Diazepam

[Lauren]

I have taken this once before for a few weeks. But I found that at 6 mgs three times a day it didnt do anything for my anxiety levels. The only thing it did do was cause memory loss and weird dreams if I drank alcohol.

Seeing as how my psychiatrist doesnt seem to have a clue about any meds I was wondering if any of the benzos worked for you lot and if so at what dose?

Also have any of you found that you became dependant on it?

To me it just doesnt make any sense to prescribe an addictive med to somone who only has to look at something to become hooked.

Anyone tried buspar or anything else?

[lostsoul]

I've been trying valium lately and i'm not going to bother anymore because it makes me feel horrid - removed from reality somehow, groggy, tired, irritable, more anxious. I also got the weird dreams. I think alcohol and diazepam don't mix well at all.

Haven't tried anything else for anxiety yet. I will be soon and will let you know how it goes. I'll be interested to see what people find works I need some of that!

[Ginny]

Diazepam IS addictive and many docs dont like to prescribe it for long - it works okay in the short-term but thats about it. Xanax is prescribed for major anxiety and panic disorder but, once again, addictive and docs dont ike to prescribe.. Avanza is an anti-depressant that incorporates an anti-anxiety drug but it also makes you put on weight

Largactil (chlorpromazine) is also sometimes used but has a more sedative effect than anything - and then you have your mood stabilizers.........

This is about all I can think of at the moment but hope it helps a bit......

Take lots of care

Ginny ;)

[Lauren]

Thanks guys.

Im on ciprelex (anti d, anxiety med in one) and risperdal as well which is supposed to help. But it didnt so they chucked in diazepam as well.

But nothing seems to touch it.

[Girl_Interrupted]

Lorna

I take valium regualry and find it helps me. I also take avanza and that seems to help. On valium I feel like a functioning human being.

I don't get any of the grogginess, dreams etc.

It has its probelms but is helping me and I hope you find something soon

Em

[MargaretB]

Diazepam is the pharmaceutical name for Valium and it shouldn't be mixed with alcohol, which may be why it makes you feel groggy, tired etc. Also it shouldn't be taken with other bendodiazepines, sedatives or sleeping tablets either.

If taking it isn't doing you any good then it would be best to let your Doctor know so that you can be taken off it asap.

Take care,

Love,

Magsie

[star]

Diazepam shouldn't realy be mixed with alchohol

The effect of them when taken with alcohol is increased like most other meds.

Diazepam isn't usually prescribed long term because of the addictive qualitys in it.

I went from them on to chlorpromazine, i found they worked for me

Its just a case of try and see, everyones different and what works for one may not for another.

good luck hope you find one that helps you

hugs star x

[Betsy]

what worked for me was high doses of effexor and seroquel

bets

ps - on the effexor alone i felt anxious but with the seroquel added it seemed to help

[kraaken]

Dear Lorna,

In 2003 I was drinking heavily and then I was admitted to hospital and they did a detox on me with chlordiazepoxide (a kind of benzodiazepine). However I wasn't showing any signs of withdrawal from the alcohol so they decided I wasn't actually an alcoholic. i.e. physically dependent on alcohol, so they stopped the chlordiazepoxide) and I became really irritable but that was a withdrawal effect from the chlordiazepoxide and after about a week or two it passed. Anyway I asked to go on Antabuse (disulfiram), which makes you really sick if you drink alcohol while on it, before I was discharged, which they did, and also put me on Campral EC (acamprosate) which is supposed to stop the craving.

Well a few months after leaving hospital I was working again, but I was a long way from home at the time (Glasgow), as I was near Nottingham, and didn't have any mental health support or friends around, and I stopped taking the Antabuse and started drinking again, and didn't feel that I could stop myself.

I moved to Warwick for a different job and tried to make a fresh start of it, and went to Alcoholics Anonymous meetings which were really good. However a few lonely weekends of it (didn't know anyone in Warwick either) and I started drinking beer and cider. Then I moved on to the spirits again. Well to cut a long story short, I was fired from my job. So I went back to Glasgow and started going to nightly AA meetings which helped me. I missed the alcohol and was taking too much of my amisulpiride medication which gave me restless legs, although I thought it was alcohol withdrawal at the time. Anyway I went to the GP in a distressed state and he prescribed me 5mg diazepam twice daily. But it didn't seem to do much.

So that was January 2004, and I went back on the Antabuse and Campral EC. I had to move to my parents house and then I went to Inverness for another job. I was planning to go to lots of AA meetings but as it turned out I didn't have a car and I had difficulty getting to the meetings. I was again taking more of the amisulpiride and it was making me dissociated and I was becoming unwell again anyway. So I stopped the Antabuse again and started drinking vodka. One day I got so unwell I thought people were reading my mind, and I had to leave work suddenly. I ended up in hospital and they started feeding me diazepam. It got so that I would make myself distressed in order to get the diazepam. And I knew what was going on. But the diazepam wasn't doing much for me as I quickly became tolerant to its effects. A few times I left the ward to go drinking and would come back drunk. Then I was discharged from hospital because of the drinking.

I went to live with my parents and was back on the Antabuse. I got some chlorpromazine from the GP at this time. However after a month or so I stopped taking the Antabuse again, and starting drinking vodka in secret in my room. I was telling the GP about it. I got up to a 1/2 bottle of vodka a day. Then my GP had asked me where I was going with the drinking and I thought he's right it's not helping. So I stopped drinking AGAIN and went back on the Antabuse again. However I wasn't well and was getting really agitated and got diazepam from the GP again, at a higher dose as I kept going back to the GP saying it wasn't working, and jiggling my legs on purpose to get more. Well by this time I got to see a psychiatrist (a long wait, grr!) and she said I had to come off the diazepam, so she instructed the GPs to reduce it by -1mg per week.

So I got off the diazepam but then again started drinking vodka, but I told the GP and after really making an effort, went back on the Antabuse. But then again I was getting agitated, so again I went back on the diazepam. I wasn't doing very well and the GPs got me admitted to hospital. They immediately put me on a benzodiazepine detox and I came off it quickly. But I had problems with irritability and mood swings, it was terrible. But I learned to wait things out. It was really difficult. I still want the diazepam a few months later but diazepam doesn't help any more than drinking alcohol does. The only way out is not to have either.

Well my parents are calling me for tea just as I'm trying to make my point

Bye for now

K