Valium/Diazepam Support Group

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Joeb,

 

I took one baby aspirin with a spoon of greek yogurt and I felt the muscle aches ease. I am super sensitive to benzos, and I seem to be super sensitive to everything else. One low dose aspirin never did anything for me before, but today it really helped!

 

About the depression. I have had 24 treatments of transcranial magnetic stimulation because I can't take ANY of the antidepressants. It does help, but of course there are annoying side effects i.e. headaches and facial numbness and twitching. I use Carlson's very finest fish oil (a big tablespoon) and for me it eases depression. But of you take blood thinners, you should be careful.

 

After the aspirin, I was able to go out and I actually had a good time! I went to a little tea room and talked with two young ladies who are both about to turn 15. They were delightful! This was amazing to me because a few weeks ago I wasn't able to talk to anyone without getting extremely agitated and panicked. Then some gentlemen came in with an amazingly warm and friendly dog named "Coby," and we talked a while about our love for animals, again I was amazed that I was able to do that. I walked around and looked at the leaves changing color and went into a church prayer garden where roses were still blooming. They had a terrific fragrance, and I thought about how much I was enjoying things. It's little changes, bit by bit, but they add up! Our brains are rewiring themselves. So, we can help by noticing good things around us. I had a cup of jasmine tea, and I took time to smell it's wonderful fragrance, and I consciously savored every sip. I learned this from Rick Hanson's books.

 

I have been extremely miserable, and I am terrified of making cuts in valium. But, there are other brave souls who have gone before us who have made it, and with the help on this Forum we can too. Feel the fear, but move forward anyway, bit by bit. You helped me today by reminding me that I should just try one thing at a time. One little aspirin gave me huge relief, and I had fun. Tomorrow I may be in bed crying, but BB will be there.

 

Thanks Joeb for helping me and being there!

 

Eileen

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Hi Eileen your very welcome and I am soo glad to hear things got better for you today!!! I’m certain you will also help others as I said on this difficult journey

I’m curious it sounds like from your prior posts looks like you’ve been dry cutting at .5mg increments. How long do you hold between cuts? It would be helpful to see your taper history not only for you to get recommendations but also for others so see and possibly gain insight for themselves.

Hope things continue to get better and you are able to stabilize

Joeb

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Eileen I forgot to ask about your TMS therapy

I was going to do it for Benzo withdrawal which they claim off label helps but I decided against it shortly before being scheduled

Did it help with your withdrawal at all? Did you have it done there locally ?

Mine was scheduled in a practice in Ventura.

 

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Joeb,

 

TMS does seem to help, but to me it has a "numbing" effect. And the left side of my face is still often numb even though it's been six months since treatment.

 

I was not keeping track of my "cuts" because I was able to just cut down on my own before without much problem. Until now. I started having trouble transitioning to valium. And now it feels like I'm trapped in a nightmare. I had been able to make cuts like .5mg before, but after the most recent cut, the symptoms were horrific. I'm scared to go down even .01 now.

 

Yesterday was the most positive day I've had in months. I wonder if it was only an illusion? Today I am in bed crying.

 

Eileen

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Sorry to hear that Eileen. Unfortunately I'm not having such a great day either.  Benzo withdraw is not linear meaning its not consistent. it can come and go.

I asked for your cutting history because those were large cuts and with the Valium delay in leaving your system imay finally be catching up with you. Its still awesome that you are so low in dose, that's a positive for you for sure.

 

You mentioned TMS was helping but do you think it was helping with existing depression or  for the benzo withdrawal, probably hard to know for sure.

For me i am depressed just being in this situation and I sometimes cause myself to feel worse just dwelling on it. Today is a such a day for me. I don't feel much withdrawal but there's a sadness in side of me because i still have quite a ways to go and everyone is happy with the holiday, getting texts from friends that don't know what I'm going thru.

 

I'm going to try to keep myself occupied today with things around the house and not dwell on the negative hopefully that will help.

Maybe there are some things you can do for yourself today also.

 

I hope you feel better Eileen,

 

Joeb

 

 

 

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Joeb, I just wrote a long message and it said I'm not allowed to post on this board. I will try again. Eileen

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That’s odd, was it from one of the moderators ?

 

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Joeb,

 

I lost the long message I wrote.

 

I had TMS in Pasadena at So. Cal. TMS Center run by Todd Hutton, M.D. They are very caring there. I felt a difference after the first few sessions. They start out mild, and then increase intensity. If you tried it you could stop any time if for some reason you were uncomfortable.

 

I know depression can be rough, you are not alone. Keeping busy is a good idea, maybe spending time outside would help.

 

Thanks for sharing, it really helps me.

 

Eileen

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Eileen, Hope you are feeling better, thanks for the TMS info. My TMS center put me on a wait list when i backed out. I dont know if I will try it or not. I'm not clear on your reply, were you cutting the Valium when you tried it and did you think it made your wd symptoms more tolerable.

I realize that may be a hard question since you said you were doing well with your cuts of .5 until recently. BTW how long between .5 cuts were you taking?? just curious.

 

The problem with all this is that we are all different and there is no one size fits all, we just have to try things and see what works and what doesn't, which sucks because one wrong move and it could result in instability as you know.

 

One thing i forgot to mention, exercise has helped me alot, I force myself to go to the gym, it gets me out and helps to keep me from losing everything I've built on working out all these years.

 

Joeb

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I think that TMS did help with withdrawal symptoms. I did not keep a record of my cuts because I wasn't having problems. But the .5 cut in valium early this month was the first time I had big trouble. Why are we all so sensitive now? Are there any theories out there? I have been really hit emotionally and today has been horrible. I think that might be why this is happening to me.

 

I'm in a really rural place. I went out and there was an elderly guy who could barely walk in the middle of nowhere. So I picked him up and took him home. His car had broken down and he has no one. A kindred spirit.

 

I started running two years ago to help get off of Effexor. But now I have too much muscle pain to even walk. I hope there's a light at the end of this tunnel.

 

Eileen

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Eileen sounds like you have to wait it out until stable, or at some point if too bad updose and get stable

The meds can be very unpredictable, but I do know that I wud wait until there are consistent days of stability before cutting. Then think about smaller reductions; I made that mistake on Ativan and paid heavy.

I’m holding now for at least 14days.

Ultimately you have to decide what’s best, believe that everyone on this forum wants off fast including me.

It was nice of u to help that man out, u have a kind heart.

Hope you feel better, hang in there

Joeb

 

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Joeb, the TMS treatment I had was on the left prefrontal cortex, specifically for depression. They treat anxiety on the right side of the brain. TMS is not approved yet for that by the FDA, but there are some studies that seem promising.

 

 

I had panic attacks in my sleep last night brought on by the horror of the holiday and talking to my daughter. So I'm thinking about TMS today. I feel like I'm not going to make it.

 

Eileen

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Eileen,

You ARE going to make it. Everyone heals, what sucks is it takes time

R r going back to do more TMS? Maybe on the other side?

Wasn’t sure what you meant

I am having a difficult day also, jut getting tired of this but gotta press on

Go outside today, it helps me.

That’s what I’m going to do

It may not seem that way but kids change

I had a lot of issues with mine and amazingly they mature. Your blessed to have a daughter many people can’t have kids

Hang in there Eileen, I’m struggling too but we have to keep the faith that it will get better

Joeb

 

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Joeb, it seems like depression is the biggest issue you are facing, for me it is anxiety. The terror that resulted from my 25% drop was absolutely horrible! I don't know if TMS on the right side is a possibility, but I hope that I can find help for anxiety. Claire Weekes, M.D. wrote several books about treating anxiety, I'm waiting for one in the mail

 

Thank you for being there for me Joeb, and all the helpful suggestions. I got showered and dressed and am going outside. All of that seems like a major accomplishment today.

 

Eileen

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Eileen do you know how to pm. I sent u one but you didn’t reply

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No, I don't.

 

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Look at the menu bar and click on “my messages,” then you’ll see read my messages. You can reply from there I sent you one

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Hi there tapering warriors,  I'm on Diazapam and I'm currently tapering to 6.0.  I plan to taper .5 every two weeks.  Some folks on the facebook forum say that this is way too fast.  But Heather Ashton recommends tapering 1 mg every 2-4 weeks.  I feel like I'm tapering at a slow rate.  I've been tapering for 15 months and I don't want to spend another year tapering 6 mg of Diaz. 

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Hey TG are you microtapering your .5 every 2 weeks. How are your symptoms ?

 

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Ive been very symptomatic the entire taper but I continue to work and participate in life.  I have anxiety, bone muscle pain, tight chest and shoulder muscles, chills to the bone.     

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Your heading down pretty good, at least no depression or anxiety that’s what really gets me down

 

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Hi, This is a plug for the Valium Diazepam support Group. I’ve noticed from old posts this group was quite active with a lot of support and participation. I’m sure there’s a lot of you out there tapering Valium and it would be great to share our experiences and support each other. So pls consider engaging in this group!

Thanks Joeb

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Which of the benzos is the hardest to get off of?

[[ca...]]

hey guys,

 

i'm at 15mg a day. i've been here a little over a month, down from 17.5 (for about 2 weeks), which was down from 20mg for about 2 years. i've stabilized. i have about 80 10mg tablets right now and i don't think i will be able to get more this time. i have never had a prescription. i have an appointment with my primary doc next week, where i am planning to come clean and hope she will be willing to help me taper. i have a counselor who specializes in benzo withdrawal on my side.

 

i'm wondering if anyone has advice on what to say to my doctor? i plan to bring in parts of the ashton manual and definitely bring up my counselor, but beyond that, i'm really not sure. this will be my third time seeing this doctor, so we don't have a super strong relationship. she knows i quit drinking almost 2 years ago and she knows i tapered myself off lexapro over 3 months this spring.

 

so... yeah. what do i say, and what are my chances?

 

p.s. cutting to 12.5 immediately, preparing for the worst.

[[Pa...]]

hey guys,

 

i'm at 15mg a day. i've been here a little over a month, down from 17.5 (for about 2 weeks), which was down from 20mg for about 2 years. i've stabilized. i have about 80 10mg tablets right now and i don't think i will be able to get more this time. i have never had a prescription. i have an appointment with my primary doc next week, where i am planning to come clean and hope she will be willing to help me taper. i have a counselor who specializes in benzo withdrawal on my side.

 

i'm wondering if anyone has advice on what to say to my doctor? i plan to bring in parts of the ashton manual and definitely bring up my counselor, but beyond that, i'm really not sure. this will be my third time seeing this doctor, so we don't have a super strong relationship. she knows i quit drinking almost 2 years ago and she knows i tapered myself off lexapro over 3 months this spring.

 

so... yeah. what do i say, and what are my chances?

 

p.s. cutting to 12.5 immediately, preparing for the worst.

 

This website has a section for how patients can speak to their prescribers and also a section for prescribers, maybe it will give you some pointers.  https://benzoreform.org/