1. Did you use tablets or drops or pharmacy compound solution to prepare your solution? (Tablets / Drops / Pharmacy)
I used valium tablets (dry cut with a scale), pharmaceutical solution and milk at various points.
2. Did you experience symptoms changing from (benzo) tablets to solution? (Yes/No)
Yes. Definitely.
Switching from tablets to the pharmaceutical solution felt like a large cut. This may have been due to difference in uptake, and potentially a reaction to the fillers like sorbitol and propylene glycol. I had to stop and go back to tablets after a short trial because I had completely lost my ability to sleep. Upon reinstating tablets, sleep returned. I had no expectation of this happening either, I believed they would be equivalent.
More recently, I switched from tablets to milk. I also felt this as a significant cut, despite not expecting a difference. I believe the uptake is slightly different. For other medications, I've read studies where factors like the presence of food in the stomach affected uptake slightly, and also where liquid/tablets differ slightly in uptake. It's often stated here that since it's the same exact tablet being dissolved in milk, it should be exactly the same. I don't believe it, I think differences in the range of 5-10% may be possible.
3. What solvent did you use? (Water, alcohol, juice, milk, ...). If milk, what type?
Full fat milk. Crushed tablets, lots of shaking, and leaving at least overnight.
4. How would you rate the average intensity of these symptoms on a scale of 10 (0: same as with tablets - 10: very strong like with cold turkey)
Did not cold turkey, but symptoms went from 0 to 7 within a few days on this scale with the pharma solution, and perhaps 0 to 5 with milk.
5. What did you do to address the problem? (Abandon liquid, increase liquid dose, hold, additional medications...)
Abandoned the pharma liquid since the symptoms were too intense and there were uncertain factors e.g. sorbitol in the solution.
Carried on with the milk valium, and treated it as a cut.
6. Based on your experience, would you recommend liquid taper to buddies who wish to taper? (Yes/No)
Yes with milk.
While I believe there are differences that some members are or may be sensitive enough to feel. There are two more important points:
a) Even if switching to milk titration is a significant cut, you would otherwise have made it with tablets anyway. However, passing through this switch to liquid will definitely minimize suffering in future through smaller, more precise and stable reductions compared to dry cutting (which does become less precise as doses reduce).
b) Apart from a direct difference in uptake between tablets and liquid solutions, another factor may be the accuracy of the previous method. For instance, your 0.001g scales may have been reading slightly lower than reality (e.g. displaying 0.030 when it is actually 0.035). Then an equivalent measurement of the liquid dose will be experienced as a cut as an artefact of this. This may be particularly possible at lower dosages, where scales become less precise. This may be an "unseen" reason for false attribution of some or all blame to the new liquid solution.
Overall, I believe that switching to liquid micro-tapering is probably the best thing you can do to minimise overall suffering. Switching may be equivalent to a cut, but in the long run your body will thank you.
