Don't you just love Diazepam?

I woke up at 4.30 with the usual anxiety and today I decided not to put up with it so I got up and went out running! Came back home, took a shower and got ready for work. It was all going more or less fine but when I got to the office the anxiety started to creep up again!

I didn't really wanted to admit defeat against it today, so I took 5mg Diazepam and now I'm on cloud 9! Feel very woozy and a bit spaced out, bit like being drunk, but it's not a bad feeling. At least I don't feel the knot in my stomach and managed to eat a chocolate croissant!

I am very aware of the addictive nature of Diazepam so I try to take one every other day or so, but when I do I feel so much better! I just thought I'd share.

I wish diazepam worked for me like that, it just takes the edge off for me, but i still get panic attacks etc whilst ive taken it. Be careful though it is very addictive and if it works like that for you, you are evn more likely to find it so. However i dont bloody blame you, i would love a break from my constant anxiety and panic attacks even if it was just for a few hours. Enjoy!

mmmmm - i don't really agree with heavy duty meds like this - the cloud 9 feeling is what makes them so addictive but they are not the answer. far better to float through and then when your mood lifts you know its "yourself". good idea to go running though!

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Originally Posted by popsy

I wish diazepam worked for me like that, it just takes the edge off for me, but i still get panic attacks etc whilst ive taken it. Be careful though it is very addictive and if it works like that for you, you are evn more likely to find it so. However i dont bloody blame you, i would love a break from my constant anxiety and panic attacks even if it was just for a few hours. Enjoy!

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Yeah, unfortunately it doesn't work like this for me every time either. Especially early morning it doesn't seem to have any effect.

But if I can resist until I am at work and then take one at around 8.30 or so, the rest of the day is a breeze!

I asked my psychiatrist about the addictive nature of Diazepam and he told me that you get addicted to it if you take it every day for longer than 3 weeks (he was very specific about it!). So I take it every other day or less and only once a day and I hope that by the time I get to 3 weeks my Escitalopram will have started doing its magic so that I won't have to rely on it anymore... but for now I am enjoying a bit of peace and quiet!!! :yesyes:

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Originally Posted by joannap

mmmmm - i don't really agree with heavy duty meds like this - the cloud 9 feeling is what makes them so addictive but they are not the answer. far better to float through and then when your mood lifts you know its "yourself". good idea to go running though!

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Hi Joanna,

why do you consider Diazepam to be heavy duty? I never considered it to be that way... :huh:

hi newbie

i used the term heavy duty because of the extremely addictive nature of them - they are very powerful meds - not many gps like to prescribe them. they were hailed as the wonder drugs for anxiety in the 60's and then so many people ended up seriously addicted to them for years and suffered terrible withdrawal so gps only like to prescribe them for a few weeks now.

the thing with these meds is that they literally tranquilise you whereas antidepressants work with the chemicals already there in your brain.

i suppose i am of the thinking that meds are not really the answer for a flight/fight response that is natural but got out of hand. they do not enable you to learn coping stratedgies or acceptance. i have come through a terrible set back just staying on my 10mg ssri and the odd beta blocker - i am on the road to recovery but having a lot of bad days still but i prefer to do the work myself - i am not anti meds but personally would not take valium etc. there is no quick fix out there and i would be worried that i would end up with a dependancy on top of my anxiety condition!

ps - my gp has never even offered them to me and i have been in terrible states at times! so it looks like it depends on the gp x

Yes I understand what you are saying Joanna. I guess you need to be very self-disciplined to take Diazepam, and so far I think I have been good.

My GP only prescribes 14 tablets at a time. When I am "fine" they last me for about 6 months; during a bad period like this one, they probably last me for 6 weeks, but still, I don't believe I am addicted to it... crickey, that's probably the motto of the addicted eh? "I am not addicted to it!" Lol

hi newbie

i am sure you are not addicted lol and i didn;t mean to frighten anyone! i have always been a bit anti meds!

my next door neighbour used to take them (she went through a bad break up and couldn;t sleep). the first one she took - she could not even make it downstairs to brush her teeth! she was so out of it! she got used to them v quickly and had to take more and more to get the same effect which frightened her - she takes nytol now and has 3 packets in at a time she is so paranoid at running out!

I take Klonopin, which is also a benzodiazepine, for panic attacks. I did not do well on SSRI's (anti-depressants). I take .25 mg 3 - 4 times a day. My MD said that the SSRI's are not for everyone, and yes they are addictive, but as things calm down (and I was extremely tensed), that you can taper off of them. About 30 years ago I had panic attacks (I am 56), and used Serax for a year or two, and I did taper off of those and was fine. I do worry now though about the addiction power of them.

Hi Newbie and Joannap

I was just reading a few posts since the last time I was here and noticed the 'diazepam' thread. This drug is seriously scarey for me, I took it for over 20 years after my daughter was born with a heart condition (I was only 19 at the time and not even particularly nervous, just stressed) when they were called valium.

I ended up severely addicted and I never took them on a daily basis. I cold turkeyed off them 15 years ago and have not been the same since, it was just at the time when they realised what these drugs had actually done to a lot of people. It took me 3 years to get over the withdrawal and believe me it was the worst experience I have ever had. I would hate to scare anyone and I was on these an awful long time but my doctor at the time said there was no way I could be addicted because I didn't take them on a regular basis. I just want to say PLEASE take care with these.

All the best

Fran

hi fran

that is why i called them heavy duty. i personally have no experience of them but do know that poeple have had similar experiences to that you describe. i suppose it also depends on the individual/their own chemical make up etc.

i have a friend who is a heroin addict - she is on a treatment programme but cannot kick the heroin because she says it makes her feel safe/protected/on cloud 9 which is similar to what valium and those kind of drugs can make you feel and it is not "real". my friend is so used to numbing her emotions that she is now suffering with anxiety/depression on top of her addiction too because to feel any kind of "normality" makes her panic!

i think we fall into the trap of thinking that everyone else (non anxiety sufferers) feel great all the time - NOT TRUE! Everyone has fluctuations in mood/worries/good days/bad days and to use anything as a crutch - pills/alcohol/smoking to excess is not the way forward. the thing is - gp's then decided that ssris were the new wonder drug but there is no such magic pill out there. the best thing we can do is to learn how to deal with it ourselves - easier said than done but it can be done - i think most of us fall into the trap of thinking - i must feel better NOW! instead of standing back and giving recovery as much time and space as it needs. Put it this way - i would actually prefer to know that there was NOTHING out there i could take and then it is like we would have no choice but to deal with it and get better (i am talking anxiety disorders here rather than bi polar etc) because a big stumbling block for me is - should i /shouldn't i rush back to the gp when feeling bad? when if i did not have the option - i would have to just get on with it!

From previous post - I meant that the klonopin is addictive.

I think I was on the wrong post when I said I was talking about Klonopin. But I am taking Klonopin .25mg about 3 times a day because the SSRI's just scare me too much. I have been on them for about two weeks - I am scared reading the posts about the addiction problem. But - I had panic disorder 30 years ago (I am now 56) and was on Serax back then (a benzodiazepine also) and I did taper off of it. I just don't want to get panicky about using the Klonopin. I had lost 20 pounds, so really needed to take something to relax.

hi - i think it is ok in the very short term but it is a member of the benzo family - what makes you less frightened of these than ssri's? i personally would only use them in the tiniest dose possible to take the edge off - so that you can then work on bringing your fear levels down yourself. i find it hard to relax - the thing is you can worry too much about trying to relax lol which kind of defeats the object. watching something on tv or reading a book - going for a walk - a hot bath - playing a computer game are all natural ways of getting your body to calm a little x

hi all,, i have been on diaizpam for a bout 6 years , and at my worst i was taking 2x 5mg 4 times a day, but now i can go over a week without taking them, but still like to have them in my cuboard, i also take seroquel and prozak,, and i hate take them all and the only one that i have noticed that has worked is seroqeul, but heard so many bad stories about them, so when i need a top up of seroquel which im allowed to do,, i dont cause im scared i get bad side affects.

I have diazepam 5mg in the house to use when I really need to i.e. when things just get too much for me and the tension is way over the top. Also I have them for when or if I take rigours which has happened recently after a spell of IBS. Diazepmam has its place in the drugs cupboard when needed it can be a very friendly crutch and we all need a crutch from time to time.

I've taken Xanax, not the same drug, but similar and in the benzodiazepine family. There is the risk of dependence/addiction, but I have to say these drugs are wonderful. It is effective in reducing anxiety in the short term and pretty much completely prevents panic attacks. The only side effect I've experienced with them is sedation and feeling a bit hungover in the morning. Really nothing bad at all, especially compared to SSRI's. They helped me through a really tough patch, and for that purpose they are superb. They are definitely not a cure or a treatment. They will not help you in any way in the long term. But as a crutch, or for temporary relief they are great.

Edit: wanted to add, I only take .125 to .25 mg each time. Very low dose, but effective enough.

I don't take the SSRI's because I get very panicky on them, nauseated, and can't eat. I lost 20 pounds, so that is why I chose, along with the MD, to go with the Klonopin (with also a little beta-blocker for the palpitations). I take only .25 mg 2 to 3 times a day, which is a very minimum dose. Like I said in my other post, I had the panic disorder 30 years ago, and I used Serax for at least a year (another benzodiazepine) - it only took me a few days to get off of it when I had the anxiety under control. I am afraid about the Klonopon, but will be talking to my MD again tomorrow about it. SSRI's are something also that needs to be tapered off on if you are on them. My sister has been on celexa for a couple of years and she is terrified to stop them. I think I would rather try my luck with the klonopin.

Hi all.
I am on 2mgs diazepam in the morning to calm me down before I take citalapram.I used to take 2mg in the afternoon but kicked that one out Iget a bit headchey but that is tapering out now and 2x2mg at bedtime I will only be prescribe a month at a time then reviewed. my doc says as its a small dose its ok but... I know what could happen so am ging to start cutting down a bit more after I reach the 5/6 week mark with the cit.
Jean

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Originally Posted by jothenurse

I don't take the SSRI's because I get very panicky on them, nauseated, and can't eat. I lost 20 pounds, so that is why I chose, along with the MD, to go with the Klonopin (with also a little beta-blocker for the palpitations). I take only .25 mg 2 to 3 times a day, which is a very minimum dose. Like I said in my other post, I had the panic disorder 30 years ago, and I used Serax for at least a year (another benzodiazepine) - it only took me a few days to get off of it when I had the anxiety under control. I am afraid about the Klonopon, but will be talking to my MD again tomorrow about it. SSRI's are something also that needs to be tapered off on if you are on them. My sister has been on celexa for a couple of years and she is terrified to stop them. I think I would rather try my luck with the klonopin.

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benzo withdrawl and SSRI discontinuation are completely different beasts with the latter being far less severe and much shorter term (and less common).

I don't mean to scare you or anybody else taking benzos right now but if you are thinking about getting on them then please please only go on them short term under the advice of your doctor and if you still aren't put off by everything in this thread then maybe check out some stories online from people who have withdrawn or are withdrawing from benzos.

I take valium VERY occasionally - when i have to get on a plane, sometimes for long train journeys, neither of which happens more than twice a year now. Yes, it's fantastic, temporarily. I always feel rough for a few days afterwards and am too scared of addiction to use it more often. Trust me, almost every day I wish I could take it. I seriously need a break from all this anxiety.

About 10 years ago I was prescribed diazepam without being warned how addictive they are. At first, on a low dose I found then very effective but gradually as my body became used to them, the dose was increased. Again, they were effective but just as before, the effect didn't last until I ended up on the maximum dose.

At this point after 3 years of taking them and because I didn't feel any better, I decided to ask my doctor if I could stop them. After being given advice I worked out a plan whereby I very gradually reduced them to prevent withdrawl symptoms. At one point I can remember I attempted to reduce by too large an amount and I suffered with very bad anxiety symptoms.

The point to remember regarding reducing diazepam is percentages. If you're reducing from say 20mg to 10mg, it's a 50% reduction which is too much. I found I had to reduce from say 20mg to 15mg on a weekly basis or give a longer period between reductions depending on how I felt but ideally I reduced by small percentages because even at the smallest dose, it was difficult to avoid a big percentage drop and even on that amount I was taking my body reacted.

It took me 6 months before I managed to come off them completely but I must admit I didn't actually notice feeling any different. In fact, I feel diazepam actually caused some of my anxiety symptoms because my worst panics was while I was taking them which is why now I'm very wary of taking meds unless I feel I really need something for a particularly bad period.

However, I do think that these old meds are very effective if taken on an "as and when" basis rather than daily because you receive the benefit of them before the body becomes used to them when they lose their effect. It's sad that to my knowledge there is no sedative that can be taken daily without being addictve. I'm really not sure about the modern ad's as an alternative either unless you're feeling very depressed but that's another story.

After diazepam I tried various modern ad's but again, none of them had any lasting effect other than lifting my mood. I decided to stop taking meds because I felt they just weren't helping and I stayed off them for several years but I did take some meds over the Christmas period but only for a short while to help me cope with the loss of my dog. I stopped the meds at the beginning of the year and I feel much better for it.

I feel meds can offer support at times when we feel we really need a lift but I still believe that IF the underlying causes are tackled then meds shouldn't be needed on a daily basis but that's not to say there's anything wrong in taking them long term. For instance, we're often faced with this choice - if we're in a high stress job, do we take meds to help us cope or do we look for another job that we would enjoy where meds wouldn't be needed? I decided to change jobs and I felt much happier as a result but it's Personal choice and whether we feel able to look at alternative positions.

Going back to diazepam, I found them effective when taken "as and when" but remember it's very easy to become addicted if you take them daily and then it's very difficult to come off them, and that they lose their effect each time the dose is increased as the body becomes used to them.:)

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Originally Posted by Bill

I'm really not sure about the modern ad's as an alternative either unless you're feeling very depressed but that's another story.

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Hi Bill

Sorry to hear you had no luck with SSRI's, for some people they just don't work. I'm happy to say that I was fortunate enough to try them and yes while the side effects are BAD, they do wear off. These tablets saved my life, without them I would have been unable to return to work and support my family. I think people need to realise the difference between benzos and SSRI's, the main being that benzos are a quick fix i.e. they work quickly and are very effective at calming one down. SSRI's take weeks to work and because of this, I feel people often unjustly write them off as being ineffective because they don't work in the same manner as benzos do i.e. providing almost instantaneous relief.

All the best


Rich

Actually, I am off the klonopin now and am taking Ativan .25 mg if I need it - I have taken it twice a day. The second one though really makes me feel spacey, so I really don't want to take any of them unless I have to. But, I have been taking the Klonopin or Ativan for a few weeks now and am scared/wondering if I am addicted to it. My psychiatrist said that I was on such an extremely low dose, that it shouldn't be effecting me that much.
What do you think?

i think you have to weigh up the benefits versus the risk of addiction and possible problems coming off them. i personally would try to get by on the lowest dose possible which it sounds as if you are. to be honest psychiatrists/gps don't know the full effect of any med on any individual because we are all different. instead of worrying so much about addiction which will only push up your anxiety levels - just bear the possible risks in mind - you may not have any problems tapering them off x

Thank you. I would really like to just take the Ativan if I am having strong palpitations (like I was having that landed me in the ER - with normal EKG's, but just too fast from a panic attack). I just wasn't sure if I would already be having rebound effects from using them the last few weeks. I do have a call into the MD regarding that. My boyfriend thinks when my hands shake or I'm nervous I should just take them. But - as some of us know - I like others are nervous most of the time. So, I would rather work on challenging the fears/panic attacks and only use them when I really need to. May be once a day or may be every few days.
What do you think?

I also tried the SSRI's, but just could not handle them. I admit I didn't stay on them for more than a couple of days, but just couldn't handle the panic attacks, etc. I am very afraid of meds. I do take a small amount of a beta-blocker to help with the palpitations.

I took benzos for anxiety and panic on a daily basis for 20 years. The benzos work great for anxiety until you reach tolerance and have to keep updosing to maintain the desired effect. When they completely poop out on you, beware. It is hell on earth. I almost died trying to get off just .5 mgs klonopin in 2005. I caution...use benzos very sparingly if you must. One you have become addicted to them, they are virtually impossible for many ppl to stop taking even tho the drug stops working. You get caught in a vicious cycle that is almost impossible to break.

I was prescribed diazepam when I went to the dr after feeling nervous about flying....they were only the 2mg tablets but worked wonders and everything was so much more comfortable for me. I haven't taken any since flying back home, but I'm going to Mauritius in the summer and have only 3 tablets left. Will the dr give me more if I go and see her do you think?

I don't need them for general day to day...only for something as stressful as travelling. I don't want to book an appointment and be like, oh hi, I'm here for more valium please! Because I don't think I would get prescribed :(

hi there, i also take diazepam if i get very anxious.. my gp prescibed then cos i suffer from high blood pressure and when i very anxious my bp goes off the scale.. have you tried just tsking 2.5. i found that this amount didnt make me feel so spaced out. it just was enough to calm me down.. its also strange, but as long as i no that i ahve them in my bag, it helps, even if i dont need to take one.. can i ask if they make you have night sweats

Just takEN 20mg Diazepam, 10mg temazepam, 6 cans of lager and now 15mg mertazepine........I know its wrong of course it is.....But i have just gone beyond caring i am not strong enough to break this cycle and never will be!!!

Sorry

Dan

Sorry about my above post but its true its the only way i can get 6 hours sleep, so have been forced into it through sleep deprevation, and only do it on a weekend so it doesnt interfere with my work.


Dan

That's how I used to be Dan and I did exactly the same things because I found it helped dull the pain of life but it's a dangerous game to play because that's how mistakes can happen as I nearly found out.

I think anxiety can send us into a spiral in which we feel out of control until we reach the bottom. I was lucky that I found a way to pull myself out of it but sadly I have no magic cure I can hand on to you.

This is one of the issues that concerns me about meds. Anxiety can make us feel So ill that we turn to meds in the hope they can pull us out of our deep despair, and although they can offer valuable support when we're most in need, they are also a daily reminder that we suffer from anxiety and anxiety thrives on the attention we give it so in effect we keep our anxiety alive.

The one thing I would say to you Dan is think deeply past your anxiety and ask yourself these important questions- What is the most common thought that is causing you to feel so distressed? And then when you find the answer, ask yourself the next question - What do you feel you need to ease that distress? Then the last question would be- How can you find what you need?...and don't say it's impossible because where there's a will, there's always a way!

Once you have a plan to work towards, the light in the darkness will appear and slowly get brighter until eventually you lift yourself out of your deep despair as I did....so Never give up Dan because there is Always something out there to live for which makes living with anxiety much more bearable. You just need to find it.

You're a Much more valuable person than you realise Dan and Much more worthy of a happy life than me because of all the good you do for others without a thought for yourself because you feel unimportant. When you look in the mirror next time, don't look at yourself with your eyes but instead with the eyes of All those people on here and in your life who you've helped who think Highly of you, including me!....then smile!:)