Personally I think tapering that long is overkill and will just hurt you in the end. So you are taking 4-10 mg of Xanax daily for 40'ish days. What I would do is take the minimum dose needed for me to get thru the day, maybe spacing out the doses into a greater frequency but smaller amount. Once I got to a lower dose I would sit solid on that dose for a week maybe and then taper/stabilize.
I'm in agreement. I have decided to increase the weekly taper reduction to 20 mg Valium equivalence instead of 10 (perhaps adding an additional taper mid-week to achieve this doubled reduction), and keep each Stage limited to 1 week. So this will effectively double my reduction in half the time, resulting in a 55 mg Valium dependence in 14 weeks! Then I can begin Schedule II.
I will then do the same thing with the Ashton Protocol Schedule II for the Valium taper. Double the weekly tapering reduction to 4 mg, and limit each Stage to 1 week. Resulting in a benzo free me in a further 26 weeks, for a total of 40 weeks! Which is still 280 days, or 8 times as long as my (ab)use. Which just seems absurd. 280 days to taper off a 25 day binge? No. Must be a better way.
I think the Ashton method is very long and drawn out. I was thinking about it, made the switch to Valium but then I was a little disgusted with the large amount of pills I was dealing with, klonopin equivalence was roughly 100-120 mgs a day. Ended up switching back to klonopin I was also taking Ativan 2-4mgs a day. My taper in the beginning was rapid as I think larger drops in dosages in the beginning is soooo much easier to get away with.
I wont summarily dismiss the Ashton Protocol as the author has an Honours in Physiology, and a Doctorate of Medicine. She has worked extensively in this very field for over 60 years and exclusively ran a benzo withdrawal clinic for 12 years! Her qualifications for this problem I am facing are second to none. That said, there are variables and factors in my individual circumstance which must be considered.
With a 40 days of using Xanax I would be VERY hesitant extending the taper any longer than needed. I don't even know truthfully what I would recommend because high doses always bring a seizure chance but I would think you could be beginning to be stabilized on 2 mgs in 2 weeks or close to it. From there I would taper and start to try and skip days, stretching out dosing times and be down to 1 mg in 3-4 weeks. And just continue stretching my doses. It might be uncomfortable but IMO you can't ever get comfortable on benzo detoxes.
And this is the main variable that has great influence in this situation. We're talking about a 35 day "binge." Albeit with rapidly escalating massive doses. With that said, I don't see the efficacy or clinical evidence to suggest a 40 week taper to withdraw from a 35 day binge. That results in another 280 days of use; 8 times more use than what led me to this place. Bad logic, bad math.
I firmly believe a more aggressive taper reduction, and reduced Stages of tapering will enable complete withdrawal without suffering the physical symptoms that have crippled me the last 48 hours.
More importantly than that, despite my ridiculously high (singular) dose, 35 successive days of use I am speculating would elicit far less neurological adaptations than several years of concurrent use, notwithstanding my large singular doses. So why protract this period of use, which will afford more time to the benzos to elicit neurological alterations, which will only require more time after the final dose for neural pathways to return to normal? It seems counter-intuitive.
Oh i forgot about the Valium, I used to get sooo wrapped up in my tapers it was ridiculous looking back on it. Definitely try to switch to a long acting benzo for the finale of the taper.
Will do. I will be following Schedule I & II of the Ashton Protocol but with more aggressive weekly taper reductions ( 200% ) and limit each Stage to 1 week only. This still results in 40 weeks in total to taper off Xanax and Valium to a benzo free me, which is still 800% longer than my abuse period. So I am still researching and striving to reduce this to a maximum of twice as long at a maximum, i.e. 35 days abuse - 75 days withdrawal taper; at a maximum!
Any suggestions would be very much appreciated.
I still think you need to see the Doc. It's highly doubtful He/She will cut you off as they know the health risks involved. You may have to deal with a reduced dose for a while, and you may feel pretty beat up for a few weeks, maybe even a month, but you can do it... I just don't think you should do it without medical supervision.
According to my extensive research into the Ashton Protocol the likeliness of seizure, coma, or death is virtually non-existent. Yes, I plan on making significant alterations to the standard method, but will use subjective measures (physical & mental state) to ascertain whether my dosage reduction is too aggressive, or if I need to increase each Stage to the optional 2 weeks.
I have too much at stake (Nationals, training, maintenance of my 5.5 GPA) to facilitate prolonged physical withdrawals such as the like I experienced the last couple of days and nights. I have been completely incapacitated and this is unacceptable. I would imagine that if seizures, coma or death possessed a numerical advantage, then the 2 day rapid cessation from a week of 10 mg singular nightly doses- a culmination of a 5 week rapidly escalating benzo abuse from 4 mg to the absurd 10 - would have showed its hand during these last horrible two days. I was in an indescribable state, but I don't believe I suffered any seizures, nor am I in a coma or dead.
Your next battle will be sticking to the taper schedule that is prescribed without falling back into your old level of usage. Benzos are highly addictive physically, but there's that mental thing too... just sayin' ...you may need some additional recovery support afterwards.
When finally passionate enough to apply myself to a certain objective. I am mentally very, very determined. My discipline and motivation is reflective of my addictive personality. Take my heroin addiction in my teens for example. I kicked it cold turkey (in a sense - commenced marijuana use) and never returned. I refocused my addictive/compulsive characteristic to Weightlifting, dietary obsessiveness (organic produce, never consumed fast foods - everything self-prepared for
several years), abstained from all deleterious substances; alcohol, cigarettes, drugs, would not even ingest paracetamol or get antibiotics when ill, and became a National level competitor - the discipline and mental fortitude to endure this is exceptionally high. During the next 10 years, despite my absence of any respectable former education - left school in grade 9 - I studied and researched enough pertaining to Physiology and Physiotherapy in my own time so that when I applied to University to commence a Bachelor of Clinical Exercise Physiology I submitted a dissertation with my application that compelled the Head Director of Physiotherapy to call me up for an interview. Keep in mind, despite being a mature age student at this time, which allows access to a select few degrees (all of insignificance really) PT and EP do not belong to this group. He performed a quick examination, and requested I write a short research paper as he doubted I had no assistance with my initial submission. He then offered me a place in the Clinical EP degree immediately. I've maintained a 5.5 GPA and transferred to Physiotherapy this year.
My mental fortitude can be strong when it is something
I WANT. And my initial objective in Xanax was purely for self-medication of insomnia. Not the best drug for it, but it was all I had access to at the time. When I had my first visit with my shrink he prescribed me Xanax for Panic Attacks and GAD - a highly competitive athlete and a student undertaking a 94+ ATAR degree having not been in shcool for 15 years results in some sort of pathological conditions. Mine being GAD, but more specifically, and of more concern was the insomnia.
Due to my prime physical condition, and bodyweight, I'm assuming this necessitated the initial 4 mg dose, which rapidly increased through daily use to obtain the desired knock out effect to get to sleep and remain asleep. We're all aware of the rapid increase in tolerance of benzodiazepines when administered daily.
I realize my folly in trying to self-medicate, especially with using a completely inappropriate drug. But my insomnia had reached a point where it was adversely effecting my training and academic performance and I could net get in to see a Psych for 2 months, so I foolishly took matters into my own hands.
Despite my intense hatred for drugs, particularly uppers, since my heroin addiction as a teenager, I also took to chasing the unusual Xanax
euphoric high, which I am sure played a part in my rapid dose increase - the beloved addictive personality that is both a gift when used productively, and a curse when used negatively.
I am going to phone an old Dr. tomorrow who I have tremendous trust and affinity with, despite not having seen him for nearly 5 years. I am doing this as I know I will be completely honest with him, I will not omit any details and he has 30+ years of medical diagnostics, a passion for his profession, and a genuine concern for helping his patients. I will run my planned adjusted Ashton Protocol by him to ascertain his professional medical opinion, and I know if he is not confident in his experience with benzo withdrawals that he will recommend me to someone he trusts, and is confident will be able to develop an efficient and effective protocol to withdraw from this terrible drug.
Remember 35 days, albeit it at a ridiculously high single dose for the last 3 weeks
will require a modified treatment plan compared to a withdrawal of several years of (ab)use. Which is what the globally acknowledged and medically qualified Ashton Protocol is designed to treat, and what the majority of advice I've found through searching this forum and even some of the replies in here generically present.
editing...
Feeling
much better tonight. I've had my three 3 mg doses (9:30/2:30/7:30). I had 20 mg OC ER with my early afternoon Xanax dose, and another 20 mg OC ER about an hour ago. Tomorrow begins with the same first two doses, but only 2.5 mg Xanax plus 10 mg Valium for my evening/night dose, which will extend for a 6 days to complete Week 1! I'm excited.
I've been drinking litres of bottled water mixed with lemon, honey, leucine, l-glutamine, glycine, and l-alanine. I wish I had some coconut water. I made a 2 litre smoothie with 90 gm whey, 500 gm berries, a couple bananas and some l-glutamine, and a full can of organic coconut cream, plus several raw egg yolks. I managed to slowly ingest it throughout the day without causing any stomach upset, diarrhea or vomiting. So I'm finally getting some healthy nutrients! I've had two doses of the recommended calcium+magnesium supplement, and the Vitamin C in calcium ascorbate form. I've had three doses of Cod Liver Oil, and one serving of hydralyte (better alternative to the recommended sports drinks). I've had a couple doses of Immodium, and a few doses of aspirin.
Just wanted to mention that the advice given has been heeded, and to positive effect. So thank you, legitimate, Venrak (as always, you're an invaluable contributor) and Fresco in particular as your advice is scientifically supported, and has thus far proven beneficial.
China, you make some points that comport with my views, and I appreciate you voicing an opinion contrary to the generic advice often given. You realize this is a highly individual situation with 2 very influential variables (the brevity of use culminating in a final 3 weeks of an enormous singular dose) that
must necessitate an alternative method of withdrawal treatment. I would appreciate if you would elaborate and if we could collectively establish a custom tapering schedule to reduce the taper period to no more than 200% (70 days) of my abuse period. It seems counter-intuitive to extend benzo use on a withdrawal taper allowing for further potential neural alterations
if not necessary, i.e. if a more aggressive, concise withdrawal period can be effected without presenting the torturesque physical withdrawal symptoms this would provide the most efficacy in mitigating further neurological alterations and expediting return of neural pathways to "normal".
*See Original Post for updates to modified withdrawal plan which is still open to suggestions for improvement. Thanks.
