AnxiousAspie

Does valium/diazepam actually help ease the symptoms of alcohol withdrawal? Does it calm anxiety and panic attacks? The doctor just prescribed me some but I am terrified to take them in case of adverse effects and in case it makes the panic attacks worse. I havnt drank in four days and I am getting major anxiety and panic attacks and sweating a lot. Will it help? Thank you

ippochick

i had diazepam and it helped me. however, your mileage may vary. what did your prescribing doctor say it would help with?

john44

My last detox was achieved using Valium. It was successful and relatively comfortable.

AnxiousAspie

He said it would help with withdrawal in general, and mainly panic and anxiety, and he said my withdrawal is not severe but moderate . I have been drinking for 2 years

Starflyer

I used Xanax and found it to be very helpful with withdrawal anxiety (the sweats, the shakes, the rapid heartbeat). The only thing you need to worry about is keeping your dosage to whatever the doctor prescribed and only take it if you're having an episode. If you take it all day every day you will build up a tolerance and will have to take more in order to make the withdrawal symptoms go away. Next thing you know your body will be hooked on the medication.

Lifewillgetbet

Take the Valium your Dr prescribed. My Dr gave me about 4-5 days worth, heavy to start then less as needed. I didnt need any after 3 days.
It works very well for anxiety. Yet I was on so much I could have taken a punch to the face and not noticed.

karate

Thats what i did ,Klonopin -a benzo 1 mg -

Take this for whats it worth ,not medical advice .

JJB

My doctor has prescribed me xanax (half a tablet morning and lunch and one tablet in evening) and I feel too tired/laid back to even go out and buy the usual bottle of wine. Unfortunately I also feel too tired to get to aa meetings which would no doubt do me good so I'm coming on here instead.
I asked doc about the dangers of getting addicted and replacing alcoholism by addiction to benzos to which he replied that alcoholism was such a serious problem that it would be easier to detox from xanax than alcohol.
I'm on day three.
What does your doc think?

karate

Imo- its easier to taper off benzo"s than alochol ,At least they are researched to not be POISON like alochol is .

NUTRITION CANNOT BE UNDERSTATED !!!!!!1

Dont go the candy route for the replacemant of sugars ,I use fresh fruits .

I posted about my antidrink - i just had one ,a fresh apple ,handful of spinich ,handfull of carrots ,bannah ,tablespoon of peanut butter ,1/2 scoop of protien . Throw in 2 cups cold water in blender ,blend and drink .

If you are real fresh in detox id add apple juice in place of the water ,because its sweet .

I also take 1 mens megasport vitinam from GNC ,its reccomended to take 2 ,but i do fine on one .


To answer your question -Benzos like you listed beat anxeity down !
I put half a zanax under my tonque when i get the occasional attack .

NOW -the GOOD part Anxeity will be reduced ALOT when you get the alochol out of your system .

You will feel like a diffrent person ............

RV GTO

I was prescribed diazepam for alcohol withdrawal and it helped greatly with the AD symptoms. You should take is as prescribed, it will make it much easier. It's also prescribed help avoid alcohol withdrawal seizures (according to the Dr.)

niijikwe

I took one ativan/ lorazapam once at midnight when I was on my 2nd night with no sleep. helped me feel a lot calmer. I was having serious anxiety.

Grungehead

Yes it does help. How much? That depends on the person, the dose, the severity of the withdrawal, etc.

If your doctor said it would help I would trust him. Just follow the directions of your doctor and I think you will find that you will get some relief.

BTW my doctor gave me Ativan for withdrawal which is very similar to Valium and it helped a lot. Just make sure you don't take the Valium longer than your doctor prescribed as they can become addictive if taken too long.

MattyBoy

Valium is highly addictive for people who suffer from anxiety, as is alcohol, as it calms one down immensely. I've take in valium recreationally twice, once when I was feeling pretty relaxed and happy before taking it and I didn't feel much of an effect but the other time I took it before giving a presentation at university which I was very apprehensive about. It worked wonders and I thought about taking it on a regular basis for anxiety provoking situations but that's the same thing I did with alcohol and that left me more screwed up than I was before I started drinking so I didn't see why valium should be any different. Plus, long term valium use produces the same symptoms and intensity of withdrawal as alcohol, up to and including seizure so be careful

john44

Here's the deal. Benzos should only be taken for a short time to get through alcohol withdrawals - 4-7 days max. When I last detoxed, I was started on a relatively high dose of valium for 36 hours and then tapered down for the next 4 days. It worked like a charm. There is virtually no chance of becoming dependant on benzos in 4-7 days.

PhaseTwo

If you're having major anxiety take one. that's what they're for but don't take more than prescribed and get off it as soon as possible

DoubleBarrel

You can have withdrawals from benzos, and the addiction can start amazingly fast, like a week-ten days.

They are a good SHORT TERM solution.

I had used them successfully many times, then, not so much. Serious problem quitting.

Follow doctors orders precisely.

MemphisBlues

I have read that emergency rooms and doctors prescribe benzos for alcohol detox not only for comfort, but for a very real preventative to seizures. Benzos are anticonvulsants.

And they are highly addictive. The manufacturing labels on all benzos state they are to be used for a very short time, like two to four weeks at max. Many report becoming addicted to them in that short amount of time.

And benzo withdrawal is a very scary thing. While alcohol detox can take three to seven days, detoxing from benzodiazepines is filled with paradox. Patients (especially this one) report feeling very uncomfortable during the initial week or so of detoxification, but the real hell begins once the drug is out of your system. The brain literally has to rewire to deal without the absence of the benzo. In my case and from what I've read in many cases, the horror begins about two weeks out from the last ingestion of a benzo.

That's the way it was for me, complete with hallucinations, sky-high blood pressure, seizures, psychosis. Then I had six months dealing with a host of post withdrawal symptoms.

I wasn't prescribed benzos for alcohol detox, but rather had a 10 year run with them for panic disorder and anxiety. I quit booze and benzos at the same time. The booze withdrawal was narly for a few days. They benzo withdrawal kicked in two weeks later and left me hospitalized for 10 days.

A benzo is great for alcohol detox and can be life saving in the prevention of seizures. I think the danger begins when the alcoholic continues to take benzos after initial alcohol detox and doctors prescribe them for long term thinking the benzo is helping his or her patient abstain from alcohol. The doctor could be setting the long-term benzo user up for a world of hurt.

And people reportedly build up a tolerance to a benzo quickly, like in a manner of weeks. So they need more of the drug as time goes on and many experience a mini-withdrawal in between dosing that reinforces the addiction.

john44

MemphisBlues, everything you said is true. I lived it. I was prescribed Xanax in 2007 after a health scare. I was on them for 4 1/2 years during which I spiraled into full blown alcoholism. When I entered rehab in 2012, I was quitting both alcohol AND Xanax. I shook for literally a month. Thank God I didn't have seizures or hallucinations but it was pretty nasty. Benzos are definitely meant for short term, preferably a week or less.