Re: 5mg once - now feeling awful
Originally Posted by
MariMari
Hello!
to NMP,
I had a huge panic attack on Sunday 8/11.
Was this out of the blue, or do you have a history of panic attacks?
I can’t eat, i’ve lost quite a bit of weight, anything I do eat causes a racing heart and then a lot of uncomfortable feeling in my stomach
The gut has its own mini brain, the enteric nervous system, which can be just as affected by anxiety as the main brain, indeed can the main instigator. It is connected to the brain via the vagus nerves and also to the heart and lungs so can impact heart and lung function, but anxiety fuelled spikes in adrenaline are likely the main cause of the racing heart.
He did say the 5mg was a bit much for me (i’m about 8 1/2 stone) as it made me feel really woozy. I’ve done research and Wiki says this effect has been seen “in animals”.
5mg is not a particularly high dose and body weight isn't that much of a factor. Benzodiazepines can be quite sedating when first taken, but it is a side-effect which usually diminishes quickly with regular use.
What should I do? I never felt like this before diazepam. I had anxiety but never this bad.
I doubt that your problem is the diazepam (Valium). Most of it will be out of your system, plus your body is used to dealing with diazepam and its metabolites because they occur naturally in most foods in small amounts.
The real issue is almost certainly the initial panic attack and the increased anxiety this has generated exacerbated by further PAs and the resulting high anxiety. This is, unfortunately, not rare. Just one panic attack can trigger panic disorder and you've had several since, plus ongoing anxiety. Imo, you need to see your GP asap, firstly to have other potential causes ruled out, and assuming nothing else if found, and I doubt there will be, then the anxiety treated either with therapy, medication, or a combination of both.
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The opinions expressed above are based on my observations and, where applicable, interpretation of cited data and are general in nature. Consult your physician before acting on anything stated.