Diazepam withdrawal

Hi again Lily - double Wow with a home in Hawaii too. Our home looks  over the North Sea, France is opposite us a bit further south. I can very well imagine that no rain causes a lot of problems for you all. I don`t think we`ve had so much this winter and where we live there`s been no snow either. 

 

Yes thanks that Dr visit resulted in good news. My thyroid TSH is a bit too high so that brings something else into the equation, but basically the Dr said that everything else he tested came back good. 

Ideally I`d reduce my thyroid medication to knock my TSH back into a good level - but with the other reductions that doesn`t seem a good idea at the moment.

I suggested tapering a bit faster which is why he wants to see me next week. I imagine he wants to see how I`m getting on with the double taper. 

Yes it was lovely to hear Maggie tapered so well- it just goes to show how we`re all different.  I`ll see how I get on with my latest reductions and if it`s not too bad I may try to go faster.

I hope you`ve had a good day and your symptoms haven`t been too bad.

And thanks again for all your help.

Joy x

 

Hi Joy I was over the moon about giving up the awful beno,Alepam.many doctors are to blame for labelling.us as suffering anxiety and depression and prescribing benzo drugs when we temporarily are having only ups and downs of life.I asked a new gp for a script and he said I was a drug addict whereas the gp next door prescribed 30mg no worries.Now I should be walking in the sand relaxing but here comes Trigeminal Neuralgia back to say hello.One down ,one to go.best wishes

Hi Maggie 

I bet you wer epleased to get off that drug and isn`t istrange how some Dr`s will prescribe and some wont. In the future I intend to research any new med that`s prescribed to me before I even think about using them. Ouch Trigeminal Neuralgia must be very painful - what are you taking for that ?

Joy x

 

Hi Joy. Yes,getting off Alepam (oxazepam) was amazing.I kept pinching myself that it was so easy with a dr doing the calculation.Apparently I was on a short half life tablet that equated with along half life tablet.i started off on 22.5 ml. Diazepam  liquid so can get exact  match. If you need to know I am most happy to explain more. Tell you about T N next time .Regards Maggie

Hi Lily, I dropped to 6 mg diazepam last night and 1 less tramadol. I`ve not taken a tramadol yet this morning and the tiredness came in again, just like a wave about one hour after I got up. So it doesn`t look like the combination of the diaz and trams are causing this fatigue.

As my bloods were ok, that leaves the withdrawal causing this or that I need to reduce my thyroid medication.  I`m mulling it over whether to reduce the thyroid med and see what happens with that. My Dr didn`t want me to, so it would mean going against his advice - but its a bit of a long story where he didn`t want me to reduce once before, yet I did and my thyroid results came back much better afterwards. The thyroid is another issue I know, but last time I reduced it was because of tiredness too. 

Other than the usual fatigue my symptoms today have been feeling just a bit weak, so not too bad. Perhaps I may be able to do this faster.

I hope you get on ok with taking your noon dose at bedtime, I can`t imagine it will make any difference. Let me know how you`re getting on with your symptoms too please.

We talked the rain up. It was pouring down here 1st thing and the early dog walk was a bit wet. 

Joy,  It's so difficult to know isn't it what these medscape do? Why not give yourself a few more days before reducing the thyroid med? You already just reduced the diazepam and tramadol. Perhaps it's not good to reduce too much at once. On the other hand, it could be benzo fatigue,which so many people tapering off benzos experience. However, I feel that valium could be the culprit. Once I upped my dose from 2 to 4 mg after crossing over from ambien, I felt a lot more fatigue even though several years ago I had been on 5 mg valium. However, valium is fairly strong compared to ambien for example. My feeling is that you crossed over to V from restoring not that long ago. There is a transition period and though there are equivalency tables between different benzos, these are not sealed in cement for all people. So as you found the initial 10 mg if V was way too strong.

on the other hand, if you have fatigue and some weakness, these symptoms aren't too bad and will likely start improving as you get adjusted to V. I did read online that some people took months to adjust to V.Some people couldn't handle it at all. I feel hopeful about your getting off benzos with good results! You are not too symptomatic and you essentially went CT off restoring without too much of a problem.

i decided to just continue the noon dose because I have already been stabilized at this. Also, this is the dose I am tapering off of --only .1 every 10 days or .3 mg per month.

The problem with developing a schedule for tapering is that each person is unique and what we learn is anecdotal. There isn't any real hardcore scientific evidence except Ashton. And even then it is now believed that her recommended tapering schedule is too fast. But too fast for whom? Again ,it depends on the person!

Sometimes I wonder whether tapering so slowly is a good idea--- just makes you more dependent and you build up more toxins. However, I have already been on for many years so is an extra year going to matter? Probably not.

Only you can really know for sure but don't make hasty decisions! I regret that I made the huge cuts of ambien under doctor's advice. It unleashed a tiger!. 

Hi Lily. Well since this morning I decided to phone the thyroid nurse who was assigned to me. She was due to go into a meeting but took all my thyroid results and has promised to get back to me this afternoon. So I`m waiting now for her to call. Of course I`ll explain everything about the benzo withdrawal and ask her advice about reducing my thyroid meds. 

As she`s a specialist, she`ll know more about the thyroid side of things than my GP - and usually if she doesn`t know the answer, she`ll ask an endocrinologist who happens to be on duty today- they`re usually very good.

One of my friends called in for a chat but I was so anxious, that she left after a little while. Thank Goodness she understood. I thought my anxiety was because of my fatigue, then realized it was probably that benzo symptom of social anxiety. I believe these mental symptoms I`m having are worse than the physical ones and do wish they`d pass. 

With hindsight, you`re probably right in carrying on with your midday dose - as you say we`re all unique and you`ve stabilised at it. Although I also wonder the same that dragging it out may be keeping the discomfort going longer. I wish we each had a timescale as that would make this all so much easier.

I`ve always been rash in doing things `today` but I`m trying to curb that at the moment and not get carried away by reducing too many meds at once. I will value the nurse`s opinion though. It`s interesting in that overactive thyroid symptoms are very like the withdrawals.  I hope she soon phones!

Joy x

Hi Lily, We sometimes complain about the NHS here but really we`re very lucky.  When you`re in the system `so to speak` you can`t ask for better care. As we`re retired now our prescriptions are free., I came away from the Dr`s yesterday with a prescription for more diazepam and it cost me nothing. $125 USD does seem a large amount...phew!

The nurse rang and would you believe it but my thyroid meds don`t need reducing, but it may help my fatigue if I increase them a little. As levothyroxine is a replacement and not a drug as such, I don`t think it will hurt my withdrawal.  I am going to increase it tomorrow morning. It usually takes 2 weeks to see the result of an increase of thyroid meds, so it will be interesting to see if my fatigue improves in two weeks..

So with all that in place, I feel I`ve done everything I can to help myself.

I think you may be right about my w/d as I`m not too symptomatic. Well not physically, I think the mental anxiety doesn`t help me though. I really hate being like that.

I hope your symptoms improve soon, especially before you go to Hawaii in June. 

 

I`m hoping my 2 reductions don`t kick in tomorrow morning as it`s our youngest daughter`s birthday - and I`d really like to be ok to take her present over to her. I`m not driving at the moment - are you?  I don`t think I`d be safe on the roads, my husband will do the honours tomorrow and I`ll sit back and enjoy the view.    

 

Hi Lily That's a lot of money for a script with no diagnosing.As I am over 65 ,in Australia I don't have to pay dr but have to pay for hospital insurance.Recently had neurosurgery on lumbar spine for under au$1500.Your recent post to  Joy was so wise. Keep up the good work. Cheers,Maggie

Maggie, I saw in your reply to Joy that you've had an easy time getting off benzos. If you don't mind my asking, how long were you on and was it a high dosage? Also I see you have used a liquid suspension vs compounding a capsule. Could you explain if you like one over the other and why? I have really had a difficult time with all kids of symptoms. Now I am taking cuts of 7 1/2 percent each month.not getting worse but not significantly better either.What was your taper schedule like? At this rate, it will take me over another year! Thanks for your info and encouragement! Best, Lily

Hi Lily I was on 30mg Alepam for about 35 years (oxazepam).managed to drop 7.5 Gm easy by myself.Then my go put  me on liquid diazepam Nasty taste like bad cough Medicine. Then after could no longer measure the dose needed switched to 2 mg tablets.dr reviews every 2 weeks.My dr. Was so caring and interested. Am seeing her soon.Will get more details for you as my TN came back then and  details bit blurry .The liquid was best cause at last I had an answer.Bit like winning lotto!Cheers Maggie.

Maggie, thanks for the info. I don't quite understand. Couldn't you taper even finer doses from the liquid suspension than the tablet? Also did a pharmacy make up your suspension or does it also come in liquid form made up by the pharma company? Wow! You were lucky to get off in so little time without symptoms. How are you now? I sure wish I could finish this benzo taper. I reduce by .1 mg every 10 days or .3 mg per month. I am still on 3.7 mg, soon to be 3.6 mg. You have no idea just how lucky you are! This benzo taper simply stinks for me! 

Best,Lily