hpdw

I went for a check up and explained to my GP about my alcohol cessation and my current mood swings /anxiety symptoms . She praised me regarding stopping the alcohol and has offered me diazepam ( valium ) 2mg 3 times a day when required . I got the prescription yesterday but haven,t taken any .
I have experience of using these to help with alcohol withdrawal and while they are good for that I wonder if at this stage I should be talking them . I personally found they made me very depressed .
Im not asking for medical advice but rather peoples experience with these . I don't want to be dependent on medication . ( I do take other medication for thyroid and blood pressure but I don't count those as dependent)

Thanks

Dee74

No experience here.
Did you discuss your past experience with your Dr Thomas?

D

Nic233

I am also prescribed valium when I stop alcohol to prevent withdrawals. Usually 5mg a few times a day, but last time I found it difficult to stop them and the tolerance builds scarily quickly, so I'd be mindful of that. Good luck

hpdw

Dee I did . I told her that years ago I had a terrible experience with them . That was back in the days when they prescribed 90 x 10mg . She tells me that the small dose I am prescribed now wont cause dependency .
I dont know , I think a long walk each day might be more helpful .

Poppy79

I take Valium (5mg) as and when I feel the need to. I find they help me a lot. Takes the edge off my anxiety. Been on them for over 9 months now but I am very mindful not to take anymore than 5mg a day as I have heard they are addictive, and I have an addictive personality.
So far so good though and an essential tool in my sober tool belt for the time being at least.

Forward12

From personal experience I think it would depend on how bad the anxiety is. Benzos like valium are strong medications, used for pretty severe anxiety issues. Personally I would see a therapist/psychiatrist for it as they are much more qualified for mental health issues than GP's are. Also at least around here, no GP's will prescribe a benzo and you have to see a psychiatrist to get them if they feel them to be necessary.
Usually they start you off on some "first line" defence medications like SSRI's and for many that is all that is needed. If your issues aren't too terribly bad, you may not even need any medications and therapy alone will help.

Dee74

Well the choice is yours Thomas - sounds like you're leaning to the 'nay' side - you could always see how the long walks thing works out I guess?

D

hpdw

We had our 2 year old grandson all day and had great fun . The weather was nice which makes all the difference . At one point I felt some panic rise and the all familiar tension in neck and abdomen . I just let it be and worked my way through it and it subsided in its own time . What I did notice though I hadn,t had anything to eat for 5 hours so maybe this triggered the anxiety ,who knows . Im want to stay away from the tablets and today proved to be that panic passes naturally if we just don,t become too scared but sometimes its so hard not to worry .

Thanks

Horn95

Your instincts are probably good on this one.

biminiblue

I was prescribed xanax many years ago, when I was sober.

I have to say it was part of the problem, not the solution. I started drinking again after having been sober for 18 years...I started just months after being prescribed xanax.

Coincidence? I don't know. I do know I'll never use benzos again. They woke up that part of me that "takes something" to fix external or internal problems.

Exercise, healthy nutrition and eight hours sleep while practicing stress-reduction things like meditation and box breathing helps me just as much if not more.

hpdw

For years I had a system a very destructive system . I would always make sure I had diazepam in the house ( prescribed ) ,i,d binge then use the diazepam to lessen the withdrawals , stop taking the tablets for a few days maybe a week or two ,drink again . This pattern eventually caught up with me in that the binge had a more severe effect leaving me with unbearable withdrawals which the daizepam were only mildly helping and taking me weeks to recover to some form or normality . I knew I was out of control by this time even with diazepam at hand . So I DO NOT want to have that old safety net, meaning if I know I have diazepam at home id maybe in some crazy way think it would be ok to drink .
I dont know if this makes sense as i'm not the best at explaining myself .

Afterthought : Biminblue you could say that part of MY problem IS the diazepam .

biminiblue

Exactly. Alcohol and benzos work on the same part of the nervous system. Have you heard benzos called, "a drink in a pill?" That's why. So if you're drinking then using them to "recover" you are using them in an addict's fashion, to replace the feeling you get.

If you can possibly wait it out, like maybe for a few or six months - your general anxiety will naturally decrease as your nervous system recovers.

I loved xanax. A little too much. It worked so well. I've learned to live without it. I hope you can, too.


edit to say: have you had your thyroid meds checked in the last few months? When mine are too high I get antsy-nervous. Really though, exercise, very little caffeine or sugar, good nutrition and eight hours sleep works miracles.

thomas11

I believe diazepam is generic for Valium. My personal experience is that it puts me to sleep. There is no way possible I could take one unless I was ready to go to bed. Just be careful thomas59 I've heard that benzo withdrawal is worse than alcohol withdrawal. Wishing you the best.

Anna

I think you could be right about that. I can't say enough good things about long walks. No, they don't solve the problems in the world, but I never fail to return home feeling better than when I left.

Jezzi

I took librium for alcohol withdrawal. It definitely helped ease the anxiety, made me super sleepy, and worked really well for the 2-3 days I tapered off it. I personally would never want it as a full time medication though. I suffer from anxiety too, as most of us do, but am hoping that with other lifestyle changes I've made I can manage it without meds.

So, my 2 cents? Try the long walk method for a while first

DontRemember

I agree with the "if there's anything you can do without taking a 'substance', try that first" thing.. I know a lot about benzos *not medical advice* and have friends that are dependent on them. I'm prescribed xanex and try to not take them,if possible. I should have taken one last night, but I just rode out the wave and didn't really sleep instead. Do what you feel is best for you. I also know plenty of people that take their prescribed dose and can walk away at the drop of a hat. I put myself in the latter,because I now know thoughts are that..thoughts. Sometimes they suck and sometimes they're needed to deal with things..ya know? I don't want to walk around medicated on anything that isn't crucial for me anymore. I take mine as needed basically and just rambled.

bradly22

I found it to be super helpful.

hpdw

Thanks for all the input on this .
Exactly Biminiblue ,if I know I have benzos in the house my chances of relapse to alcohol will increase dramatically , I know that because this is the way I used these in the past . I need to be truthful here or else i,m in trouble . Because we have half a dozen GPs in our practice some of them locum doctors who dont really know me quite readily write a diazepam prescription and previously I have saved these up while I wasnt drinking so I am actually deliberately deceiving the GP in order to provide myself with benzo medication on standby in preparation for a relapse . If this isnt addictive behavior I dont know what is . So looking at this another way ,as long as I have a stash of benzos at hand I might never maintain long term sobriety .
If I am going to move forward I need to come clean and tell my Main GP this is what I do .
Going back to my first post ,YES I was given the prescription to take the low dose as required but looking at it again the whole truth was not fully explained , not to deceive anyone but to maybe lead me into getting this pattern stopped .
To be honest I dont know myself why I worded it as I did , all I know is I have a history of drink -benzo-sober-save benzo-drink benzo-sober ..............

I feel terrible that I kept this dirty little secret from you .

Forward12

In that case that you are misusing these medications, I would immediately flush them down the toilet. Benzos and alcohol can be a deadly combination.
I would really look into a solid sobriety plan like AA, smart or something else. Also being honest with your doc about it will be a great plan. There are appropriate anti-alcohol medications you can be on when you discuss it with them.

DontRemember

I'm the same..That's why I try to only take them when I must. I'm sure there's something better out there for me and I'll find that out when I go to the doctor next week. As for the pill/booze habit though..benzos actually,IMO, give you the f'it attitude. Yes they help me when I need them,but I sitll get that feeling sometimes and have to check myself before I pick up a drink.when I take them,as prescribed. I honestly think and feel doctors are the "kingpin" drug dealers.. That's just me.