Variations between liquid and tablet valium strength for titration?

Has anyone noticed a difference the of Valium when swopping over from tablets to liquid. Trying it first as a dose before going onto daily  liquid titration . I don't want  to start it and find I give up because it does not work in the same way. I am finding the liquid I have appears not to be as effective, but then its' very viscous, and the supplied syringe made for the bottle is hard to be exact with too.

There may be other factors involved too as my liquid appears to have an artificial sweetener in, but guess that is hardly here nor there.

Than you builder. I have been trying the liquid straight from the syringe for a couple of nights to see if there was a difference to my tablet. It may well be just my imagination, but I do feel somehow more anxious, and nauseous, Must be just me and being extremely anxious

I was looking through your signature at the speed you were dropping down. It was a slow careful pace which obviously worked well for you. Did you begin from a stable place, or did things settle as you did your DLMT?

Reaching out for how to continue going down, as I will never be stable, never have been from day one, somehow I got left on them whilst waiting to be seen by the psychiatrist for anxiety. so wondered where you were at when you began tapering.

I cannot seem to find anyone to answer me on that one. Everyone says stabilise, and I can't. I have held more than once and time is passing, I just get worse, and the Doc nor I want to go higher, Not recommended past 65. You seem to be expert on tapering well. 

1) Yeah, probably just your imagination.  Or more correctly, power of suggestion. I realize that there are reports of problems switching to liquid here on BB, but on the old BDR board, where all members were doing a liquid taper, no one ever mentioned any problem switching to liquid.  As I said,. 1mg=1mg.  There is zero medical or pharmaceutical evidence to support anything different.

2)  Yes, I started from a stable position, although I came to realize that the diazepam had slowly caused depression.  I was fully tolerant (simply meaning it provided zero therapeutic effect)  but I had  genuine dependency.  I did a C&H taper from 15mg down to 9mg, when the sxs became unmanageable.  So I stayed at 9mg/day for about 2 years, until I learned about liquid tapers.

Yes, my taper was slow by most standards, but completely tolerable.  What's the big deal about a slow taper, if your alternative is taking benzos for the rest of your life.  My objective was to taper with  the least amount of discomfort.  Speed wasn't an issue.

If you really think you are "unstable" because of your past taper efforts, then updose and see if that resolves it.  (If it doesn't, maybe benzos/tapering isn't what's causing your sxs.)

Thank you for telling me how you managed to taper successfully Builder, it so kind of you to do that.

As for me I am quite sure that I have never been on a stable dose for me from the start, because there isn't one. It was never the right medication for me no matter what I did. I cannot afford to stay on it for years, as each passing week leaves me in a worse state, I have tried to go down with cut and hold, I have tried up dosing at least to the amount my Doctor would allow, I have tried holding, but nothing has helped. I have been on a down turn all the way,

Though you had reached a time when you were dependant, but not in tolerance state needing more, there would be no reason for you to be concerned how long it  took to get off the drug as long as you did and with as few symptoms of withdrawal as possible.

I think for me you may be right, This may well not all be symptoms of withdrawal but simply it's a medication that my body did not accept and is acting in a way a toxic substance would, because my symptoms have been severe almost since the get go. I can hardly believe it's just over 7 months to take me from an outgoing person with few health problems, except the early morning adrenalin waking, on no other medication, to the wreck of multi drugging a week , here , a week there and the worst and most deadly for me Valium.

My only option therefore is to get off it as safely as I can, but no long holds anymore, just an acceptance that I will have severe symptoms, but then I always have. I may as well have been given arsenic, for all the good it has done me, I really don't have a choice to taper relatively symptom free. I have to clear this drug out of my system whilst keeping safe.

I have learnt so much on BB. and it has shown me that the way I have reacted is different to others, who at some point have had some benefit, where I have not , just blindly followed what the medical profession told me to do. When you become ill so quickly it leaves you vunerable and too trusting, but never again.

I will research and use my own judgement.

I can tell you that even now my Doctors nurses etc would not believe that for me Valium is toxic, but I now realise it is as no one becomes so ill so quickly, withdrawal states don't happen that fast , especially if you have not abruptly  stopped taking the drug,.

Thank you for your help Builder, A  person's signature give a great insight into you own and your own person journey .

On my way down 

Thank you for telling me how you managed to taper successfully Builder, it so kind of you to do that.

As for me I am quite sure that I have never been on a stable dose for me from the start, because there isn't one. It was never the right medication for me no matter what I did. I cannot afford to stay on it for years, as each passing week leaves me in a worse state, I have tried to go down with cut and hold, I have tried up dosing at least to the amount my Doctor would allow, I have tried holding, but nothing has helped. I have been on a down turn all the way,

 

 

I think for me you may be right, This may well not all be symptoms of withdrawal but simply it's a medication that my body did not accept and is acting in a way a toxic substance would, because my symptoms have been severe almost since the get go. 

My only option therefore is to get off it as safely as I can, but no long holds anymore, just an acceptance that I will have severe symptoms, but then I always have. I may as well have been given arsenic, for all the good it has done me, I really don't have a choice to taper relatively symptom free. I have to clear this drug out of my system whilst keeping safe.

 

 

 

Please consider what you have shared.  You are likely either suffering from your original condition, and/or some paradoxical effects of the benzo.  Nothing you have posted says you are suffering from withdrawal sxs.

So maybe a taper won't improve how you feel, but an overly agressive taper could certainly add withdrawal sxs to you current condition.  So I would still opt for a reasonable, moderate taper.  JMHO

Thank you Builder.

Yes I have given a great deal of thought to  this, which is why I would not do a cold turkey,

I am taking into account the relatively short time I have been on Valium and in that time, this is my second attempt at reducing. So many weeks wasted as I was going down only .5mg a month, and not well. then the hospital debacle and back to 4mgs again.

Because according to Ashton, I still fall within the short term category of under 12 months on a low dose, she says some may choose to taper a little faster.

For you it would make perfect sense to take your time as a few months would make little difference in your time scale if you were feeling ok, and am sure this applies to many who have few symptoms, then why inflict severe withdrawal symptoms on themselves, without good reason. Personally I have never fitted into that category, and through much research and being on here, it points to  Valium making me ill, and has to go

I have decided to use Ashton as a guide but working on .5mg reductions every 1-2 weeks  though still very  fast by BB standards, for me it needs doing to be rid of something acting in a toxic manor on me . I am incorporating a gradual reduction every third  day by a small amount using the liquid  Valium, and I may on the last 2 mg, used the DMLT to go daily and more gently  to finish off. though not necessarily slower, It has yet to be decided but I have the equipment ready

I may well  be in for a bumpy ride, but who knows I may get lucky and actually improve in some areas. whilst in others I may develop extra symptoms I did not have, but surely the Ashton guide would not still be the world wide go to reference for benzo withdrawal if it wasn't safe to follow, for those who do not have the privilege of time. Of course I would love to take the softer landing, but I know it is not an option for open to me to drag my feet. It would be far better if it was.

I am trying to utilise all I have learnt here and pray I can gain my health back which has been going down hill the whole 7-8 months. The only good thing I can say is I did have a thorough medical and EKG in the hospital so some health  risks are  ruled out. So many symptoms I have I did not have when I first went to the Doctors and they may well improve, fingers crossed, i.e. the agoraphobia, (severe) nausea, lack if appetite  dry heaving, flushed face, hair loss, panic attacks, fear of everything. weariness , depression. oh and the other end of digestion,, constipation, severe tinnitus, have to have white noise now, spaced out feelings  never had any trouble before Valium, These may improve. I used to think they were connected with withdrawal, but that is stupid, Unless you are reacting so badly to the drug it does not happen soon after you start taking it , which I think is what has been happening to me , and hope I have not left it too late.. 

And of course you are right, there is still the underlying cause, that I went to the Doctors with in the first place, which needs to be dealt with. though hopefully not by further chemicals, but more natural methods, Nothing is a definite, but at this point I have little choice but to keep progressing downwards in a gentle man