TEMAZEPAM AND DIAZEPAM TAPER HELP

[[Buddie]]

Hi I'm new to all this and maybe will sound a bit dumb anyway I'm from the UK so its virtually impossible to get any script Benz to help me taper i currently buy someone else script of temazepam but they have been reduced recently to 42 10mg a month so i also get diazepam from generic maybe not real Galenika Bensedin at present just wondering how i start and what people recommend to do stop the diazepam as i ain't sure of dosage etc and get my self some 0.001 scales as currently only have 0.01 I'm currently at 20 mg  and 20 mg diazepam i only take at night for sleep as i have had sleep problems since a child i have been taking benzos and others plus alcohol prior but i don't drink only at Xmas etc and take nothing else any help will be greatly appreciated thanks for having me on board xx sorry also on 200mg sertraline a day also thats about it

[[Buddie]]

Hi [...], me again. 

Most of our members use the less expensive scales so I don't feel you need to purchase a new one unless it gives you greater comfort, some are okay with good enough, other people need more precision, its all about how you feel about it because if you're not confident then you'll worry and worry makes us feel worse.

I don't believe you'll need to use scales for awhile though, most will dry cut until their pills get too small or they need smaller reductions than they can achieve with cutting.

We typically recommend reducing your dose by about 5-10% every couple of weeks or whatever your symptoms dictate, they should guide you so you can stay functional. 

Can you tell us which medication you feel has the longer half life, typically it would be the Diazepam but since you're not sure what you're taking, I'm unsure.  Whichever is the shorter half life is the one you'll want to start tapering first.

[[Buddie]]

I would say it would be the temazepam as i know they are legit pharmacy that's where the problem lies do i stick with trying diazepam to taper when i don't know if there accurate or real or just try to taper off diazepam 1st then at least i know the temazepam are real if you understand me sorry not too good with forums and the like and thanks again for any help x EDIT well here we go trying 15mg temazepam and 20 mg diaz tonight lets see how it goes thanks for all the help ill try this for a week then cut again any advise or help would be greatfully accepted seems I'm gonna have to get some 0.001 scales after all all the tablets weigh 0.2 lol hope i get through this madness peace out ppl much love from the UK Liverpool

[[Buddie]]

I'm glad you started with the Temazepam and 5 mgs is a 12.5% decrease so that's reasonable but if you feel too bad, hold that reduction until you feel stable then make a smaller reduction next time.  I need to define what we consider stable, it means being able to perform your daily tasks, it doesn't mean feeling good which we rarely feel until we're benzo free and recovered from its use.

If you don't want to purchase new scales, we can give you tips for getting fairly accurate weights using fillers and weighing 10 pills at once instead of one at a time.

[[Buddie]]

thanks for that didn't go too badly just felt the same as usual i really struggle to sleep anyway what do you think about trying to go to 12.5 temazepam tonight and stay on 20 mg diazepam as it takes me hours to fall asleep anyway id say i get 3 hours max a night its just the getting up in the morning i cant do but that maybe my depression so then I'm stuck in this viscous cycle as if i lay in bed till 2pm lets say it then makes the night harder again anyway I'm gonna try get up at 10 am no matter what thanks for the reply and help x

[[Buddie]]

It can take time for your body to fully realize the reduction in dose, I feel you're setting yourself up for hard times if you reduce this soon.  Members have said that reductions can accumulate, you keep reducing thinking everything is going great and then you get slammed and have to updose which we discourage.  You understand that getting off the drug is only the first step, when you're benzo free, then the recovery stage happens and that can take longer than the taper. 

[[Buddie]]

Thanks for the advice i seem to have been ok but still struggled to get up early enough my memory is not the best so from what i can recall the temazepam i only recently increased has i was going through a rough patch anyway ill see how it goes for the next week or so on 10mg temazepam and 20 mg diazepam and go from there if i can stable on that ill then start slow cutting from the temazepam thanks for your reply its most helpful as for hard times do you mean as in insomnia as i can fight that well ill try my best i just want free i cant cope no more on these i know i cant go cold turkey i don't want to risk that as i live alone so i would have no help if anything was to go wrong thanks again for all the help and reading through here is giving me much confidence it maybe that why I'm more determined than ever to stop fully xx

[[Buddie]]

I'm glad to hear you're aware of the risks of tapering too rapidly, we want you safe but I understand wanting to get the drug out of your body.  Once we make up our minds to take action, its excruciating to go slow.

Just pay attention to your symptoms and taper accordingly.

[[Buddie]]

think you was right feeling very jittery and anxious today not to the extent where i cant cope or feel afraid alone as i have before just don't wanna go back up with my dose gonna try again tonight sorry as are timelines are totally different 2.15 pm here so I'm thinking go a week or so at this level see how far i get any advice welcome thanks

[[Buddie]]

The only thing I can advise is to go slow to allow your body to realize the reduction before making another one.  Each drug has a different method of action, take Klonopin for example, most members say they begin to feel symptoms around day 3 and they level off around day 10 then they can consider making another reduction.  With Temazepam, I don't know the timeline but since its shorter acting you may know sooner when you can reduce again but it's all about experimentation with you as the subject unfortunately. 

Its helpful to keep a record of your reductions as well as your symptoms and their severity to determine your cuts, use each reduction to know when and how much to reduce the next time.