Taper plan 20mg Valium

Ok so i was on Klonopin 5 years i cold turkeyd, hell broke loose, and i reinstated affter about 25 days on 20mg V. Started to taper very fast followed ashton manual schedule when i hit 12 mg i was hospitalized,  they rapid taperd me instead of helping me from 12 to 7 mg in 3 days, i checked out, i went back home had a bad reaction to a anti psychotic drug that they gave me so i took some Klonopin to not end up their again. And i stayd on 0.75 K for about a month. It stopped working so i went back on 20mg of valium.

I know alot of mistakes and i f***** up.

 

Any way i just crossed over to valium its my 3 day on 20mg. And i need a slow taper plan as i am handling already so many symptoms and brain injury from the rapid taper.

 

Edit: Removed profanity.

Hello OrWarrior.

 

After reading through your past posts, I agree you are a candidate for a ‘start low and go slow’ taper.  I also strongly encourage you not to rush into tapering — instead, take as long as you need to get as stable as possible on your current dose.

 

To assist you with developing your taper plan, it would be helpful to know what sort of preparation work you have already completed. For example:

 

- Have you read the Ashton Manual (see link below), Chapter 2 to learn how to withdraw as well as Chapter 3 to learn about withdrawal symptoms?

 

- Have you decided what percent reduction in dose and taper interval you want to try?

 

- What strength tablets are you currently taking? Have you researched what other strength tablets and dosage forms of diazepam are available in your country? (If you are in the US, you can use the FDA Orange Book, see link below.)

 

To help others help you, please consider adding your benzodiazepine use history as well as your current daily dosing schedule (dosing times and amounts) to your signature. Here are the instructions: Add your history/signature.

 

Link:

Benzodiazepines: How They Work & How to Withdraw (The Ashton Manual)

https://www.benzo.org.uk/manual/

 

FDA Orange Book: Approved Drug Products with Therapeutic Equivalence Evaluations

https://www.accessdata.fda.gov/scripts/cder/ob/index.cfm

Hi OrWarrior, here is a link to the instructions for adding your signature, let us know if you need assistance. Add your history/signature 

Yes i have read the ashton manual and i uptated the history/signature. 

Thanks for the information.

 

Thank you for adding your signature!

 

Given your history, I suggest you consider a small test reduction of 5% of your current dose after you have fully stabilized on that dose.  In your case that would be a 1mg reduction (5% of 20mg is 1mg).

 

What strength tablets do you have? 

 

Will you prescriber be willing to prescribe different strength tablets and/or an oral diazepam solution if needed for a ‘low and slow’ taper?

I have 3 different tablets 10mg 5mg and 2mg. No liquid or somthing else or different strengths.

Hi Everyone,

 

It looks like Libertas is giving good guidance.

 

I will add one more idea.  I suggest it because I feel it is simple and will be a gradual taper to help your brain which is in shock.

 

Here is a video which explains it: 

 

I feel it is the simplest first attempt at a slow taper without any alcohol to dissolve the benzo.  If it works for you, ride this method all the way to zero.

 

If it doesn't, we can talk about other methods.

 

Remember, no matter what method you do, you will have symptoms.  So do not give up on a method just because you have symptoms.  Instead, hold at the dose until your symptoms are tolerable enough to make the next reduction.

 

That’s great you have different strength tablets.  For your first reduction, you could split the 2mg tablet into quarters and dose as follows:

 

AM: one 5mg + two 2mg + one-quarter of a 2mg tablet (0.5mg) for a total of 9.5mg

PM: one 5mg + two 2mg + one-quarter of a 2mg tablet (0.5mg) for a total of 9.5mg

 

Be sure to use the remaining two quarters from the split tablet the next day (by doing this you ensure ingestion of the entire 2mg over consecutive days).

 

Do you have a good quality pill splitter?  Several of our members use the EqualSplit Pill Splitter (available on Amazon).

 

Idk should i do the water taper now or try dry cutting before.

I need somone to guide me through thus process somhow , it seems like i dont stablize on my dose for now it just makes me more anxious and depressed. Thats why i want to start but i dont know how if somone can contact me and help me in any way i must get started in some way i dont know how.  I  about cutting into quarters idk, i have a pill cutter its not so perfect.

Might I encourage you to take this one step at a time?

 

The first step is to stabilize on your current dose.  It may take a while (perhaps as long as a month, maybe longer) given what you’ve been through.

Idk should i do the water taper now or try dry cutting before.

 

Dry cutting is the easiest way to do this and it can be quite reliable with the size pills you have access to.  Titration is tedious so most members won't go that route until they get lower in dose.  I believe the suggestion provided by Libertas is a good one.  What do you think?

 

That’s great you have different strength tablets.  For your first reduction, you could split the 2mg tablet into quarters and dose as follows:

 

AM: one 5mg + two 2mg + one-quarter of a 2mg tablet (0.5mg) for a total of 9.5mg

PM: one 5mg + two 2mg + one-quarter of a 2mg tablet (0.5mg) for a total of 9.5mg

 

Be sure to use the remaining two quarters from the split tablet the next day (by doing this you ensure ingestion of the entire 2mg over consecutive days).

 

Do you have a good quality pill splitter?  Several of our members use the EqualSplit Pill Splitter (available on Amazon).

 

Might I encourage you to take this one step at a time?

 

The first step is to stabilize on your current dose.  It may take a while (perhaps as long as a month, maybe longer) given what you’ve been through.

.

 

I think id rather dry cutting now, but idk how long should i hold, as i just feel more sick when i take my dose.

Please answer these questions so we can better understand your reactions when you take your dose. 

 

1. How do you feel directly before and after you take your dose of Valium?

 

2. Did you experience these sensations when you were taking Klonopin both before and after your cold turkey?

 

3. How long did you take to cross over to Valium, in other words, did you taper the Valium in while slowly withdrawing the Klonopin as described in the example in the Ashton manual? https://www.benzo.org.uk/manual/bzsched.htm#s5

Well i feel a little bit less depressed and clear thinking before taking my dose, after i feel a bit more anxious depressed and thinking alot,same reactions with klonopin, thats why i cold turkeyd.

I crossed over during 4 days. 0.5 K and 10mg V .

 

Now its day 6 i think of just valium.

Might I encourage you to take this one step at a time?

 

The first step is to stabilize on your current dose.  It may take a while (perhaps as long as a month, maybe longer) given what you’ve been through.

.

 

I  have no problem doing whatever needed i just want a soild taper plan i can follow.

When benzo's turn on us it's pretty miserable but unfortunately, we have to continue to use them to mitigate the symptoms of withdrawal, we keep taking the poison to be rid of the poison.

 

Valium is known for two things, sedation and depression but I'm told these go away.  You've only been on it for a few days with a fairly rapid cross over, I agree with the suggestion made by Libertas to hold for now and allow the Valium to build up to a therapeutic level before beginning reductions. 

 

How about holding for another few days then use the dry cutting suggestions from Libertas then you can take a look at the video suggestion from Bob7 when your dose gets too low for you to dry cut accurately?

When benzo's turn on us it's pretty miserable but unfortunately, we have to continue to use them to mitigate the symptoms of withdrawal, we keep taking the poison to be rid of the poison.

 

Valium is known for two things, sedation and depression but I'm told these go away.  You've only been on it for a few days with a fairly rapid cross over, I agree with the suggestion made by Libertas to hold for now and allow the Valium to build up to a therapeutic level before beginning reductions. 

 

How about holding for another few days then use the dry cutting suggestions from Libertas then you can take a look at the video suggestion from Bob7 when your dose gets too low for you to dry cut accurately?

 

Yes i guess i will hold a few more days and then do 9.5 and 9.5 like Libertas said.

I agree with everything Pamster has written.

 

My best guess is you are experiencing a ‘coverage gap’ due to your rapid crossover from clonazepam to diazepam.  The clonazepam is leaving your body faster than the diazepam can build up to a therapeutic level.

 

Here’s a plan for your consideration:

 

1. Stabilize on your current dose. Stabilizing doesn't necessarily mean feeling good.  It just means you're not in agony; your symptoms are not changing a lot from day to day; and you feel ‘well enough’ to make a reduction in dose.  Please don’t rush this step.  It’s important for you to feel as stable as possible before you begin your taper.

 

2. Make a trial reduction of 5%.

 

3. On a daily basis, record your dosing times, amounts, and symptoms in a journal.  Be sure to note your withdrawal pattern (i.e. when do you first feel the effects of the reduction? how long does it take for the effects/symptoms to stabilize?)

 

4. When you are ready to make the next reduction, review the data in your journal and adjust your reduction amount. For example, if things went ok with a 5% reduction, you might try a 7.5% reduction.  If things didn’t go well, you might try a 2.5% reduction. Or, you might decide to stay with a 5% reduction.

 

5. Make the reduction.

 

6. Repeat Steps 3-5.

How long you think holding the 20mg dose will be ok?

 

Its been hell for the past days and i dont know how stability even supposed to feel anymore,.

 

I'd like to see you hold for at least 10 days but 14 would be even better. 

When benzo's turn on us it's pretty miserable but unfortunately, we have to continue to use them to mitigate the symptoms of withdrawal, we keep taking the poison to be rid of the poison.

 

So true! What a horrible conundrum. It is a vicious brain trap that is almost impossible to extricate yourself from. This is exactly what tapering is. You are taking less and less of the brain toxin to gradually get rid of the brain toxin completely.

You need to consider both and decide which is easier for your life style.  People have had success with both methods so it is up to you.  If you cannot decide, then try the liquid first as most people historically have done that first.

I uppdosed for 1 week from 15 mg valium to 20.

 

Can i get back to 15 now?