Benzos Does this self-taper make any sense? Will it reduce seizure risk?

[ReggieTheCat]

So i've been bingeing on benzos on and off for much of my life. My last binge has been going on for about a month and a half - 2 months, which is much longer than usual. Been using:

etizolam powder (whatever amount i felt sufficed)
zopiclone 7.5 mg x 10 .... 5 binges (i realize it's a non-benzo, but its my drug of choice and works on similar/same receptors i believe)
lorazepam 6mg ... 2 binges
oxazepam 13 x 15mg tabs for the last 2 days

i also should mention i take mirtazapine 15 mg each night for sleep daily.

i'm getting really worried and am scared that i will have a seizure and i know i need to stop this now since things are going downhill quick and i just lost my job (which was really sweet... artist manager for a 'notable' artist) due to my erratic behavior (and poor memory...)

I have 59 15 mg oxazepam left. Will the following taper help at all? Will it reduce my risk of seizure/any other serious withdrawals? I realize that this will cause wd symptoms regardless, but will it actually help prevent any significant & serious w/d's?

DAY - # TABS OF 15 MG OXAZEPAM
Day 1 - 12
Day 2 - 7
Day 3 - 6
Day 4 - 6
Day 5 - 5
Day 6 - 5
Day 7 - 4
Day 8 -3
Day 9 - 2
Day 10 - 1
Day 11 - 1

I haven't been depressed since I was a teen, but I'm feeling it all over again. I'm very scared right now.
Thanks Bluelight for existing.

 

[.:Holy::Toast:.]

That's a fairly quick taper, you will probably enter full withdrawals at that rate.
If that's all you have left I imagine you'll have to deal with WD's regardless
Benzo tapers are usually over the course of several months.
I'd talk to a doctor if you could, since benzo withdrawal can be fatal they should be able to help you, as long as you don't abuse your script again, you must be committed to quitting

 

[AlphaMethylPhenyl]

You need to see a doctor and get a taper going.

 

[brutus]

Use the Ashton Manual and adjust your dosage accordingly.

 

[ReggieTheCat]

Alright, fuck it... I'm just gonna continue my binge and take 7 x 15 mg a day for the next 5 days then see my doctor on Thursday when I'm back from my trip and come clean to him. I'm sure he will get me on a proper taper program. I really can't believe that I haven't had a seizure yet considering I've been bingeing on and off since I was 16 and now I'm 23. One day my luck will run out, so I want to do this properly for once and stop this shit. It barely even gives me a buzz anymore. I should also mention that I've been drinking with the oxazepam since I find it to be so weak (about 4-6 shots a day for the last week). I should've just stayed a stoner the whole time.

 

[Cadamec]

Alright, fuck it... I'm just gonna continue my binge and take 7 x 15 mg a day for the next 5 days then see my doctor on Thursday when I'm back from my trip ....

That's the same stinkin thinkin that got you in trouble with benzos in the first place. Start a slow tape that lasts at least 4 -6 weeks. Consult your doc and let him know.

By starting it on your own, you will know exactly how much trouble you are in with benzos by looking at how well you can discipline yourself on the trip with a slower taper.

 

[ReggieTheCat]

That's the same stinkin thinkin that got you in trouble with benzos in the first place. Start a slow tape that lasts at least 4 -6 weeks. Consult your doc and let him know.

By starting it on your own, you will know exactly how much trouble you are in with benzos by looking at how well you can discipline yourself on the trip with a slower taper.

Really?? Would it not be safer to just wait until I see my doctor in 5 days and tell him exactly what I've been up to? Should I not trust his judgement over mine? With the 35 pills of oxazepam I have left, it seems that any self-taper would be done too quickly regardless. I'm really not sure though. Any other thoughts

 

[AlphaMethylPhenyl]

Take just enough to stem withdrawal and get to a doctor asap.

 

[Cadamec]

I am not talking about tapering on the schedule you posted. Just cut out it down by 25% for 3 to 5 days.

That way you leave yourself a few extras in case you can't see the doc in exactly 5 days.

 

[ReggieTheCat]

I am not talking about tapering on the schedule you posted. Just cut out it down by 25% for 3 to 5 days.

That way you leave yourself a few extras in case you can't see the doc in exactly 5 days.

Ah, I see what you're saying. Yeah, I'm going to make sure I save enough in case I can't see my doc in exactly 5 days but I've never had the problem of not getting an appt with him whenever I want. He's quite good that way.

As for my lack of self-control, I'm gonna have to act like a child when my doc gives me a taper schedule and give the pills to my dad to dispense daily. I've tried the taper thing once before when I was taking up to 15 x 7.5 mg zopiclone and I couldn't seem to stick to my schedule. Plus, the doctor I had back then would generously give me 50 7.5 mg zopiclone + 50 lorazepam pretty much any time I had booked appt with him. My new doc just won't do that, I'm sure of this.

Even 7 x 15 mg oxazepam a day is barely gonna get me through the 5 days considering I've been taking almost double that dose for the last week... that includes today when I took 16 of them and I can still feel withdrawal symptoms. That's pretty fucked up eh? I think it was the etizolam powder in particular that made my tolerance sky rocket.

Benzos have pretty much destroyed my life which was pretty awesome not too long ago. Everything has fallen apart and I'm extremely depressed. Mirtazapine obviously doesn't work for me as an anti-depressant, so I think I just need to be off all meds. I've tried tons of anti-depressants and none work. Fuck, I couldn't even count all the meds I've been on in the last 7-8 years.

 

[username13]

Just yesteday you posted that you had 59? Now you say thirty five? Im no expert on taper schedules but figuring out your dose is usually how people start those things then go from there. If you are going to get to a doc good thing, maybe keep a detailed journal of your usage and symptoms. Best of luck, sorry to hear about the depression hang in there.