Advice please need to understand my w/d

[[my...]]

I was on 2 benzos for 39 days - ativan 1mg and temazepan 30mg

 

I have been tapering now for 1 and 1/2 months.  I went pretty fast because I seemed to be able to tolerate it but I think I was proping my self up between doses.

 

I am now at a very low dose of temazepan, dropped ativan 4/6/2008 but I am having a hard time stablizing.  Does stable mean NO w/d symtoms?  I suffer everyday, some days more than others, my symptoms are shaky, some skin burning(getting a little better) brain fog, heart palipations. I don't eat too much, mornings are the worst, seems like eating makes me w/d more for a while.

 

My husband and family cannot understand these symptoms on this low dose of temazepan, they think I have a mental illness or am just a druggie

 

I need to get to the end of this mess, please let me know if someone else has had these kind of problems and will I ever get through this?  I am scared and need some support

[[el...]]

My,

this is totally normal, really. The fairly speedy rate is probably catching up with you a bit.

Stable does NOT mean no wd sx. Ideally you want to feel somewhat half decent, sx still there but tolerable to you. There are times when this just does not happen, and eventually you may need to go ahead and make your cut anyway.

Show this to your family:

 

To mylo's family: She is NOT mentally ill, she is not a druggie, she is having NORMAL wd symptoms from 2 powerful prescription sedatives. So get off her case!  

[[TP...]]

Your husband and friends are wrong dear. Some people suffer often for a significant while even after getting completely free of benzos. Others suffer all the way through the taper process. So long as the Gaba receptors have not completely healed it is possible to suffer what appear to be withdrawal symptoms. Your family really needs to educate themselves on the realities of benzo addiction. I would recommend you print off the Ashton Manual, or purchase it, and make hubby read it through.

 

Good luck.

 

Tony

[[my...]]

Hi Eljay:

 

I am getting very low on my doses now, I am worried that these w/d sx will not go away but everywhere I read it says they will - do you think my doseages are ok, I have one more drop and off - It did not get too much better holding 12 days however, yesterday I did feel better than I had for a while and the w/d symtoms don't seem quite so intense

 

My husband and I work together and his patience is running low for me to continue to feel poorly.So I am anxious about this ending.

 

Did you have stomach problems at all?  maybe because I am coming off of two even though I think the Ativan w/d must be lessoning by now, this is why I feel so sick

 

Do other people feel this sick? 

[[my...]]

Also, once I am off, will the syptoms begin to go away? IF I am still having w/d on my last pill should the last drop be awful?

[[el...]]

You're doses are ok, I think. How are you splitting your temazepam? are you titrating? I forget.

 

your last drop should not be awful. Please try not to think ahead.

 

Almost everyone I know here has/had stomach problems during tapering.

 

Your anxiety about wanting this to be over because of family pressure is only making things harder on you. Please do your best to ignore them and concentrate on your healing. It's hard, I know. Try some meditation. I'll post you a link.     

[[el...]]

http://www.benzobuddies.org/buddiesguide/insomnia-aid

[[my...]]

Eljay:

 

I really appreciate your input - I wish I was where you are

 

I take one pill a day at night, I am not tritrating, my husband cut the capsules for me, they may not be exact but within 10% I think.  This is a problem because all I have is 15mg capsules.

 

I am a little scared of the tritation because of the amount of drug that gets spread through the liquid I don't want to make myself worse.

 

Can you advise

[[my...]]

Cannot get the link to upload -

[[el...]]

Eljay:

 

I really appreciate your input - I wish I was where you are

 

I take one pill a day at night, I am not tritrating, my husband cut the capsules for me, they may not be exact but within 10% I think.  This is a problem because all I have is 15mg capsules.

 

I am a little scared of the tritation because of the amount of drug that gets spread through the liquid I don't want to make myself worse.

 

Can you advise

 

There is loose powder in the capsules, I"m pretty sure? I was briefly on temazepam last spring, and I remember dumping out the powder to take a half dose.  I can't imaging cutting it would be accurate. More accurate would be to open the capsule and dump out the powder, then using a credit card to split in in even piles.

[[el...]]

Cannot get the link to upload -

 

Hmmm. Try this one.

 

http://www.archive.org/details/MCullenBodyScanMeditation

[[my...]]

The capsules are some loose and some very compacted hard - some of the capsules actually when you open them a hard round capsule slides out, some are broken with powder.

 

do you think I should spilt up my doses? - how would I do that 1/2 in the morning and 1/2 at night? how would I start?

[[el...]]

No, I don't think you should split up your doses. You're too low. I meant split the powder into piles. When you remove it from the capsule, carefully crush it if it's compacted. Then from there, you can split that into small piles. You'll just have to eyeball the evenness.

Just make 4 piles and eat one a day.(.187mg per pile) Do it on a dinner plate, and then put it away out of reach of kids or pets.  When you get ready to cut again, make 8 piles (from one capsule). And eat one pile a day. (That will be .94mg a pile.) 

[[my...]]

Eljay;

 

Can you please explain why some people get long term withdrawal - ?  do short term users have that problem?

[[el...]]

Eljay;

 

Can you please explain why some people get long term withdrawal - ?

 

My,

I have no idea. Except IMO, it seems it mostly only happens when there was a significant cold turkey and reinstatement. Not to say this will always happen in this case.

In your case, I believe you will be just fine. It is the nature of benzo wd to make you think you will never get better. Everyone experiences that, including me. You have to just have faith, ok? And listen to me. I'm telling you, you will heal just fine, and will be back to normal. Probably in just a few weeks after your last dose, maybe a few months at most. Or maybe right away. But you will continue to improve as those weeks go by. You will have good days and bad days, but the good days will get longer.  You will recover from this, I'm sure of it. 

[[my...]]

eljay:

 

I am a little confused, how do you get to 1.875 (which is dividing 15mg by to .93

Do you have me halfing my dose again?

 

Do you think that the 1.875 is too big a jump at the end?

[[my...]]

Oh, one more thing,

 

Just had a discussion with my husband who says if I feel this bad all the time, I am down to such a low dose why not just quit and feel bad while at least I am healing..

 

I don't want to quit now I need to stablise for a few days, I dont know maybe I should drop 1mg every four days like Tony did need some advice about the dosage and drop schedule

 

Thanks so much

[[el...]]

eljay:

 

I am a little confused, how do you get to 1.875 (which is dividing 15mg by to .93

Do you have me halfing my dose again?

 

Do you think that the 1.875 is too big a jump at the end?

 

I don't know. 

I thought you said you were currently taking 1.87mg. I must have misread.

 

I think it's a little big, but I honestly don't think it's too big, especially for the relatively short time you were on. But you know what? this is just my personal opinion, and I don't claim to know it all. At all! But it seems unless you switch to titration, (or cross to valium) it's about as low as you can get before jumping off. And jumping from the equivalent of  .9mg of valium, for your situation, is most likely do-able, IMO. You may not breeze thru it, but you'll make it ok. This is what I believe.  And then again you may breezed thru it!

[[my...]]

thanks so much for your advice -

 

My brother in law who is a Dr. (orthopedic surgeon)  cannot believe that this small dose of this drug could cause me any problems - No drs over here are versed in this stuff.

 

He said that usually people take this stuff and just quit when they don't want to take it anymore, I said you just don't see the side effects (he is in the wrong area of med for this)

My sister who is a nurse said that all the patients she sees all want to continue on their drugs and want new better drugs.  She never hears of anyone getting off....

 

They think that there is something medically wrong with me that i am having these symtoms - I told them to go online and read Prof Ashtons report.

 

I am so glad that I only stayed on 39 days, now wish that I had never heard of these drugs

 

I have never taken any drugs before in my life, I cannot take pain killers, I am very sensative to all medications.  Right now I cannot take any supplements as they make me worse so I really need to get through this and nourish my life and my body again.

 

Your kind words are so appreciated and it seems I need someone to tell me that I will make this - you know you think if this is the way my life is going to be then it is not worth it.

[[ru...]]

mylosmiles, you will get off this and you will make it. Absolutely. And Life is worth living. It will be fun again and you will feel at least as good as your old self if not better. I've been off almost 14 months and I feel really good most of the time. The times I don't are related to my thyroid, not my past benzo use.

 

It gets better. You will make it. And I seriously doubt you'll have protracted w/ds. I worried about them the whole time I was tapering. I never had them.

 

rufus

[[my...]]

rufus

why did you go down to such a small dose to drop off of ?

[[Je...]]

Mylosmiles,

 

Yes, life is worth living and you will be well again!!  Protracted withdrawal is more the exception than the rule.  I was about as bad off as bad can get..and I healed and am leading a very normal very busy life!!  I admitted myself into a psych hospital because I was afraid of doing something I wouldn't live to regret.  I really didn't think I'd be well again...but I am...and you will be too!!

 

Love,

 

Jen

[[TP...]]

rufus

why did you go down to such a small dose to drop off of ?

 

I can answer for her. It's a lot easier on the CNS. The Gaba receptors get to heal a little bit at a time instead of having to heal a whole lot at once.

[[my...]]

You did a fairly quick taper?  what was the amount and time of you last few cuts

 

How was your w/d symptoms during your taper and how long after you finished did you start to feel better?

[[ru...]]

Hey mylosmiles! Why did I go down to such a small dose? 'Cause I was scared witless that I would have protracted withdrawals and all sorts of pain. I was already having trouble with my thyroid going nutz; the last thing I needed was some medication causing me grief as well. So I went down as far as I could without feeling ridiculous-- and then I stopped. I don't regret it at all. As me ol' mum used to say: "'To each his own' said the old lady as she kissed the purple cow."

 

rufus