Diazepam

[JD23]

Hi Everyone,

I have decided to take diazepam for my GAD, i am planning on taking it daily to keep anxiety at bay and perhaps up the dose if i have a particularly stressful day. I know you are not supposed to drink alcohol on Diazepam so i wont, but if you know you are going out drinking at the weekend can you just not take it that day and then drink or does it not work like that? As i am 23 and enjoy going out with my friends most weekends i would hate to have to give up alcohol completely.

Thanks!

[mikewales]

When you say you have decided to start taking it, has your GP prescibed it for you as most will only give a few days supply for particularly bad periods, it isn't used as a long term treatment as it is so addictive and the withdrawals are so bad.

[paranoidtree]

Hi, Have you spoken to your doctor regarding taking diazepam everyday? The only reason is that it is highly addictive and doctors don't normally recommend taking daily for longer than around 2-3 weeks depending on dosage. I would probably recommend speaking to them first before taking any action if you haven't already done so.

Regarding drinking on them, diazepam will stay in your system and if you drink on them it will make you feel a lot drunker than normal (hence you shouldn't drink on them) I would advise caution with your plan and again perhaps it is best to discuss with your doctor how to move forward so that you can strike a balance between managing your anxiety with them and having fun at the weekends too.

hope that helps!

[Anxious_gal]

long term use is not good, it is highly addictive, just like strong painkillers, it is both mentally and physically addictive.

It's like a band aid, yes it can help but it does not solve your anxiety problem, CBT can really help though and there's lots of therapies and antidepressants you can try.

oh boy, YOU cannot drink with them. It is highly dangerous, it also can take a few days for your system to fully 100% get rid of the entire drug from your body.

sorry if I am being too negative, just want to make sure you staying safe : )

[Dazza123]

Ive been taking them for 10 months, first 6mg a day, now 10mg. I can stop taking them for a week without adverse effects, but they just become less effective over time, meaning you need more. I have quite a serious problem which is why I have been on them for so long.

Id be surprised if your doctor allows you to take them daily, and as for then upping the dose, id be surprised if they let you do that also.

If you have GAD, you need longer term meds that help overtime, and maybe some CBT, which I have just started.

You do not want to be taking them long term, because when you really do have that bad day when you feel you need them to help you, they wont because you will have become used to them, and they will stop helping you.

Im back at Docs tomorrow to see if I can try a different Antidepressant, and as soon as that kicks in, I wont be touching the Diazepam unless I have a panic attack.

Do yourself a favour and dont rely on them to get you through the day, because it will do you more harm than good.

[JD23]

Sorry i didnt explain myself very well. I have been given the diazepam to take everyday for the next few weeks because of a bad patch. Will i be ok just to come straight off them after those few weeks (withdrawl wise)? Also is it then ok to take them continuously but only when i need them i.e before a speech or when my breathing gets bad.

Thanks

[Dazza123]

Withdrawal wise you should be ok, and taken as and when needed is what they're for so that sounds fine too

---------- Post added at 22:47 ---------- Previous post was at 22:46 ----------

Just not too often, don't rely on them because that's when it becomes a problem.

[lindadiana]

ive been on diazepam for 16 years this time ,im on nine 2mg tablets a day,im 54 now and i dont drink at all but when i first took them,aged 19 until i was 29 i was on 6 2mg tablets a day,i drank then and my gp told me that if i was to be having a drink about 8 at night dont take any after 2 in the afternoon,he said that was safe to me i also asked that same question about five years ago diffrent gp got the same answer.as for addictive yes they are very addictive,wish i had never taken them for that reason,the first time it took me a year by breaking a small piece of each tablet at a time,i was off them for nine years, this time around taking them is even harder as the effect of diazepam is short lived anyway,i need more to feel any effect reallly,as ive taken them for so long but if i run out boy do i know it.so my advice if you really can dont start taking them,but if you really have to then its life.i had no choice bad things had happeed i couldnt cope i had three small babies at 39 my husband had to go he was a bad man.id already raised my three other children alone from my first marriage all on diazepam and all through six pregnancies,diazapam has been around a very long time my grandmother took it.it was called in her day mothers little helper lol.just ask your own gps advice thats the best thing to do before you have any drinks. all the best x

[JD23]

Thanks Dazza, roughly though what constitutes as relying on them? If i took 1 or 2 a week would that be relying on them?

[Dazza123]

What dose are you on? Really what you need is an antidepressants aimed at anxiety Id say, but I'm not a doctor so can't recommend anything. Twice a week isn't awful, but sooner or later, dependency will come, occurring because they have a nice relaxing feel to them, and thats what gets you addicted.

---------- Post added at 23:07 ---------- Previous post was at 23:05 ----------

Also, if you had to take them before every speech, then that's dependency. You need to learn other ways of coping, like cbt.