Diazepam withdrawal. Fatigue for 2 weeks. Should I updose?

I'm back. Tried to withdraw too quickly in the fall of 2018, and then could not find an MD to support my updosing.

Now have supportive MD.

Down from 20 to 17.5 by dropping 0.5 mg every 2 weeks.

Slowest withdrawal I have tried yet, and hoped for a symptom free withdrawal.

Every time I dropped the dose, I experienced fatigue for a few days.

This time it has lasted two weeks, and seems to be getting worse.

With MD's support, am holding at 17.5 mg.

Anyone have any adice?

Wondering about updosing back to 18 mg (I was feeling okay then), and then finding a way to withdraw without so much fatigue.

Help greatly appreciated.

Thanks!

 

I don’t think updosing will help, honestly. Fatigue is a very normal withdrawal symptom and I think you would be better served by holding your dose until it passes or becomes more manageable. I can tell you that I feel exhausted every day at my dose (1.74 mg of diazepam). I just have to accept that this something I have to deal with while tapering. I hope this symptom passes for you soon.

Don't updose if fatigue is your sxs wait it out i have updosed from 6.5 to 7 after 3 mounth of pure turture i couldn't defecate so i had no choice updosing was harder then cutting i was sick like a dog just ride this through i am sure it will get better

I think it's interesting that prescribers aren't aware that fatigue is such a common withdrawal symptom.

 

I appreciate the two replies.

 

Benzos did not make me sick, not I ever noticed. Trying to get off of them has been hell (6th try).

 

The last time I updosed I did not get a bad response.

 

I'm just wondering if I returned to the 18 mg dose, and held for 10 days, if the fatigue could possibly go away, and I could find a slower way to lower my dose?

 

Thanks!

Just wanted to thank the two people who responded to my question, and encouraged me not to updose. I'm doing okay today, still holding.

Just wanted to thank the two people who responded to my question, and encouraged me not to updose. I'm doing okay today, still holding.

 

So glad to read this! I hope you continue to do okay!  :smitten:

I'm back. Tried to withdraw too quickly in the fall of 2018, and then could not find an MD to support my updosing.

Now have supportive MD.

Down from 20 to 17.5 by dropping 0.5 mg every 2 weeks.

Slowest withdrawal I have tried yet, and hoped for a symptom free withdrawal.

Every time I dropped the dose, I experienced fatigue for a few days.

This time it has lasted two weeks, and seems to be getting worse.

With MD's support, am holding at 17.5 mg.

Anyone have any adice?

Wondering about updosing back to 18 mg (I was feeling okay then), and then finding a way to withdraw without so much fatigue.

Help greatly appreciated.

Thanks!

 

In my opinion, cutting by .5 mg/2 weeks or 1 mg/month seems way too fast. I've been cutting (daily liquid titration) at a rate of 1 mg every 100 days. I'm at my last 1 mg so I may cut even slower

I just read your signature and noticed you have updosed many times in the past. Is it a little too obvious to say that if you keep updosing, you will never get off the benzo? It's better if you can do either or both of these things:

 

1. Keep your taper at a pace where symptoms aren't likely to get so severe that you can't cope. This would mean going slower than you have in the past and potentially holding for a short while longer than you feel like you need to sometimes, just to be on the safe side.

 

2. Accept that in the process of benzo withdrawal, a certain amount of suffering is to be expected, sometimes it can be quite severe. If this happens to you again, hopefully you can tell yourself that if you stay at the same dose, it will pass and when it does, that is one less hurdle you have to jump over. When you go through this a few times and realise you're only on some fraction of the dose you first started with, it ought to give you confidence that you're going to make it.

I’ve been off Benzos for 30 days after a year-long taper.  From everything I’ve read and learned about these drugs, there’s no way around the fatigue. Our brain, CNS, etc. are working overtime to attempt to reach homeostasis, thus fatigue is inevitable. It’s dehabilitating and acceptance has helped me immensely. If I do too much in one day, I pay the next. Have you read “What’s happening to your brain?”  I’ve read it more than once to remind myself that this is all inevitable after taking 0.5mg of Xanax (as prescribed) for 14 years. I have a mantra “what we resist, persists.” Yes, it stinks, especially since most of us have/had providers that mislead us. These drugs don’t do anything but mask symptoms and cause more problems along the way. They say “one day at a time,” sometimes, it’s one minute at a time.  We will heal.

Best of luck to you.