Coming off Valium

[Matthew Booth]

Hello everyone I am new here and am in a need of support =)
Last time I saw my Mental health Doctor ( 2 months ago ) I was given a prescription in which I have lost and he will not re write due to the fact it is a controlled substance. ( I live in Illinois )


For the past 6 months I have been taking .5mg ( half a 10 mg) tablet maybe once or twice a day . I don't rlly have panic attacks anymore , but I would pop one if I began to feel light headed.
My next fill is not due until the 14th of April. A part of me is very nervous for Withdraws. But he assured me with that low of a dose i shouldn't have anything fearful. He said this may be a good test to see if I was using Valium as a crutch And perhaps see how I do without. I would like to stop the med but I have taken benzos for about 3 years soooo I am nervous! Any advice or people whom have gone thro the same? Thank you!


Bless,
Matthew

[gypsylee]

Hi Matthew :)

Yep I stopped Valium cold turkey after many years of being on it. I don't recommend everyone do that but I reckon the horror stories of benzo withdrawal are exaggerated. I had trouble sleeping obviously and felt a bit uncomfortable but other than that I found it surprisingly easy. I think it depends on the person and where you're at, but 5-10mg a day isn't a huge amount so I think you'll be ok. Some of the other benzos like Xanax are much harder to stop.

Good luck,
Gypsy x

[Matthew Booth]

Thank you so much for the reply! Ya been on them for three years now. And I do want to quit , I dont even get panic attacks anymore. Just light headedness . So I took half of the 10 mg daily . Now that I have 3 left im taking half of half and it will ease me.....i think perhaps its all in my mind at this point. How long did it take you?

I am also sure it does not help i drink nothing but Mt.Dew....Thanks again!

[gypsylee]

It didn't take me any time because I just stopped. I couldn't get an appointment with a doctor for some reason and after freaking out a bit I decided it just wasn't worth the hassle. So I thought I'd see how I went without the Valium and it wasn't as bad as I thought, so I just kept going. Dr Google will tell you all sorts of horrible things happen but I just had insomnia and a bit more anxiety than normal.

Yeah the psychological addiction can be worse than the physical. I'm the sort of person that as soon as something stressful happens I want a drink/Valium/whatever, so I had to learn to cope without chemical help. If you're in an ok frame of mind, like you say you don't get panic attacks anymore, it could be a good time to stop :)

[Matthew Booth]

Thank you so much <3

[nf1234]

Doesn't sound like it will be bad for you but stick to Dr's advice. I do not recommend going cold turkey. This can be VERY dangerous. Do it the right way and you should be good!