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Does tapering aid in healing? Or prolong the process?


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I’ve been wondering for a little while now if changing to a long acting benzo to taper significantly prolongs the healing process? I totally get when w/d symptoms have become too much to bare, bc I had thought about reinstating for month’s, but now I’m really glad that I didn’t. How can the brain even begin to heal or regulate GABA the way it’s designed to if an even longer acting benzo is still being used to assist in functionality? I’m halfway through month 5 now & even though I still have quite a few symptoms, I’m pretty amazed at how much better I feel compared to only a couple month’s ago. I really wonder sometimes if going CT was a better choice than crossing over. Love to hear from both sides.
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Whats done is done. My suggestion is to not even consider re-starting. Bad idea. Good luck and hang tough. you will get better although it will be gradual.

 

Actually, given your erratic sig, I think tearing the band aid off was a good idea and it will probably work out well for you.

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Whats done is done. My suggestion is to not even consider re-starting. Bad idea. Good luck and hang tough. you will get better although it will be gradual.

 

Actually, given your erratic sig, I think tearing the band aid off was a good idea and it will probably work out well for you.

 

Never planned on reinstating. I can’t see how crossing over to a longer acting benzo can aid in healing. It may make the w/d easier but to me it seems pretty logical that the real healing process only begins once the brain is forced to function without the aid of any benzo. I said I had thought about it in the earlier month’s of withdrawal, never that I was going to or planning on it. I was more interested in what others thought about the topic question. Just looking for opinions on the subject not asking for advice but thanks anyway.

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I didn't taper, so I wouldn't be able to personally speak to that.  This might be a better question on the taper forum?

 

I do know from reading about others that tapers are designed to minimize the severity of symptoms.  I have read where some pretty much healed by the end of their taper (Chessplayer) and others that did a long taper with something like Valium still had a horrible withdrawal experience (Frieda8?)

 

Withdrawal and recovery are unique to each person.  Just like Benzos affect each of us differently.  It's hard to say if crossing over would have helped or not.  It may have.  It seems to work well for lots of people that do it.  But no one would know for sure unless they try it.

 

I am glad you will not reinstate. 

 

Good luck!

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I didn't taper, so I wouldn't be able to personally speak to that.  This might be a better question on the taper forum?

 

I do know from reading about others that tapers are designed to minimize the severity of symptoms.  I have read where some pretty much healed by the end of their taper (Chessplayer) and others that did a long taper with something like Valium still had a horrible withdrawal experience (Frieda8?)

 

Withdrawal and recovery are unique to each person.  Just like Benzos affect each of us differently.  It's hard to say if crossing over would have helped or not.  It may have.  It seems to work well for lots of people that do it.  But no one would know for sure unless they try it.

 

I am glad you will not reinstate. 

 

Good luck!

 

Thank you so much. I’m really glad I didn’t either. Appreciate the input. And ur right ThEwAy2, I agree this would probably be better for the taper forum. The more information I read about the more it seems unique & individual to each person.

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In my opinion, and again this is my opinion, there are beneficial aspects to both sides of the story. I equate it to something you and I both share, suboxone, as far as opoid use is concerned. Obviously yes completely coming off all opoids is optimal. But for me, theres no fucking way I would have lasted 2 years without the suboxone. I potentially could have overdosed, caused myself or someone else permanent damage, the possibilities are endless when you play the what-if game. Long acting/"maintenence" is beneficial in the fact it allows you to build a system in which you can actually cope. More often than not, we dont use them that way, and it becomes a band aid. What happens if you leave a band aid on a gnarly cut for too long and ignore the problem? It gets gross and infected. The problems compound on each other and you're generally left in a "if not worse than" situation. The fact is every single person is different what works for me may not work for you. I think ESPECIALLY with benzos a taper is more often than not REQUIRED to avoid seriously negative consequences.
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That being said, if you can "handle" cold Turkey then all the more power to you. I believe a person will reach a point in which they're done, be it physically mentally spiritually emotionally something cracks, and you realize holy fuck this solution I found all those years ago isn't working anymore wtf am I going to do now? I needed every overdose, every bad experience I've ever had, to get to this point and I'm just barely there now. Undoubtably my body can handle more, I'm still healthy, I have yet to contract any bloodborne illnesses through shared IV drug use, but mentally I cannot load up another shot. I'd rather die than do fill in the blank again. I've realized cold Turkey GENERALLY points to better success rates, but I think it's what I previously stated. Anything would have worked for this person. They reached the point, and made the jump. Benzos are just a slippery subject as you can actually die from withdrawal.
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Thanks Fancyjosh, I really appreciate the input. You’re perspective sounds incredibly logical & well thought out. I think I’d have to agree with u as well. For me, it had gotten to a point where I could finally tell physically & mentally the benzo’s were doing more damage than helping. I had reached that “enough is enough” point as to where making a drastic change seemed like the only option. It had gotten bad enough to where the suboxone was causing panic attacks at even at an extremely low dose (less that 2 mg) which I had never had until I started taking benzo’s. I guess that’s what it took for me to realize the extent of the damage I had been doing. It’s pretty amazing what our bodies r able to endure. And although CT may not be optimal or even safe for some, it seems to be exactly what I personally needed in order to get to that “enough is enough” frame of mind. And like u said, the slope is much more slippery when it comes to benzo’s. Bc it is so much more dangerous to CT, I can totally see the need & reason for a slow taper, especially for long term users. I don’t think I really took into account how dangerous a CT is. Thanks again for the input, great stuff.
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That is the key to recovery, I think you have to want it. I mean really really want it. Which is hard it's hard to break bad thinking patterns. Almost impossible. I'd almost say when I finally cracked and gave up and admitted defeat I think that could almost be considered a phycotic break, honestly it was bizarre. I'm happy during withdrawal? Content. I'm okay with how absolutely shitty I feel right now, I think that has to do more so with hope. I know it can get better, I just have some work to do. And I'm more than willing to put in a little work. It's not easy but then again I dont think it's meant to be.

I again congratulate you on the progress you've made so far, and the progress I'm sure you'll continue to make. Keep up the damn good work:)

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That is the key to recovery, I think you have to want it. I mean really really want it. Which is hard it's hard to break bad thinking patterns. Almost impossible. I'd almost say when I finally cracked and gave up and admitted defeat I think that could almost be considered a phycotic break, honestly it was bizarre. I'm happy during withdrawal? Content. I'm okay with how absolutely shitty I feel right now, I think that has to do more so with hope. I know it can get better, I just have some work to do. And I'm more than willing to put in a little work. It's not easy but then again I dont think it's meant to be.

I again congratulate you on the progress you've made so far, and the progress I'm sure you'll continue to make. Keep up the damn good work:)

 

Most definitely. I couldn’t agree with u more. And likewise brother. Feel like I’ve been so low the only way to go is up so why not keep pushing?  Really appreciate the response.

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This is a darned good question and one I have struggled to answer over almost 7 years. I know tapering is "safer." Going CT is never a good thing to do. But for some of us it may be the only way we can get off benzos. I have met so many people here who tapered religiously and still had awful withdrawals.

I was forced by my doctors to go CT. And I am very glad that happened. It was my only chance of living a normal life, after 30 long years taking benzos.

 

Thus, I never DISS going CT. It is not a safe thing to do but for a few people, going CT may be their best chance at a normal life.

I have met so many people here who taper and have a very bad time of it. I have met many people who went CT and did just as badly. But in the end, we ALL heal. Isnt healing your brain from benzos worth it... no matter which route you take?

No matter what, this stuff is confusing even for medical people like me. Nothing prepared me for what I went through. Nothing.

But we all get through this, one way or another. We may make  different paths through the forest, but we ll end up in the same place. Healed from benzos.

 

east

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This is a darned good question and one I have struggled to answer over almost 7 years. I know tapering is "safer." Going CT is never a good thing to do. But for some of us it may be the only way we can get off benzos. I have met so many people here who tapered religiously and still had awful withdrawals.

I was forced by my doctors to go CT. And I am very glad that happened. It was my only chance of living a normal life, after 30 long years taking benzos.

 

Thus, I never DISS going CT. It is not a safe thing to do but for a few people, going CT may be their best chance at a normal life.

I have met so many people here who taper and have a very bad time of it. I have met many people who went CT and did just as badly. But in the end, we ALL heal. Isnt healing your brain from benzos worth it... no matter which route you take?

No matter what, this stuff is confusing even for medical people like me. Nothing prepared me for what I went through. Nothing.

But we all get through this, one way or another. We may make  different paths through the forest, but we ll end up in the same place. Healed from benzos.

 

east

 

I completely agree with u on that. Whatever method is used to get to the point of where benzo’s are no longer needed has my backing and support, I truly look at this pharmaceutical as a neurotoxin. Thanks a bunch for the input, really appreciate ur response. I just think it’s crazy that this is happening to so many people & yet continues to be one of the most widely prescribed medications in the world. Just shows us the type of power these pharmaceutical companies have.

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While I take the possibility of getting seizures from going CT seriously, I honestly do not believe they happen very much at all?  Yes, some on this forum have had seizures...no doubt, but it baffles me that medical doctors buy into and catastrophize about seizures, which rarely happen, yet dismiss Benzo WD and say it doesn't exist or only lasts 2 - 4 weeks maximum.  They strain out a gnat and swallow a camel! :tickedoff:

 

Although CTs are not recommended because there is an outside chance of a seizure and possible death, I am glad I did a CT.  Looking back, it was the best choice for me, even though I paid the price for about 10 months.  As East said, sometimes it is the only way people will get off of Benzos or other psychoactive drugs?

 

Follow the money trail and one can see why Benzos are still the most widely prescribed drug out there.  It's the "Golden Rule"  He who has the "gold" makes the "rules!"

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While I take the possibility of getting seizures from going CT seriously, I honestly do not believe they happen very much at all?  Yes, some on this forum have had seizures...no doubt, but it baffles me that medical doctors buy into and catastrophize about seizures, which rarely happen, yet dismiss Benzo WD and say it doesn't exist or only lasts 2 - 4 weeks maximum.  They strain out a gnat and swallow a camel! :tickedoff:

 

Although CTs are not recommended because there is an outside chance of a seizure and possible death, I am glad I did a CT.  Looking back, it was the best choice for me, even though I paid the price for about 10 months.  As East said, sometimes it is the only way people will get off of Benzos or other psychoactive drugs?

 

Follow the money trail and one can see why Benzos are still the most widely prescribed drug out there.  It's the "Golden Rule"  He who has the "gold" makes the "rules!"

 

Great stuff. I really am glad that I did a CT as well bc while switching to a long acting benzo maybe optimal for some, it just wasn’t for me. Once I realized that this “medication” was the cause of the way I had been feeling for so long, you couldn’t pay me to ingest another pill. My whole perception completely flip flopped & I’m glad it did. With the pharmaceutical companies & doctor’s, I feel like it comes down to percentages. Bc a larger percentage of patients aren’t having really any serious or crazy issues coming off of this drug, they have nothing to worry about. Not that they’re worried at all to begin with. It just comes down to that almighty dollar. They literally print money. When u provide that much cash flow, u know exactly who’s pockets to grease. I guess ethics or morals no longer matter when ur funds become limitless. Thanks again for the input.

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I, too am glad I was forced to go CT. Back then I was a human mess. I had no control over my benzos and they controlled me. I weighed 85 lbs, used a damn walker and lived in constant tolerance withdrawal (which back then I did not know existed). Going CT WAS my only chance.

 

I have been on BB for almost 7 years now. In all the time, reading thousands of posts I have only read a couple from people who claimed to have had a seizure while withdrawing. And several of those did not seem to even know what a seizure is. What they described sounded more like severe akasthesia to me.

 

 

I am delighted to find several other people who feel as I do. All these years, I have felt sort of like BB's Black Sheep. Some dumb lady who went CT and had an awful WD. Well, hell yes I did, but doing so saved my freaking life!

 

Having said that, I will also say that on the general forum, I never encourage anyone to go CT. But I also have to be honest here: I have met so many people who have tapered and suffered JUST as badly as I did! What was gained by tapering there? Yes, seizures were less likely. But seizures are possible EVEN IF you do taper. Benzos are THAT powerful drugs.

Thanks, guys. I kind of needed a little boost today. Nice to agree with others.

east

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  • 2 weeks later...

Tapering only works if you can upregulate at the speed of the taper. If you are sick on the drug, it's time to get off, IMO. Adding more drug to sick body will do no good. There are too many stories of crossovers that failed, toxic reactions to valium, etc. All this tapering, crossover business is not for everyone. I think that any short user user who is ill on the drug (like me) should aim to get off as quickly as possible.

 

There is a man here at the hospital with me. He was reinstated on Valium after ceasing 2 months of Ativan and getting psychosis/akathisia. He can't taper, he is suffering daily immensely, and the 5 mg valium is making him so ill, he can't metabolize it, his eyes are yellow from it, can't eat or drink or dress himself. He cognitively has dementia and frontal lobe damage they believe. They don't attribute it to the valium, although it clearly is.

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I am at 0.8 of Valium and just sick to death of tapering after 21 months of it . The last year, I have been losing ground, even though I was tapering at 5% most of the time. I feel the need to jump a lot . Would my dose be considered cold turkey?
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Funny, I just posted about this. I'm on such a low dose (.0125) K and I feel worse after taking it. I'm developing benzo flu now. I started a more rapid taper.

 

Here is my post: http://www.benzobuddies.org/forum/index.php?topic=218819.0

 

Feb 21st- first post in the thread: Hi buddies,

 

I've been weaning off a very small dose of Klonopin for about a year. I'm currently at .0145 mg and not stable. I started to get paradoxial reactions right after going on K, but had to go on to help with mirtazapine withdrawal. The paradoxial reactions are getting much worse. Now when I take my .0145 at night, within hours I get chemical fear, a revving of tinnitus, burning, HR going up, electric shocks, racing thoughts, insomnia, fasciations,  hot and cold, head pressure, neck stiffness, and major inner tension. My usual symptoms when tapering and stable were annoying but I was functional--unlike now. I've been working full-time throughout the taper but I had to call out today since I feel like I'm in acute (I've had alcohol withdrawals before and this reminds me of it).

 

I could hold and try and stabilize, but I fee like this is just making me worse. I wonder if taking such a small dose is rekindling me each time I take it too. I know the advice is to go slow and steady, but I'm stuck. I don't want to do detox, but an option I have is to speed up and do an accelerated withdrawal of .001 a day to be off in about 30 days. I could then go into a detox for two weeks for them to monitor me incase I have cardiac symptoms (which I do), and.or seizures since I'm so sensitive.

 

Or I could hold and hold and hold and wait but I feel different this time. I've done long holds before and I worry that will make it worse.  My least preferred method is to go into a detox too but I worry about the rapid pace and that phenobarbital will just kindle me more. I spoke to one detox and they told me the pheno was optional. They would keep me in there for 10-14 days, then put me in impatient for 21 days to continue monitoring.

 

Any advice? Has anyone made things worse by tapering slow and low with paradoxical reactions?

 

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

 

 

And latest post from today. You can see how much better I'm doing not holding and just cutting daily:

 

I'm doing better--much more functional but far from well. I've been cutting .0005 mg a day and I'm feeling a little better than when I hold. I swear my brain and body hates me not going down on this stuff. At .0125 I feel hope. I figure going down .0005 a day is better than a detox, but I also wonder how nasty a detox would be from .0125. Either way, the detox is my last resort. Since I've been cutting, my benzo flu physical sensation caustic poison sick nerve feelings and chemical fear have subsided mostly but now I get a higher HR of 90 at rest (I'm a fit guy with a usual resting HR of 60-70ish--and I'm on beta blockers!) and feel more irritable and amped up- like I drank too much coffee. When I take my evening dose I get the nerve sick benzo flu tightness caustic nerve weakness and tinnitus raging. My scalp becomes raw. My ears and face burn and prickle. My eyes even become hot and tight- like an allergic reaction.

 

Yep, paradoxial to me is things getting worse right after taking the dose. How much kindling, interdose withdrawal, relative/tolerance wd, and palin old withdrawal accounts into this, it's too complex to really understand. Even if we were neuroscientists alot of this brain science is so new and conjecture. All I know is I feel alot worse after taking my dose. that's not to say that tapering is also keeping me from a full-blown acute withdrawal that may or may not be just as bad or worse.

 

After my first (successful) Klonopin taper and years of binge drinking, when I gave it up for a few years and decided to try drinking responsibly, I would feel worse after just one glass of wine or beer too. I would sip on my beer but anxiety, burning skin, and agitation would peak through even while I was drinking it. It feels like the same thing now. It's like my GABA receptors are rejecting anything that affects them. I can imagine them screaming: "Brother, leave us be!"

 

 

 

 

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Tapering only works if you can upregulate at the speed of the taper. If you are sick on the drug, it's time to get off, IMO. Adding more drug to sick body will do no good. There are too many stories of crossovers that failed, toxic reactions to valium, etc. All this tapering, crossover business is not for everyone. I think that any short user user who is ill on the drug (like me) should aim to get off as quickly as possible.

 

There is a man here at the hospital with me. He was reinstated on Valium after ceasing 2 months of Ativan and getting psychosis/akathisia. He can't taper, he is suffering daily immensely, and the 5 mg valium is making him so ill, he can't metabolize it, his eyes are yellow from it, can't eat or drink or dress himself. He cognitively has dementia and frontal lobe damage they believe. They don't attribute it to the valium, although it clearly is.

 

 

I don't think it is. Yellowing of eyes is a clear symptom of LIVER damage. Benzos do not cause that. Alcohol surely does. I don't know how this man is but would guess he is a bit older. Benzos do NOT cause liver damage. The do cause a temporary brain damage. NOT liver damage. If this man is quite old he may have true dementia..... caused either by age OR alcohol. Valium or any other benzos do not cause liver failure. Period.

I personally think that long holds only prolong the process. I know Benzo WD is awful! God almighty, of all people, I know this to be true. But there comes a time when you just have to get OFF these awful drugs, no matter what. I DO think some tapers prolong the agony. I know that is not a [popular opinion on BB but I have always tried to be honest here no matter what.

I also include other psych meds with benzos. ADs are worthless drugs, IMO. Designed only to make money for someone.

east

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Tapering only works if you can upregulate at the speed of the taper. If you are sick on the drug, it's time to get off, IMO. Adding more drug to sick body will do no good. There are too many stories of crossovers that failed, toxic reactions to valium, etc. All this tapering, crossover business is not for everyone. I think that any short user user who is ill on the drug (like me) should aim to get off as quickly as possible.

 

There is a man here at the hospital with me. He was reinstated on Valium after ceasing 2 months of Ativan and getting psychosis/akathisia. He can't taper, he is suffering daily immensely, and the 5 mg valium is making him so ill, he can't metabolize it, his eyes are yellow from it, can't eat or drink or dress himself. He cognitively has dementia and frontal lobe damage they believe. They don't attribute it to the valium, although it clearly is.

 

 

I don't think it is. Yellowing of eyes is a clear symptom of LIVER damage. Benzos do not cause that. Alcohol surely does. I don't know how this man is but would guess he is a bit older. Benzos do NOT cause liver damage. The do cause a temporary brain damage. NOT liver damage. If this man is quite old he may have true dementia..... caused either by age OR alcohol. Valium or any other benzos do not cause liver failure. Period.

I personally think that long holds only prolong the process. I know Benzo WD is awful! God almighty, of all people, I know this to be true. But there comes a time when you just have to get OFF these awful drugs, no matter what. I DO think some tapers prolong the agony. I know that is not a [popular opinion on BB but I have always tried to be honest here no matter what.

I also include other psych meds with benzos. ADs are worthless drugs, IMO. Designed only to make money for someone.

east

I agree with you east coast.

It seems its the valium. He is only 41. Healthy young father of 2 before this, worked as an IT specialist.  Took it for a month and taped a month. Then went on 5 mg valium when he got akathesia. His children and wife will be homeless soon, he says. It's only been an year since it started. They just dropped his dose to save his liver and he ended up in the ICU restrained by security because he was banging his head, incoherent, flushed with sores on his face and body and bleeding.  I found him and got the nurse and he got taken away. He cant speak anymore it seems. He used to pace outside my door asking what should he do. And that's the second benzo peron i see here with a self inflected hole in their head this week. Although the other lady was screaming her head off night about ativan and very verbal. Mostly they get reinstated and given antipsychotics and kept in the locked down ward where they bang on the doors all night yelling that they cant breathe and begging. I was there the first night here. This is serious stuff and that's why they wont let me go home. They know how bad it can get and risk of suicide is extremely high. We only get some stories here on BB. There any many very sick people suffering here so intensely that they get hidden away. Trying to survive every second of the day with unbearable physical pain while in a locked room and no one to care for their bodies. Only given more drugs to stop being disruptive. They cant post here. Code blues and code whites every night wake me up from these people. It's hard.

 

I didn't undertake how dangerous tapering was. I was a stupid girl, too drugged and scared to understand. Should have listened to the dr Was told by the resident doctor some do not recover and that's just a fact. Likely genetic component. Long holds make no sense to me. Here, in the hospital, i see that every mg of pill matters. Its culminative damage. Liver enzymes are done here regularly. It's not all BB theory. It's a chemical in your brain and body systems that will hurt you, and every bit added counts.  I'm trying to be a cautionary tale here and let people know what goes on in the hospital. It's real life stuff. And I now understand that I'm likely not going to released anytime soon as im showing signs of a hard withdrawal and SI.

 

Thats the long answer. Unless you've been on for years.

 

 

 

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Anxiousmama his are you doing? It’s been several days since you jumped right?

 

I’m at a crossroads. Currently down to .0105 K. Going back and forth if I should keep up my rapid taper or just jump. These stories scare me. I hate to continue to poison myself. I fear a jump too since I’m starting to feel the cuts from the rapid taper. Ether way I’m functional and able to work and take care of myself and a baby and I slept 7.5 hours last night. Maybe I’m giving into fear and should really continue to taper.

 

I’m really glad to see other perspectives on this site.

 

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Anxiousmama his are you doing? It’s been several days since you jumped right?

 

I’m at a crossroads. Currently down to .0105 K. Going back and forth if I should keep up my rapid taper or just jump. These stories scare me. I hate to continue to poison myself. I fear a jump too since I’m starting to feel the cuts from the rapid taper. Ether way I’m functional and able to work and take care of myself and a baby and I slept 7.5 hours last night. Maybe I’m giving into fear and should really continue to taper.

 

I’m really glad to see other perspectives on this site.

 

I'm getting sicker by the day it seems. If you are functional and able to take care of a baby then you will be fine. If it's making you sicker then I don't think its helping you any more. It's such a small dose. I'm barely able to be around people, shaking, limbs going numb, night terrors and sweats. Trying to act normal so I don't end up in isolation.

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Just to chime in here. In some cases, if the dose is low and the half life is short, it seems to me  that we could be doing the equivalent of (effectively) a mini CT every time we dose because it drops to a negligible concentration before the next dose.  Is this more helpful than just jumping after a taper to some low but still effective dose? I don't know, but I kinda doubt it.  If you Google "half-life calculator" and put the dose in mg and its half life, you will see what I mean.

 

Tapering only works if you can upregulate at the speed of the taper. If you are sick on the drug, it's time to get off, IMO. Adding more drug to sick body will do no good. There are too many stories of crossovers that failed, toxic reactions to valium, etc. All this tapering, crossover business is not for everyone. I think that any short user user who is ill on the drug (like me) should aim to get off as quickly as possible.

 

There is a man here at the hospital with me. He was reinstated on Valium after ceasing 2 months of Ativan and getting psychosis/akathisia. He can't taper, he is suffering daily immensely, and the 5 mg valium is making him so ill, he can't metabolize it, his eyes are yellow from it, can't eat or drink or dress himself. He cognitively has dementia and frontal lobe damage they believe. They don't attribute it to the valium, although it clearly is.

 

 

I don't think it is. Yellowing of eyes is a clear symptom of LIVER damage. Benzos do not cause that. Alcohol surely does. I don't know how this man is but would guess he is a bit older. Benzos do NOT cause liver damage. The do cause a temporary brain damage. NOT liver damage. If this man is quite old he may have true dementia..... caused either by age OR alcohol. Valium or any other benzos do not cause liver failure. Period.

I personally think that long holds only prolong the process. I know Benzo WD is awful! God almighty, of all people, I know this to be true. But there comes a time when you just have to get OFF these awful drugs, no matter what. I DO think some tapers prolong the agony. I know that is not a [popular opinion on BB but I have always tried to be honest here no matter what.

I also include other psych meds with benzos. ADs are worthless drugs, IMO. Designed only to make money for someone.

east

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Anxiousmama his are you doing? It’s been several days since you jumped right?

 

I’m at a crossroads. Currently down to .0105 K. Going back and forth if I should keep up my rapid taper or just jump. These stories scare me. I hate to continue to poison myself. I fear a jump too since I’m starting to feel the cuts from the rapid taper. Ether way I’m functional and able to work and take care of myself and a baby and I slept 7.5 hours last night. Maybe I’m giving into fear and should really continue to taper.

 

I’m really glad to see other perspectives on this site.

 

 

I'm getting sicker by the day it seems. If you are functional and able to take care of a baby then you will be fine. If it's making you sicker then I don't think its helping you any more. It's such a small dose. I'm barely able to be around people, shaking, limbs going numb, night terrors and sweats. Trying to act normal so I don't end up in isolation.

 

 

 

I'm so sorry you are suffering. The good news is that you're off. Don't fall into the benzo-brain trick believing you will be one of those people in there permanently damaged. the fact that you are active on here and communicating coherently speaks volumes to your recover potential. If you go through some mental sxs with acute, keep fake smiling and say the right things like you say you are doing. This also shows you don't have psychosis since you're frame of reality is intact. I'm still praying for you. You're going to be OK!

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Just to chime in here. In some cases, if the dose is low and the half life is short, it seems to me  that we could be doing the equivalent of (effectively) a mini CT every time we dose because it drops to a negligible concentration before the next dose.  Is this more helpful than just jumping after a taper to some low but still effective dose? I don't know, but I kinda doubt it.  If you Google "half-life calculator" and put the dose in mg and its half life, you will see what I mean.

 

Tapering only works if you can upregulate at the speed of the taper. If you are sick on the drug, it's time to get off, IMO. Adding more drug to sick body will do no good. There are too many stories of crossovers that failed, toxic reactions to valium, etc. All this tapering, crossover business is not for everyone. I think that any short user user who is ill on the drug (like me) should aim to get off as quickly as possible.

 

There is a man here at the hospital with me. He was reinstated on Valium after ceasing 2 months of Ativan and getting psychosis/akathisia. He can't taper, he is suffering daily immensely, and the 5 mg valium is making him so ill, he can't metabolize it, his eyes are yellow from it, can't eat or drink or dress himself. He cognitively has dementia and frontal lobe damage they believe. They don't attribute it to the valium, although it clearly is.

 

 

I don't think it is. Yellowing of eyes is a clear symptom of LIVER damage. Benzos do not cause that. Alcohol surely does. I don't know how this man is but would guess he is a bit older. Benzos do NOT cause liver damage. The do cause a temporary brain damage. NOT liver damage. If this man is quite old he may have true dementia..... caused either by age OR alcohol. Valium or any other benzos do not cause liver failure. Period.

I personally think that long holds only prolong the process. I know Benzo WD is awful! God almighty, of all people, I know this to be true. But there comes a time when you just have to get OFF these awful drugs, no matter what. I DO think some tapers prolong the agony. I know that is not a [popular opinion on BB but I have always tried to be honest here no matter what.

I also include other psych meds with benzos. ADs are worthless drugs, IMO. Designed only to make money for someone.

east

 

I've wondered this very same thing myself. The Xanax and ativans are relatively short so this could be a possibility. I think if one has interdose withdrawal

with any of the benzos then this could be relevant.  I hope those of us tapering aren't CT and kindling each time we dose...

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