Rapid withdrawal 25% dose reduction help

Hey guys! I hope everyone is getting through this hard period of our life.

After stabilising on 40mg diazepam a day for 4 months tapered down from 60mg. I feel I'm ready to taper again.

I have checked and printed all of Prof Ashtons protocol thank god it's free. The taper she recommends is quite different to what I did I would cut 5mg and stabilise for 1 month then the same. Her taper feels very long 5-10% every time 1-2 weeks.

I feel that I could handle 5mg-10mg cut every month or a 25% cut every month.

Starting from 40mg until I get to 20mg-10mg a day and hold until stabilised.

I feel each taper plan should be provisional so it could be tailored or changed at any stage.

My body seems to tolerate cuts like that, the first week after reducing is not nice but within 1 month I feel I can reduce again.

Has anyone got experience reducing the dose 25% each time or a more rapid taper a month?

Thank you any recommendations or advice in advance

p.s I've cut from 40 to 30mg since Sunday morning, so far so good but I know it can take upto a week for me to show withdrawal symptoms

A lot of people try 25% cuts.  Like everything else benzo, sometimes it works OK, sometimes it doesn't.  Much depends on how dependent you're physiology has become, and that's an unknown.

Personally, I'd rather see people maker smaller cuts more often than larger cuts less often.

It seems as though everybody's body is different.  I have been tapering at a quick rate under direct weekly supervision from my functional naturopathic doctor.  I hold only when there is something important I need to handle.  I will updose temporarily when I have extremely severe headaches.    My symptoms do cycle, but seem to have decreased overall. 

I will let you know how successful this rapid taper is after I have jumped.  I am getting feedback from some individuals that I am tapering too quickly.  I am advised to take varied supplements based on blood test results to reduce withdrawal symptoms.     

I do seem to be doing well with this quick taper, but I do have very bad days.  I just grin and bear as well as try to remember this is part of this awful process.  My goal is to be off this medicine by the time COVID 19 quarantine is over.

Hi "Babyspice"

How is this tapering schedule for Valium working for u?...I am tapering Xanax and am at 1.5mg/day...scared now to start going lower as it becomes more difficult....considering "crossing over" to about 20 mg of Valium a day...You reductions are greater than 10%(or at least some of them are), are those reductions working for u?...You have been tapering since Jan...am rooting for you...Please keep us lurkers plus die hard benzo folks in here posted!!

Kudos!!

TGIF!

Lindy (from Calif--land o' fruits n' nuts)...sigh

A lot of people try 25% cuts.  Like everything else benzo, sometimes it works OK, sometimes it doesn't.  Much depends on how dependent you're physiology has become, and that's an unknown.

 

Personally, I'd rather see people maker smaller cuts more often than larger cuts less often.

Thank you for you input Badsocref.

I took a look at your taper and you went ct and seemed to have improvements from the 2nd month.

I attempted 3 ct from diazepam in the past, but could not handle past 4 weeks, I wish I pushed through the 8 week mark maybe I would of been of them by now and recovered.

1 week in at 25% reduction from 40mg and im tickety boo, no symptoms of withdrawal so far apart from some digestive issues that are not related to withdrawals. What i will do is cut another 10mg after 2 weeks on 30mg to get down to 20mg and hold.

My goal here is not to rapid taper right to the end, just to cut atleast 50% in a month until i get to a much lower dose of which i can taper of much slower say start with 10% weekly.

Thanks again!

It seems as though everybody's body is different.  I have been tapering at a quick rate under direct weekly supervision from my functional naturopathic doctor.  I hold only when there is something important I need to handle.  I will updose temporarily when I have extremely severe headaches.    My symptoms do cycle, but seem to have decreased overall. 

 

I will let you know how successful this rapid taper is after I have jumped.  I am getting feedback from some individuals that I am tapering too quickly.  I am advised to take varied supplements based on blood test results to reduce withdrawal symptoms.     

 

I do seem to be doing well with this quick taper, but I do have very bad days.  I just grin and bear as well as try to remember this is part of this awful process.  My goal is to be off this medicine by the time COVID 19 quarantine is over.

Hi Babyspice! Thank you for your personal input.

Like yourself i have a similar goal to reduce my dose to 20mg a day whilst this covid19 lockdown is in place, and take it slower from there. Although not as ambitious as yours to totally be off by the end of the outbreak, I feel this is the right time to do a rapid taper with less stresses in life such as working from home, and not much going on.

Please keep us all updated on this thread on how you get on:) I wish you a smooth landing

For me so far so good, the 25% cut from 40mg has not given me any withdrawal symptoms so I aim to cut 50% in a month from 40 to 20mg and slow down from there. Fingers crossed!

A lot of people try 25% cuts.  Like everything else benzo, sometimes it works OK, sometimes it doesn't.  Much depends on how dependent you're physiology has become, and that's an unknown.

 

Personally, I'd rather see people maker smaller cuts more often than larger cuts less often.

RE: missed dose?

Hey Badsocref, I hope your well. I hope you could help me with this. Im on a taper right now and I take 30mg diazepam divided in 3 10mg doses. Morning, Afternoon, and Evening.

However today I forgot to take my afternoon dose and only just got the chance to take my evening 10mg dose. In such scenarios do I just skip the missed dose and take my evening dose or take the missed dose also?

Thanks,

MMXV

A lot of people try 25% cuts.  Like everything else benzo, sometimes it works OK, sometimes it doesn't.  Much depends on how dependent you're physiology has become, and that's an unknown.

 

Personally, I'd rather see people maker smaller cuts more often than larger cuts less often.

 

RE: missed dose?

 

Hey Badsocref, I hope your well. I hope you could help me with this. Im on a taper right now and I take 30mg diazepam divided in 3 10mg doses. Morning, Afternoon, and Evening.

 

However today I forgot to take my afternoon dose and only just got the chance to take my evening 10mg dose. In such scenarios do I just skip the missed dose and take my evening dose or take the missed dose also?

 

Thanks,

MMXV

I'd think that you would want to take the missed dose.

A lot of people try 25% cuts.  Like everything else benzo, sometimes it works OK, sometimes it doesn't.  Much depends on how dependent you're physiology has become, and that's an unknown.

 

Personally, I'd rather see people maker smaller cuts more often than larger cuts less often.

 

RE: missed dose?

 

Hey Badsocref, I hope your well. I hope you could help me with this. Im on a taper right now and I take 30mg diazepam divided in 3 10mg doses. Morning, Afternoon, and Evening.

 

However today I forgot to take my afternoon dose and only just got the chance to take my evening 10mg dose. In such scenarios do I just skip the missed dose and take my evening dose or take the missed dose also?

 

Thanks,

MMXV

 

I'd think that you would want to take the missed dose.

Thanks! I did miss that dose, but felt no extra symptoms until 2 days later with terrible insomnia for 48hrs. However from reading on the forum its important not to miss a dose at all, in order to keep drug levels in your system stable.