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Help Required

Question:

what??????? you mean 0.5mg per day? I don’t understand, I can’t go from 15mg straight to 0.5mg?

Please pay no mind to Alexanders post. He does not know what he is talking about. He has posted alot of misinformation today about various meds. His intent is to get people very upset. Valium 15mgs is not a high dose. You are correct when you say that you cannot go from 15mgs to .5mgs. The proper way to wean off a benzo is very slowly and under the supervision of your MD. Ignore this person and killfile him if you are able too. Take care. Jackie

Response:

Thank you Jackie Peace Wayne

– Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – what??????? you mean 0.5mg per day? I don’t understand, I can’t go from 15mg straight to 0.5mg? Please pay no mind to Alexanders post. He does not know what he is talking about. He has posted alot of misinformation today about various meds. His intent is to get people very upset. Valium 15mgs is not a high dose. You are correct when you say that you cannot go from 15mgs to .5mgs. The proper way to wean off a benzo is very slowly and under the supervision of your MD. Ignore this person and killfile him if you are able too. Take care. Jackie

Response:

Hi again Wayne : ) You’re at 15 mg diazepam. Why not wean slowly down to around 5mg and just stay there for a while? I mean, taking it really slowly, even staying there for a year? You’ve been at 15 for so so long, maybe setting a (bendable) goal, like I mentioned, would be helpful. You say you have trouble with the last 1 mg, but I agree with Philip in that it’s probably psychological at that point. One thing about your memory: It’s quite possible that reducing your dosage will help clear your mind, and when you are eventually successful at weaning all the way off (which you will be!), your memory, given a bit of time, may very well return. I feel confident in telling you that. Also, don’t discount the possibility of post-traumatic stress syndrome, and the role it may play in your memory loss. I am deeply, deeply sorry for the loss of your son. I know ALL TOO WELL what it is like dealing with an addict, and I too have lost people very close to me to heroin. <" I was truly overwhelmed to find people who understand what it’s like, and willing to offer advice, God, even showing more interest than any doc I’ve seen, I feel so small, thank you all, so very much." Speaking personally, what I wrote was never intended to make you feel small (although I get what you mean). I’d prefer that you felt bigger, more important, more appreciated and noticed, more worthy of breath and space and life. : ) Write anytime {{{{Wayne}}}}, and I wish you the very best of luck. Love, Parker

<"first of all, thank you all for the replies, I was truly overwhelmed to find people who understand what it’s like, and willing to offer advice, God, even showing more interest than any doc I’ve seen, I feel so small, thank you all, so very much. The questions, well, there is no ‘medical’ reason for me to quit med that I,m aware of, I would simply like to have my life back, free of Valium, although I doubt thats ever to be possible, I accept that. I’ve tried to wean off very slowly, four or five times over the years, to no avail, the worst symptoms manifest when I get to the lowest doses, ie- 1mg daily= hell on earth. I appreciate that diazepam causes short-term memory problems, its’ just that to me, when I look back, I remember so little, of so many years, it seems such a waste, not wishing to sound self pitied too much, but there is so much I would like to have remembered, and my life feels so short (sorry, I’m rambling again) I too know people who have kicked it, and other habits, I also lost a son to Heroin last year, and thats what has sparked off this burning desire to be free I reckon. I’ll visit this group as often as I can now that I know there are friends and support here, I cannot thank you all enough. Anyone who thank you, peace be with you all, Wayne"

Response:

you are taking too much valium cut your dose to .500 mg : :I think you might actually be *undermedicated* (no surprise with benzos in :the :UK). Valium is a good anxiolytic IMO. I was able to function reasonably well n :it for about 18 years or so. I could come off it easily, except for the last :1 :mg which took me a lot of time and anxiety. I was used to taking 30 or 40 mg :and :sometimes more *as needed* so 1 mg causing much anxiety was pharmacological :nonsense so it was psychological dependence on *the ghost in the bottle*. :Now there are two possibilites as I see it: either you still need (a maybe :higher dose of) Valium or another med or you didn’t taper off slowly enough. : hilip : hilip – I’m not trying to be argumentative, but 2mg tablets of Valium knock me n my BUTT for four hours. I can hardly move and all I can do is lay down and :sleep it off. : :Just thought you’d be interested in knowing that. : :Hey TVman….my guess is what Philip suggested at the end of his post, you :aren’t tapering off slow enough or long enough. Your body is very used to :being tranquilized after so many years and when you take those meds away, your :body is going to feel agitated and anxious and call for those missing benzos. Those of us that have to jump start our mornings with coffee know all too well :about how our body wants something.) : :I don’t know why you want off your meds, but you are going to be uncomfortable ccassionally while getting off. It won’t be a cakewalk. Try cutting half :your morning dose (save the night dose so you can get decent sleep) to start ut and do that for a minimum of two weeks, I’d even consider staying at that :reduced dose for a month, then I’d cut half the midday dose for another month, :then half the night dose for another month……then cut the rest of the :morning for a month….etc. Give your body a GOOD chance to adjust to what you :are asking of it. You wouldn’t go out and run a marathon without gradually :acclimating your body to what you ask of it. : :But my best advice would be, since you’ve been on this med for so long, check :with your doctor on the best way to reduce and get off the med. He may be able :to prescribe an interim med to help cope with any side effects. Drastically :reducing a benzo can cause seizures in some people and you don’t wanna mess :with that. : :There are some herbal preparations and some amino acid supplements that might :help with symptoms while coming off. : h and that memory problem …..(shoot, forgot what I was going to say….duh) :short term memory problems. It gradually goes away when benzos are :discontinuted. :Hope this helps : :KC Cindy