Valium/Diazepam Support Group

[[J-...]]

Hi all

 

I'm having trouble breathing too

 

I'm not having any other side effects. Kind of the opposite. I slept last night with only melatonin for instance because I dropped the Doxy thinking the breathing problems might be that.

 

Well the breathing problems are still here and the only yoga class they weren't around was the day I missed my morning - before yoga - dose.

 

 

And one of the side effects of Valium is trouble breathing. It suggests asthmatics or people with breathing problems shouldn't go on it. I was slightly asthmatic before this. But I do have an impressive track record for getting every side effect of any drug.

Ventolin etc doesn't seem to help. I'm not sure what to do. I obviously can't just quit valium (which is what Drs may suggest)

Maybe move my dosages away from the pepperine I've been taking?? I'm fairly convinced the pepperine has been amping the Valium because I've been so fine - too fine - and able to increase my cut rate. The writing on it is sparse but suggests pepperine would amp valium. It also says because peppering increases absorbtion etc of many drugs it increases side effects.

Maybe I could move that morning dose- I didn't have it the day I had my morning dose post yoga? arggg.. I'm really hoping I haven't developed this side effect from Valium. I need to be on this stupid stuff right now.

Any suggestions? Previous experiences?

Breathing problems is and always has been my biggest problem....

[[Sm...]]

Yea there is a bit of a back lash lately I've sensed.

The truth is Ashton didn't know everything. Ashton let a lot of people suffer that didn't have to actually. I'm thinking here of a paper she wrote on protracted withdrawal where she 'helped' some people in tolerance get off as quickly as posible because she figured they were already in tolerance so wouldn't be happy no matter how slow they went and then followed them as they went through withdrawal.

She was a great lady don't get me wrong, and she described how terrible she felt for these people who had done nothing but taken a prescription drug. And has done great things for benzo withdrawal. But she didn't know everything. No-one does.

 

I should stay clear from some threads because sometimes I feel like the hold, updose and slow down brigade.

 

It is hard when you have a good experience with a method and someone is saying they are in trouble and want advice. You naturally want to advise them on what has worked for you.

 

Well worked for me except for current breathing problems.. any ideas anyone??

[[Sm...]]

J - No answers? Nothing has helped?

[[jj...]]

smiff and j, even on the small dose of v that I'm currently on, I've noticed it's a little harder to breathe. I know this isn't really a long term solution, but I have found that using a breath pacer really helps. You can find them online (I think), I just bought a cd several years ago from Advanced Cardiologics for relaxation that has various pacers on it that I can choose from. The recommended rate is between 6 to 5 breaths per minute, although some people need to work down to that rate of breathing, since most people breath much, much faster than that.

[[Di...]]

Yea there is a bit of a back lash lately I've sensed.

The truth is Ashton didn't know everything. Ashton let a lot of people suffer that didn't have to actually. I'm thinking here of a paper she wrote on protracted withdrawal where she 'helped' some people in tolerance get off as quickly as posible because she figured they were already in tolerance so wouldn't be happy no matter how slow they went and then followed them as they went through withdrawal.

She was a great lady don't get me wrong, and she described how terrible she felt for these people who had done nothing but taken a prescription drug. And has done great things for benzo withdrawal. But she didn't know everything. No-one does.

 

I should stay clear from some threads because sometimes I feel like the hold, updose and slow down brigade.

 

It is hard when you have a good experience with a method and someone is saying they are in trouble and want advice. You naturally want to advise them on what has worked for you.

 

Well worked for me except for current breathing problems.. any ideas anyone??

 

I suppose the thing that I find interesting is that some people who want to stick strictly by the Ashton Method (and they have every right to do that if they want to) will pick and choose what they want to use from her method, and imply that the cut and hold method is the only thing she advocates. They seem to overlook the fact that Dr Ashton herself was in favour of "slow" tapers, if that was what someone wanted to do (as I quoted in my previous post).

 

Anyway, Evelyn Beatrice Hall said it best when she said "I disapprove of what you say, but I will defend to the death your right to say it".  Well, that's how I have always felt about tapering methods. Yours may not be the method of my choice, but I will defend your right to use it.

 

Sorry, Smiffy, I don't have any ideas about your breathing problems. I suppose you've done all the normal stuff of talking to your doctor and having appropriate tests?

[[et...]]

Smiff and jbird - I suck Fisherman's Friends...may sound stupid but works for me!

etown

[[jj...]]

smiff, you probably know this already from yoga, but j if you don't know about diaphragmatic breathing you should look into it. Basically it's expanding the belly to breath like you see infants do instead of expanding the chest. It allows you to breath in a more relaxed way and gets more oxygen in the body. I'm sure if you searched on youtube you could find tutorials on how to do it. It definitely helps a little with the panic.

[[Sm...]]

Thanks all

 

Drs appointment on saturday so I'll talk to her about it then. I have also been coughing up a bit of phlegm (sorry to be gross) so it could just be something simply fixed.

 

I may try vitamin D. Shortness of breath can apparently be related to that. Worst thing that happens is it makes w/ds worse I stop it and hold for a few days.

 

E-Town: I'll try and get hold of some fisherman's friend. Haven't seen them forever.

 

JJ: The breathing is separate from panic in this instance. But the pacers sound good. Can you get them just from a pharmacist? Actually I don't have the breathing problems post yoga particularly after I've done a few big back bends - opening up your chest. But during yoga initially I feel it and can't do all the cardio I could a week ago or get as deep a breath as I could a week ago or calm my breathing down as well as I could a week ago. Yoga starts with a breathing exercise where you breathe in and out as deeply as you can over 20 secs. The past week I've run out of room to breathe in and air to breath out before the time is through.

 

DP: Yes: everyone to whatever works for them. And yes: If Ashton knew about micro-taper she'd probably advocate it. Though she said some weird things like 'go slow but maybe not more then 6 months otherwise it becomes the patient's whole lives'. Yup well that boat has already sailed: once you are benzo dependant benzo w/d is a big part of your life and the less symptomatic the less a part of your life it is. It is less consuming to those I know who are less symptomatic but take longer. So she was/is a great lady and a caring one  and knew a lot but could say some dopey things that only someone who has never actually done this would say.

 

 

[[dr...]]

I was unaware that V specializes in breathing problems >

 

Diaz-Pam -I saw and read some posts on that thread and found it very antagonistic in tone from the get go. I also noticed a poster was talking the talk at a much higher dose than most of us. I hope the poster is able to make it all the way following Ashton as I don't wish this on anyone. I was able to follow her until I was under 10mg. Then I ended up here:)

[[Di...]]

Too true Drew (oooo that rhymes, but try saying it fast 10 times  )

 

btw - I knew I had read the percentage thing on BB somewhere, and I just found it.

 

http://www.benzobuddies.org/forum/index.php?topic=9522.0

 

We suggest that unless past experience of attempted tapering indicates otherwise, members should initially try cutting their dose by no more than about 10%, and will probably make new cuts (about 10% of their dose at the time of the new cut) every 7-14 days. These figures are intended as ballpark estimates - mileage will vary.

 

Note that Colin says “no more than about 10%” every 7-14 days, so I would say over time this has evolved into the 5-10% that is often quoted now.

 

[[J-...]]

Hi Smiff,

 

Remember my thread on phenergen and breathing difficulties?  Well I too have developed

'phlegm' in the last couple of weeks and I'm sure it's due to all the phenergen I took.

 

I'm off it it now, only 5 days, so who know what side effects I may be dealing with.

I remember you said you took Doxy.  So maybe that's the problem.

I've been reading a bit about it all and even though Doxy may be less toxic than

Phenergen, at the end of the day, it's an antihistamine....all cause breathing problems.

 

Just my two cents worth 

[[Di...]]

Hi J

 

I just wanted to make a comment about doxy. I've use it quite a bit since I've been tapering and I've never had a problem with it, but then I don't have breathing problems.  I usually only need to take a fairly small dose (usually half a 25mg tablet).

[[jj...]]

Smiff, a breath pacer is just something that you can pace your breath to. It could be like a musical scale going up and down five times per minute (like I use off of a cd I bought years ago) or it could be like a line that goes up and down that you watch on a computer screen. If you have a android or iPhone you can even download an app for it. The idea is that you use it at least two or three times throughout the day for ten minutes to pace your breath and eventually your nervous system adapts to it so you are breathing much more slowly through the day. Slower, even breaths greatly improves the amount of oxygen that you are bringing in, especially if you are using diaphragmatic breathing. It may not help, but on the other hand, it may help a great deal.

[[mr...]]

My mom has severe breathing problems, but hasn't had any issue with using zzzquil or unisom.

Her breathing problems have been getting better lately.

 

 

[[Sm...]]

Hi Smiff,

 

Remember my thread on phenergen and breathing difficulties?  Well I too have developed

'phlegm' in the last couple of weeks and I'm sure it's due to all the phenergen I took.

 

I'm off it it now, only 5 days, so who know what side effects I may be dealing with.

I remember you said you took Doxy.  So maybe that's the problem.

I've been reading a bit about it all and even though Doxy may be less toxic than

Phenergen, at the end of the day, it's an antihistamine....all cause breathing problems.

 

Just my two cents worth 

 

Oh sorry J-Bird! I didn't even make the connection between you and the phenergan thread. Benzo brain.

 

Yes you are right. I looked up Doxy and it does also have breathing problems as one of its side effects. I did stop it but the breathing hasn't improved.. yet. So I'm not sure if it is the culprit. It could be part of it and I'll try to stay off it whilst I'm trying to resolve this.

 

I used to have asthma. I used to take a cortisol inhaler (symbicort). I'll give that a go. Whether Valium and/or the anti-histamines have brought on the asthma I don't know but it is worth a try. I'll look up about any interactions with valium first.

I'll let you know how I go.

 

Everyone:

Happy New Year. May your new year be happy and healthy and full of good tapering.

Much love

Smiff xx

[[J-...]]

Hi Smiff,

 

Remember my thread on phenergen and breathing difficulties?  Well I too have developed

'phlegm' in the last couple of weeks and I'm sure it's due to all the phenergen I took.

 

I'm off it it now, only 5 days, so who know what side effects I may be dealing with.

I remember you said you took Doxy.  So maybe that's the problem.

I've been reading a bit about it all and even though Doxy may be less toxic than

Phenergen, at the end of the day, it's an antihistamine....all cause breathing problems.

 

Just my two cents worth 

 

Oh sorry J-Bird! I didn't even make the connection between you and the phenergan thread. Benzo brain.

 

Yes you are right. I looked up Doxy and it does also have breathing problems as one of its side effects. I did stop it but the breathing hasn't improved.. yet. So I'm not sure if it is the culprit. It could be part of it and I'll try to stay off it whilst I'm trying to resolve this.

 

I used to have asthma. I used to take a cortisol inhaler (symbicort). I'll give that a go. Whether Valium and/or the anti-histamines have brought on the asthma I don't know but it is worth a try. I'll look up about any interactions with valium first.

I'll let you know how I go.

 

Everyone:

Happy New Year. May your new year be happy and healthy and full of good tapering.

Much love

Smiff xx

No worries,

Who knows why I have breathing problems....I guess I've always had it in one way

Or another when all hell broke loose 2 yrs ago, but never has it been this bad since tapering

Zoloft first then Valium...of course with hefty phenergen use during this.

So who know which or what drug has/ is causing this.

 

Happy New Year too you too..all the best 

J

 

[[So...]]

Did anyone on the thread cross over from Ativan?

 

Did it make things better or worse? If so, how?

 

I am thinking of trying to get my Dr to cross me over, once I reach 1 mg of Ativan. I am really not liking the way Ativan makes me feel. Kind of more anxious. It's weird.

 

Denise 

[[mr...]]

Did anyone on the thread cross over from Ativan?

 

Did it make things better or worse? If so, how?

 

I am thinking of trying to get my Dr to cross me over, once I reach 1 mg of Ativan. I am really not liking the way Ativan makes me feel. Kind of more anxious. It's weird.

 

Denise 

My mom didn't cross over, but switched from 1.5mg lorazepam per day to 6mg valium per day.

I wouldn't recommend this to anyone crossing over, but to cross over using equivelent valium dosing.

The switch to valium was a god send and if I had to do it again, I would always opt for the valium.

 

The one problem with switching is that it can take a week for your blood levels of valium to get high enuf to compensate.

This maybe why the cross over method works.

 

[[So...]]

Thanks mrtmeo,

 

Your poor mom has really had a time of it. 

 

Do you mind me asking how old she is? If you don't want to say, that is fine. 

 

Denise 

[[mr...]]

Thanks mrtmeo,

 

Your poor mom has really had a time of it. 

 

Do you mind me asking how old she is? If you don't want to say, that is fine. 

 

Denise 

She will be 76 in February.

She's a trooper.

[[So...]]

Wow!! I would say!! I am 46 and feel like I am not going to make it through this alive!!

 

Denise 

[[et...]]

Hi Denise - I would also suggest c/o to Valium. The fast acting Benzos such as Ativan are irritating to the brain moreso than Valium probably somewhat due to half life. As Meo says make sure you c/o to the equivalent dose as listed in the Ashton tables. I'm sure you will find the Valium smoother than Ativan.

etown

[[dr...]]

Denise,

 

Crossing over was the best thing I ever did during this life ruining event.  I'm much more stable and my life is mid level functional. I'm able to move forward in life instead of being on hold. I credit the Valium and a daily reduction method.

 

Drew

[[So...]]

Thanks etown!! I know my Dr will not even consider it until I can get down to 1 mg of Ativan.

 

I am just trying to think and plan ahead.

 

I wish I knew if it would calm my crazy heart, or make it worse.

 

Denise 

[[So...]]

Denise,

 

Crossing over was the best thing I ever did during this life ruining event.  I'm much more stable and my life is mid level functional. I'm able to move forward in life instead of being on hold. I credit the Valium and a daily reduction method.

 

Drew

 

Thanks Drew!!

 

I am glad it has worked out so well for you!! 

 

I am going to do the daily reduction on the Ativan as well.

 

Denise