Valium/Diazepam Support Group

[[Pa...]]

Gosh I'm sorry to hear how sick you are, you sound miserable, its odd you say you actually felt better after vomiting, I've heard members say that sickness is a distraction in itself.  You're so miserable with whatever is ailing you that it temporarily takes your mind off of your symptoms, isn't that sad, that even being terribly sick is better than feeling these awful symptoms!  Or it could be similar to an experience I had, I wasn't able to cry and the one time I did I felt so much relief, I wonder if your vomiting was kind of like that, you were so depleted there wasn't anything left?

 

I'm sure you're overwhelmed with worry about your daughter, when our kids aren't okay, we aren't okay but the problem is, we're so compromised we can't help ourselves let alone anyone else.  Somehow she'll find the strength to do what she needs to do and she'll be stronger for it so even though you can't be her strength right now, in a way this may help her find her own. 

 

Your psychiatrist saying your situation is "extremely rare" is his experience, he sees a small number of people and uses this narrow view of the population to make a statement like that.  Even if he only has one patient who is going through this, what if every doctor in the world had one patient like us, that would mean this condition isn't so rare, wouldn't it?

[[Ta...]]

This journey is so very, very strange. There are some really inspiring stories, and some stories that scare the h*ll out of me. How can there be a substance on this beautiful planet that causes such unspeakable misery as benzos do.

 

I read that someone uses Silly Putty to help her with anxiety while she's waiting in line. I've been looking for it. Other people have really been helped using TENS devices. I'm looking at that too. I truly appreciate people sharing their ideas and discoveries.

 

Then there are some really scarey stories where people can't even get out of bed at all. I have a little black cat with a huge personality, who won't let me stay in bed. She must be waited on! And the Silver crowned sparrows are here with their giant raven buddies - all needing to be fed to keep warm.

 

I wish there was some kind of guarantee that if I follow a certain set of steps that I will one day be well. But there are no guarantees, are there? Yesterday, after all of the extreme vomiting, I felt almost great, for several hours! I didn't question it, I just tried to memorize the feeling. I thought I probably threw up some valium, so I took a little more. It feels like Russian Roulette!

 

I hope I can get better. That's my Christmas wish for all of us.  - Eileen

 

 

[[Be...]]

Thanks MO7

 

 

I just have a lot of one sided head pressure and my osteopath, chiro and physio all say that something is blocked on my right side with something - don't think they blood - but the pressure is so bad.

 

 

Did you get this head pressure?? The one sidedness is just so weird.

 

Thanks so much.

 

Winnie

 

Hi WinnieDog

 

I also suffer from right sided pain\pressure in my scalp and face, for over a year now

I'm taking 1mg Lorazepam 3 times daily to reduce the pain

I started taking it for anxiety, now I don't have anxiety but I must continue taking it since I have the right sided pain

I'm wondering whether the Lorazepam was the one that started the pain, and is the one that reduces it...

What do you think ?

[[st...]]

I know we're all different but did anyone find that dosing Diazepam once a day rather than split doses helped?

 

                                                                            Nova  xxx

 

Hi nova,

I think this is an interesting question. I found when starting diazepam, it may depend on how much one benefits with each dose from the immediate effects of diazepam's primary benzo (diazepam) vs relying on the more ongoing effects of its subsequent active metabolites (nordazepam, temazepam, oxazepam) which act as part of the accumulated drug load always present.

 

The immediate diazepam effects at first are more pronounced so I found some benefit to spreading doses early on to 2-3/d. Within a number of weeks, those effects got weaker so I tapered away each daily dose one at a time to completion, leaving behind the largest evening dose for last, because at this point I mostly experienced just the accumulated effects throughout the day anyway. 

 

Now however, getting to lower 5mgV levels, I do feel a new rise of pre-dose symptoms that may be due to the lower concentrations just not being as lasting or stable or as evenly distributed within the body as were prior higher concentrations...? Not sure yet myself, unless I test it by splitting my 1 dose to 2 again. Has anyone seen more V interdose symptoms at lower doses?

 

I'll include below diazepam's stages and their respective effects (not verified for accuracy):

 

• STAGE [1]
  
  • diazepam - half-life 20-100hrs, avg 50hrs
    anxiolytic (anxiety), insomnia, panic attacks
    

  ---

  • STAGE [2] - from diazepam
    
    • nordazepam -  half-life 36-200hrs, avg 70hrs
      anxiolytic (anxiety), amnesic, anticonvulsant, muscle relaxant, and sedative properties
       
      
    • temazepam -  half-life 8-22hrs, avg 10hrs
      hypnotic (insomnia), s/e: sleepiness, anxiety, confusion, and dizziness

  ---

  • STAGE [3] - from both nordazepam & temazepam
    
    • oxazepam -  half-life 4-15hrs, avg 8hrs
      moderate anxiolytic (anxiety), hypnotic (insomnia), amnesic, anticonvulsant, skeletal muscle relaxant, and sedative, has been shown to suppress cortisol levels

  ---

  Combined stages - estimated "blended" half-life 36-200hrs, avg 130hrs

  Combined accumulation - about six times the daily dose in two weeks and eight times in four weeks (avg 5-8 times).

  ---

[[st...]]

hi SS welcome to our thread, I’m just starting my Valium taper so I also cannot answer your question. What I can say is that even though my Ativan taper was hell since I went too fast I did notice short durations of improvement as I got lower. Valium is new to me I crossed over at 3.5mg held for about 2 months for family visits and have just started tapering. Hope you stay with us on this thread and offer your support, perspectives and questions

Joeb

 

Thank you both Joeb and Marie,

I do find all our experiences so helpful, if just to understand what may or may not happen during w/d. For example, it seems like many at some point, for no apparent reason, hit a wall or a very rough patch of symptoms, usually at some dose between 8mgV to 2mgV. This might last for 1mg or 2mgs and then often things get significantly easier. Have others seen this happen?

 

For me this symptom uptick has been happening lately, going from 6 to 5mgV after a 3 week hold and while at slowest taper rate to date. So I wonder if this may be caused by a totally invisible variable yet unconsidered. Just theorizing out loud here, but what if this uptick has to do with passing through one's therapeutic dose level, where V had the "thickest" receptor binding effect. Meaning, now while tapering, where a lot more benzo receptor sites are being emptied all at once, allowing a larger than normal wave of symptom noise to get through.

 

For each of us this level might vary but once our brain compensates for this thicker level of activity, there might not be as much benzo still remaining to be removed and the pace of healing may keep up well with that remainder. I guess what I'm getting at is this: maybe our symptoms are not linear because the rate of actual benzo receptor "desaturation" is not linear, as much as we rightfully try to make it so with our taper rate. And my guess is it may have something to do with why a small "therapeutic" dose range just "hits the spot" while lower dose does nothing and higher dose does not much more than bad s/e's.

 

Hmmm...

 

 

[[Tr...]]

I have noticed some variations in when I dose my 3mg of V. (I’m on 1mg/ml liquid)

- 3mg before bed was ok - some intolerable weirdness 12-3 in afternoon (anxiety, visual probs, dizziness).

- Split to three times a day: 1ml at 10pm, 1ml at 10am and 1ml at 5pm - did this for a few weeks and felt more anxiety all the time. Horrible around 5pm.

- Twice a day dosing: 1ml before bed, 2ml at 11am - this seems golden for me. Much calmer during the weird afternoon hours, no problems sleeping.

 

Just started taking 0.1mg off of pm dose to begin taper.

Seems ok so far after 5 days.

 

 

[[mr...]]

Does this crossover from Klonopin look ok?

 

 

AT START

 

8 AM - 0.25mg K

2 PM - 0.25mg K

BED - 0.25mg K

 

BEGIN CROSSOVER

 

7 Days

8 AM - 5mg V

2 PM - 0.25mg K

BED - 0.25mg K

 

Hold 1 week

 

7 Days

8 AM - 5mg V

2 PM - 5mg V

BED - 0.25mg K

 

Hold 1 week

 

7 Days

8 AM - 5mg V

2 PM - 5mg V

BED - 5mg V

[[Mi...]]

I know this is probably a silly question but please can you help.

 

I have held at 11.5mg of V since August due to different stressors. Would you still get windows and waves on this?

 

Also has anyone come off hrt while tapering Valium. I do not think they are working well together and my anxiety is sky high.

 

Please help

[[st...]]

Does this crossover from Klonopin look ok?

 

 

AT START

 

8 AM - 0.25mg K

2 PM - 0.25mg K

BED - 0.25mg K

 

BEGIN CROSSOVER

 

7 Days

8 AM - 5mg V

2 PM - 0.25mg K

BED - 0.25mg K

 

Hold 1 week

 

7 Days

8 AM - 5mg V

2 PM - 5mg V

BED - 0.25mg K

 

Hold 1 week

 

7 Days

8 AM - 5mg V

2 PM - 5mg V

BED - 5mg V

 

Hi, my only observation is that switching out the evening dose first to V worked better. It improved my sleep due to V's stronger immediate sedating effect that K was not giving me.

[[mr...]]

Thank you.  Was your crossover similar to mine and did you have any problems?

[[st...]]

Thank you.  Was your crossover similar to mine and did you have any problems?

 

Yes, it was similar. I only wish I'd have done it this gradually like you. Removing Clonazepam's Claws with Diazepam is best done slow and gentle, like removing a tick. This way Diazepam has a chance to accumulate and cover Clonazepam's withdrawal symptoms better. My main thing was remember to allow for some symptoms during each step and have patience because they diminished within couple of weeks.

[[mr...]]

Wow.  Did you like Valium better though?

 

 

Can you function with a slower taper?

[[Ch...]]

Please tell me on table 5 of clonopin of ashton, to you just follow the stages, or do you add stages to the table.  Also, would you say Valuum is constipating.  I'm scared and confused. thank you

 

Also I can't eat.  I'm hungry but it doesn't go down easy.  Do you think that will change? once I do a cross over? 

[[st...]]

Wow.  Did you like Valium better though?

 

 

Can you function with a slower taper?

 

Yes and yes. V is a real downer but it did help my sleep at first. As for function, V is more predictable than K. I'm sure there is a minimum taper rate for maximum functionality there somewhere for everyone, but I also chose to simplify my daily routine so I could demand less of my taper rate. So for me functionality is very basic and it can be achieved tapering 1mg V per month, but I've seen this can be often longer while getting down to lower doses of around 5mg V and below, tapering 1mg V per 2 months.

[[Ch...]]

how concerned should I be with valuium causing acid reflex?  I have belching right now and I'm on clonopin

[Guest [...]]

I’m down to 3.44mgs now, it’s been such a long and crazy journey, pure torture but now my sleep is the worst it’s been and it’s been horrific the entire time. I’m reducing at a .75 mg rate per month, roughly 20% cumulative, and the sleep isn’t bouncing back like it used too, I don’t know whether to slow down or carry on, I’m going to jump at 1.5mgs but still have a about 2 mgs left to get there, i don’t want to slow down if it doesn’t help at all.

[[...]]

Hi wpwp, I feel your pain. What other sxs are you getting besides sleep?

Also Just curious, why did you decide to jump at 1.5? I’ve been dropping about .5 per month, going slow but getting ansy.

Joeb

[Guest [...]]

I have no sxs aside from complete insomnia. I’m not going to drag this out to zero and I feel safe at 1.5. But the sleep is absolutely gone.

[[...]]

That’s awesome, I’m glad for you.

I don’t want to drag it out either but nervous from my Ativan experience

So far I’ve been stable but frustrated and depressed because of wanting off the meds

If you don’t mind my asking how are you tapering? Dry cutting or liquid? Daily microtapering or cut and hold?

I tried the pharma liquid and it made me sick

 

[Guest [...]]

2 mg tablet and then a compounded liquid solution.

[[...]]

Hey wpwp, sorry to hear about your sleep issues

Was wondering did you try hydroxzyne for sleep. It’s helped some people on bb and others I know.

Nothing worked for me during my Ativan time.

Better for me with the Valium

Sorry for so many questions but did you need time to get used to the compounded Valium

I’m looking at getting my doc to prescribe it next week when he gets back.

Is there’s anything else your taking to help prevent other wd symptoms?

I’m cutting slow because I nervous about going acute again.

Your perspective would be appreciated

Thanks

Joeb

 

 

[[mr...]]

WPWP,

 

Could you function at all during your taper?

[[Tr...]]

Considering adding a small gabapentin dose.

Currently on 2.75mg V. In evenings and mornings before dose is due I get so overwhelmed. I had to drive somewhere today and it was like a 40 min panic. I was trying to hold out until regular dosing time but ended up taking it 2 hours early.

I get so overstimulated visually. Like everything is moving too fast and is a threat.

Flashing lights, noise, everything moving, it’s awful.

Then breathing feels like it’s not automatic and I have to force it.

 

I tapered 0.1mg Dec 23, 0.1mg again on Dec 29th, then 0.05mg 2 days ago.

Today is a rough one. Feels like nothing will hold still.

 

Anyone benefit from gabapentin? Anyone have bad experience with gabapentin?

[[mr...]]

I was on Valium for nine years and was recently put on Klonopin about a month and a half ago.

 

Is it safe to go back to Valium if I haven’t been on it for like 5 months?

 

I want to use Valium to taper.

 

[[Sk...]]

People,

 

did your anxiety drop when crossed over to V?

I am tapering Lorazepam and feel I hit a wall, I don't improve and constant have a mix of extreme stress and anxiety.

Hopeless this is....