TaperCommunityTaperCommunity
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Tapering: Valium

holding

12 posts

southern california , orange county

Hi, I'm southswell

July 11, 2026ยทยท
Hi, Im southswell . Im a 71 year old cancer survivor with a long history of addiction. Currently holding at 12.5 mg of valium for 8 days. I am planning on reducing to 11.25 holding for 2 weeks then cutting to , 10 mg for a start. I am impatient and need to learn to slow down. I have been on valium about 8 years this time. I am looking for information and support, and a positive place to spend time during this long process. Thanks

Valium โ€” 12.5 mg โ€” 8 yrs โ€” holding |

19 Replies

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southswell2mo ago
WelcomerValium ยท holding
I fogot to mention I got here after taking a thyroid medicine that messed up my hormones and thru me into a panic attack and 205 over 108 blood pressure. I felt like a cold turkey withdrawal on day 3.

Valium โ€” 12.5 mg โ€” 8 yrs โ€” holding |

Catina
โญ
Catina2mo ago
Community AnchorEffexor
Hi @southswell....welcome to Taper Community! We're glad to have you here with us. This community is growing by leaps and bounds! So happy to hear you are now living cancer-free. You sound like you've been through a lot. Yes, being patient is definitely a quality that we need during the tapering process. It's something that can't be rushed (ask me how I know lol). Many times slower is faster because if we rush through and crash our CNS then it can take longer to recover than if we went slowly and allowed our body enough time to adjust. We look forward to supporting you through your tapering and healing journey. Feel free to jump in and welcome new ones and offer some encouraging words. We need all the support we can get from one another. Catina ๐Ÿฅฐ

Venlafaxine (tapering) - Current dose 17.92 mg
Trazodone - 50 mg
Levothyroxine - 25 mcg

โ€œYour brain and body know how to heal. Trust the process and keep going.โ€

Please Note: I am not a healthcare professional. Any advice given is based on personal experience and that of others in the lay withdrawal community.

S
southswell2mo ago
WelcomerValium ยท holding
Thanks you Catina. For the first time in a long time I think I have a chance. Hopefully learning patience is my biggest problem and I dont run into to many complications.. I know insomnia will be tough. During one horrible fast taper years ago I had burning skin so bad there was now way I could stay clean and immediatly went back on the valium. If I can avoid this by taking it slow it will be so worth going slow, Thanks again and hopefully I will stay connected and see you aroung

Valium โ€” 12.5 mg โ€” 8 yrs โ€” holding |

Catina
โญ
Catina2mo ago
Community AnchorEffexor
"For the first time in a long time I think I have a chance" โ€” @southswell
You really do! ๐Ÿ’ฏ Yeah, insomnia can be a tough one to deal with, but we have lot of helpful suggestions on dealing with it. You've got this! ๐Ÿ‘

Venlafaxine (tapering) - Current dose 17.92 mg
Trazodone - 50 mg
Levothyroxine - 25 mcg

โ€œYour brain and body know how to heal. Trust the process and keep going.โ€

Please Note: I am not a healthcare professional. Any advice given is based on personal experience and that of others in the lay withdrawal community.

S
southswell2mo ago
WelcomerValium ยท holding
I finally have a question. Right now I still am trying to feel the effects so i take 5mg when I wake up and 7.5mg about 2 in the afternoon. Should I bother taking it 2 times a day. Or should I take it all right before I go to sleep and get use to not relying on it during the day.

Valium โ€” 12.5 mg โ€” 8 yrs โ€” holding |

Catina
โญ
Catina2mo ago
Community AnchorEffexor
"Should I bother taking it 2 times a day. Or should I take it all right before I go to sleep
and get use to not relying on it during the day."
โ€” @southswell
How long have you been taking it twice a day?

Venlafaxine (tapering) - Current dose 17.92 mg
Trazodone - 50 mg
Levothyroxine - 25 mcg

โ€œYour brain and body know how to heal. Trust the process and keep going.โ€

Please Note: I am not a healthcare professional. Any advice given is based on personal experience and that of others in the lay withdrawal community.

S
southswell2mo ago
WelcomerValium ยท holding
Truth is not long. Im old and i use to take a nap around noon and take it when I woke up. When I decided i had to taper I started taking it twice a day. I dont even know why. Thanks

Valium โ€” 12.5 mg โ€” 8 yrs โ€” holding |

G
guava3782mo ago
Community AnchorAbilify ยท active
Welcome to the Taper Community!

- Aripiprazole / Abilify:
17-May-2026 (15mg -> 10mg)
11-July-2026 (10mg-> 7.5mg
17-Aug-2026 (7.5mg -> 5mg)
9 months - actively tapering
- Procyclidine 5mg - 9 months - actively tapering
- Propranolol - 20mg - 1 year - holding
- Xanax - 0.25mg - 7 months - holding

Catina
โญ
Catina2mo ago
Community AnchorEffexor
"Truth is not long. Im old and i use to take a nap around noon and take it when I woke up. When I decided i had to taper I started taking it twice a day. I dont even know why. Thanks" โ€” @southswell
Thanks for clarifying. If there hasn't been much difference in how you feel between taking it once or twice a day, taking it once a day would probably be easier with tapering.

Venlafaxine (tapering) - Current dose 17.92 mg
Trazodone - 50 mg
Levothyroxine - 25 mcg

โ€œYour brain and body know how to heal. Trust the process and keep going.โ€

Please Note: I am not a healthcare professional. Any advice given is based on personal experience and that of others in the lay withdrawal community.

S
southswell2mo ago
WelcomerValium ยท holding
Good morning. Thanks for the advice. I agree. Somehow I will switch to once a day right before bed and see how that works. I hope you are feeling well today. I am planning to do my first cut in 2 days. Everyone have a nice Sunday.

Valium โ€” 12.5 mg โ€” 8 yrs โ€” holding |

Catina
โญ
Catina2mo ago
Community AnchorEffexor
Hey southswell! Happy Sunday to you. That sounds like a good plan. Hope all goes well, and keep us updated on how things are going. ๐Ÿฅฐ

Venlafaxine (tapering) - Current dose 17.92 mg
Trazodone - 50 mg
Levothyroxine - 25 mcg

โ€œYour brain and body know how to heal. Trust the process and keep going.โ€

Please Note: I am not a healthcare professional. Any advice given is based on personal experience and that of others in the lay withdrawal community.

S
southswell2mo ago
WelcomerValium ยท holding
I usually take my second dose of valium right now. I am going to see if i can make it till bedtime to take tonight. It might be easy it might be hard. I am not going to torture myself. If I start feeling bad I will take it. I want to get to 1 dose a day before bed before I start tapering. I feel like I am talking to myself and am not use to using a forum but thats okay. I need to learn new ways to pass the time and work on my taper. I will post how things go. Thanks

Valium โ€” 12.5 mg โ€” 8 yrs โ€” holding |

Catina
โญ
Catina2mo ago
Community AnchorEffexor
Hi @southswell....yes, don't torture yourself and just see how things go. All we can do is try and see how we react. We look forward to hearing how things go!

Venlafaxine (tapering) - Current dose 17.92 mg
Trazodone - 50 mg
Levothyroxine - 25 mcg

โ€œYour brain and body know how to heal. Trust the process and keep going.โ€

Please Note: I am not a healthcare professional. Any advice given is based on personal experience and that of others in the lay withdrawal community.

S
southswell2mo ago
WelcomerValium ยท holding
I talked with a taper psychiatrist today and got what I thought was good advise. Anyway just talking to her made me feel better. I just hope this taper goes well. Still trying to learn patience. I hope everyone sleeps well tonight. Goodnight and thanks

Valium โ€” 12.5 mg โ€” 8 yrs โ€” holding |

Catina
โญ
Catina2mo ago
Community AnchorEffexor
"I talked with a taper psychiatrist today and got what I thought was good advise" โ€” @southswell
Hey there! What was the advice that you were given? Glad it went well. ๐Ÿ™‚

Venlafaxine (tapering) - Current dose 17.92 mg
Trazodone - 50 mg
Levothyroxine - 25 mcg

โ€œYour brain and body know how to heal. Trust the process and keep going.โ€

Please Note: I am not a healthcare professional. Any advice given is based on personal experience and that of others in the lay withdrawal community.

Based
โญ
BasedStaff2mo ago
Community AnchorEffexor
Hey @southswell thanks for joining us! Please let us know how youre doing with check ins :). Also if you need it theres a taper planner in the side bar, and please dont hesitate to share youre knowledge with others and welcome people to Taper Community! Looking forward to supporting you on your journey to 0mg.

Creator of Taper Community, here to help you.

S
southswell2mo ago
WelcomerValium ยท holding
It was pretty much the same advise you gave me. She said to cut 1 mg a month but emphasised to really slow down when I get below 4 mg. a day until the finish Hi Based Psychiatrist thanks for the reply/ Love the website. Cant wait until it grows and more personal information is available if that is what you are trying to do here. Thanks again

Valium โ€” 12.5 mg โ€” 8 yrs โ€” holding |

Catina
โญ
Catina2mo ago
Community AnchorEffexor
"It was pretty much the same advise you gave me. She said to cut 1 mg a month but emphasised to really slow down when I get below 4 mg. a day until the finish" โ€” @southswell
Okay, that's good. Some doctors have a bit more knowledge about benzo withdrawal and how severe it can be. Slow and steady wins the race! ๐Ÿข ๐ŸŒ

Venlafaxine (tapering) - Current dose 17.92 mg
Trazodone - 50 mg
Levothyroxine - 25 mcg

โ€œYour brain and body know how to heal. Trust the process and keep going.โ€

Please Note: I am not a healthcare professional. Any advice given is based on personal experience and that of others in the lay withdrawal community.

Based
โญ
BasedStaff2mo ago
Community AnchorEffexor
"Love the website. Cant wait until it grows and more personal information is available if that is what you are trying to do here." โ€” @southswell
Thanks! Thats exactly what were after and were already growing so fast!!! This community is a great place for helping others

Creator of Taper Community, here to help you.

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