Cheryl's Taper

Hi Everyone,

 

I am here because I cannot withdraw from Valium on my own.  I have been prescribed most benzos over the years for panic attacks and anxiety. 

 

Currently I am prescribed 10 mg of Valium per day "as needed"..(which of course is every day and then some).....I was prescribed my first benzo Xanax about 10 years ago.  Like so many I would develop a tolerance and need to have the dosage increased.  Some months I overmedicate to deal with stress.  I have already used my monthly supply which I cannot refill until this Wednes. so I am in cold turkey mode.  I feel like such a bonehead because I know better but cannot control it.

 

This last year I have lived completely alone.  I raised two wonderful daughters who were living with me before the move...I guess I am also in the empty nest mode.  It is when I am alone that I become the most vulnerable to overmedication....

 

SO here I am  hoping for the best and ready to do the work.  I will be seeing my pdoc this week to let him know what has been going on.  Can anyone help me ?

 

No one knows that I have been struggling with this mess except this forum....So I feel pretty vulnerable and lost a bit..

 

Thank you ... Cheryl

 

 

 

 

Hi Everyone,

 

I am here because I cannot withdraw from Valium on my own.  I have been prescribed most benzos over the years for panic attacks and anxiety. 

 

Currently I am prescribed 10 mg of Valium per day "as needed"..(which of course is every day and then some).....I was prescribed my first benzo Xanax about 10 years ago.  Like so many I would develop a tolerance and need to have the dosage increased.  Some months I overmedicate to deal with stress.  I have already used my monthly supply which I cannot refill until this Wednes. so I am in cold turkey mode.  I feel like such a bonehead because I know better but cannot control it.

 

This last year I have lived completely alone.  I raised two wonderful daughters who were living with me before the move...I guess I am also in the empty nest mode.  It is when I am alone that I become the most vulnerable to overmedication....

 

SO here I am  hoping for the best and ready to do the work.  I will be seeing my pdoc this week to let him know what has been going on.  Can anyone help me ?

 

No one knows that I have been struggling with this mess except this forum....So I feel pretty vulnerable and lost a bit..

 

Thank you ... Cheryl

 

 

Hi Cheryl,

 

Welcome to our community.  I also had panic attacks and anxiety and was put on klonopin for years.  I think you'll find some valuable help and support here.  The moderators can give you great advice on tapering off (based on their own experiences) and we all support each other here.  You'll find people that understand exactly what you are going through.

 

Sorry to hear that you used up your month's Rx and have to go through a temporary cold turkey.  That can be pretty challenging.  Don't feel like a bonehead, most of us have done the same thing at one time or another.  I guess the first "rule" would be to make sure you don't run out again since it can destabilize a person and make life uncomfortable.

 

Vulnerable and a bit lost - most of us know that one too.  You'll feel better after you have talked to some of us and shared experiences and techniques.

 

You might want to consider starting your own blog and visiting the blogs of the people here.  They are very friendly and supportive.

 

Welcome and best of luck,

Elwood

Hi, Cheryl,

 

I'm glad you're seeing your doctor this week and can get more Valium. You definitely don't want to go c/t! That can actually cause a seizure.

 

I think your first plan of attack is to find a dose of Valium that you can stabilize on--you'll want to take the same dose each and every day to prepare for the taper. The same goes for during the taper--you need to be careful to take the proper dose, not any extra, each day. This is because if you take extra drug, your body gets confusing messages as to how much healing work it needs to do.

 

However much you need to stabilize on is up to you. Do you think you could stabilize on 10 mg a day? You could have a taper plan of 10% cuts every two weeks. So you could start out cutting 1 mg every couple of weeks, then switch to .5 mg when things get harder. You could also try something we call "titration," by using liquid Valium. In titration, we cut a very tiny amount every day instead of cutting a larger amount every week or two.

 

Therese

hi sunny day - welcome - we seem to be picking up a lot of people trying to free themselves of the fog.

 

part of the struggle is not to come unglued - it is difficult at times but there are leveling off pts - each shift is a challenge but not a challenge that cannot be over come.

 

you may want to start a blog so you can keep track of your progress.

 

good luck to you.

Hi Therese and Silver....

 

Therese, your schedule sounds good to me.  It feels good to have a specific plan to work from.  I have heard about having seizures and yet I am not controlling myself....I know it is time for help.  One of the things that I will be doing is handing the medication over to someone close for dispensing to help me when I feel weak and feel like overmedicating. I believe that this will help me at in least in the beginning.

 

Silver, I think a blog is a good idea.  If I have a place to go and write about it I feel like this will also be a helpful tool. 

 

Thank you so much for your encouraging words....

 

Hiya Sunny,

 

Welcome to BenzoBuddies.

 

What Therese advised about you stabilising before you taper is very important. Find a daily dose that you can cope with, and stick to it. If you have a bad day, just ride it out. The good news is that 10mg of Valium is quite a small dose, so withdrawal should not be a very drawn out process.

Hi Sunny

              I want to wish you the best and say "Hey"

                        Skeeter

Welcome Cheryl to our website.  We are happy to have you with us

 

As Colin said, 10 mg is really not a high dose of Valium.  I started my taper with 30 mg Valium in April and am now at 16.5 mg.  I went at a slower pace that the 10% cut.  Again, the 10% cut is the highest percentage recommended.  If the 10% cut creates unmanageable withdrawal(w/d) symptoms, you can go lower.  In other words, if you decide to cut a lower percentage, that does not mean that you are doing anything "wrong".  I think the most important thing is that you are in touch with your body and thus, know what works and what doesn't. I do think starting at the 10% is a good plan.

 

Although w/d can be uncomfortable and you may have some bad days, a slow taper (10% or a little lower) is very do-able.  Although there are a lot of w/d horror stories, that is usually when people go cold turkey or taper too fast.  Many doctors and psychiatrists give their patients a tapering plan that is way too fast. Anyway, the great thing about this website, it that you will have support if or when you have a bad day and kuddos when you have a good one!   You will be comforted as many other members will most likely have had similar experiences. 

 

Now, you are no longer isolated and have a safe place to share your experience and ask questions. Moreover, I think you will feel more normal and not feel "crazy" or like there is something wrong with you.  You have simply become dependent on a highly addictive medication, and you need guidance and support to get off the medication.  So, you are in very good company

 

Welcome Again Cheryl ,

Maggie

Hi Everyone...

 

I can't believe what I just did.  I wrote a long reply and lost it because my computer froze ....UGH

 

I am going to try again but it will probably be shorter ...

 

Thank you so much for your responses.  I am looking forward to having a place to go during the weaning process.  I know it is going to be annoying at times and it feels good to have a place to go for a positive lift.  I want to tell you that I am also taking other medications .  It is funny but I went to another site before this one and was so turned off by their style of support that I did not join. 

 

I was diagnosed with Bipolar I about 3 years ago.  I have been hospitalized, attempted suicide and presented weird and bizarre behavior since my first manic episode.  I guess what freaked me out about the other forum is that when I came into this site they insisted I was misdiagnosed with no information.  They made me so nervous as they were not medical professionals and they were telling myself and others that we needed to non comply with all of our meds at some point ... So anyway, here is the list: ( I wanted to also say that I have an open mind about my other meds but have to heed with caution .... )

 

Tegretol 400 mg per day with regular blood tests (Tried almost all of them and have had the least problems with this one and it has helped)

Wellbutrin XL 300 mg per day

Celexa 10 mg weaned down from 60mg  Looking forward to weaning off completely under my Dr. supervision

Restoril for sleep as needed Looking forward to weaning off next but have never abused

Valium 10 mg for anxiety - YUCK help me

 

So I have already been told they are poisons and I am informed about their side effects.  I have been under the care of the same psychiatrist for 8 years and I know that he will be very supportive of going off the benzos.  He will probably fly off his chair if I even mentioned going off my mood stabilizer and anti-depressants at this time...I will deal with that when the time comes if at all ...

 

So I am praying that I will not lose this...

 

Thank you everyone in advance and hope my list of meds does not freak anyone out 

 

Cheryl

Hi Cheryl,

 

We're used to long lists of meds around here!

 

Your use of meds is your concern. Are psychiatric meds overprescribed? I'm sure they are, but there is no way for us to know if you should be taking your meds or not. Personally, I'm not even that strident when it comes to benzodiazepine use. I am not even talking about usual situations where benzos are used for rare life-threatening situations or diseases. I think benzos are dreadful drugs and should not be used in 99.9% of cases where they are presribed, but if someone has become dependent upon benzos, I am not going to say they must quit - that is a matter for the individual. I'd go further, there are doctors that force their benzo-dependent patients off benzos - that is unethical! Once dependent/addicted, withdrawal can be tortuous, especially if carried out carelessly. This really is a decision for the individual with help and support from their doctor - not instruction from their doctor!

 

Anyway, less of my rant, I'm glad that you found us, and look forward to hearing more from you.

Hiya Colin...

 

I have stayed online hoping for a response..lol. 

 

I have a question...

 

When I see my Dr. this Wed. and let my Dr. know about the cuts that instead of 10 mg 1 tablet that he change it to 5mg 2X per day ? I am thinking about how in the world I will be able to measure the 10% of one pill...I am used to cutting in half and then quarters but I have never tried 10%....

 

Thank you !!! Cheryl

Ask for 2mg tablets. You can manage smaller cuts with them. Also, if you later find that you need to make smaller cuts (we tend to need to make smaller cuts as our dose decreases), then we a have method for making liquid Valium. You can make cuts as small as you like with that.

Thanks so much Colin...makes sense ... ::)Cheryl

 

Have a great day !

Hi, Tanya,

 

Restoril, which you are taking for sleep, is also a benzo--just like Valium. You said that the script is "take as needed." Taking it "as needed" during your taper will cause problems, since it's equivalent to taking more Valium.

 

According to the Ashton manual, temazepam (Restoril) is roughly half as potent as Valium. In other words, if you take 30 mg of Restoril, that's like 15 mg of Valium. I don't know if you want to chuck the Restoril and just stabilize on a higher Valium dose? How much Restoril are you on?

 

Therese

Hi Therese..

 

I am sorry I forgot to list the mgs above...I am prescribed a total of 60 mgs ( 2 30mgs pills )....I just took a closer look at my last refill....I filled it on 7-13 and I have 19 pills left ....

 

My mind too tired for math but maybe at a glance I am taking 30 mgs average approx per day ? Ummm....I have been under this Dr.s care for 8 years and know him pretty well.  He is not comfortable prescribing valium.  We switched to it 3 months ago because my tolerance for Ativan was bothering me.  I was up to 8 mgs per day at that time before he switched me to 10mg of Valium per day... For some reason he takes a more conservative view on Valium.  I can always ask but I am already going to ask him to switch over to 2 mg tabs instead of one 10mg tab (see Colin's post)...

 

What if I consistantly take 30mgs while I taper off valium ? Then we can deal with the Restoril ? I am concerned about making sure that I get proper sleep.  Even with the med I normally do not get to bed until at least midnight and normally wake up around 7:00...

 

Thank you for your help sorting this out with me  Cheryl

 

 

That's one of my sore spots--doctors not prescribing Valium. Valium is absolutely no worse than any of the other benzos. Doctors throw Xanax and Klonopin around like candy when they're twenty times as potent as Valium, according to Dr. Ashton.

 

I think that if you consistently take the same dose of Restoril during your Valium taper, you should be all right. However, I'm not sure what the half-life of Restoril is and whether it would cause problems in your taper if you took it only once daily. It's possible that at some point during your taper, you may need to divide up the Restoril and take it a couple of times a day to keep the benzo level in your bloodstream steady.

 

Colin, do you know what the half-life of Restoril is and whether it will cause her a problem?

 

Therese

Hey Thanks Therese for checking into it ...Cheryl

 

 

Restoril (Temazepam), has a half-life of just two hours. It would be better to withdraw from the shorter acting benzos first.

Hi Colin and Therese...

 

I my, I am getting confused. (oh and I am also in the throws of menopause on top of all of this  :'( - those are not tears but a hot flash  )

 

Anyway, so the bottom line is that I need to come off Restoril and then Valium which I am off already CT but will be going back on the prepared for the taper ?

 

So should I wait until I can get stabilized back on the Valium first and the start the taper for Restoril ? And for the Restoril how would I begin the taper being prescribed 30 mg taken twice ? Should I also ask my Pdoc for a lower dose of the med ? 

 

thanks so much...I am so easily confused ... and overwhelmed ...

 

Cheryl

Hi,

 

Can you restate your benzo meds and doses. Can you then state what you will be taking once you reinstate the Valium.

 

To answer your question: yes, you should should stabilise, then make controlled taper. It is far better to taper off the short acting benzos first.

Thanks so much Colin...

 

I will be taking 10 mg Valium per day....Cheryl

But what are you taking now?

Hi Colin...

 

In regards to Benzos :

 

CT on Valium 12 days @ 10 mg per day - will be seeing Pdoc this Wed

Restoril 30 mg 2 x which I have not taken consistantly & started back last nite with full dose to stabilize.  I feel yucky but am dealing with it...

 

We talked above about this week in regards to the valium having my pdoc convert to 2 mg dosages instead of one 10 mg pill...

 

Hope this helps...Thanks Cheryl

 

 

Assuming that you have been taking Restoril for some time (and with the Valium until you cold turkied off the Valium), then reinstate your Valium. I think you should be stabilise on the Valium for a couple of weeks before beginning your taper. Since the Restoril is about half as potent as Valium (60ml Restoril equals about 30mg Valium), then you equivalent Valium dose is about 40mg in total. So, using our usual guide of cutting 10% or less of your dose, that would be 4mg of Valium. But, of course, it is the Restoril you are cutting, so that would equate to about 8mg Restoril. What dosage do your Restoril tablets come in?

Hi Colin...

 

My Restoril comes in 30 mg per tablet...2 per night

 

I checked and I actually see my pdoc tomorrow.  I can ask him for a script for a lower dose ? I am clueless as to what dosages this med comes in...

 

What do you think ? Cheryl