Valium/Diazepam Support Group

[[be...]]

Freeme, glad to see you on the board, it won't be long now, until your surgery. Please whenever you want, come visit my blog, there are some really great

 

people there and they are some of the ones you many already know, and I have learned a lot from them and we are all very supportive of one another.

 

In fact I was going to PM you today, but our Angels work it out for us. Hugs and Prayers to you my friend. 

[[Ju...]]

Happy New Year everyone, I've been laying low for a couple of weeks. Stressful for a social phobic having lots of relatives over during holidays and also I've been trying to get ready to go back to work part time because my medical and vehicle bills are piling high.

 

It's really good to hear about all the progress everyone's making, well done you guys!

 

I admit I sometimes avoid reading BB posts for a few days when I'm not feeling too well because I just end up getting scared.

 

This morning I woke up at 3.50am with a headache and stomach issues and haven't been able to get back to sleep despite taking mild pain relief and putting a wet face cloth on my forehead. But at least it's a thousand times better than the emotional side effects I had in the last two weeks of December. Not nice.

 

I need to attend a meeting with a psychiatrist tomorrow so that my doctor (who is part of a semi-funded benzo withdrawl clinic) can tick the box on my form to say that I have been psychiatrically asssessed, and other patients and staff at the clinic have said this lady is really good and actually listens and won't pressure me into taking anti depressants again if I don't want to but that the option is there, etc etc

 

I'm scared of the strength of the depression I've been getting lately but I also ended up hooked on benzos because I was dealing with the side effects of withdrawing from... (drumroll please) an anti depressant. So it seems like a big cycle going round and round and the last thing I want is ANOTHER medication to quit further down the track. But then comes the fear and depression again...

 

I've read that depression and anxiety can be controlled with exercise and diet but the nurse says it won't be enough. Uuugh!!!!

 

Anyway, part of me just wants to get off benzos so badly that I've seriously considered speeding up my taper to 10% cuts every two weeks (using a vodka titration daily). At the moment I'm doing 1mg reductions over 6 weeks and am down to 6.5mg valium (will update signature shortly) and have been holding for two weeks over Christmas.

 

I can't avoid work anymore, and I can't avoid that there will be withdrawl symptoms no matter how I taper but I didn't cope well with work and side effects of benzos last year. Mind you, I had a crazy boss and longer hours. This potential new boss seems much nicer but I won't get the job if they know about my health issues.

 

Lastly (sorry for the looong update, I just need to talk to someone) I'm starting something called exposure therapy each month this year where a psychologist will help me gradually work on my extreme fear of travel and claustrophobia inside planes, buses, cars, trains, boats. I haven't left town for over a year. There are even parts of my own city that are "too far" away for me. And last Thursday I had a panic attack in a cafe and had to run to the bathroom simply because I was scared of how far away from my house I was. The therapy scares me but living life this way forever scares me much more.

 

Anyone able to relate to any of the above? Any advice would be helpful thank you

[[so...]]

Thank you to Grapejuice for the information on nightmares! I had a feeling that it was a good sign, and I certainly could have done some Googling myself, but I know everyone here already has the info, and isn't connecting and having conversation better than just asking Google? 

 

JustDoToday33 -- I'm with you on not wanting to take anything extra or keep going in that circle. It sounds like you have good care though, an understanding team who isn't pushing you, so take comfort in that. I would recommend keeping the taper slow, but I'm being forced into a ridiculously fast crossover, so... I can understand the feeling because I too was pushing myself to stick with my schedule even when the WD symptoms were very bad prior to this. Just listen to your body. Regarding exposure therapy, it might help for you to check out Claire Weekes books. That could be a great complement to that. They have helped me a ton.

[[bl...]]

I just hit a rough patch and was wondering if it could be related to a switch over from 5 mg to 2 mg tablets.

 

SXs are intensified and I can't fall asleep. The sleep issue is significant because until now, I have been able to fall asleep, although I would wake up often, I was falling asleep and stringing together some hours until that final super adrenaline wake-up would hit.

 

I made the tablet switch on Wednesday of last week, which would make it 6 days until the insomnia hit last night. Today has been miserable with SXs.

 

Both tablet sizes are generic Mylan brand. To be on the safe side, when I switched over, I even reduced my cut. I am doing a liquid daily micro taper.

 

Has anyone else experienced this? Or, am I just having a bad spell that will (hopefully) go away?

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[[bu...]]

I just hit a rough patch and was wondering if it could be related to a switch over from 5 mg to 2 mg tablets.

 

SXs are intensified and I can't fall asleep. The sleep issue is significant because until now, I have been able to fall asleep, although I would wake up often, I was falling asleep and stringing together some hours until that final super adrenaline wake-up would hit.

 

I made the tablet switch on Wednesday of last week, which would make it 6 days until the insomnia hit last night. Today has been miserable with SXs.

 

Both tablet sizes are generic Mylan brand. To be on the safe side, when I switched over, I even reduced my cut. I am doing a liquid daily micro taper.

 

Has anyone else experienced this? Or, am I just having a bad spell that will (hopefully) go away?

 

Pretty unlikely that just changing tablet size in the same brand would have any effect.  I mixed and switched 2's and 5's (also Mylan) throughout my taper and never had any reaction.

[[Ju...]]

 

JustDoToday33 -- I'm with you on not wanting to take anything extra or keep going in that circle. It sounds like you have good care though, an understanding team who isn't pushing you, so take comfort in that. I would recommend keeping the taper slow, but I'm being forced into a ridiculously fast crossover, so... I can understand the feeling because I too was pushing myself to stick with my schedule even when the WD symptoms were very bad prior to this. Just listen to your body. Regarding exposure therapy, it might help for you to check out Claire Weekes. That could be a great complement to that. They have helped me a ton.

 

Thanks Solace, I've heard the name Claire Weekes somewhere. Will check it out. It's so frustrating to have my brain turn activities I used to love into absolutely terrifying physically crippling experiences when I used to travel heaps and enjoy it. But life throws curve balls and I guess sometimes they turn out to be what makes us better people long term.

 

Now I just need to remember my own advice which I shared with you about sticking to the slowly but surely approach. I feel hypocritical now, sorry. I was so determined to listen to my body and not rush but after a stressful Christmas and pressure from family about getting back to work (and having kids before I'm 35 etc... which isn't safe at all on benzos) I had a moment of impatience. I just wanted to "rip the bandaid off" and get my life back but it would be a disaster to rush a taper. Damn it. Can't win.

[[Ju...]]

I just hit a rough patch and was wondering if it could be related to a switch over from 5 mg to 2 mg tablets.

 

SXs are intensified and I can't fall asleep. The sleep issue is significant because until now, I have been able to fall asleep, although I would wake up often, I was falling asleep and stringing together some hours until that final super adrenaline wake-up would hit.

 

I made the tablet switch on Wednesday of last week, which would make it 6 days until the insomnia hit last night. Today has been miserable with SXs.

 

Both tablet sizes are generic Mylan brand. To be on the safe side, when I switched over, I even reduced my cut. I am doing a liquid daily micro taper.

 

Has anyone else experienced this? Or, am I just having a bad spell that will (hopefully) go away?

 

Everyone is different but for the record when I switched from 5mg to 2mg tablets (assuming you are taking the same equivalent dose still) there was no difference, and even though I worried it would cause problems switching to smaller tablets, it definitely seemed my side effects were just from the taper itself.

[[so...]]

 

JustDoToday33 -- I'm with you on not wanting to take anything extra or keep going in that circle. It sounds like you have good care though, an understanding team who isn't pushing you, so take comfort in that. I would recommend keeping the taper slow, but I'm being forced into a ridiculously fast crossover, so... I can understand the feeling because I too was pushing myself to stick with my schedule even when the WD symptoms were very bad prior to this. Just listen to your body. Regarding exposure therapy, it might help for you to check out Claire Weekes. That could be a great complement to that. They have helped me a ton.

 

Thanks Solace, I've heard the name Claire Weekes somewhere. Will check it out. It's so frustrating to have my brain turn activities I used to love into absolutely terrifying physically crippling experiences when I used to travel heaps and enjoy it. But life throws curve balls and I guess sometimes they turn out to be what makes us better people long term.

 

Now I just need to remember my own advice which I shared with you about sticking to the slowly but surely approach. I feel hypocritical now, sorry. I was so determined to listen to my body and not rush but after a stressful Christmas and pressure from family about getting back to work (and having kids before I'm 35 etc... which isn't safe at all on benzos) I had a moment of impatience. I just wanted to "rip the bandaid off" and get my life back but it would be a disaster to rush a taper. Damn it. Can't win.

 

No need to be so hard on yourself. Not hypocritical at all. You were only trying to help me, and when it comes to your own taper, I completely understand your motivations for just wanting to be done. I am only doing it quickly because I'm somewhat trapped with this doc situation, and also because so far, I've actually been fine.

 

Today I remembered that I'm also on 100 mg per day of metoprolol (Lopressor) for my blood pressure, which I know also helps with benzo WDs, and I'm wondering if that has something to do with it going so smoothly so far. Either that or the other shoe is about to drop, as they say. Lol. Time will tell!

 

Today's  (now yesterday's) cut brings me to 0.5 mg per day. One pill. I have cut a full 50% in the last what, couple of weeks? How am I even OK? Needless to say, I had some anxiety about the cut earlier and I'm sure I will over the next few days (and for the rest of the taper and beyond), but so far it feels like real, natural, normal anxiety. Not benzo WD anxiety. If we get to panic attacks, I'll know I'm going too fast, because I don't have those naturally.

 

Between this board, Valium, metoprolol, medical marijuana, and following the advice in the Claire Weekes books, it seems like I have a whole lot of helpful additional support in getting off the Ativan. I hope it continues to feel that way.

[[Ja...]]

question for Diaz-Pam or anyone!

I went to my doc today who wanted me to stay on 5mg Valium for three mos in order to stabilize before taper. Do u think it's too long? I am eager to taper but one week ago was nearing hospitalization bc of s fast taper and precious cold turkey in sept/oct

I want to do this right but I don't want an even greater dependency.. All my problems started w Ativan .5 three times per week!!! Now w cold tirky, trying to stabilize then getting cocky and doing basically a 6 wk taper here I am back on 5mg Valium every night more than I Have ever been on. Thoughts? I know this isn't rational but I feel dirty And gross being on the benzo. I can't explain it. Plus still having full body burning feeling and not stable yet I must admit. I am sleeping last couple of nights. ( bc of remeron)

Thoughts? Stay on it for three mos? How long does it take to stabilize usually after one cold turkey then one fast taper? Fear this will never ever end ;( and I don't want the end to be dramatic and destabilizing again. I will Have to close my business and Leave my family and get locked up dorm where.. Idk positive thoughts and experiences would help

[[Al...]]

question for Diaz-Pam or anyone!

I went to my doc today who wanted me to stay on 5mg Valium for three mos in order to stabilize before taper. Do u think it's too long? I am eager to taper but one week ago was nearing hospitalization bc of s fast taper and precious cold turkey in sept/oct

I want to do this right but I don't want an even greater dependency.. All my problems started w Ativan .5 three times per week!!! Now w cold tirky, trying to stabilize then getting cocky and doing basically a 6 wk taper here I am back on 5mg Valium every night more than I Have ever been on. Thoughts? I know this isn't rational but I feel dirty And gross being on the benzo. I can't explain it. Plus still having full body burning feeling and not stable yet I must admit. I am sleeping last couple of nights. ( bc of remeron)

Thoughts? Stay on it for three mos? How long does it take to stabilize usually after one cold turkey then one fast taper? Fear this will never ever end ;( and I don't want the end to be dramatic and destabilizing again. I will Have to close my business and Leave my family and get locked up dorm where.. Idk positive thoughts and experiences would help

 

Jackson1,

 

5 mugs a day of V is not terribly high dose and due to your recent C/T and fast withdrawal attempts, in my opinion taking the three months to stabilize and feeling better is probably a good idea.

Then you have to do a slow taper down, there is no quick fix to this. Just set your mind to it and chuck the guilt, though I know what you mean.

 

I was on 1 mg. Ativan daily for about 2 years. Tried tapering off but couldn't. Then switched over to Valium and despite some family issues that have slowed my taper, it is still going well. But I learned a long time ago if you try to speed it up faster than your body can adjust, and we are all different where that rate is concerned, it will back fire on you. So,  slow and steady does it.

 

You should be fine. The 3 months should help you get stable and relax into the task ahead.

I also recommend reading some material on coping skills for anxious people like,. Dr. Claire Weekes would be a good start. " Hope and Help for your Nerves "  I also recommend Dr. A. Low,  " Mental Health through will training "

 

Try to not beat yourself up, I did that too and it really does nothing to help us. So we have a physical medication addiction, big deal, many have had this unwirttingly and have gotten off it,...we will too.

 

Chin up!

 

👍

 

ATU

[[Te...]]

Quick question about cut and hold method.  I know your goal is as little symptoms as possible with each cut but how much is too much as far as symptoms?  I have had nausea (lost 3 lbs this week), heart pounding, and insomnia all week since making my first Valium cut.  Nausea and insomnia are improved somewhat, today is day 8.  Are any of you symptom free with your cuts, or are they just tolerable?  I'm planning on trying a 0.5 mg cut next time instead of 1 mg once I feel a little more stable. Going to hold 2 weeks or until I feel better.  Just wondering if I'm in for a rough ride all the way down or if you can achieve some level of stability?  I'm entertaining the thought of micro tapering but the thought of it it is blowing my poor foggy little brain right now so I'd rather stick to a cut and hold as long as it's tolerable for a little while.  Sorry for all the questions, I'm new at this and have both suffering (and FEAR of suffering).  I went through hell with Xanax and I'm not sure what awaits me with Valium.  Totally hating this nausea thing which I did not have with Xanax.  I am at 117 lbs and can't really afford to lose much more weight!

 

Hope,

yes, our bodies are very sensitive to any cut, I'm learning that in the hard way,  I hold a lot, I was holding at 0.90 valium and I cut to 0.80 ml,  and in 4 days all hell broke out.

just exactly what are you suffering from,  I hate this sx, are nasty, 

take it easy, hold and cut later.

 

Hugs

 

Tex

[[Ho...]]

Quick question about cut and hold method.  I know your goal is as little symptoms as possible with each cut but how much is too much as far as symptoms?  I have had nausea (lost 3 lbs this week), heart pounding, and insomnia all week since making my first Valium cut.  Nausea and insomnia are improved somewhat, today is day 8.  Are any of you symptom free with your cuts, or are they just tolerable?  I'm planning on trying a 0.5 mg cut next time instead of 1 mg once I feel a little more stable. Going to hold 2 weeks or until I feel better.  Just wondering if I'm in for a rough ride all the way down or if you can achieve some level of stability?  I'm entertaining the thought of micro tapering but the thought of it it is blowing my poor foggy little brain right now so I'd rather stick to a cut and hold as long as it's tolerable for a little while.  Sorry for all the questions, I'm new at this and have both suffering (and FEAR of suffering).  I went through hell with Xanax and I'm not sure what awaits me with Valium.  Totally hating this nausea thing which I did not have with Xanax.  I am at 117 lbs and can't really afford to lose much more weight!

 

Hope,

yes, our bodies are very sensitive to any cut, I'm learning that in the hard way,  I hold a lot, I was holding at 0.90 valium and I cut to 0.80 ml,  and in 4 days all hell broke out.

just exactly what are you suffering from,  I hate this sx, are nasty, 

take it easy, hold and cut later.

 

Hugs

 

Tex

 

How long does it take you to recover from a cut?  This is day 11 for me (and first V cut) and I definitely don't fell ready to make the next one, which is going to be smaller next time.  Was just hoping to get of this junk in a reasonable amount of time but that is not to be.  I'll will have spent more time crossing over and tapering Valium than I was on Xanax to start with.

[[bl...]]

Pretty unlikely that just changing tablet size in the same brand would have any effect.  I mixed and switched 2's and 5's (also Mylan) throughout my taper and never had any reaction.

 

Everyone is different but for the record when I switched from 5mg to 2mg tablets (assuming you are taking the same equivalent dose still) there was no difference, and even though I worried it would cause problems switching to smaller tablets, it definitely seemed my side effects were just from the taper itself.

 

Thanks for the replies, builder and JustDoToday.

 

It always helps to hear personal experiences.

[[be...]]

Hi, Hope, what I have learned during this Journey is not to put more stress in your life, this Process takes time and I have learned the hard way, to

 

be Patient and not put a time table on it, it just takes time, more than we want to spend, but in the long run, you will be grateful. Our CNS needs time

 

to adjust. Best to you. And no one can know for sure how we may end up feeling as we are all different. Just try to Accept the Process, and you will be

 

fine, without problems, can't say for sure, but going too fast, does cause more havoc to your CNS for sure. 

[[Te...]]

Quick question about cut and hold method.  I know your goal is as little symptoms as possible with each cut but how much is too much as far as symptoms?  I have had nausea (lost 3 lbs this week), heart pounding, and insomnia all week since making my first Valium cut.  Nausea and insomnia are improved somewhat, today is day 8.  Are any of you symptom free with your cuts, or are they just tolerable?  I'm planning on trying a 0.5 mg cut next time instead of 1 mg once I feel a little more stable. Going to hold 2 weeks or until I feel better.  Just wondering if I'm in for a rough ride all the way down or if you can achieve some level of stability?  I'm entertaining the thought of micro tapering but the thought of it it is blowing my poor foggy little brain right now so I'd rather stick to a cut and hold as long as it's tolerable for a little while.  Sorry for all the questions, I'm new at this and have both suffering (and FEAR of suffering).  I went through hell with Xanax and I'm not sure what awaits me with Valium.  Totally hating this nausea thing which I did not have with Xanax.  I am at 117 lbs and can't really afford to lose much more weight!

 

Hope,

yes, our bodies are very sensitive to any cut, I'm learning that in the hard way,  I hold a lot, I was holding at 0.90 valium and I cut to 0.80 ml,  and in 4 days all hell broke out.

just exactly what are you suffering from,  I hate this sx, are nasty, 

take it easy, hold and cut later.

 

Hugs

 

Tex

 

How long does it take you to recover from a cut?  This is day 11 for me (and first V cut) and I definitely don't fell ready to make the next one, which is going to be smaller next time.  Was just hoping to get of this junk in a reasonable amount of time but that is not to be.  I'll will have spent more time crossing over and tapering Valium than I was on Xanax to start with.

 

Hope,

Congratulations for your cross over.  sometimes the recover is quick, It depends of the quantity. for me takes from 2 to 10 days to recover than I hold, I dont cut immediately,  Is taking me one year to taper 10 mg Valium,  and the low doses are nasty.

until 2 mg is fine.   

 

TEX 

 

[[Te...]]

Hello,

I have a question for all you my benzo buddies,

 

I'm at 0.80 ml valium, I was doing fine with some sx everyday and some addrenaline rush that hit me hard.  but it was bearable,  2 weeks ago I ate a plate with a lot of Olive oil, I know because I warm my food in a pan that contained some Olive oil,  after 15 minutes my got a sound like a ring and a strong headache,  I almost never had a headache while in benzo,  then I drank water and wait. It took me like 6 hours to go back to normal,    but I learned that the food is very important in our healing. 

 

now my girlfriend is working long hours, she barely cook,  I'm eating what I can, I got hit pretty hard yesterday,  I didn't have a night like this in 2 years.  usually nights are quite and great for me. 

I almost go to ER,  but the things are that yesterday I got 3 bad news of sick family.

 

there is buzz in my head.

 

what foods do you guys eat??

 

to prevent panic attack.

 

 

thanks

 

Hugs

 

Tex

 

  :smitten: :smitten:

 

[[Ma...]]

Hello all! A couple of you know me. I have been on Benzos my entire adult life. I was on 6-8mgs of klonopin for 13+ years. That is my entire adult life. I switched from 2.75mgs of K to 55mgs of V, a month ago. I am an ultra rapid metabolizer of almost all meds, including Benzos. I needed the longer half life. I was dosing K 6-7X a day with interdose wd. My C/O went very easy. No issues at all. No negative differences. So far my taper is going very well. I know that I am tapering at a rapid speed. I a doing a symtom based taper and I listen to my body. I am not pushing through rough sxs. I am not feeling my cuts. I feel cuts quickly, with V in like 9 hrs and fully within 24 hrs. I also recover quickly, unless it's too big of a cut. My baseline is not great from 13+ years fromhigh amount of benzos. Anyway, sorry for babbling on. I just wanted to introduce myself. It seems like everyone here is on a low dose doing liquid MT. Are there any others who were or are on a higher dose? I felt more achy for the beginning of my V taper. That has mostly gone away. I am now having fatigue. I actually feel better after I cut, so far. I was wondering if others had fatigue in the beginning and it went away? I was told that by many that I would take a lot of naps during my cross, but I didn't have any fatigue then. I hope it passes soon. It was an awful sxs of tol wd. I did have it some throughout my K taper, but this feels like the V might just be more sedating? I, respectfully, ask that no one comment about my taper speed being too fast. I have been at this awhile and I trust my body. Anyway, I hope everyone is having a good night!

 

XO Maya

[[Ju...]]

Hello,

I have a question for all you my benzo buddies,

 

I'm at 0.80 ml valium, I was doing fine with some sx everyday and some addrenaline rush that hit me hard.  but it was bearable,  2 weeks ago I ate a plate with a lot of Olive oil, I know because I warm my food in a pan that contained some Olive oil,  after 15 minutes my got a sound like a ring and a strong headache,  I almost never had a headache while in benzo,  then I drank water and wait. It took me like 6 hours to go back to normal,    but I learned that the food is very important in our healing. 

 

now my girlfriend is working long hours, she barely cook,  I'm eating what I can, I got hit pretty hard yesterday,  I didn't have a night like this in 2 years.  usually nights are quite and great for me. 

I almost go to ER,  but the things are that yesterday I got 3 bad news of sick family.

 

there is buzz in my head.

 

what foods do you guys eat??

 

to prevent panic attack.

 

 

thanks

 

Hugs

 

Tex

 

  :smitten: :smitten:

 

 

I use food choices to prevent panic attacks too Tex, but it's based on my set of symptoms so it may not suit you?

 

I started to really struggle with keeping down food with anything oily in the afternoon and evening, so would make sure that I had my normal meals in the morning and noon, with lunch being my main meal of the day now, and for dinner I now have steamed rice and vegetables with no oil or dairy or meat, just very simple. And I chew the vegetables for a long time so that they digest easily  (because the majority of my panic attacks and anxiety was late night or early morning and involved major nausea and throwing up any food, water, even my pills)

 

Since I started doing my dinners this way with no oil or dairy or meat my number of panic attacks has halved, and the number of them that result in throwing up has reduced by even more. I still get anxious but it's less about digestion than it used to be, and more about the situations or thoughts that trigger it.

 

Alkaline foods (google them and a whole list comes up) make us feel more calm than acidic foods or oily foods but small doses of them are okay.

 

I just have found my anxiety reduces if I have those oily things in the morning. But that's just because for me personally it has usually been night time when I felt most likely to have a panic attack, OR before I was a passenger in any kind of vehicle.

 

Not sure if this helps at all, but I can suggest you could look up alkaline foods on google and use oils only at times of the day when you tend to be feeling at your best.

[[so...]]

Hello,

I have a question for all you my benzo buddies,

 

I'm at 0.80 ml valium, I was doing fine with some sx everyday and some addrenaline rush that hit me hard.  but it was bearable,  2 weeks ago I ate a plate with a lot of Olive oil, I know because I warm my food in a pan that contained some Olive oil,  after 15 minutes my got a sound like a ring and a strong headache,  I almost never had a headache while in benzo,  then I drank water and wait. It took me like 6 hours to go back to normal,    but I learned that the food is very important in our healing. 

 

now my girlfriend is working long hours, she barely cook,  I'm eating what I can, I got hit pretty hard yesterday,  I didn't have a night like this in 2 years.  usually nights are quite and great for me. 

I almost go to ER,  but the things are that yesterday I got 3 bad news of sick family.

 

there is buzz in my head.

 

what foods do you guys eat??

 

to prevent panic attack.

 

 

thanks

 

Hugs

 

Tex

 

  :smitten: :smitten:

 

 

Tex,

 

I suffer from migraines and my main trigger is olive oil. Particularly if something (mushrooms, onions, etc.) has been sauteed in it and soaked up a lot of the oil, or if there is just a large quantity of it in the food, such as in Mediterranean food. It sounds to me like you might have a similar sensitivity.

 

In general, I say eat what you want, but in small reasonable portions. Obsessing over food and doing the so-called "clean eating" thing only contributed to my anxiety. And including some happy foods (e.g., what you might put into the junk food category) is a good thing too. Trying to be too healthy actually seems to be a ticket straight to bad moods! After all, carbs do produce feel-good chemicals in the brain. Just have to be reasonable with portions.

[[fr...]]

  Just wanted to say Hi Maya and welcome.  I crossed over to V from ativan and it was very smooth also.  I'm not as high a dose and have tapered down from 20 mg. to 15.  I have some s/x's and also facing surgery so have been holding quite a while.  I'm sure there are others on here that are on higher doses who will give you good advice.  I didn't feel sedated at all when I crossed.  I am now having to see a Cardiologist because of a heart irregularity they saw on my EKG for pre admission so am majorly stressed.  Think the meds are probably causing most of it but who knows.  Always something.  Anyway, welcome again and you will find such good people on this thread, they will help you so much in your journey.  You are such a great taperer lol. 

[[Ma...]]

Freeme,

Thank you for the warm welcome! I am glad you had a smooth cross, as well. I didn't feel sedated when I crossed. I am having some fatigue, recently, that I think may be the V? I am sorry you are facing surgery. I saw in your signature that you have back issues. My sister has had two back surgeries in the last year and a half. She also had injections in her discs before that. I hope the issue gets resolved. I had to see a cardiologist while I was in tolerance wd. I didn't know why my heart was racing, heart palps etc. They even made me wear a heart halter monitor for like a week. I was perfectly fine. I bet it's just the meds causing the heart irregularity. Thank you, I try. It's crazy I was once on the equivalent of 160mgs of V. I hope everything goes well for you!

 

XO Maya 

[[Te...]]

Hello,

I have a question for all you my benzo buddies,

 

I'm at 0.80 ml valium, I was doing fine with some sx everyday and some addrenaline rush that hit me hard.  but it was bearable,  2 weeks ago I ate a plate with a lot of Olive oil, I know because I warm my food in a pan that contained some Olive oil,  after 15 minutes my got a sound like a ring and a strong headache,  I almost never had a headache while in benzo,  then I drank water and wait. It took me like 6 hours to go back to normal,    but I learned that the food is very important in our healing. 

 

now my girlfriend is working long hours, she barely cook,  I'm eating what I can, I got hit pretty hard yesterday,  I didn't have a night like this in 2 years.  usually nights are quite and great for me. 

I almost go to ER,  but the things are that yesterday I got 3 bad news of sick family.

 

there is buzz in my head.

 

what foods do you guys eat??

 

to prevent panic attack.

 

 

thanks

 

Hugs

 

Tex

 

  :smitten: :smitten:

 

 

I use food choices to prevent panic attacks too Tex, but it's based on my set of symptoms so it may not suit you?

 

I started to really struggle with keeping down food with anything oily in the afternoon and evening, so would make sure that I had my normal meals in the morning and noon, with lunch being my main meal of the day now, and for dinner I now have steamed rice and vegetables with no oil or dairy or meat, just very simple. And I chew the vegetables for a long time so that they digest easily  (because the majority of my panic attacks and anxiety was late night or early morning and involved major nausea and throwing up any food, water, even my pills)

 

Since I started doing my dinners this way with no oil or dairy or meat my number of panic attacks has halved, and the number of them that result in throwing up has reduced by even more. I still get anxious but it's less about digestion than it used to be, and more about the situations or thoughts that trigger it.

 

Alkaline foods (google them and a whole list comes up) make us feel more calm than acidic foods or oily foods but small doses of them are okay.

 

I just have found my anxiety reduces if I have those oily things in the morning. But that's just because for me personally it has usually been night time when I felt most likely to have a panic attack, OR before I was a passenger in any kind of vehicle.

 

Not sure if this helps at all, but I can suggest you could look up alkaline foods on google and use oils only at times of the day when you tend to be feeling at your best.

 

 

Thank you, this is good information,  now that I'm in a small dose, all food relate matters, 

I stopped the cheese and tomato,  I have a  blood pressure raise now, I didn't have in 10 months, I was doing fine.

 

Good news, today I'm  stable and getting better,  I'm going to look for the alkaline foods.

 

what do you think of fruits?  like orange?

 

Hugs

 

Tex

 

 

:thumbsup:

[[Te...]]

Hello all! A couple of you know me. I have been on Benzos my entire adult life. I was on 6-8mgs of klonopin for 13+ years. That is my entire adult life. I switched from 2.75mgs of K to 55mgs of V, a month ago. I am an ultra rapid metabolizer of almost all meds, including Benzos. I needed the longer half life. I was dosing K 6-7X a day with interdose wd. My C/O went very easy. No issues at all. No negative differences. So far my taper is going very well. I know that I am tapering at a rapid speed. I a doing a symtom based taper and I listen to my body. I am not pushing through rough sxs. I am not feeling my cuts. I feel cuts quickly, with V in like 9 hrs and fully within 24 hrs. I also recover quickly, unless it's too big of a cut. My baseline is not great from 13+ years fromhigh amount of benzos. Anyway, sorry for babbling on. I just wanted to introduce myself. It seems like everyone here is on a low dose doing liquid MT. Are there any others who were or are on a higher dose? I felt more achy for the beginning of my V taper. That has mostly gone away. I am now having fatigue. I actually feel better after I cut, so far. I was wondering if others had fatigue in the beginning and it went away? I was told that by many that I would take a lot of naps during my cross, but I didn't have any fatigue then. I hope it passes soon. It was an awful sxs of tol wd. I did have it some throughout my K taper, but this feels like the V might just be more sedating? I, respectfully, ask that no one comment about my taper speed being too fast. I have been at this awhile and I trust my body. Anyway, I hope everyone is having a good night!

 

XO Maya

 

 

Is great to have you here, this place is a good source of knolged and support,  I love this site, It helps me mmore that any doctor.  I crossed over to 10 mg, and I got tired, gain 20 lbs, I was slipping while driving,  now a low dose 0.80 ml.  is gone,  I only have a buzzz in my head,  but It's OK.  sometimes I got hit after a cut or stressful event.

 

You are doing fine, I did a quick taper from 10 ml to 5 mg, then I slowed down.

 

you'll be fine,  there is hope for Us!!

 

Tex

 

:smitten:

 

 

[[Ma...]]

Is great to have you here, this place is a good source of knolged and support,  I love this site, It helps me mmore that any doctor.  I crossed over to 10 mg, and I got tired, gain 20 lbs, I was slipping while driving,  now a low dose 0.80 ml.  is gone,  I only have a buzzz in my head,  but It's OK.  sometimes I got hit after a cut or stressful event.

 

You are doing fine, I did a quick taper from 10 ml to 5 mg, then I slowed down.

 

you'll be fine,  there is hope for Us!!

 

Tex

 

:smitten:

Hi Tex,

Thank you so much! This site has definitely helped me more than any Dr. Mine is only good for writing my scripts. I am sorry you had some issues on a higher dose. I gained weight while tapering, as well.I know most lose it. I was 95 lbs, so that would not have been good to lose weight then. I am glad you are doing so well at a low dose. I hope I am less tired and have more energy soon. Today was better than yesterday. There is lots of hope for us! We will be benzo free! I hope you are having a good night

:smitten:

 

XO Maya 

[[Tr...]]

These are the major issues that have occurred since stopping Z and being on only Valium:

 

 

 

1). I feel feverish and my face but I don't have a fever and yes I have taken my temperature the rest of my body feels fine it is only 60° in my bedroom. I don't know what this is about.

 

2). Another night of no sleep but this time due to diarrhea and also severe severe body pain everywhere. I can't explain how bad but my pain is . I have tried everything OTC and it's not working is there anything safe to take or take?

 

3). No genital itching tonight but it's still very sensitive but it makes me wonder why have a yeast pill or antifungal pill works if the doctor doesn't think I don't have a yeast infection I'm confused.

 

4). I have probably have more questions but couldn't resting till I at least texted you something I'm in so much agony and pain and my whole body hurts so bad and it's keeping me awake I don't know what to do.

 

5).  All of my hormones are so low I was prescribes over the counter DH EA and micronized progesterone but I'm afraid to take this as well.  This doctor that prescribed it does not know about the Valium .  It's a Gynocologist.

 

 

 

Please let me  what is sage taken if these are normal symptoms .  I'm in hell.  I have tried meditation acupuncture energy work and I have no bathtub none of that is helping .