Diazepam Withdrawal??

Hi,

I've been gradually reducing my diazepam VERY slowly. Over the last year, I've gone from 20mg to 15mg to 12mg.

Yesterday I reduced to 11mg and I feel awful! Had a terrible night, 3 very scary nightmares, I'm sure I was screaming in my sleep. Agitated, restless, stomach cramps, teeth grinding.

Surely this can't possible be from reducing by 1mg??

I'm supposed to go the hairdressers in a couple of hourse but I think I might have to cancel.

Just taken 5mg, which is part of my daily quota anyway. :weep:

So sorry to hear you're feeling like this. It is hard to know whether it is anxiety or the diazipam I have been taking it on and off for a few months just 2 mg somtimes one a day somthimes 2. And I can get shaky somthimes not sure what it could be.

I have just gone on cit 20mg started today as the prozac have given me awfull shaky sick panci SE.

Aso she has given me propranolol instead of diazipam so i will just not take it I hope I am not addicted but you never know.

Cathy xx

Hi Haz

I do understand this withdrawl you are experiencing.

To answer your question: Reducing 1mg ought not have brought on what you describe in you post.

From what I can see you have been ingesting diazepam, on a daily basis, for a year or more.

On that note, I do know of people who were in a similar situation. What they did was waited, come what may, until evening before ingesting the diazepam.

In the daytime they did not ingest diazepam but clung on until evening. They kept as busy as possible throughout the day. They did, however, make sure they did not have anything urgent to attend to that day.

One way or another, I would not like to give any advice on how to come off this drug since we are all in different circumstances.

Even so, if alcohol is not a problem, why not use alcohol in the evening to settle you instead of the diazepam ? I say this here since a work colleague of mine who was on diazepam for 2 years did this to help him come off them entirely.

I remember how he said he went without the diazepam throughout the day ... and kept very busy in the day ... until evening came then had a few drinks of alcohol to calm him.

Like I say, we are all in different circumstances. And without knowing your exact history I could not say which would be the best avenue for you to take.

You have done so well in making abstinence your goal.:) But all of us are human and everybody needs peace and calm in their lives. I hope you attain your goal of abstinence for you have done so well up to now.

Best wishes, Vince:)

Quote:

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Originally Posted by cathycrumble

So sorry to hear you're feeling like this. It is hard to know whether it is anxiety or the diazipam I have been taking it on and off for a few months just 2 mg somtimes one a day somthimes 2. And I can get shaky somthimes not sure what it could be.

I have just gone on cit 20mg started today as the prozac have given me awfull shaky sick panci SE.

Aso she has given me propranolol instead of diazipam so i will just not take it I hope I am not addicted but you never know.

Cathy xx

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Thanks Cathy. Good Luck with the citalopram. I just don't think Prozac was for you. Were you not on amitryptline before the Prozac?

Don't worry about diazepam withdrawals, you will be fine. I have been on it for years and at a higher dose.
Haz.x :)

---------- Post added at 18:20 ---------- Previous post was at 18:13 ----------

Quote:

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Originally Posted by swanlinnet

Hi Haz

I do understand this withdrawl you are experiencing.

To answer your question: Reducing 1mg ought not have brought on what you describe in you post.

From what I can see you have been ingesting diazepam, on a daily basis, for a year or more.

On that note, I do know of people who were in a similar situation. What they did was waited, come what may, until evening before ingesting the diazepam.

In the daytime they did not ingest diazepam but clung on until evening. They kept as busy as possible throughout the day. They did, however, make sure they did not have anything urgent to attend to that day.

One way or another, I would not like to give any advice on how to come off this drug since we are all in different circumstances.

Even so, if alcohol is not a problem, why not use alcohol in the evening to settle you instead of the diazepam ? I say this here since a work colleague of mine who was on diazepam for 2 years did this to help him come off them entirely.

I remember how he said he went without the diazepam throughout the day ... and kept very busy in the day ... until evening came then had a few drinks of alcohol to calm him.

Like I say, we are all in different circumstances. And without knowing your exact history I could not say which would be the best avenue for you to take.

You have done so well in making abstinence your goal.:) But all of us are human and everybody needs peace and calm in their lives. I hope you attain your goal of abstinence for you have done so well up to now.

Best wishes, Vince:)

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Thanks Vince. I have been on diazepam for about 10 years at least, but only on an as required basis, or 5mg daily. It was only when I was hospitalised that they whacked it up to 20mg.

I don't intend to stop taking it completely, but it would be nice to get back to an "as required" basis or even just 5mg daily.

I'm VERY sensitive to meds and any change in dosage has to be done very gradually.

I stopped drinking alcohol just over a year ago when I was put on Sertraline and was also taking 15mg diazepam and 7.5mg zopiclone. Mornings are my worst time! In fact I think these nightmares probably occured early mornings as opposed to during the night.

It was probably just a coincidence. I've had seven good days on the trot so I was due a bad one anyway!

Thanks for your reply.

Take care.

Hazel. :)

It could very well be coincidence - a 1mg drop (in your case less than 10%) shouldn't make this happen (in theory but we are all different of course). I'd suggest seeing how you go in the next few days :)

If you don't know of it already, look at the Ashton taper - google it. She is THE expert.

All the best :)

Thanks, Yes I do know of it. I think the recommended withdrawal is 1-2mg every four weeks. I plan to reduce by 1mg every three months.

I'm not desperate to reduce my dose but I don't want to be on more meds than necessary and I think I should at least try to reduce. If I get stuck on 11mg, then so be it, I'm not going to suffer unecessarily. I would have no problem getting 15mg prescribe again but I was doing OK on 12mg.

Thanks for your reply. :)

Quote:

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Originally Posted by haz

Thanks, Yes I do know of it. I think the recommended withdrawal is 1-2mg every four weeks. I plan to reduce by 1mg every three months.

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I think it's 2mg every 1-2 weeks above 14mg diazepam, and 1mg every 1-2 weeks at less than that. Take a look at schedule 2:

http://www.benzo.org.uk/manual/bzsched.htm

I think her most important advice is, if you feel stuck at any point and that you can't reduce further, just stay there until you feel more confident and comfortable to give it a try, just try not to go 'backwards' (which is likely to happen if you go too fast).

The other thing, of course, is that it won't always be easy. But, I've never heard of anything as difficult as you had last night at a 1mg drop at that dose. I guess the drop could be part of it, but it sounds like there may have been other factors too. From 12mg to 11mg shouldn't make you feel like that after one day I don't think!!

All the best to you - keep on plugging away. You've already got really far (almost halved it - brilliant!!), and am sure you'll feel better if you can manage to reduce a bit more. Good luck!! :yesyes:

Thanks. Yeah, I won't reduce any more until I feel comfortable. I would be really disappointed to go back up so I'll try really hard not to do then. I'm taking extra slow.

I can't see how going from 12mg to 11mg could make THAT much of a difference either. I'm gonna stick with the 11mg for the time being.

Regards.

Haz.:)

Quote:

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Originally Posted by haz

Thanks. Yeah, I won't reduce any more until I feel comfortable. I would be really disappointed to go back up so I'll try really hard not to do then. I'm taking extra slow.

I can't see how going from 12mg to 11mg could make THAT much of a difference either. I'm gonna stick with the 11mg for the time being.

Regards.

Haz.:)

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Good luck!

Thanks Dan. :)

What is your doctors view on diazepam? My GP only prescribed me 7 X 2mg 3 times since september and refused to prescribe me more.

My psychiatrist prescribed me 30mg in one go ? Without the patronising talk about it being dangerous, addictive etc.

Hi Dan,

My current GP takes advice from my psychiatrist regarding my psychiatric medication. In my opinion, that is only right.

GP's are just that, i.e. General Practioners and should refer on to relevant specialist where necessary, e.g. cardiologists, dermatologists, psychiastrists. Isn't that why we have doctors specialising in specific areas.

In my opinion, a good GP should remember their place and always "refer on" if necessary.

Regards.

Haz.:)