Stopped diazepam 18 days ago. Need some support .............

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Originally Posted by Michelle1

Well it's been 3 mths off diazepam now and feeling worse since stopping not better!!! Not sure what's going on so many physical and physiological symptoms.

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What are the symptoms?

Michelle, reading your first post you'd been taking this tranquiliser since 2009? That's 6 years of continual use. I would say you are still in the withdrawal stages after only 3 months...it took me a year to feel anywhere near normal after my tranquilser experience in the 1980s and I'd been on them for18 months to 2 years. I was on Ativan after initially being on Tranxene.

So now you have all the adrenaline bombing around your nervous system that the diazepam would've suppressed.Your muscles will be almost rigid with tension now too...I was so tense even my eyeballs ached and I couldn't speak very clearly because my jaw was so clenched, and my body shook so badly that my teeth chattered.

They do say the anxiety after coming off them is worse than the anxiety that had you taking them. I was a volunteer for MIND in the Midlands after I'd got through the worst of withdrawl, and I manned a telephone support line as well as making home visits to people coming off these Benzos...it was and still is one of the bravest things I've ever seen.

Please don't despair, I know it's horrendous but you've been doing so great, and you will get through this with a bit more time. In the meantime there are natural remedies in all the health food shops and some of the pharmacies that can help to stop adrenaline producing too many symptoms. I take prescribed beta blockers which calm my system down, they calm my heart down and none of these are 'mind-altering ' drugs like the Benzos are. Natural muscle relaxing remedies are out there too.

But remember that when you get back to 'normal' anxiety is part of life for everybody, it's how we react to it that counts, and when we hit the blips it's ok to take something to help if needed, but Benzos will never cross my lips ever again. There are much better alternatives out there to calm us down.

Stay strong
ISB ☺ x x

Thank you so much for your message. Yes I was on a daily low dose 2mg of diazepam (Valium) for over 6 years. Hit tolerance but refused to increase the dose and tapered off over about 6 weeks.
I hoped I would be over the worst by now but I seem to be getting worse.
Symptoms:-
Teeth chattering
Shaking
Low temp
Feel like I'm going to faint
Dizziness
Nausea
Muscles have gone rock hard
Neck pain
Gi disturbance
Ibs/gerd
Insomnia
Feeling of hopelessness and I'm never going to feel well again
Jelly legs
Twitches and adrenaline rushes
Muscle pain
Blurred vision
Basically feel awful every single day and doesn't seem to be getting better.
I've read people say it can take a year. Wish to god I'd never been prescribed this poison in the first place. Your right anxiety coming off is far worse than the initial anxiety I was having prior to taking diazepam

That's the trouble when a medication affects every part of your bodily functions, without it your various systems go into overdrive. You did it the right way reducing slowly, however it doesn't take long to reduce from 2mgs so I'm guessing you were on each reduced dose a bit longer? I was on 5mgs of Ativan, then halved it with a pill cutter, then quartered it. Still went through hell though !

I experienced every one of your symptoms Michelle believe me. You won't feel like this forever. You've been really brave and done so well. Be kind to yourself, don't beat yourself up and think you'll never make it through because you will. The bad days will become fewer and you'll have more good days, you'll see.

ISB ☺ x x

Thank you so much I really needed to hear that.
I've started feeling depressed thinking why am I not feeling better yet. I was originally put on 2mg three times a day to help whilst starting an antidepressant medication (venlafaxine).
However my gp never took me off it and I reduced myself down. The last two years just taking 1 2mg a tablet to help sleep. Then the s%*t hit the fan when I hit tolerance. My gp said go back up to 2mg twice a day but I thought if I start increasing every time I hit tolerance I'll never get off it.
I broke tablet in halves and quarters like you did and would get him with side effects usually 7-9 days after reducing due to the long half life.
When I came off completely in feb it was really bad then I had a few semi decent days in month 2 and I started to feel like I was healing. Lately thou I feel the se as bad as when I first stopped. I can't believe these types of pills can cause so much damage.
You did really well getting off 5mg Ativan. Drs don't warn us how hard these drugs are to get off. If they had done I would of refused them. Now when I say how I'm feeling many Drs say diazepam can't do that to you. Only 1 consultant was totally honest with me and confirmed how dangerous these drugs are. He was very honest and told me his wife was highly addicted to diazepam and could never come off. She now buys them off the internet and he's now not with her but tried to get her help by seeing Dr Heather Ashton at Newcastle hospital (she was a specialist in benzo withdrawal) and unfortunately she still couldn't get off.
It helped knowing what I'm going through is not all in my head. Most Drs just dismiss it. I really thought I'd get away quite easily will just being on this small dose but for some reason it's hit me hard.
I just need to know there's going to be a light at the end of the tunnel and I will heal. Can I ask in your experience how long does the healing take ? Xx

Well it was more or less 6 months before all the really bad stuff had reduced way down and around a year before I could say I'd got my life back. If I did have a bad day I could cope with it. We're all different though and lots of factors come into it about how these Benzos affect our body.

Re the prescribing of them. They have their place but only short term, and that was recognised back in the 70s and 80s when they were handed out like sweets and dosage was increased without thought. Some of the people I helped had been on these pills for over 20 years, so if that message has been ignored over the years since then, something needs to be done because doctors know better now. Are the big pharma companies to blame? Who knows, possibly. Alot of doctors march to their tune when it comes to meds. Particularly if they are denying these drugs make people ill with long term use. There's more than enough evidence out there so you have to wonder why some GPs do keep denying it.

ISB ☺ x

Thank you. Your doing a wonderful job now helping others go through something you yourself have been through first hand. Reassuring to know I will heal in time. 6mths to a year seems such a long time, but I have no choice but to wait it out. I appreciate your response today it's helped x

You're welcome, any time. And bear in mind it might not take you as long as me.

Stay strong
Cath ☺ x x

Hi, just wanted to see how you are. I'm only 2 1/2 months stopped and getting worse again. Like you it's ups and downs. I'm balancing estrogen on top of this as I had my ovaries out.....im only 36. Anyway wanted to say that diazepam lowers estrogen so many of the withdrawal symptoms are menopausal/low estrogen symptoms. The way to look at it is you have damaged your body taking the drug so long and it's healing so all the hard work of going through this is at the end you will look and feel better. The anxiety/dizziness feelings increase as our bodies relax more.....dont feel like you have anxiety that's causing physical symptoms. Anxiety is a feeling from the physical symptoms!!

I feel like no one understands and my boyfriend thinks the anger and crying outbursts are just me.....hard to try and be normal when your body is telling you to be sad, scared or angry.

Evil pills and doctors should not be allowed to prescribe them....they do not help they mask and then make you worse.

Sending my love xxx

Hi, I'm so sorry you are going through this too. Truely and awful drug to come off after long term use. I was on 7 years. Damn angry to be honest that I was allowed to be on it long term when everybody now knows how addictive these are. I really thought as I was on a low dose I'd not suffer too bad. Wrong!
Can I ask how long you were on for? What dose?
I'm 5.5 months off now. Everything I've read from benzo buddies says healing begins from 6mths onwards (trying to ignore the horror stories where some users say it takes years ��). I hit the 6mth mark the middle of August. To be honest I have really bad days and some decent days. Worst side effects I still have are
Muscle tension, my muscles never fully relax. Always feel like they are in spasm. I have acupuncture and massage to try to release the knots.
Muscle twitches and cramps
Stomach issues
Blurred, cloudy vision
Depression
Depersonalisation
Fatigue
Anxiety upon waking.
Your right about the hormones being affected. I am so much worse the week before my period and all symptoms are worse.
Lots of Drs dismiss the symptoms of withdrawal but if you look up heather Ashton manual she documented the side effects of long term benzo use and said it can take 1-2 years for the brain to heal.
Ohhhhhh how I wish my gp never prescribed them all those years ago and then continued to prescribe for years. Sometimes wish they had to suffer a bit of what I have and then they might realise how dangerous these drugs can be to some people.

The good news is I never once in the last 5 and a half month have been tempted to restart them. I really wish you well in your recovery. Keep going my friend. We will recover in time. Xx