Positive help / stories please

My psy augmented my psychotic meds and anti/depressants so i was capable of functionning with zopiclone and sleeping pills.

Hey,  hard to improve on jeans advice which is excellent.  I pretty much did what you are doing.  I have been off them completely about 9 months.  I tried water titration which was good to a point then I found even the smallest amount of withdrawal hit me hard.  Basically I felt like crap and it was a real mind over matter situation but you can do it, you really can.  In the end I stopped at about .5 Valium cold turkey and took a couple of weeks off.  It was always worst about a week after the reduction then about a week later still I was ok.  When I stopped completely  it took about 4 weeks though, with  it being worst in week 2 and 3 .  For me I did exercise and smashed myself and did gardening or anything physical to take me away from it.  I do not really buy the hype about withdrawal.  I accept if you are on a massive dose you do not want to come off cold turkey but I think that you will be very lucky if you come off without feeling crappy and if you are going to feel crappy do you want it to last forever?  You need to strike a balance I think and that’s very personal.  Personally I think you can never go back up as that is defeatist.  Stick it out for a week or 2 then consider the next move. Sleep was the worst thing.  You need to get something to help you sleep as it’s bad enough with sleep.  I used very low dose quetiapine.  It knocks you out but it’s hard to get with it in the morning without a pint of coffee, but pretty easy to get off it.  Haven’t used quetiapine for months now.  Good luck Anna  you can do it

Hi Anna, your story is very similar to mine. Same drugs, mgs & time reference. Firstly let me say that I know exactly how you are feeling and it is miserable, physically and mentally. Just reading your note took me back to a year ago. I took my last benzo on August 5 2017. Jumped off from the tiniest amount of valium. The gates of hell opened. Then gradually every day got a little bit more tolerable. I just kept pushing thru each day. No choice..family, job, life stuff to deal with. There was no chance I was going back on that garbage no matter what. I survived and you will too. Believe it. The other advise you have received from Jean and Richard is spot on. Eat well, meditation, focused breathing, exercise, hot bath with Epson salt, read, watch mindless tv. Focus on your kids. It all helps you get thru a day, a night. My advise is DO NOT get a perscription for a drug for sleep. For obvious reasons. Also be careful of some of the Benzo websites. You will only see the worst most extreme posts there. Scared the hell out of me. Good Luck. Don't hesitate to reach out on a bad day. Shana

Thank you everyone for the time and energy you put into your replies and what you gave to me in this. It would be great to keep checking in with you guys if that’s ok. Shane thanks for your offer to reach out. Managed to build herb gardens with my kids last night and going to work today. Symptoms improved in magnitude think stabilised somewhat but restless hands and arm pain bothersome - not sure if your replies meant any of you guys had experienced this? Thanks again for bothering to look back for others and pull them along x