Reinstatement meaning

If a person has been tapering and raises dose close to  original dose is that reinstatement?

I think so. Is it just a rescue dose or have you raised the dose each day?

Haven't  actually  raised  it  yet but wondering  if that is the same as reinstatement.  I  read not so good things about reinstatement

Why are you thinking of raising your dose? Are your symptoms just too bad?

Hardy.

Muscle pain severe.  Has been like this for months

Hi JMT

 

Where are you now in your taper? What dose are you at?

 

I would think long and hard about reinstating a higher dose. Remember, benzodiazepines are a muscle relaxant, so as you taper, there will be some muscle aches and pains. My whole body is aching 24/7, but if you can just accept the discomfort for now while you are tapering, it will eventually ease and eventually disappear altogether as you go through recovery.

 

My concern is that if you do up-dose, you may very well be in the same situation as soon as you decrease dose again, and you’ll have up-dosed for nothing and have a longer taper to endure.

 

WS

 

 

 

 

from 1 to .25

Totally cannot walk much for months

not just discomfort, severe pain

How much are you reducing and how often, this information will help us help you, especially if you put it into your signature.

by .125 monthly or 6 weeks

Thanks for catching that one, Pamster, they are quite big reductions!

that's about a 12% reduction

that's about a 12% reduction

 

If I'm thinking right, it would start out as a 12% reduction, but if you're at .375mg and go to .25 mg, that would be a 33% reduction. 

Ohhh, I see what’s happening, JMT

 

You’re calculating each cut based on the total dose you started on… 1mg

 

It’s recommended that you cut 5 - 10% every 10/14 days, but then recalculate your next cut at 5 - 10% of the dose you’re now at?

 

Does that make sense?

 

You’re getting lower, so those same cuts are becoming much more challenging and your symptoms are increasing.

 

 

You may need to up-dose to your precious dose until you feel more comfortable, JMT

And then calculate 12% of the dose you are at each time you drop.

Sorry if you felt I was being dismissive of the intensity of your pain, JMT, it certainly wasn’t my intent.

 

No wonder you were in pain, knowing what we know now!

 

WS

I know your post is about reinstatement, but I can safely say that most of us feel pain during tolerance or withdrawal. Here are two videos that really helped me more than I expected:

 

 

 

Pain blows but it is possible to train your brain to bring it down a notch.

 

 

Hi JustMeTwo, your fellow buddies have discovered the possible source of your discomfort and Winters sun has made a good suggestion, you may need to go back up a bit, stabilize then resume your taper.

 

 

I agree and:

-I think reinstating means you were off a (certain) Benzo or Z-Drug, but you started using again (mostly due to intolerable symptoms). When you increase your dose it's considered updosing.

-Why not reduce the smallest possible?

 

Best of luck,

Naf1983

 

Hi JustMeTwo, your fellow buddies have discovered the possible source of your discomfort and Winters sun has made a good suggestion, you may need to go back up a bit, stabilize then resume your taper.

I did try raising it and bit and didn't help w/ muscle pain.  I could cry.

So thought I'll try and stay at .25 a month and see what happens

 

Thanks for the replies.  So if I'm at .25 now, when I am ready to reduce how do I cut the pill

Last question:  I have at times increased dose, sometimes I have felt the w/drawal symptoms are worse after an increase.  Is this possible??

Hi JMT

 

I think you’ve made a wise choice in updosing and giving yourself time to stabilise. 

 

I like the idea of giving yourself at least a month to reach stabilisation (it can take time) as apposed to being impatient and only allowing a week or so. I think we all struggle with impatience at times, especially when we’re in pain and suffering, but often this leads to hasty decisions and we end up in a worse situation. It’s sensible to give yourself more time than not giving yourself enough. You can still allow yourself to be guided by your symptoms, and if you feel that before that month is up, you experience a clear improvement/stabilisation, then you may find you’re ready to make a smaller cut sooner. Let your symptoms be your guide.

 

In regard to not experiencing any noticeable relief or even an uptick in symptoms after updosing - please remember that you have tapered fast, percentages increasing considerably with each cut. With each taper cut, the blood serum levels in your body decrease as the active ingredient leaves your body. The dose is no longer high enough to maintain that previous blood serum level.

 

I have benzo brain, so please forgive this poor (stupid) analogy 

 

You are hurtling down a hill in a truck, the speed of this truck represents the speed of your taper and the hill represents your symptoms. The further you get down the hill, the greater your symptoms become. You can see that if you don’t slow down soon you are going to crash, so you apply the brakes. The brakes represent you updosing. As you apply the brakes (updose), the heavy truck still takes a considerable time to come to a halt, and in this time, your symptoms feel as though they are still getting worse because you are still moving down the hill. Your blood serum levels are climbing, but not enough to reverse your symptoms. At some point, the truck finally comes to a halt. You are no longer moving down the hill, so your symptoms are no longer getting worse. You now put the truck in reverse and as the truck reverses back up the hill, blood serum levels still climbing, you start to experience a decrease in symptoms the further you reverse back up the hill until you’ve retracted enough ground to eventually stabilise.

 

As silly as this analogy is, I hope it at least makes some sense to you, and goes some way to alleviating any fear or panic you may be experiencing.

 

You’ll be ok!

 

WS

 

 

 

 

Hi JustMeTwo,

 

to answer two of your questions.

 

1) Tapering a 0.25mg. tablet may be extremely challenging. At this point I would seriously consider liquid taper.

2) I've had the same with updosing; getting symptoms. My / the theory is that you brain is trying to reach an equilibrium. Rather it be updosing or reducing; the brain needs time to reach a certain balance.

 

Last question:  I have at times increased dose, sometimes I have felt the w/drawal symptoms are worse after an increase.  Is this possible??