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

[pulisa]

My GP told me there hadn't been any studies done on how long you could take diazepam for before there was a dependency issue.....

I am also meds-free, Michelle. I prefer it this way.

[Lakme]

Thanks SLA that was a lovely message and surely brightened up my day ��. Yesterday was so far my worst day (due to diazepam long half life side effects can happen a lot later than when you cut/taper down.
Side effects seem to constantly change too, what can be bad one day can go the next but be replaced by something else. Now got tinnitus, never had that before! Muscle twitching and spasms seem to be my worst side effect right now with nerve pain and benzo belly!
Hi Pulisa hope you are keeping strong. Helicopter pylori on the last sample was clear so hopefully it is gone. Lots of stomach issues now but not entirely sure if withdrawal has messed up the gaba receptors in the gut too. Still taking a good quality probiotic each day.
Hi Mojo 61 I did a lot of research into the half life of diazepam online. Found this useful:-

Benzodiazepines like diazepam can stay in the system a pretty long time. It depends on how much you take and for how long. Also your health, age, weight and metabolic rate play a part.

How long a drug stays in your system depends mainly on it's elimination half life - the time it takes for plasma drug levels to fall by half.
The elimination half life of the active metabolite of diazepam (N-desmethyldiazepam) is, on average, 100 hours.

It takes 5.5 x elimination half lives (hours) for a medicine to be cleared from your system, therefore diazepam or it's active metabolite will be in your system for 550 hours (5.5 x 100hrs) i.e. approximately 23 days.

---------- Post added at 07:53 ---------- Previous post was at 07:44 ----------

Scary..... 1 tablet can stay in your body that length of time, the positive benefits when I first started taking the drug only lasted 2-3hrs but it can stay in your system weeks! Another article I read was about a young guy only ever took 1 tablet to trial it. Never took another but due to an interview he had to take a drugs test and the diazepam still showed up 21 days later.
Please weigh up the negatives of the drug before starting on the path I ended up on. No DR should prescribe these without fully explaining the potential very distressful withdrawal process.
Pulisa yes I don't know how my gps got away with putting this on repeat for 7 years. I was getting 56 tablets every 28 days but only using half. Wish I had the energy to sue somebody. Anyway onwards and upwards...... day 19 without diazepam let's see what today brings x

Unlikely to be your pills. I was put on antidepressants myself and the withdrawal wasn't even that bad. It took about a week for the symptoms to go away. I can, however, relate to the h pylori infection. I got food poisoning back in February last year and started experiencing the same exact symptoms you're experiencing. I have a feeling that there's a new strain or a difference between contracting h pylori from someone else and directly ingesting it. I'm still trying to deliver a sample to my doctor but the constipation is killer. Get rid of this bug! And get rid of it for good! I've been taking sublingual b12 and the dpdr goes away somewhat. Also, take vitamin D as well. You will feel 1000x better once this bug is gone! Trust me!

[Michelle1]

Well done Pulisa on being drug free too xx
To be honest my scary experiences on paroxitine/seroxat, venlafaxine/Effexor and now this bloody poison I've been taking daily for 7 years I'm scared off Meds. It really has made me have a phobia about these sorts of medications. I keep saying to my teenage daughter please promise me you will never take antidepressants/benzos. I really hate to see anyone suffer such soul destroying symptoms when it's time to come off!!! Maybe I'm just one of the unlucky ones who has the genetic disposition to find these drugs harder to come off. I don't know. I think I've had a lot of damage done to my CNS from these drugs and now I just want to feel like me without any drugs. I spoke to my gp about my insomnia since tolerance and subsequent withdrawal and she was going to suggest another drug to counteract this. I said noooooooooo

[pulisa]

There comes a point where you just want to draw a line and start again after a good meds clearout.

I hope today is a better one for you. Keep going and you are doing the right thing xx

[Chronic911]

Well done Pulisa on being drug free too xx
To be honest my scary experiences on paroxitine/seroxat, venlafaxine/Effexor and now this bloody poison I've been taking daily for 7 years I'm scared off Meds. It really has made me have a phobia about these sorts of medications. I keep saying to my teenage daughter please promise me you will never take antidepressants/benzos. I really hate to see anyone suffer such soul destroying symptoms when it's time to come off!!! Maybe I'm just one of the unlucky ones who has the genetic disposition to find these drugs harder to come off. I don't know. I think I've had a lot of damage done to my CNS from these drugs and now I just want to feel like me without any drugs. I spoke to my gp about my insomnia since tolerance and subsequent withdrawal and she was going to suggest another drug to counteract this. I said noooooooooo

Michelle, I feel for you. I am currently trying to detox valium. I have been on these type meds for 30 years. You are correct. These meds are brain toxins. They should never be prescribed to anyone more than 2 weeks max. I just started on 1.5 mgs valium today. I will take that for 2 weeks and then stop but I know the hell that awaits me. I am having mostly cardiac symptoms and think I am going to drop dead at any moment (tight chest, heart palps, various chest pains, etc). I wish I had never taken these type drugs when my panic and anxiety began 30 years ago. I have been through 3 horrendous benzo withdrawals. I was 1st placed on xanax for almost 10 years, then klonopin for 10 years when I became tolerant to xanax, and then valium for almost 10 years. Now, I am tolerant and have horrible SX's whether I take the drugs or not. I have also been on a few SSRI's but not on any now. I can't sleep and struggle to eat just one meal per day. I don't know if I am going to survive this or not at my age. PM me if you would like. I could use a friend and some support and you probably could also. You are not alone. I am also in the midst of pure mental and physical hell.

[WiseMonkey]

Well done Pulisa on being drug free too xx
To be honest my scary experiences on paroxitine/seroxat, venlafaxine/Effexor and now this bloody poison I've been taking daily for 7 years I'm scared off Meds. It really has made me have a phobia about these sorts of medications. I keep saying to my teenage daughter please promise me you will never take antidepressants/benzos. I really hate to see anyone suffer such soul destroying symptoms when it's time to come off!!! Maybe I'm just one of the unlucky ones who has the genetic disposition to find these drugs harder to come off. I don't know. I think I've had a lot of damage done to my CNS from these drugs and now I just want to feel like me without any drugs. I spoke to my gp about my insomnia since tolerance and subsequent withdrawal and she was going to suggest another drug to counteract this. I said noooooooooo

Hi,

Antidepressants are different to benzo's. If you were taking both at the same time it would be extra difficult. Both meds have their place, benzo's for short term anxiety (10 days max) and antidepressants for longer term depression.

I know many people who have suffered from depression who have found antidepressants to be life savers plus they are not addictive or habit forming. An example of this would be post natal depression.

Many people with autoimmune conditions need to take antidepressants at a low dose for their symptoms(not depression) for long periods of time. Taken like this they are very safe.

When you're in the throws of withdrawal, it would be easy to vilify all meds but taken responsibly they can be of huge benefit.
In saying this I'm not casting aspersions on you, I believe you are doing the right, getting off the benzo's.

My partner had an ex-girlfriend (many years ago) who'd been on them for 15 years at a high dose. She'd been off the them totally for 12 years when they met. Unfortunately, she still had the same psychological problems that she had before starting the benzo's so the relationship ended. I was told she also had a huge fear of meds and medical intervention, right down to vaccinations for childhood diseases! :(

[Michelle1]

Thanks. Yes your right I am doing the right thing. It's just so damn hard!!! It's not so much the anxiety that's bad today it's the physical symptom and so much pain.

Hard to do normal everyday things like shower and dress. Housework extra, feel so drained. Getting next to no sleep not helping much but I try not to look as these as bad symptoms but more as signs my body is adjusting itself for not having diazepam and healing.

Today better than yesterday so that's a bonus

[Michelle1]

Day 20 off diazepam
Slept better last night. About 7 hrs. Haven't done that in so long!!!!!
Feel a bit brighter today, no anxiety or depression.
Going to venture outside today and make the most of feeling ok.

[Michelle1]

Hi Lakme, h pylori is an awful bacteria. I can sympathise with you if you have it also?
I got food poisoning too, salmonella in Egypt. Had h pylori almost all 2015/2016, 2 endoscopy and 1 colonoscopy later it's gone!!!! Yey
Very hard bacteria to kill. Erradication therapy never even killed it!!!
Mastic gum did thou.
This is very much diazepam withdrawal I'm afraid. Been on a low 2mg daily dose for over 7 years........ a very hard med to withdrawal from worse in my experience than antidepressants

[Michelle1]

Today marks 3 weeks off diazepam. I think I'm turning a corner on my insomnia.
Last night slept 10pm till 730am without waking once!!! 9 and a half hours.
Mood seems to be ok. Slight anxiety upon waking but goes after 10 mins.
Hope this is helping others either reducing diazepam or thinking of coming off after long term use. You can do it!!! And it does get better.
I'll report in again when I hit the month off mark and report how I'm feeling then.
Good luck to those of you going through withdrawal from diazepam xx