Benzos Valium Withdrawl Cold Turkey Was To Much

[andyboy]

Im currently been taking valium every day since i chucked the booze. I have problems with them before but didnt mix them with alcohol. But since i finshed a librium detox for alcohol i've been taking any were in the region of 4-6 10mg tablets a day, for the last say 3 months of which id say I was comfortable with 4 tablets daily. I only take them to relax and kill anxiety. Don't even get the giddish feeling from a couple. I have a high tolerance to them and dont want to up the does as in past experiences, keep saying ill get off them, but do more planning than action. But ive decided enoughs enough. I'm currently on antabuse (diulfuriam) and don't even know if they show be mixed with benzos. I've been to my community drugs team and the girl ther tealt me to record a diary of how many i've been taking see her again after a week but i've slept in for 2 appointments think mixing them with the, antabuse and cannabis causing the lathargy but now to see her this thursday afternoon ive been taking between 4 then was taking closer to 6 last week so i think i can stable myself on 4 for the next 5 days with no real headache. But then i want to reduce obviously im gonna listen to what she has to say in terms of detox but would dropping by 5mg every 5-7 days till im at 0mg be safe enough and not gonna give me serious withdrawls. I am sick of waking up every morning reaching for a valium bottle and want to start action instaed of just talk. I went to my doctor and he tealt me to stop them altogether or cut down to 2 tablets daily. I have since tried what he told me and went complete cold turkey (not reccomended) for a whole week the first few days where bareable, but by day 3 it was getting bad and on day 5 i was taking mild panic attacks my life was becoming unberable, hyper-sensitivity, complete fuzziness in my head, was like a full on bad trip, shakey sweaty, scared to go over the door and had panic mild attacks, when visitng a friend he tealt me what i was doing was cray and said also very dangerous he could see i was a wreck and gave me 2 diazepam 10 mg. I took one it took the edge of things a bit then swallowed the other i wasnt back to normal by any means but was back to mild bareable withdrawls. I have went and got 50 tablets and wonder if anyone can give me a guideline as how to get 0mg comfortably. I am willing to suffer mild withdralws but they where strting to be unmanagable when i went cold turkey. I think i could cut to 2 tablets a day for now and suffer a little. But the way i was after week with none i couldn't cope or deal with much. Any help or guide would be appreciated. I am going back to my community drugs team my Doctor isnt gonna help much he said i should be able to stop or even half the dosage. HELPP....

 

[blackjesus]

technically to be addicted to a substances, as outline in DSM-IV, the substance or activity in questions (could be gambling) must be over a prolonged period of six months and be affecting your sustainability, your everyday routines and ability to function normally for yourself. i'd give it just a few more months, personally.

 

[andyboy]

technically to be addicted to a substances, as outline in DSM-IV, the substance or activity in questions (could be gambling) must be over a prolonged period of six months and be affecting your sustainability, your everyday routines and ability to function normally for yourself. i'd give it just a few more months, personally.

Do you mean I should give the cold turkey another few months because i fealt it was getting worse a couldnt cope i could manage another few weeks but it was becoming unbareable. If I was to cut to say half (2x10) would i only be prolonging this or is it going to lesson the withdrawl. I really wasnt being able to cope unless i just satayed indoors but i am supposed to going back to college in a few weeks only 2 days a week and now i could never mange that. I takes me all my time to get out to get my antabuse.

 

[monstanoodle]

First off, it's good that you're going to take action on this
Second, no there's no bad interaction from taking both Diazepam and Disulfiram together (it stops the process which converts Ethanol in the body rather than being a GABA Antagonist

Thirdly, it's definitely a better idea to taper your dose down slowly than to try have at it cold-turkey again. It's a sure fire way to fail as Benzo withdrawal is one of (if not the) hardest substances to go through withdrawal from (as you've found out).

I'm gunna give you a page which will be a fucking life saver to anyone who is planning to taper from Benzos :
The Ashton Protocol

This includes all the information you could possibly need including a really precise and detailed proceedure for tapering your dose

One thing I'd like to add is make sure you take it slowly, and where possible, use Diazepam and it's metabolite Nordazepam's long half-life in your favour by going for two days between each dose when you get your mgs down by a good amount

Good luck mate! And remember that we're here for advice and support always

 

[monstanoodle]

technically to be addicted to a substances, as outline in DSM-IV, the substance or activity in questions (could be gambling) must be over a prolonged period of six months and be affecting your sustainability, your everyday routines and ability to function normally for yourself. i'd give it just a few more months, personally.

The DSM isn't the be-all-and-end-all when it comes to mental health / drug addiction. Infact, more often than not, the diagnosis tools are stupidly specific and we all know that things are never as simple as that.

I don't think he should take his addiction lightly to be honest

 

[andyboy]

Thanks mate for the advice. I am going back to my community drugs team tomorrow just made an appointment. She tealt me on the phone what i was doing was dangerous. I already knew this i have tried to stop before. But my Doctor wasnt much help he was sying I should be able to stop as i dont need them like to see him try it if it was him. I will get more of a guided detox from her and will read the article you sent cheers. I am more determined than ever especially after going a week with nothing its quite scary to see how bad witdrawls can get. Thanks again

 

[fivelinefury]

Cutting Valium cold turkey is fucked, can be extremely dangerous. I've been physically/mentally addicted to it for 6 years, and it has caused a shit load of problems in my life (along with other benzos). I have always drank alot of alcohol also, which is dangerous, but i've been extremely lucky after a couple of overdoses and car accidents. The only way to get off diazepam i beleive is as slow as you possibly can. I was up to taking 100mg - 150mg daily for 2-3 years (too hard to remember). After finally trying to dig myself outta this hole starting almost 11 months ago, I have finally been stablised to 15mg valium daily for the past couple of months. I failed probably 100 times, but when I look back this was probably due to trying too fast. I want to be off them fully, eventhough i'm on nothing at all compared to what I was, but I know it just has to be done slow, since I still never feel the same today.

 

[fivelinefury]

^^
Good luck mate. I had a doctor which was no help because they wouldn't perscribe me what I needed over the long period of time to slowly taper off, but yeah finding a good doctor which I was very lucky too is the way. With the Valium, maybe you should say that you need a tapering schedulle to avoid withdrawals because its impossible and dangerous to stop cold turkey.

 

[andyboy]

Thanks mate. I took one tablet today and smoked a spliff. I feel so much more relaxed today and will only take another if i need to and after a weak of cold turkey I now what really need is as before i had never really experinced proper withdrawls like that. So will only take another one if it gets really bad.

 

[monstanoodle]

Thanks mate for the advice. I am going back to my community drugs team tomorrow just made an appointment. She tealt me on the phone what i was doing was dangerous. I already knew this i have tried to stop before. But my Doctor wasnt much help he was sying I should be able to stop as i dont need them like to see him try it if it was him. I will get more of a guided detox from her and will read the article you sent cheers. I am more determined than ever especially after going a week with nothing its quite scary to see how bad witdrawls can get. Thanks again

Yer welcome man

Yea, what yer doc did was utterly fucking stupid. You could have easily had a seizure and, even if not, it's a shitting horrible position to be in. I coulda kicked them in the nuts

And to be honest it might be a good thing that you went through such harsh withdrawals as the process of tapering will seem tame in comparison

 

[fivelinefury]

Good to hear ya more relaxed. Yeah the withdrawals are what always kept me on Valium. I just made the huge mistake of not stopping for years and needing to always increase the dose, until no longer being able to function a few months back

 

[andyboy]

Yer welcome man

Yea, what yer doc did was utterly fucking stupid. You could have easily had a seizure and, even if not, it's a shitting horrible position to be in. I coulda kicked them in the nuts

And to be honest it might be a good thing that you went through such harsh withdrawals as the process of tapering will seem tame in comparison

My mates words exactly. He said however tealt you to go cold turkey needs a good kick in the nuts. I mean he could have saved my life with risks of sezures and fits.

 

[monstanoodle]

Yea he sounds like a true professional
Seen in the wilds of GP Clinics and known as Doctorus Doucheous baggus...

 

[andyboy]

I worked out a withdrawl plan im going to cut 5mg ever 2 weeks or would i be better cutting down 2.5mg a week I cant get 2mg tablets so I would need to just half the 5mg tablets I got. I am taking 20mg just now and comfortable enough with that. Is this to quick am willing to suffer a little after the week of cold turkey from 40mg to nothing a day it cant get as bad as that again surely.

 

[Levvytation]

Andyboy,

First of all, congrats on kicking the booze. I was in a similar situation a few years ago, my drinking was completely out of control at the time due to problems in my life (long term relationship broke down leaving me a single dad of a 10 year old, my dad died & my mum found out she had breast cancer, all this over the same year). So I ordered benzo's from an online pharmacy...I'm UK-based, so no chance of getting them from the doctor...it would have been a detox unit or nothing.

They worked in getting my drinking problem under control, but I was taking both at the same time for a while, *stupidly*, but eventually I stopped the drinking for a few months with the help of the benzo's. Then I decided to kick the benzo's cold turkey (I didn't know much about them at the time, just that they would prevent the alcohol DT's), and the backlash was horrendous, as you have found out.

TAPERING BENZO'S IS ESSENTIAL! Do it at your own pace, one that is comfortable for you, no matter how long it takes. And if needs be, change your doctor. Doctors don't know everything!

And remember, you're not alone...millions of people have been/are in your situation. And DON'T LET ANYONE MAKE YOU FEEL GUILTY.

Good luck, and keep coming here for help/advise/support, there are many Bluelighters who know from personal experience what its like to feel how you are now...

 

[phatass]

its recommended t drop by 10% per week or 10% per 2 weeks depending on how sensetive you are, it takes a long time for your gaba receptors te readapt to a lower dosage of benzodiazepine intake.... it will take longer.. but its the safest, least painfull way to do it..

good luck

 

[andyboy]

thanks a lot for all your help and support Im going to try and get hold of some 2mg and taper slower. say 1mg a week. but im ok just now just sticking to 20mg and feeling alright. thats half of what i was taking just over a week ago after i went cold turkey for a week.

 

[skn]

eh if you had a stash of klonopin it would help quite a bit and u could prolly catch a buzz at that