Symptoms after first cut

[[Im...]]

Hey amazing BBers, I've really been struggling after my first official taper cut and i'd really like some advice as to whether this is normal, how long it might last, and if anyone has found things that have helped. I went from .5 xanax to 10 valium 2+ weeks ago, and struggled a little but not too badly. 4 days ago I made my first cut, to 9mg... and it's been rough. The 9th was ok, but the last few days I've had horrific headaches, like a tight band across the top of my forehead, from temple to temple, and also behind my eyes - feels like a migraine but isn't responsive to light or movement. I've also been SO tired - literally sleeping 10 hours at night plus another 4 or 5 hours in naps during the day. I'm just exhausted, and my anxiety isn't great either - feeling jittery and with pressure in my chest, although not nearly as bad as it was a few weeks ago when I was getting used to a reinstatement after c/t. Is it going to be this bad every time?? How long have other people's symptoms lasted after 1mg valium cuts? I feel so defeated and useless. I NEVER used to be sensitive to medication changes, and now I feel so ridiculous for having this much trouble - I don't know what I'd do without this forum. Thank you all.

[Guest [...]]

Hey Improbable

 

Yes the symptoms of withdrawal are many you probably need to look them up so you can be assured they are from Benzo withdrawal.  I went from 45mg down to 2.5mg and never felt any symptoms at all but when he took the last 2.5mg off i was sooooooo sick so went straight back on the 2.5 and was still really sick.  to give you an example three weeks ago i dropped from 2.5 down to 2 you think i would have learnt but i didnt.  that .5 drop caused so many symptoms and i set myself back a month.  So you will see that going slow is the best.  I would be grateful that you are sleeping though this is not a bad thing you can sleep through your symptoms.  If you feel like you are going to fast slow down.  anyway get ready for the ride it is dreadful but will one day come to an end.

 

take care

 

Lizzy

[[os...]]

Others will chime in real soon.

 

Some cannot tolerate 1mg cuts, even Ashton says so, go with half that or even less.

 

There are many options but i cannot comment on how long a cut lasts... i am interested to see the replies.

 

Hang in there.

 

Oscar

[[Im...]]

Thanks ld and Oscar... It would really help to hear from others about what is "normal" after a similarly sized cut!

[[Ni...]]

My first cut was half of a .5 xanax at first nothing then all hell broke loose so I was given the option to trade that in for valium which I did. My doctor won't let me go to 60 mlgs of valium, I was on 3 mlgs of xanax he says its too risky, so I'm making xanax cuts till I'm just down to 50 mlgs of valium. I'm scared of what a 1 lmg valium drop will feel like. I decided to cut the .5 mlg xanax in 4 parts so I was removing 12.5 at a time. It would take a few days for the chills, feverish feeling like the flu, sometimes intense nausea but always there nausea, burning, dizzy and benzo belly to hit.I would just sit upstairs by the t.v with a blanket and shake and cry. I have to do this 52 more times. It takes me about a good week to level out till I'm ready for my next dose cut. I'm hoping the valium taper will be smoother then the tiny hell xanax taper. I still have two more of those to do.

[[Ju...]]

Ashton says that some can't even tolerate 1 mg cuts from valium? Or another type of benzo?

[[Im...]]

Thanks Justhere, I'll have to reread that section. My memory isn't very good right now!

 

Nicole I am so sorry to hear that it's been so hard for you. That seems to have been about my pattern, took a few days to kick in then has been bad, although I'm glad to hear it has mostly gotten better after a week. I'm already doing a bit better than a few days ago, so I'm hoping that was the peak and it'll decline from there. It is scary and frustrating though. I hope it gets better for you soon, Nicole.

 

Have people found that the pattern after each cut stays the same? Has it gotten worse or better for most people as they go lower? I know that we're all different, but it would be really helpful to hear other people's experiences. Thank you all so much for being here, BB has kept me from feeling completely crazy these last few months!

[[Ni...]]

I also would like to know the same does it get worse? I can just about tolerate the tiny cuts and I'm heading towards 1mlg valium cuts. The thought scares me. But then again valium is a different drug. Its less powerful and has a longer half life then xanax, that's what's giving me hope. But for my regualr cuts of 12.5 it stayed the same if i did a major cut like .25 which I can't do its too intense. Awhile ago I was in the hospital for a gallbladder attack and they gave me no food or water for three days plus I could not eat or drink before that, so no xanax and I went into cold turkey. People describe gallbladder attacks to be similar to heart attacks and they say its so painful that if you had an attack and the house was on fire you could not move. Between both I thought I was going to die. Cold turkey was the worst part. I had a small hardcore shaking fit, hallucinated, threw up, thought I was dead and did not sleep for the whole week, I thought I would sleep, I would forget to blink and every noise was multiplied by ten, and I heard things that were not there. I think about this and know I will feel sick with my cuts, but I won't go cold turkey so I won't get that bad. Knowing I made it through that and just have cuts now makes me see things easier. You would think the idiot docotors who knew I was on 3 mlgs of xanax would give me some via iv, but no..and they thought I was crazy. I did not even know at the time it was the xanax I thought I was dying. Then a nurse gave me 1 mlg of ativan to calm my shakes and I was myself for like an hour.

[[os...]]

Since hitting 4mgs V, i am losing half a mg Valium equivalent every 40 days by using daily micro cuts... i am feeling well.

 

Titrating is the way to go, especially at the lower numbers (6-5mgs and below)

 

Be kind to your CNS, what´s the hurry?

 

If you go fast you still have to heal anyways so go slow.

 

Oscar