Why does Diazepam not work for me and update on my new London psychiatrist

[Wilburis]

Hi

I went to London on Saturday to see a new fabulous psychiatrist.

She was the best.

She says that my catastrophic thinking stems from my fathers death.

For example: One day I was talking to him on the phone, the next day he had an almighty stroke. One day he went into hospital with a chest infection and the next day he had pneumonia and died within the week.

So when my kids have a temperature, I think they will get menengitis and die.

This is how I think.

I told her that I take a 5mg Diazepam and it does nothing for me. She was surprised as she sad I should feel calm and relaxed. I dont at all.

She said I have chronic panic, chronic anxiety, agraphobia, OCD and depression. She said I fit the disability criteria now too.

Would anyone know why a 5mg Diazepam would not work? Could I take a 10mg dose or would that be too much?

xx

[grace.M]

Hi lizzie,

this would be something to talk to your psych about as there are several different types of benzo medication, diazepam is just one of them :) personally it did not help me either, as i felt it relaxed my muscles and such... but i was still panicking a lot. but your psych can talk to you about how you react to your medication personally and if the dose needs to go up or try you on something a little different.. I would not recommend trying different doses without professional advice if you are new to these kinds of medications.

all the best xx :hugs:

[MyNameIsTerry]

It helped me at first when my GAD was really getting bad, then after about a week of taking one a day at night, it stopped doing anything.

The second time around when I relapsed years later I took a couple when starting my latest med and they did help.

It may mean you need a stronger dose or a different Benzo but it's a question for a doctor before you try to increase.

[Sixpack]

According to my daughter's neurologist, she can take up to 4 -- 10 mg tabs of diazepam a day. I would NOT give her that much as I don't know how anyone could function on that much. Lol. She has been taking 10 mg am and pm and 5mg in afternoons. She takes them to help with seizures. However I think it is affecting her balance and getting around. I am reducing it. She is takin 5mg at night now, 10 in am and 5 in afternoons. Next weekend I will drop the afternoon to 2.5mg...

Diazepam even comes in 10 mg. So, no, taking 10mg is not too much. I would not take 10mg unless you run it passed your prescribing doctor though


Why does the 5mg not work for you? my opinion, is that it seems many folks believe anxiety meds work similarly to how anti-b's work. You swallow the pill and it fixes the problem. Anti b's kill bacteria in the body. Anxiety meds don't really kill anxiety or change the faulty thinking. Ultimately what 'fixes' anxiety disorders is changing the faulty thinking. Meds are merely one tool in an entire toolbox. All of the tools in the box need to be utilized to get the person (over time) on the road to recovery.

[MyNameIsTerry]

Why does the 5mg not work for you? my opinion, is that it seems many folks believe anxiety meds work similarly to how anti-b's work. You swallow the pill and it fixes the problem. Anti b's kill bacteria in the body. Anxiety meds don't really kill anxiety or change the faulty thinking. Ultimately what 'fixes' anxiety disorders is changing the faulty thinking. Meds are merely one tool in an entire toolbox. All of the tools in the box need to be utilized to get the person (over time) on the road to recovery.

Whilst I agree, in the case of a Benzo the effect should be fast as that's what they are for. So, I took the OP to mean she felt no change when a Benzo should be calming her down.

I'm surprised a psychiatrist didn't know about that.