Should i take Diazepam??????Help!!

[Becky210788]

Hi can anyone give me some advice i suffer with social phobia and had it since around 14, but then last year i had a really bad time and it made my anxiety worse i was ok before i seemed to get on with my general life and i enjoyed my job then when things happened last year my anxiety hit the roof i cant say im as bad as that but feel like i could possibly getting to it. Work is a major struggle at the minute i seem to get through day to day but just recently we have courses coming up and the fact of me sitting in a quite room with lots of people is horrible im so self conscious its unbeliveable i dont expect anyone to understand i just feel im the only one in the world with these feeling like whos scared or coures's its just daft everyone else enjoys them because they dont have to work but me its my worse night mare, i nearly had a panic attack at work on saturday its just all getting me down, ive put loads of weight on in the last year because im so unhappy with it ive had cbt and taking propanalol, sorry to go on ill get to the point but would diazepan help me in my night mare situation, any comments would be greatful as i feel very on my own at the moment even though i have a great boyfriend and a beautiful 2 year daughter but i feel like im going mental :-(

---------- Post added at 14:42 ---------- Previous post was at 14:38 ----------

Sorry just to add to this my self consciousness is making me do strange things like swollowing all the time i do it in bed on a night most times i forget sometimes but im scared ill do it over and over again when i go on the couse people sat next to me will think im mad!

---------- Post added at 16:09 ---------- Previous post was at 13:42 ----------

can anyone give me advice please :weep:

[pfreakster]

Diazepam works like a charm against anxiety in the short run. In the long run, though, it's very addictive and can become another weight on your shoulders. I'm prescribed oxazepam (much lighter) on non-continuous basis with strict instructions to only use it when it might hinder me from functioning and to be clean a few days in a row. I usually do that friday through sunday. So far, it works well, but there are many times i feel i want it emotionally and know i must not take it because i'm not sure if i really need it just then, which can be a challenge. Diazepam is much more potent than oxazepam, so it might be harder.

So well, whatever you do, be careful. If the anxiety is stopping you from functioning normally, then diazepam can surely be of help. Just try it and ask yourself if you can handle it in the long run first.

[eight days a week]

Firstly, you are most definitely NOT alone - on here or in real life, and I bet there are others in that room who feel the very same way (without wanting to let on of course)!

Yes, take the diazepam short-term. Let yourself take a break :)

[pinkdove]

Hi becky, i can totally relate you whenever i had a meeting. or course at work my anxiety hit the roof.

The only way i could get through it was taking diazapam, ang it helped me loads.

I also used to cough uncontrolably throughout, which was so embarassing, as i just wanted to blend into the background.

Yes use the diazapam for your course, but only for times os extreme stress, as it can be addisctive, however used correctly it can make a hugh difference, and give your body a break/ good luck x

[Reggie]

I've been using Diazepam for 12 years, I've not become addicted in that time and use it only when I'm desperate. It's been such a help.

[Phill2]

I've been on it for 6 yrs now
Never increased the dose and it still works fine
I only take 5mg twice daily
All I can suggest is give it a go.
Takes 20 mins to work and lasts for hours
Phill :shades:

[pete69]

phill do you drink alcohol while using valium? i found the alcohol n v together was zzz city!! not that i drank a lot just when i did go out i always had to take 10mg to calm my anxiety
thanks

[Phill2]

Hi Pete
I'm not a big drinker so it's never been a prob.
My Dr did tell me that the Diaz would increase the effects of alcohol though.
It doesn't increase your blood/alcohol content - just makes you feel like you've had more than you have.
Phill :shades:

[louis]

Hello Becky,
First off Diazapam is not physically addictive bu any drug can become more than a crutch if abused. I have used it for years never upping the dose of 5 mil and only taking it when i have a severe short term issue giving me panic. Of course always check everything with your primary care doctor. Next anxiety is normal how people with panic disorder ( like me) respond to anxiety is what causes a problem. The response is a learned behavior. Take the time to read up on fight of flight and what happens to someone in general when they face something making them anxious. In the case of panic knowledge is definately power.
Also give yourself a break about weight. It is easy to put on and hard to take off and dont give yourself unreal goals no one could manage. I really need to lose for my general health but i have a hard time doing it and understand anyone who struggles with weight loss. And ladies do tend to focus a lot on very small things as being something major wrong in their appaerence. Please dont jodge yourself by those unreal silicone injected plastic enhanced photo shopped models on TV or magazines. real men like real women. Feel free to e-mail me if you wish about places to read up on fight or flight. I enjoy e-mails.

[Greenman50]

Hello Becky,
First off Diazapam is not physically addictive ....


Hi ............. sorry ..." But it is physically and mentally addictive" , thats why its only fit (and prescribed for) short term use as and when needed.

Your body gets used to a certain amount with long term (regular use ) so the sedateing effects (calming) becomes less so you up the dose to get the same effect .

Thats physical addiction .


You also know how this drug is going to make you feel calm after takeing it..................

Thats mentally addictive ..

Thats the advice from DR,s in the uk , i relise that people such as yourself (and me) can take these and be ok with them , but people with severve Anxiety have become addicted to them years ago when they were dished out like smarties , which is why most DR,s will your limit monthly supply in the uk.............

[Phill2]

"Your body gets used to a certain amount with long term (regular use ) so the sedateing effects (calming) becomes less so you up the dose to get the same effect ".

These generalisations really annoy me
I've been on them for 6 yrs and it hasn't happened to me or in fact others I know either.
Posts like the above just scare people off using a drug that may be of huge benefit to them.

Phill :shades:

[Greenman50]

Sorry ......my reply doesn,t look very polite :blush::blush:, it wasn,t intended to read that way but i just wanted peeps to know that diazapam can be addictive if not used correctly , it certainly helped me in the short term
:D

---------- Post added at 01:07 ---------- Previous post was at 01:00 ----------


"Your body gets used to a certain amount with long term (regular use ) so the sedateing effects (calming) becomes less so you up the dose to get the same effect ".

These generalisations really annoy me
I've been on them for 6 yrs and it hasn't happened to me or in fact others I know either.
Posts like the above just scare people off using a drug that may be of huge benefit to them.

Phill :shades:

Feel free to get as annoyed as you want fella.....

I,m not scareing anyone off them i,ve been on them myself and they was a great help ...but PLEASE don,t post statements that they are not phsically addictive just because you and i are not on takeing them , its fact that "some" people can get mentally and phsically addicted to them depending on there condition , surely worth mentioning i thought .


QUOTE OFF the UK NHS website ....

"Diazepam belongs to a class of medicines called benzodiazepines. Diazepam is a medicine which helps to control feelings of anxiety. It makes people feel less agitated and less tense. It also acts as a sedative and an anticonvulsant. It can help relieve to muscle spasm. Diazepam should only be used for the shortest period of time possible. Otherwise Diazepam can cause tolerance, dependence and even withdrawal symptoms in some people. The effects of Diazepam may last for a few hours or even days after you stop having it"


I,m with you Phill .....its a great med if used carefully / sensibly ....i wasn,t haveing a go at anyone i just wanted to point out its down sides (like all meds) if not used as perscribed .

[Phill2]

It would be better to say you MAY get addicted . No matter what anyone says it's not a given that you will

[eight days a week]

"Your body gets used to a certain amount with long term (regular use ) so the sedateing effects (calming) becomes less so you up the dose to get the same effect ".

These generalisations really annoy me
I've been on them for 6 yrs and it hasn't happened to me or in fact others I know either.
Posts like the above just scare people off using a drug that may be of huge benefit to them.

Phill :shades:

It hasn't happened to me either (three years on it), but all medical research I believe suggests it's far more likely than not.

---------- Post added at 02:18 ---------- Previous post was at 02:12 ----------


phill do you drink alcohol while using valium? i found the alcohol n v together was zzz city!! not that i drank a lot just when i did go out i always had to take 10mg to calm my anxiety
thanks

Alcohol and diazepam are not a good mix - it might feel like it at the time, but both work on GABA (negatively) in the brain. Probably something you want to try avoiding long-term, especially if you suffer from anxiety.

And while each are adidictive on their own, they're even worse when mixed together.

[premiumpackaging2]

Yes. Do. Diazepam 2.5mg whenever I am feeling anxious does wonders.
It's just like a dose of natural self confidence! However, only take it when you feel that you really need it. Personally I do so infrequently, and 5mg makes me feel physically sick.

A friend of mine takes 20mg every day, and claims that he would 'fall apart' without it. I disagree. I think that he overdoes it, and that they no
longer work as well as they used to.

:wacko:

[Greenman50]

A friend of mine takes 20mg every day, and claims that he would 'fall apart' without it. I disagree. I think that he overdoes it, and that they no
longer work as well as they used to.

:wacko:

Hi

I believe this can be the problem with them , you no longer get the effect if you take them every day over a long period , so you up the dose which makes you feel great untill you build up some tolerance again and the cycle goes on .

I was fine on them short term and used them as and when needed , so yes original poster go for it i,m really not trying to put anyone off they were a great help at the time .

[Kathymary]

Hi there I havent posted on here for ages and i know this isnt an answer to the problem here but I am not sure where to post my question and i am sorry if I am "butting" in but am suffering panic attacks, especially in the morning when i wake and if i am not at work its worse. the Christmas period had been really bad, I normally love my home, I live alone, but all over Christmas and New Year I was terrified, panic attacks and also constant feeling of dread. I take Diazepam 8mg a day because I suffer with paroxymal dystonia and I also have a seriously bad wear and tear issues on my neck which need an operation which I am not having, the Diazepam relax the muscles and help both these things but they also help with my anxiety. However, they are all I will take, I have taken them for over 15 years now, not upping the dose unless I get extra anxious but I will never take more than 16mg in any one day and I only do that if i am anxious. The problem I have is that I am too afraid and I mean really desperatly afraid to take any othr sort of medication, terrified, obsessed by side effects to the point where I dont know what to do now. My GP has said I should try Citroplam but i am too frightened, I am at the point where I will take my diazepam and paracetamol for my really bad neck pain and also it keeps me walking in a straight line because of the dystonia in my foot which is now twisted and is so painful. if my walking is bad I will take extra diazepam, both the neurologist and the orthopeadic surgeon know I take Diazepman to help the health issues but I am at a point where I dont know what to do, I have been offered all sorts of different medications by neurologist for my dystonia and also from surgeon for my neck different painkillers and cannot take them. i just keep taking my diazepam. I am too scared to tell my GP how I use the diazepam although as i said I never take more than 16mg for a couple of days if I am anxious. But now i feel under this real pressure to take something and the thought of going back to GP on Friday is worrying the life out of me. I am really depressed, depersonlisation, derealisation you name it I have it at the moment but am totally stuck. Can anyone help me?

Thank you.

Kathy

[Greenman50]

Hi

I started off on the diazapam and still took it while on citralapram 20 mg , as the citralapram kicked in i stoped useing the diazapam .
I,m no expert but i would go with the DR and try the citralapram they are very effective and some people don,t get the initial side effects .

[haz]

Have to agree with Mel. I am ""pro" diazepam, been on it for years and it helps me immensely but there is NO doubt that your body becomes used to it and has less of an effect. I am in the process of trying to reduce it very slowly but I'm in no rush - my plan is 1mg every couple of months.