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Taper Longer Than Initial Dosing


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I only took Ativan for around 2 months, but if I take it slow after the next cut and taper at a rate of 25% every two weeks, that'll have me on the drug for an additional two months combined with the two weeks of my existing taper. Is this normal for anyone else? Did it do that much f-ing damage that I have to take it slow. Compared to other people on this site my withdrawal seems pretty tame, but it still feels awful. What do you guys think, am I taking it too slow, going too fast, or something bizarre in between?
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MozeKing, that was my big question, too.  As long as we taper, we are still on the drug.  This makes our use of it longer and therefore it feels like it might be harder to get off of, right?  Yet, this is what many do because it is often better to take it too slow than go too fast.  I really hurt my brain the first time I got off and so I had to be reinstated and now it will take even longer.  For some people my taper may have seemed slow, but I am being told that it was actually "fast."  My advice would be to take it slow and steady as you can tolerate it.  Everybody's rates are different since each drug and each person's make-up's are different.  Safer not to set a specific percentage.  Go by what your body feels is right for you.  If you can go faster and still feel fine, then go for it.  But many people would prefer to take it slow to avoid the ominous "protracted withdrawal syndrome."  Better safe than sorry.  I say this from personal experience!
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You’re absolutely right, thanks for the support and input. There’s still a big part of me that wants to be free of all this for good and have it over soon. Then there’s the more rational part, that wants to play it as safely as I can. Then there’s a third part, who gets anxious about the looming specters of resumes dependency. I dunno how I’m gonna get those parts to co exist as a meaningful whole, but at the very least I’m going to let go of the rigidity of my schedule. It’ll do nothing but make me more anxious. I’ll wait at least a week between cuts, but won’t beat myself up if I decide to hold for a little bit longer.
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Oh don’t worry, I plan to stay active on here for at least a little bit. Maybe I’ll start a new blog with this new outlook. I’ll probably also end up having even more questions and stuff. This seems like a nice place and I definitely need all the niceness and help I can get during this difficult time.
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HI,  MOZEKING, LYNN M,

 

Hi I was just browsing and came across your thread.

I was taking Valium for about 3 months at .5 mg and then for about 5 months at between 7.5 to 10 mg

I am in the process of tapering off, but going slower than a snail.

I have next to no wdsx at all. I am able to live my life, work, and feel “normal”

I have no complaints about how long it is taking, because I know I will be off this drug when the time is right.

I do not intend to jump off. I intend to wLk off gently when my dose is so low that I can hardly calculate how little there is in my solution!

Yes, I am cutting minute amounts ( about .002 to .005 every day in a DLMT ) and it will take me probably another year to get off the Valium....but so what! (Average about-5% cut each month)

I am living a normal life with no wdsx! So who cares!

Also, ,yes it is taking me much longer to get off the drug than the time i was on it in the first place. So what!

There is absolutely no chance of me becoming dependent on it again. There is

No such thing as withdrawal tolerance in case you are worried about that.

 

So I am just chiming in to say, IMO going slow like a snail is the best way to get off these benzos with the least discomfort possible. Maybe next to none!

 

Good luck whatever you decide.

 

Heathcliff  :thumbsup:

You can find me on the long hold support group if you ever want to look for me.

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Thanks Heathcliff for the kind words! I think Ativan is hitting me a bit too hard to just walk off. I have realized how important it isn’t during this process though, to listen to your body! That’s definitely a takeaway I’ll have for the rest of my life.
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I didn't understand the "safety lines" either monligmon.  Did you mean that 6 weeks is too long to hold because that's just what I might be doing? 

 

I learnt my lesson by c/ting, reinstating, then cutting 12.5% 8 days ago.  I'm taking it really slowly from hereonin, it's too much. 

 

I was worried about withdrawal tolerance too. 

 

Dee

 

 

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I’ve made the decision. After three mostly stable days (instability was caused by heavy carb intake I think), I’m making the cut tomorrow. Then holding for AT LEAST one week. Since it’s a cut I think I’ll add a day to my requirements before making the next cut. This round lasted about 9 days.
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I didn't put much thought in what i was typing and was spontaneous, i meant quite the opposite of danger.

I mean 2 months ain't that much but can be for some people

If a person is caught in a stress condition or something it can help people to find them self, even when used for 6 weeks. Maybe they would cut down the last 2 weeks or something. But i have no clue what situation you are in and don't encourage anyone to set goals they aren't ready for, or could make withdrawal harder.

Even though i feel a person in your situation maybe do a liquid taper over a few weeks, and you are gonna be just fine. But i'm a rusher from my experience and i believe you should listen to others perhaps more than me on this forum and find that i could be wrong. I'm not the only person here

 

Take care

 

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My initial klonopin usage was less than 4 months, then tapered 5 months in order to do it slow. My jump went smoothly but I think my tapering period was maybe 1 month too long. Many of my symptoms have vanished but I still have few a them and do not consider me as healed but think that I still have long way to go. I'm 5 monts off today.
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Congrats on 5 months. I feel like, the state we’re all in, every day moving forward should be classified as an achievement! Even if it’s not a good day, we still march forward.
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