Please help I'm terrified. Right now

Will me taking the diazepam  , direct switch from xanax  lessen the chances of s seizure .. This is my biggest fear and one I worry about every time my head starts to hurt .. I was always on a low dose of xanax  but for years  and I can't shake the feeling that I'm going to have one , I know it's my anxiety and withdrawals taking over but I'm soooo scared I can't stop thinking about it ..

I'm sure someone with more experience can come up with a more detailed answer but based on what i know i think you will be fine,  The half life of valium is so much longer than Xanax.  If i was in your situation at those doses i would't worry about seizures. I wish you the best.

Tom

According to your signature you dropped from 10mg of Diazepam a day to 0.5mg Diazepam a day in about a week, with an unspecified amount of Xanax somewhere in the mix. I can't comment on your situation until I know if I am reading this correctly, and also it would be helpful to know how much Xanax you were on leading up to quitting.  PS: If I am reading this correctly, then there is a problem here that needs to be addressed

I missed that part, glad you didn't.

Hi Miami,

 

I know that fear.  It was really strong for me in during my taper.  The weird light sensitivities is what I think drove that fear. 

 

If I am correct you are taking 5 mgs of Diazepam twice a day.  Most doctors taper people off a lot quicker then that, so I doubt you are in danger of seizures unless you have a seizure disorder.

 

If it bothers you that much it would not hurt to check in with the doctor to be on the safe side and to put you mind at ease.

 

China

Hello Miami,

 

I was on a pretty darn high dose of Xanax, particularly for about 5 wks. during opiate w/d's, minimum of 4 mg daily and 5 mgs for about half the time. This, after about 4 yrs. at 2-3 mg 3 or 4 times a week. I  CT'd(cold turkeyed) them, not knowing that they could cause w/d's or seizures, etc. I made it trough OK, although there were times I was really scared, mostly due to underlying heart problems.

I think you will be OK, just hang in there and if you feel like you need to, get to the ER. I came close to doing that several times, but I found that the fears were not justified and it always passed fairly quickly.

What dosage of Xanax were you on? Was it higher than mine?

 

Hang in there!

 

Keep the Faith!

miami's signature shows a drop from 10mg Valium/day to 0.5mg Valium bid in one week. If the signature is correct, miami has decreased the Valium dose 90% in one week.

Thanks everyone ... I have been taking xanax like this  for at least 5 yrs or less and not all the time. I have .5 mgs I was to take 1  1/2 pills a day  so that's .25mgs 3 xs a day ... ( as needed) I rarely took more than that  except in stressful times ... No taper from xanax direct switch to diazepam 10mgs taken at night , for almost a week , now 5mgs two times a day 12 hours apart ( which is hard cuss 5mgs puts me to sleep) today I took half of a 5mg and felt really good but the seizure thought was very intrusive , took the other half of  the 5mg a few hours later and of course was knocked  out .

 

I don't think I've ever taken 1mg of xanax but maybe  2 times in the entire time I've been on it

 

 

 

 

Oh and I haven't had a xanax at all since Thursday sept  19th 2013and that was a whole .5mg

According to your signature you dropped from 10mg of Diazepam a day to 0.5mg Diazepam a day in about a week, with an unspecified amount of Xanax somewhere in the mix. I can't comment on your situation until I know if I am reading this correctly, and also it would be helpful to know how much Xanax you were on leading up to quitting.  PS: If I am reading this correctly, then there is a problem here that needs to be addressed

 

 

OMIGOSH. I see I had .5mgs of diazepam in error it's FIVE MGS  2x a day .. Sorry I didn't even catch that myself thank you

Why did you switch from 10mg valium at night to 5mg 2 times daily?

Miami: Okay, I feel a LOT better right now knowing you are on 10mg Valium/day and not 1mg/day after only a week. Here's the skinny on dosing with Valium: The Ashton manual recommends that once reaching the 10mg mark, once a day Valium is doable. Whether am or pm depends on the individual. Some people continue to dose more than once a day because they are sensitive to having only one dose (everyone is different). Valium has a long half life, so if you were to take it only at night, it would definitely cover you off for the next day as far as any seizure issues are concerned. If you are finding that the 5mg in the am is making you too drowsy, you may want to discuss this with your doctor. Options would include 1) 2.5mg in the am and 7.5mg at night (the tabs are scored and can be broken in half) or 2) The whole 10mg at night 3) Wait and see if your body adjusts to your current schedule and the daily drowsiness may well abate.  Since it was your doctor that put you on this schedule, it is important to discuss any changes with her before making them.  Seizure-wise, however, it looks like you are okay with an adequate dose of Valium.  I hope this helped.

Why did you switch from 10mg valium at night to 5mg 2 times daily?

 

 

 

Doc called yesterday and told me to. I told her I was having a lot of what felt like rebound anxiety .. I guess she thinks it would help with the withdrawls I have no clue

I can't really add anything to what Ovid posted, i think it's spot on. I wouldnt worry about seizures if you take the whole 10mg at night or if you decide to do .25 in morning and .75 at nite, which is what i would do.

Tom

Miami: Okay, I feel a LOT better right now knowing you are on 10mg Valium/day and not 1mg/day after only a week. Here's the skinny on dosing with Valium: The Ashton manual recommends that once reaching the 10mg mark, once a day Valium is doable. Whether am or pm depends on the individual. Some people continue to dose more than once a day because they are sensitive to having only one dose (everyone is different). Valium has a long half life, so if you were to take it only at night, it would definitely cover you off for the next day as far as any seizure issues are concerned. If you are finding that the 5mg in the am is making you too drowsy, you may want to discuss this with your doctor. Options would include 1) 2.5mg in the am and 7.5mg at night (the tabs are scored and can be broken in half) or 2) The whole 10mg at night 3) Wait and see if your body adjusts to your current schedule and the daily drowsiness may well abate.  Since it was your doctor that put you on this schedule, it is important to discuss any changes with her before making them.  Seizure-wise, however, it looks like you are okay with an adequate dose of Valium.  I hope this helped.

 

 

 

Thank you  I became so obsessed , my sister put the fear in me saying that people die from stopping xanax !!! And I was like why would you tell me that just as I was going through a serious withdrawal I was 5 secs from running to the er and decided to just lay down and stop talking to her about it because she's never had a benzo in her life .and was only making me freak out even more

Miami: Stick to what your doctor suggested for now. Some people split their Valium doses this way because they actually do get relief from daytime anxiety. Give it about a week or so to get used to the drug. If the drowsiness is not tolerable, discuss a schedule change with your doctor. Like I wrote before, some people really do feel a difference if they multi-dose their Valium.

Miami: Okay, I feel a LOT better right now knowing you are on 10mg Valium/day and not 1mg/day after only a week. Here's the skinny on dosing with Valium: The Ashton manual recommends that once reaching the 10mg mark, once a day Valium is doable. Whether am or pm depends on the individual. Some people continue to dose more than once a day because they are sensitive to having only one dose (everyone is different). Valium has a long half life, so if you were to take it only at night, it would definitely cover you off for the next day as far as any seizure issues are concerned. If you are finding that the 5mg in the am is making you too drowsy, you may want to discuss this with your doctor. Options would include 1) 2.5mg in the am and 7.5mg at night (the tabs are scored and can be broken in half) or 2) The whole 10mg at night 3) Wait and see if your body adjusts to your current schedule and the daily drowsiness may well abate.  Since it was your doctor that put you on this schedule, it is important to discuss any changes with her before making them.  Seizure-wise, however, it looks like you are okay with an adequate dose of Valium.  I hope this helped.

 

 

I'm thinking I like the 2.5 in am ( so I can work ) and the 7.5mgs at night  .. Thank you so much .. I'll let the doctor know I want to switch it up it.. I was able to do things still a bit anxious but totally bearable today when I took just 2.5 mgs  thank you so much for your input so glad to have people who understand

Your quite welcome. You can tell your sister that your doctor switched you over to another longer acting benzo precisely so that you wouldn't have a seizure. The danger lies in stopping benzos cold turkey (no tapering or adequate replacement). That is certainly not the case with you.

I would suggest looking up what the signs of a seizure really are so that whenever you get other sx you can discount them and not be afraid of them. Knowledge is power and even if you did have a seizure which I think is highly unlikely, they are survivable. Be aware that hypochondria and worry is also a withdrawal sx. I don't have it but have seen others on the forum with it. Nothing to be ashamed of.