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emma81
03-01-08, 21:31
Hi

I have been suffering from depression and anxiety for about 5 years and agoraphobia with panic disorder for about the last 2 years. 4 or 5 years ago i think i tried just about every anti-d there was but finally found one that worked for me and kept my day-to-day anxieties manageable.

Over the past year my agoraphobia has got much worse as have the panic attacks, i had an awful experience at the start of 2007 where we lost our baby son and as i have not coped with it at all since then the doc says he think i also have PTSD.

When i saw him today he told me to continue with the citalopram that i have been on for the last year but he also gave me a prescription for diazepam saying i have to take it on an as and when needed basis. He gave me a box of 2mg tabs saying i have 2 take 2 at a time when i feel v anxious and just 1 when i just need to manage it better.

Ive never taken diazepam before and these days i am very wary about what meds i take making sure i have stuck to 30mg a day of citalopram and not exceeded it even when i felt i needed too. Could someone, especially someone with agoraphobia and panic attacks who has taken diazepam before please tell me what i can expect - how long does it take to work? do i take it as a prevention for a situation i know i will find very stressful or as a cure if a panic attack begins? how did it make u feel that first time?

thanks for all help in advance
emma xx

lesleya
03-01-08, 22:15
Hi Emma
Im sorry to read that you lost your baby son it must have been devestating for you.
But i just wanted to tell you of my experience with valium. Valium/Diazepam is a very good help as a short term solution and will help you feel very very calm and relaxed. They're quite quick acting too.
Im 50 now and I used valium 2mg, 5mg and 10mg (diazepam) from 16 years of age to 31.
I had anxiety/panics from 16, which became worse and spiralled into agoraphobia after a berivement at 21. Then i got post natal-depression after my son was born when i was 24 and i was just hopelessly addicted to valium.
The only problem with valium is if you get dependant on them theyre not easy to withdraw from, as im sure other people will tell you too. It took me quite some time to do it too.
I hope this helps you in some small way. You will find lots of really nice people on the forum and in chatroom too who will give support if you need it and cheer you up if you need it too.
Best of luck. Take care
Hugs
:hugs: :hugs: :hugs:

chloe555
03-01-08, 22:39
Ive been taking valium/diazepam for just over 2 years as well as anti ds.
I take 5mg as and when needed but not too much as it is addictive.I must say it helps so much it calms you down makes you feel relaxed and you can just do what you have to do without worrying.I take one if i know im going to go into a situation that is gonna stress me too much or sometimes after ive got in a state.They really do help its just a shame they are addictive but if you just take them now and then thats ok,just not everyday.
Hope thats helped a bit.

xxxxx

chrissy87
04-01-08, 00:10
I've been on diazepam for a couple of weeks and at first it worked very well. Then it completely stopped working for me (I was only on 2mg) and I had a bad attack - bad enough for me to go to A&E.
I'm aware it's a medication for short term relief as it is highly addictive which your doctor must have told you. I'm on my last tablet now and won't get prescribed any more (understandably) so I'm anxious about that but the best thing to do is seek long term help and follow the advice of your doctor (unless they say something ridiculous like valium is good in the long run - it definitely isn't!)

pete69
04-01-08, 00:19
emma,
they are or can be an addictive drug,but it will take a few years of regular use to have to up the dose to get the same effect,10mg a few years ago was enough for me as a social anxiety sufferer to get my arse up town and do whatever i had to do with no anxiety....taken as and when required on a panic attack basis i wouldent worry about addictiction.
your gp has said take 4mg...well you can take 2mg and see if that helps,if it does stick with that dose,dont listen to what your gp says,he isnt inside your head.....if it doesnt help then up it to 4mg ....trust me they are not as addictive as booze or fags so dont be put off by this "addictive" tag..if you took the same dose every morning for years then obviously u would have to up the dose ..same as booze or the likes,yourll be fine and good luck out there:)
pedro

pete69
04-01-08, 00:30
I've been on diazepam for a couple of weeks and at first it worked very well. Then it completely stopped working for me (I was only on 2mg) and I had a bad attack - bad enough for me to go to A&E.
I'm aware it's a medication for short term relief as it is highly addictive which your doctor must have told you. I'm on my last tablet now and won't get prescribed any more (understandably) so I'm anxious about that but the best thing to do is seek long term help and follow the advice of your doctor (unless they say something ridiculous like valium is good in the long run - it definitely isn't!)

chrissy,
while i was typing you replied with yours..ok i dont think diazepam is the drug for you,2mg is a nothing dose,its like taking a double vodka,i was on a similar dose years back and my gp was trying to get me off them as they are all so damn scared of being sued hence seroxat now being put on the shelve and prozac bought forward as a choice of cure all...2mg is the absolute min u could try and it wouldnt knock a mouse out ,so i think you just dont agree with them .....as i say my gp said 2mg is doing nothing to cure my anxiety,but i told him i was doubling up and sometimes tribling up so he eventually agreed to carry on my script...are you telling me people who take cipralex feel fine for 6 weeks? they feel absolute hell..and there anxiety is worse,at least the diazepam will give you instant release and hey we are only here once and surely lifes to short for an anti depressant to take 12 weeks to have a slight effect.

p.s///i dont work for ROCHE!!!

chrissy87
04-01-08, 00:47
chrissy,
while i was typing you replied with yours..ok i dont think diazepam is the drug for you,2mg is a nothing dose,its like taking a double vodka,i was on a similar dose years back and my gp was trying to get me off them as they are all so damn scared of being sued hence seroxat now being put on the shelve and prozac bought forward as a choice of cure all...2mg is the absolute min u could try and it wouldnt knock a mouse out ,so i think you just dont agree with them .....as i say my gp said 2mg is doing nothing to cure my anxiety,but i told him i was doubling up and sometimes tribling up so he eventually agreed to carry on my script...are you telling me people who take cipralex feel fine for 6 weeks? they feel absolute hell..and there anxiety is worse,at least the diazepam will give you instant release and hey we are only here once and surely lifes to short for an anti depressant to take 12 weeks to have a slight effect.

p.s///i dont work for ROCHE!!!

I know it's a tiny dose and I do double up, I have done most of the time which is why the prescription hasn't lasted me very long. But it doesn't mean I'm not worried about taking it because of what I've read/heard/been told countless times.
I think I'm going to start a new thread...maybe someone can give me a hand with what to speak to my doctor about.

pete69
04-01-08, 00:57
if you want my help i will offer it,have taken diazepam for plenty of years so if its what you want or dont want then u know inside,also have been on seroxat 3.5 years and prozac 12 weeks,..i am a sufferer of social anxiety so it may not be your troubles bit chrissy i have been there n got the many t-shirts on anxiety so please feel free to pm me if you want some advice re:gp

take care
pete

loopy loo
04-01-08, 01:04
Hi Chrissy,
I am so sorry to hear of your loss, and can understand your need to use something to help keep you calm.
I wanted to offer some advice to you.
Firstly, the drugs are very good and will make you feel a lot better. However, there is a real problem of addiction and i think that even after a couple of weeks on them you will find it hard to give up. I had them when i was about 16 and the withdrawl was horrific. I am scared to toch them now because i know how good i will feel on them.....but you do need more eventually and with that comes the knocked out feeling, the woosie, not quite on this planet thing.
My advice would be to ask your doctor for some cbt counselling. It is fantastic and well worth the wait. Your problems with anxiety will not be solved by a tablet to bliss you out....but talking therapy will help you permanantly, and you are strong enough to do it. Believe in your self.
Good luck and lots of love. xx

pete69
04-01-08, 01:20
loo,
i agree that a tablet is not the answer,but you have to agree cbt takes many many hours of exposure and motivativation is a big thing with anxiety.
yes the valium will help instantly so in the shrinks eyes you have 3 options....ssris....cbt....tranx......anxiety is fed by avoidance so doing something everyday is always going to be a help for emma,i will count myself out of this thread as tranx r what have helped me and if you look on the medication thread /poll u will see that its pretty high up there with anti/d as the best med...good luck:)

emma81
04-01-08, 02:09
Hi i just wanted to say thanks for the replies, i am very wary of the whole addictiveness part of diazepam but i am also at a point where i feel i have suffered these horrible symptoms long enough and my GP did give me a kind of 'plan' which made sense to me:

-carry on with my citalopram for general day2day anxiety
-take diazepam when i know i am going into a situation where i am likely to feel severe anxiety and only then
-try and push myself when taking them to go further afield than i would normally attempt to go so that i become more familiar with places i havent been to in a while - anywhere more than 5 miles or so away
-hopefully by then in a month or so i will have a new cpn sorted for cbt and exposure work and will feel slightly less anxious about it as i will have familiarised myself slightly with these new places therefore more able to focus on the relaxation and cbt side of things

That was his idea and it makes sense to me whether or not it will work i have no idea all i know is i cant handle feeling the way i do much longer. I am scared of taking that 1st diazepam but i think it is the fear of the unknown, i have no reason to worry about the addictiveness of them as i know i will only use them maybe once or twice a week but i still am worried of how they will make me feel as i am anytime i have to start any new medications.

Thanks again for ur replies
Emma :)

pete69
04-01-08, 02:17
good luck emma:yesyes: sounds like your pretty clued up with it all...
a coward dies a thousand times a he....oh balls just got that as my sig,wanted to quote it again,ah well u get the message :wtf1:

willp
04-01-08, 12:44
Hi Emma,

I am at a similar stage of treatment to you and the plan your GP has given you has definitely worked for me. I'm still waiting for CBT but Citralopram is working in the meantime. I have taken a low dose of Diazepam in addition to other medication in the past as and when required and I didn't get addicted or need to use it very often. It will help you through servere anxiety and is nothing to worry about providing you only use it as your GP advises.

Good luck - it sounds like you're taking really positive steps to help yourself.

Will

joan2007
04-01-08, 15:11
Hi emma, im also on citalopram, have been for 4 months, doctor gave me 5mg diazepam for very anxious times only, i have terrible fear of hospitals amongst other things, i only use them at these times and find they are a godsend, please dont be afraid to use them when you really need to, they only take about 40mins to work, and will make you very calm and able to cope with very stressful situations. Hope this helps emma, and good luck:hugs:
Joan. xxxxxxxx

maxine
04-01-08, 18:24
Hello Emma,

I'm having a bit of a relapse at the minute after 2 years off meds and panic free ( i used to be a full blown agoraphobic) about 3 months ago i started panicing again , anxious all the time, off work you know the drill.

Anyway, i went to the doctors who started me off on 20mg citalopram and 2mg diazapam until they kicked in i was told to take them when needed, I like you was very worried about the " addictivness" of them. I took them for a month everyday and if it was a really stressful day i took two of them.
I stopped taking the Diazapam just before xmas and i had no problems stopping them at all.
I would advise that if you are taking them for the first time stay in just so you know how your body will react to the Diazapam ( it made me really sleepy and a bit dopey the first few days).
The doctor has since increased my dose of citalopram to 40mg per day which i only started yesterday so we'll see how that goes.

Don't be scared of Diazapam it is a very helpful drug but you will notice the more often you take it the less effect it has, look at it as something just to get you over the settling in period for everything else you are doing meds wise.

Good luck x

juicy lucy
19-05-09, 15:03
hi i am due to go on a cruise around the cannaries next tuesday with my family and i suffer from agraphobia and panic disorder i am not on any medication at the minute. what i want to find out is if i feel anxious can i take diazepam? i have nerver taken it before and am really nervous about going on holiday what will it make me feel like? and how much can i take not to become addicted?i was thinking 1mg 3 times a day for 10 days is this dose okay i dont want to become addicted i just need something to get me through the holiday? any information would be a great help

RENMAN
05-07-10, 10:10
I took Diazepam for 8 years for relief of anxiety attacks. I ended up on about 30 to 40mg a day. After a bout with the flu and a sore throat being vey sick I had not taken any Diazepam so I decided to try to get by w/o it. After a year of attack freemy affliction came back full force. My Dr. had recently retired and the new replacement was reluctant to prescribe a benzodiazapine. She put me on Paxil it made me sick, constant diarrhea, headache and a very irritable disposition. I am a professional musician singer/songwritersometimes I perform as a solo acoustic act and other times I have a band that travels with me. There is no way you can get up on a stage in front of hundreds of people and be worrying if your gonna start having a panic attack in the middle of the show. So I went to A Dr.of Psychiatry. He has me on four 1mg Xanax a day as needed and I see him by monthly now at first I saw him every month. I immediately notice a much more compassionate attitude from my Shrink. So if you suffer from Panic disorder I would tell you do not be afraid to try Diazepam or Xanax a good Dr. will start you out with a small dose of maybe 2 5 mg's a day as needed or maybe less. Then adjust you accordingly. The medication has a quick on set and peaks at one to two hours so it isn't like getting high on booze not even close. I do not drink alcohol at all because I am hyper sensitive to it, but these drugs just help you in your battle to over come that crazy scared panic that affects millions of Americans. i hope my story helped someone. Good Luck and a Good Life.

RENMAN
05-07-10, 10:29
No not a chance will you get addicted in such a short time, but just 1mg may not be a large enough dose either. My advice to you is go see a reputable Dr. of Psychiatry if you are not already, he will be able to help you in a way no GP or D.O can. I started out on 1 5mg tablet three times a day. You may not be able to tolerate that much. But I willl tell you this there is no way in the World you will become addicted to Diazepam in 10 days. You may decide that the Diazepam is worth taking regularly as needed so you can start living your life to the fullest. It's a big beautiful World out there and although I don't have agraphobia I do suffer panic disorder and a crazy fear of the unknown, just being very scared for no reason. So I can imaginne agraphobia must be hell. Good Luck to you.