My doctor has said I'm dependent on Valium

Taking Valium on an "as needed" basis is surely not an addiction. I know lots of people who take various types of benzos just when they feel they are very anxious and none of them have become addicted. Surely a GP should be making sure they monitor their patients to ensure they only take them responsibly.

I was prescribed Librium which is very similar to Valium back in 1981. I am still taking them all these years on. I'm obviously not happy to be taking them as I am quite sure they no longer work, however by the same token I have never felt the need to increase the dosage, which I believe to be the equivalent of 8mgs of Valium.

When I have gone to my GP for help with coming off them I have been told it's harder coming off benzos than coming off Heroin and been actively discouraged from going down that route. I think the bottom line is that most GP's know that people who have taken them for a long time are going to need help that they are unable to give, so they take the easy way out, which is to carry on prescribing.

Obviously GP's are more enlightened now and not allowing patients to become reliant on these meds, but I really can't see how the odd pill now and again is going to harm anyone. It's like they have gone from the extremes of over prescribing to under prescribing and it's us, the victims of anxiety, who pay the price.

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Originally Posted by shine

That's garbage talk! How about feed back that actually help somebody off of drugs. Ok, real talk, how about honor stays on valium for his good years. Yea, maybe he gets through the day for many and many days like years. Ok what does that do? Bypass who he really is. Yes that is exactly what the drug does. Well, let us look at it as a crutch. Even us that break a leg get better. Ok, but what if it is a long term crutch well, then the drug controls you. Now, what if that could be avoided. I wouldn't recommend anyone to quit there meds. There are other options. You need to fight for your life. I you understand people on meds believe me. I live for years with two bipolar family members and I love them both. I'm not sayin stop taking the valium, please look at other options. NEVER STOP looking for options that would disclosure a method of such a mind altering drug. Already believe in the bible, Gods word, Think how they went through it. No Pnamachsy , No phychaitrist , No valium, when things got unmanageable they turn to the lord. That's what honor needs to do Pray that he will find the truth. I promise if he humbled himself and prayed to his heavenly father, then he would start to know who he is. Maybe a little more searching, He would know who his heavenly father is and then would he get better.

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god dont wany us to suffer- yes pray your right but we have to see dotors to and meds-
and lets not forget Luke, the doctor

Myself and my Psychiatrist have agreed that 12mg is my maintenance dose. I am currently on 15mg to help with side effects as my ad's have recently been increased. However I do plan to gradually reduce this back to 12mg.

I think the real problem is the people who use diazepam as a recreational drug and unfortunately those of us who actually need it for anxiety are paying the price for this.

Haz.