Valium/Diazepam Support Group

[[jo...]]

Hi there, yes I bought my Diazepam online as I was having sleeping problems and the after affects of lockdown had given me social anxiety.  So at first I only ever took the odd one here and there, when I felt I needed to and the Diazepam was really helpful.  Then I started taking one at bedtime (I thought Diazepam was harmless) and over time it became one every night.  I had no idea that stopping would be a problem.  I ran out of Diazepam just before Christmas and went C/T for 8 days which left me quite poorly.  Now working my way slowly down from 10mg.  Currently on 9.2mg.  My question is do you wait until you feel completely okay before moving down to the lower dose or expect to have a few withdrawal symptoms as you make your way through the lowering dosage?

 

I know everyone is different.

 

Jo x

[[Pa...]]

Hi there, yes I bought my Diazepam online as I was having sleeping problems and the after affects of lockdown had given me social anxiety.  So at first I only ever took the odd one here and there, when I felt I needed to and the Diazepam was really helpful.  Then I started taking one at bedtime (I thought Diazepam was harmless) and over time it became one every night.  I had no idea that stopping would be a problem.  I ran out of Diazepam just before Christmas and went C/T for 8 days which left me quite poorly.  Now working my way slowly down from 10mg.  Currently on 9.2mg.  My question is do you wait until you feel completely okay before moving down to the lower dose or expect to have a few withdrawal symptoms as you make your way through the lowering dosage?

 

I know everyone is different.

 

Jo x

 

We suggest making another reduction when you’ve stabilized from the last.  We define stable as your symptoms have stopped changing drastically, they’ve settled a bit.  Also, being able to carry out your daily functions is another aspect of what we call stable, it doesn’t mean feeling great or being symptom free.

 

These are just guidelines, you can of course taper any way that suits you taking as long as you need.  Being in a rush to get off of the drug only makes us more miserable, it doesn’t hasten our recovery period which can last as long or longer than the taper. 

[[jo...]]

Thank you for your advice.  I will reduce the 9.2mg by 8% (to 8.4mg) on Tuesday for 14 days and see how I get on.  I understand now that stable does not mean symptom free. 

 

Thank you for you support and advice I will report back and let you know how it goes.

 

Jo x

[[Ho...]]

So pleased there is a diazepam support group.i am currently tapering from 10mg at night.been doing 1 mg a week and now down to 7mg.think has been too quick as 2nd night of reduction I can't sleep and am in awful pain all over and restless leg.going to change my taper now to 2weekly reduction.only been on for 6 months but did take 2mg for previous year when needed.never  more then 2/3 days at a time.i she'll be so glad of your support on my journey.x

[[wi...]]

I jumped off diazapam couple days ago, feeling really crap hardly any sleep. Only it took as had really bad reaction to the flu jab. Only small dose and tapered off jumped at 1 mg. Really don’t want go back on it as psych will only give me limited dose. Is it normal to affect sleep and feel pretty crap after stopping. Seemed to be making the anxiety worse last week or so after going really low. So figured was adversely affecting me. Husband wants me to take rescue doses, but think really need to get it out my system try weather the storm. Only took it fir about 9 weeks.

 

It's normal, that's the withdrawal. If it gets too much worse maybe you might want to go back on a half mg, for me by day 3 any symptoms I'm going to have from a cut are already peaking so it might be best to just bear it and weather the storm though.

[[wi...]]

Ashton confuses me.  I'm doing her schedule in the manual for tapering from xanax.  It's been eight months and it has not been easy, but that's not my point. It has you dose 4 x a day and then eliminate on dose at a time as you taper down.

I crossed over from 2mg xanax.  which is 40mg diazepam.

 

She never explains those sample schedules in depth.  I am wondering if cutting across all doses until I finish would be okay.  I guess I'm nervous about taking a dose away and breaking the rhythm as far as my CNS is now used to 4x/day. Then I hear people who does V only 2x per day.  Has anyone ever followed her 4x/day schedule and then gone to 2x/day while schedule still has you actively taking V 4x/day?  I'm so sorry if this post is confusing.

I know those slow taper schedules are only samples and to be adjusted to suit the patient.

 

for example, I'm currently dosing 4x/day as follows" 2.5mg, 2.5mg, 2.5mg and 10mg.  I was thinking for my next cut doing 2mg, 2mg, 2mg and staying at the 10 at night instead of what the schedule says which is cutting 2.5 from the 10mg bedtime dose?

Would I be screwing myself in anyway by doing this?  (I know you can't say if it will be yes or no, but I guess I want other's opinion and insight on my thinking).

 

I am currently at 17.5mg V and have had to hold most cuts until recently for more than 14 days, since her cuts on that schedule seem too big for me.  I've been on benzos for about 26 years and other psych meds including ativan 2mg for days in tandem with the xanax for years, but I CT the ativan years ago.  But always stayed on the xanax. The V is the only med I am currently taking.

 

I've spent the last 3.5 years getting off gabapentin, adderall, lamictal, medical marijuana, geodon.  I know Ashton recommends getting off the benzo first before other meds, but the other meds were making me sick and I thought staying on the benzo until the end would help with the anxiety and side effects from tapering the others.  That was until I saw the benzo was also making me sick!

My doc was tapering me off all the meds at my request and at my own pace.  I did it slowly.

[[Pa...]]

As I get into weeks 4 and 5 of being on valium, i find i ha ve terrible morning till about noon depression, and feel dizzy and hungover.  Oversedated it feels like, even of it didn't put me to sleep.  I feel almost normal for the rest of the day.  Is it the valium?  I have tapered down to 9.5 as of last night and today's depression hangover was the worst so far.  It is weird, because it totally lifts for the late afterno

[[wi...]]

As I get into weeks 4 and 5 of being on valium, i find i ha ve terrible morning till about noon depression, and feel dizzy and hungover.  Oversedated it feels like, even of it didn't put me to sleep.  I feel almost normal for the rest of the day.  Is it the valium?  I have tapered down to 9.5 as of last night and today's depression hangover was the worst so far.  It is weird, because it totally lifts for the late afterno

 

Yes, most likely it is. Valium is more sedating / depressive than other benzos. You can try cutting down a little faster at the start, until 3-4mg then make the more fractional cuts.

[[Pa...]]

Thank you.  I have only been on it 40 day, and still don't even know if i should taper at all. Or quit stop

[[ne...]]

HI PaulaDee, It's the Valium.  I have that too.

 

You absolutely have to taper, but get as much information as you can first.  I recommend this site:

https://withdrawal.theinnercompass.org/

[[Pa...]]

There are no taper protocols for short tern users, what should i do?  I started at 10.8 for my taper and am going dow 1 mg a week.  I feel like the morning dizziness and fatigue is getting worse.  I feel hungover and tired all morning.  What should my taper be then, if at all?

[[ne...]]

You are going down much too fast. General protocols are not a good idea for long or short term users. You won't find a single person on this forum that can tell you how to taper in one short sentence. Again, I need to emphasize, you need to educate yourself, listen to your body, and do a symptom based taper: https://withdrawal.theinnercompass.org/learn/psychiatric-drug-taper-rates-review-and-discussion

 

Sincerely, a short term user that ended up protracted following the Ashton protocol.

[[Pa...]]

I feel totally like myself totally by about 1pm, every day, when the valium wears off.  And it is utterly consistent.  As i have been taking valium for 40 days and it has been building up in my system, my mornings have been getting worse and worse, even before i started the taper last week.  I feel like it is building up too much in my system.

[[Pa...]]

Thank you for that article.  It was very informative.  It is just that the valium, aside from helping me sleep, was making me feel horrible in the daytime, even before the taper started!  I feel drugged and hungover until 1 or 2 pm, just lie On the couch .

[[Pa...]]

I feel totally like myself totally by about 1pm, every day, when the valium wears off.  And it is utterly consistent.  As i have been taking valium for 40 days and it has been building up in my system, my mornings have been getting worse and worse, even before i started the taper last week.  I feel like it is building up too much in my system.

 

What was your Zopiclone dose and how much Valium did cross over to?

[[ne...]]

I can relate to that. It takes about as much time for me to get started in the day, and I hate it.

 

But V reaches a steady state in the body after about 4-5 half lives. This depends on on your rate of metabolizing the drug, other drugs or medication you might be on that might interact with the diazepam. It's hard to tell because you have not completed your signature, but normally you shouldn't start feeling more sedated this far out.

 

When administering a drug at regular intervals or a constant amount (such as an infusion), the drug achieves a given steady-state concentration after approximately 4 to 5 half-lives without any further accumulation in the body with repeated doses. This state is because the infusion rate and the clearance of the drug will have reached an equilibrium, and thus the net concentration of drug in the body will remain constant. The value of this steady-state concentration is determined by the dosage, dosing interval, and clearance.

Source:

Half Life - StatPearls - NCBI Bookshelf

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK554498/

 

Add signature:

http://www.benzobuddies.org/forum/index.php?topic=20524.0

 

You might also try the planning your taper forum board:

http://www.benzobuddies.org/forum/index.php?board=163.0

 

Sorry I cannot help you more, I honestly have no idea how to proceed in my own taper 

http://www.benzobuddies.org/forum/index.php?topic=275347.0

[[Pa...]]

I took 20 dmg zopiclone in the 60 days after my son's death and 11 500mg doses if phenibut on other days, with days in between.  I had not used either of these substances since sept4, until my son died oct 24.  I had a crash after going 48 hours without phenibut on dec 3.  My dr put me on valium 10 mg on dec 21 to cover the phenibut wd symptoms.  It is a gaba b agonist.  I was not taking zopiclone for dec or jan.  The phenibut was the problem.  I had been taking it alot in 2022, but had stopped entirely without a problem by sept 4.    When i started it again after my son's death, it kindled i guess, and i became hooked right away, in just 11 doses, not even back to back.

[[Pa...]]

20 10 mg of zop it should have said

[[Pa...]]

I have now been on valium 10mg for just 40 days and started my taper last week.  But in the past few weeeks, even before the taper, my morning drowsiness , depression and lethargy were getting worse and worse, as the valium was building up in my system.  Should my taper have started more aggressively?  I am at too high of a dose?  I sleep pretty well so far, most nights, and it did get rid of all the phenibut physical wd symptoms for sure.  Now i just want to get off the valium as quickly but safely as possible.

[[ne...]]

Dear PaulaDee, I am deeply sorry to hear about your loss. It must have been devastating.  :'(

 

You've done a great job completing the signature. Your situation seems complicated by your previous medical history. I hope you find more help in the taper advice boards.

 

Just by any chance, have you started eating or drinking grapefruit juice lately? Or limes, Seville oranges, and pomelos? They contain furanocoumarins. When ingested, they can permanently inhibit CYP3A4 by binding to the enzyme itself, inactivating it. Once inactivated, the enzyme cannot metabolize ingested drugs, leading to greater levels of drug in the bloodstream when the drug is taken orally.

 

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Grapefruit%E2%80%93drug_interactions

[[Pa...]]

Where is the taper advice board? Is there a link?

[[ne...]]

I've put it in my post with links.

[[le...]]

Am thinking reinstating duazaoam as think came off it too soon. Only on it 9 weeks went from 5 mg to 1 mg then jumped. Feeling ghastly. Am thinking about reinstating on 1.25 mg, the about every 3 weeks or so drop to 1 mg then 0.50 mg as psych will only give me limited supply. Hoping slow taper would make for less ghastly withdrawal? Only went on it as had horrible reaction to flu jab, but given me almost panic attacks since stopping, not eating, stopped about 10 days ago been hell. I am very sensitive to meds, due to my limited supply can’t reinstate at higher dose.

[[or...]]

What is this:

 

duazaoam

 

Katz

[[Co...]]

I think she means diazepam