Taper zolpiden and diazepam

Currently I take 6 zolpidem and one 19mg diazepam three times a day - basically so I can sleep as covid has me out of a job. I want to start tapering but I am not sure which med to taper first. Logic tells me Zolpiddem as is has a shorter life. Can comeome give me some guidiamce? In the country I live there is not support for these issues so I have to rely on others experience

Can you tell us what milligram your Zolpidem is, 5 or 10?  I agree that in your case it would be wise to taper the Zolpidem first, the Diazepam should help you do this.

 

I was in the same boat as you with Zolpidem, its short half life had me taking it during the day to avoid interdose withdrawals and I'd only get a couple of hours of sleep at night so I'd take more.  I understand the allure of a sleeping pill, it's a hard habit to get away from but I'm sure it's taking a terrible toll on your quality of life. 

 

Taking it so many times in the day leaves you with gaps in your memory since it's a hypnotic and sleep is so shallow and non restorative that its actually harmful because you're not getting the much needed REM. 

 

You're been here before according to your first post, you know the pain you're looking at when stopping this drug but this time you're willing to do it slower but it's still going to be miserable because sleep will be hard to find.  Acceptance of this will help you get past this, making the decision to allow your body to learn how to sleep on it's own again is so worth it.