Diazepam taper taking too long

[bBarry]

Just looking back I dropped 5mg last year, started at 20mg and went down to 10mg and said screw this, went back up to and stayed at 15mg. That's where I started this year, back in late July. Then had some problems with dosing and pretty much started over mid August. Dropped too fast and went back up a couple times. I was stuck at 7 or so mg for a long time. I'm now at about 5mg and 1/6 of a 5 mg tablet. Have not had many problems, some anxiety and heart palps, not too bad though. I know that metalic taste swivelhead talked about. So, it actually has taken about 3 months to lose 9mg. I'm not really stable on <6mg yet. Last year when I went from 20mg to 10 it was awful. This has been nothing like that.

Do you think I'm being a wuss? Should I go faster? My worst time is first thing in the morning. My HR has been running 90-100 BPM when I 1st wake up for an hour or so. By night, before I take my dose It's around 68-74 BPM resting. The other worst sensation has been very cold feet. I'm talking burning cold and my left foot has been going to sleep a lot. They feel ice cold to touch but when I put shoes on they still feel really cold only they sweat. That seems very unusual, my feet have never sweat much if any.

Has anyone else had cold feet tapering diazepam?

I've about had it with the up's and down's, watching the world go by,, business as usual. My wife has been great support, very understanding. I saw on the ashton manual dropping fractions of a milligram. That seems like a stretch but I am in a place I have never been before. Any advise from you guy's that have been through it?

[Lilly1955]

I also kicked Valium, as well as OxyContin, methadone and MScontin. All were prescribed. All were addicting. I had to detox in HOSP. The Valium withdrawals are horrible and I had seizures. They did not have me do a Valium taper. I do remember getting Ativan iv then Librium for a week. I take clonidine a blood pressure medicine 3 times a day. Struggle with sleep, heart pounding pulse racing in am as well as on and off throughout the day. Waking up with the heart racing is scary. The anxiety can be overwhelming but I know in time everything will get better for us whatever symtoms we are having. People say a slow taper off Valium is the best way to go.  I think it's best to have an addiction Dr follow you during this process.

[bBarry]

Thanks gnarly, Yes, it's no picnic. At what dose did you stop? I would like a doctor's help but I know of 3 Doctors that won't help. They'll help me have another heart attack is all. Seems most Doctors are good at writing them but ignorant of the ramifications and how to get off them. I have seen 3 Doctors, but 2 were at the same place. A pain Dr I went to told me to get off Soma and stay on Valium after I had over 2 months in it. No way would I go backwards.

Atthebeach! Hey! Good to hear from you. Thanks for the tip. How have you been? I was hoping to hear from you! Yes I went to the Cardiologist. He was pretty mad at me for not taking the metoprolol. With pulmonary fibrosis I can't breathe on Beta Blockers. Can't do it. I tried cardiziem (spelling?), Imdur and they did it too except Imdur comes with a bad headache. Just gotta ride it out. He told me to take a metoprolol if my HR got over 90 resting, or pounding. I have a couple times, it helps the palps.  I'm going to walk away from this addictive drug if it kills me. If I knew what I know now I never would have taken that poison. Thanks Doc. I'm sure I'm not alone on that. Thanks for your support atthebeach. I can always count on you. I would like to return the favor if it were ever possible.

Thanks Again Guy's
Barry

[gnarly_1]

Hi  well I did the benso thing for several years  im bipolar but like any drug it turned on me  I was on 4mg of clonpin and tapered off it slowly but still went threw some bad withdrawals as well as no sleep for weeks  ringing in my ears so loud I asked my wife is she could here it im with the others get your doctor involved and your just going to have to bite the bullet to get past this  I was sick for about 4 weeks after my last dose keep posting for support we all want to see you get clean................Gnarly

[bBarry]

Hey! Thanks for responding guys! Annie, I was browsing medhelp and noticed you, isn't that where G.W. lives? You must be friends with one of my friends. At least you have nice weather, it's rough up here in Michigan, we have already had snow and supposed to get a foot this week. Probly why my feet are cold.   ;>/  Thanks for your supporting words. Sounds like you have been through it. Hang in there.

All the help I have gotten here is great. I have been to 2 Doctors that wanted me to go down to 10mg for a week, then 5 for a week, then stop. One is a Female that I have known for a long time. She said, "That's how we do it in the Hospital." I told her I'm not in the hospital and had a heart attack in 2011 and another heart cath in 2012 when they found another 60% blockage. I asked why he didn't fix it when he was in there? Well, they don't fix them until they are 70% blocked. No help from Doctors around here in the taint of America, pardon my French. These Drs are useless. All the help I have gotten I found here from fellow sufferers and the Ashton Manual. I did convince her to write me 30, 5mg valiums. I got them over 6 weeks ago and still have about 20 and a few 10s. Going to try and get some 2mg  pills, easier to cut small doses. They last longer when you get to around 5mg. a day. I had some in the hole when the new Doctor wanted me off something. I'm not kissing hiney for pills, would rather go toes up.

Thanks again guy's, keep up the good fight. This is going to make us stronger people. Like they say, what don't kill ya,,,

Barry

[ScarrieAnne]

Hello friend and welcome, I am in suboxone w/d but have had many many diazepam, Xanax, and klonopin withdrawals and they are no walk in the park, I think you are showing remarkable restraint weaning  yourself like that I always just took them all and then suffered, I never had the cold feet thing but Im always cold anyway, My major syptoms were extreme want to die depression ,uncontrollable extreme anxiety where it feels like it is burning through my veins. PLEASE be careful I was lucky enough to not have any seizures, so please wean down as low as possible. It is going to suck no matter how you go about it, but benzo withdrawal in my experience was  just a few weeks, but I was a binge pillhead, l agree with the above posts, please go to a responsible Dr and be honest, that's better than having a life threatening seizure. Good luck to you, and keep us updated, XOXO Carrie

[NeverAgain127]

If you want my opinion, I think you should be tapering off Benzo's ONLY under the supervision of a doctor.  

Benzodiazepine withdrawal can be life threatening.  I'm not kidding here.   Opiates, as HORRIBLE as they are, usually aren't dangerous to come off of, even though the withdrawals are terrible and can last a long time.

But benzo's (like alcohol) are another story.  You are at risk for seizure and possibly worse.  

No one here can give you tapering advice; we are not MD's.  

Please consider seeing a new doctor...good luck...

[bBarry]

I was originally prescribed 4, 10 mg valium a day, 4 Soma a day and 4 Vicodin a day. Those that I have shared with know the story. He was my Family Doctor for 25 years. It was after a wreck he prescribed all those pills. He was a nice guy all those years but, he opened a Suboxone Clinic not long before my accident. He was getting people on med's in one door and off them in the other door. Clearly a conflict of interest. I think he got in over his head and when the DEA started cracking down, he sold his practice and moved away. I am down to 1-1/2 Soma, 2 Norco and under 6mg Valium a day. Wow! What a ride.