Valium/Diazepam Support Group

[[Re...]]

Thank you Hope76.  I knew it was fast but my GP gave me no choice and called this the longest taper ever....

I'm doing my best but it seems like my SXS's are increasing more and more over the last 8 hours and progressively over the last 5 days.  I guess these fast cuts are catching up to me.  What dose to hold at is the question....  Once again, thanks for your advice.

[[...]]

Real- don't listen to your GP or let his ignorance on benzo tapering make you feel like you're tapering too slowly. I agree to hold given how fast you've gone - really it seems you aren't too bad hopefully.

Don't even discuss any further with the GP bc it just makes you feel like you're doing something wrong.

[[Re...]]

libr - Thanks for your advice.  I don't have anyone else to go to.  I guess that's my next search.  I'm almost out of valium due to the taper schedule.  I guess ER is an option.  This is such a bizarre circumstance in that it's our body but they are the gatekeeper to our misery.  Well.  I shouldn't complain too much as others have had it far worse.  Again, everyone, thank you so much for your input and compassion in responding.

[[Kg...]]

Real: If I am reading your post correctly you were only on a benzo for 3 weeks? 

 

  If you have never taken a benzo before than IMHO you should get off as quickly as possible.  The longer you take a benzo the more it will impact your body by changing your body chemistry.  If it were me I would get off as fast as possible. I would not go at the very slow pace that most of us had to use to get off from long term benzo use.  I would find a fast pace I could live with and get off as quickly as possible. I do not mean symptom free, most of us have s/x that we learn to live with but feel better when we are no longer taking the benzo.  The way to heal is to be off these horrible drugs. 

 

If on the other hand you have taken a benzo before and stopped the benzo - then that may be why you are having such difficulty getting off - the stopping and starting impacts many people and makes it harder each time to get off of the benzo. 

[[ka...]]

Real: If I am reading your post correctly you were only on a benzo for 3 weeks? 

 

  If you have never taken a benzo before than IMHO you should get off as quickly as possible.  The longer you take a benzo the more it will impact your body by changing your body chemistry.  If it were me I would get off as fast as possible. I would not go at the very slow pace that most of us had to use to get off from long term benzo use.  I would find a fast pace I could live with and get off as quickly as possible. I do not mean symptom free, most of us have s/x that we learn to live with but feel better when we are no longer taking the benzo.  The way to heal is to be off these horrible drugs. 

 

If on the other hand you have taken a benzo before and stopped the benzo - then that may be why you are having such difficulty getting off - the stopping and starting impacts many people and makes it harder each time to get off of the benzo.

[[Re...]]

Kasey and Kgirl10.  Yes, I am only now into my 6th week including the tapering time.  The interesting thing is that I saw a fill-in doctor today who is taking my regular doctors calls for a few weeks.  He's an older physician who is semi-retired.  He said he's seen cases exactly like mine before and that is why he refuses to prescribe benzos to anyone who has never been on them before without difficulty.  He is pretty confident that I am one of the unlucky few experience withdrawal with just days of regular use.  But yes, I understand your thinking about getting off as soon as possible.  That's my goal.  I'm trying to tough it out but I also don't want to harm myself by going so fast and then having to substantially updose if things go sideways.  He's given me an emergency scrip to use if I need to prolong the taper with the condition that I manage it judiciously and understand that it's not going to be a picknick no matter what.  I feel a little better today even though I didn't hold last night, I still tried a small cut.  I know I should be thankful compared to so many who were on these for a long time and then have tried to get off.  So I surely must remind myself to be thankful.  Thanks again for the great feedback and all of the perspectives to consider.

[[In...]]

Has anyone taken Valium and Prednisone before? 

I have a nerve that is pinched in my lower neck and the orthopedic I saw today wants to give me steroids for it.  It hurts really bad.  Then he said he was going to give me a muscle relaxer.  I told him I took valium, which was what he was going to prescribe!  He asked how long.  I told him.  He then proceeded to LAUGH at me when I told him that I have been working on tapering off.  He said, "Good luck!  My wife tried that, decided it was too hard so she just stayed on them.  ". Then he told me that I should definitely not taper anymore and that the valium is probably what is saving me from being in severe pain.  It's already pretty severe.... An 8/10.  But, wow.  Talk about bedside manner!  So he wrote my doc a note stating that I should not taper until this is taken care of.  I'm at a loss. 

[[Gr...]]

Has anyone taken Valium and Prednisone before? 

I have a nerve that is pinched in my lower neck and the orthopedic I saw today wants to give me steroids for it.  It hurts really bad.  Then he said he was going to give me a muscle relaxer.  I told him I took valium.  He asked how long.  I told him.  He then proceeded to LAUGH at me when I told him that I have been working on tapering off.  He said, Good luck!  My wife tried that, decided it was too hard so she just stayed on them.  ". Then he old me that I should definitely not taper anymore and that the valium is probably what is saving me from being in severe pain.  It's already pretty severe.... An 8/10.  But, wow.  Talk about bedside manner!  So he wrote my doc a note stating that I should not taper until this is taken care of.  I'm at a loss.

I've taken prednisone both on and off benzos. Off benzos, the prednisone sent my anxiety sky high. But on 1.5mg Xanax (roughly = 15-30mg Vallium depending on which chart you use), it gave me zero anxiety. So I would hold your taper while on the steroid, the Valium could make the steroid side effects much easier on you.

[[Ki...]]

Wow, that doc needs to be careful- that sounds almost like giving contradictory medical advice. I would have understood like you did but with some people- damn! Holding does sound like a good idea. Good luck to you- AND to the docs poor wife...hopefully she never hits tolerance!

[[so...]]

Just popping in to see how everyone is doing!  I don't post as often but I do read this thread all the time. It's been almost four months since I jumped. I just posted a new thread with an update on that if anyone is interested:

 

http://www.benzobuddies.org/forum/index.php?topic=177143.msg2351772#msg2351772

 

It's not easy. But it's better than it was back in the summer for sure. I'm frustrated with the depression and the general "not quite normal" feeling, but all the random withdrawal symptoms were genuinely scary back then and I don't really have to deal with that now. If this is acute, it's not so bad. At least not every day. I don't know what the future holds but I am glad I'm here to tell the tale. It honestly feels like it has been a lot longer than four months!

[[Ki...]]

Congrats on your jump and glad to hear the symptoms are getting better!

[[ed...]]

Hey SandP!  Looking forward to reading your report. I'd ask how you are, but I'm about to find out. 

 

Nice to see you again.

 

-Ed

[[Re...]]

Congratulations to those who have jumped and continued best wishes to everyone on this journey.  I have little to complain about and finished my fast taper on the 18th.  So far, some suffering but nothing too bad at all.  I'm very thankful.  So many of you are inspiring and I am thankful for the encouragement and advice along the way. 

[[so...]]

Thank you for your kind comments here and on the other thread! I am so inspired to see all the progress that everyone has made here! Just amazing!

[[ar...]]

My recovery progress at 8 months off.  Some of you might remember me.

 

http://www.benzobuddies.org/forum/index.php?topic=177262.0

[[Ki...]]

Hate to read all the problems caused by medical community on your post. I can only partially blame my doc since I knew from a PDR class that benzos were bad news. But boy how I wish he would have just given me Atarax and said " this will calm your netves and help you sleep". It would not have hit me like 10 mg of ambien and 2 mg of xanax but it sure would have made the next 16 plus years a whole different ballgame...

Good luck and wishing you progressive healing.

[[Ho...]]

Ok everbody this sounds stupid but I messed up and switched my morning dose with my bedtime dose. I normally take 2,2,3 mg (I dose 3 times a day). So I took 3 mg this morning after stumbling out of bed confused and took the wrong dose out of my sorter.. Should I just take 2 mg tonight and then go back to the regular schedule tomorrow? My body is so sensitive I'm scared this is going to make things worse.

[[bu...]]

Ok everbody this sounds stupid but I messed up and switched my morning dose with my bedtime dose. I normally take 2,2,3 mg (I dose 3 times a day). So I took 3 mg this morning after stumbling out of bed confused and took the wrong dose out of my sorter.. Should I just take 2 mg tonight and then go back to the regular schedule tomorrow? My body is so sensitive I'm scared this is going to make things worse.

 

It will have  no effect.  Just go back to your normal schedule.

[[Al...]]

I agree with builder, whether it's 2,2,3 or 3,2,2 it still adds up to your normal daily dose. This should have zero impact on how you feel. IMO.

 

Peace & Healing

 

ATU 🙏

 

 

[[Ho...]]

I agree with builder, whether it's 2,2,3 or 3,2,2 it still adds up to your normal daily dose. This should have zero impact on how you feel. IMO.

 

Peace & Healing

 

ATU 🙏

 

Thanks that's what I'm planning on doing. Fingers crossed it doesn't throw me

Off.

[Guest [Fu...]]

I hate to check in freaking out again, but I am freaking out just a bit that I have become tolerant to Valium. I tried a quick, failed taper to Valium at the beginning of December before returning to Klonopin again after about a week. Stupidly I have kept the remaining pills and since then when things have gotten very bad with my symptoms have taken 5-6 rescue doses of 10 mg's at night to help me sleep. So I've taken a total of 25 pills since Dec. 1st, not every day or anything but I'm just so freaked out that I may have developed tolerance and am now essentially cold turkeying myself off of 10 mg's of Valium. I feel like an idiot for even putting myself in this position but really I'm scared because I no longer am seeing that psychiatrist and my new psychiatrist would never prescribe Valium even if I needed it.

 

This is hopefully just the irrational, hypochondriac thoughts as usual but I feel like people have become tolerant with less than what I've taken. Thank you guys for putting up with my ramblings.

[[Ki...]]

Ok everbody this sounds stupid but I messed up and switched my morning dose with my bedtime dose. I normally take 2,2,3 mg (I dose 3 times a day). So I took 3 mg this morning after stumbling out of bed confused and took the wrong dose out of my sorter.. Should I just take 2 mg tonight and then go back to the regular schedule tomorrow? My body is so sensitive I'm scared this is going to make things worse.

 

When I was dosing multiple times a day I would sometimes change it up depending on what I was doing or how I was feeling or sleeping. It never made any difference- as long as its the same total amount in a day, like they say. And you know Im a weirdo too!

[[dr...]]

I made a cut from 4mg to 3.75mg and after 3 days of hell have updosed back to 4mg.  Now 3 days later still in hell with severe depression, can't eat, anxiety, insomnia, phobias, hyperacusis and more.  Only sleeping 2 hours a night cause I get bad heart pounding about 4 hours after my dose. I sleep from 11pm to 1am and that's it.  Then I lay in agony for ever till I go to sleep next night and repeat....  I dose once a day at 9:30pm.  Soooo sensitive but thinking of splitting dose in 2 or going back to clonazapam(Klonopin).  Can't keep going like this. 

[[Sl...]]

I have used the same brand generic Valium for tapering because I understood it was important not to change manufacturers. I have been taking Teva and lately have read that is one of the worst to take, the complaints being it is weak compared to other generics. I am back to tapering 10mg after a 2 month hold.  Has anyone used Teva (Ivax) consistently and been ok? Is it too late for me to change now?  Thank you. Sleepy

[[la...]]

I have used the same brand generic Valium for tapering because I understood it was important not to change manufacturers. I have been taking Teva and lately have read that is one of the worst to take, the complaints being it is weak compared to other generics. I am back to tapering 10mg after a 2 month hold.  Has anyone used Teva (Ivax) consistently and been ok? Is it too late for me to change now?  Thank you. Sleepy

 

I have only used TEVA my entire taper...never used anything else so have no way to tell if its "weak"

 

but who cares???  I want off of this crap...I don't need it to be "stronger" I need for it to be GONE!!!!