feeling better on valium

[[Si...]]

hi guys i have been slowly switching to valium from xanax and i feel better now. is it a sign that i could taper a little faster on valium? thanks all in advance..

[[...]]

I would not take it as a sign that you can taper faster.  It is good that you feel good on valium, but I'd say that is all it means.  It is always good to be in the best shape possible when starting to taper so that is a big deal.

[[Si...]]

thanks SG57. i have 80 tablets of 5mg valiums left you think it would be enough for me to taper? i am doing okay on 3.75mg a day now. im afraid i could not find a psychiatrist who would support the valium taper. i have seen 4 of them this week. two of them didnt prescribe anything but wanted me to go to an in-patient detox. the other two wanted me to take seroquel and to quickly taper the benzo.

 

my family also wanted me to try the seroquel so i gave in. i took 25mg and didnt feel much sedation and after an hour or so took another 25mg. i slept from 9pm-6am with minimal interruptions instead of the usual 2hour chunks throughout the night and usually waking up at 12 midnight to 3am and not being able to go to sleep again. i was still drowsy the next day and was even able to sleep some more after breakfast. i also had too much appetite. i am also worried about the many possible side effects listed for seroquel. i didnt like how seroquel made me feel so i didnt take it the next day. i am also really scared of taking this anti-psychotic because i am not insane its supposed to be given to schizoprenics right? i also felt irritable on the evening of that next day which happened to be christmas eve.

 

im worried that i might run out of valiums to adequately taper slowly before i find a rare doctor who would support this way of quitting the benzo. im looking at a scenario where i will be able to taper the valium at a sufficiently low dosage, if not totally zero, and then be forced to cold turkey frome there and tough it out and hope for the best. im worried about seizures even at this low dose since i became dependent already. i am really worried about my life right now. please help.. thanks all in advance..

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It makes me very angry when I hear of situations like yours.  As long as you are reducing what is the rush?  It is not a race.  It is about safety and comfort! Sorry for venting.

 

I'm with you on the seroquel. That is one nasty drug and I turned it down for sleep.  Have you tried old antihystamines hydroxyzine, doxylamine, benadryl?  Much more tame and safe I think.

 

The good news is you are on a very low dose.  Milligram-wise you have enough for 106 days if you did not reduce at all.  That's 3 1/2 months.  Let's say you go slow and are able to lose 1/2mg per month.  You would be below 2mg when you run out.  That is a high dose to jump from.

 

I'd get started tapering asap.  Perhaps the detox can be a last resort as they will supply you with more valium??  The one benefit they offer is to prevent seizures by using other meds.  In the meantime you can hopefully find a doctor with a clue about these meds.

 

Hang in there and post if you need help with a taper plan.

 

[[Si...]]

the 2 docs said i could taper the benzo quickly by using seroquel. i think it would be hard for me to find a doc who would taper me off valium. but i will still try. you think 2mg valium is still to high to jump off from if i run out? would i be at risk of seizures? what can i expect? im really scared guys.. please help thanks all..

[[or...]]

Sigmund if it were me I would try very hard to find another doc who will prescribe pills for you. Really. You are putting a whole lot of pressure on yourself if you say you will have to be done when your present stash of pills runs out. You do not want to be wrecked at the end of your taper. You want to be able to take all the time it needs.

 

Sorry if this sounds prescriptive, it isn't meant to. That is what I would do if it were me. We all just want the best for you.

 

As SG says, it isn't a race.

 

Okatz

[[...]]

the 2 docs said i could taper the benzo quickly by using seroquel. i think it would be hard for me to find a doc who would taper me off valium. but i will still try. you think 2mg valium is still to high to jump off from if i run out? would i be at risk of seizures? what can i expect? im really scared guys.. please help thanks all..

 

Seroquel will NOT allow faster tapering of the benzo.  There is no replacement for a slow taper.  Your body needs TIME to physically upregulate receptors.  Those docs are wrong and what they are saying is reckless.

 

Yes I think jumping from 2mg would be quite painful.  IDK about seizures, but I think it could cause months of additional more severe unnecessary symptoms.

 

You have good health in hand, don't give that up.  I'd begin slow tapering asap, but no need to panic yet.  You have a lot of time and things have a way of working out.  Okatz is right, fast tapering is no picnic either.

 

Just another thought...let's be clear, it isn't valium that you need.  You need a benzo.  So a prescription for any benzo will do in a pinch.

[[Si...]]

yes i also have 20mg of xanax ready but i really like the valium now. I am gonna try really hard to find a psychiatrist who will agree with a valium taper. what do you think would be a safe jumpoff pont for valium? also, what other docs can prescribe benzos other than psychiatrists?

[[Si...]]

It makes me very angry when I hear of situations like yours.  As long as you are reducing what is the rush?  It is not a race.  It is about safety and comfort! Sorry for venting.

 

I'm with you on the seroquel. That is one nasty drug and I turned it down for sleep.  Have you tried old antihystamines hydroxyzine, doxylamine, benadryl?  Much more tame and safe I think.

 

yes SG57 its so disgusting that the pharma industry has hijacked the medical profession especially psychiatry in the name of profit. i have tried hydroxyzine for anxiety. it seems to work and helps sleep too. but it was too late. my body still looks for benzo even when atarax works. it also helped me sleep the first time and i felt better the next day on atarax than benadryl. i was too drowsy the next day on benadryl even at 15mg dose only. i had to drink coffee the next day even if i already quit coffee. i havent tried doxylamine i will read about it. thanks so much..

[[...]]

yes i also have 20mg of xanax ready but i really like the valium now. I am gonna try really hard to find a psychiatrist who will agree with a valium taper. what do you think would be a safe jumpoff pont for valium? also, what other docs can prescribe benzos other than psychiatrists?

 

If you have 20mg xanax I'd stop worrying right now!    That's great news!  That is equivalent to 400mg valium.  That essentially doubles your supply.  You have enough benzo in total to slow taper a very long time!    I really think you will be long done before you run out.  Of coarse, still try to get valium, but the threat of being cut off is gone.  You have enough benzo to safely taper to zero.    I would not jump.  It makes no sense to me that people want to taper all that time and then "jump" at the end.  I'd taper all the way to zero and "step" off instead.

 

You really are in good shape here.  I can't emphasize that enough.  You feel reasonably well and you have enough benzo in hand to do a slow taper without pressuring yourself.  You can taper slowly and step off in good shape.

 

All docs can prescribe benzos.  Mine was prescribed by my GP.

[[...]]

i have tried hydroxyzine for anxiety. it seems to work and helps sleep too. but it was too late. my body still looks for benzo even when atarax works. it also helped me sleep the first time and i felt better the next day on atarax than benadryl. i was too drowsy the next day on benadryl even at 15mg dose only. i had to drink coffee the next day even if i already quit coffee. i havent tried doxylamine i will read about it. thanks so much..

 

What you can do with these is rotate them to avoid your body becoming used to them.

 

Sounds like benadryl really worked?  Do you think the problem might be dose amount?  Just a thought.

[[Si...]]

thanks again SG57. maybe the benadryl worked too well even at 15mg because thats the first antihistamine i tried for ssri withdrawal insomnia. my sleep has improved now and also my appetite. im not sure if its my body agreeing with the valium or my protracted ssri withdrawal is getting better now. i felt too bad while on the xanax.

 

what im doing with the valium now is dividing the 5mg pill (the lowest dose available from where i am) into 4 X 1.25mg cuts. and i am trying to increase the number of hours in between doses. or i will take earlier if i feel i really need it already. is that a good taper plan too? it seems to be working fine. using this method, how will i be able to utilize the 20mg xanax? use it as the cheat pill when i really need to? thanks all for your invaluable inputs. this forum is really a life saver for benzo dependent people..

 

another thing, valium is no longer sedating to me. it seems to have an antidepressant effect to me like i have read somewhere. anyone else had this expeience on valium?

[[...]]

what im doing with the valium now is dividing the 5mg pill (the lowest dose available from where i am) into 4 X 1.25mg cuts. and i am trying to increase the number of hours in between doses. or i will take earlier if i feel i really need it already. is that a good taper plan too? it seems to be working fine. using this method, how will i be able to utilize the 20mg xanax? use it as the cheat pill when i really need to?

 

Hmmm...are you saying you are tapering by increasing dose time instead of decreasing dose?  Adding minutes each day?  I've heard of people doing this although it is very rare.  I think I've only run across one person in the three years I've been at this.

 

I really can't say if it is a good way to do it.  I would think it would work, but that is just a guess.  I would think your blood leve, which is what is important, would slowly decline just like a daily taper.  Quite a clever method actually.  But seems like it might be very inconvenient as, if you are stretching your doses by 5 minutes each day, timing would be critical and then what about dosing during sleeping hours?

 

At any rate, benzos have equivalencies so with xanax you would do just as you do with valium.  You just need to take 1/20th the milligram amount xanax is 20 times more potent).  There are several ways to do this and it might be a bit of a pain, but it can be done and much much better than the alternative. 

[[La...]]

Sigmund:

 

2mg V does sound too high to jump from. When I was on 2mg V equivalent (0.2mg ativan), I would definitely not wanted to jump then. I've come down from 2mg V (equivalent) to now 0.4mg V (equivalent) and let me tell you, that was a lot of road traveled. I'd suggest you do it too, rather than jump so high.

 

[[Si...]]

thanks all. i am on 3rd day of 5mg down from 6.25mg. another concern for me is when i get to say 2.5mg would it be very hard to taper some more like i read from other users here? only 10mg and 5mg are available here. what i do is cut the 5mg V to four X 1.25mg. i think i would just use that 1.25mg or cut it with a blade down to 0.625mg and just increase the time between doses when i get to that low dosage? any thoughts? thanks all..