Posted by ed_uk on April 8, 2005, at 10:01:56
In reply to Re: benzos, to Ed, posted by Paul Smith on April 8, 2005, at 9:43:58
Hi,
>So do you think that pumping in 40 mgs for a week or two was like a "loading dose" and there may be no problem cutting dowm to 30 mgs in a week or so?
Yes exactly, it was a loading dose. You will soon be ready to reduce the dose.
>Quality of life is the goal here, even on meds if I can manage it.
That's the spirit, being med-free shouldn't ever be the ultimate goal, being well must be the goal. You will almost certainly find that you can taper down to a relatively low 'maintenance dose' and stay there. Do not force yourself to discontinue the diazepam entirely if the withdrawal symptoms are too severe. Many people stay on the same low dose of diazepam for years. You are unlikely to have any major side effects from a low dose. Take the diazepam in 'divided doses' if you find it helpful. Some people can get away with taking diazepam as a single daily dose but other people find that they need to take several doses per day. If you find that your anxiety and other symptoms are fluctuating throughout the day, it could be a sign that taking several smaller doses per day could be better.
Since you are on 40mg, you will probably be able to reduce your dose in fairly large steps at first, as the dose gets lower you will need to reduce in smaller steps.
Ed.
poster:ed_uk
thread:481519
URL: http://www.dr-bob.org/babble/20050408/msgs/481571.html