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Looking for help tapering and dealing with withdrawal symptoms


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I am here to look for some advice, success stories, and overall help in my tapering off my benzo.

I currently take 7mg of Diazepam (Valium) a day for what I was told was GAD and Panic disorder.  I have been on this med for a year and a half. I take it broken up over 3 times during the day. So I currently take 2mg in the morning, 2mg in the afternoon and 3mg at night. I started out my taper at 12.5mg. When I started to notice that the Diazepam wasn't working as well and I wasn't feeling great I knew that I needed to get off of it.  I was told to taper down 1mg every 3 weeks to avoid the withdrawals being bad. I have made it down from 12.5mg to 7mg on my own and now I am stuck. The withdrawal symptoms are really bad and I feel like I wanna give up. I really could use some good advice and positive stories to help me to get off of this drug and get it out of my system.

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Hello mommaOf5,

 

Welcome to BenzoBuddies.

 

I'm glad you found us. Valium is one of the easier benzos to taper from but as you get lower in dose, it can become more of a challenge. We have many, many members who have tapered off valium who will be able to help and support you.

 

It's easier for forum members to help you if you create a signature so that we know exactly which medication you're on and how long you've been taking it, etc.

Please Click Here to learn how to create a signature.

 

 

Hope1962

 

 

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Hey Mom -

 

Welcome. It's good you are here looking for information. There is a lot to learn about tapering, and the more you know, the better able you are to finish your taper. There are many things that can pop up on your way to getting free, so keep reading the forum, and learn what others are going through. This can help you with similar experiences that you may be having.

 

Are you supposed to crush Valium? This could effect the release, and interfere with a taper. I would do some research on that to be sure.

 

Keep reading and keep posting. I hope you can find a way to taper properly.

 

 

Good luck, River

 

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Hello Mommaof5,

 

I would also like to welcome you to BB.

 

I tapered off of Valium, too. Like you, I tapered on my own for the first several months before I found this support forum. I had been tapering fairly fast from a higher dose than you and let me tell you, I was feeling just wretched all the time. After discovering this forum, I slowed down. In fact, I overcompensated for a while and made pretty small cuts. You can see my signature below.

 

You might want to hold at 7 mg until your symptoms ease a little and then cut by .5 mg. Eventually you'll need to lower the cut even further.

 

You have a lot on your plate, my dear, with 5 children. I mean that's hard by itself, even with the joy children bring. 5 children and a benzo taper will be very trying. You'll want to go slow and keep yourself functional.

 

Don't give up! You have your kids to fight for. When this is over, you will be so grateful you stuck with it and can have your life back.

 

I'm glad you found us. It's a very supportive forum.

:smitten:

Flip

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Thank you everyone. I am glad to have found this site. I do not crush my Valium up. I think I was misunderstood. I meant that I break up my 7mg dose into taking it 3 times a day. I stead of the 7mg all at once I take 2mg,2mg and 3mg. Morning, afternoon and night. My biggest issue at the moment is something my doc called "derealization". It's been the hardest of the side effects along with the anxiety. I also get numbness on the upper right side of my face constantly and numbness and tingling in my hands and arms. My husband and children mean everything to me and that's why I want off this drug and a clear mind. I had my first panic attack out of no where while on another medication 2yrs ago. It was then that I was diagnosed with the GAD and the Panic disorder and put on the Valium for it. Does anyone have any advise or tips on how to get rid of the derealization or the bad anxiety withdrawal? Ive heard lemon balm extract could help. Has anyone else?
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hi mommaOf5-

        I wish I knew how to get rid of that derealization.  It comes and goes for me but, that and the numbness have been two really annoying stick around sxs.  I agree with the others on holding for a while until you feel better if that is an option.  It really helped me in the beginning to get to a point where I felt relatively ok to live my life (drive a car, raise a kid, work a job) and then continue cutting.  It's a trying process.  Sorry you find yourself in this situation.... You will get through it, Jessiccarabbit

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You might try asking your question about lemon balm extract on the Alternative Therapies & Supplements board. Some people find that niacinamide helps with benzo withdrawal. It helped me a little while I was tapering lorazepam, but I was only able to tolerate a very small dose of it, but I'm hypersensitive to many supplements and medications. Here's an article about niacinamide:

 

http://orthomolecular.org/library/jom/2004/pdf/2004-v19n02-p104.pdf

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Hi Momma

I think you have done very well so far, I think you will find that you have to find your own pace of taper,  I agree that maybe you need to slow down now, and even hold for awhile at the dose you are on, when the sxs become too much for you it means that your body (gabas havent caught up with the cut you have done,) so all you need to do is wait for it to catch up.  Valium has a long half life which to me meant a cut I did would take me 4 weeks to  recover from ( some people only took 2 to 3 weeks to recover ) if you hold for a while you will probably find that the derealization will get better.  :D

Luv Pauline

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I agree with wanting to cut slow. I just wish there was a way to get the dose I need without having to cut the 2mg pills in half. It's almost impossible for me to get them exactly in half. And I feel like everytime I take my 3 mg. night dose I'm always taking a different dose. It's never going to be exactly 3 mg and I think my brain needs it to be exact every night. I don't really know what to do. Ive been at 7 mg now for a month. I'm wondering how much longer I will need to stay at 7 mg. I will also ask about the lemon balm on the other forum. I am also very sensitive to meds but if will help with any of my symptoms I am willing to try.
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I agree with wanting to cut slow. I just wish there was a way to get the dose I need without having to cut the 2mg pills in half. It's almost impossible for me to get them exactly in half. And I feel like everytime I take my 3 mg. night dose I'm always taking a different dose. It's never going to be exactly 3 mg and I think my brain needs it to be exact every night. I don't really know what to do. Ive been at 7 mg now for a month. I'm wondering how much longer I will need to stay at 7 mg. I will also ask about the lemon balm on the other forum. I am also very sensitive to meds but if will help with any of my symptoms I am willing to try.

 

Because of its long half-life, cutting valium (diazepam) tablets works ok, even if there is some variation when you split them.  The key is just to take the 2 halves in consecutive doses.  Your body will never notice the small different from dose to dose, as long as you take the complete pill over a fairly short time frame.

 

I actualkly tapered from 15 mg down to 9 mg by splitting a 2 mg tablet, then taking the 1 mg on alternate days.  That is, for example, I wold take 15 on day 1, 14.5 on day 2, 15 on day 3 14.5 on day 4 etc.  I would hold tha pattern for 10 days, then drop tp 14.5, 14 14.5 14, etc.  But I always took the halves in sequence, so over 3 days, I was taking the full 2 mg tablet.  It worked fine until I got to 9 mg, the the WD sxs got to be too much. 

 

As your dosage decreases, you also need to decrease your cuts.

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Because of its long half-life, cutting valium (diazepam) tablets works ok, even if there is some variation when you split them.  The key is just to take the 2 halves in consecutive doses.  Your body will never notice the small different from dose to dose, as long as you take the complete pill over a fairly short time frame.

 

 

 

Mom -

 

Builder made a good point of the longer half-life and taking the complete pill and all of the crumbs. Do you understand what he means?

 

At some point, you may consider titrating to insure even doses.

 

Also, derealization is a tough part of wd, and one of the best ways to cope with it is to really understand how it works and what is going on, so you can know that it is from the drug and to try not to take it too personally.  People around you will not understand unless they have been through it, so if you know how it operates in your life, you can have a better chance of dealing with it effectively. DR and DP - depersonalization is also rough. Do some research on that to help you understand your wd.

 

We are cheering for you and that whole gang of kids.  :thumbsup: Keep posting.

 

 

R W

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What is titrating? I've never heard of that before. I take the half of the 2mg pill at 10p before bed with a full 2mg pill to make my night dose 3mg. The next half pill I take isn't until the next night at 10p. So am I doing it wrong? I just want the withdrawals to be a little easier. My Dr keeps saying that with Valiumi shouldn't be feeling a great deal of them. But I am. And if it's because I'm taking my doses the wrong way I'm gonna be really upset.
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What is titrating? I've never heard of that before. I take the half of the 2mg pill at 10p before bed with a full 2mg pill to make my night dose 3mg. The next half pill I take isn't until the next night at 10p. So am I doing it wrong? I just want the withdrawals to be a little easier. My Dr keeps saying that with Valiumi shouldn't be feeling a great deal of them. But I am. And if it's because I'm taking my doses the wrong way I'm gonna be really upset.

 

1) Titrating is using a liquid form of your benzo to allow you to make smaller, more precise reductions.  There is a forum for it here:http://www.benzobuddies.org/forum/index.php?board=62.0.  You will note there are several alternatives to liquifying diazepam, but prescription grade liquid diazepam is probably to best alternative (IMO).

 

2)  As long as you are taking all of a divided tablet (diazepam) within 24 hours, there should not be any problem with the small variation between halves.  There have been occasions that I forgot to take a full days dose, and doubled up the next day, and never felt any effect.

 

3)  And your doctor is wrong.  Most of us definitely feel the effects of 7 mg/day of diazepam.  There are many here on the board that are still "feeling the effects at dose below 1 mg/day.

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