Tapering Speed

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I'm doing my best not to crank up the speed of my taper, but I'd like a little advice, or some thoughts about what I'm doing. I'm at 2.5mg Valium and cutting .25mg every three weeks. I've only cut once so far from 2.75 and I'm surviving. It'll take forever at this rate, however. Next weekend I'm due for another cut to 2.25. I take drops, so the plan is to go from 5 drops (2.5mg a day) to three weeks of alternating 5 drops with 4 drops every other day. Does that schedule make sense, or is the alternating a problem. I'd love to hear some thoughts. Thanx.

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Most people steadily reduce their dose and hold until stable before making another cut.  After each reduction your nervous system needs time to adjust to the lower dose.  I don't know if alternating is a very good idea.  Instead, you could consider making smaller cuts or holding longer if required.

Hopefully some other members will drop by and give you their opinions.

[Guest [Be...]]

Z,

 

Valium has such a long half life that I would NOT attempt to do what you have suggested.  Valium has to be tapered slowly especially when you are at the dose that you are currently at right now.  Ideally, reducing by .25mg to 2.25mg at the rate of once every 3 weeks as you are doing will allow you a much more successful taper.  Once you get to 2mg, you can either continue with the .25mg reductions over every 3 weeks and see how you handle the cuts.  Valium has a way of sneaking up on you and alot of times the cuts will catch up to you when it is too late and you get slammed with some very unpleasant withdrawal symptoms.

 

This shouldnt be a race if you want to succeed.  This is just my opinion but I have learned the hard way that making too large a cuts over a shorter period of time does come back at you....I have been tapering from 10mg of valium since last August and am currently at 2.25mg.  I plan on being benzo free by June if I continue with the .25mg cuts but if they are too difficult I will do 10% once every 2 weeks and hold as necessary.