valium and alcohol withdrawal.
Member
Thread Starter
Join Date: Jun 2011
Posts: 7
valium and alcohol withdrawal.
Hey guys,
Just wondering, have any of you decided to quit drinking with the help of a valium (or other benzodiazepine) prescribed by your doctor. If so, how long did they keep you on it/what dose etc..
Thanks in advance.
Just wondering, have any of you decided to quit drinking with the help of a valium (or other benzodiazepine) prescribed by your doctor. If so, how long did they keep you on it/what dose etc..
Thanks in advance.
Member
Join Date: Aug 2011
Location: Ireland
Posts: 1
Hi boss1,
My doc prescribed Valium and said, if you feel you need it, take a half tab 3 times a day but only for the first week as she said it's not good to replace the effects of alcohol with something else addictive. Well I took one half and it made me feel drunk and woozy so I decided I didn't need that so I just kept the rest for 'emergencies', i.e that usually means for some social function where I feel dreadfully nervous in the beginning so I take a half to take the edge off. Haven't done it in ages mind you, would rather not. But I'm still not ready to throw out the bottle just yet.
My doc prescribed Valium and said, if you feel you need it, take a half tab 3 times a day but only for the first week as she said it's not good to replace the effects of alcohol with something else addictive. Well I took one half and it made me feel drunk and woozy so I decided I didn't need that so I just kept the rest for 'emergencies', i.e that usually means for some social function where I feel dreadfully nervous in the beginning so I take a half to take the edge off. Haven't done it in ages mind you, would rather not. But I'm still not ready to throw out the bottle just yet.
Member
Join Date: May 2009
Posts: 14,934
I've had it prescribed for the morning after shakes when I was trying to detox. I was prescribed the "entry level" dose (10mg?) and took 2 - 3 pills over a 24 hour period. I never finished the prescription, since I was a little worried about trading one problem for another. Those few little pills did help a lot and got me over the hump.
Forward we go...side by side-Rest In Peace
Join Date: Jun 2002
Location: Serene In Dixie
Posts: 36,740
Welcome to SR....
Only your doctor can know what is best for you...and before jumping into anything ...please do consult a medical professional about how best
to go about d etoxing from alcohol
I used nothing to do my de toxing...which was over in 3 days.
Only your doctor can know what is best for you...and before jumping into anything ...please do consult a medical professional about how best
to go about d etoxing from alcohol
I used nothing to do my de toxing...which was over in 3 days.
Forward we go...side by side-Rest In Peace
Join Date: Jun 2002
Location: Serene In Dixie
Posts: 36,740
To all our members.....please follow this Rule when posting.....
10. Medical Advice: No Posts giving medical advice, medication advice, or psychiatric advice. Do not use the forum to give or ask for professional medical or psychiatric advice. If you are a medical professional, please remember the forums and chat are for peer support only and not to be used for distributing professional medical advice and/or using the forum to represent your professional services. Medical and Psychiatric advice includes giving a diagnosis, treatment plan, medication advice and dosage suggestions, over the counter and natural home remedies that should be approved by medical professionals. Detox can be dangerous and life threatening at times. Please consult with your physician.
Thank you.
I did remove posts that were too specific..some members tho well meaning had forgotton our rule.
10. Medical Advice: No Posts giving medical advice, medication advice, or psychiatric advice. Do not use the forum to give or ask for professional medical or psychiatric advice. If you are a medical professional, please remember the forums and chat are for peer support only and not to be used for distributing professional medical advice and/or using the forum to represent your professional services. Medical and Psychiatric advice includes giving a diagnosis, treatment plan, medication advice and dosage suggestions, over the counter and natural home remedies that should be approved by medical professionals. Detox can be dangerous and life threatening at times. Please consult with your physician.
Thank you.
I did remove posts that were too specific..some members tho well meaning had forgotton our rule.
Member
Join Date: Jan 2011
Posts: 1,126
Valium is commonly prescribed in alcohol detox to prevent seizures and to quell the shakes.
It's the longest acting benzo out there, meaning it has the longest half life.
All benzos, however, are meant to be taken for a short period of time. A few days or a few weeks.
The problem arises when we take the benzo to replace the calming effects of alcohol. I'm an addict. Give me a benzo to replace booze and I'll gobble handfuls.
Librium is the drug of choice of most detox professionals.
It's the longest acting benzo out there, meaning it has the longest half life.
All benzos, however, are meant to be taken for a short period of time. A few days or a few weeks.
The problem arises when we take the benzo to replace the calming effects of alcohol. I'm an addict. Give me a benzo to replace booze and I'll gobble handfuls.
Librium is the drug of choice of most detox professionals.
Member
Join Date: Mar 2011
Location: Washington
Posts: 456
My doctor gave me Librium that minimized the shakes and made detox bearable. I was also at high risk for seizure due to my abuse.
When I went to treatment 4 days later they took it away from me but I didn't need it by then anyway.
SEIZURES AND DANGEROUSLY HIGH BLOOD PRESSURE are two very good reasons to be under doctor's care during this time.
When I went to treatment 4 days later they took it away from me but I didn't need it by then anyway.
SEIZURES AND DANGEROUSLY HIGH BLOOD PRESSURE are two very good reasons to be under doctor's care during this time.
Member
Join Date: Oct 2015
Location: Chichester, West Sussex
Posts: 2
I have just been prescribed 96 2mg diazepam (Valium) tablets by my doctor for my one-week home detox, though it's not intended that I take the entire amount. The regime that I've been prescribed is 5x2mg (10mg) four times a day on the first day of detox, making a total of 40mg on Day One; this reduces to 4x2mg (8mg) four times a day on Day Two for a total of 32mg, then to 3x2mg (6mg) four times a day for a total of 24mg, etc. The nurse who is supervising my detox has suggested that I'm not going to be up to very much in the first few days as a result!
I am astonished at my own stupidity at having got myself into this position, as I had successfully quit by tapering about a year ago, but have since developed far more severe withdrawal symptoms (sweating, shakes, retching, vomiting, confusion, memory loss) probably due to the so-called "kindling" effect of multiple withdrawals -- six, in total, in my case. Needless to say, I will not be returning to drinking in any form ever again.
I'll post back here to report on how it's gone.
I am astonished at my own stupidity at having got myself into this position, as I had successfully quit by tapering about a year ago, but have since developed far more severe withdrawal symptoms (sweating, shakes, retching, vomiting, confusion, memory loss) probably due to the so-called "kindling" effect of multiple withdrawals -- six, in total, in my case. Needless to say, I will not be returning to drinking in any form ever again.
I'll post back here to report on how it's gone.
now's the time
Join Date: Feb 2013
Posts: 2,181
Welcome, Ganymede!
This thread is a few years old so you might not see other people posting here, but this is a really great site and hopefully you'll hang around and keep posting in the forum.
I just did medical detox for the first time 3 months ago. I'd quit on my own multiple times before but like you, the kindling made it worse and the last few times I was getting some really frightening symptoms. I'm glad you're taking the safe route.
Congrats on jumping back on the wagon.
This thread is a few years old so you might not see other people posting here, but this is a really great site and hopefully you'll hang around and keep posting in the forum.
I just did medical detox for the first time 3 months ago. I'd quit on my own multiple times before but like you, the kindling made it worse and the last few times I was getting some really frightening symptoms. I'm glad you're taking the safe route.
Congrats on jumping back on the wagon.
Member
Join Date: Oct 2015
Location: Chichester, West Sussex
Posts: 2
Thank you, all! Well, I lived to tell the tale!
I've now been sober for 20 days -- though it feels like I've been sober for months, for some reason -- and the medical detox did work very effectively. In contrast to the endless withdrawal cycle that I was in when I was drinking, the diazepam was actually very effective and prevented the vast majority of the symptoms. I actually felt well enough to go back to work after the fourth day of detox, and the treatment nurse who was coming out to my partner's home to supervise me commented that it had gone unusually well.
I made sure, prior to detox, that I followed the advice to restrict my drinking as much as I possibly could immediately prior to beginning treatment, as it vastly decreases the severity of the withdrawal symptoms and reduces the amount of required medication.
If anyone is reading this and about to begin detox, please do not read this as medical advice, and ask your doctor about it first -- as stopping or reducing alcohol intake during severe physical dependency can be extremely hazardous due to the risk of seizures. That said, however, I can report that in my case the withdrawal process was made substantially easier than on previous attempts.
It does seem that having had a proper, controlled detox improved the outlook for the beginnings of sobriety. In contrast to one occasion where I quit "cold turkey" after tapering based on what I'd been told by a doctor who went to AA, which involved a painful week of sweating it out in bed, the lack of severe withdrawal symptoms definitely gives a more positive outlook to sobriety and prevents a negative association between not drinking and how you feel. My opinion is that this is because you actually feel better this way around from Day One than you did before, rather than worse, and don't get the idea that not drinking makes you feel ill.
My recovery programme is a combination of AA meetings (though I'm struggling to find a sponsor) and CBT-based course sessions at my local drug and alcohol recovery service. I get occasional periods of depression, but for the most part it's actually better than it was when I was drinking, and I've also taken up exercise in the form of cycling to keep those endorphin levels high.
I've now been sober for 20 days -- though it feels like I've been sober for months, for some reason -- and the medical detox did work very effectively. In contrast to the endless withdrawal cycle that I was in when I was drinking, the diazepam was actually very effective and prevented the vast majority of the symptoms. I actually felt well enough to go back to work after the fourth day of detox, and the treatment nurse who was coming out to my partner's home to supervise me commented that it had gone unusually well.
I made sure, prior to detox, that I followed the advice to restrict my drinking as much as I possibly could immediately prior to beginning treatment, as it vastly decreases the severity of the withdrawal symptoms and reduces the amount of required medication.
If anyone is reading this and about to begin detox, please do not read this as medical advice, and ask your doctor about it first -- as stopping or reducing alcohol intake during severe physical dependency can be extremely hazardous due to the risk of seizures. That said, however, I can report that in my case the withdrawal process was made substantially easier than on previous attempts.
It does seem that having had a proper, controlled detox improved the outlook for the beginnings of sobriety. In contrast to one occasion where I quit "cold turkey" after tapering based on what I'd been told by a doctor who went to AA, which involved a painful week of sweating it out in bed, the lack of severe withdrawal symptoms definitely gives a more positive outlook to sobriety and prevents a negative association between not drinking and how you feel. My opinion is that this is because you actually feel better this way around from Day One than you did before, rather than worse, and don't get the idea that not drinking makes you feel ill.
My recovery programme is a combination of AA meetings (though I'm struggling to find a sponsor) and CBT-based course sessions at my local drug and alcohol recovery service. I get occasional periods of depression, but for the most part it's actually better than it was when I was drinking, and I've also taken up exercise in the form of cycling to keep those endorphin levels high.
Member
Join Date: Nov 2010
Location: New York, NY
Posts: 6,262
It's a very bad idea. Valium and other drugs of its type are highly addictive. And, combing Valium and alcohol can kill you. I came into AA but wish I'd gone to a rehab first. If there is an addiction MD in your area (all large cities) is the best place to start.
Member
Join Date: Jan 2015
Posts: 1,183
I've detoxed both ways, with benzos (Librium) and with nothing, the final and worst time with nothing. In my experience the meds help reduce the withdrawal symptoms, which can be horrific, but you still go through withdrawal and it still sucks. Mostly they reduce the risk of seizures, which are rare but can happen particularly to people who have detoxed many times. In my experience you only get a small quantity that lasts a few days, so I can't imagine getting hooked on benzos by doing a medical detox, but talk to your doc.
Personally the association I got from the worst detox from hell (the final one) was, if I ever drink again I'm going to wind up in the same frightnening horrible hallucinogenic state that I will do anything to avoid, so it helped me psychologically to go to hell and back and associate that hell with drinking again. But, YMMV.
Personally the association I got from the worst detox from hell (the final one) was, if I ever drink again I'm going to wind up in the same frightnening horrible hallucinogenic state that I will do anything to avoid, so it helped me psychologically to go to hell and back and associate that hell with drinking again. But, YMMV.
Currently Active Users Viewing this Thread: 1 (0 members and 1 guests)
