Hi Dylan,
The answer to your question is really going to be different for different people. Please read my answer earlier tonight, about tramadol withdrawal-- the issue isn't the withdrawal, because most people (by far) go back to using over and over. Yes, everyone says 'not me-- not after what I went through!!' EVERYONE says that, and thinks that. So I encourage you to set a limit-- say 'if I relapse ONCE, that shows I need treatment'. If you do that, you will save yourself years of misery.
There is NO way to avoid discomfort when going from a high tolerance to a normal tolerance; tapering more slowly reduces the intensity of the misery, but increases the duration. The 'net misery' remains the same. Some people simply cannot do a gradual taper; they get to a certain point and they can't resist going back up to a higher dose, essentially a 'mini-relapse'. For those people the only option is to just stop 'cold turkey'-- although for many people (like me) that only works when in a locked, inpatient unit. Another factor in the decision is your personal schedule; some people want to take one week off work for the worst of it.
One should never go 'cold turkey' off a benzodiazepine-- meds like valium, xanax, ativan-- as the withdrawal from that class of medication can cause seizures and can even be fatal.
Hello Doctor,
I never took the tramadol today so need to answer but for a reference--how low does one go on any drug before they just stop? I intend to get off the morphine I am on, which is 30 mg 2x a day and valium (it depends) maybe I take bewtween 10-30 mg a day.
Thanks so much