Valium/Diazepam Support Group

[[bu...]]

One more question for the Valium withdrawal veterans who did the cut-and-hold: How long after a cut was it before you experienced peak withdrawal symptoms? A few days? A week? More?

 

8 days, like clockwork.  And it lasted 24-36 hours (until I reached a point where I could no longer do C&H).

[[Gr...]]

One more question for the Valium withdrawal veterans who did the cut-and-hold: How long after a cut was it before you experienced peak withdrawal symptoms? A few days? A week? More?

I got hit twice. Once at day 3, then it would improve some, then again at day 8, sometimes wor than day 3. I held at least 10 days between cuts, sometimes 14. I think 19 days was the longest.

[[Ma...]]

I am looking for some positive taper stories. Today I hit 30% done. I've been ok with the exception of a poor decision in November to increase taper rate. Went into wd. Since  Jan. I've felt ok.  I would appreciate any replies of decent tapers going down. I'm doing a dlmt.

Spring and summer plans are in the works and I am worried about what is to come. Really afraid to commit to plans. Positive stories would help me right now.

 

[[ed...]]

I am looking for some positive taper stories. Today I hit 30% done. I've been ok with the exception of a poor decision in November to increase taper rate. Went into wd. Since  Jan. I've felt ok.  I would appreciate any replies of decent tapers going down. I'm doing a dlmt.

Spring and summer plans are in the works and I am worried about what is to come. Really afraid to commit to plans. Positive stories would help me right now.

 

http://www.benzobuddies.org/forum/index.php?topic=162448.0

[[ka...]]

Ed -thank you for sharing that link!!

[[ed...]]

Ed -thank you for sharing that link!!

 

[[Ma...]]

Thanks Ed

[[Ki...]]

I am looking for some positive taper stories. Today I hit 30% done. I've been ok with the exception of a poor decision in November to increase taper rate. Went into wd. Since  Jan. I've felt ok.  I would appreciate any replies of decent tapers going down. I'm doing a dlmt.

Spring and summer plans are in the works and I am worried about what is to come. Really afraid to commit to plans. Positive stories would help me right now.

 

So far during my year of dealing with this I have held for a week before doing anything important and mamaged to get through it just fine. This past month has been rough but people say a lot of the time even turtle microtaper folks need a break now and then and I never really took a long break to let my brain rest- maybe I should have. Or maybe its just a rough patch that would have come anyway. But so far holding steady for a week before really helped. Hoping you get to accomplish all your plans- the distractions might even make things go better for you!

[[Tw...]]

Any of you folks notice you had heightened symptoms and had a harder time than normal coming back to life after the flu or a stomach bug while tapering? I cant tell if I'm still feeling the stomach bug I had from a week ago, which was the sickest I've ever been or benzo exhaustion? Pretty sure I was feeling a bit better before but its hard to even gauge sometimes lol.

[[Ki...]]

Yep- I had a cold for the first time in like a decade and since then I have not done well at all- just holding. Cant say for sure that did it but it would not surprise me either way...

[[Tw...]]

Yep- I had a cold for the first time in like a decade and since then I have not done well at all- just holding. Cant say for sure that did it but it would not surprise me either way...

 

As sick as I was I can imagine it threw me off somehow but yeah I'm just cautiously tapering. The stomach just wont get right again but time will tell. Thanks

[[Ki...]]

I got so excited this weekend puts me at 7 mg. I was thinking this is great I will be halfway next month. In MY math, apparently half of 11 is 6.5. The thrill was gone when I finally realized half of 11 is 5.5....I REALLY suck at math

[[Al...]]

Kittybeanbag,

 

That last post gave me a laugh. Not at you but with you. 

 

All you really have to know is 7 is much less than 11. Be proud of what you have accomplished.

 

:thumbsup:

 

ATU 🙏

[[Ki...]]

ATU it is a good feeling. It would be better if my doc wasnt leaving (ugh) I would be perfectly content but she is and I need to get a years worth (at least!) of meds out of a six month script! Eeek!

[[Al...]]

Kittybeanbag,

 

Sorry kitty I wasn't following all this. Can you not get another Doctor?

 

ATU

[[Ki...]]

The last time she left I could not find anyone to prescribe a benzo. In hindsight that should have been the right thing to do! But I went to a psychiatrist in Alabama ( I live in Mississippi).  There may be one but when this happened to me years back no one I contacted prescribed benzos.

[[po...]]

I hope this is the right place to post.  Im kind of new here.  Ill quickly go over my situation.  I tapered from Clonazepam switching to librium in 4 weeks.  I know WAY too fast.  First week was ok after the jump.  Second week my stomach distended horribly and severe pain...ended up in ER.  The 3rd week is when I entered hell.  Severe Dp/DR, double vision, shaking, legs twitching, loud ringing in ears, scary thoughts entering my head.  4th week added Panic attacks and trouble breathing.  I have two young kids so I gave up and reinstated with only 5mg of liquid diazepam on 2/23.

SO  here are my questions....first it's only been 3 days but I still have the shaking and lingering anxiety.  It's no where near has bad as it was but I don't know if I should stay at this dose and wait to see if I even out or do I need to go higher to stabilize before starting to taper?

Also, Im really bad at math with a normal brain so Im basically a monkey with benzo brain and math.  I have a 1 ml syringe and my new benzo wise dr told me to lower it by one tiny line every other day.  Does that seem right?  I just have a hard time trusting drs now.  Any advice would be very helpful on this or on the question of stabilizing after reinstating.

[[bu...]]

I hope this is the right place to post.  Im kind of new here.  Ill quickly go over my situation.  I tapered from Clonazepam switching to librium in 4 weeks.  I know WAY too fast.  First week was ok after the jump.  Second week my stomach distended horribly and severe pain...ended up in ER.  The 3rd week is when I entered hell.  Severe Dp/DR, double vision, shaking, legs twitching, loud ringing in ears, scary thoughts entering my head.  4th week added Panic attacks and trouble breathing.  I have two young kids so I gave up and reinstated with only 5mg of liquid diazepam on 2/23.

SO  here are my questions....first it's only been 3 days but I still have the shaking and lingering anxiety.  It's no where near has bad as it was but I don't know if I should stay at this dose and wait to see if I even out or do I need to go higher to stabilize before starting to taper?

Also, Im really bad at math with a normal brain so Im basically a monkey with benzo brain and math.  I have a 1 ml syringe and my new benzo wise dr told me to lower it by one tiny line every other day.  Does that seem right?  I just have a hard time trusting drs now.  Any advice would be very helpful on this or on the question of stabilizing after reinstating.

 

We need more details about your dosing and your liquid.

 

Are you taking all of your dose with liquid, or are taking tablets + liquid.

 

What kind of liquid are you using, Rx or "home brew".  What is the concentration (mgs per ml)

[[po...]]

Hi Builder

 

I am taking 5mg of liquid diazepam from the pharmacy in the evening.  This is my 3rd day.  Im not sure if this was a high enough dose to reinstate at.  My goal is to do a super slow micro taper but Im looking for more direction as to how to go about this.  I hope this is the right info you were looking for.  I've heard you are really helpful with this area   also I was given a 1 ml syringe with 10 mini lines between each tenth.  I hope I'm making sense.

[[po...]]

to be more clear the 1 ml syringe I use has .01 increments

[[bu...]]

Hi Builder

 

I am taking 5mg of liquid diazepam from the pharmacy in the evening.  This is my 3rd day.  Im not sure if this was a high enough dose to reinstate at.  My goal is to do a super slow micro taper but Im looking for more direction as to how to go about this.  I hope this is the right info you were looking for.  I've heard you are really helpful with this area   also I was given a 1 ml syringe with 10 mini lines between each tenth.  I hope I'm making sense.

 

Then that's really, really slow. That's 3% per month.

 

I would at least go to .01 every day.  And that's only 6%/month

[[Su...]]

Update.  Builder keep up the good works.  It took 2years to jump from the valium.  Slow and easy was the way.  Thanks for the expert directions your saving alot of us from drowning in Benzobe.  I know you specialize in taper plans just wondered why advice or info on sleep deprivation.  Thanks builder!!!!

[[bu...]]

Update.  Builder keep up the good works.  It took 2years to jump from the valium.  Slow and easy was the way.  Thanks for the expert directions your saving alot of us from drowning in Benzobe.  I know you specialize in taper plans just wondered why advice or info on sleep deprivation.   Thanks builder!!!!

 

Low dose (15mg or less, even 7.5 is usually plenty) Remeron is best!  Doxylamine also works well if only taken intermittently.

[[Re...]]

Hey Everybody.  Thank God for this site.  I have no help from my GP.  Starting January 24th, I was on Ativan for three weeks at 1mg.  On the 11th day (Feb 2), I stopped CT and had bad withdrawal.  I was actually going into interdose withdrawal but didn't realize it on the 9th and 10th.  This is extremely quickly and within the 2 to 4 week prescription window so I must be one of the "lucky" ones with something out of wack in my CNS.  Anyway, I reinstated at 1mg on Feb 4, and remained in partial withdrawal for a week.  I COd to valium to taper.  My doctor wanted to use Clonazepam but I had a paradoxical reaction to it once years ago which I should have thought about before taking any of this crap.  Anyway,  Here's the crux of the issue.  I COd to Valium (10mg) in one day and then took 7.5 mg for 5 days, 6.5 for 3 days then 5.5 for 1 day.  Each day after 5.5, I've been reducing by approximately 10% per day.  It's now March 8 and I'm at 2.0mg and in a lot of withdrawal discomfort.  I am really at a loss because my doctor doesn't really help and I'm very concerned about the lag time.  Essentially, I'm feeling withdrawals quite badly when I consider that the plasma concentration is probably about the amount equal to a 5.5mg dose daily (where I was 9 days ago???), so I haven't even felt the effects of the cut of the intervening 3 mg cut yet.  At least this is my thinking and I really need help with your advice.  I don't want to updose unnecessarily but I am struggling today and progressively more since Friday. 

 

Here's my actual dosing schedule so far.  Can anyone give me any advice on this.  Thanks so much.  I know how serious this stuff is now.....I really had no idea before 6 weeks ago.

 

Jan 24 - Feb 14 1mg Ativan daily, .5AM .5PM

Feb14/15 CO to Diazepam

All Diazepam doses were split into AM and PM 1/2 doses of daily total.

Feb 15 - 10 mg

Feb 16 - 20: 7.5mg

Feb 21-23 - 6.5mg

Feb 24 - 5.5mg

Feb 25 - 5.0mg

Feb 26 - 4.75mg

Feb 27 - 4.25mg

Feb 28 - 3.8mg

March1 - 3.7 (measurement error so smaller cut)

March2 - 3.25

March3 - 3.0mg

March4 - 2.75mg

March5 - 2.6mg

March6 - 2.25mg

March7 - 2.07mg

March8 - 1.87mg

 

From the 4th until the 8th, Withdrawal symptoms worsening daily.  Any advice on this would be so, so appreciated.

 

[[Ho...]]

Hey Everybody.  Thank God for this site.  I have no help from my GP.  Starting January 24th, I was on Ativan for three weeks at 1mg.  On the 11th day (Feb 2), I stopped CT and had bad withdrawal.  I was actually going into interdose withdrawal but didn't realize it on the 9th and 10th.  This is extremely quickly and within the 2 to 4 week prescription window so I must be one of the "lucky" ones with something out of wack in my CNS.  Anyway, I reinstated at 1mg on Feb 4, and remained in partial withdrawal for a week.  I COd to valium to taper.  My doctor wanted to use Clonazepam but I had a paradoxical reaction to it once years ago which I should have thought about before taking any of this crap.  Anyway,  Here's the crux of the issue.  I COd to Valium (10mg) in one day and then took 7.5 mg for 5 days, 6.5 for 3 days then 5.5 for 1 day.  Each day after 5.5, I've been reducing by approximately 10% per day.  It's now March 8 and I'm at 2.0mg and in a lot of withdrawal discomfort.  I am really at a loss because my doctor doesn't really help and I'm very concerned about the lag time.  Essentially, I'm feeling withdrawals quite badly when I consider that the plasma concentration is probably about the amount equal to a 5.5mg dose daily (where I was 9 days ago???), so I haven't even felt the effects of the cut of the intervening 3 mg cut yet.  At least this is my thinking and I really need help with your advice.  I don't want to updose unnecessarily but I am struggling today and progressively more since Friday. 

 

Here's my actual dosing schedule so far.  Can anyone give me any advice on this.  Thanks so much.  I know how serious this stuff is now.....I really had no idea before 6 weeks ago.

 

Jan 24 - Feb 14 1mg Ativan daily, .5AM .5PM

Feb14/15 CO to Diazepam

All Diazepam doses were split into AM and PM 1/2 doses of daily total.

Feb 15 - 10 mg

Feb 16 - 20: 7.5mg

Feb 21-23 - 6.5mg

Feb 24 - 5.5mg

Feb 25 - 5.0mg

Feb 26 - 4.75mg

Feb 27 - 4.25mg

Feb 28 - 3.8mg

March1 - 3.7 (measurement error so smaller cut)

March2 - 3.25

March3 - 3.0mg

March4 - 2.75mg

March5 - 2.6mg

March6 - 2.25mg

March7 - 2.07mg

March8 - 1.87mg

 

From the 4th until the 8th, Withdrawal symptoms worsening daily.  Any advice on this would be so, so appreciated.

 

At the very least I would hold until you are more stable. You are going really fast. Consider updosing if things are completely out of control, but I would give holding a shot first so your body can catch up.