Withdrawl

[MartynRich]

Thanks Dora (hope it is going well) and everyone else.

So I've been off diazepam for 4 days now, after a month of taking the lowest prescribed dose possible of 2mg.

Generally I feel ok apart from being slightly spaced out. Another symptom I have is it feels like I have to catch my breath due to pressure in my chest...does anyone else relate to this?

Thanks again

[panic_down_under]

So I've been off diazepam for 4 days now, after a month of taking the lowest prescribed dose possible of 2mg.

You can halve and quarter the tablets if necessary (a pill cutter from the pharmacy is both more accurate and less bloody than knives, ime). Diazepam also comes in liquid form which allows for tiny dose adjustments.

Generally I feel ok apart from being slightly spaced out. Another symptom I have is it feels like I have to catch my breath due to pressure in my chest

I suspect this is mostly your mind, not physical withdrawal. After 4 days without it diazepam would be having little affect on anxiety, however, a lot of the med is still in your system so withdrawal should not be much of an issue yet. It may take up to a month for it and its active metabolites to completely clear your system.

[Chronic911]

Hi Martyn,

Many years ago I took a tranquiliser called Ativan starting at 5mg (previous to this i'd been on another benzo called Tranxene) but as time went on I found myself increasing the dose to 15 mg to get the same effect. I did this with my doctor's consent, but eventually found myself in trouble with bad side effects, so made the decision to come off them, and like you it took many months of reducing the dose to do so.

I ended up at 2.5mg and then nothing, but the withdrawl symptoms were quite bad for me from around 5mg, with trembling, lightheadedness, palpitations and feeling I couldn't get enough air. I also had many aches and pains all over my body because of tension in muscles that had once been tranquilised, even my eyeballs were tense! My teeth used to chatter because I trembled so much, but I was determined to come off them so I stuck it out.

Because of this whole experience I didn't take another pill for many years after, I hated even taking painkillers because I never wanted my body to feel so out of control ever again. I still had anxious times but I found more natural methods of dealing with it by taking herbal remedies such as Kalms, Valerian and Rescue Remedy (not sure what there is in Spain) and doing breathing exercises etc.

I think its a case of feeling worse before you feel better in the withdrawal period and it will improve. Try to find some relief with natural remedies during this period, they are not mind altering drugs ike benzodiazipams and they might just help you through it. Can I ask why you were taking them?

Welcome by the way
ISB ☺

Hi Catherine,
Thanks for your post. I am having this now trying to come off valium. I am miserable 24/7. The withdrawal SX's can get pretty intense. There is also something called protracted withdrawal syndrome with benzos. I have been on these type meds for nearly 30 years and they just do not work anymore so I decided to try and slowly come off them. All they do is mask Sx's anyway. Whatever you had going on prior to the drugs is still there, probably only 20X worse now due to the drug withdrawal. How many years now have you been totally Rx drug free?

---------- Post added at 15:09 ---------- Previous post was at 14:41 ----------

Thanks Dora (hope it is going well) and everyone else.

So I've been off diazepam for 4 days now, after a month of taking the lowest prescribed dose possible of 2mg.

Generally I feel ok apart from being slightly spaced out. Another symptom I have is it feels like I have to catch my breath due to pressure in my chest...does anyone else relate to this?

Thanks again

I am still on the drug but trying to get off MartynRich. I can relate so well to the chest pressure. I have it 24/7 along with awful heart palps. It feels like maybe I am about to have a heart attack and drop dead at any moment. You are fortunate you have not been on for decades like me. I have been on benzos nearly 30 years in total. 10 on xanax, 10 on klonopin, and now 10 on valium. I have been to hell and back many times in my life on these drugs. I am very uncertain about my immediate future.