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Allie
23-08-06, 22:02
The topics in the Medication forum about diazepam are worrying me.

I am currently withdrawing from the drug and was looking on there for advice and support.

I know that benzos are addictive I was shocked to see how many people who have recently been put on the drug are on these forums asking for advice on how addictive they are, only to be told by other members that they are not.

I am no doctor or expert but I feel that these people are being misinformed and would appriciate some sort of proper information to be put up on these forums about benzodiazepines by the modertors or links to reputable orgainazations that deal with such drugs!


Kindest regards

Miss AE Price

THE VOICE INSIDE YOUR HEAD IS NOT THE VOICE OF GOD. IT JUST SOUNDS LIKE IT THINKS IT IS! Cheri Huber

darkangel
23-08-06, 22:21
i totally agree - benzos are VERY addictive and should not be taken lightly. the withdrawals after long term use can be horrific.

on the plus side they are effective in VERY SHORT TIME use

you have a right to be concerned - but one thing i will add is slow down gradually and with support from your GP

Allie you will get off them, just take your time and well done for raising this VERY important issue.

Take care

Drakangel

........life is for living not just for surviving

Allie
23-08-06, 22:29
Thanks for your support!

I've been addicted (and I don't use that word lightly) for eighteen months.

I was on 9mg diazepam and have am currently on 8mg, dropping 1/2 mg every three weeks (next week I drop to 7.5mg and am actually looking forward to it!) . I have already completely withdrawn from a 2mg daily lorazepam succesfully and am doing it under supervision from a CBT therapist and my GP!

I really think this bad advice on here needs to be stopped and people must realize that tranqilization is not a cure, merley a mask.

THE VOICE INSIDE YOUR HEAD IS NOT THE VOICE OF GOD. IT JUST SOUNDS LIKE IT THINKS IT IS! Cheri Huber

nomorepanic
23-08-06, 22:30
Allie

I agree - I would never tell anyone to be on these for any length of time atall.

I am not sure who said they were ok but I would never personally say that it was ok to take them long term

Nicola

darkangel
23-08-06, 22:38
Allie

You are doing so well and you are cutting down gradually and with the correct supervision.

I was on diazapam 10mg a day for 3 years together with various ohter meds - i was totally addicted and watched the clock till the next one - this will prob sound familiar to you.

Like you I cut down over a long period with support from my CPN and psychiatrist and have been fully off for 6 years now.

It will take a while to get completely out of your system but you will see improvements.

Allie, the fact that you recognise that benzos only mask the symptoms means you are so on the way to getting better and coping with anxieyt by more effecitve methods.

Well done to you and keep going

Darkangel x

........life is for living not just for surviving

Paddington
23-08-06, 23:29
i apologise if you feel i have misled any one ,I can only speak of my personal journey and do not claim to be a doctor,just an individual who has been taking diazapam for 19 years on and off and have never felt addicted or had withdrawal from not taking them!!Perhaps it is because i only took them as and when not3xdaily every day??I answered a question put to us on the forum,my opinion and my experience.I have been told ,by a health proffesional,that they are more psychologicaly addictive than physicaly..a bit like nicotienne.And boy i suffered when i gave those thing up,5 years ago now!!Weare all different i guess!I would not encourage drug dependancy in any form ,but sometimes it is the only thing that keeps us sane at the time.I am so happy for youthat you are gettingoff your meds and sorry it has been a hard road,i wish you continued success.Lovemary rose.xxx

we are all in the same boat and can guide each other ashore

Allie
24-08-06, 23:15
:D Thank you for your support. It is much appriciated!.
I am making good progress with my withdrawal and hope to be free of them in a few months. :D

[Oops!]I did not mean to cause offence with my comments, but every health professional I have spoken to has told me that after just a few weeks your central nervous system becomes used to the dose and frequently has to be increased to have an effect.

I also feel that psychological addiction is as hard (if not harder) to overcome than physical dependency. I must also stress that you should NEVER go COLD TURKEY or attempt a withdrawal without your GPs advice and support.

Although I am not a doctor, I felt that it was important to raise this issue as many people were asking if you could become tolerant to benzos and the answer is to that question is yes. Although the length of time and dose that you are on may determine your level of dependency.

Speaking from my own experience I find that cognitive behavioural therapy is far more useful in dealing with anxiety than drug based remedies as you are enabled to get to the core of your anxieties and face them head on and render them harmless. In my opinion and from my point of view CBT is a cure whereas benzo drug therapy is merely provides short term relief. Again I reitierate, I am just offering my opinion.

:)May I recommend that you visit the MIND website and visit their page on Benzos and their related drugs. It is most informative.:)

THE VOICE INSIDE YOUR HEAD IS NOT THE VOICE OF GOD. IT JUST SOUNDS LIKE IT THINKS IT IS! Cheri Huber

Paddington
25-08-06, 00:24
No offence taken .I agree with you that cbt is the way foreward,sadly if id asked my doctor for this he would have said..'what is that'?Mmmmm not very good at all is it??!!I think i must be very lucky not to have become addicted!I rarely need then since joining this site[6months now ,not one tablet!]So, any one else need help coming off?point them in this direction!Love mary rose.xxx

we are all in the same boat and can guide each other ashore

Allie
25-08-06, 11:46
It took me two years, two psychiatrists, a misdiagnosis (I was told by my first psychiatrist that OCD was my primary problem, and panic disorder/agoraphobia secondary when all along it had been the other way around!) and a change in health authority to get the proper CBT treatment!

While all this was going on I remained on diazepam, doses kept being upped and when I went to A&E after a severe episode they'd just tell me to take an extra dose and send me home! To be honest I was scared about comming off it, the psychological addiction was very strong, but now when I take a drop and take less tablets I see it as a very positive step! My psychiatrist has also prescibed a low dose of a non addictive sedative to aid me in my recovery! Its all going well!

More awareness and research about anxiety disorders and treatment on the NHS's part is needed methinks!

Again I highly recommend CBT treatment, apparently it works in 80% of cases! I hardly recognise the person I was two months ago when treatment began!


Good luck with your recovery! :)

THE VOICE INSIDE YOUR HEAD IS NOT THE VOICE OF GOD. IT JUST SOUNDS LIKE IT THINKS IT IS! Cheri Huber

Ma Larkin
25-08-06, 11:48
Hi Allie, I was on 5mg Diazepam as and when needed. I stopped taking them completely 3 weeks ago and feel so much better for it. I'd been on them for 2 years and thought I was addicted to them, but I think it was mind over matter with me. I also think that I got palps because the Diazepam was wearing off. I haven't had a palp since I stopped taking them. I was a bit jittery for the first couple of days, but determined not to take them. I'm so glad I stuck with it. I'm struggling a bit with sleep, but apart from that I have no symptoms at all. I'm also on Prozac, been on it for about 5 months now, hopefully, I'll reduce that soon. Most professionals says that Diazepam is addictive, yet they prescribe them to patients for years. My GP told me that he would give it me short-term. I was thinking a couple of months, but he would still give them me now if I asked for them.

Les

carly123
25-08-06, 11:52
Hi guys,

Just thought I'd reinforce what has already been said- I have never felt physically or psychologically addicted to Diazepam and I, also, believe this is because I only take them as a last resort and not on a daily basis. Everyone is different, of course, but this works ok for me.

Regards, Carlyxx

Allie
25-08-06, 18:51
I only began this topic as I felt that people needed to hear both sides of the story concerning benzodiazepines. My experience is one of prolonged use (I stress not misuse, I only took them as directed) and just feel that people really ought to know that taking them day in, day out WILL lead to addiction, whether it be psychological/physical or both.

I would also like to state to make people aware that use of diazepam may inhibit the progress of behavioural therapies as long periods of prolonged use can cause aggitation and restlessness (ironic I know!). My therapist told me he thought that the diazepam was causing these symptoms in me and I have, with the say so of my GP begun a PHASED withdrawal.

My next drop is to 7.5mg is on Wednesday and I can't wait for it! I am almost a quarter of the way through withdrawal!

I understand that some people take them 'as and when' and I am in no place to argue with that, I just feel that people ought to be made aware of the pitfalls.

THE VOICE INSIDE YOUR HEAD IS NOT THE VOICE OF GOD. IT JUST SOUNDS LIKE IT THINKS IT IS! Cheri Huber

bluebottle
26-08-06, 06:29
I take Lorazepam, 1mg in the morning, and as and when after that. I can take 4 a day when I'm going through a hard patch, to 1 a day and feel no withdrawal by doing this. I imagine if I took 4 a day for 6 months then I would be addicted but taking them as I do I find them a reassuring and useful option.

Benzo's used correctly are a very good medication to have. Like anything they can be abused. I have found antidepressants to be more addictive simply because you have to take more of them, and for a longer period, and you have to stick to the prescribed dosage.

--
Blue -
"Your truth is better for you than someone else's. Just get to know what it is, so you can finally own it, and speak it."

Allie
26-08-06, 14:31
I reiterate I was using them correctly, as directed by my consultant psychiatrist and have NEVER abused these drugs. Benzos are habit forming when taken like this.

THE VOICE INSIDE YOUR HEAD IS NOT THE VOICE OF GOD. IT JUST SOUNDS LIKE IT THINKS IT IS! Cheri Huber

eeyorelover
26-08-06, 19:33
I was PRESCRIBED 1 mg 3 times a day of xanax by my doc. When I would go into the doc and say that I was still having anxiety he would just up the dosage. I didn't know until I switched docs that xanax isn't meant to be used long term because it is addictive and by that time I had been on it for 5 years.

By then I was housebound and sleeping 16 hours a day just trying to avoid the anxiety.

I totally agree that benzos are habit forming. There is an insert that used to come with my presciption that said this med can be habit forming so obviously this is something that is known in the medical community also.

I went to a website that has info on xanax and this is one of the comments under caution...
Xanax ( Alprazolam ) is habit forming. You can become physically and psychologically dependent on the medication. The habit-forming potential is high; it is possible to become dependent in the first few days.

I also would like to add that while I was on xanax I would have never said that I was addicted to it. I thought because it was a prescription that a doc gave me that was used as he had prescibed that it was ok but that didn't make it any easier to stop taking it. I was weened off of it over several months and it was a nightmare!!! I had horrible trouble sleeping, headaches, anxiety that was far worse than what I ever had normally, and horrible mood swings.

I have come to believe that no med is going to cure my anxiety. I've made that decision that for me the best way is to face it and overcome it without medication. That is not to say that I think all meds are bad. I think that they do work for some people, shorterm along with other therapies or whatever to work thru anxiety and panic. But no one can say that there is a miracle pill that is going to cure my anxiety and knowing that I choose to face mine head on everyday with a clear mind med free.

I think it happens all too frequently where a doc just throws a drug at the patient and says 'here, let's try this and see what happens'. And someone in the middle of anxiety and panic just wanting to be free of all that comes along with it takes whatever is prescibed. I truely believe that until the medical community changes the way they look at anxiety and panic that there will always be a large group of patients that are unknowningly becoming addicted to benzos and suffering as a result.
Very scary and sad but true.

xxx
Sandy

time out
26-08-06, 20:23
hi there


however ive just read your emails and you are so right they are most definatley addictive both physiologicaly and psychologicaly and no doubt for the individual the psychological addiction plays a big part in the recovery process
as this is it sounds like where you are now good for you your thinking appears to be clearer your problem solving is increasing all signs you are recovering
good for you!
it is difficult for individuals to comment as each one of us ar so different at differing times and severity of the difficulties they experience
you must do what is right for you and my advice to you would be speak to the pharmacy your gp or nurse
good luck
www.needtimeout.co.uk

stress management nurse therapist hypnotherapy councelling relaxation holistic indian head massage aromatherapy face neck shoulder massage hand made soaps

Allie
26-08-06, 20:55
I couldn't agree more Sandy!
When I was in the middle of a HUGE panic attack (probably one of the the worst I've EVER had, with a tight feeling in my stomach like I'd never had before or thankfully since) my dad took me down to my doctors surgery and she prescribed me Lorazepam, (not telling me about the addictive properties of course), but I was so desperate and the sense of calm I experienced after taking it was intially comforting.

I then went onto diazepam for a short while (about 6 weeks) and then withdrew successfully, but my anxiety increased to an almost unbearable level a few months later and I was referred to a psychiatrist who put me on the diazepam once more.

Again I enjoyed short term relief but as my diagnosis and behavioural treatment was a long time comming the doses were upped and upped as I reached tolerance again and again. To add to this, January this year I was so aggitated I was also put on Lorazepam for six months (I have already withdrawn successfully from this about two months ago). Thank god my Cognitive Therapist interviened or else I'd probably still be on it now! Also, I now have a GP (there are six at my practice) who totally understands the pitfalls of benzos and is monitoring all the way through!

I also used to stay in bed until 1 in the afternoon, but since my therapy began I am up at 8.30 EVERY morning and cooking my own breakfast. Last night I even cooked a pasta meal for the first time in two years. I still felt edgy, but I saw it through and felt proud and liberated, liberated from drugs and liberated from the unhealthy habits and routines I had got myself into! I even went to my local shop this afternoon!

I understand that some people are comfortable taking these drugs and thats fine but I still maintain that behavioural therapies are the way forward in treating anxiety for the long term benefit of the patient.


THE VOICE INSIDE YOUR HEAD IS NOT THE VOICE OF GOD. IT JUST SOUNDS LIKE IT THINKS IT IS! Cheri Huber