veritaslux: temazepam (Restoril) withdrawal help

[veritaslux]

I have a friend who is taking a powder capsule 30mg of Temazepam each night for the past 8 nights for insomnia. She wants to get off, and skipped her dose last night. Can you get dependent after such a short time? Has anyone had experience getting off a Temazepam or a benzo after only 2 weeks or less? How do you taper with powder capsules?

[veritaslux]

Here is a more detailed version: Please help ASAP! Our friend Ruth needs to know what to do by tonight! We are typing for her as her prescribing doctor told her it was safe to go off cold turkey last night if she wanted to. Ruth followed this advice and has headaches and anxiety about how she will get to sleep without Restoril. After talking with us she is now at a neurologists office to get a second opinion. In case this doctor gives questionable advice we want to see if anyone has had similar experiences or situations. Ruth has been on Restoril 30mg daily for two weeks or less and skipped a couple of days in-between and did not take last nights dose.  Ruth is either thinking of continuing cold turkey (since only on the drug a short time) or she may restart the Restoril (Temazepam) tonight at 15mg and then taper for two weeks and then maybe go to 7.5mg for two more weeks? Then 1/2 of that? For two weeks? Ruth is afraid if she did the 10% tapering she would be on the drug longer then she should be (and cause increased drug addiction instead of prevent it) but then again, Ruth is worried about withdrawing too quickly or continuing cold turkey and suffering severe symptoms unnecessarly. Also if Ruth skips tonight and or the next two night (stops for total of 2-3 nights), then is it better to just continue the cold turkey instead of restart any drugs?

[ChessieCat]

Has she been on any other benzos prior to Restoril?

[Shep]

Hi, Veritaslux.

 

Welcome to Surviving Antidepressants.

 

It's possible to become dependent on benzos in 2 - 4 weeks, even with as-needed use. Temazepam has a half-life of 8 - 22 hours, depending on how quickly she's metabolizing it. So even a day later, it will still be in her system and could take a day or so before really feeling the effects of stopping. 

 

If she isn't able to cold turkey, she could reduce by 25% every other day so she's completely off the drug in about another week. Since she went on Temazepam for insomnia, she'll need to find non-drug ways of handling her sleeplessness, which can be ramped up as she discontinues the drug. 

 

Non-drug techniques to cope with emotional symptoms

 

Tips to help sleep: so many of us have that awful withdrawal insomnia

 

We don't recommend a lot of supplements, as many members report their nervous systems are simply too fragile to handle them. However, magnesium and fish oil tend to be calming to the nervous system and many people report they do help. Please only add in one supplement at a time and at a small dose. For more, please see:

 

King of supplements: Omega-3 fatty acids (fish oil)

 

Magnesium, nature's calcium channel blocker

 

She may find a low dose of melatonin (less is more with this supplement) can be helpful. Again, only add in one supplement at a time and at a small dose.

 

Melatonin for sleep

 

Guided meditations for anxiety and insomnia, gentle yoga, an epsom salt bath, etc. can all be helpful to calm the nervous system and prepare for sleep. 

 

ChessieCat asked about prior benzo use. This is an important question because when someone has been on a benzo before, the next withdrawal can be made worse due to kindling. Repeated benzo withdrawals make the nervous system hyper-reactive. 

 

Is she taking any other drugs or supplements? 

 

Please add a signature.  Include drugs, doses, dates, and discontinuations & reinstatements in the last 12-24 months. Also include supplements. This will help us give you the most accurate advice we can. 

• Any drugs and supplements prior to 24 months ago can just be listed with start and stop years. 
• Please use actual dates or approximate dates (mid-June, Late October) rather than relative time frames (last week, 3 months ago) 
• Spell out months, e.g. "October" or "Oct."; 9/1/2016 can be interpreted as Jan. 9, 2016 or Sept. 1, 2016. 
• Please leave out symptoms and diagnoses. 
• A list is easier to understand than one or multiple paragraphs. 
• This is a direct link to your signature:  Account Settings – Create or Edit a signature.

It would be best if Ruth could join the forum so we could communicate directly with her and she could ask us questions. Please invite her to join. 

[veritaslux]

What Should We Really Call Psychiatric Drugs? - Mad In America.weblocWe heard back 2 days after we posted that Ruth had not taken any more meds, and was feeling okay.

 

However, we haven't heard from her since and she lives many hours away from us. We saw a family member recently who said she was fine, but we are concerned that we haven't heard from her yet, especially since she has gone off cold turkey.

 

Anyone have any articles or information or videos we can send her to encourage her? as she might be going through withdrawals and we are not sure how much her or her family know about psychiatric meds and withdrawals. We have sent her videos from Dr. Peter Breggin and MadInAmerica videos. However, although these websites have good information exposing a lot of the lies and misleading information that gets people trapped on these drugs, they promote psychoanalysis and scientology respectively which don't give complete healing from drug withdrawal or the original problem that led to the start of the drugs. Does anyone know any Christians who offer the same information and a solution?

 

Here is the information we found that we have sent regarding psychiatric drugs:

 

What Should We Really Call Psychiatric Drugs? - Mad In America.webloc

 

Simple Truths about Psychiatry by Dr. Peter Breggin:

http-::www.youtube.com:playlist?list=PLdo601sRKNc70BA5MV51kS-Mr6ypsvd1F.webloc

(These short 10-minute videos by a psychiatrist summarize the harmful effects of psychiatric medications, and how to support those who are depressed, anxious, etc. Although his information on medication is accurate, he promotes psychoanalysis and as Christians we believe a necessary part of the solution is to replace psychiatric drugs with putting on Christ and following the scriptures. Breggin also has some strange ideas about evolution of man and history, which we think are inaccurate.)

 

Dr. Breggin interviews Christian pastor, Daniel Berger:

The Dr. Peter Breggin Hour – 04.12.18.webloc

 

Chronic Brain Impairment & Psychiatric Drug Withdrawal.webloc (If short on time skip intro and start at 6:25, also skip 23:15-28:55m where Breggin discusses his views on evolution, which aren't accurate)

[ChessieCat]

are-we-there-yet-how-long-is-withdrawal-going-to-take

 

withdrawal-dialogues-encouragement

 

On 12/4/2015 at 2:41 AM, apace41 said:

 

Basically- you have a building where the MAJOR steel structures are trying to be rebuilt at different times - ALL while people are coming and going in the building and attempting to work.

It would be like if the World Trade Center Towers hadn't completely fallen - but had crumbled inside in different places.. Imagine if you were trying to rebuild the tower - WHILE people were coming and going and trying to work in the building!  You'd have to set up a temporary elevator - but when you needed to fix part of that area, you'd have to tear down that elevator and set up a temporary elevator somewhere else. And so on. You'd have to build, work around, then tear down, then build again, then work around, then build... ALL while people are coming and going, ALL while the furniture is being replaced, ALL while the walls are getting repainted... ALL while life is going on INSIDE the building. No doubt it would be chaotic. That is EXACTLY what is happening with windows and waves.  The windows are where the body has "got it right" for a day or so - but then the building shifts and the brain works on something else - and it's chaos again while another temporary pathway is set up to reroute function until repairs are made.