Stable?

Hi:

This may be a relatively naive question.

What is considered stable as one tapers.

My intuition says--one is stable after (or before) a cut when after holding for a period of time--symptoms--begin to decrease and level off to a self defined level of sx tolerability. Assuming some reach this level faster and others a bit slower.

My taper was fairly rapid in particular last month.

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One more related question.

Ashton tapering schedule for V once down and below 10 mg advocates a reduction at a rate of 1 mg every one to two weeks.

With termination of use at 1 mg.

Just wonder why many still make cuts at 1 mg down to fractions. Is this associated with ones length of benzo use or just a way of continued stabilizing.

Thank you

I think you described ‘stable’ accurately. As to cutting below 1mg of Valium, IMO some are understandably fearful of jumping or are still experiencing marked symptoms with cuts.

One week holds of a long-acting benzodiazepine are dicey....I’d stick with at least ten days, two weeks even better.

I think you described ‘stable’ accurately. As to cutting below 1mg of Valium, IMO some are understandably fearful of jumping or are still experiencing marked symptoms with cuts.

 

One week holds of a long-acting benzodiazepine are dicey....I’d stick with at least ten days, two weeks even better.

Indeed--two weeks likely the best approach. Appreciate your confirmation, suggestion and expedited response!

Thanks Challis99

I think you described ‘stable’ accurately. As to cutting below 1mg of Valium, IMO some are understandably fearful of jumping or are still experiencing marked symptoms with cuts.

 

One week holds of a long-acting benzodiazepine are dicey....I’d stick with at least ten days, two weeks even better.

Challis, I'm jumping in on this thread to ask, why are 1 week holds on a long acting benzo dicey?  I'm on Clonazepam and was curious about your statement because I still havent gotten a good rythm to my taper. Looking for all the info I can get.

Thanks Blue for letting me jump in here. 

I have been considering stable to mean I'm stopped feeling worse. Always have more symptoms on the first day or two after a cut and then I climb out slowly and reach a plateau.

If I had waited to feel better, i.e. no side effects, I'd still be on 10 mg.  so sometimes stable is feeling no better but no worse either.

Today is a good example. I feel pretty ok today. I cut yesterday from 1.5 to 1 mg. Yesterday was hellish and I questioned whether I cut too much too fast but since I don't updose, I continued on. There have been no real windows for the last 2 cuts but here I am at 1mg feeling pretty good.

This has worked for me and I intend to cut to .5mg this Sunday and I hope to stroll off valium before the end of the year.

I've always taken the advice from the Ashton manual. If you can bear it, continue on. Real healing starts after you're off the benzos.

I have been considering stable to mean I'm stopped feeling worse. Always have more symptoms on the first day or two after a cut and then I climb out slowly and reach a plateau.

If I had waited to feel better, i.e. no side effects, I'd still be on 10 mg.  so sometimes stable is feeling no better but no worse either.

Today is a good example. I feel pretty ok today. I cut yesterday from 1.5 to 1 mg. Yesterday was hellish and I questioned whether I cut too much too fast but since I don't updose, I continued on. There have been no real windows for the last 2 cuts but here I am at 1mg feeling pretty good.

This has worked for me and I intend to cut to .5mg this Sunday and I hope to stroll off valium before the end of the year.

I've always taken the advice from the Ashton manual. If you can bear it, continue on. Real healing starts after you're off the benzos.

 

This is what I'm trying to figure out.  Had a week two weeks ago where I was okayish and then has a day long window.  Made a cut, and its was hard, made another cut, really hard and the two okay days, but now back to bad. 

I cant seem to find a real pattern and is that typical in benzo withdrawal?  Meaning cuts don't follow a pattern of bad days, stabilizing, bad days stabilizing?  If that's the case, I would feel less crazy and less like I'm doing something wrong for not feeling stable. 

I don't have a pattern of symptoms (just a lot of them) and since I don't want to be on benzos a minute longer than necessary, I don't really care. I didn't have "good" days at all for the longest time and I don't wait for a good day yet alone a good week - would still be waiting if I did.

Regarding a pattern, who cares as long as you're moving forward. I used to worry about a lot of stuff to do with the taper but it is not going to be my life. The taper is a limited time thing.

I just checked the Ashton manual and I'm cutting .5mg every week which works out to the 1 mg every 2 weeks so I guess I'm at the slow end of the scale.

Right now I have a lot less side effects than I had at the beginning but every once in a while I'll be revisited by one that I thought was gone. I try not to obsess.

I had close to 2 years of really horrendous side effects when I CTed off of lexapro so maybe I'm in a bad way but it looks good after the lexapro.