Advice on stopping Diazepam
Hi all,
I have been using diazepam for about 10 years now, 10mg every night for sleep.
I'm realizing that it has changed me as a person and that it no longer helps me. So it's time to quit. I really want to quit.
I have encountered a rapid detox of Diazepam one time, not by choice but because I thought I didn’t need it anymore and I just stopped taking it without thinking about it.
After a couple of days I suddenly started being extremely nauseous at work. I headed home thinking it was a stomach bug and I had to stop several times on my way home to vomit.
The next couple of days could be described as being in a constant state of apathy, not being able to feel any joy, feel anything really.
It rapidly evolved to extreme anxiety, shaking, trembling before I realized it was the Diazepam. I took a pill and lo and behold, I felt normal again.
And this was only after a year of usage.
Fast forward to today, I feel enslaved, constantly afraid of not having enough pills at home, even though it literally does nothing anymore but stave off withdrawal symptoms.
I can’t do this anymore, I can’t be a slave to a pill, I really want my clearheaded mind back. It’s time to stop this madness.
So I am asking your advice on a taper schedule. I know there are a lot of tapering schedules online, the ashton protocol being one of them, but they don't take into account the number of years of usage.
I would like to get rid of this poison as fast as possible, but I can’t decide on how slow or how fast I should taper nor what to expect after the taper is over.
6 weeks? 12 weeks?
I stopped smoking successfully 15 years ago CT after 14 years of smoking a pack a day and I did it by cultivating the right mindset : to achieve freedom of slavery, there is a price to pay and this price is accepting that withdrawal will not be easy.
I have the same mindset today, I know I will have to pay a price, but I have to admit I’m scared to death of never feeling the same again after quitting a benzo.
I would be extremely grateful for any advice or experience shared by people with a similar background.
Anything really that you did during your withdrawal and proved to be an aid is welcome.
Thank you 🙏