You're making a wise move asking your GP about tapering off. I bet he doesn't concur it's not that addictive.
My biggest fear would be that one day I'd walk into the psychiatrists office and he think I didn't need to be on Valium anymore, just stop writing the script, and think I'd be alright stopping all at once.
The first thing you need to do is keep your dose the same every day. You stated that some nights you "would go on a mini binge & have up to 4x 5mg tablets in the evening if i am suffering from extreme stress & anxiety". I understand about anxiety, but if you're going to be tapering yourself off, every time you back go up in dose you lose ground.
seriously. i had two docs tell me cold turkey was ok but I had done my research and knew from my experience on this forum that this was not so. I finally found a doc that confirmed what I knew. Benzo's MUST BE TAPERED SLOW AND STEADY. I had no problem cold turkeying off large amounts of opiates but this is a different beast all together. Talk to your GP. Work out a taper plan that works for you and stick to it. Remember it only works if you taper down and do NOT abuse them. If you are ok with SSRI's (I am not) then this is a good option for anxiety. Keep posting. We're here for you.
Lu
thanks all for the replies...
I think i will go & see my GP & see how he can help me.
I completely agree with kuku....benzos are a biotch to get off of. I can't even believe that your p-doc says their not addictive....that is completely absurd. I would definitely look into finding someone who can help you with a personalized taper schedule for your situation. Best of luck to you.
Benzodiazepines are Very addictive and the withdrawal symptoms much worse than those from opiates.
I've gone though CT off Xanax, and withdrawals from something like Hydrocodone is like a joyous picnic on a bright and sunny summer day compared to it.
I can hardly believe a doctor would say they weren't very addictive, and the only kind of deal you're getting by seeing him is a bad one.
Hi,
Yes it is Prescribed by my psychiatrist...
The psychiatrist is very adamant about saying it is not very addictive at all & mentions nothing about needing to taper off them (which i think is wrong). He is the only psychiatrist i can see in my area without paying hundreds of dollars...
Hi-
You need to talk to your doc to set up a proper taper schedule. Was the valium prescribed? I am currently tapering- I was on oxazepam and switched to valium because it is easier to taper. My doc has set me on a schedule of decreasing by 2 mg every 8 weeks. Benzo tapers are tricky and pretty individualistic. Do you have an alternate anxiety management plan in place? I can't stress how important it is to do this under the supervision of a doctor. Let me know if you have any questions.
Lu
I read the info on http://www.benzo.org.uk/manual/bzsched.htm#s2
but the graphs are a bit complicated to try to work out a schedule for my situation.
I forgot to mention sometimes i would go on a mini binge & have up to 4x 5mg tablets in the evening if i am suffering from extreme stress & anxiety..
But i have not done that in over a month.