Well if you need it...dont worry about tapering yet. The stoned feeling will eventually go away. Problem is, when you no longer feel that way when you take it, it usually means you will def need a taper to get off. Dont worry about that, though. You need it and arent abusing it...so take your docs advice and keep taking it. What about an ssri to help?
HI you need to get a hold of your doctor its the size of the dose that has me consirened its not like you where just taking 1 pill at a time here you where taking several make a quick call to the doctor he/she will stear you right
my gut feeling talls me your going to have to taper off because of the size of your dose will see......good luck and God bless.......Gnarly
Yes, I talked to my doc and unfortunately I have some sort of physiological fight or flight response being constantly activated in my body around the clock. It's not panic attacks which are short lived, it's constant except when I am laying completely still.
Since I am taking the valium in the hopes of "resetting" my stress hormones, and they are still overactivated (though much much less so than originally) the doc doesnt want any sort of tapering going on. After taking less than I had before during the past few days, I can see his point as the weird physiological symptoms of adrenal overactivity are manifesting more again.
I dont have any sense of real hunger, and it's getting harder to sleep. I have mild anxiety moments, but mostly just constant vigilance and alertness except when i take the blasted valium. Then, I am loopy and stoned feeling for about an hour unless I take the doses about 8 hours apart.
I also wake up shaking, but this has become much more mild than a month or two ago.
The worst thing lately has been the sinking feeling that this is going to push me into a depression just from adrenal exhaustion. My life was going awesome right before this attack happened, and it's upsetting for me to think that I am not just bouncing back to a good place.
I'm feeling happiness less and less and a few other early warning signs of depression, but I swear I will be so angry if that happens. I battled depression for 15 years, and finally got past it and had been completely able to cope without depression or meds for depression for the past ten years.
I just hope my body chemistry can find a way to reset itself fully, not just this weird half life I am living-- caught between feeling doped up part of the time by valium and high strung like I'm on speed the other part of the time.
Thank you for the recommendations. To answer your questions:
1- I dont ever drink or use caffeine (for like 3 years) because it makes me jittery which is how I feel naturally nowadays
2- I've kept at (agreed over the phone with psych doc) a daily minimum of 7.5mg x 3 a day, and I can see his point that he wishes I'd be on more because I have trouble getting myself to eat and I am in a state of high tension all day. It also takes me longer to get to sleep and I wake up more at night.
On the plus side though, I can eat, sleep, and function without visible shaking or having a constant state of dread like I was 6 weeks ago. I can drive my car and I dont keep falling down from being overmedicated anymore. Also, the feeling of being drunk or high gives me major anxiety, so the tension is probably a little easier to handle.
3- I agree about having my hormone levels rechecked. That was originallly through my general doctor, and I havent talked to him in about a month now. I thought I'd see how much more the valium regimen and time continue to reduce the symptoms, and if I get to a point where the symptoms still are present, then I thought I'd reschedule with him and ask for every blood test known to man again.
Hi, again---Welcome to Insomnia Land! I'm the mayor......
It sounds like you are well-informed on the subject of Valium and well-spoken, too. You and your doctor are going to be a good team!
Will you be getting repeat bloodwork done? It'd be a good idea so you can see if the stress hormone levels have leveled out or even dropping. Valium has a half-life of 20 to 100 hours (depending on different factors/variables), so it's best to wean slowly to keep a steady-state level of medicine in your system instead of being aggressive with the taper, crashing or being uncomfortable, and then having to build up your level again. How did you feel today? Still speedy? I wonder if going off caffeine for a little while might help you really see how the Valium is working. Caffeine is a drug, too, and it can add to your hypervigilant or anxious state. I think I'm going to go to bed at 3AM instead of 5! So good night for now. Please write and let me--and all of us---know how you are doing. Take care!
Hi, thanks for replying. I am encouraged that the doses and time doesnt sound too awful to you. I am taking a consistent minimum dose of 7.5 mg 3 x's a day according to phone call with my doc. I definitely did feel a little bit more amped up today, but I also didnt experience any moments of wooziness and feeling like I was doped up. Since it takes a few days to see how adjustments really hit you, I will have to see if this works as is, needs to be increased, or can be lowered further when I see doc next week.
It's strange because anxiety is less of the problem as is this weird physical hyper-vigilance my body has going on. It's not like panic attacks (Lord knows I have had years of knowing how that goes), its like I'm on speed or too much caffeine. The valium is to combat that, and it has definitely improved over the past 6 weeks, but it's still there like something went out of whack hormonally from the scare episode. Maybe it takes more like a few months for hormones to calm back down in some instances.
Thanks for replying. It gives me hope the idea that maybe i'll wind up being off daily doses in as little as a month. I talked to my doctor on the phone today and agreed to stay at a minimum dose for the next week.
Hi there--I'm so glad you are feeling better! We really aren't allowed to tell you how to taper at our forum, but your doctor can. It's possible to have a seizure coming off Valium if you stop it suddenly, so that's why I recommend talking to your doctor and making him/her part of the solution. The amount and the time you've been taking it isn't awful; the weaning-off just needs to be done slowly for your comfort and safety. You don't want to suddenly get panic attacks again! Write back and let us know how things are going!
hi wish I could give you a taper plan but its agenst the guidelines of the forum your best bet with benzos is to listen to your doctor you may just have to come off gradually but maby just a month of weening since you werent on it that long ask your docvtor b/4 you do anything seizure are no fun
better to error on the side of safty....I came off xanex but was on it several yrs and it was a ruff detox mabe a short term run on valum wont be so difficult good luck and God bless......Gnarly
i'm all about a taper and then taper some more......but when you've used it for such a short time, there's no reason to get elaborate unless your dr thinks its important...but always ask your dr first!