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Defining stable


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[96...]

Hi everyone,

 

it's day 70 since I updosed from 3.4 to 4mg. Diazepam (Valium). I've had some really good days. Not every day is great; the insomnia is mostly tolerable, but occiasionally I am so exhausted from the lack of sleep. I am happy most days; depression rarely happens for me these days and if it does happen, it's an hour or so. I am indefinetly holding, maybe forever. I wonder if I can feel even better than I am now... also more sleep would be awesome (although my 6 hours now is so much better than 2-3 hours I had for months).

 

Anyways, I'd like your input on the concept of stable. I think there's consensus if we can function; like taking a shower, no akathasia, getting dressed would define a form a stable (I wasn't able to shower for months in acute withdrawal).

 

English is not my native language, but I know that language, phrasing, wording, is important when it comes to Benzo withdrawal (and sometimes I struggle). There have been days that I felt really good during my taper; sometimes so good I would forget I am in withdrawal. Can we be more specific in the term of stable? Or is there a word for feeling really good during withdrawal? I'd love your input. Thanks!

 

Naf1983

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  • 2 weeks later...

It's good you are stabilized ❤️

You need to keep quality in your life.

 

I recall not being able to shower for a good few months, because things were so bad...

I would wash out of a hospital bed pan with a bar of soap and warm water.

 

To be honest, I never was "stable" on the Klonopin. Only the beginning years of taking it. Once it pooped out, it was game over.

 

I would miss a dose and shake, BP went up, tachycardia and just anxious.

 

It's like it turned against me.

 

Hope you start sleeping better as well.

 

Good luck to you.

 

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  • 2 months later...
I also struggle with the concept of stability. I think I got symptoms by day 5 of use (a severe migraine and some hopelessness) and I felt sedated/zombielike the 12 days total I took it. Would that be the stable to try and get back to? Symptoms got a lot worse for me since my doctor cut me 40%. However, I do seem to be doing a bit better compared to one or two months ago.
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  • 3 weeks later...

Winters Sun gave quite an excellent response -- hard to beat that.

 

With the understanding that withdrawals in general have a huge impact on our quality of life, is there any validity in saying that "stable" may partly mean that we have at least some modicum of quality of life? Some semblance of pleasure in at least some area of our life?

 

I ask because through my taper, I can see times where I was absolutely miserable in every area of my life. But then there are some times where I was more "stable" and, despite still having symptoms (which we will during this journey), there were positive parts of life and I felt as though I had some semblance of quality to my life. This somewhat infers a correlation -- increased symptoms = no quality of life while decreased symptoms = some measure of quality.

 

This was one way I had thought of using as a translational tool when talking with my provider. Ie., if I had no quality of life, then the speed of the taper should be reduced. If I felt as though I had a positive quality of life, then the taper should consider at that speed for as long as that's the case.

 

Just a thought for discussion.

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[f9...]

Hi Naf

 

I think we also have to view stability in terms of what level of decreased functionality and impairment each unique individual is willing or able to bring acceptance to as a baseline over a prolonged period of time. I can’t know your personal experience of your symptoms, so it makes sense to me that we have to look at stability from an individual point of view “can I make peace with how I’m feeling right now and hold that acceptance over a period of time.” If the answer is No, and you feel like you need more improvement before tapering, then personally, I would hold for a longer period of time whilst also working on my ability to accept and make peace with my experience. If you find that you are fighting your symptoms in your head and you feel very little connection to life, I don’t think that’s a good place to taper from, for the simple reason that if you reduce by even a small amount, you will most likely push yourself over the edge very easily and enter that heightened fearful state of “fight or flight” where your system won’t function properly like it does in the “rest and digest” state. You won’t tolerate reductions well in that heightened state. When you find that level of functionality where you do feel you have acceptance surrounding the way you are are feeling, this will help your CNS to calm and you will feel like your body is at least functioning somewhere within that rest and digest state, and because your internal system will be working more fluidly, you will tolerate sensible reductions. I hope this helps in some way, Naf  :hug:

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