Please check out my plan

[[Buddie]]

I had been taking between two and five MG Lorazepam a day for the past 10 years or more.  For years now I have not had a lot of energy.  At best I’ll be excited or motivated to do things, but with out the physical and mental stamina to fully enjoy them I usually dread what others might look forward to.  Any event brings with it a kind of burden or weight that leaves me feeling like I’m constantly swimming upstream or against the tide.  Even worse are the familiar feelings of being detached from most experiences.  I decided to get off the Lorazepam in January, and taking only .5 MG once or twice a day didn’t bring any noticeable consequences.  It wasn’t until about 3 weeks ago, when I stopped taking them altogether, that I began noticing: No improvements or change to the usual detached feelings; Big Headaches, which I rarely got otherwise; A mild but almost constant ringing in my ears; extreme sensitivity to sudden or loud noises; and the reason I’m now documenting my experiences: the onset of a panic attack which I have had twice before a few years ago.  After a few prayers and a lot of deep breathing I was able to slow my body down enough to know I probably wouldn’t pass out, have a heart attack or die.  That was last week and since then I’ve been to the Ashton site and put together a plan to taper:

Currently I’m doing .25mg 3times a day Loraz… I will see my Doc next week and hope to get a script for 2mg. Diaz I will start by replacing each of the three daily doses of Loraz with the 2mg Diaz.  Next I plan to cut each dose of that one at a time in half.
So I have a few questions please, and thank you:
Which dose should I replace (loraz to diaz) first?
Then which dose of Diaz should I half first?
And finally PLEASE I’m afraid or concerned that if the half life of the Diaz is such that it stays in my system for a day or more wouldn’t it accumulate or build up if I am taking 2 or more doses a day.

Thank you, so very much.  If it wasn’t for all the help and encouragement I got from a single posting on the welcome board I know this would not be happening.  Consequently I am more than hopeful, almost excited about, the possibility of feeling better.
[...]

[[Buddie]]

Hi [...]!

I have to run out, but I will take a look at this and reply in the next couple of hours, unless somebody beats me to it!

Good to see you back.

[[Buddie]]

Hi [...],
I didn't want you to feel alone, so I thought I'd say what I could. I did not taper Diaz, I tapered KLono. They act the same in alot of ways. Switching to Diaz will make your taper easier. The fact that It does build in your system, is in fact what makes it smoother to come off. Don't worry yourself about that. Other people who have switched over would be better than me to explain that process and they will stop by shortly. I do know many have done it with tons of success. You will too!!!!

As for the headaches and earring those are very common, especially the earringing. Many of us are dealing with that. Trying to find the magical thing that will make it stop. I tried accupuncture, it did lower the volume , but it is still there for now. It's better the more often I can go, but too expensive.

I'm glad you found us. We will be here to support your whole way. Kel

[[Buddie]]

I had been taking between two and five MG Lorazepam a day for the past 10 years or more.  For years now I have not had a lot of energy.  At best I’ll be excited or motivated to do things, but with out the physical and mental stamina to fully enjoy them I usually dread what others might look forward to.  Any event brings with it a kind of burden or weight that leaves me feeling like I’m constantly swimming upstream or against the tide.  Even worse are the familiar feelings of being detached from most experiences.  I decided to get off the Lorazepam in January, and taking only .5 MG once or twice a day didn’t bring any noticeable consequences.  It wasn’t until about 3 weeks ago, when I stopped taking them altogether, that I began noticing: No improvements or change to the usual detached feelings; Big Headaches, which I rarely got otherwise; A mild but almost constant ringing in my ears; extreme sensitivity to sudden or loud noises; and the reason I’m now documenting my experiences: the onset of a panic attack which I have had twice before a few years ago.  After a few prayers and a lot of deep breathing I was able to slow my body down enough to know I probably wouldn’t pass out, have a heart attack or die.  That was last week and since then I’ve been to the Ashton site and put together a plan to taper:

Currently I’m doing .25mg 3times a day Loraz… I will see my Doc next week and hope to get a script for 2mg. Diaz I will start by replacing each of the three daily doses of Loraz with the 2mg Diaz.  Next I plan to cut each dose of that one at a time in half.
So I have a few questions please, and thank you:
Which dose should I replace (loraz to diaz) first?
Then which dose of Diaz should I half first?
And finally PLEASE I’m afraid or concerned that if the half life of the Diaz is such that it stays in my system for a day or more wouldn’t it accumulate or build up if I am taking 2 or more doses a day.

Thank you, so very much.  If it wasn’t for all the help and encouragement I got from a single posting on the welcome board I know this would not be happening.  Consequently I am more than hopeful, almost excited about, the possibility of feeling better.
[...]

Hello again, [...].  I remember you from your Welcome thread:
http://www.benzobuddies.org/forum/index.php?topic=12649.msg175018#msg175018

So you decided to reinstate the lorazepam, is that right?  How long have you been taking .75mg/day?  Are you spreading  your 3 doses out throughout the day?  How is that working?

[[Buddie]]

Thanks again all
been doing .25 mg loraz morning noon and night for .75mg a day for the last 8 days.
Its hard to say how I'm feeling
It's been so long since I can say or even remember what feeling good is all about.
But stopping all at once as I did about 10 days ago was hell.
So a little better (stable at .75 a day) no more big headaches and ear ringing is not nearly as bad.

[[Buddie]]

So I have a few questions please, and thank you:
Which dose should I replace (loraz to diaz) first?

There is no hard and fast rule, but probably replacing the mid day dose first will help keep your blood levels more on an even keel.

Then which dose of Diaz should I half first?

This all depends on which dose is most important to you. ie: If you have sleep difficulties, reduce that dose last. If you have morning anxiety, reduce that dose last. Again, reducing the mid day dose will probably work best. You might have to experiment a bit.

Diazapam has a half life of 36-200 hours. If you only took it twice a day, you still wouldn't have any interdose wd. So this would be the most reasonable one to reduce.

And finally PLEASE I’m afraid or concerned that if the half life of the Diaz is such that it stays in my system for a day or more wouldn’t it accumulate or build up if I am taking 2 or more doses a day.

As [...] said, there are advantages of diazapam due to it's long half life when it comes to tapering. There is nothing wrong with it building up in your system. It just means your blood levels of valium drop slowly, easing withdrawal symptoms.

[[Buddie]]

I had been taking between two and five MG Lorazepam a day for the past 10 years or more.  For years now I have not had a lot of energy.  At best I’ll be excited or motivated to do things, but with out the physical and mental stamina to fully enjoy them I usually dread what others might look forward to.  Any event brings with it a kind of burden or weight that leaves me feeling like I’m constantly swimming upstream or against the tide.  Even worse are the familiar feelings of being detached from most experiences.  I decided to get off the Lorazepam in January, and taking only .5 MG once or twice a day didn’t bring any noticeable consequences.  It wasn’t until about 3 weeks ago, when I stopped taking them altogether, that I began noticing: No improvements or change to the usual detached feelings; Big Headaches, which I rarely got otherwise; A mild but almost constant ringing in my ears; extreme sensitivity to sudden or loud noises; and the reason I’m now documenting my experiences: the onset of a panic attack which I have had twice before a few years ago.  After a few prayers and a lot of deep breathing I was able to slow my body down enough to know I probably wouldn’t pass out, have a heart attack or die.  That was last week and since then I’ve been to the Ashton site and put together a plan to taper:

Currently I’m doing .25mg 3times a day Loraz… I will see my Doc next week and hope to get a script for 2mg. Diaz I will start by replacing each of the three daily doses of Loraz with the 2mg Diaz.   Next I plan to cut each dose of that one at a time in half.
So I have a few questions please, and thank you:
Which dose should I replace (loraz to diaz) first?

That's really up to you.  In Prof. Ashton's schedule, she made the first substitution at the evening dose and the next one at the morning dose.  I don't know any reason you couldn't start with the midday dose if you want to.  BTW, if you want to see her sample schedule for getting off 3mg, it is Table #8:
http://www.benzo.org.uk/manual/bzsched.htm#s8

Then which dose of Diaz should I half first?

  Again, that is up to you.  If the valium is making you sleepy during the day, it makes sense to halve that dose first.  For the purposes of a successful taper, it really doesn't matter.

And finally PLEASE I’m afraid or concerned that if the half life of the Diaz is such that it stays in my system for a day or more wouldn’t it accumulate or build up if I am taking 2 or more doses a day. 

Valium is usually taken 1-2x/day.  It is slower to build up in your system but acts no differently than the lorazepam in terms of accumulating.  Some people find valium more sedating and the substitution amounts are averages, so you may be able to get by with less valium.  Your body will let you know if you are taking too much. 

Thank you, so very much.  If it wasn’t for all the help and encouragement I got from a single posting on the welcome board I know this would not be happening.  Consequently I am more than hopeful, almost excited about, the possibility of feeling better.[...]

[/quote]
Good, that's the right attitude.  You are going to do great.