View Full Version : diazapam useage
Ive been using diazapam for about 11 weeks, 2mg tablets twice a day. How do i know if ive become addicted to it though? When i dont use it im very anxious, panic attacks etc but im like that anyway! I still have anxiety when i am using it...therefore is it the disazapam still making me anxious or my condition? Im very confused, especially as my anti-depressents arent working and ive been referred to a specialist..... anyone got any advice? HELP!!! :weep:
Snap Popsy !
I'd like to know the same - I've been taking one 2mg tab each day for about 9 weeks now and I think it's still working for me although I do still get the odd day when my anx. is high.
How will I know when I've become addicted or have formed a tolerance to the drug.
Also can Diaz. be taken on a when required basis after it's been stopped after regular use ?
According to the Ashton manual it should be tapered off very slowly by 10% cuts ,does this include low dose users ?
Cheers
Decca
Thanks for replying Decca, we soooo need a No More Panic doctor on here dont we!!!! :hugs: xxx
Yep - or advice from another Diazepam user !
Decca
Hi Popsy and Deca,
I've just been given Diazepam 10mg for insomnia. I know its a much higher dose but the effects for me last well into the next day and greatly reduce my anxiety which is especially bad in the morning for some reason.
As for becoming addicted, I cant help with that one as my doc wont give me more than 2 weeks worth then I have to have a 2 week break.
Popsy, I've never heard of it increasing anxiety (might be wrong though) maybe the dose isnt high enough?
Sorry I couldnt be of more help.
Take care
Hi Popsy, Decca :D
I will try to answer some of your questions regarding diazepam. I was addicted to diaz as I had been taking it for over 18years. I was started on 10mg x 2 daily(and never told how addictive it was). With the increases over the years it went to 55mg at night.
You know when you have formed an intolerance to the dose you are taking as it becomes ineffective on your symptoms.
My physciatrist told me it should only be prescribed for a short period of time as it is more addictive than heroin. I was advised to wean down by 1mg a week. Some times while I was weaning down I would have to stay static on that dose for a fortnight, then start decreasing by 1mg a week again. It took me nearly 2 1/2 years to finally get off diazepam and another 6 - 7 months for all the side effects to subside.
I would advise you to talk any fears or questions over with your GP as he/she should be able to answer your questions. Hope I have given you some help.
All the best to you and everyone on the site :bighug1: :bighug1:
Diane
'Your imagination is always much worse than the reality'
louwilliams
27-04-08, 20:27
dont quote me on this but someone posted about this lat week-apparently.......as long as you take no more than 4 x 2mg over a period of 7 days then you are "not addicted"-sying that...I read this and panicked like hell but upon speaking to someone else abou it they said that it varies greatly from one person tot he next and not to use this as a rule to go by
Lou
x
The problem with Diaz. is that the body can get used to it and you need to keep increasing the dose to get the same benefit from it. The skill is in knowing if it's the anxiety increasing or the effects of the drug waining.
Decca.
Thanks Diane,
I think that is our worst fears, I know years ago I was prescribed phenobarbitone when I had severe Eczema and it took me 20 years to get off of it.
Sounds like you did well to get off of Diaz. on that doseage, what were the withdrawal effects like? and how did you cope with them ?
Did they ever consider keeping you on a low maintenance dose at all ?
Cheers
Deeca
Hi Lou,
Yea I've heard that somewhere to , trouble is I've been taking my 2mg everyday, I don't think I'm addicted but then I've never tried stopping it to see, just to scared to in case my old symptoms return,can't go through that again.
Decca.
Hi:D
I have 5mg diazipam tabs on an as and when basis
GP dishes out 28 at a time
Only take about 56 a year never understood what there is to get addicted to:shrug:
They just relax me:shrug:
Kaz x x x:hugs:
Hi Kazzie,
I think the addiction comes from taking them every day not as when required.
Not sure at what doseage tho.
Decca.
Ah Decca I see now:)
I have painkillers for IBS that I could quite happily get hooked on they make me high:ohmy:
Just never understood the diazipam thing but then I take them once in a blue moon:)
Kaz x xx :hugs:
Kazzie,
What do you take for your IBS?
I've found Diaz. helps mine a lot .
Decca
Hi again Decca :D
My hubby read an article in the paper about the effects of some drugs and diazepam was one of them. At the time I was living life like a zombie and very depressed (My family were concerned about me but I was so drugged up I didn't realise how bad I was) I took the article to my GP and said I wanted off all the meds. I was also taking temgesic sublingual (morphine based pain killer as I am a chronic pain sufferer) and Lofepramine. He advised me to stay on the diazepam. He said I was taking such a high dose and had been on it for so long I wouldn't be able to get off it.
At the time I was also undergoing specialised PTSD councelling at a clinic in London, as I was having terrible 'flash backs' every day. I had reached a part of my treatment where my councellor told me and hubby the treatment wouldn't be effective while I was taking diazepam as it dulls the receptors in the brain. She referred my to a physciatrist to see if he could help me. He was great, he told us all about diazepam, the misuse by doctors and side effects he couldn't tell us the long term damaged of taking so much as for so long as there is no documentation about it.
I went through increased anxiety and the symptoms you get with the anxiety. The sleeplessness, he gave me tips to cope with this e.g. Going to bed at a set time, don't clock watch, relaxing the body down, if you have to get up don't drink tea, coffee, have alcohol, make a warm milky drink, read, etc. I used to read until 4 - 4.30 every morning then eventually fall asleep. I didn't get frustrated as he told me my body was still getting rest while I was lying in bed reading. The depressed feelings got worse before they got better, I also suffered with general restlessness, feeling scared about coming off the meds, scared that I wouldn't be able to cope without them and paranioa. He gave me a contact number I could phone to speak to him if it got to bad to cope before I was due to see him, and he also told my GP to contact him if he was worried about me. In the beginning I phoned him a few times panicking that I couldn't go through with it each time he reassured me and told me to think about my PTSD treatment.
It was hard but with alot of help and support from him and my family I managed it. I just have to get through this panic/agoraphobia now and start to live again.
Hugs for all :bighug1: :bighug1: :bighug1:
Diane
Hi Decca:D
I take buscopan for IBS and Tramadol for the pain it causes!!!
Its the Tramadol that makes me bombed out!!!
Luckily now I know wwhen its coming on and find a hot water bottle and a few whiffs of lavender oil work well!!!
Kaz x
Thanks Diane,
Many thanks for your reply,
Wow you've really been though it well done for doing so well , I hope you continue to get better , I'm sure you will.
Best wishes & God bless.
Decca.
Hi Kaz,
I've never taken Buscopan but I've heard about it.The hot water bottle works well.
Decca.
Diane:hugs: , You've done Brilliantly and deserve alot of admiration for all your strength and achievements. It takes alot of courage and you certainly have that!:yesyes:
I was on diazepam for about 3 years which is nothing compared but I still found myself addicted to it. I knew because when I began to reduce them, if I reduced them too quickly I experienced very bad anxiety, shakes, sweating etc. It took me 6 months to get off them.
I found the more I took, the less effective they were. I feel diazepam works best when it's Not taken on a daily basis because it's great for easing symptoms on "bad" days.
My wifes mother has taken them for so long for depression that she's been advised never to attempt coming off them purely because it'll be too difficult now. They actually think she'd be ok without them because they don't feel she's getting any benefit from them. It's just too late now to try being without.
I was surprised to hear that even vets prescribe them to dogs to help them get over trauma.
I actually think the old medications work better for anxiety than the modern ad's despite their addictive qualities because the old ones were sedatives whereas the new ones I feel work better for depression as their title suggests - "anti-depressants".
I found that a "one off" diazepam eased my anxiety but an ad just lifted my mood for a limited period. They said that it was because the lift in my mood never lasted that it proved I had anxiety and not depression and yet doctors only seem to prescribe ad's for anxiety these days but I think that's because of the lack of alternatives both in medications and the waiting lists for therapy.
As for diazepam, I'd be very careful. Keep doses small and try not to take them daily. They'll be more effective and you'll lessen the risk of addiction. That's Just my own opinion though!!! It's always Best to consult your doctor about concerns over personal medication.:hugs:
Is there anyone that's either withdrawn from low dose Diaz. (2 or 4mg per day) - to know what the withdrawal was like.
Or anyone that's been taking this dose long term - to see if they've built up a tolerance to it .
Decca.
I've taken diazepam for short periods (2 months approx) and had no withdrawal whatsoever. At that time I was on 5-10 mg a day. I'm currently on 2mg a day myself. My doctor tells me it's ok to take a low dose for a few months but they try to wean you off it after that. The doctors tend to be very cautious about prescribing it long term anyway. You are on a very low dose anyway and as long as it's properly prescribed I don't think you'll have any problems. Let me know how you get on and I hope it helps...it's certainly helped me through some acutely anxious times.
Hi Samira,
Thanks for your reply, it was very helpful and I hope you are feeling a bit better yourself now.
Yes Diaz. is helping me tremendously,so much so that I don't really want to stop taking it,but as I've been taking it for about 9 weeks,I guess my Doc. will suggest it soon.
When you first came off, did you cold turkey or taper ?
Best wishes
Decca
Saw Dr. this morning for my usual heart and meds check,also talked about Diaz.- He's happy to keep me on low dose ( 2mg to 4mg per day) for as long as I need it, he said that it's unlikely to build up a tolerance to such a low dosage and the benefits to me have been obvious - heart rate now slow and steady and blood pressure back to normal.
Decca.
Well I Have Only Been Treated For Three Months Now. I Was Pre-scribed Diazepan 2mg Twice A Day For Like Two Weeks. It Helped Very Little. A Week Ago I Went Back And They Preescribed Me 5mg Tablets To Be Chewed When An Attack Happens. It Has Worked Very Well. I Just Donīt Want To Take Them Evryday Which I Have Been Doing. Because When They Run Out I Fear The Doctor Will Not Prescribe Them Again.i Have Yet To Concince My State Doctor For A Referral To Mental Health Practioner. I Mean Convince. I Am Not On Any Other Meds. The Diazepan Does Certainly Not Increase Anxiety. The Addiction Part Is Tricky But Be Carefull If You Start Panicking Because You Donīt Drink It Everyday Or Even When You Are Not Having An Attack.iīm Guessing Here. I Am New To The Site. I Ma New To Trying To Find Help. I Have Been Having Attacks For A Year . They Started Mildly And Now They Are Getting Worse.
Powered by vBulletin® Version 4.2.5 Copyright © 2024 vBulletin Solutions Inc. All rights reserved.