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Hi all

I made a diazepam cut last Monday 1st August and I was doing great till Tuesday 9th August. It was a very small cut from 16mg to 15.75mg.

All my usual withdrawal symptoms have  :'( rushing back in - no appetite, loss of sleep, no concentration, cant stop talking about myself, feelings of wanting to give up and not wanting to go outside. I cannot believe it as thought I was just doing a really small cut.

I also changed a progesterone patch.

Can you please advise?

a) how long is it normally till you feel a cut?

b) how do you talk yourself down from this high point of anxiety and doom?

Sorry and thank you MP

 

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MP Maybe someone will chime in who is better able to answer your questions. I just cut to 1 from 1 1/2 on the 10th and praying it will keep going okay. My Sinuses hurt and head feels full I’m wandering if that is wd symptoms or the weather changing. I know cutting back on caffeine helped me. Prayers you will get relief soon!🙏🏻

Redbird

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Thank you redbird. Mot been taking hardly any caffeine here. Lots of lemon and ginger tea. Have you had withdrawal symptoms on your way down?

MP Maybe someone will chime in who is better able to answer your questions. I just cut to 1 from 1 1/2 on the 10th and praying it will keep going okay. My Sinuses hurt and head feels full I’m wandering if that is wd symptoms or the weather changing. I know cutting back on caffeine helped me. Prayers you will get relief soon!🙏🏻

Redbird

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Redbird I have had a lot of ear fullness and sinus pressure the past month or so too. It really seems like the lower doses of Valium are affecting my inner ear, eyes and jaw more. So odd.

 

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I hear ya treelover…. My sinuses and allergies have really bothered me lately and also having aching in the sinuses and teeth some. The weather has changed here also as it has gotten cooler.

 

Miss Piggy….I did have side effects coming down from V. It helps to keep telling yourself that it is the medicine causing it and it’s not you. When I was having fear it help to tell myself this. Hope relief will come soon for you!

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Hi all,

 

Is there anyone here who has successfullymade the cross over to Valium from Zopiclone? How did you do it? Over what time period? I've asked in a number of different groups on this forum and noone can seem to tell me. Hoping somewhere here can - I'm confused, scared and really in need of some guidance.

 

Pugtragic  :smitten:

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Hi all,

 

Is there anyone here who has successfullymade the cross over to Valium from Zopiclone? How did you do it? Over what time period? I've asked in a number of different groups on this forum and noone can seem to tell me. Hoping somewhere here can - I'm confused, scared and really in need of some guidance.

 

Pugtragic  :smitten:

 

I know of one member who made the switch and it seems like she regretted doing it but I can't say for sure.  You might want to do a search of her posts, here is her profile link. Shayna 78  She's mostly recovered now but still checks in once in awhile.

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Hi all,

 

Is there anyone here who has successfullymade the cross over to Valium from Zopiclone? How did you do it? Over what time period? I've asked in a number of different groups on this forum and noone can seem to tell me. Hoping somewhere here can - I'm confused, scared and really in need of some guidance.

 

Pugtragic  :smitten:

why not supplement with valerian root or preferably l-theanine/lemon balm ?

 

i was able to cols turkey 15mg zopiclone with valerian root with little to no symptoms,  but the 3rd day i felt like i was suddenly very close to a seizure with crazy symptoms acting all at once.

 

since the zopiclone still helps you sleep,

i would be more inclined to look into the least harmful supplements to help you during the day.

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A gentle reminder regarding the BenzoBuddies Ruled and Guidelines to everyone regarding language here that can sound prescriptive:

 

Please adopt a non-prescriptive writing style. Relating your experiences, stating options, or posting suggestions of what other members might do are all welcome. However, advising members of what they should or must do is against the ethos of the BenzoBuddies Community. Nor should you attempt to 'diagnose' medical problems or suggest medical treatments to other members. This policy also applies to members with medical qualifications. A more detailed explanation of this policy can be found in our Guidelines Regarding the Giving of Medical Advice document.

 

This community functions best when members share their own experiences without making recommendations as to what others should/should not do.

 

Kate08

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So sorry Kate!

 

You’re completely correct!

 

I projected my experience, didn’t mean to.

I haven’t commented on BB for a while and I’m out of practice.

 

I’ll make sure I don’t do that in the future.

 

Winnie

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pug, I don't think cold-turkeying an drug is a good idea despite what flythough's experience was. And I don't get why he's advocating those supps.

 

I understand you're looking for help with a crossover from your zop  to valium, but I had an experience that my help you. I was on Ambien (zolpidem)and could have made a cross to valium, but decided against it. I had already suffered a 3+ year of reduction from valium . . . I did not want to line up for another. So I "toughed it out" and cut up my zolpidem into 1/8 pieces and reduced by 1/8 every week or so. Yea, at the end it was hard, but it turned out okay. And insomnia was a bear, but the Ambien had not been helping me sleep for ages and wa actually making me feel ill. I tried other things for insomnia.

 

So, just some thoughts, based on my successful experience tapering zolpidem. Hope you are doing okay.

 

Katz

 

I just had another thought. Ashton DOES have a schedule for crossing from zop to valium. Go here:

 

https://benzo.org.uk/manual/bzsched.htm

 

and look for Schedule 12. If you still want to cross, you'll have to do some math. The schedule clearly shows that  15 mgs of zop equals 10 mgs of valium. So it's stronger. Your 2.8 (I think you said) mgs of zop is therefore equal to 1.64 mgs of valium. If it were me, I wouldn't bother crossing over. I'd tough things out.

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Hi all

I made a diazepam cut last Monday 1st August and I was doing great till Tuesday 9th August. It was a very small cut from 16mg to 15.75mg.

All my usual withdrawal symptoms have  :'( rushing back in - no appetite, loss of sleep, no concentration, cant stop talking about myself, feelings of wanting to give up and not wanting to go outside. I cannot believe it as thought I was just doing a really small cut.

I also changed a progesterone patch.

Can you please advise?

a) how long is it normally till you feel a cut?

b) how do you talk yourself down from this high point of anxiety and doom?

Sorry and thank you MP

 

Hi MP

 

It is so different for everyone on the cuts, because of how we metabolize the benzo’s.  Valium has such a long half life, so it could be why your being affected at 9 days out.  For me when I use to do dry cuts at 1mg at time, I would feel them (or the start of them) on day 3.

 

When my anxiety or the bad symptoms would kick in, I did a lot of breathing exercises and meditation and would listen to soothing music, like ocean sounds or rain, or spa music.  The breathing really really helped.

 

Your cut’s maybe small, but it maybe all that you can tolerate at a time.  We are just all so individual.  I haven’t been on here in a few months (again…ugh) and I notice someone on here who is cutting at low doses, really big amounts (to me at least) and I am sooooo impressed.  I am finally down under 3mg, and the lower I got, the less % I could decrease by for some reason….I don’t know why?????

 

Hope you are feeling better.

 

Marie

 

Hi to everyone else  :smitten:

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Thank you Marie.

I am also worried that the HRT I am taking is having an impact. I am considering trying to taper off that but I cannot see any success stories really so it is making me incredibly nervous.

Also i just feel stuck. My symptoms are not lifting or changing yet.

I appreciate you responding and thank you.

If you know anything about the hormones please let me know MP

Hi all

I made a diazepam cut last Monday 1st August and I was doing great till Tuesday 9th August. It was a very small cut from 16mg to 15.75mg.

All my usual withdrawal symptoms have  :'( rushing back in - no appetite, loss of sleep, no concentration, cant stop talking about myself, feelings of wanting to give up and not wanting to go outside. I cannot believe it as thought I was just doing a really small cut.

I also changed a progesterone patch.

Can you please advise?

a) how long is it normally till you feel a cut?

b) how do you talk yourself down from this high point of anxiety and doom?

Sorry and thank you MP

 

Hi MP

 

It is so different for everyone on the cuts, because of how we metabolize the benzo’s.  Valium has such a long half life, so it could be why your being affected at 9 days out.  For me when I use to do dry cuts at 1mg at time, I would feel them (or the start of them) on day 3.

 

When my anxiety or the bad symptoms would kick in, I did a lot of breathing exercises and meditation and would listen to soothing music, like ocean sounds or rain, or spa music.  The breathing really really helped.

 

Your cut’s maybe small, but it maybe all that you can tolerate at a time.  We are just all so individual.  I haven’t been on here in a few months (again…ugh) and I notice someone on here who is cutting at low doses, really big amounts (to me at least) and I am sooooo impressed.  I am finally down under 3mg, and the lower I got, the less % I could decrease by for some reason….I don’t know why?????

 

Hope you are feeling better.

 

Marie

 

Hi to everyone else  :smitten:

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Thank you Marie.

I am also worried that the HRT I am taking is having an impact. I am considering trying to taper off that but I cannot see any success stories really so it is making me incredibly nervous.

Also i just feel stuck. My symptoms are not lifting or changing yet.

I appreciate you responding and thank you.

If you know anything about the hormones please let me know MP

Hi all

I made a diazepam cut last Monday 1st August and I was doing great till Tuesday 9th August. It was a very small cut from 16mg to 15.75mg.

All my usual withdrawal symptoms have  :'( rushing back in - no appetite, loss of sleep, no concentration, cant stop talking about myself, feelings of wanting to give up and not wanting to go outside. I cannot believe it as thought I was just doing a really small cut.

I also changed a progesterone patch.

Can you please advise?

a) how long is it normally till you feel a cut?

b) how do you talk yourself down from this high point of anxiety and doom?

Sorry and thank you MP

 

Hi MP

 

It is so different for everyone on the cuts, because of how we metabolize the benzo’s.  Valium has such a long half life, so it could be why your being affected at 9 days out.  For me when I use to do dry cuts at 1mg at time, I would feel them (or the start of them) on day 3.

 

When my anxiety or the bad symptoms would kick in, I did a lot of breathing exercises and meditation and would listen to soothing music, like ocean sounds or rain, or spa music.  The breathing really really helped.

 

Your cut’s maybe small, but it maybe all that you can tolerate at a time.  We are just all so individual.  I haven’t been on here in a few months (again…ugh) and I notice someone on here who is cutting at low doses, really big amounts (to me at least) and I am sooooo impressed.  I am finally down under 3mg, and the lower I got, the less % I could decrease by for some reason….I don’t know why?????

 

Hope you are feeling better.

 

Marie

 

Hi to everyone else  :smitten:

 

MP…YW.  I do know that HRT can have an impact, especially progesterone on us.  I am on HRT too.  I noticed you said something about your patch.  Did you change it, or just completely remove it?  I know that with the progesterone it is important to keep a steady amount in your system if possible, and if the time comes that you have to discontinue you are supposed to wean off.  Personally I wouldn’t wean off progesterone during this process.  Myself I use biodendicals for my HRT support made in compound pharmacy, so I take the progesterone orally and the estrogen is a cream that I rub on my forearm.

 

When I use to DT, like I said my symptoms would hit about day 3 hard and I would just start to feel somewhat better by the end of the 2weeks when it was time to cut again…I did this for 4 months, before I just completely hit a wall and held for the first time for a month.  Since then, I have done many holds.  During that time, I pretty much lived in a state of benzo flu, and rarely had many “window”.  It was just awful.  So I finally went to daily micro taper with a combo of liquid and pills, and just had to slow things way down.  Symptom based.  So that way the symptoms don’t seem to hit all at once, and then it’s hard to even out….this is much more gradual.  Anyway, your symptoms could just be from your cut, or from your cut and lack of progesterone (if you didn’t replace your patch, or it takes a while for the patch to build up levels???).  Hang in there.

 

Marie

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Thank you Marie.

I am also worried that the HRT I am taking is having an impact. I am considering trying to taper off that but I cannot see any success stories really so it is making me incredibly nervous.

Also i just feel stuck. My symptoms are not lifting or changing yet.

I appreciate you responding and thank you.

If you know anything about the hormones please let me know MP

Hi all

I made a diazepam cut last Monday 1st August and I was doing great till Tuesday 9th August. It was a very small cut from 16mg to 15.75mg.

All my usual withdrawal symptoms have  :'( rushing back in - no appetite, loss of sleep, no concentration, cant stop talking about myself, feelings of wanting to give up and not wanting to go outside. I cannot believe it as thought I was just doing a really small cut.

I also changed a progesterone patch.

Can you please advise?

a) how long is it normally till you feel a cut?

b) how do you talk yourself down from this high point of anxiety and doom?

Sorry and thank you MP

 

Hi MP

 

It is so different for everyone on the cuts, because of how we metabolize the benzo’s.  Valium has such a long half life, so it could be why your being affected at 9 days out.  For me when I use to do dry cuts at 1mg at time, I would feel them (or the start of them) on day 3.

 

When my anxiety or the bad symptoms would kick in, I did a lot of breathing exercises and meditation and would listen to soothing music, like ocean sounds or rain, or spa music.  The breathing really really helped.

 

Your cut’s maybe small, but it maybe all that you can tolerate at a time.  We are just all so individual.  I haven’t been on here in a few months (again…ugh) and I notice someone on here who is cutting at low doses, really big amounts (to me at least) and I am sooooo impressed.  I am finally down under 3mg, and the lower I got, the less % I could decrease by for some reason….I don’t know why?????

 

Hope you are feeling better.

 

Marie

 

Hi to everyone else  :smitten:

 

MP…YW.  I do know that HRT can have an impact, especially progesterone on us.  I am on HRT too.  I noticed you said something about your patch.  Did you change it, or just completely remove it?  I know that with the progesterone it is important to keep a steady amount in your system if possible, and if the time comes that you have to discontinue you are supposed to wean off.  Personally I wouldn’t wean off progesterone during this process.  Myself I use biodendicals for my HRT support made in compound pharmacy, so I take the progesterone orally and the estrogen is a cream that I rub on my forearm.

 

When I use to DT, like I said my symptoms would hit about day 3 hard and I would just start to feel somewhat better by the end of the 2weeks when it was time to cut again…I did this for 4 months, before I just completely hit a wall and held for the first time for a month.  Since then, I have done many holds.  During that time, I pretty much lived in a state of benzo flu, and rarely had many “window”.  It was just awful.  So I finally went to daily micro taper with a combo of liquid and pills, and just had to slow things way down.  Symptom based.  So that way the symptoms don’t seem to hit all at once, and then it’s hard to even out….this is much more gradual.  Anyway, your symptoms could just be from your cut, or from your cut and lack of progesterone (if you didn’t replace your patch, or it takes a while for the patch to build up levels???).  Hang in there.

 

Marie

 

Thank you Marie

I am going to PM you about progesterone.

At what point did you go to a DMT?

I cannot see a pathway out at the moment and it is all consuming trying to work out what to do.

Well done in getting below 3mg - you should be proud of yourself

MP

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Thank you Marie.

I am also worried that the HRT I am taking is having an impact. I am considering trying to taper off that but I cannot see any success stories really so it is making me incredibly nervous.

Also i just feel stuck. My symptoms are not lifting or changing yet.

I appreciate you responding and thank you.

If you know anything about the hormones please let me know MP

Hi all

I made a diazepam cut last Monday 1st August and I was doing great till Tuesday 9th August. It was a very small cut from 16mg to 15.75mg.

All my usual withdrawal symptoms have  :'( rushing back in - no appetite, loss of sleep, no concentration, cant stop talking about myself, feelings of wanting to give up and not wanting to go outside. I cannot believe it as thought I was just doing a really small cut.

I also changed a progesterone patch.

Can you please advise?

a) how long is it normally till you feel a cut?

b) how do you talk yourself down from this high point of anxiety and doom?

Sorry and thank you MP

 

Hi MP

 

It is so different for everyone on the cuts, because of how we metabolize the benzo’s.  Valium has such a long half life, so it could be why your being affected at 9 days out.  For me when I use to do dry cuts at 1mg at time, I would feel them (or the start of them) on day 3.

 

When my anxiety or the bad symptoms would kick in, I did a lot of breathing exercises and meditation and would listen to soothing music, like ocean sounds or rain, or spa music.  The breathing really really helped.

 

Your cut’s maybe small, but it maybe all that you can tolerate at a time.  We are just all so individual.  I haven’t been on here in a few months (again…ugh) and I notice someone on here who is cutting at low doses, really big amounts (to me at least) and I am sooooo impressed.  I am finally down under 3mg, and the lower I got, the less % I could decrease by for some reason….I don’t know why?????

 

Hope you are feeling better.

 

Marie

 

Hi to everyone else  :smitten:

 

MP…YW.  I do know that HRT can have an impact, especially progesterone on us.  I am on HRT too.  I noticed you said something about your patch.  Did you change it, or just completely remove it?  I know that with the progesterone it is important to keep a steady amount in your system if possible, and if the time comes that you have to discontinue you are supposed to wean off.  Personally I wouldn’t wean off progesterone during this process.  Myself I use biodendicals for my HRT support made in compound pharmacy, so I take the progesterone orally and the estrogen is a cream that I rub on my forearm.

 

When I use to DT, like I said my symptoms would hit about day 3 hard and I would just start to feel somewhat better by the end of the 2weeks when it was time to cut again…I did this for 4 months, before I just completely hit a wall and held for the first time for a month.  Since then, I have done many holds.  During that time, I pretty much lived in a state of benzo flu, and rarely had many “window”.  It was just awful.  So I finally went to daily micro taper with a combo of liquid and pills, and just had to slow things way down.  Symptom based.  So that way the symptoms don’t seem to hit all at once, and then it’s hard to even out….this is much more gradual.  Anyway, your symptoms could just be from your cut, or from your cut and lack of progesterone (if you didn’t replace your patch, or it takes a while for the patch to build up levels???).  Hang in there.

 

Marie

 

Thank you Marie

I am going to PM you about progesterone.

At what point did you go to a DMT?

I cannot see a pathway out at the moment and it is all consuming trying to work out what to do.

Well done in getting below 3mg - you should be proud of yourself

MP

 

Hi Miss piggy,

 

It would be so much more helpful to our members and future members if you kept your conversations about progesterone on the open forum.  Think how fearful and frustrated you've been by not being able to find the information you sought and how much others will benefit from what you learn.

 

Using the open forum for these discussions will help many, this is why we have the rule that the PM system is only for chit chat, so others can benefit.  :thumbsup:

 

Pamster

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Pamster - I gave tried and tried again to find answers about the progesterone and hrt on many open forums without much luck. Plus I thought the men on the forum would not appreciate this. Thanks MP

Thank you Marie.

I am also worried that the HRT I am taking is having an impact. I am considering trying to taper off that but I cannot see any success stories really so it is making me incredibly nervous.

Also i just feel stuck. My symptoms are not lifting or changing yet.

I appreciate you responding and thank you.

If you know anything about the hormones please let me know MP

Hi all

I made a diazepam cut last Monday 1st August and I was doing great till Tuesday 9th August. It was a very small cut from 16mg to 15.75mg.

All my usual withdrawal symptoms have  :'( rushing back in - no appetite, loss of sleep, no concentration, cant stop talking about myself, feelings of wanting to give up and not wanting to go outside. I cannot believe it as thought I was just doing a really small cut.

I also changed a progesterone patch.

Can you please advise?

a) how long is it normally till you feel a cut?

b) how do you talk yourself down from this high point of anxiety and doom?

Sorry and thank you MP

 

Hi MP

 

It is so different for everyone on the cuts, because of how we metabolize the benzo’s.  Valium has such a long half life, so it could be why your being affected at 9 days out.  For me when I use to do dry cuts at 1mg at time, I would feel them (or the start of them) on day 3.

 

When my anxiety or the bad symptoms would kick in, I did a lot of breathing exercises and meditation and would listen to soothing music, like ocean sounds or rain, or spa music.  The breathing really really helped.

 

Your cut’s maybe small, but it maybe all that you can tolerate at a time.  We are just all so individual.  I haven’t been on here in a few months (again…ugh) and I notice someone on here who is cutting at low doses, really big amounts (to me at least) and I am sooooo impressed.  I am finally down under 3mg, and the lower I got, the less % I could decrease by for some reason….I don’t know why?????

 

Hope you are feeling better.

 

Marie

 

Hi to everyone else  :smitten:

 

MP…YW.  I do know that HRT can have an impact, especially progesterone on us.  I am on HRT too.  I noticed you said something about your patch.  Did you change it, or just completely remove it?  I know that with the progesterone it is important to keep a steady amount in your system if possible, and if the time comes that you have to discontinue you are supposed to wean off.  Personally I wouldn’t wean off progesterone during this process.  Myself I use biodendicals for my HRT support made in compound pharmacy, so I take the progesterone orally and the estrogen is a cream that I rub on my forearm.

 

When I use to DT, like I said my symptoms would hit about day 3 hard and I would just start to feel somewhat better by the end of the 2weeks when it was time to cut again…I did this for 4 months, before I just completely hit a wall and held for the first time for a month.  Since then, I have done many holds.  During that time, I pretty much lived in a state of benzo flu, and rarely had many “window”.  It was just awful.  So I finally went to daily micro taper with a combo of liquid and pills, and just had to slow things way down.  Symptom based.  So that way the symptoms don’t seem to hit all at once, and then it’s hard to even out….this is much more gradual.  Anyway, your symptoms could just be from your cut, or from your cut and lack of progesterone (if you didn’t replace your patch, or it takes a while for the patch to build up levels???).  Hang in there.

 

Marie

 

Thank you Marie

I am going to PM you about progesterone.

At what point did you go to a DMT?

I cannot see a pathway out at the moment and it is all consuming trying to work out what to do.

Well done in getting below 3mg - you should be proud of yourself

MP

 

Hi Miss piggy,

 

It would be so much more helpful to our members and future members if you kept your conversations about progesterone on the open forum.  Think how fearful and frustrated you've been by not being able to find the information you sought and how much others will benefit from what you learn.

 

Using the open forum for these discussions will help many, this is why we have the rule that the PM system is only for chit chat, so others can benefit.  :thumbsup:

 

Pamster

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Thank you Marie.

I am also worried that the HRT I am taking is having an impact. I am considering trying to taper off that but I cannot see any success stories really so it is making me incredibly nervous.

Also i just feel stuck. My symptoms are not lifting or changing yet.

I appreciate you responding and thank you.

If you know anything about the hormones please let me know MP

Hi all

I made a diazepam cut last Monday 1st August and I was doing great till Tuesday 9th August. It was a very small cut from 16mg to 15.75mg.

All my usual withdrawal symptoms have  :'( rushing back in - no appetite, loss of sleep, no concentration, cant stop talking about myself, feelings of wanting to give up and not wanting to go outside. I cannot believe it as thought I was just doing a really small cut.

I also changed a progesterone patch.

Can you please advise?

a) how long is it normally till you feel a cut?

b) how do you talk yourself down from this high point of anxiety and doom?

Sorry and thank you MP

 

Hi MP

 

It is so different for everyone on the cuts, because of how we metabolize the benzo’s.  Valium has such a long half life, so it could be why your being affected at 9 days out.  For me when I use to do dry cuts at 1mg at time, I would feel them (or the start of them) on day 3.

 

When my anxiety or the bad symptoms would kick in, I did a lot of breathing exercises and meditation and would listen to soothing music, like ocean sounds or rain, or spa music.  The breathing really really helped.

 

Your cut’s maybe small, but it maybe all that you can tolerate at a time.  We are just all so individual.  I haven’t been on here in a few months (again…ugh) and I notice someone on here who is cutting at low doses, really big amounts (to me at least) and I am sooooo impressed.  I am finally down under 3mg, and the lower I got, the less % I could decrease by for some reason….I don’t know why?????

 

Hope you are feeling better.

 

Marie

 

Hi to everyone else  :smitten:

 

MP…YW.  I do know that HRT can have an impact, especially progesterone on us.  I am on HRT too.  I noticed you said something about your patch.  Did you change it, or just completely remove it?  I know that with the progesterone it is important to keep a steady amount in your system if possible, and if the time comes that you have to discontinue you are supposed to wean off.  Personally I wouldn’t wean off progesterone during this process.  Myself I use biodendicals for my HRT support made in compound pharmacy, so I take the progesterone orally and the estrogen is a cream that I rub on my forearm.

 

When I use to DT, like I said my symptoms would hit about day 3 hard and I would just start to feel somewhat better by the end of the 2weeks when it was time to cut again…I did this for 4 months, before I just completely hit a wall and held for the first time for a month.  Since then, I have done many holds.  During that time, I pretty much lived in a state of benzo flu, and rarely had many “window”.  It was just awful.  So I finally went to daily micro taper with a combo of liquid and pills, and just had to slow things way down.  Symptom based.  So that way the symptoms don’t seem to hit all at once, and then it’s hard to even out….this is much more gradual.  Anyway, your symptoms could just be from your cut, or from your cut and lack of progesterone (if you didn’t replace your patch, or it takes a while for the patch to build up levels???).  Hang in there.

 

Marie

 

Thank you Marie

I am going to PM you about progesterone.

At what point did you go to a DMT?

I cannot see a pathway out at the moment and it is all consuming trying to work out what to do.

Well done in getting below 3mg - you should be proud of yourself

MP

 

Hi Miss piggy,

 

It would be so much more helpful to our members and future members if you kept your conversations about progesterone on the open forum.  Think how fearful and frustrated you've been by not being able to find the information you sought and how much others will benefit from what you learn.

 

Using the open forum for these discussions will help many, this is why we have the rule that the PM system is only for chit chat, so others can benefit.  :thumbsup:

 

Pamster

 

Hi Pam

 

Yes…You are always so right.  There are so many seeking help/answers.

 

Marie  :)

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Hi Miss Piggy and all.

I’ve done a bit of reading around Progesterone and Benzos. This is what I think is happening…. (simplified)

 

Progesterone binds to and down regulates our GABA receptors over time

Benzos bind to and down regulates our GABA receptors over time.

Taking both enhances the effect of both, call it synergy or potentiates.

 

Progesterone is present in our bodies naturally so we are taking both anyway even without hormone treatments. It’s just the levels that are different. It’s not a toxic combination.

 

So, tapering Progesterone will bring benzo type withdrawal symptoms in some people………and so will tapering the benzos.

Best not to taper both at the same time obviously!

A choice needs to be made, which one to taper first and this will depend on individual circumstances.

 

Prof Ashton did observe that women on long term benzo use tended to have more hysterectomies than others. The theory is that benzos reduce hormone production in our bodies over time causing all sorts of awful symptoms and prompting the need for hormone therapy etc.

This could be one reason why so many of us women end up on benzos AND hormones.

 

I did end up on both AND had a hysterectomy.

Hardy.

 

 

 

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Thank you both

I am considering reducing the synthetic progesterone patch by 1/4 (I take it 2 weeks a month) but I am very concerned about it. I was put on the patches by the GP during lock down to raise low mood and not as intended hrt. I also have a synthetic prog bc pill as well.

I feel that the fluctuating hormone patches may be stopping me from reducing my diazepam more smoothly.

I am looking to hear from people who have any ideas on this.

At the moment I am stuck in a low place and need to start to make a plan to try to progress again.

Thank you

MP

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Hardy66 - That was good information.  Thank you.  I too had a hysto….interesting.  I am on HRT’s but the biodentical’s (so not synthetic).  I would not personally reduce progesterone at all while trying to taper benzo’s from what a I have already learned too.

 

MP.  Maybe you are having a hard time because of the “patches” and trying to reduce, and not having the steady amount of progesterone in your system (maybe I have this wrong).  Perhaps, hold on the benzo taper, and do your progesterone first, and then continue your benzo….just a thought.  It maybe just too hard to do both. 

 

Hello to everyone else.  I hope everyone is doing well.  :)

 

Marie

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Hardy66 - That was good information.  Thank you.  I too had a hysto….interesting.  I am on HRT’s but the biodentical’s (so not synthetic).  I would not personally reduce progesterone at all while trying to taper benzo’s from what a I have already learned too.

 

MP.  Maybe you are having a hard time because of the “patches” and trying to reduce, and not having the steady amount of progesterone in your system (maybe I have this wrong).  Perhaps, hold on the benzo taper, and do your progesterone first, and then continue your benzo….just a thought.  It maybe just too hard to do both. 

 

Hello to everyone else.  I hope everyone is doing well.  :)

 

Marie

 

Thank you Marie

 

That would mean tapering both the patches as over a month I take

Week 1 and 2 estrogen

Week 3 and 4 estrogen/progesterone patches

 

I also have a progesterone pop bc pill which I take daily so I could leave that in place

 

Any thoughts on that?

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I would really like to hear from some people in this group who did a simple cross over to V from other benzos like X or Tem.  If you follow the Ashton Protocol with strict adherence how likely are you to experience bad withdrawa?  On August 22, I went to straight  15 mg V and Im looking at a long taper with cuts every 2 weeks under the supervision of a Resident Psych.  Id really like to know what to expect from other with simple tapers (not HRT). Should I expect not to travel for the holidays bc of wd sx?

 

Peace,

 

Alycat

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