What does diazepam feel like?

[lucyy_21]

i managed to take one!
i took it today before a meeting at work. (i normally drink before one on one meetings, as i find them harder that actual work). But i didn't notice much of a difference. I was still getting pretty panicky and that was all i could think about the whole time. I think i probably wasn't quite as bad as if i hadn't taken one, but there was still no major difference.

Which is making me think about the plane and holiday. If it didn't calm me down a significant amount for a meeting (at a place im familiar with/people i know/close to home etc.) then i don't see how it will help me for a plane journey and a foreign country. :(
Any suggestion, comments? x

By the way, the tablets doc gave me are 2mg.

[shoegal]

How long before the meeting did you take it? They take 30 minutes to work. They are good for calming you down during an attack and good for taking before appointments but you may need a slightly higher dose. I don't think they will stop you panicking completely (you'd need a very high dose for that) but they should make things easier to cope with. I would say try doing it again with 2mg HALF AN HOUR before you need it to work. If you still have a major panic attack try increasing the dose to 3mg and then 4mg etc (I mean on different occasions not straight afterwards)! I wouldn't suggest that you take any more than 5mg at any one time unless your Dr says you can.

[haz]

That's a very low dose. I'm on 3 x 5mg tablets daily at the moment. Obviously I;m going to gradually reduce them, although my psychiatrist is quite happy to keep me on that dose, but I'm not.

[shoegal]

How long have you been taking that dosage Haz? I'm having trouble getting prescriptions for emergency use diazepam let alone 15mg per day! It makes me so cross because I was on 15mg a day when I was younger, I didn't get addicted and I totally overcame agoraphobia with them! My Dr seems to think if she gives me any I will get addicted, which I know is a risk but it's a small price to pay for being able to leave the house! The diazepam I have now was given to me for a dental visit.

2mg is NOT a very low dose if you're using it occasionally as you do build up a tolerance to it, although I realise taking a bit more wouldn't do any harm. 2mg is enough to calm me down from a SEVERE panic attack so I would think everyone is different.

Haz, may I ask why it bothers you to be on that dose? If it helps then does it matter? If you needed heart tablets you wouldn't mind taking medication that helped with that would you?

[lucyy_21]

My docs given me a higher dose now, 5mg i think. Picking up the prescription later, so hopefully it will help me out more.
I did take the diazepam about 45mins before the meeting yesterday, maybe i was just expecting a more drastic effect though.

I can understand Haz, not wanting to get addicted. But i agree shoegal! If it manages to get you out the house without much fear then i would happily stay on them constantly. Sure, you can get addicted but whats the harm in that? I don't think they are harmful if you take them regularly for however many months are they?

Surely they are similar to anti depressants. Maybe the anit depressants are not as addictive, but you can take them everyday for however long you need. And if you were to stop you would still notice the difference. Why is diazepam so different?

[honeyp1e]

i always have diazepam on hand when am going on holiday i usually don't take it but if i start to feel panicky or feel an attack coming on then i will take one andi calm down pretty quickly x x

[haz]

My docs given me a higher dose now, 5mg i think. Picking up the prescription later, so hopefully it will help me out more.
I did take the diazepam about 45mins before the meeting yesterday, maybe i was just expecting a more drastic effect though.

I can understand Haz, not wanting to get addicted. But i agree shoegal! If it manages to get you out the house without much fear then i would happily stay on them constantly. Sure, you can get addicted but whats the harm in that? I don't think they are harmful if you take them regularly for however many months are they?

Surely they are similar to anti depressants. Maybe the anit depressants are not as addictive, but you can take them everyday for however long you need. And if you were to stop you would still notice the difference. Why is diazepam so different?

Diazepam is different because your body builds up a tolerance to it. After a while (and i'm talking a few months here), it stops working as well and you need to increase your dose to achieve the desired effect. A bit like herion. I'm also on sleeping tablets and the same applies here. I don't want to have to INCREASE my dose further because my body has built up a tolerance, it already has built up a tolerance to both, if I was to stop either abruptly I would suffer withdrawals which is why I'm gradually trying to wean myself off them and get my diazepam back to a "as required" dose. i.e. if I have a panic attack, I take one and it works!

I am under the care of a consultant psychiatrist and have had two hospital admissions in the last 12 months. I can't see many GP's prescribing me that dose without advice for a specialist.

Haz. x

[shoegal]

I'm really upset about the attitude of my Dr (and other Dr's at my local surgery). I was prescribed 10x 2mg Diazepam tablets to help me cope with a visit to the Dentist (I have Dental phobia) and I used about 10mg over the weekend building up to to the appointment and to actually get me into the Dentist's chair. When my Dr was away, I had to speak to another Dr who had a go at me for using the Diazepam over the weekend prior to my appointment, although if I hadn't used it there is no way I would have made it to the appointment! Then I recently had what I call a break down where I was literally rocking in my chair 24/7 and was panicking constantly. I phoned my Dr for support and she said she would give me Diazepam to last 3 days and then after that I wasn't getting anymore. Well her telling me that TERRIFIED me as I felt I couldn't use the Diazepam I already had and in the end I had to manage without it. I am still panicking 24/7 and am finding it hard to cope but what can you do when your local Dr's refuse to prescribe the only drug that has actually ever worked for you? I have tried anti-d's and they have made me very unwell, except for one which has since been banned so I'm not allowed to take it. I am considering buying Diazepam over the internet as it's the only way I will get relief from my symptoms. It makes me so cross!

[lucyy_21]

I understand better now about not wanting to stay on them long term.

I've been really lucky with my doctor. He has a lot of experience with anxiety and was happy to give me the diazepam over the phone to my mum! then we got stronger ones through another doctor at the surgery.
I know it goes without saying but i would be wary buyin them online. I dont think i would be able to take any brought online, as i would worry about what they truly are. they could be cut with anything.

I didn't make the holiday i originally got the diazepam for :(:(:( really really upset about it. And dont really know what to do with myself - in that fuzzy stage where i literally dont know what to do.

Hope you all are getting on ok!x

[haz]

I'm really upset about the attitude of my Dr (and other Dr's at my local surgery). I was prescribed 10x 2mg Diazepam tablets to help me cope with a visit to the Dentist (I have Dental phobia) and I used about 10mg over the weekend building up to to the appointment and to actually get me into the Dentist's chair. When my Dr was away, I had to speak to another Dr who had a go at me for using the Diazepam over the weekend prior to my appointment, although if I hadn't used it there is no way I would have made it to the appointment! Then I recently had what I call a break down where I was literally rocking in my chair 24/7 and was panicking constantly. I phoned my Dr for support and she said she would give me Diazepam to last 3 days and then after that I wasn't getting anymore. Well her telling me that TERRIFIED me as I felt I couldn't use the Diazepam I already had and in the end I had to manage without it. I am still panicking 24/7 and am finding it hard to cope but what can you do when your local Dr's refuse to prescribe the only drug that has actually ever worked for you? I have tried anti-d's and they have made me very unwell, except for one which has since been banned so I'm not allowed to take it. I am considering buying Diazepam over the internet as it's the only way I will get relief from my symptoms. It makes me so cross!

I do sympathise with you Shoegal. Some GP surgeries are very reluctant to prescribe diazepam. I've changed my GP surgery recently and there is a notice up that says "PLEASE NOTE THIS SURGERY HAS A NON-DIAZEPAM POLICY PRACTICE". I live in an area where there is a high number of drug addiction. My last surgery was in a posh part of town but every so often the GP's would question my repeat prescription of diazepam (I do think they get checked up on from time to time) but even my last psychiatrist promptly wrote them letters stating it was an important part of my treatment.

Haz. x