Coming off diazepam

[GlenyD]

I'm scared at the moment as I've meant to have been reducing but I haven't been. :-( I'm such a fool! It's been noticed that I'm ordering too much and I have an appointment to see my GP in about 3 weeks time. Totally freaking he's just gonna stop them altogether. I order usually about a week or less in advance of my supply running out so I have a little extra "In case of emergency" but it's become much more habitual taking them. They're sooo addictive. But they do seem to work so well. Glad to hear you are down to 7mgs Vicki. Well done. I'm meant to be down to 9...but I'm not. Oh dear.

[VickiS]

It's not an uncommon thing with Diaz, I used to do this when I was on my regular monthly prescription, the longer you take it the more you seem to need.

Sorry to hear you're not doing too good, hopefully your GP will be understanding. I'm not going to lie it a really hard drug to even reduce from, but I feel the time is right for me to do it.

Good luck with your doc x

[eight days a week]

Really glad to see this thread pop up again as I'm not very good at following them Vicki, how are things? Your last post showed an incredible reduction - almost a half - wow!

I'd love to hear how you're getting on

I'm scared at the moment as I've meant to have been reducing but I haven't been. :-( I'm such a fool! It's been noticed that I'm ordering too much and I have an appointment to see my GP in about 3 weeks time. Totally freaking he's just gonna stop them altogether. I order usually about a week or less in advance of my supply running out so I have a little extra "In case of emergency" but it's become much more habitual taking them. They're sooo addictive. But they do seem to work so well. Glad to hear you are down to 7mgs Vicki. Well done. I'm meant to be down to 9...but I'm not. Oh dear.

Don't be scared and don't beat yourself up about it please, there's absolutely no need Your doctor CANNOT just stop them - that would be unethical and dangerous. You just need more help with them. In the meantime you do need to be more disciplined.

Do you think writing down every day when you take one, and comparing it day by day would help? You could try to leave it longer between taking them each time, and pushing yourself a little. You can do this! The alternative is taking more and more and the doctor won't just give you an unlimited prescription!

If you need extra help there are other medicines. Propanalol is well known by doctors, and (although I can't recommend them myself) SSRIs. There are others but I don't know much about them and some may (??) need to be prescribed by a psychiatrist as your GP may not know much about them.

One other issue that comes to mind is sometimes GPs can be too pushy about coming off them too fast or at a time that's not good for the patient. My GP was a bit casual about it and I didn't get the sense that he really knew how it worked so I researched Professor Ashton's website myself.

I think as long as you're not increasing the doc should let you have a few weeks if you need it until you feel ready to reduce. It sounds like you're increasing so you need to stabilise and stop that, and if you can then at least your doc will see you're hoping to work along the right lines

Best of luck and please keep us informed how you get along (maybe start a new thread for support and advice?)

[GlenyD]

Thanks guys and gals. :-) Yeah, I was scared they were going to just take them off me completely. But my nurse friend told me they wouldn't. I'm also afraid of getting a "Right-telling off", but apparently they have to be professional about it all. I've just been really really stupid. As my Doctor said in his letter it is a really easy trap to fall into - and he wasn't joking either. I'm already on two other types of meds. Cipralex and Trifluoperazine. I have a habit of beating myself up about things. Determined my parents don't find out though as they have enough stress dealing with me just being in the house. Luckily they're on holiday at the moment. I was meant to get a call from the Duty Doctor today to sort all this out but he never rang. So tomorrow is Confession time. "Forgive me Dr, for I have sinned." :-s

[VickiS]

Thanks hun, I'm down to 6mg at the moment so I'm just over half way there, it seems to get harder the lower I go but I'm determined to come off them

Your GP should be understanding, it's very easy to take more than you're prescribed. In order to reduce or to eventually come off them you have to be in the right frame of mind, it's much easier just to carry on taking them as you are, don't be bullied into taking things too quickly, you have to be firm and tell them how you will do it.

[GlenyD]

Thanks Viki. :-) Wow 6mgs is not a lot to be on. You're doing really well. My Psychiatrist did tell me it does get much harder the lower you go. :-( Sigh. Why must they be so more-ish. To paraphrase a Russel Brand joke about heroin. I hope he is understanding. I got a call back from the duty doctor via his secretary and I've just to wait to see my own GP at a standard appointment, that's not for about 3 weeks. So I'm going to do my utmost to behave better till then. :-) It's so easy with them though to want to take one and "zone" out for a while. :-s It's such a pleasant feeling.

[VickiS]

Thanks that's me down from 13mg, it's been a pretty rough ride tbh but nothing I can't cope with.

I hope you get on ok with your GP, when you suffer from anxiety Diaz can give you such a relief from the awful feelings, it's great to zone out for a bit I'm hoping with the citalopram I can cope without the Diaz and get on with things

Keep me posted on how you get on Gleny

[GlenyD]

Thanks again Viki. I'm on Escitalopram. It's like Citalopram but the chemical opposite. :-s Weird. I never did chemistry in school but you know those sculptures with the balls and the sticks showing the structure of chemicals? Escitalopram is a mirror-image of Citalopram. It really helped me with my depression. However, my panic attacks came back bigggg-style last year, despite being on that and Trifluoperazine (an anti-psychotic) (not that I'm psychotic). I had to go into hospital for 4 weeks and was put on 12mgs of Diazepam. That and some exposure and also being surrounded by people I percieved as being "More ill" than me helped a lot. :-) I've spoken to a nurse friend and a psychiatrist friend and they all seem to think it'll go ok. I made the decision to phone my Pyschiatrist this morning - so she's phoning tomorrow. So I'll "own up" then. Just as long as my parents don't find out. They're getting too old to deal with my problems and watch me like a hawk for any signs of "Slipping back" into my old ways. They get really angry about it. As when I'm really bad I have to be looked after until I can get into hospital.

[GlenyD]

Just noticed I misspelled Psychiatrist!

[VickiS]

Sorry to hear you're not doing so well atm, there's nothing worse thanivi g with anxiety and panic attacks :(

I think things will go ok for you, you were prescribed this fir a genuine problem and docs know themselves that tolerance levels go up, therefor you need to take more to get the sane effect, it's a vicious circle when you're dealing with anxiety.

I can totally understand you not wanting your patents to find out, I lost my mum 8 years ago but my dad still doesn't know about my mental health issues.