Liquid Diazepam

[[Buddie]]

  She feels different after got off the Bipropion.  Symptoms are still present, but different.  It should be out of her system by now.
To answer your question, while she is still holding her Diazepam taper at 0.78 mg,   yes, she wants to get off of it as soon as possible.  It's been over two years of tapering off a relatively small dose (She started at 7.5 mg in March 2020).

[[Buddie]]

Also, she is wondering when it will be safe to "jump" off the Diazepam.
The Ashton Manual said 1.0mg or 0.5mg, depending on her tapering method.
Any thoughts.   

[[Buddie]]

My knowledge of discontinuing antidepressants is limited, but my guess is it can take a while for symptoms to subside, especially after a rapid taper.  (As you know, SA recommends reductions of 10% per month based on current dose; your wife’s taper was much faster than that.)

What does your wife mean by ‘safe’?  Does she mean safe from seizures?  Safe from post-withdrawal symptoms?  Something else?

Does she feel she is getting any effect from the two small doses she is taking?

[[Buddie]]

[...],
Thank you for your patience with us.  I answer your questions as best I can.  Her attitude varies somewhat from day to day, depending on how much sleep she can get.  Her symptoms are somewhat better this week although back/chest pain and gas still get quite bad in the afternood/evening.  This is what usually prevents her from sleeping.  It is now 2 weeks since she got off the Bupropion.
As you mentioned, it is recommended to go off the Bupropion at a slower rate, but this whole thing has dragged out so long, the slow taper would have prolonged things even more.  When her prescriber, the pharmacy, the manufacutrer, and a phychaitrist who specializes in pharmacological management recommended a two week time frame in view of the low dose she was taking, she opted for that. (At our age, will soon to be  too late to enjoy a normal life again  )
By a "Safe" time to jump, she just doesn't want symptoms to worsen.  We realize that symptoms will not stop immediately and there will be protracted symptoms.
She does not feel any benefit from the 0.78 mg Diazepam she is currently taking.  Her next planned step is to taper to 0.72 mg for a while, then taper once more and then try going to one dose daily.  Not sure if the one dose should be morning or evening.  After that, if it goes well, she will continue to taper until she can stop it altogether.
We are very thankful and appreciativen for the guidance you and others on BB provide.  Every time she has a question that she can't figure out, she asks me to find out what [...] says. 

[[Buddie]]

Hello, [...]. I’m glad I have been able to be of some assistance to you and your wife.  I admire both of you for the courage and tenacity you have demonstrated.

Thank you for clarifying what your wife means by ‘safe’ to jump — i.e. symptoms will not worsen.  Regrettably, we simply do not know how a given individual will fare after discontinuation.  However — on a more encouraging note — the post linked below summarizes anecdotal evidence from members suggesting that the first phase of recovery may be ‘smoother’ if the individual has completed a gradual taper.

Link:
Four Phases of Withdrawal [Recovery] Where Are You?
http://www.benzobuddies.org/forum/index.php?topic=156111.msg2089263#msg2089263

[[Buddie]]

Hello everyone.  We have not posted since May of this year, but it's time for an update.  Ingrid had tapered down to 0.75 mg Diazepam.  She really wanted to get off a couple of other meds, so she stopped tapering the Diazepam and held at 0.75mg while she slowly got off Zoloft and Lopressor.  It took a while, but she was feeling pretty good.  Symptoms were mild and her appetite returned.  She began tapering the Diazepam again and the last taper was to 0.62 mg.  The waves began after a week and have not let up for over four weeks.  While they are not as severe as they once were over a year ago, they are enough to be disabling. (6 or 7 on a scale of 1 to 10)  Some times they are only 3 or 4, but usually higher.  The waves never used to last this long.  We don't understand what is going on.  She is afraid to taper any more until this subsides.  Is it unusual for the waves to last longer as the dose gets lower?
Thank you for your thoughts.

[[Buddie]]

Hello again, [...].  It’s good to hear from you.  Some individuals find they need to make very small reductions when they get to very low doses.  The reduction from 0.75mg to 0.62mg may seem like a small amount but it represents a 17.33% reduction in dose.  Your wife’s response suggests it may take a while for her symptoms to stabilize.

[[Buddie]]

Hi [...],
I should have been more specific about her tapering.  When she was at 0.73 mg, she tapered off Zoloft.  She didn't taper the Diazepam for over three months and was feeling relatively better.  She then stepped down to 0.69 mg and got off LoPressor over a couple of weeks.  Then she stepped down to 0.65 mg in September, always taking the Diazepam in a split dose, AM and PM. 
Then, in October she went to just one dose in the evening.  Two weeks later she went to 0.62 mg on November 6th.  After about 11 days the waves became intense and haven't let up since.  She needs some relief from the constant pain, anxiety, and digestive issues.  Still at 0.62 mg.
In March of 2023 it will be three years of tapering.  She is very anxious to get off the Diazepam but will not rush it.  Is it common for symptoms to get worse as the dose is lower?  The waves never lasted this long before.

[[Buddie]]

Also, we are wondering about the use of some supplements during withdrawal, namely L-Theanine, Taurine, Phosphatidylserine, Glycine, Magnesium L-Threonate, and Evening Primrose Oil.  Any benefits or side effects from any of these?
Thank you.

[[Buddie]]

I did read the string on Supplements during withdrawal and frankly I got more confused than before.  We have been looking at Dr, Nicole Cain's website.  Any opinions on her?