Large Valium / diazepam problem, questions with tapering help!

Posted , 7 users are following.

Hi

Sorry for the long post, any advice or help is much appreciated. If you can help but. Don't have time to read the background I've written below please scroll down to the main question in capitals. Thank you!

I know there is lots of information on here all all over the net but ready lots of contradicting advice can someone please help.

I am 33 and have been taking large amounts (up to 200mg) a day/night at its peak for around.

It started about 5 years ago when I used to do quite a bit of the white stuff. I hated the come down/craving for years till a friend of mine told me to take a Valium, so like an idiot j took it and within 20 minutes I felt normal and could sleep after doing the other thing.

As a year went on my tollerance obviously built up 1 a night became 2 a night 3,4.... In the end I was taking around 20 10mgs just to get to sleep. This was a bad depressing time and I tried the NHS route which was to drop 2mg every 2-4 weeks. That didn't work, I wasn't motivated and the thought of having to do that for years meant I just tried myself. Biggest mistake ever.

Anyway 4 years later I have stopped the white stuff which was the reason I started taking them in the first place (I know how dangerous it is mixing those two together especially with such a high amount of Valium, I can't believe it looking back. I was in a very dark place where no one knew the secret life I was living. I was working and still am full time.

So about two months ago I finally told my mum (about just the Valium problem) she said she will pay for rehab or whatever it takes to get me off these.

Over the years as my tollerance was so high I only managed to cut it down to 14 x10mg (140mg) all at night.

Since telling my mum and being really motivated to kick this I have managed to cut down to 95mg per night. By dropping between 5-10 mg every week at the weekend.

I am booked into rehab for a month starting 3/1/2017 (that's all my mum can afford as its a lot of money) after speaking to them and other treatment centres quite a few said the hardest part is the last 30-40mg.

I told them Ian on 95mg and they think if I can get it down to 60-70mg in a month and a half they can get me off them completely.

I am a bit unsure how they can claim this as they have never met me, all they know is what I've said above. But even if they can reduce it to the smallest amount possible and I am still on them when I come out at the end of Jan it's my best hope.

THE MAIN QUESTION

I've been on these for about 5 years. I have cut down myself to 95mg a night to be able to just about function properly at work etc along with the nasty withdrawal symptoms.

I have 6 weeks to cut as much as I can before I go into rehab for a month. I have managed to cut around 50mg in about two months by tapering between 5-10 mg every weekend as I am so focuses and determined to get off these. I know everyone reacts differently to tapering/withdrawal.

Am I ok to keep cutting such large amounts every week to reach my goal of being on 60-70mg from 95mg (now) in 6 weeks before I go into rehab for a month and hopefully get myself clean?

Or am I rushing this two fast which will at some point hit me bad?

I tried cold turkey for a week once about 4 years ago when I was on about 60mg (yes I know it's very dangerous and I wish I never bothered as it was pure hell so I have been through and know the really really bad effects of withdrawal)

Any advice is much appreciated... Thank you in advance and sorry for the long post!

Regards

Dave

0 likes, 29 replies

29 Replies

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  • Posted

    Hello Dave, the Ashton Manual provides good guidelines for withdrawal protocols which would assist you. Hang in there buddy its very doable

  • Posted

    Hello there mate

    I too used to take that amount and more and funnily enough it was due to the same circumstances.

    Anyway I'm now on a reduction preccription and have been for 2years .I'm currently on 18 mg a day with 5mg of Mogadon, which I don't take.

    Personally ive went ct from 50 before and its horrible.

    My advice would be to forget about a 28 day rehab and save your money as the withdrawal symptoms for me only really kick in around the 2 week mark.

    I really don't know what to say to you, its going to be a long journey off . Sorry as that's not what you want to here.

    2 years ive been on 30 and in the past 6 months dropped 2mg a day , and I absolutely get no relief from anxiety anymore, but the 18mg does fend off the worst.

    Take care ma man

    • Posted

      Well done Dave. How did you function and feel when you were taking those high doses of diazepam.

      I was on 10mg and am on my fourth week of withdrawel.

      Kind regards

    • Posted

      Tbh lesalphine. I absolutely loved diazepam and functioned fine, and probably would still .

      I really did love the stuff. I never had any adverse effects whilst on the high doses.

      Which kinda goes against what most people say.

      Now that I'm down at 18, in all honesty I don't feel much different from when I was on 30.

      The taper has been pretty easy so far.

      Saying that I'm absolutely totally and utterly sh!tting myself to come off completely. Even though I don't sleep much anyway and have allot of wd symtoms apart from the extreme terrified feeling.

      Maybe after 17 years I don't know what normal is, which could be a good thing !

    • Posted

      Hi Dave your symtoms are absolutely normal, most people have the same symptoms. The high level of anxiety is not fun but it is part of the healing process.
  • Posted

    Dave your doing a great job and you've made the first step. You want to be a better person. You need to keep reminding yourself of the day you decided to get off the drugs. I was addicted to Oxicontin and zopliclone . When I decided to quit, I lost my fiancé because of the drugs whom I still love very much but I know I will never have her back into my life because of the man I became when I was high.

    I'm drug free now and my struggle was not a easy one. I wanted to be me again. For years I thought the docs had my best interest at heart but they do t. All you are is just a number and it was hard for me to accept the fact that there's no friendship at all. Once I accepted that I started taking my health into my own hands and started making my own decisions what was good for me. My drug addiction was getting out of control and I didn't like being controlled by little pills in a bittle.

    So go to rehab cause It will help but also remember, I lost my friends, everything that I held dear to my heart and when I was at my all time low, I turned to Jesus for help and he was there for me. . Remember you are never alone

    All the best and keep your eye on the prize

  • Posted

    Thanks everyone for thier replies, much appreciated!
  • Posted

    Hi Dave,

    What I admire about this horrendous story is that you are able to realize that your drug abuse is slowly killing you. I also admire your commitment to sobriety by coming clean to your mum.

    Dave, you need to hold on to your commitment and you need tocall the rehab and ask them to draw up a reduction plan for you to follow from now to March 1, 2017. You need to maintain this schedule tightly...without any variance.

    I hear that you finf the NHS reduction if 2 mg every 3-4 weeks is too slow for your liking.

    Ask rehab...they are trained in these matters...

    And Dave, I am going to be here. You may open post, you may private message.

    I want your mum to have her son back...perhaps you will recount the weeks from today to March 1, 2017...

    kind regards

  • Posted

    Hello Dave look for the Ashton Manual online it provides reduction schedules for diazepam.

    Kind regards.

  • Posted

    I've been on Diazepam for 30 years. At max I was on 10mg a day but currently 4mg a day & can manage. Kept a good job all my life & brought up a family. However finding it impossible to come off just 4mg a day?? I've used Codiene to halve my habit & can cope but would be nice not to worry about having tablets every day.

    If I didn't work, think I could stop. However have a social anxiety so need them to handle work situations.

    Tried all sorts to come off but no luck. Reckon a lottery win is my bedt option smile

  • Posted

    Thanks guys...

    I've got a mixture of opinions on both sites I've posted. Most people are saying not to do what I am planning to do but there are more issues so I have no choice but to do the below.

    The first issue is that it happens to be a coincidence that my only bloke who I've been getting them from hasn't been able to get any in 2 months and doesn't know when he can get more. He has tamazepam eggs or somthing so basically I run out literally in 6/7 weeks.

    Other problem for those of you not from the UK the max legal limit a gp (nhs or private) is 30mg a day and that's in very extreme cases, it's very hard to get Valium from a gp. This leaves me with no choice but to.....

    On 95mg now - drop 0.5 every week for the next 6 weeks, I will then be on 65mg, go into rehab for a month, they get me down to 20mg then I come out and have to taper as slow as I have to prescribed by my gp..

    That's my only option here unless somone Has any others? I know this is a risk but it's my only option?

    Thanks again for any help

    • Posted

      Hi Dave.

      I'm in the UK mate, Scotland to be exact.

      Just out of interest, how many do you have left, what brand are they and how authentic are they?

      Could you let me know plz . And don't start taking the eggs as they're definitely street made, as they stopped the green and yellow temazepam eggs years ago due to folk injecting them . These days its only tablet form and the eggs are usually fake and clear. In fact they look like cod liver oil caps, but they're definitely street made.

      Also you haven't said or mentioned how you're actually feeling atm with each drop.

      I was taking the same and more than what your taking right now at various points in my life, and tbh there wasn't much difference or horrible experiences when dropping from 15 to 10 to 7 10mgs a day.

      As long as I had 40+ in my system I was fine, and functional.

      You should be as well.

      I really don't see a high risk of seizure as long as you have a decent amount in your system.

      I was buying the boxed 10mgTEVA,ACTAVIS, and CRESCENT ones and taking full boxes around 14 month ago, on top of my prescription. But once my guy ran out I decided to ween fast and onto my 30mg. It was only some anxiety and some minor sleep loss I had while doing it , and i just done it over 3 weeks , taking only what I had to on top of my prescription of 30.

      Once on the the 30 it took me about a month , but what I have learned over many years is that there is a fear attached to being afraid. Its a kinda paradox.

      You're anxious because you can see a drop coming, so you end up causing anxiety worried about being anxious.

      I would personally drop to 50 tomorrow and see how you feel.

      You'll probably find you'll be fine as the half life of diazepam is 100hrs min, think its actually 200, so it takes 200hrs almost 10 days for you're body n brain to feel the drop.

      Ive personally jumped from boxes of 28 to 5 10s a day, and as you know yourself your fine the next day.

      Another thing is that missing a day out completely isn't cold turkey.

      Cold turkey is stopping completely from 95 to 0 and keeping it up for as long as possible.,that's what's dangerous.

      So get back to me as, I think you'll be fine dropping to 50 or 60, and the after a week try missing a day in-between.

      You know obviously not to stop completely from that dose as its dangerous.

      Because of the half life of diazepam you should have a cushion of 10 days before it kicks in bad, as the diazepam levels in you're blood remain at half the taken dose for this full time.

      Anyway please get back to me on the make ,as I'm wondering if its the boxed or loose ones that you have, and if its actually diazepam you're getting, as you might not be on as much as you think.

      Ive gotta allot of experience with the street ones, from online vendors.

      Let me know thanks buddy!

  • Posted

    You also might find that prescribed ones are better and that the 30mgs will hold you.

    Have you actually stopped for any amount of time ? And is your fear of dropping to say 40 or 50 based on horror stories online, or actually experiences of your own.

    Feel free to pm me ..

    Take care.

    I'm currently on 18mg , but today I only took 7mg and i felt no difference.

    But if I do this for 3-4 days , my body will start to feel it.

    That's just an example of how I feel with them.

    Once you get steady on a lower dose and you drop 2mg a month, it takes my body n brain about 10days to notice. I then have 18 days to stabilize and get used to it before my next drop.

    Anyway as I said, let me know exactly what ones your taking please

    • Posted

      Thanks for your replies.

      Dave - they have always been the same exact 3 brands you were getting tevas, activas and most recently crescents! Never anything else apart from the odd xanex bar or somthing but they are def real come I strips of 14, x2 in each box and come in boxes of 10. Every 10 boxes come sealed and he only does a minimum of 100 boxes a time. I would do this trip from west to east London every few months.

      Also no I haven't ever stopped, when I first started taking them I was taking xanex (around a strip of 10 0.5s ) while waiting to be booked in to my local nhs outpatient (horrible place) I tried cold turkey for a week which was hell. I could not do anything. They then put me on 60mg of Valium and they said that's the most they have ever prescribed and I had to get them to look at the charts showing what 5mg of xanex was roughly the equivalent of..

    • Posted

      Also I don't feel too bad at the mo, I'm working 5 days a week full time, getting up for work. I can feel the withdrawal but I can still function ok/fine. So dropping that same amount again in 6 weeks to get me down to 60/65 I am hoping shouldn't be too harsh as I've just dropped about 35mg in just under 4 weeks..

    • Posted

      Sorry they, I replied to this soon as I woke up so reading back I haven't answered all your questions Dave.

      I have about 25 boxes of crescents left. 28 in a box, they are real. Always used to be activas or tevas but the last couple of times has been these crescents.

      It is all horror story's online to be honest, taper charts, people's opinions on here and bluelight forum.

      I know everyone reacts different and the worry is that I have no other option but to do what I said and take the risk. Like I said I feel ok, a bit spaced out and waking up a bit more in the night but I am hoping it's not going to get too bad and too much, I need to get down to the 30mg legal gp prescribed limit by Feb and not be a mess as I HAVE to go back to work two weeks later.

      I've never tried or heard about missing a day like you said, I'm not doubting it works but it would probably worry me that I wouldn't b able to sleep and not get up for work.. Thanks for your help mate

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