Originally Posted by
Patk 
Hi Everyone,
I would like to hear from others out there who have been using/taking Valium for a long-time. I have been prescribed Solanax (a.k.a. Valium) by my doctor to deal with anxiety in the classroom (I am a teacher). The last time I used it was in the spring of 2009 when I began a new teaching job and it helped me adjust to the new classes, job etc. I used it for about the first 5 weeks and then no longer needed to take it before teaching. The only side-effect I had was drowsiness. I have been on anti-depressants since 1997 and just recently have been taken off them and given instead a mood stabilizer (lamictal) to deal with anger issues. I have been slowly increasing the dosage over the past 4 weeks and not sure if it is helping?
My moods are still low and I have been under a lot of stress lately (job, married, father of two kids ....) so I asked my doctor for an anti-anxiety medication. I have during the past two weeks taken 1 pill (0.4 mg) for my classes and felt great, though drowsy by the afternoon. My concern is that I have taken the medication a few days when I was not teaching (weekends) to help me "chill-out" and get through the day with kids etc. I have read a lot about the harmful effects of long-term use of Valium or other tranquilizers, but to tell you the truth, I feel so good when I take it; I am considering asking my doctor to give me a prescription for daily use.
I do a lot of what is suggested to deal with depression/anxiety; exercise daily, meditate 30 min./day, do yoga, try to eat well and limit my caffeine intake...but I have had 3 bad episodes of depression during the past 14 years, and had some bad experiences with panic attacks, namely in the classroom while being observed or in an interview for a job. Both of these experiences were "disasters," almost lost my job in the first and did not get the job in the second. In hindsight, I wish I was taking some kind of medication like Valium back then. I had used alcohol to deal with the stress and it just exacerbated the depression and anxiety.
If I am a teacher, is it a good idea in your opinion to be taking Valium on a daily basis? I am a 51-year old male in decent medical health...
Thank You.
Pat
I took another benzodiazepine, Ativan, for about 12 years. I took it as prescribed (meaning I didn't abuse it), everyday, for anxiety. For some time it worked beautifully, but somewhere along the way it became much less effective. I needed increasingly more to get the same relief, and at times it didn't do much for me at all. Might even have made things worse. When I went into treatment for alcoholism/addiction 8 months ago, they took me off of it. I did a 40 day taper.
Since then my anxious response has at times been more severe than it was before I started taking the med. In certain situations (e.g. heavy pressure at work), my anxiety can render me completely dysfunctional. My research indicates that long-term use of a benzodiazepine cripples the brains ability to calm itself and that it may take months or years to recover. Having spent some time reading the stories of others on benzo withdrawal support forums, I feel lucky that my experience getting off those things hasn't been more severe.
I too take a medication for depression and that also helps somewhat with anxiety. I also exercise, meditate twice daily, and have been learning to deal with anxiety, dread, panic, etc. by embracing mindfulness. Some natural remedies have also been helpful: in particular, large doses of vitamin B3, cod liver oil, magnesium/calcium. Unfortunately, none of it is as easy and effective as the Ativan once was. Nevertheless, I wish in hindsight that I'd known was I might be in for and either regarded benzodiazepines very seriously as a short-term solution only or avoided them altogether.