Switching to liquid valium to get off of it...

Wantok wrote:I am a 65 year old woman who has taken benzos since menopause caused insomnia, six years ago. Began on restoril, went up to 15 mg. night. After years changed to diazepam, about 5 mg. night. This has been my dose for over a year, although once in a while when something has been very stressful I have taken more (twice in the last 3 weeks: 7.5 mg and 5 mg). In the last year I have been, without any plan, trying to reduce/get off of the valium. Was diagnosed with mild sleep apnea 3/13 and sleep doc eager to get off valium altogether (as I am for cognition/sleep reasons). Since I thought I didn't have any issues just stopping (and my dosage is small) since I have regularly, but not always, taken these drugs without any apparent side effects, I was not titrating carefully. My blood pressure has been spiking at night and generally higher and erratic and my regular doc thought we should try titration with liquids, so I started liquid diazepam, 2.2 mg, last night (6/22/13).

I have just joined BenzoBuddies and I know there will be experts there, but last night after I took the liquid 2.2 mg I guess I either went to bed without putting on my mask or tore off my mask and unplugged it from the machine (less likely). That was scary when I woke up 3 hours later without my mask on. I have not had hardly any trouble adjusting to the mask and definitely like it for helping to relax and deep breathing meditation, and while I am only in my first month have way exceeded the necessary hours. That is why I figure I basically blacked out without even putting it on, rather than tearing it off. Anyone switched to liquid benzos have any experience to share? Or when titrating down from such a small dosage? (When I took the 2.5 mg pills, nothing like this would happen; the effect is quite mild.) I have had a myriad of non-stop health issues which have caused anxiety, including anxiety about cpap adjustment, so it is hard to know what is happening.

Snuffle-nose wrote:One thing I hate to say...

Guest wrote:

Snuffle-nose wrote:One thing I hate to say...

Why are you shouting?

Snuffle-nose wrote:

Guest wrote:

Snuffle-nose wrote:One thing I hate to say...

Why are you shouting?

Oops!! I didn't mean to shout, I often use big font, as I can't small font as I have really bad eyesight, so I opt out the bigger font. Which I thought was not shouting.......I thought doing caps lock is shouting not big font.....then again I could be wrong...

49er wrote:

Snuffle-nose wrote:

Guest wrote:

Snuffle-nose wrote:One thing I hate to say...

Why are you shouting?

Oops!! I didn't mean to shout, I often use big font, as I can't small font as I have really bad eyesight, so I opt out the bigger font. Which I thought was not shouting.......I thought doing caps lock is shouting not big font.....then again I could be wrong...

You are 100% correct Snuffle-nose.

49er

Snuffle-nose wrote:

Guest wrote:

Snuffle-nose wrote:One thing I hate to say...

Why are you shouting?

Oops!! I didn't mean to shout, I often use big font, as I can't small font as I have really bad eyesight, so I opt out the bigger font. Which I thought was not shouting.......I thought doing caps lock is shouting not big font.....then again I could be wrong...

jules wrote:I would not suggest switching to ambien - people have problems getting off ambien - been there - done that. When a person had a problem getting off ambien the suggestion is to go to valium or clonopin then taper off it. You can have horrendous interdose withdrawal from ambien.

if you have problems with benzos, you will have problems with ambien too. Your body can't tell the difference - again been there - done that.

faustus wrote:bummer wantok, benzo withdrawal is never a pleasant experience. can i just clarify what you're saying? on 2.5mg ORAL diazepam you didn't have an adverse experience like the one you're describing, however, when you switched to the 2.2mg LIQUID you did, yes?

Actually, when I have intermittently not taken valium (or restoril) over the years, I have never had problems. Cold-turkied valium after six months in the 70s and nothing happened. Part of the problem now is I don't know what has exactly happened and what correlates with what because I wasn't paying any attention because I never had had a problem. I don't know exactly when I started to change from 5 mg to 2.5 mg (I used to take the 5 mg in two halves during the night). I think it was during the last six months or a little more. The BP problems date to around 3 months ago, at least that I am aware of. The BP problems pre-date this recent change which is to regularly, without ever missing, take 2.2 mg (just before this I was taking 2.5 tabs, but would miss a night or two or three a week if I could get away with sleeping without it).

a change in dose from 2.5mg to 2.2mg is really negligible, but what you have done is use two different preparations of the same drug. if i were to hazard a guess, i'd say that either the route of administration (oral tablet versus liquid) has altered the pharmacokinetics of the diazepam, resulting in either a higher blood concentration with the 2.2mg liquid in comparison to the 2.5mg tablet, or more likely, a similar peak blood concentration, but a much faster onset of action in the liquid.

can you answer the following for me:

- what other medications are you taking, and have you changed this very recently?
- on the night of the adverse reaction, did you consume any alcohol, sedatives or painkillers?
- the diazepam tablets and liquid -- are they both from reliable sources? e.g. brand name versus overseas generics ordered online?
- do you normally consume the diazepam tablets with food?
- the valium tablets -- they're not sustained release, are they?