Addicted to liquid Temazepam at 70 mg p/d

Hi all...I have been on Liquid Temazepam for about 5 years slowly increasing dose to 70mg per day GP won't prescribe anymore so now got to to go on rapid cold turkey any help would be welcome, no taper offered!!

Hello asher1964, welcome to BenzoBuddies,

 

I'm so sorry to hear you're being forced into a cold turkey, this is absolutely the worst way to quit this medication!  Please help us understand your situation better by letting us know some more specifics.  Can you tell us how much you have left to taper with and is there a possibility of finding a new Dr to help you do this safely?  Also, has your dose increased so much because you've been experiencing symptoms indicating your body has grown tolerant to your dose necessitating an increase in order to achieve the same effect?

 

We typically suggest reducing your dose by about 5-10% every week or two to minimize symptoms in order to remain functional, here is a link to our suggested methods. Planning your taper (Taper Plans)

 

If you'd like to discuss your symptoms or questions with others, please feel free to start a thread on the  Withdrawal Support (during your taper) board.

 

Also, it might be helpful for you to read  The Ashton Manual, it explains what benzo's do to us and chapter 3 willlist your symptoms.

 

Please let us know how we can help you.

 

Pamster

 

 

 

Part or the reason to be on such high dose is maintenance increase to get the same effect but the other part is I suffer with migraines, trigeminal neuralgia, cluster headaches and also due to myalgic encephalomyelitis and mast cell activation syndrome I am unable to take any of the normally prescribed drugs for above illnesses due to extreme adverse reactions, so I am left in a difficult situation of being left in horrendous pain or taking large amounts of temazepam. Tapering is the best way to withdraw but GP wont play ball and getting a new GP is nearly impossible where I live in these covid days

I'm flabbergasted your Dr would do this to you given your medical condition, it's incredibly cruel, is there anyway he will listen to reason?  We have many resources that may convince him, in fact just last week the FDA came out with new guidance concerning benzo's and tapering and while it's not the slow pace we suggest, it does stress the importance.  https://www.fda.gov/drugs/drug-safety-and-availability/fda-requiring-boxed-warning-updated-improve-safe-use-benzodiazepine-drug-class

 

Can you tell us how much you'll have to taper with, if any at all?

Yes I also think it cruel and even more so possibly life-threatening, I totally admit that I have somewhat lost control of my dosing but what am I supposed to do when in severe pain just sit back and do CBT lol. It's not so much convincing her that tapering is the best way but she has placed a "red note" on my file so no other GP will prescribe to me and effectively she is being very strict with no real understanding to my reasoning to why I have the problem in the first place, just very simply I have exceeded my weekly allowance and that is my fault hard luck attitude

Not only is your pain an issue but also the tolerance your body has developed to the drug, simply put, you need more to achieve the same affect.  Your body requiring more is medically predictable, this does not make you an addict and I'm sorry to see you've been labeled as such.

 

Benzodiazepine tolerance can mimic the conditions you're dealing with, if you look around the forum you'll see members commenting about having similar symptoms of what you're dealing with.  I wonder if there is a possibility of you feeling better once you get off of the drug and recover from it's effects?

yes pain and drug tollerance are huge issues for me. Perhaps my conditions will improve I have spent a few month here and there with no temazepam but the condition mast cell activation syndrome (MCAS)appears to be genetic and is unlikely to ever go

 

Please keep us posted if you have to go cold turkey, it would be helpful if you had someone living with you to monitor you for seizure risk. 

Thank you for your concern I will keep you posted

I have no words Asher. Ur dr needs to be whipped. That is very cold to treat someone with ur medical conditions in such a heartless way. Can you find a dr that may help with proper taper?

I have written to the GMC about this and other issues with my GP, maybe something will come of that but I am not hopeful

You will get through this we are all pulling for you x all the best x