Valium/Diazepam Support Group

[[ed...]]

Does anyone have an idea how long it takes to stabilize on valium? I crashed at 4mg after a rapid taper, updosed to 10mg for a little while, then wound up getting updosed to 40mg for five days, 35 for 4 days, got to 30mg then tapered 1mg every week until I got to 20mg. I've been at 20mg for 3 weeks and I feel terrible. I'm not sure if I should keep holding and see if things get better or just start tapering slower. I'm so lost. Thanks everyone.

 

I tapered 15mg V to zero in a few weeks (forced) and lasted 4 weeks and reinstated at 12mg. That was 18 months ago and I've not stabilised in that time so cutting starts today.

Staz

 

Damn thats rough staz. I think if you reinstated to 15mg or a touch higher it might have worked but who knows.

 

Shamo, Old Boy! How have you been? How's recovering going for you?

 

Best,

Ed

 

Ed,

I've not recovered at all or ever really stabilised so I'm tapering regardless. I wasted 18 months getting off of other drugs but I should have started to taper the V first. It's been a living hell.

Staz

 

I'm sorry to hear how you're feeling, Staz. Yes, it's probably just to bite the bullet and work on that Valium taper. It can be rough at times, but you can, and WILL, do this.

 

Best,

Ed

[Guest [...]]

Cheers Ed,

I hope things ease as I lower the dose but i'm not banking on it.

Staz

[[ed...]]

Cheers Ed,

I hope things ease as I lower the dose but i'm not banking on it.

Staz

 

Just take it as it comes. The best bet is just to surrender to it and get through. You can handle anything this stuff throws at you.

 

--Ed

[Guest [...]]

Does anyone have an idea how long it takes to stabilize on valium? I crashed at 4mg after a rapid taper, updosed to 10mg for a little while, then wound up getting updosed to 40mg for five days, 35 for 4 days, got to 30mg then tapered 1mg every week until I got to 20mg. I've been at 20mg for 3 weeks and I feel terrible. I'm not sure if I should keep holding and see if things get better or just start tapering slower. I'm so lost. Thanks everyone.

 

I tapered 15mg V to zero in a few weeks (forced) and lasted 4 weeks and reinstated at 12mg. That was 18 months ago and I've not stabilised in that time so cutting starts today.

Staz

 

Damn thats rough staz. I think if you reinstated to 15mg or a touch higher it might have worked but who knows.

 

Hi Shamo,

Dr refused to put me back up to 15mg point blank so 12mg was the best I could do. I didn't ever stabilise other than for a few weeks then tolerance was hit. In the meantime I've got off of Lyrica but now realise I should have got off of V first. Do you ever stabilise when titrating down? I feel crap all of the time.

Staz

[[Ju...]]

I want to ask a question about fatigue.  I am holding now for the holidays, and a wave of strong fatigue has overcome me in the hold.  Is that typical?

 

I am wondering if I will end up in bed if I go back to my .025 daily taper in the new year.

[Guest [Fu...]]

I'm having an extremely hard time trying to taper off of Klonopin and considering adding 5 mg's of Valium in a desperate attempt to reach some sort of stabilize. I have tried to taper many times and found it to be impossible as the side effects become immediately unbearable. I have also tried many SSRI's and mood stabilizers to try and augment the Klonopin with no success. Is it crazy to add another benzo to the mix? I don't know what to do at this point.

[[Va...]]

I'm having an extremely hard time trying to taper off of Klonopin and considering adding 5 mg's of Valium in a desperate attempt to reach some sort of stabilize. I have tried to taper many times and found it to be impossible as the side effects become immediately unbearable. I have also tried many SSRI's and mood stabilizers to try and augment the Klonopin with no success. Is it crazy to add another benzo to the mix? I don't know what to do at this point.

I’m surprised no one has responded so I’ll chime in with my opinion. I don’t necessarily think adding an additional benzo is a bad thing. I have seen other budddies who have tapered this way. If it were me I would stick with your current plan and not make any more med changes. Hope all goes well!  —V

[[Su...]]

I'm having an extremely hard time trying to taper off of Klonopin and considering adding 5 mg's of Valium in a desperate attempt to reach some sort of stabilize. I have tried to taper many times and found it to be impossible as the side effects become immediately unbearable. I have also tried many SSRI's and mood stabilizers to try and augment the Klonopin with no success. Is it crazy to add another benzo to the mix? I don't know what to do at this point.

I’m surprised no one has responded so I’ll chime in with my opinion. I don’t necessarily think adding an additional benzo is a bad thing. I have seen other budddies who have tapered this way. If it were me I would stick with your current plan and not make any more med changes. Hope all goes well!  —V

 

Thanks for bumping this up Valley!

 

It's so hard to know for you Fuzzy other than to say that I added Valium to my Xanax taper, you can see in my signature.

 

But Xanax is a short acting benzo and Klonopin is a long acting from the reading that I have done, so the Valium helped immensely with interdose w/d that were intolerable for me.

 

I don't know if this is a factor for you but I dose 5X a day.  I tried to change that up but without much success.

I'm sticking with that as I taper the Xanax (only taken at night and lasting for 12 hours absolutely counter to what it should do.....  go figure)    Many have said that on Valium or K that the long half-life should hold us for a long time, but my reality is that the duration of action is about 4 hours.

 

I know when I added the Valium I did it 1mg at a time to see how I would respond to the addition so I sure wouldn't add 5mg to start - if you decide to add any at all.  I now am on the two benzos and know that I will need to taper the Valium last.

Don't know if any of that is helpful, just my two cents about an unconventional taper that is working for me....

Wishing you the best! 

SS

[Guest [...]]

Hi,

I find Valium really depressing and was wondering if there was any merit in moving over to librium in the hope it would ease the depression when I start my taper?

Any ideas anyone?

Staz

[[bu...]]

Hi,

I find Valium really depressing and was wondering if there was any merit in moving over to librium in the hope it would ease the depression when I start my taper?

Any ideas anyone?

Staz

 

Benzos ARE depressants, all of them.  That's their therapeutic role.

 

I would not hold out much hope that switching to a different benzo will be of much benefit.

[Guest [...]]

Hi,

I find Valium really depressing and was wondering if there was any merit in moving over to librium in the hope it would ease the depression when I start my taper?

Any ideas anyone?

Staz

 

Benzos ARE depressants, all of them.  That's their therapeutic role.

 

 

 

Thanks Builder.

Staz

I would not hold out much hope that switching to a different benzo will be of much benefit.

[[Su...]]

Hi,

I find Valium really depressing and was wondering if there was any merit in moving over to librium in the hope it would ease the depression when I start my taper?

Any ideas anyone?

Staz

FWIW I found Valium to be MUCH more depressing than xanax... Can't speak to Librium though.

Hope things ease up some

SS

[[ch...]]

Started at 15 mg valium in June 17, dropped 5 mg with no problem, then 1 mg every two weeks, then 0.5 every two weeks till late October Around 10 weeks of crap with very few windows. I dropped my taper from 0.5 to 0.25 a month ago but still crap. Currently @ 3.5 Valium and day 11 of cut. No idea whats going on. Opinions if I am cutting to much, or should I switch to LT?..I will be having general anaesthesia next week also. Do NOT want to go into tolerance withdrawal

[[bu...]]

If you're functional and your sxs are tolerable, you are NOT cutting too fast.

 

And you're NOT going to go into "tolerance withdrawal"

[[ch...]]

My sx are not tolerable..I seem to be spending more time in bed and my heart rate is elevated..mostly improves after mid  afternoon, which I find strange. Is it "normal" to feel progressively worse?..I understood this meant a change in cut or method was warrented

[[bu...]]

My sx are not tolerable..I seem to be spending more time in bed and my heart rate is elevated..mostly improves after mid  afternoon, which I find strange. Is it "normal" to feel progressively worse?..I understood this meant a change in cut or method was warrented

 

Yes, if your sxs persist of worsen, you're probably cutting to fast.  I would go back to the last dose I felt OK at and hold until I normalized.

 

No, you're not going to develop tolerance withdrawal.

[[ch...]]

Today is day 3 of good so guess I am over the hump. Here is my dilemma. I am on 3.5 mg a day..last 2 cuts were 0.25 per two weeks, which apparently too much.I have 2 mg tablets which can vary in size down to tictac which the pill cutter will just shatter. I have heard scales can be unreliable and one must weigh 10 pills and average something out, then calculate the cut?...do not get that. So it appears I must begin liquid titration. I have also heard that switching from dry to liquid can cause problems, and I have general anaesthesia coupled with pain meds for around a week, scheduled for next Wednesday. I do not want to hold too long and risk getting tolerance withdrawal.

My spreadsheet confuses me quite a lot also. If I drop 2x 2 mg in to 300 ml water, how much water should I discard to begin tapering from 3.5, my current dose?. My spreadsheet says to discard 39 ml and drink 262

[[bu...]]

Today is day 3 of good so guess I am over the hump. Here is my dilemma. I am on 3.5 mg a day..last 2 cuts were 0.25 per two weeks, which apparently too much.I have 2 mg tablets which can vary in size down to tictac which the pill cutter will just shatter. I have heard scales can be unreliable and one must weigh 10 pills and average something out, then calculate the cut?...do not get that. So it appears I must begin liquid titration. I have also heard that switching from dry to liquid can cause problems, and I have general anaesthesia coupled with pain meds for around a week, scheduled for next Wednesday. I do not want to hold too long and risk getting tolerance withdrawal.

My spreadsheet confuses me quite a lot also. If I drop 2x 2 mg in to 300 ml water, how much water should I discard to begin tapering from 3.5, my current dose?

 

Nothing you have "heard" on BB would come as a surprise.

 

Other than anecdotal reports here and other message boards, there is zero evidence that taking your benzo as a liquid changes anything.  Its the same med, usually from the same bottle of tablets.  And when you swallow a tablet, its liquid within seconds anyway.

 

How could drinking your med in a liquid solution be any different than swallowing a tablet and chasing it with a glass of liquid?

 

And valium is NOT water-soluble!!  You cannot dissolve your valium in water.  You must start with a solvent (vodka or propylene glycol) then you can dilute that with water.  Or...you can dissolve it in milk, or other fatty liquid.

 

 

[[Ma...]]

For 3 months I have held. I am going thru major sleep issues due to hormone imbalance. In 3 months I have taken 5 total rescue does of 15mg temazapam about 2 weeks apart. One time i took it 2 nites in a row.other 4 times, 1 shot deal. Have I screwed up my taper?

[[bu...]]

For 3 months I have held. I am going thru major sleep issues due to hormone imbalance. In 3 months I have taken 5 total rescue does of 15mg temazapam about 2 weeks apart. One time i took it 2 nites in a row.other 4 times, 1 shot deal. Have I screwed up my taper?

 

Nope.

 

[[Ol...]]

I also think no! You are doing a great job, keep on keeping on!

[[dr...]]

I'm looking for input on whether brand name Valium works better than Diazepam for anyone?

[[Ki...]]

Can anyone point me to the liquid titration board please? Im getting weirdness in droves and kinda think it could be the vast discrepancy in my pill weights (anywhere from .160 to .185 ) maybe once I have a few good weeks (hoping) it might be a good idea to go liquid.

[[Su...]]

Can anyone point me to the liquid titration board please? Im getting weirdness in droves and kinda think it could be the vast discrepancy in my pill weights (anywhere from .160 to .185 ) maybe once I have a few good weeks (hoping) it might be a good idea to go liquid.

There's got to be an easier way to point you to the board..... my computer skills definitely need some work.   

But it's called the Daily Micro-Tapering Support Group.   

Should be lots of posts on the Current threads section. 

It's a great thread and there's lots of support there.

:smitten:

SS

[[bu...]]

http://www.benzobuddies.org/forum/index.php?topic=135284.0