Hi [...], I didn't make a 2,5 mg reduction, it was a 2,5%, from 5mg diazepam to 4,88 mg. Yes it's been two weeks. See my above post for the other questions.
Yes, sorry, I did mean 2.5%, the old benzo brain seems to have escalated lately
I see you had quite a few symptoms on the 5mg before the reduction, but for me, it’s not so much about the symptoms as it is about the severity of the symptoms. If I look closely, most of my symptoms still remain, whereas others flair up randomly. My symptoms aren’t consistent day in and day out either, but I know my symptoms and I trust how bad they will get and how long they will last. Stress plays a part as well. If I do things to stress myself out, or I allow certain external factors to stress me out, there is a definite uptick in symptoms, most notably head pressure, which as it increases, I notice it extends throughout my body as aches and pains. But the head pressure grows the more I focus on whatever is stressing me out, and in addition, my face becomes so sore that I can’t smile or laugh because it feels like all the bone in my face is fractured everywhere.
These are my taper symptoms, which are present all the time, but do increase about 2-4 days after each reduction and settle back to a baseline level after about 10-12 days, sometimes sooner, depending on how well I’m taking care of my mental, emotional and physical bodies.
-Head pressure
-Memory loss
-Aching face
-Body aches and pains
-Confusion
-Moderate insomnia
-Low to moderate anxiety
-Cognitive impairment
-Occasional bouts of Nightmares
-Muscle tension
-Joint pain
-Constant low to moderate Tinnitus
-Gastrointestinal issues (tiredness immediately after eating)
-Low to moderate numbness and pins and needles
-Fatigue
-Weakness
-Low to moderate Inner vibrations/shaking
-Dizziness
-Blurriness
-Lack of motivation or interest after reductions
-low to moderate internal organ pain
-Burning eyes
-Burning skin from head to toe
There are probably several more symptoms, but it’s the absence of certain symptoms and the level of the symptoms that are present that tells me I’m stabile and can comfortably make reductions.
I don’t think you are stabile, given some of the symptoms you mention, symptoms I experienced myself when unstable, like the following -
-Hypersensitivity to light, loud noises, strong smells (I still notice I’m slightly sensitive, but more like a 2/10)
-Pressure on chest, feeling like you can’t breathe
-Nausea
-I don’t know the weather where you are, but if it is winter, enduring cold weather does feel like an extra symptom in itself??
-frequent tremors, shaking, jerking
-Not being able to listen to music or watch tv (this is a very big one, clearly showing how unstable you are)
-Not able to go outside (agoraphobia)
So you are clearly not stabile, but the question is ‘what to do’ given that you feel you reach tolerance quickly and began feeling worse towards the end of a month on the 5mg Valium.
In what way did you start feeling worse? We’re there certain symptoms that got worse and not others. Depression is initially quite common with Valium, and was for me, but it disappeared as I adjusted to it. At first, Valium does cause you to experience all of those symptoms you mentioned… depressed, lethargic, no motivation, drowsy, dizzy, balance and coordination problems, but they do resolve. You eventually adjust to the Valium, and things do smooth out. It’s also normal to experience poor, erratic sleep and especially a lack of REM sleep on benzodiazepines, and I think you will find this with most members. But as I said, your body does get used to the Valium and it’s a smoother ride from there.
When you say you can’t listen to music or watch tv, are you experiencing fear through these mediums? I couldn’t enjoy either of these because of the terrible fear I was experiencing, and both of these would exacerbate that fear.
Personally, I generally wait between 14-18 days before reducing again, but I’m stabile, and if you are not stabile, then you may not handle another reduction very well, even if it is only 2.5%. In my experience, any reduction I tried to make while I was unstable, resulted in suffering, and it was only after I stabilised that reductions (smaller reductions 5%) were well tolerated.
I can’t help but wonder (and only you would know this) whether the initial affects of the Valium have anything to do with you feeling worse after several weeks. Your body may still be adjusting to the medication, which can take considerable time. It really does feel like a different drug once you adjust. Can you give me an idea of what symptoms you feel got worse over the first month of Valium before you reduced?
