are you dealing with many symptoms?

It doesn't really matter what dose you keep for the 1 mg, I'm not sure 1 mg would be much help with sleep or morning anxiety. 

Your question about an SSRI, are you depressed, is that why you're thinking about adding one?  

Well yes, depressed, fatique and no aptite.. But it also crosses with the Long Covid, so its hard to know what is caused by what so to say. Its mixed.

[[Ja...]]

On 27/07/2024 at 22:57, [[C...] said:

I am not sure that ssris will be of much help for long covid symptoms, especially fatigue. Certain ssris can actually cause fatigue as a side effect.

With a sensitive cns due to benzo withdrawal, you may not want to take the choice to use them lightly. They are most effective for severe depression (Major Depressive Disorder). While they may provide some relief, they also have their own side effects and withdrawal to consider as well.

Thats what I am thinking, since my body is already in tangle with LC and wd.. But I do got depression, totally lost all interest. Hm..

[[Cr...]]

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

Thats what I am thinking, since my body is already in tangle with LC and wd.. But I do got depression, totally lost all interest. Hm..

If it helps, I did start on an ssri around 1 year into my recovery in an attempt to salvage my ability to stay in nursing school and keep my job. I got better around 3 weeks later, but I cannot say for certain whether that was due to the ssri, my wave ending, or a combination of both.

I started the ssri at 25% of the first therapeutic dose and worked my way up over 4 weeks. If you decide to use an ssri, you may need to start lower and go slower than what is typically suggested.

[[Le...]]

medicines called antidepressants have very questionable results.  learn from your mistake and be very cautious of psychopharmachology. it really is a bunch of nonsense and almost complete failure. 

[[Ja...]]

On 29/07/2024 at 19:31, [[L...] said:

medicines called antidepressants have very questionable results.  learn from your mistake and be very cautious of psychopharmachology. it really is a bunch of nonsense and almost complete failure. 

Dont know what else will help me get put of this major depressed fatiuqed state. Total loss of interrest in everything.

[[Le...]]

time, healthy living and activity. Even with a healthy person ADs rarely work and they strain your health. 

[[jo...]]

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

Dont know what else will help me get put of this major depressed fatiuqed state. Total loss of interrest in everything.

I started Mirt quite recently and my depression has got better. Quite a lot actually, and at a relatively small dose. It did replace that depression though with something worse. Akathesia.

This can be a fairly common symptom when starting AD's. It settles after a few weeks for some, but not all. It is reffered to as restlessness and agitation by doctors, but trust me it can get a lot worse than that.

If you are going to try an AD I would start at a really low dose, like a couple of mg's or so, and work your way up slowly. This can help you negate start up symptoms. Something I should have taken more seriously.

[[Le...]]

If your legs arent broken then exercise. Even when a mess it is possible just difficult. the only time drugs should be considered is when the good options arent options. they make you ill but mask part of the illness with their effect. 

i am not saying people dont get some relief from it but people get relief from smack too. the cost is too high and you will have another recovery to go through later. these drugs dont correct anything they create an imbalance and strain your body  

you will get more relief and heal faster by doing things the hard way. you are strong enough.