Timing doses

[[Be...]]

I’ve been tapering 4 mg of diazepam for the past five weeks and am now down to 1.7mg.  I have always dosed 4 times a day at 6, 10, 2 and around 7-8pm. 
The lower I go I realise this isn’t going to work.  Can anyone help me change the timings from here on in to a smooth finish.  I might jump at 0.5mg as I wasn’t on a benzo for very long.
 

thank you  

[[Be...]]

Anyone? 😖

[[TH...]]

Hiya, 

I'm currently on 3mg and I take mine 3 times a day at 8, 12 and 8. I don't have a solution for you unfortunately but I came across your post and hopefully someone will chime in soon. 

[[Be...]]

I’m thinking of dropping to 1.5mg in a week and making that morning noon and night and hoping that will be ok. 

[[TH...]]

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

I’m thinking of dropping to 1.5mg in a week and making that morning noon and night and hoping that will be ok. 

Yeah worth a try. You wasn't on benzos for long so I can't see a problem. Just go by what your body is saying. 

[[Be...]]

On 31/07/2024 at 17:47, [[T...] said:

Hiya, 

I'm currently on 3mg and I take mine 3 times a day at 8, 12 and 8. I don't have a solution for you unfortunately but I came across your post and hopefully someone will chime in soon. 

Are you on diazepam?

[[TH...]]

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

Are you on diazepam?

I am yes 

[[Be...]]

I tried dropping to three doses and it was a hellish day.  But I’d also cut my dose from 1.7 to 1.5mg So I’ll stabilise the cut and try taking out a dose in a few days. 

[[Li...]]

Hello @[Be...].  I’m sorry you had a hellish day but you’ve just learned an important lesson about tapering — make only one change at a time.  Why? So you can get a clear read on the effect(s) of the change.

You made two changes — you changed your dosing schedule and you made an almost 12% reduction in dose.  Consequently, it’s impossible to know if the resulting hellish day was due to the change in dosing schedule, the reduction in dose, or a combination thereof.

Returning to your previous dosing schedule and holding your dose constant is a sound decision on your part.  When tapering, some withdrawal symptoms are to be expected, but they should be tolerable (not hellish).

 

[[Be...]]

Yes, lesson learned!   I was jonesying for the 6 pm dose.  And my sleep was awful.  

[[Be...]]

How can 1.6mg of medication ( practically none ) cause such havoc.  Grrrrrrrr

[[Li...]]

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

Yes, lesson learned!

Good for you!  Another important lesson to learn is ‘When making a change, do it as gradually as possible.”  If you decide to change your dosing schedule again, you might want to consider doing it in stages instead of in one fell swoop.

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

How can 1.6mg of medication ( practically none ) cause such havoc.

According to The Maudsley Deprescribing Guidelines and the theory of hyperbolic tapering, GABA-A receptor occupancy at a dose of 1.6mg diazepam is 6.1%.  

Bottom line, each individual’s unique experience of withdrawal should guide their taper rate. 

[[Be...]]

Interesting.  At what mg is it practically zero? 

[[Li...]]

Zero.  But please bear in mind that GABA-A receptor occupancy is only part of the story.  These drugs affect other receptors and neurotransmitters and can cause multiple neuroadaptations.  These changes can persist after the drug is no longer present and it can take time for the body to return to its pre-drug homeostatic set point.

[[Ja...]]

I’ve tried dosing 2 times every 12 hour,.it’s quite brutal,but you do reach near 11 hour sometimes,

the 4x day felt also quite brutal in the drops,

I done 3 x day 12am/6pm/12pm it’s ok,.the wait untill 12 in the morning can be tough as withdrawals set in before the dose

im currently on 3 times a day 8am/4pm/12pm,.it’s been ok as well,at night  it can feel a bit crap but your in bed anyways

 I feel from all the timing methods it’s important to try not put your body into withdrawals,every 8 hr is manageable 

you feel your dose wearing of and that causes anxiety,.but it does subside