My new Valium taper

[[Gl...]]

Hey there, I recently switched from Ativan to Valium after convincing my doctor that it is the right way to go.  He admitted that I knew more than him about it..lol.  I was on 2mg of Ativan a day (1mg twice a day, but usually I would just take both at night at the same time before sleep or to unwind a few hours before sleep).  Now I am on 10mg of Valium twice a day.  I have a few questions.  Should I take both doses at the same time or spread them out throughout the day so I have a constant relaxation/relief from withdrawals?  I am wanting to drop back down to 15mg of Valium but I'm afraid it might not work.  When I tried this drop on Ativan I did great for 4 or 5 days then suddenly I couldn't do it anymore.  I might go for 17.5 instead. 

 

Would it be better to base my withdrawal schedule on an hourly basis?  Like, say if I took my last Valium 24 hours ago, but I slept in late (just woke up) and have not taken it for that long, should I take it then?  Usually I wait until about 6-10 hours after I wake up to take it so it would be about 18 hours between doses.  But I figure if I planned my withdrawal schedule on an hourly basis it might be more scientifically correct.  I think there is a way to hack it like that anyway.  The way I quit cigarettes was basing it on an hourly basis and sleeping a lot.  My main problem when quitting still seems to be severe insomnia where I can't sleep at all.  It sucks because the last time I quit benzos I did it fast and I never had this problem.  I always like to do things fast and I'm inpatient but maybe the best way to go about this is to cut down to 17.5mg.  I have one more question..is Valium water soluble to make for a liquid titration if I can't cut my pills properly?  Thanks for the support, hope to hear from you guys soon   

[[Sc...]]

Hi there!

 

I did the crossover to 15mg of Diazepam (Valium).  I made 1mg cuts every 7 days....and then when I got down to 5mg I switched to .5mg cuts every 5 days.  Going from 20mg to 15mg is a pretty big cut.  Even straight to 17.5mg sounds a bit much...but we can handle different things.  I take my full dose in the late evening...8pm.  I know I'm usually home and always awake.  Most like to spread 2 doses throughout the day....I've sometimes been a couple of hours late taking my dose and don't find it matters much...but some may argue you should take it at the exact same time each day.  I took it all at once b/c my body was use to that w/ the Clonazepam.  I found that when I broke it up into 2 doses it really messed w/ me sleep wise and anxiety wise.  But if it's agreeing w/ you, then I'd say stick w/ the 2 doses...most people seem to do it that way. 

 

Don't go too fast...take baby steps and see how you do...then you can decide how to go about things.  I know that patience is difficult...but well worth it when tapering.  There were MANY time I would have like to have made bigger cuts w/ my dose...but I'm glad I didn't. 

 

ALL the best to you...much success!!!

 

Schatje

[[Be...]]

I agree with Schatje with regards to the size of your cuts.  We recommend that you cut no more than 10% of your daily dose every 7 to 14 days.

 

Splitting your V in to two doses might be a good idea too; that's how I took my Klonopin when I was tapering, and it helps to keep your body on a more even keel.  But, that being said, we are all different, so try to find what works best for you and your taper.  Taking it slowly and listening to your body is always the best way to go, IMO.

[Guest [Si...]]

Hi there,

 

I'm tapering Valium right now.

 

You will want to cut smoothly.

 

I cut way too fast and in a bind right now.

 

Please don't cut too fast.

 

Listen to these buddies.

 

Are you off the Zyprexa?

[[Gl...]]

Thanks for all the advice..this is probably a stupid question, but how exactly do you do so small of cuts?  I cut to 17.5mg yesterday and the first night I couldn't sleep so I was really disappointed.  I'm going to give it another shot tonight and then if that doesn't work I will find a way to cut it smaller.  If my insomnia wasn't so bad, I think I could kick this with only moderate difficulty.  The insomnia is the only thing that gets in my way because it is so severe that I can be up for 4 or 5 days at a time.  It has been a chronic long-term problem for me even before benzo's.

 

Unfortunately, I'm not off the Zyprexa..it seems to be impossible to quit for me and I've only heard of very few people who claimed they quit and most of them just substituted some other medication.  It is really a nasty drug to be stuck on.  One thing I read on wikipedia is that Zyprexa can make benzodiazepine withdrawals worse.  That might be why I'm having so much trouble sleeping. 

[Guest [Si...]]

Unfortunately, I'm not off the Zyprexa..it seems to be impossible to quit for me and I've only heard of very few people who claimed they quit and most of them just substituted some other medication.  It is really a nasty drug to be stuck on.  One thing I read on wikipedia is that Zyprexa can make benzodiazepine withdrawals worse.  That might be why I'm having so much trouble sleeping.

 

I wouldn't stop the Zyprexa in withdrawal or while tapering.

 

I tried to stop an AP and it didn't work.

 

I would focus on that after the valium.

 

Never wise to come off two meds at once.

 

S#

[[Gl...]]

Yeah, I know..I had been trying to quit Zyprexa for a long time before I finally decided not to give it another shot because it takes too much out of me to try to quit.  I'm just focusing on quitting the Valium for now.

 

Just to give an update, this is my third day on 17.5mg of Valium.  So far it has been going pretty well but I've been feeling weird symptoms like feeling hot and having a sore throat.  I might have gotten sick at the same time.  I've been having some anxiety and no real joy or inspiration throughout the day, so that kind of sucks.  It feels like I'm trudging through everything.  To make things worse, something went wrong with my guitar amplifier so I can't play guitar now which was helping me a lot through the withdrawals.  I'm going to try to get it fixed tomorrow or ASAP.  I think it is just a few tiny parts where the input goes in.  Anyways, I hope I can keep sleeping on 17.5mg and get through this eventually.

[[Pa...]]

It sounds like you're making some solid progress with your taper.  I hope you can get your guitar fixed, distraction is a good thing. 

[[sh...]]

Good job on deciding to switch over to Valium  I'm sure it's going to make for a much smoother taper than with Ativan. There's many reasons why I didn't switch, but anyone who does is pretty strong in my book.

[[Gl...]]

I got my guitar working again  I fixed the amp myself and it only took me like 20 minutes after I made a post online.  I feel like I've been making really good progress so far and I'm excited to try to tackle the next cut when the time comes.  Thanks for the encouragement, it really helps to come on here and get some support.