Tortuous weaning off valium

A definitely rough year you must have had, I am sorry to hear how you have suffered from going down to 5 mg. from 20 mg., this is a huge taper to endure. I would like to know if you were tapering your Valium with a doctor’s help, specifically a doctor or other medical professional who has experience with this kind of thing. Sadly there are more and more of us that are struggling like you with the same symptoms due to benzo withdrawal and there are numerous brands with different durations but the addictive side is probably the same. I also hear many people say that they can’t sleep and that’s stressful so it makes everything harder. I’m not a medical professional, just another person who’s also trying to get off this medication..have you mentioned your problem sleeping to the doctor, maybe you need something else to help you cope better…I hope that you can get more help and that you feel better soon.

Thank you for your kind reply. Yes, I’ve always had medical supervision when it came to tapering but sadly most have little understanding of insomnia. Tried so many different approaches. Finally, this addiction doc has been great, understanding that I got into this mess only because I have always had insomnia and use the med strictly for sleep. Honestly, it is pure hell. I sometimes forget that I’m not alone on this journey. Thanks for the reminder.

There’s really no need, comfort in numbers can only go so far when it comes to personal pain.

My question is: did you want to go off valium? Did you experience negative consequences while taking it for so many years?
If the answers to both questions are NO, maybe its a "if it's not broke don't fix it scenario"?

To your question, yes I want off the damn stuff. First of all the tolerance build up is very rapid so you’re continually increasing the meds. Secondly, they’re really not meant for sleep. And last, I hate having become addicted to it .. the sleepless nights are intolerable but I want to clear out my system and see whether I can reset my sleep pattern. After all, I’ve been on it for over twenty years.

I’ve read cases that had the same issue as you, it’s curious as to why you were given benzodiazepines for sleep problems, they aren’t typically prescribed for this reason, it’s no surprise that you’re suffering. I understand your need to stop this medication and find help with improving your sleep…if you continue with the withdrawal perhaps a sleep medication might be helpful, you’re tired and frustrated due to withdrawal and lack of sleep. The journey to get off Valium is very long to be successful but sleeping better will make you stronger and more tolerant to the withdrawal symptoms, I hope you will find what it takes for you to be able to succeed with this.

I’m well aware that benzos aren’t designated as sleep meds, believe me. I was initially given ambien which were no more efficient thanM and Ms. Other, weaker sleep meds followed. Hence, my sleep doc decided upon benzos. I’ve been using the Ashton these past thirteen months which I think is the best route for me. You are exactly correct in your description of how I feel daily, but I must continue…I must continue. I’m aware that I’ll falter again and again before this ordeal is over, cheating a mg or two on occasional nights and extending the agony only to get an extra hour of sleep once every two or three weeks but that’s the best of the evils that I can offer myself. Sounds crazy,I know but you’ve never been in my shoes. Take care

I'm a retired teacher too. I'm 75. I've taken Ambien off and on for years but doctors don't like to prescribe it. They say I'll grow dependent on it. Who cares? I'm 75! If I were 35, I'd understand! My new doctor gave me a prescription for Trazodone but it didn't do the job. I've taken gabapentin and it just made me dizzy. I don't care if I become dependent on a sleep medication at my age. so...I'm going to ask her to at least give me a prescription for 15 tabs of 5mg rather than 30. Last night was brutal!

Truly understand. Wish ambien worked for me. Brutal nights are a standard for me so you have my sympathies.

My name is Steve and I am 72. I was on Clonozapam for 4 years. I finally got with a group that does micro-tapers. That worked for a while but then had to switch to Valium to continue my micro-taper. I became too tolerant of the Clonozapam. Yes, chronic insomnia is the worst. I in a weeks time I can have descent sleep or bad sleep. And it builds until your body crashes and you get that one good night of sleep. Then it starts over again. I work with a group that seem to know a lot about getting off benzos but they aren’t cheap. However they offer 24/7 communication through it all. It’s all done online.