Valium (diazepam) Taper

@falon Yes, it is a bit scary, but, it is also a bit exciting as well. So much is awaiting discovery. Who am I going to be without the diazepam in my bloodstream wreaking havoc with my body? How am I going to feel? Will the world seem different, bigger, brighter? What new things might I accomplish that I could not have done before? Last year was taken from me as the darkness became all consuming, but, I am looking forward to seeing what this year holds in store and I'm determined to make it better. How long have you been on Clonazepam? I hope you are not having any major difficulties with symptoms of withdrawal. I have had my share as I have previous stated, and they haven't been easy, but, I am proud of myself for keeping on with the taper in spite of the discomfort. The next 6 weeks will probably fly by and you will be finished with your taper before you know. it. It is scary, but, as I wrote at the beginning of this post, it is also a bit exciting to think of beginning this new chapter. Good luck to you. I wish you all the very best in your benzo journey. Btw,next week is my last week. I don't know what to expect when I am finally no longer taking diazepam, but, I guess I will be finding out and I will have to take my own advice if things get ugly for awhile, huh? Keep positive and think of it as a new beginning.

To those tapering off benzodiazepines... I have found the world to be a brighter place with my senses free to feel again. Wishing all strength on this journey.

You are lucky. My husband's " know it all" doctor REFUSED to switch my husband to Valium from xanax, even when I gave him information on the web site to check out. He refused to even check it out! Well, my husband weaned himself off of Xanax, months slower than his doctor told him to, but he ended up being one of the " lucky" ones to develop pronged Benson withdrawal syndrome. It has been living HELL the past 25 months of the withdrawal symptoms, not only for him but for me and his children, grandchildren and friends. I am SO SICK of going to doctors and being told that it is either in his head or that they have no idea what is causing it. A muscle test showed decreased impulse from nerves to muscles and a full body EMG showed numerous areas of muscle fasciculations, but no known cause according to them! Why the hell doesn't the medical establishment RECOGNIZE a problem that they caused? Mainly, putting my husband on Xanax for 23 years!

@ejezbeta Ooh! That sounds horrible! I am so sorry for your husband and for you and the rest of your family! I can't understand why your doctor would not listen or even look at the literature you gave him, but, I can easily understand your frustration. I experienced much frustration of my own when nobody seemed to want to listen to me as I spoke over and over again about the anxiety I was experiencing every morning upon arising and that was slowly crippling me. I knew something was wrong, but, I had no idea what, and instead of listening and investigating, I was referred to a doctor whose method of treatment consisted of throwing more pills down my throat. So, yes, I can well empathize with you and how you must feel. This is definitely not in your husband's head any more than it was in mine, and this must be very discouraging for him and you both to have to endure. Twenty three years is way too long for anyone to be on Xanax as was 25 years for me to be on Diazepam. I commend your husband for weaning himself off of the Xanax as I know how difficult my taper has been. That took a lot of strength on his part, a lot of willpower, but, it's a shame he had to do it on his own. At least he had you there by his side, as difficult as this has been. I personally don't know how anybody can go through this without support of some sort. I just wish you had some sort of support, too. Feel free to message me again if you'd like. I'm always willing to lend an ear, or, in this case, an eye, as well as eight fingers and two thumbs. if there is any way that some good can come out of the hell I have lived through, then my suffering won't be in vain.

I have finished my taper. I am now four days diazepam free. I still have a difficult time in the mornings and I'm wondering if that will ever end, but, the afternoons do tend to get easier, though, I did have symptoms into the evening on Tuesday night. Buzzing, shaking, typical benzo withdrawal. It's a nasty feeling to have that, but, I guess it's my body's way of saying that I am healing from this toxin that was eating away at my brain as I tried to go about my life until the anxiety began. I can't wait until the day comes when I can awaken and feel good again, look forward to a new day again instead of wishing it weren't upon me.

@wonderwoman66 Hooray! You did it! Congratulations! So happy for you.

I just clicked on that icon next to the heart. Oh gosh, what does that mean?

@georgette12 It just means you bookmarked that page that the posts are on.

@wonderwoman66 You will get there. I have been off the diazepam for at least 6 months. It is different not having something to calm me. Still I feel better as I can feel things now and it is okay.
I have the same thing with the morning anxiety. I try to get busy doing something. Sometimes music helps and other times it seems to make the anxiety worse. Distraction helps me the most. I love drawing and painting but now having more issues with cervical pain causing severe head pain so cannot be creative like I had been. Struggling with the fears that nothing more can be done to help with the pain. Not looking good for now. Keep hitting dead ends resulting in being referred back to pain specialist and he is not going to do anything either. Yes, the anxiety is hard right now. We just keep doing our best.

But then where do I go to find those bookmarks?