# valium addiction



## Guest (Oct 5, 2004)

Hi, 
Can i get addicted to valium if I take 2mg every two days or every three days? It is really handy to take because it gives me respite from anxiety and prevents me from getting massive anxiety and dp. Its like time out for my mind and body and allows me much needed relaxation. Don't want to pay for this later. 
Monika


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## Guest (Oct 5, 2004)

Hi, 
Can i get addicted to valium if I take 2mg every two days or every three days? It is really handy to take because it gives me respite from anxiety and prevents me from getting massive anxiety and dp. Its like time out for my mind and body and allows me much needed relaxation. Don't want to pay for this later. 
Monika


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## dakotajo (Aug 10, 2004)

Well, the board expert here will tell you that benzos are not addictive so I guess as far as this person is concerned you are good to go. As you know I have the complete opposite opinion. I believe what many "true" experts believe about these drugs. Valium, like the rest of the benzos, is highly addictive and has an extremely long half life(200 hours). So basically it will hang in your blood for up to a week. You are not helping yourself by only taking it every few days. If you want to help yourself, dont take it at all. Find another drug that helps you with anxiety and doesnt have the tolerance and addiction factor.

Joe


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## dakotajo (Aug 10, 2004)

Well, the board expert here will tell you that benzos are not addictive so I guess as far as this person is concerned you are good to go. As you know I have the complete opposite opinion. I believe what many "true" experts believe about these drugs. Valium, like the rest of the benzos, is highly addictive and has an extremely long half life(200 hours). So basically it will hang in your blood for up to a week. You are not helping yourself by only taking it every few days. If you want to help yourself, dont take it at all. Find another drug that helps you with anxiety and doesnt have the tolerance and addiction factor.

Joe


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## JasonFar (Aug 13, 2004)

Dakotajo,

Most the people here, in fact all that I've read, do not state such claims as you insist. Many admit that individual cases vary, as with a lot of things. These "experts" on the board you refer to don't exist -- you're making them up out of your imagination to form some sort of everlasting enemy. Janine, Dreamer, and the many others I can only assume you are referring to, never deny that there have been addictive withdrawl cases. You included. So for the love of, stop fighting something that doesn't exist. You might think you're coming off as some sort of well-intended martyr, but to me you are just angrily acting out at the wrong person/people/objects.

~Jason


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## JasonFar (Aug 13, 2004)

Dakotajo,

Most the people here, in fact all that I've read, do not state such claims as you insist. Many admit that individual cases vary, as with a lot of things. These "experts" on the board you refer to don't exist -- you're making them up out of your imagination to form some sort of everlasting enemy. Janine, Dreamer, and the many others I can only assume you are referring to, never deny that there have been addictive withdrawl cases. You included. So for the love of, stop fighting something that doesn't exist. You might think you're coming off as some sort of well-intended martyr, but to me you are just angrily acting out at the wrong person/people/objects.

~Jason


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## Guest (Oct 5, 2004)

Yep, benzos are addictive. Totally true.

Not for everyone of course, but for many people

Then the question becomes one of weighing the benefits against a potential addiction response. Then the question becomes assessing the likihood of a terrible withdrawal response. Some people are clearly having addictive reactions to medications, but with careful tapering, they can stop the meds without much intensity.

Other people, like Joe, had addiction AND horrific withdrawal. And lingering awful after effects.

Cost and benefit analysis is all we can do. And realize that no one else's experience on a med or coming off of one will be identical to anyone else's.


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## Guest (Oct 5, 2004)

Yep, benzos are addictive. Totally true.

Not for everyone of course, but for many people

Then the question becomes one of weighing the benefits against a potential addiction response. Then the question becomes assessing the likihood of a terrible withdrawal response. Some people are clearly having addictive reactions to medications, but with careful tapering, they can stop the meds without much intensity.

Other people, like Joe, had addiction AND horrific withdrawal. And lingering awful after effects.

Cost and benefit analysis is all we can do. And realize that no one else's experience on a med or coming off of one will be identical to anyone else's.


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## terri* (Aug 17, 2004)

Hi Monika,

This is a section from the Ashton Manual. I believe it to be a fair.

"Thus there are good reasons for long-term users to stop their benzodiazepines if they feel unhappy about the medication. Many people are frightened of withdrawal, but reports of having to "go through hell" can be greatly exaggerated. With a sufficiently gradual and individualised tapering schedule, as outlined below, withdrawal can be quite tolerable, even easy, especially when the user understands the cause and nature of any symptoms that do arise and is therefore not afraid. Many "withdrawal symptoms" are simply due to fear of withdrawal (or even fear of that fear). People who have had bad experiences have usually been withdrawn too quickly (often by doctors!) and without any explanation of the symptoms. At the other extreme, some people can stop their benzodiazepines with no symptoms at all: according to some authorities, this figure may be as high as 50% even after a year of chronic usage. Even if this figure is correct (which is arguable) it is unwise to stop benzodiazepines suddenly.

The advantages of discontinuing benzodiazepines do not necessarily mean that every long-term user should withdraw. Nobody should be forced or persuaded to withdraw against his or her will. In fact, people who are unwillingly pushed into withdrawal often do badly. On the other hand, the chances of success are very high for those sufficiently motivated. As mentioned before, almost anyone who really wants to come off can come off benzodiazepines. The option is up to you."

As she stated...

*The Option Is Up to You*

Good luck with your choice.
terri


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## terri* (Aug 17, 2004)

Hi Monika,

This is a section from the Ashton Manual. I believe it to be a fair.

"Thus there are good reasons for long-term users to stop their benzodiazepines if they feel unhappy about the medication. Many people are frightened of withdrawal, but reports of having to "go through hell" can be greatly exaggerated. With a sufficiently gradual and individualised tapering schedule, as outlined below, withdrawal can be quite tolerable, even easy, especially when the user understands the cause and nature of any symptoms that do arise and is therefore not afraid. Many "withdrawal symptoms" are simply due to fear of withdrawal (or even fear of that fear). People who have had bad experiences have usually been withdrawn too quickly (often by doctors!) and without any explanation of the symptoms. At the other extreme, some people can stop their benzodiazepines with no symptoms at all: according to some authorities, this figure may be as high as 50% even after a year of chronic usage. Even if this figure is correct (which is arguable) it is unwise to stop benzodiazepines suddenly.

The advantages of discontinuing benzodiazepines do not necessarily mean that every long-term user should withdraw. Nobody should be forced or persuaded to withdraw against his or her will. In fact, people who are unwillingly pushed into withdrawal often do badly. On the other hand, the chances of success are very high for those sufficiently motivated. As mentioned before, almost anyone who really wants to come off can come off benzodiazepines. The option is up to you."

As she stated...

*The Option Is Up to You*

Good luck with your choice.
terri


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## dakotajo (Aug 10, 2004)

The following paragraghs from the Ashton Manual..

Mechanisms of withdrawal reactions. Drug withdrawal reactions in general tend to consist of a mirror image of the drugs' initial effects. In the case of benzodiazepines, sudden cessation after chronic use may result in dreamless sleep being replaced by insomnia and nightmares; muscle relaxation by increased tension and muscle spasms; tranquillity by anxiety and panic; anticonvulsant effects by epileptic seizures. These reactions are caused by the abrupt exposure of adaptations that have occurred in the nervous system in response to the chronic presence of the drug. Rapid removal of the drug opens the floodgates, resulting in rebound overactivity of all the systems which have been damped down by the benzodiazepine and are now no longer opposed. Nearly all the excitatory mechanisms in the nervous system go into overdrive and, until new adaptations to the drug-free state develop, the brain and peripheral nervous system are in a hyperexcitable state, and extremely vulnerable to stress.

Acute withdrawal symptoms. The most prominent effect of benzodiazepines is an anti-anxiety effect - that is why they were developed as tranquillisers. As a consequence, nearly all the acute symptoms of withdrawal are those of anxiety. They have been described in anxiety states in people who have never touched a benzodiazepine and were recognised as psychological and physical symptoms of anxiety long before benzodiazepines were discovered. However, certain symptom clusters are particularly characteristic of benzodiazepine withdrawal. These include hypersensitivity to sensory stimuli (sound, light, touch, taste and smell) and perceptual distortions (for example sensation of the floor undulating, feeling of motion, impressions of walls or floors tilting, sensation of walking on cotton wool). There also appears to be a higher incidence than usually seen in anxiety states of depersonalisation, feelings of unreality, and tingling and numbness. Visual hallucinations, distortion of the body image ("my head feels like a football/balloon"), feelings of insects crawling on the skin, muscle twitching and weight loss are not uncommon in benzodiazepine withdrawal but unusual in anxiety states


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## dakotajo (Aug 10, 2004)

The following paragraghs from the Ashton Manual..

Mechanisms of withdrawal reactions. Drug withdrawal reactions in general tend to consist of a mirror image of the drugs' initial effects. In the case of benzodiazepines, sudden cessation after chronic use may result in dreamless sleep being replaced by insomnia and nightmares; muscle relaxation by increased tension and muscle spasms; tranquillity by anxiety and panic; anticonvulsant effects by epileptic seizures. These reactions are caused by the abrupt exposure of adaptations that have occurred in the nervous system in response to the chronic presence of the drug. Rapid removal of the drug opens the floodgates, resulting in rebound overactivity of all the systems which have been damped down by the benzodiazepine and are now no longer opposed. Nearly all the excitatory mechanisms in the nervous system go into overdrive and, until new adaptations to the drug-free state develop, the brain and peripheral nervous system are in a hyperexcitable state, and extremely vulnerable to stress.

Acute withdrawal symptoms. The most prominent effect of benzodiazepines is an anti-anxiety effect - that is why they were developed as tranquillisers. As a consequence, nearly all the acute symptoms of withdrawal are those of anxiety. They have been described in anxiety states in people who have never touched a benzodiazepine and were recognised as psychological and physical symptoms of anxiety long before benzodiazepines were discovered. However, certain symptom clusters are particularly characteristic of benzodiazepine withdrawal. These include hypersensitivity to sensory stimuli (sound, light, touch, taste and smell) and perceptual distortions (for example sensation of the floor undulating, feeling of motion, impressions of walls or floors tilting, sensation of walking on cotton wool). There also appears to be a higher incidence than usually seen in anxiety states of depersonalisation, feelings of unreality, and tingling and numbness. Visual hallucinations, distortion of the body image ("my head feels like a football/balloon"), feelings of insects crawling on the skin, muscle twitching and weight loss are not uncommon in benzodiazepine withdrawal but unusual in anxiety states


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## dakotajo (Aug 10, 2004)

Jason,

Im not a martyr, and Im not fighting anything or anyone. Im just offering my opinion. Im sorry if you dont like it, but its not going to change. The first part of my post was placed to give a heads up that this will probably turn into a arguement once Id given my opinion.

Joe


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## Guest (Oct 5, 2004)

So this means that I should consult with a doctor about tapering off this drug? I first started taking it around the 20th of august. Between then and now I have taken thirteen lots of 2mg tablets of valium. Thats an average of two tablets a week and if a tablet has a half life of a week, than I am addicted? That sucks. The pharmacist told me that as long as I take the valium everyother day that I wont be addicted. Should I go to a doctor to manage the drug reduction from here or can I do it by myself somehow?


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## dakotajo (Aug 10, 2004)

Hi,

You are on the lowest potency benzo and on a very small dose. It also sounds like you havent been on long. I highly doubt youve formed much of a dependency. This works in your favor and you should have a very easy time getting off the drug. If you really want to quit, Id cut the pill in half (if possible)for a couple of weeks and then stop taking it. Good luck.

Joe


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