Valium/Diazepam Support Group

[[ed...]]

DP, I thought I had this figured out, now I am confused, please help. I finished 20 days doing .9.9.8.8.7.7 etc. when I was finished, my husband, who is doing this for me, had me take none for 2 nights and then start again with the .9.9etc.  He is sure this is right, but I thought you didn't skip any days, you just started all over again. Is he right? I did 15.1 15.1 15.0 15.0 (rest is pills) and then 14.9, tonight I do 14.9 again. I hope I was clear and can get some help with this.  Thank you.  Cross

 

 

  No, No, No!!  Do NOT skip dosing ever!  You can hold (stay st the same dose) for several days, but skipping days is almost a guarantee for misery.

 

Agreeing with Builder, Cross.

Do not skip a dose. I would never.

Hold yes, skip big nono.

 

Moodle,

 

If you don't mind me asking, once you hit about 6-7g of Diaz/v, how small did your daily cuts become? Did you still suffer from sx on some days?

 

Thanks,

Edzo

[[Sh...]]

I hear ya, but I think your symptoms would have been greatly magnified if you did the reduction in one fell swoop. The thing is, we'll never know. 

True. This whole thing is a nightmare. I admire the people that can use benzos as needed. I just found them too addictive. Never again though

The positive thing is that you've gone all the way from 7.5mg to 1mg in only about 5 months. I'd just fight and fight my way through this no matter how long it takes, chill for a bit, take a deep breath, and work on that final mg. You're almost there! Dig in! You can do this!

 

--Edzo

[[Mo...]]

DP, I thought I had this figured out, now I am confused, please help. I finished 20 days doing .9.9.8.8.7.7 etc. when I was finished, my husband, who is doing this for me, had me take none for 2 nights and then start again with the .9.9etc.  He is sure this is right, but I thought you didn't skip any days, you just started all over again. Is he right? I did 15.1 15.1 15.0 15.0 (rest is pills) and then 14.9, tonight I do 14.9 again. I hope I was clear and can get some help with this.  Thank you.  Cross

 

 

  No, No, No!!  Do NOT skip dosing ever!  You can hold (stay st the same dose) for several days, but skipping days is almost a guarantee for misery.

 

Agreeing with Builder, Cross.

Do not skip a dose. I would never.

Hold yes, skip big nono.

 

Moodle,

 

If you don't mind me asking, once you hit about 6-7g of Diaz/v, how small did your daily cuts become? Did you still suffer from sx on some days?

 

Thanks,

Edzo

 

Hey Ed,

 

I started liquid tapering at 14 or 13 mgr.

And began by cutting 0.05 a day and did that all the way down to 2 mgr.

With holds here and there it took em about 17-18 days to cut 0.5 mgr.

 

My best streak was between 8.5 or so to 3.75 where i hit a wall.

I held and started cutting by 0.05 again but with more frequent holds, eveyr other day or so, with not an actual plan anymore.

Under 1 1/2 i started cutting more with 0.0125 daily.

 

I know lots of people have to adjust their cuts on lower doses, percentage wise.

It would probably have been less rocky for me if I had. But I didnt.

 

Hope youre doing alright.

 

[[ed...]]

I hear ya, but I think your symptoms would have been greatly magnified if you did the reduction in one fell swoop. The thing is, we'll never know. 

True. This whole thing is a nightmare. I admire the people that can use benzos as needed. I just found them too addictive. Never again though

The positive thing is that you've gone all the way from 7.5mg to 1mg in only about 5 months. I'd just fight and fight my way through this no matter how long it takes, chill for a bit, take a deep breath, and work on that final mg. You're almost there! Dig in! You can do this!

 

--Edzo

 

I've highlighted your comments within my post for clarity's sake. I agree it's a nightmare. Just a freaking shame to lose a year or more of our lives to this beast. But it is what it is and we all have to take away whatever positive we can from it.  Even if you don't yet see what could be possibly gained from this experience, I'm sure that you (and I and all of us) will realize it at some point in our lives.

[[ed...]]

Moodle,

 

Thank you for getting back to me.  Yeah, I probably overdid it with a couple of .1 cuts in a row at 7g. Time to slow the pace down. I'll be at 6.5 after tomorrow's .04 reduction. Hopefully I'll have gotten over the bit of damage I did with the consecutive .1 cuts by then and I can have a period of relative smooth sailing with lower cuts. I just pray I can have a little stretch of .05 cuts before a wall smacks me. It would be just awful to be bedridden every day for an entire year.  Again, I am so thankful that I can work from home. My utmost respect goes out to those who can persevere at a normal 9-5 job in an office (or anywhere outside the house, for that matter). Perhaps I'm overreacting due to the fact that I'm in a wave. Maybe tomorrow this will just seem like a bad memory.

 

--Edzo

[[Sh...]]

Exactly. If anything it's taught me a lesson to never take this shit. If I hadnt got hooked I would have kept taking it down the road and probly ended up stuck on a higher dose or something. Still, this stuff has rattled my brain and self esteem something shocking. Probably gonna stay on 1mg and have a fair break from tapering.

[[Mo...]]

Moodle,

 

Thank you for getting back to me.  Yeah, I probably overdid it with a couple of .1 cuts in a row at 7g. Time to slow the pace down. I'll be at 6.5 after tomorrow's .04 reduction. Hopefully I'll have gotten over the bit of damage I did with the consecutive .1 cuts by then and I can have a period of relative smooth sailing with lower cuts. I just pray I can have a little stretch of .05 cuts before a wall smacks me. It would be just awful to be bedridden every day for an entire year.  Again, I am so thankful that I can work from home. My utmost respect goes out to those who can persevere at a normal 9-5 job in an office (or anywhere outside the house, for that matter). Perhaps I'm overreacting due to the fact that I'm in a wave. Maybe tomorrow this will just seem like a bad memory.

 

--Edzo

 

Yeah, its easy enough to not see anything good and just worry, worry  when a wave hits.

I would just hold off till i felt a bit better again before I would cut again. A couple of days will not save you but it can not hurt, right?

Even when you hit a wall, you will be okay again. Up and down. But over time more ups.

 

Good for you that you can work from home.

I agree: hats off to everyone who is working. I read often that it helps a lot of people distract and they could not have imagined not working during their taper.

Even so, I do not think I could have. And i know they were not hurting any less than i was.

 

Its so weird that, when " it" hits, it feels like square one again. But looking back a few month will make me realize I did get a lot better.

 

 

 

[[ed...]]

Moodle,

 

Thank you for getting back to me.  Yeah, I probably overdid it with a couple of .1 cuts in a row at 7g. Time to slow the pace down. I'll be at 6.5 after tomorrow's .04 reduction. Hopefully I'll have gotten over the bit of damage I did with the consecutive .1 cuts by then and I can have a period of relative smooth sailing with lower cuts. I just pray I can have a little stretch of .05 cuts before a wall smacks me. It would be just awful to be bedridden every day for an entire year.  Again, I am so thankful that I can work from home. My utmost respect goes out to those who can persevere at a normal 9-5 job in an office (or anywhere outside the house, for that matter). Perhaps I'm overreacting due to the fact that I'm in a wave. Maybe tomorrow this will just seem like a bad memory.

 

--Edzo

 

Yeah, its easy enough to not see anything good and just worry, worry  when a wave hits.

I would just hold off till i felt a bit better again before I would cut again. A couple of days will not save you but it can not hurt, right?

Even when you hit a wall, you will be okay again. Up and down. But over time more ups.

 

Good for you that you can work from home.

I agree: hats off to everyone who is working. I read often that it helps a lot of people distract and they could not have imagined not working during their taper.

Even so, I do not think I could have. And i know they were not hurting any less than i was.

 

Its so weird that, when " it" hits, it feels like square one again. But looking back a few month will make me realize I did get a lot better.

 

I wish there was just a "like" button and I didn't have to quote this. So 1 big LIKE for you. Thanks for the feedback.

[[no...]]

DP, I thought I had this figured out, now I am confused, please help. I finished 20 days doing .9.9.8.8.7.7 etc. when I was finished, my husband, who is doing this for me, had me take none for 2 nights and then start again with the .9.9etc.  He is sure this is right, but I thought you didn't skip any days, you just started all over again. Is he right? I did 15.1 15.1 15.0 15.0 (rest is pills) and then 14.9, tonight I do 14.9 again. I hope I was clear and can get some help with this.  Thank you.  Cross

 

 

  No, No, No!!  Do NOT skip dosing ever!  You can hold (stay st the same dose) for several days, but skipping days is almost a guarantee for misery.

 

Agreeing with Builder, Cross.

Do not skip a dose. I would never.

Hold yes, skip big nono.

[[ar...]]

Moodle,

 

Thank you for getting back to me.  Yeah, I probably overdid it with a couple of .1 cuts in a row at 7g. Time to slow the pace down. I'll be at 6.5 after tomorrow's .04 reduction. Hopefully I'll have gotten over the bit of damage I did with the consecutive .1 cuts by then and I can have a period of relative smooth sailing with lower cuts. I just pray I can have a little stretch of .05 cuts before a wall smacks me. It would be just awful to be bedridden every day for an entire year.  Again, I am so thankful that I can work from home. My utmost respect goes out to those who can persevere at a normal 9-5 job in an office (or anywhere outside the house, for that matter). Perhaps I'm overreacting due to the fact that I'm in a wave. Maybe tomorrow this will just seem like a bad memory.

 

--Edzo

 

Yeah, its easy enough to not see anything good and just worry, worry  when a wave hits.

I would just hold off till i felt a bit better again before I would cut again. A couple of days will not save you but it can not hurt, right?

Even when you hit a wall, you will be okay again. Up and down. But over time more ups.

 

Good for you that you can work from home.

I agree: hats off to everyone who is working. I read often that it helps a lot of people distract and they could not have imagined not working during their taper.

Even so, I do not think I could have. And i know they were not hurting any less than i was.

 

Its so weird that, when " it" hits, it feels like square one again. But looking back a few month will make me realize I did get a lot better.

 

I wish there was just a "like" button and I didn't have to quote this. So 1 big LIKE for you. Thanks for the feedback.

 

Hey Edzo,

 

I look at it like a symptom based taper.  You find your tolerated cut rate and when symptoms ramp up you can hold until you feel better.  With daily tapering you can quickly hold so the symptoms don't get worse.  Kind of stop it in it's tracks so to speak.  When you stabilize you can make a decision to stay with the cut rate or slow it down.  Your body will make the decision on how long your taper will be.  Daily tapering has not provided me with a symptom free taper.  It has helped make my symptoms manageable.  I just don't believe in a symptom free taper. 

 

With cut and hold you do one large cut and hold on until it passes.  You can't really right the ship so to speak.

 

For some people cut and hold works fine and others it doesn't.  Same with daily tapering.

[[Mi...]]

Yes, my symptoms were very bad last week, so I've slowed my taper to cutting .05 mg. for two nights, then holding for one night, then repeat. I hope that will help. I'm better today. I'm at about 8.5 mg. Valium. Of course, it's all relative. I'm still very sick, in bed a lot, much anxiety and cry at the drop of the hat, confusion, nausea, etc. So fewer s/x does not mean this is a walk in the park. But I want to keep going ahead.

 

MirandaJane

[[Ki...]]

Miranda- how does getting the MTHFR gene test help? Icant find anything about relatingit to benzos, just homocysteine. (Which mine is really high!!)

Im sorry this has been such a tough road for you. I hope things get better!

Thanks!

Kitty

[[ed...]]

Moodle,

 

Thank you for getting back to me.  Yeah, I probably overdid it with a couple of .1 cuts in a row at 7g. Time to slow the pace down. I'll be at 6.5 after tomorrow's .04 reduction. Hopefully I'll have gotten over the bit of damage I did with the consecutive .1 cuts by then and I can have a period of relative smooth sailing with lower cuts. I just pray I can have a little stretch of .05 cuts before a wall smacks me. It would be just awful to be bedridden every day for an entire year.  Again, I am so thankful that I can work from home. My utmost respect goes out to those who can persevere at a normal 9-5 job in an office (or anywhere outside the house, for that matter). Perhaps I'm overreacting due to the fact that I'm in a wave. Maybe tomorrow this will just seem like a bad memory.

 

--Edzo

 

Yeah, its easy enough to not see anything good and just worry, worry  when a wave hits.

I would just hold off till i felt a bit better again before I would cut again. A couple of days will not save you but it can not hurt, right?

Even when you hit a wall, you will be okay again. Up and down. But over time more ups.

 

Good for you that you can work from home.

I agree: hats off to everyone who is working. I read often that it helps a lot of people distract and they could not have imagined not working during their taper.

Even so, I do not think I could have. And i know they were not hurting any less than i was.

 

Its so weird that, when " it" hits, it feels like square one again. But looking back a few month will make me realize I did get a lot better.

 

I wish there was just a "like" button and I didn't have to quote this. So 1 big LIKE for you. Thanks for the feedback.

 

Hey Edzo,

 

I look at it like a symptom based taper.  You find your tolerated cut rate and when symptoms ramp up you can hold until you feel better.  With daily tapering you can quickly hold so the symptoms don't get worse.  Kind of stop it in it's tracks so to speak.  When you stabilize you can make a decision to stay with the cut rate or slow it down.  Your body will make the decision on how long your taper will be.  Daily tapering has not provided me with a symptom free taper.  It has helped make my symptoms manageable.  I just don't believe in a symptom free taper. 

 

With cut and hold you do one large cut and hold on until it passes.  You can't really right the ship so to speak.

 

For some people cut and hold works fine and others it doesn't.  Same with daily tapering.

Thanks Arcade,

You are absolutely correct about the daily taper vs the cut and hold. Almost like clockwork, I feel the effects of a daily taper 72 hours after my evening dose.  This would explain a lot as I was in a bit of a bad spot (okay, a real tough spot) for two days that were 3 days off of two consecutive daily .1g reductions. Tonight, I feel quite a bit better. I'm pretty sure that I'm 3 nights from my .08g reduction (I'll check my signature after this post) and I feel slight chills, but completely manageable. Taking into account that I am down slightly in dosage from 3 days ago, I'll reduce .07g tonight and see what happens. I do really like that you can "right the ship" much more quickly with taper. Cut and Hold just left me wondering when, if ever, a wave would end.  Even managed a gym session tonight.

 

Thanks again,

Edzo

[[Ja...]]

I am on a 500 day taper of 5mg and so far day 7 Doing well

Functioning really well

No real w/d but i have just started

Maybe slowing down a bit will be good.. You have cut through a lot since November

My goal is about 1mg every 100 days. I feel like going faster but I have tried that twice already with horrendous results

I can eat, sleep, work and care for my kids so it seems worth it

What will happen at the end I am just bracing myself for

[[ed...]]

Hello All,

 

Things have settled down a bit since my system worked it's way through two ill advised .1g cuts on consecutive days. There was a "tape delay" of about 72 hours and then after about 36 hours, I reverted closer to baseline.

 

Just a couple of questions:

 

I currently use the milk titration method for a daily Diaz taper plan.  It has been suggested that unused portions can be stored in the fridge for a few days and not lose their potency. However:

 

1)My pills state that they are to be stored at 20-25c (68to77F).  Wouldn't the fact that the fridge holding the milk +Diaz potion is under 40F affect the potency? This is a significant deviation from recommended storage temps.

 

On a separate note, I may have to take a trip to a place where I'm not guaranteed to have a fridge. The trip would last about 7 days. 

 

2) Is it better to just hold for a full week at the 6mg dosage I plan to reach just prior to the trip?

 

3) Or should I get a jewelers scale and continue to taper by shaving pills? If I did shave pills, should that cause a problem after I return to milk + Diaz after a week?

 

Many thanks,

Edzo

 

P.S. I also posted these questions in D-Pam's Liquid Titration thread in order to get a bit more exposure. Forgive me! 

[[cr...]]

I am very interested in these oils, how do you use them, do you mix them with something and then just rub it in.  Thank you cross

 

 

also, since you like the oils, their are some beautiful oils for muscle pain besides peppermint(although peppermint is so good for so many things), like lemongrass, birch, red pine, juniper(nerve pain), wintergreen, majoram, vetiver.  What kind of pain are you having? Clary Sage is wonderful for hormones and premenstrual distress.  The essential oils have been an integral part of my recovery.  I find they help with transforming my mood almost immediately sometimes.  I was given gabapentin post-surgery because of nerve pain and loss of feeling in my legs and I threw it away and put juniper oil on my legs a few times a day--success.  I have been putting oils on my son since he was 6 months old, so he is quite use to it

[[4G...]]

Hi everyone. I am panicking because nearly everywhere I look, people are on 2mg or 1mg. I am on 8.7mg V. I feel like I will never get through the withdrawal. I am looking at 18months at the slow but fairly steady rate at which I am going. Any help/advice would be great. I am cutting using vodka titration and removing 2.5ml every day. Sometimes this bites me on the backside and I need to hold for a while. Is there any hope?

[[be...]]

Gilly, oh yes there is hope, think of it this way, I know buddies here on 70mg of V, and others on 30 of V, and on and on, but I know your 8.7mg is just

 

as large as the larger doses, because it is your dosage right now. I know it feels like a very long time to go, but the thing about the liq taper is we can

 

slow it down as it won't keep biting those cheeks, You know I am a snail, but my 1.50mg feels as large as 70mg also, yes I want off, but you know

 

I had two failed tapers because I was racing with time, and that was the biggest problem and cutting too much, now I don't have a timetable and

 

it will take however long it takes. Distraction has been my best ally going through benzo hell. Hang in there, and do the good things you do on your

 

threads, I want to join in, but I am sorta slow on things, but I read them. Best to my Gilly always. 

[[4G...]]

Thank you begood. It breaks my heart that we all have to go through this crap. I am so grateful to you for getting back to me. I think people are just telling me that I will get better when really it is a lie. How can I ever get better from this after the original illness started over five years ago? I am sick to death of being like this. But no alternative.

Big Hugs. Gilly xxx

[[fr...]]

  Gilly, We all know how you feel.  I'm on 13.75 and I get hit very hard also with cuts.  Try not to worry about it, it makes it worse.  When my mind starts going to those places I just remember it will get better some day, I have to hang onto this or I'll lose it also.  Lots of people before us have gotten off and healed so we will too.  BeGood is so right and such a comfort.  Hang in there, we can all do this together.

[[4G...]]

Thank you freeme. I appreciate you getting back to me. I guess this sometimes feels like the donkey with the carrot on a stick. But I do know that I am doing a sensible taper and should get there in the end. It doesn't help when your partner is fed up with you too. If he was nicer with me then I would avoid a lot of tension. I realise that it is hard for him too. Big, big thank yous for your supportive message. Gilly x

[[Ja...]]

Wondering if my taper is too slow?

I started at 5mg after cold turkey and fast taper ( 5 wks)

I held for two mos

Now dropping 100, 99, 98, 97.... 1ml per day

Should I up it to 1.5 and then slow down at the end?

I have started 9 days ago

Last week I felt pretty good

This week less so but I am Pms and it makes it worse

I just want to be on less not more

If u see from my signature I was on .5 Ativan for three days per wk only for several mos but I have a long benzo on/off history that I never understood

So it's caught up to me and my nervous system

I am also on remeron

At cold turkey and fast taper I felt like I was going to die it was that intense w Akathesia

Thnx

I am functional now working and eating and sleeping thanks to remeron and Valium

[[ed...]]

Dear Jackson,

 

I think if you are (were) feeling fine at a certain pace, maybe that's the pace for you. I completely understand that YOU want off as early as possible (as do I), but this is more about what our BODY wants.  There really is no choice but to listen to our bodies.  From all I've read, and it's been quite a bit, the GABAs need to heal. If you take your time during a steady, slow taper, you can actually heal a bit as you taper. If you rush, those same GABAs need to heal, but you run the risk of greater sx after withdrawal.  So, basically, reduce at a speed your body can handle and not the speed you want to taper.

 

Just my thoughts,

Edzo

[[Mo...]]

Wondering if my taper is too slow?

I started at 5mg after cold turkey and fast taper ( 5 wks)

I held for two mos

Now dropping 100, 99, 98, 97.... 1ml per day

Should I up it to 1.5 and then slow down at the end?

I have started 9 days ago

Last week I felt pretty good

This week less so but I am Pms and it makes it worse

I just want to be on less not more

If u see from my signature I was on .5 Ativan for three days per wk only for several mos but I have a long benzo on/off history that I never understood

So it's caught up to me and my nervous system

I am also on remeron

At cold turkey and fast taper I felt like I was going to die it was that intense w Akathesia

Thnx

I am functional now working and eating and sleeping thanks to remeron and Valium

 

I agree with Edzo.

There is no need to rush and if you are functional now, I would say that is what matters most.

Ther goal is to get off this stuff in the best way and the time it takes...is the time it will take

 

If i would feel okay on that speed as you seem to do, I would probably not mess with it. And try to accept it wont be quick but at least i could function. Of course its frustrating!

But i think when you feel kind of okay and then saying hmmmm..i feel kind of okay, maybe i am going too slow, is maybe not the way to go. In fact, when things are going like this, imo, you are probably doing it just right!

 

Just my two cents.

 

Im sorry you had to go through all that with the CT. 

 

I hear you: pms sucks. Bad.

Its like everything ramps up tenfold.

[[os...]]

 

According to this site I am on the equivalent of 1.4 mg Valium

 

http://clincalc.com/Benzodiazepine/default.aspx

 

This one says 1.5 mg Valium:

 

http://www.globalrph.com/benzodiazepine_calc.cgi

 

Another calculator I used to use said 2.8 mg Valium

 

Now I am confused.