Diazepam

[decca]

Hi,
I'm thinking of stopping my 2mg per day Diaz. been taking it now for 13 weeks but I'm a bit worried that I'll hit problems and was wondering if you can restart it again with the same effect.
I was thinking of tapering by 1/4 mg per day in 2 week intervals.
Has anyone withdrawn from Diazepam and had to start taking it again ?
Does it still work ?
Cheers
Decca

[Tom_M]

Hi decca

Diazepam is just a muscle relaxant. If you stay off it for some time, it will have the same effect as when you first started taking it.

[decca]

Thanks Tom,
I was thinking more on the lines of can I reinstate after reducing for a couple of weeks and it doesn't agree with me.
I've read The Ashton manual and it seems to concentrate on high dose long term users ( 20 years ) which aint much use to someone that's been taking 2mg for 3 months.
Cheers
Decca.

[kazzie]

Hi Decca:)

I have 5mg Diaz tabs on an as and when basis:)


They always work for me whether I take one 3 days running or none for a month:)

I would just stop them dead and taper if you have withdrawels

That said Im not a doctor this is my opinion and if your doc says otherwise then ignore me!!!!!

Kaz x:hugs:

[decca]

Hi & thanks Kaz,
Have you ever taken them for longer periods, I've been taken them for 3 months now,Doc said to just stop them dead and Pharmacist said to taper them down slowly.
Decca

[maddie]

2mg is a very low dose. They are short acting, so there is no permanent build up in your system. You shouldn't have any problem just stopping them. If you really want to taper off, take one tablet every other day for a week.

[decca]

Thanks Maddie,
I thought Diaz. had the longest half life of all the Benzo's -aprox 100 hours, so therefore surely there would be a build up in the system, wouldn't there ? or am I looking at it the wrong way ?
Decca.

[prism]

I have been taking diazepam for 8 years and i am coming off them slowly. I have got it down to 2mg and i have been dropping at a mg at a time. From now on i will be dropping at a half a mg at a time as the lower i go the bigger the percentage drop. You will be able to take them again when you are totally free of them and they will work as they should do but only on a ad hoc basis, never more than 3 times a week is recommended. I have been on them so long i get bad withdrawal from them. Lasting up to 10-12 weeks. Diazepams half life is 200 hours.

[decca]

Hi Prism,
That's very helpful thank you.
Sorry to hear you're getting nasty withdrawals, where you getting them before you started withdrawing ?
is it because you are making to large a cut 1mg seems a fairly big cut, according to the Ashton manual 10% of the previous dose is recomended.
http://www.benzo.org.uk/manual/bzcha00.htm

Best wishes
Decca

[kazzie]

Hi Decca:D

I have never taken them on a long term basis only ever as and when:)

Kaz x x x:hugs:

[lostsoul]

Hi all

I'd been taking 10mg a day for two and a half months by Phychiatrist has been tapering me down my 1mg every two weeks I'm now down to 7mg so far no withdrawal symtoms that I've noticed although the original anxiety is still there a little better than before but still there, I think the more the dosage is reduced the smaller the increments gets that you reduce by as its a greater percentage of what your taking if that makes sense ?

Hope this helps

[popsy]

I hate to sound stupid but as a diaz user i just wondered what this half life term means? thanks c x

[lostsoul]

Err hope this helps :

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Elimination_half-life

A bit scientific but basically its the time it takes for there to be half the original sunstance in your blood stream (doesn't mean the active Diazepam that calms you down) just whats left over.

The longer something stays in your system for the easier it is to come off off it because your body will not miss it so easily.

Some of the shorter acting Benzodiazepines like Xanax have a short half life less than 24 hours so in theory you can get withdrawal symptoms in between doses much like cigarettes if that makes sense? with Diazepam becasue of the long half life you could stop taking it and in theory you wouldnt notice any withdrawal side effects for around two weeks. Hence the reason for gradual dosage reduction.

[decca]

Hi Popsy,
Put very simply it's the time it takes a drug to reduce it's strength by half.
If a drug has a half-life of 200 hours for example, its activity will be reduced to one-half of the original amount after 200 hours, and to one-quarter of the original amount after 400 hours.
Diazepam has a half life of 200 hours which makes it the easiest Benzo to withdraw from.
Cheers
Decca

[decca]

Dave,
That's encouraging that you are sucessfully tapering by 1mg without to many symptoms.
So .25mg cuts would be OK to taper from 2mg daily.
So do you think Diaz was making your anxiety worse then ?
Decca.

[popsy]

Thanks guys, i get it now, and glad i am more informed. cheers xxxx

[lostsoul]

Deca

I'm told by my phychiatrist that this could be the case yes. Its hard to beleive but I think it is a known side effect with longer term use.

[decca]

Thanks Dave,
That's interesting , I had heard something like it before .
It almost makes it worth trying to withdraw.
I've been taking 2mg per day for about 3 months so I think I'll try cutting by .25mg per day from tomorrow,then a further .25mg cut every 2 weeks, not sure at what dose to jump off on tho , after I've been on .25mg for 2 weeks I 'spose.
Decca

[decca]

I got that wrong, What I meant was - I'm going to try cutting down by 1/4 of my 2mg tablets every 2 weeks so that's cuts of 0.5mg each time.
I hope I'll be OK .
Decca.