Jitterbug: Tapering Off Bupropion during a Diazepam Taper

[Jitterbug]

My wife and I are hoping for some guidance on his topic.  She has been tapering off Diazepam 7.5 mg for the past two years.  She is now down to 0.78 mg daily.  All along, she has been on 75 mg of Bupropion (plain bupropion, not extended release).  As her Diazepam taper has lately produced quite severe waves, it was brought to our attention that the Bupropion could be acting as an antagonizer to the Diazepam.  She decided to hold the Diazepam taper (at 0.78 mg) and try to get off the Bupropion.  Her doctor told her to cut the tablet in half and take 37.5 mg for a week and then stop.  Not wanting to cut that much, she tried taking 3/4 of the tablet daily.

She experienced severe symptoms for two days and then one "good" day.  The following two days were horrible.  Today she returned to the full dose of 75 mg Bupropion while still holding the Diazepam at 0.78 mg.  Having read the suggestion of tapering Bupropion at 10% every 4 weeks is very discouraging.  It would take many months to get off it, and then she would have to resume the Diazepam taper for many more months, as she was cutting only 5% every 3 to 4 weeks.

We are elderly and looking for suggestions for getting off both of these medications in a reasonable time.

 

[Altostrata]

Welcome, @Jitterbug

 

Tapering a benzo can become quite complicated, especially if there are other drugs in the mix. If your wife is experiencing odd symptoms related to her diazepam taper, she may be tapering too fast. We would advise her to stop tapering, to let her system settle down.

 

To find out more, we'd have to ask a lot of questions. It's difficult for us to counsel people through a third party. Can your wife join this site to provide more detail?

 

I'm sorry that going off psychiatric drugs is hindered by withdrawal symptoms and it may take quite a while to safely get free of them, but that's the quandary anyone who takes a psychiatric drug has to confront.

 

To help us out, follow these instructions Please summarize your drug and withdrawal history in your signature You may need to use a computer to do this.

[Jitterbug]

I'm sorry, but we do not comprehend the procedure and guidelines for "Signature".  We are not computer savvy and are having a hard time getting help fron this site.  We've been receiving emails that don't really relate to our situation.

Here is moreon her medical history.

We will try to give a better picture of her medication history.
In 2010 she was put on Temazepam 15 mg for insomnia, which she rarely took.
In 2012 was prescribed xanax 0.25 mg for anxiety or sleep.  Taken rarely.
  Began to develop digestive issues.  Medical tests were negative
In April of 2015 she was given Zoloft 100mg daily which worked well for anxiety.
  Digestive issues continued plus severe diarrhia.
In June of 2019 D/C'd Zoloft and began Buspiron 15mg x 2 daily.  Developed chest pain.  Had one episode of A-fib in hospital.  All tests negative. Was put on Metoprolol and Elequis, which she is still taking.
Oct 2019 put on Clonazepam 0.5 mg prn.  Too strong took 1/4 tab prn.  D/C'd 3 after weeks.
10/30/2019 put on Atavan 0.5 mg. Took 1/4 tab for 4 weeks.
Put back on Xanax 0.25 mg, only took 1/2 tab prn.
Began Wellbutrin 75 mg daily.
Learned about Benzo Withdrawal Syndrom in March of 2020.
Switched from Temazepam 15 mg (which she had been taking for several years)
to Diazepam 7.5 mg and began her taper.
, Over the last two years she has tapered to 0.78 mg Diazepam by cutting 5% every 3 to 4 weeks.

Her withdrawal "waves" have intensified recently and we suspect that the Bupropion is antagonizing the Diazepam.

Decidec to hold the Diazepam taper at 0.78 mg and try to get off the Bupropion.

Reduced Bupropion by 10% (75 mg to 67.5 mg).

After several days of doing this (67.5 mg Bupropion while holding Diazepam at 0.78 mg), she feels very bad with stomach pains, skin burning, heart racing, fatigue, etc.

Don't know what to do.

[Altostrata]

Our ability to help you will be limited because of the communication difficulties.

 

If you've been getting e-mail from this site, they're probably alerts. You can turn them off in your Settings -- click on your icon in the upper right of the page, click on the appropriate link in the menu.

 

First, we would tell your wife to stop tapering anything. Why do you think she's having a reaction to bupropion? What are the symptoms and when did they start?

[Jitterbug]

We decided to get off the Bupropion because, even though her Diazepam taper had been going somewhat as expected (with moderate withdrawal symptoms),  as the diazepam  dosage got lower, withdrawal symptoms became more severe.  She had been on 75 mg of Bupropion all along.  It appeared the the exciting effect of the Bupropion was overcoming the calming effect of the Diazepam.  That's why she decided to hold the Diazepam taper and try to taper the Bupropion.  The doctor who had prescribed the Bupropion told her to take 1/2 tablet for a week and then stop it altogether.  We were afraid that would be too fast, so she tapered to 3/4 of a tablet for 6 days, beginning on 3/31.  Her "waves" continued to be severe except for the third day which was actually a good day.  Then the severe symptoms returned, which included chest pressure, back pain, burning sensation over upper body and arms, headached and sinus pressure, fatigue, weakness in legs, abdominal distention, diarrhea, gas, anxiety and sweating upon awakening, and frequent insomnia, along with loss of appetite, and pounding heart and brain fog.

Thinking the taper was too big, we went back to 75 mg for one day, and tapered 10% the next day.  Symptoms have continued and worsened since then (that was on 4/6).  Today (4/10) she has had severe symptoms all day with no letup.

 

 

 

 

 

[Altostrata]

2 hours ago, Jitterbug said:

Diazepam taper had been going somewhat as expected (with moderate withdrawal symptoms),  as the diazepam  dosage got lower, withdrawal symptoms became more severe. 

 

We expect that if you keep tapering when you get withdrawal symptoms, the withdrawal symptoms will become severe. Most likely, those symptoms are aggravated withdrawal symptoms from reducing diazepam. Strongly recommend your wife stop tapering diazepam and hold on everything for a good while to let her nervous system settle down.

 

It's also important to take the drugs at the same dosages at the same times each day. Has she been keeping a regular drug schedule?

 

Before any more discussion, Please summarize your drug and withdrawal history in your signature  This is important.

[Jitterbug]

Holding her tapers brings no relief.  Isn't it possible, or even probable that the Buprpion is overpowering the small amount of Diazepam (0.78mg) that she is taking?  She has held this Diazepam for at least 6 weeks and symptoms are getting worse.  These include loss of sleep, extreme weakness, stomach discomfort, high anxiety, heart pounding, and more.  No relief.

We don't know where to get professional help.

[Jitterbug]

Is there a list of medical professionals who are knowledgable on this topic available anywhere?

[Altostrata]

 

Please let us know if you find any near where you live. Otherwise, no more discussion before you do this: Please summarize your drug and withdrawal history in your signature 

[Jitterbug]

Tapering Off Bupropion during a Diazepam Taper

 

Alto,

As our updated signature points out, my wife tapered off 75mg of Bupropion over 5 weeks (ending in early May), while holding her Diazepam taper at 0.78 mg. 

She has since tapered to 0.73 mg Diazepam and is still having severe symptoms of IBS, high anxiety, gut problems, insomnia, extreme fatigue and weakness, loss of appetite, brain fog, gas and bloating, back/chest pain, and more. 

While we attribute these symptoms to the Benzo waves, we are not sure if she went too fast and what to do now.

Any thoughts?

 

Edited June 5, 2022 by ChessieCat
added topic title before merging with intro topic, moved from benzo forum

[ChessieCat]

Tapering off Diazepam 7.5 mg over two years.  Currently at 0.73 mg.

During Diazepam taper (while holding at 0.75mg) tapered off Bupropion 75mg over 5 weeks (Finished early May 2022)

On 5/24/2022 began 25 mg Zoloft (for anxiety) because it had worked well in the past.

5/31 Increased to Zoloft 50mg.

Resumed Diazepam taper down to 0.73mg at this point.

 

 

Thank you for creating your wife's drug signature.  However we need to see a summary of all drugs she has taken (staff can see confidential drug information but we need it in the signature).

 

Please add original start dates for diazepam and buproprion.

 

I will ask the other staff for their assistance.

[Shep]

13 hours ago, Jitterbug said:

Tapering Off Bupropion during a Diazepam Taper

 

Alto,

As our updated signature points out, my wife tapered off 75mg of Bupropion over 5 weeks (ending in early May), while holding her Diazepam taper at 0.78 mg. 

She has since tapered to 0.73 mg Diazepam and is still having severe symptoms of IBS, high anxiety, gut problems, insomnia, extreme fatigue and weakness, loss of appetite, brain fog, gas and bloating, back/chest pain, and more. 

While we attribute these symptoms to the Benzo waves, we are not sure if she went too fast and what to do now.

Any thoughts?

 

 

Jitterbug, the advice all along is that your wife needs to hold and stop tapering any of her drugs. 

 

Since then, she's gone off bupropion and is now on Zoloft. According to your signature, her dose was increased from 25 mg on May 24 to 50 mg on May 31. And she's continuing to taper the diazepam. 

 

We don't advise adding in psychiatric drugs to fix withdrawal from other psychiatric drugs. Zoloft is also a drug that can be activating and in her destabilized state, even though Zoloft is a drug that "worked" in the past, it may not help with the withdrawal from other drugs. And in a destabilzed state, her nervous system may hyper-react to Zoloft, especially as the benzo is being decreased. Please see:

 

Taking multiple psych drugs? Which drug to taper first?

 

There's something called "kindling," which is damage to the nervous system caused by coming on and off psychiatric drugs or making abrupt dose changes. With your wife's history of repeated abrupt changes, she's a high risk of this type of nervous system damage, which can take years to recover from. 

 

Is your wife able to start an account or simply post here in this thread so we can communicate with her directly? 

[Jitterbug]

On 4/10/2022 at 11:20 PM, Altostrata said:

2022

Chessie Cat,

Her complete history was already sent to you by Libertas from Benzo Buddies, but I will include it here.

Thank you.

In 2010 she was put on Temazepam 15 mg for insomnia, which she rarely took.
In 2012 was prescribed xanax 0.25 mg for anxiety or sleep. Taken rarely.
Began to develop digestive issues. Medical tests were negative
In April of 2015 she was given Zoloft 100mg daily which worked well for anxiety.
Digestive issues continued plus severe diarrhea.
In June of 2019 D/C'd Zoloft because we thought it was causing the diarrhea and began Buspiron 15mg x 2 daily. Developed chest pain. Had one episode of A-fib in hospital. All tests negative. Was put on Metoprolol and Elequis, which she is still taking.
Oct 2019 put on Clonazepam 0.5 mg prn. Too strong took 1/4 tab prn. D/C'd 3 after weeks.
10/30/2019 put on Atavan 0.5 mg. Took 1/4 tab for 4 weeks.
Put back on Xanax 0.25 mg, only took 1/2 tab prn.
Began Wellbutrin 75 mg daily.
Learned about Benzo Withdrawal Syndrome in March of 2020.
Switched from Temazepam 15 mg (which she had been taking for several years)
to Diazepam 7.5 mg and began her taper.
After 2 years, down to 0.78 mg Diazepam.
On 4/6/22 began to taper off 75 mg Bupropion (Reduced to 65mg.) while holding Diazepam at 0.75 mg. 

On 4/10 reduced to 55 mg.

0n 4/28 reduced to 27.5 mg

On 5/4 Stopped Bupropion.

Many intense waves during entire taper.  

Intense Anxiety and severe IBS symptoms.  5/24 Began 25 mg Zoloft, which had worked well in the past..

On 5/31 Increased Zoloft to 50 mg.  Still high anxiety, diarrhea, chest and back pain, gas and digestive issues, insomnia, and extreme fatigue..

[Altostrata]

Hello, @Jitterbug

 

It appears that your wife's digestive issues started in 2012 and may be unrelated to withdrawal from a psychiatric drug, though successive drugs may have exacerbated them. 

 

Since then, she's been on and off many drugs, which may have brought on withdrawal syndrome and also caused digestive problems to worsen.

 

Quote

 

5/31 Increased to Zoloft 50mg.

Resumed Diazepam taper down to 0.73mg at this point.

 

 

I presume the increase in Zoloft was recommended by a doctor. It appears that, simultaneously, you reduced diazepam, though we had suggested she stop tapering, to let her system settle down.

 

If there was any change in symptom pattern after increasing Zoloft and decreasing diazepam, we cannot tell what drug caused it. We advise people to change only one drug at a time and observe carefully to see the effects before changing another drug. It's possible your wife is now taking more Zoloft than she can tolerate, as Shep suggested.

 

21 hours ago, Jitterbug said:

Her complete history was already sent to you by Libertas from Benzo Buddies, but I will include it here.

 

I have no idea what this means. As far as I know, we haven't gotten anyone's drug history from a third party, nor would we accept it as accurate without verifying it with the individual.

 

I am dubious we can assist you with peer support. It appears to me your wife has an undiagnosed or misdiagnosed medical condition causing indigestion, etc. and your doctors have been treating it as a psychiatric condition, with many drugs and drug changes that may have made the symptoms worse. Moreover, you've been making simultaneous drug changes that confound her symptom pattern and we are unable to confer with her directly about it.

[Jitterbug]

She is not comfortable using the computer, which is why I am her spokesman.  She is right beside me, reading your posts and telling me what to reply.  What is the problem with that?

Her digestive issues have eased somewhat since she stopped the Bupropion.  Otherwise there just seem to be little improvement.  She has been using teh Ashton Manual since the start in March 2020.  There are no doctors around that have any concept of Benzo Withdrawal Syndrom.  Even the ONE listed in South Jersey on one of your lists is not taking any new patients, even though  the website says she does.  So she has been pretty much on her own through all of this.  Benzo Buddies ( especially Libertas) have been very helpful.  He referred us to your website when we wanted to get off the Bupropion and tried to help us by posting her history in our profile.  That is what I was referring to that you didn't understand.

So at this point she is just going to hold everything where it is and hope for some stability.  It's just that this has dragged out so long, she gets impatient and want it to be over.

[Altostrata]

If your wife has an undiagnosed medical condition, tapering off drugs may not resolve it. 

 

In May, she made 3 drug changes and perhaps a premature reduction in diazepam before her nervous system had settled down from the changes. In addition, it may be that there is some adverse effect from increasing Zoloft. 

 

Impatience is understandable, but no tapering process will remedy this. Most likely, 0.75mg diazepam is the least of her problems. Strongly recommend not making any more drug changes for a while.