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Tapering off of Temazepam 90mg. Also. It’s time I stop lying to myself.


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I started on 30mg. Nightly. Eventually that stopped working. I was bumped up to 60mg nightly. Eventually that stopped working. Then I was given 90mg nightly.

 

This has stopped working.

 

I am at times taking up to 120mg of Temazepam in order to fall asleep so I can go to work. This is very difficult for me to admit. I’m guess I’m an addict. I work in medicine and the last couple of years have been stressful and I need this medication to work and put me to sleep rapidly. Over the course of the last 6 months it has been taking 1-2 hours to take effect and allow me to rest. So I have at times added an additional dose. You have every right to judge me. The point is. I want off. This is getting out of control. I am getting out of control. I want to make this clear. I have always followed my prescription to a T up until this point. So each increase I was given was I believe to be me hitting the effectiveness threshold of the medication itself.

 

I’m seeking advice on how to taper off of this medication.

 

A program, something. It’s so difficult to find anything or look for anyone who’s in a similar boat as me. Most people I’m seeing 30mg or 60mg. Why my psychiatrist bumped me up to 90mg is beyond me.

 

I’m trying to read the Ashton method and I just cannot process it. My brain is not functioning how it used to. I read things and read them again and read them again and it’s like I cannot process anything.

 

If someone has experience or an idea of how I can do a taper with this medication considering it comes in capsule form can you give me some ideas on where to being?

 

Thank you so much.

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No judgement or labels here DeludedRaven, the drug turned on you and you did what you had to do to function. You've now recognized this can't go on, it's unsustainable so the only way out is to go through withdrawal and it's challenging but doable so please, don't be discouraged.

 

We'll find you someone to help you figure out the capsules but first do us a favor and fill in your signature, it will help us help you if you list your medications plus how long you've been taking the Temazepam.  These are the instructions but if you need help inputting it just put the information here and a team member can do it for you.  Add your history/signature 

 

 

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Hi DeludedRaven,

 

There are always options - but with benzos, the only path is to fine the most tolerable option.

 

Before we think about what options might work for you, please provide more information.

 

(1) Long long have your been on each of your drugs?

(2) Do you suffer from generalize anxiety?

(3) Have you been checked for sleep apnea?

(4) How many more years do you have before you can retire?

 

Bob

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No judgement or labels here DeludedRaven, the drug turned on you and you did what you had to do to function. You've now recognized this can't go on, it's unsustainable so the only way out is to go through withdrawal and it's challenging but doable so please, don't be discouraged.

 

We'll find you someone to help you figure out the capsules but first do us a favor and fill in your signature, it will help us help you if you list your medications plus how long you've been taking the Temazepam.  These are the instructions but if you need help inputting it just put the information here and a team member can do it for you.  Add your history/signature

 

Thanks Pamster! Like this? :)

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Hi DeludedRaven,

 

There are always options - but with benzos, the only path is to fine the most tolerable option.

 

Before we think about what options might work for you, please provide more information.

 

(1) Long long have your been on each of your drugs?

(2) Do you suffer from generalize anxiety?

(3) Have you been checked for sleep apnea?

(4) How many more years do you have before you can retire?

 

Bob

 

Hey Bob! Thanks for the response!

  • 2014 so 8 years now.
  • Occasionally, but it’s not overwhelming. It’s more that my brain just doesn’t like to shut off before bed which has caused me to miss sleep in the past.
  • I have and was in works of getting equipment for it before the pandemic hit. Everything got kind of put on the back burner at that point. It’s something I need to pursue a bit more aggressively.
  • I am 36 years old. So I’ve still got a bit of a fight ahead of me. :)

 

Raven

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No judgement or labels here DeludedRaven, the drug turned on you and you did what you had to do to function. You've now recognized this can't go on, it's unsustainable so the only way out is to go through withdrawal and it's challenging but doable so please, don't be discouraged.

 

We'll find you someone to help you figure out the capsules but first do us a favor and fill in your signature, it will help us help you if you list your medications plus how long you've been taking the Temazepam.  These are the instructions but if you need help inputting it just put the information here and a team member can do it for you.  Add your history/signature

 

Thanks Pamster! Like this? :)

 

:thumbsup:

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While your primary cause of insomnia probably is tolerance withdrawal from benzo, certain blood pressure medications, after taken for years, harm sleep.  If you developed this secondary effect of blood pressure medication, it would help to figure it out first so the benzo taper will stand a chance.

 

What is the name of your blood pressure medication?

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While your primary cause of insomnia probably is tolerance withdrawal from benzo, certain blood pressure medications, after taken for years, harm sleep.  If you developed this secondary effect of blood pressure medication, it would help to figure it out first so the benzo taper will stand a chance.

 

What is the name of your blood pressure medication?

 

I take 2. Lisinopril 20mg and Triamterene/HCTZ

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OK, this is a source of perhaps some hope.

 

After years on both of those medications, I notice insomnia, real bad.

 

Do not get too excited. 

 

On a scale of 1 to 10, where 10 is the worse cause of insomnia, I would say:

    -Benzo withdrawal issues was the 10

    -Blood pressure drugs was a 3

 

But every little bit helps.

 

I switched to irbesartan taken 15 minutes before bed and my sleep did improve.

 

I think you should talk to your primary care doctor about it.

 

Try to keep your benzo drug intake constant while you explore this.  It make take a week to stop the effects from the old blood pressure drugs.  Journal everything so you can learn about your body.  Then we can explore taper of the benzo.

 

 

 

 

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OK, this is a source of perhaps some hope.

 

After years on both of those medications, I notice insomnia, real bad.

 

Do not get too excited. 

 

On a scale of 1 to 10, where 10 is the worse cause of insomnia, I would say:

    -Benzo withdrawal issues was the 10

    -Blood pressure drugs was a 3

 

But every little bit helps.

 

I switched to irbesartan taken 15 minutes before bed and my sleep did improve.

 

I think you should talk to your primary care doctor about it.

 

Try to keep your benzo drug intake constant while you explore this.  It make take a week to stop the effects from the old blood pressure drugs.  Journal everything so you can learn about your body.  Then we can explore taper of the benzo.

 

I might not be able to get off of the Lisinopril unfortunately Bob. It’s protecting my kidneys. I have CKD from being a Type I Diabetic. I will talk to my physician I see them next week. Thank you so much for the feedback. I had no idea they could cause insomnia.

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I had some luck changing the time of day I took the Lisinopril.  Everyone is different, so I will not tell you what time of day I selected but do you think your doctor would let you experiment with the time of day?

 

HCT really messed up my sleep - it was worse than the effect of Lisinopril. 

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I had some luck changing the time of day I took the Lisinopril.  Everyone is different, so I will not tell you what time of day I selected but do you think your doctor would let you experiment with the time of day?

 

HCT really messed up my sleep - it was worse than the effect of Lisinopril.

 

Bob I got a lot of respect for the advice you’ve given, however I need to think about all of this categorically.

 

Right now my problem is Temazepam. I’ll worry about blood pressure medications and the platitude of other shit my psychiatrist has that’s jacking with my brain after I get off of this drug.

 

Quite simply I need some help formulating a schedule to taper off of 90mg of Temazepam. Like by last week.

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I tapered off 20-30mg of temaz over about 3 weeks by cutting a tab into quarters and leaving 1 quarter out every couple of days. I eventually stopped a week or so ago but I have taken some rescue doses of 2,3,4 and 7mg every couple of days because I now get zero sleep. I now find that even when I take rescue doses they are more or less useless. I have severe insomnia now and only sleep if after 3 or four days duse to exhaustion. I dont no what the answer is, I just hope I will start being able to sleep and I should ditch tne pills altogether because I think that these rescue doses are slowing down my healing
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DeludedRaven,

 

Sleepyjo might be different because you have differences in time on the benzos.

 

DeludedRaven,

Let us work on a taper plan.

First, some questions:

    -What is the dose of each pill?

    -How many pills do you take per day?

    -When do you take each pill?

    -Describe any sleep you can get:

          -What time do you go to bed?

          -How long does it take to fall asleep?

          -What happens during the night?

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Hey I just looked up the Temazepam equivalence to Ativan

 

90mg of Temazepam is 6mg of Ativan. So basically the same dose I was taking for years to go to sleep.

 

You can do this! We can do this!

 

Message me anytime. Ill be keeping up with your progress.

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DeludedRaven,

 

Sleepyjo might be different because you have differences in time on the benzos.

 

DeludedRaven,

Let us work on a taper plan.

First, some questions:

    -What is the dose of each pill?

    -How many pills do you take per day?

    -When do you take each pill?

    -Describe any sleep you can get:

          -What time do you go to bed?

          -How long does it take to fall asleep?

          -What happens during the night?

 

Each pill is 30mg they’re capsules.

I am up to 3 now. 90mg

Nightly.

 

I go to bed at 10pm generally. Lights out. A fan running on me for noise and to keep me cool. No television, no tablet.

With the medicine in an hour.

I stay asleep typically for 8 hours.

 

Without the medicine. I get no sleep. None. In February when I made this post and this account I was on my 8th day of no rest. It was weird. I would feel like I needed to sleep and then I would close my eyes and could hear myself breathing and that was it. I don’t know if I was getting any sleep at all. I’m so Fing scared. I had no medicine and I figured at some point I would be able to fall asleep but I remember laying in bed for a week and every single day would blend into the next.

 

Modify: My Psych wants to throw me on something called Seroquil for sleep. F that. I’m tired of someone messing with my brain. I’ve lost little to all faith with Psychiatry. Also suggested Vistaril (Yeah. Tried that. This is what got me on Temazepam. I hated the side effects of the medication) which this psychiatrist tried to argue that I didn’t experience..

 

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DeludedRaven,

 

Going from 90mg to zero (cold turkey) you might have insomnia for a long time.

 

I am not a doctor.

Nothing I say is a prescription.

But from my experience, I know what I would do.

 

 

Here is a 300 day taper:

1 - Just before bed, put the 90mg of drug into a jar.

2 - If you are ok with alcohol, then drip a few drops of Vodka over the pills to help them break down.  Just enough to do the job

3 - Fill the jar with 300 mL of water

4 - 30 minutes before bed, stir it up good and remove 1mL of mixture and throw it away

5 - Stir it again and drink it all. 

6 - Read until your eyes want to close on their own.

7 - Put your head on the pillow and count your breaths.  Do not think about anything, just keep counting your breaths until you lose count and sleep

 

Day 2 of your taper is the same except you remove 2mL in step 4

Day 3 of your taper is the same except you remove 3mL in step 4

and so on for 300 days.

 

PS - I currently think Magnesium Taurate helps for sleep.  I take 2 pills of Magnesium Taurate two hours before bed.  Here is a link https://smile.amazon.com/gp/product/B0045CFN24/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_search_asin_title?ie=UTF8&psc=1

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Hello, DeludedRaven.

 

If you decide to try homebrew liquid …

 

You might want to consider using a combination of regular temazepam capsules and homebrew as long as possible (as opposed to converting your entire dose to homebrew). For example, you could take 2 of your capsules ‘as is’ and then use the 3rd capsule to make a homebrew liquid.  You would then reduce the liquid portion of your dose to 0mg.  Next, you would take 1 of your capsules ‘as is’ and use the 2nd capsule to make a homebrew liquid, etc.

 

Per our Titration: FAQs, making modifications in commercial dosage forms conveys risk.  Taking a portion of your total daily dose in unmodified form mitigates risk.

 

Addendum:

 

According to DailyMed, temazepam is available in 15mg capsules.  This would allow you to continue using a combination of regular capsules and homebrew liquid until you reached a dose of 15mg.

 

FYI If you have access to a knowledgeable and experienced compounding pharmacist, formulations for a temazepam oral solution as well as an oral suspension are available.  We also have members who have made ‘small enough’ reductions in dose using the ‘open the capsule and weigh the powder’ method of titration.

 

 

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