Help with starting liquid taper from Xanax and adding Valium

[[Ju...]]

Most people who up dose go straight back to their regular dosing the next day.  I don't know what to tell you about the Valium.  It might just be the ticket for your system to get stable.  I read of some people who swear by it and others who run right back to the Benzo they know.  Valium, from what I have read, is very sedating at first.  But the sedation wears off rather quickly, (is what I've read).  I stuck with the med I was familiar with and gritted through my taper.   

[[...]]

Thanks Juliea

 

Well since last updose and last post, now i feel good. 4 more hours to go and then it will be a complete 24 hrs with only taking .75.

A bit worried because, now I feel maybe I was cutting too fast. But, it has been 3 weeks at .5  (from 1mg) and I thought I was doing ok..but maybe not?

 

I wonder can symptoms come roaring back 3 weeks later? I would think my body would have flipped the first week or so had my .5 dose been too small to handle. But it seemed I was doing OK. Now, three weeks in, I'm bugging out?

 

I don't know?

 

However feel stable at the moment on .75 for the past 20 hours....

 

We'll see...

 

[[...]]

Juliea and BB's

 

Just an update here, it's been an up and down ride all last week, and yesterday. Trying to find out what "works". went from 1mg of Xanax 4 days a week (for 6 months) to .5mg Xanax since Jan 8 2014. Felt Ok. Didn't taper just halved the dose. Tried holding and doing one day on one day off etc, like I used to at 1mg and was Ok, couldn't really go longer then24 hours though. Then was advised on BB to spread dose out, so did it at .25 2 x a day (for about 12 days in a row) and felt weird , not used to taking it every single day, So, tried to go back to once a day.

 

First time I tried it, It worked. Then tried it again the next day and it didn't work. After about 12 hours , I got WD's. Gave in and took .25 Up dosed..

 

So, now try and split it .25 morn and .25 night and am stable..

 

Ok, so now I try, Test Number 2...Valium!

 

Woke up 2 days ago and thought, do I take my regular .25 Xanax? or should I try my Valium?

 

I took the Valium ( first time ever) My doc only gave me 2mg pills and Ashton says .25 Xanax =5mg of Valium, However, I've never had it before and just wanted to test it, so I took 1 2mg Pill and waited 1 hour. Felt good , mellow  then took half of another. So 3mg Valium total. And I felt good. Happy , up, not "sleepy" it was fine. Then about 19 hours later took .25 of Xanax,  and hoped I could make it but couldn't sleep so, that night took my other .25 of Xanax. Slept great. Everything was fine.

 

 

Next day, Superbowl sunday, 16 hours since last dose of Xanax...Do I take my .25 Xanax today? or try the Valium? Well, let's try the Valium again...

 

This time I just took the whole 3mg. Last time took 1mg , waited 1 hour , then took 1mg half and was fine.

But this time just took 3mg all at once.

 

BIG MISTAKE!!! OMG!! Horrible!! Felt totally "drugged" and sleepy, was shaking, hot and cold, totally frightened, Anxiety through the roof!! I waited 30 mins, no relief, got worse, waited 1 hour, no change, waited 1 hour and 30 mins,,still in hell!! Then gave in and took one ,25 of Xanax, and 20 mins in felt "stable" waited 40 mins in and took the other .25..and that was that.

 

 

Felt fine the rest of the night. Even had some wine ( I was VERY shook up from my Valium experience)..and that was my day..Slept fine 7 hours, got up today, had a bit of "brain fog", it's been 17 hours since last Xanax dose, so I just took my .25 morning pill..

 

And now feel "normal" and am writing this.

 

Anybody have any thoughts on what happened?  Why was the Valium fine one day the HELL the next day?

 

Now I think I'll just try my taper off of Xanax, using cuts once every 7-10 days or so, then maybe liquid when it it's really small...

 

But I was so looking forward to having the LONG half life of Valium to make it smoother...but I guess not?

 

Was I doing it wrong? Not taking enough? or two much? Is it normal to have that reaction and then it goes away?

 

Also, I'm seeing my Doc wed ( If I can make it) and was going to ask for more and a higher dose of the Valium but, now I'm not so sure?..(I have TONS of Xanax left, like 8 months probably or more)

 

What would you ask for if you were going to see a doctor who was sympathetic?

 

Maybe I'll post this some place else too I don't know...

 

Any thoughts?

 

Thanks

 

 

[[...]]

Hi JACD,

Did you keep your total benzo level up to the equivalent of .5mg xanax?  From reading what you wrote it sounds like you may not be doing a proper cross over to valium, so if that is the case it is little wonder you had a bad experience.  The problem was not the valium but rather you were just short of benzo...period (if I am reading this correctly, which may not be the case).

 

When changing from one to the other you need to keep you blood levels even by using a gradual cross like is spelled out in the Ashton Manual.  The valium needs time to build up, while the xanax drops out more quickly.

hope this is helpful. 

[[...]]

Hi SG57,

 

Yes, you are right. I did not use the proper amount of Valium to Xanax. My dose of Xanax would be .25 in the morning total .5 daily. And I only took 3mg of Valium. Ashton says .25 Xanax = 5mg of Valium. I knew I was taking less, but I wanted to "test it out" first and see how it went. The day before I took 3mg I was fine, so I tried again and it was HELL!! I waited 1 and a half hours for it to kick in and nothing, then I took my .25 Xanax and was fine.

 

So, your thinking maybe I should have taken more to match the dose? Or could it be that Valium , just isn't right for me? I'm a bit scared to try it again , much less try MORE of it next time..but maybe I should? Is it common to have WD's when crossing over? Or is it just that me and Valium don't mix? It worked the first day at the low dose, but not the second day.

 

Seeing my Doc on Wed ( if I can) Should I ask for a larger dose? That's also why I only took 3mg of Valium, because he only gave me 2mg pills and only 30 of them. To match the dose I'll use it all up in 12 days! And I was ready to go in and see him with all my documentation proving that 5mg Valium =.25 Xanax and that I need a higher dose, but after my bad experience, I'm not sure what to ask for now? Or maybe I should ask for a different drug instead? I don't know?

 

Any thoughts?

 

Thanks

 

 

 

[[...]]

You are on .5mg xanax per day so you need this or equivalent every day or you will feel it.  And I didn't see anywhere that you had done that so it made me think you were shorting yourself on benzo and a big drop like that would result in bad symptoms.

 

With valium it is long acting so it takes time to build into your blood.  Several days.  Have you checked the Ashton Manual for a recommended cross over?  Best to do it in several stages over a month or so.

 

I think crossing to valium is a good idea from xanax, but you need a guaranteed long-term supply from your doctor.  And you are correct, .25mg xanax = 5mg valium

 

I don't blame you for fearing valium now.  That did not sound nice.  I guess it is possible that valium does not agree with you, but it really sounds to me like you just need to do a careful cross over.

[[...]]

Thanks SG57

 

Yes, I have read Ashton, but I want to ask everybody here too..

 

Maybe that's how to do it? Don't take anything away yet, but ADD some V to the mix and then when feel ok, try and cut back on the X. And then ultimately taper from the V?

 

I was substituting one for the other all at once. I don't yet know if my Doc will give me this long term or what..

 

 

 

[[...]]

Well if you don't know if you have a solid supply of valium I would not cross yet because you might end up needing to go back to xanax.

 

As for adding valium I would not do that either as you may become dependent on a higher dose.  The way to do it is to substitute one for the other in stages.  Give each stage time for the valium to build so it can take over for the xanax.  Then go on to the next stage.  Repeat.

[[Ju...]]

I agree with SG57.  A Valium crossover needs to be done in stages and should only be done with a totally steady supply of Valium, in my opinion.

 

Yes, many people will experience withdrawals from the benzo with the short half life that is being replaced by the Valium during the crossover.  It can take 14-days for Valium to reach a steady state in the body.  This would be when the Valium would generally feel effective to the person taking it.  Not everyone has withdrawals during their crossover, but some people do. 

 

If I were going to crossover to Valium from a dose of .50mg of Xanax.  Here is how I would do this:

 

First Stage:  two weeks:  5mg of Valium + .25mg of Xanax, (Hold for 14-days)

Second Stage:  two weeks or longer until feeling totally stable on the Valium:  10mg of Valium per day, (Hold for at least 14-days)

Third Stage:  Only after I was completely stable on all Valium, would I then begin to taper my Valium.

 

I'm not certain what you felt when you felt awful, but I tend to agree with SG that what you might have been feeling was withdrawals due to the lack of the equivalent amount of Benzo in your system.  But I can't be certain about that, you 'might' be one of those people who don't tolerate Valium very well. 

 

I know one person who had to do an extremely slow crossover from Xanax to Klonopin.  They crossed over by doing .125mg substitutions, and had to hold a month for each substitution.  So I do know that for some people, the regular time of 14-days per substitution, can take much longer.  And I've seen some who do abrupt crossovers, (in one day), who don't miss a beat.  It's a very individual process.

[[...]]

Thanks Juliea

 

 

Yes, I think thats right. I only took about half the equivalent of my Xanax with the V. And BOY I felt BAD!! I waited, 1 hour , then another half hour and just couldn't take it anymore and popped the whole .25 Xanax. Twenty mins in , felt much better, then even took the other .25 of Xanax just to finish it off and calm down more!

 

I now realized that I up dosed again by taking my .5 Xanax AND 3mg Valium, so in a way it was like .62 % of total Benzos in my system. I had done that the day before as well, and had no issue with the V, thats why I tried it the next day, when it didn't work

 

So, I inadvertently UP DOSED two days in a row. Then Yesterday, didn't touch the Valium and wanted to just go back to my old pattern of .25 X 2 x a day. NOPE! I took the first one and about 4 hours in, felt REALLY anxious, so then took the 2nd ( and I hoped final dose..) of .25..That lasted about 3 hours! Then had to take a 3rd .25 dose , that lasted 4 hours, more panic again! and had to take ,25 . Then relief. And slept great.  But ended up taking a full 1mg of Xanax! I had been pretty good at .5 for the last 3 1/2 weeks. I looked back at my diaries and noticed that for the last 7 days, I've been just trowing all different methods at the wall to see what "sticks". One day went with a single dose of .5, didn't work the next day, then tried a Benadrly in place of a dose, didn't work!, then tried next day, a half .12 dose , Bad, then tried two days with the V ( but at the wrong dose)! Bad again!!

 

Now, I'm learning ( the hard way) that one should only try a new "method" ONCE every 7 days or longer. Not keep testing different patterns out day after day! Because, I WAS holding at .5 2 x a day , and should have simply started my taper from there...but NOW ( due to me trying all these different "methods" day after day, all in the same week) I'm messed up again, and have been having to up dose!

 

Anyway, today, (so far) has been better. I woke , slept great ( it's now been 2 days out from my Valium "experiment") and I don't have the "brain fog" I had yesterday. I feel calmer too ( of course I took a whole 1mg yesterday but..) 14 hours after my last ,25 dose , I took my first .25, and 2 hours in am holding steady. I hope, I can make it with just taking another one and get through the day, but who knows?

 

My other issue is, tomorrow, I'm supposed to see my doc..and I may need to up dose to deal with that  ( that would make day 4 or 5 in a row of me updoseing) but I don't want to lose ground, still I'll need to do it to deal with going over there.

 

However, I was only going to go, to ask for a higher does of Valium ( if I substitute it) but now I think ( if I can get stable again) I'll just dry cut the X .And THEN if I have a problem, try the V cross over , but only with right = dosage.

 

UGH! by the way, should I tell my doc this? or just say the V worked great but need = dosage? Also, any one know of any NON BENZOS meds that can help with WD's/panic? Maybe I could get one of those?

 

Any thoughts?

 

Thanks!!

 

 

[[Ju...]]

Darn.  I'm glad you're learning so much about how your body responds, but darn.  What a cost.  I know my doctor and I trust my doctor.  She would have given me anything I asked for in the way of benzos for a crossover or whatever.  She is really big on comfort.  I don't know your doctor and I've read of so many doctors cutting people off --- do you trust your doctor?  Have you truly decided that you are going to try to get stable and taper your Xanax to start out?  If so, I believe that what I'd say to my doctor is that I'd really like to try a Xanax taper first but if as I got lower in dose and things don't seem to be going smoothly, I'd like the option of considering the Valium again.

 

My doctor is really too loose with benzos.  But as far as a good doctor for keeping the meds flowing smoothly during a taper, I couldn't have been in better hands, (for a patient managed taper, which I wanted), than with my longtime doctor.  She would have given me my Xanax and a backup prescription for Valium in the correct equivalency, (just in case),  if I'd asked for this. 

 

I chose not to supplement during my taper, except with Magnesium.  I didn't notice any benefits except from taking Epsom Salt baths.  Epsom Salt is Magnesum Sulfate.  You might ask your question about supplements on our Alternative Therapies & Supplements board.

 

 

[[...]]

Thanks Juliea

 

 

Well, I do have lot's of Xanax left ( at least 8 months of pills, if needed) so, I'm not too worried about that ( and my Mom can get 90 1mg dose from her doc) she doesn't take them , but she can get them for me , if needed.

 

Anyway, my Doc is cool ( I think) he sure would give me many refills of X when ever I asked, and I called him last week and asked for the V, he wanted to give me Ativan ( I said no, half life too short!) and asked for the V, But he only gave me .2mg dose at 30 pills ( plus one refill) so, that was a start. But .5 X = 10mg V. And I've got all this documentation to prove it that I'll bring. But we'll see how it goes...but who knows?

 

I do just want to get stable and try and get back to my .5 X and taper like you did .625 every week or two first, dry cut or liquid,  then maybe try V if needed.

 

I just want to have all options available. Do know of people updosing for a few days and then getting back to their old pattern without problems?

 

Did you take Magnesium pills? Or just the bath? How about Vitamin C?

 

No other med's you can think of to help with WD's?

 

Thanks again!

J

[[Ju...]]

Yes, I've known of people who up dosed and went back to their regular dose with very little in the way of problems.

 

I took oral Mag and didn't feel any benefit.  The EpSalt helped though.  Some buddies swear by Doctors Best brand Magnesium Glycinate for it's calming effect.  This may sound crazy but one single bedtime aspirin really seems to help me with the AM anxiety.  Aspirin is supposed to lower cortisol.  I didn't take this very often because aspirin is also known to cause tinnitus.  Since the Xanax had already caused me tinnitus I didn't want to tempt fate and possibly make it worse, so I even used the aspirin trick sparingly.

 

I wish there was some magic bullet that we could take that did not effect our GABA receptors.  But I know of none.  You might try the other board I recommended. 

[[...]]

Hi Juliea!

 

Thanks again for your post. Well, had a good day yesterday. Starting to feel a bit stable again. Only had to take.75 total. And maybe could have made it with just .5 but wanted to make sure I could sleep. Because today is my big day with my Doc. And I'm trying to make it. I'm going to have to up dose once more, but after today..I'm back on the plan.

 

Feeling a bit nervous about the doc ( i used to even before benzos) but he's pretty cool , young guy, my age, I think he'll give me what I want. He has already given me the Valium, but the dose is too low. So, I'm bringing in all the Ashton stuff and all kinds of other things to "prove" it to him. I still don't know if I'm going to even do the substitute ( will try direct taper first) I just want to make sure he's got my back if I want to C/O.

 

The other thing I'm going to ask for is Vistaril. I've read it may help with WD's. It's supposed to be like a Benadryl. I'm going to tell him I just want to try it. It may not work but who knows? Not as a substitute for the X, just as something thats NOT a benzo that may help. Who knows?

 

Taking a cab there..too nervous to drive yet. At the end of the day , I'll probably end up up dosing to 1.25 mg of X today ( used to take 1mg regularly) So, maybe not too bad. I also may ask my doc for .25 tabs of X ( because all I've got are .5 or 1mg tabs) they may be better to cut with..but maybe I'll hold off on that ask , for now..

 

 

Wish me luck!! A bit nervous!!

 

Thanks again

 

J

[[...]]

Juliea and BBs

 

 

Kind of a funny thought...I'm nervous (and a bit exited) to see my Doc today, haven't left the house in 3 weeks..And I'm sort of laughing to my self because , for the last 4 weeks I've only ever taken my Benzo's just to STOP the Benzo WD's.

 

I've only taken the Xanax, to taper and curb the WD's caused by the taking of the Xanax!!

 

 

But, today, I'm laughing because, today, I kind of actually NEED the damn Benzo's to work as they were originally prescribed for!

 

First time in a month, I'll be using the X because I'm nervous to go "do something". Most of the time I now use the Benzos just to STOP the Benzos!!

 

I'm nervous now , not because of withdrawals, but because I'm actually just nervous! Ha!!! It's not the Benzo's fault for once!!

 

 

Just thought I'd share!!

 

[[Ju...]]

I hope your appointment went well. 

[[...]]

Hi Juliea and BB's..

 

Well, haven't posted in a week or so..just trying to "deal" anyway, an update..My Doc appointment was last Wed the 5th at 3pm, and I had to updose to try and make it. I had been used to splitting up the dose and that's ( unfortunately) what I did that day as well. So, I was on .5mg of Xanax, now split in two, .25 twice a day..But on my Doc day, I went .5mg then .5mg then .5mg (total1.5mg) and when I got in the taxi (I had not left my place in 2 weeks! not even a walk!) I just panicked!I told the cab driver to forget it, I paid him a 10 anyway, and I went running back up to my place! I called the doc and said I was too sick to go and they said they have a cancelation for Friday ( 2 days later ) at 11am..So, Yes, I took it.THEN, of course all the benzos FINALLY kicked in and then I said "wow, NOW I could go!!" but it was too late. So, I took a nice walk , went into 4 different stores, stood in lines, got out of the house at least , walked over a bridge etc..Why not? I already blew it anyway, so, at least I got out a bit.

 

Then came the next day. I held steady at .25 x 3 time , only .75 for the day, good. Not too bad...

Then came Friday my rescheduled doc appointment..So, I new I had to updose once again, but this time, I did it all at once! And it worked, I got in the cab ( same driver as last time too) and off we went. I still had the "fear"and all but I said I'm not going to give into this..And when we finally got there, it was not too bad. Up I went into the office, with all my print outs and documents and my letter for my doc explaining IF I do a c/o from X to V I need the EQUIVALENT dose..etc..

 

Anyway, he came in and I gave him the letter and showed him the docs, and he was cool , he said " just tell me what you want"! Which , maybe is kind of weird but I guess, I'd rather have that, then a doc who WONT give you what you want , right?

 

Anyway, I got a Rx for 10mg of Diazapam ( he had originally given me 2mg) Then I told him I just want to try out Vistaril, and see if that works with WD's. So, he gave me .25mg of Vistaril too. I then said I may need Xanax pills at a lower dose .25 for when I get lower. And he was cool. But I don't need it yet. He asked if I had been taking Lexapro ( I had been prescribed it before, by other doctors,  but never took it) and I told him no. I want to get off the Benzo FIRST before I mess around with anything else. He still thought it was odd, I would be getting WD's from such a "low dose" but I just said "No sh@t!!" Believe me I'm surprised too!!!

 

I told him my plan was to try a direct taper and then, if that wont work, maybe try a c/o to the V , then taper from that. But I needed to know, I could get the V, if I did. I told him I will start the dry cut first and I even told him about my Liquid taper plans too, if I need to go that way, I told him I got the 100ml cylinder and all the stuff! He just looked and said "hum, interesting?.." then I told him I will call him in a few weeks and want to see him again.

 

He seemed cool and walked out and that was that. No blood tests, or anything else ( I had done all of that 3 months ago anyway BEFORE I knew I had a problem with the Benzos)

 

The whole thing was like 10 mins.

 

So, I got all my rx filled and haven't taken any of them as of yet. I'm just trying to 'get stable" right now..

That last week up dosing really messed me up. The day after my Doc visit, I just could not calm down..I was taking .25 every 4 hours ( i used to be able to go 10 12 or more ), I ended up taking 1.25 total for the day. Then Sunday, I made it back down to .75 for the day..and thats how it's been for the last 5 days..I tried and made it back to .5 one day, but since then , it's been tough  now I seem to be holding at .75.

 

And that sucks because I WAS at .5 a day, but after last weeks up dosing adventures, now I'm not.

 

I just want to see where I come out first before I start cutting...because I was at .5 but now??? This sucks!!

 

Any thoughts?

[[Ju...]]

What an adventure!  I know what you mean about how it feels to venture out when we've stayed inside for a couple of weeks.  It feels so strange!  Good for you to go out and about that day you missed your first doctors appointment.

 

I'm so happy that you have a cooperative doctor! He sounds cool.  A lot like my doctor ...

 

What I'd do right now is stabilize on as low of a dose of Xanax as possible.  That's what I'd concentrate on.  Stabilizing my dose again.  I know you must be relieved to have everything that you need for your taper now.  Try to relax.  The least amount of stress the better is what helped me.

[[...]]

Hey Juliea

 

Nice to hear from you again!

 

Yeah, that's what I'm trying to do..Just get "stable" first and find out where I'm at. Then try and cut...I seem to be hovering around .75 for the past 4 days or so..( however, last night I shaved .625 off of my last .25 dose, and held pretty good and slept..And today am ready to do the same ( I've already had my 2 .25 doses and have one left)

The weird part is I felt good today BEFORE I took my first dose ( I only took it to keep "regular") then after taking it, I'm back on the roller coster ride again!!! I felt better BEFORE I took the damn thing!!

 

If we don't feel any WD's should we just hold off? I don't want to add any more to this if my body doesn't want it, right? Should we wait for WD's to start and then take it? Or just take it no mater what? Because, I tried that, and now feel not as good as before I took any!

 

What do you do?

[[Ju...]]

I did not base my dosing on my withdrawals.  I believe it's important that we dose regularly when trying to stabilize and especially after we start tapering.  The whole point of a taper is to slowly allow the blood levels of the benzo to fall so that this will stimulate our GABA receptors to up regulate.  It concerns me that you got a paradoxical reaction to taking your Xanax, (felt worse, instead of better).

 

Has that only happened today?  Never before? 

[[...]]

Hi Juliea

 

Well, I feel very good now.(best all day) I just took my third and hopefully last .25 of X And I shaved .625 off of it and feel better then I have since taking my first pill. I hope it holds but I'm an hour and a half in and feel great. Almost "high"...and at a lower dose too..

 

I guess, I mean to say that somedays I just don't want to be "drugged" you know? And I feel pretty good but then take the pill to be regular etc and to try and stabilize when some times ( not all the time) but it has happened before, I take my first dose, and dont feel that great. I don't quiet get that "lift" And wished I wouldn't have started. Because then it's back to the pills every few hours everyday..and sometimes I just want the roller coster ride to stop! Like"ugh, I feel fine at the moment, do I really need to take one now?"

 

I guess, most of the time it "works" but it's like I'm only taking this pill to stop the effects from taking this pill!!!!

 

However, I do think that maybe I couldn't last very long without taking a dose, it's just when I don't have any wd's at the moment I don't want to take the pills..but, of course, that could change on a dime, and then I'll be running for the pills again...

[[...]]

Hi Juliea

 

Did you lose your appetite when you started to taper? I have lost almost 15 pounds in the last 5 weeks ( from going from 1mg 4x a week to .5mg and bouncing around .75 etc) I just cant eat. I have like half a sandwich a day. I don't feel sick, just have NO appetite. Or sometimes I do, then I eat a little then feel weird..like wd's are coming back a little so, I don't want to push it.

 

I've also read that "fasting" or sort of a half fast can help in healing . I can very easily go 17 hours with out any food each day.

 

But, I think I have hypoglycemia a bit too ( my dad had it) and as you know, that can bring on symptoms of "panic"...

 

So, somedays, it's like I feel, am I feeling shaky and off, because of benzo wd's or is it because I haven't eaten anything in like 20 hours?!!

 

Any thoughts?

 

I do try and eat low carb, high protein etc..but still...

[[Ju...]]

I did not lose my appetite during my taper, but I've read of many buddies who did.  There are a ton of GABA receptors in the GI tract.  This might account for these types of symptoms.  I did have some stomach upset that was fairly pervasive until I started taking a probiotic every AM.

[[...]]

Hi Juliea

 

 

I think I can better define what I was talking about yesterday, regarding taking a dose then feeling "worse". I know because, it just happened again tonight. The way I feel it is like this...You feel fine, no wd's. Feel "normal" stable, then it's time to take your dose (or one  of your doses) and what happens is the first 20-30 mins in you don't feel a "lift" or even "relief" ( maybe because you never even needed it because you felt fine before) but instead you feel agitated, jumpy..."out of sorts". It's not wd's, it's not panic. It's just agitation, and jumpiness. It's probably like a 1 or a 2 on a scale of 1-10, but the point is..it's there. Something has "changed". You just feel "odd". Then 45-1 hour or so..you settle in and then your back to feeling the way you did before you took your dose.

 

Has this happened to you? or have you heard of this happening?

 

That's what I was trying to say last night. And it's not that bad but , "something" is going on. And it just makes me not want to dose. However, it dose go away , but I am only dosing to keep with the taper plan and stay regular. But then I get a "semi- temporary" reaction like this. It's a  totally different thing when having WD's however. If I'm in WD's then the opposite thing seems to occur. If the WD's start first THEN when taking the X, 20 mins later, it's calming, then the relief happens.

 

Is this "normal" for some BB's?

 

  The other odd thing is today, I do feel "stable" it's been 6 days in a row now where I've been at about .75 3 x a day and for 3 days been cutting .625 off my last dose and so , it's a bit less then .75 and it's been holding great. In fact, I ate a nice meal last night ( first time in days) and was feeling good. Then today my first .25 dose was SO SMOOTH, it was great..I had no wd's before anyway, but, unlike my second dose later, I had no "agitation or jitteriness", In fact i really felt nothing. It was beautiful. No up, no down. Just nothing. Great! Then 6 hours later I take my other .25 ( not having ANY urge to)  but just doing the "plan" then BOOM 35 mins of "weirdness"? I still have one last .19 dose to take too..

 

Is this my body's little way of telling me, maybe I am ready to take a bit less now?? I don't want to blow it but, i do get this odd reaction to some doses.

 

Any thoughts?

 

oh, and Happy Valentines Day to you and yours! I hope it's a good one!

[[Ju...]]

If this feeling is a 1 to 2 on a scale of 10, I would not worry about it right now.  Yes, I've heard of some people feeling out of sorts after dosing.  But I did not experience this because I took my Xanax as soon as I hit the bed and went directly to sleep.  So if anything happened, I wasn't aware of it.

 

I would not take this as a sign at this point, given the scale you stated, that I needed to taper again right now.  I'd continue to 'methodically taper' on off, by holding the same dose for 8 to 14 days, prior to reducing again.

 

You will get to zero before you know it by slowly reducing like this.    Try not to over think the process.  We can feel all sorts of strange sensations as we taper off of a benzo.