I feel like this really isn't that much though, and as mentioned I do have gabapentin. I will taper either way though, because I do feel like I've become dependent on them in a merely ritualistic way, so I will be honest with my doctor since I really don't want to be on them. But given some of the G.I issues I've had this year that valium helped, I'd probably have died of malnutrition without it. I still have issues with delayed digestion and we're not sure why.
Tapering is the probably the wisest thing you may ever do even though you may not necessarily have the benefit of hindsight to know how wise it is.
You may not be to the point of full blown addiction, but I can promise you if you continue on even the amount your doing ( not saying you're going to) you will end up addicted in short order.
I've read countless (hundreds) of stories about benzo addiction/wds, so I can say with the upmost confidence having experience and research on my side.
I am currently living what Frazzled1990 just iterated.
Benzo wds are super strange, man. To say they aren't linear is an understatement.
Just when I thought I might be seeing a bit of improvement, in some ways it's been like I am starting all over again with novel side effects being introduced.
Whatever benefits I got from benzos I am paying back with interest. There truly is no free ride.
Without experiencing them, I'm not sure one can fully imagine how ridiculously sucky it is to be in benzo wds for almost a month ( that's as far as I have got anyways) and feel like there is no hope in sight for them to end. I shudder to think this may go on for months.
(Taking even a 5% risk of having to deal with them is just not worth it,
that's my experience/opinion anyways.)
That's the thing with benzo wds, it takes that progressive and organic hope of getting better away from you.
That hope/feeling of improvement is something you can depend on in opiate wds to a lot of times get you through. It's just not there with benzo wds. You have to artificially manufacture your hope. You have to keep telling yourself it will end at some point even if you at times don't believe it. That, and focus on the days or times of the day when wds are milder. For me it is the later part of the afternoon and evenings ( I do get hit late sometimes, tho)
srry to ramble on, but I just want you to understand what you are very likely signing up for if you did unfortunately get yourself addicted to benzos. A deal with the devil really isn't a far off analogy, and we all know the devil gets his dues.
If I had to pick one to go through between opiate and benzo wds it would be opioid wd.
Opioid wds are probably physically more intense ( although that is debatable), but you know how the end game is going to go.
That and you don't have the oscillating psychosis.
I'm sorry about you stomach issues. I have had my own stomach issues and I know how frustrating it can be to not be able to find out what's causing your issues.
Benzos can help with acute conditions, but the trick is to not use them in a manner that you become addicted. This is a trick I'm not sure very many can pull off ( for sure not someone with an addictive personality)
And lastly, if you do ever have to quit taking the benzos for whatever reason I can almost guarantee your stomach issues are going to be worse.
Good luck and I really hope you and your doctor can get to the root of your stomach problems.