I messed up, in severe tolerance. What now?

[[sa...]]

I started my water titration taper in tolerance w/d.  I had w/d on my full dose.  I then decided to do a relatively rapid taper since I had only been on it for 2 weeks.  I cut 2 mgs from my 30 mgs in one week.  I feel almost like I'm in CT withdrawal on 28 mgs of Temazapam.  Also, I'm only dosing once a day so that I can sleep, so there is never an even amount in my body.  From what I just read, that is bad, right?

 

Is there any way to fix this?  Or am I going to have to endure severe illness for the next year or more as I taper off?  My pdoc won't help, but I have an appointment with a psych nurse at a mental health clinic coming up, and she may be able to.  What should I mention to her? 

[[fi...]]

I'm not familiar with Temazepam, but perhaps some other buddies can jump in here and offer their advice.  I hope things improve for you and that you get the information you need.

 

Sincerely,

 

fg

[[Be...]]

Hi again, sagemom.

 

I was in tolerance withdrawal when I started tapering off 3mg of Ativan/lorazepam and it was really hard, no doubt about it.  I did have a couple of months during my 6 month taper time when symptoms reduced, though, which was a wonderful surprise and there were brief windows from time to time. 

 

Dropping 2mg from 30mg in a week really isn't a large reduction and I can't help but wonder if you would heal sooner if you got off faster.  I know that's a terrifying thing to think of when you feel so bad, but I really don't know any better way to taper off the Temazepam.  You might feel a bit better spreading your dose out for a more even blood level.  Temazepam and Lorazepam are really quite similar (and short-acting)  other than the Lorazepam being much stronger.  It sounds like you don't have anything to lose by trying it, although your sleep could be affected, of course.  There just are no easy answers, I'm afraid; at least none that I know of. 

[[He...]]

I don't know anything about Temazepam either, but I hope it settles down quickly for you and you feel better really soon.

[[sa...]]

Hi again, sagemom.

 

I was in tolerance withdrawal when I started tapering off 3mg of Ativan/lorazepam and it was really hard, no doubt about it.  I did have a couple of months during my 6 month taper time when symptoms reduced, though, which was a wonderful surprise and there were brief windows from time to time. 

 

Dropping 2mg from 30mg in a week really isn't a large reduction and I can't help but wonder if you would heal sooner if you got off faster.  I know that's a terrifying thing to think of when you feel so bad, but I really don't know any better way to taper off the Temazepam.  You might feel a bit better spreading your dose out for a more even blood level.  Temazepam and Lorazepam are really quite similar (and short-acting)  other than the Lorazepam being much stronger.  It sounds like you don't have anything to lose by trying it, although your sleep could be affected, of course.  There just are no easy answers, I'm afraid; at least none that I know of. 

 

What did you tolerance to your full dose feel like?  And how did you feel during your taper?j

 

I'm mostly bedridden and non-functional at this point.

[[La...]]

Hi Sagemom, sorry to read of your difficulties getting off this damn temaz, I just looked back at my notes and I was down to 27 mg in 8 days,  I had horrible insomnia, night sweats, vivid horrid dreams , when I did sleep, very heavy feeling in thighs, blurry vision, eye twitch and the breathing difficulty, muscle cramps mainly in toes, on and on, so I held and hoped things improved, they didn't much so I kept going taking out Iml per night, I am now down to a dose of 15 mg from 30 mg and I am in a 5 day wave of feeling good with minimal symptoms, I still take my only dose at night and now I know exactly when it has worn off as I wake up like clockwork in 3-4 hrs but I now am able to fall back asleep after a fitfull hr or so, I deep breathe and try not to think about the time, easier said than done I know, anyway I wish you success and hope you can push through to get yourself off this drug, I was on it for over 15 yrs and so far seem to be able to mind over matter and keep going through the worst of my symptoms, its not easy but the only way out of this hell is through

[[sa...]]

Thank you Ladygrace!  It's wonderful to know that you can have windows at the lower doses.  I guess I'll just have to keep cutting but go more slowly and gradually.  I've already held for a week at 28, and it's not getting any better.  If anything, worse. 

[[...]]

Hi again, sagemom.

 

I was in tolerance withdrawal when I started tapering off 3mg of Ativan/lorazepam and it was really hard, no doubt about it.  I did have a couple of months during my 6 month taper time when symptoms reduced, though, which was a wonderful surprise and there were brief windows from time to time. 

 

Dropping 2mg from 30mg in a week really isn't a large reduction and I can't help but wonder if you would heal sooner if you got off faster.  I know that's a terrifying thing to think of when you feel so bad, but I really don't know any better way to taper off the Temazepam.  You might feel a bit better spreading your dose out for a more even blood level.  Temazepam and Lorazepam are really quite similar (and short-acting)  other than the Lorazepam being much stronger.  It sounds like you don't have anything to lose by trying it, although your sleep could be affected, of course.  There just are no easy answers, I'm afraid; at least none that I know of. 

 

This is what worked for me as well...

[[sa...]]

Hi again, sagemom.

 

I was in tolerance withdrawal when I started tapering off 3mg of Ativan/lorazepam and it was really hard, no doubt about it.  I did have a couple of months during my 6 month taper time when symptoms reduced, though, which was a wonderful surprise and there were brief windows from time to time. 

 

Dropping 2mg from 30mg in a week really isn't a large reduction and I can't help but wonder if you would heal sooner if you got off faster.  I know that's a terrifying thing to think of when you feel so bad, but I really don't know any better way to taper off the Temazepam.  You might feel a bit better spreading your dose out for a more even blood level.  Temazepam and Lorazepam are really quite similar (and short-acting)  other than the Lorazepam being much stronger.  It sounds like you don't have anything to lose by trying it, although your sleep could be affected, of course.  There just are no easy answers, I'm afraid; at least none that I know of. 

 

This is what worked for me as well...

 

Do you mean that you spread out your dose?  Did you stop sleeping when you did that?

[[...]]

yes, I dosed every 12 hours.  And yes the sleep was affected before, during and after.  I am doing quite well off of benzos.  Better than when I was on or trying to taper.

[[sa...]]

Was the sleep loss worth spreading the dose do you think?  I get super crazy on no sleep.

[[...]]

Was the sleep loss worth spreading the dose do you think?  I get super crazy on no sleep.

 

yes and at that time I was working 3 days on at a time. The body has a way of adjusting.  It wasn't a great situation, but I sucked it up.  Everyone is different.

[[sa...]]

Thanks Skyy, maybe I'll try it, I don't know.  I like to sleep.

[[bl...]]

I'm not sure that I would spread the dose out if you've been taking it once per day. Some people here do strongly feel that's better. I'm also not sure you have to take a year to come off. I think a few months is what Professor Ashton has recommended, generally speaking. I personally don't plan to take more than 6 months, but I'm hoping that at the rate things are going, it may just be 4 months.

 

My great fear is letting my identity become "someone in withdrawal" rather than "someone healing." Also, I am not sure that protracted withdrawal increases between withdrawing over a few months vs. a year.

 

Five days ago, I literally felt like I was losing my mind. A few weeks ago, I had to leave a meeting due to sudden anxiety. For four days, I've felt perfectly normal. It's very nonsensical, this withdrawal.

 

I often take my last medication dose at 2 pm and then my next at 8 or 9 am. It's been recommended to me on this site that I try taking four doses rather than three. But I'd rather not because right now, I need as much medication as possible during work to function. Otherwise, I can't work. If I can't work, my family starves and becomes homeless. We're month-to-month more or less; I am the primary breadwinner. So I have to be practical to the utmost about these things. I don't have anyone who will pick up my slack, and I have to work every day.

 

So despite Xanax's half life, which is shorter than Temazepam's, about four hours for me with my tolerance (after 2-3 hours, I begin to have a w/d feeling), I do often go like 16-18 hours between doses. YMMV.

 

What I am trying to tell you is that you don't have to do the same as everyone here is doing. I'm not. I've also had to updose to get through some days of work. Fine. That's what it is. If you look to my sig line though, you will see that over about six weeks, I've dropped my dose considerably and am continuing that steadily. When it got bad, I held. That's it. I also cancelled one work day. I have to LECTURE in front of up to 100 people for two hours for a living here. I've done it while having visual hallucinations and made weird excuses too. I've taken to using a lot of PowerPoint and standing in the dark. Not everyone's situation is the same. We don't all have the same support.

 

I would be a crazy person without sleep. Fortunately, I have no insomnia from the w/d so far other than a very few days of early waking. If you need to sleep, do what works for you. Your only task is to keep reducing your dose.

 

Good luck.

[[sa...]]

Thank you!  I feel more confident now about my plan.  I don't think it will take a year, but it will take courage to push through the w/ds and keep tapering.  My sx do tend to be severe, so it's going to be very difficult.  But I've found that if I keep my stimulation and stress levels low, I can get through the worst of the tolerance w/d.  The only thing now is that I've been holding for a week, and may have to hold longer because of a present stressful situation.  I'm eager to get off, and I hate to have to hold.  I'm also still in some danger of having to CT because of my ignorant doctor and unreliable prescribing psych nurse.  If I can get that situation settled, I'll feel a lot better. 

[[bl...]]

I think you'll do well, sagemom. Remember, there are other doctors who would be glad to help you out there.  Sometimes, you just get a really bad one. Or two. Or three. I adore my doctor now. But I had to kick and scream and go through every doctor in area to find this one. I'm afraid he's going to retire soon though  :'(