Menopause Matters Forum
Menopause Discussion => Other Health Discussion => Topic started by: Mrs Bennet on February 23, 2015, 05:53:03 PM
-
Hi Girls, was just wondering if anyone has taken Diazepam 2mg for anxiety? my doc has prescribed this for me today as I am going away for a few days & have been suffering with anxiety & panic for quite sometime now ( have posted before) I feel unable to relax as I am always worried about needing the loo when I go out anywhere :( I am reading Dr Claire Weekes book & listening to some of her audio stuff....this is helping..... I have been unable to take ADs as they all upset my stomach thus increasing the anx 10 fold. I have only been given 12 tabs.....I do realise this is not a long term solution but was thinking it may just break the cycle of fight or flight panic which I have.....any help would be gratefully received xxxxx
-
I take diazepam ,prescribed by the Dr,I only use it as and when and find it helps enormously! It is great for short term use as it takes about 30 mins to work. Once it gets the anxiety under control you should be more in control. I always keep some on hand and find that if I take one 2 mg in morning and one at night for a couple of days things calm down. I know it can be addictive but I have never had a problem stopping and starting it as let my as you treat it with a little respect. Hope this puts your mind at rest.
-
Ah thank you so much dazned.....I will fill the script & take one before my journey & see how I go. I think I may even feel calmer knowing there is a swift remedy at hand even if I do not have to take it xxxx
-
i could of written dazned post as i am exactly the same. I will just add ghat when i started with panic attacks and anxiety over 27 years ago. I would not take the diazipam it took over 20 years before i did i truely regret that it took that long. As it really does help. I now rarely take it. I really think if i had took it when it was given to me i might not of wasted my life in fear.
-
YEP! took it for many years on an as-necessary basis at 5mg x 3 if necessary. I used to take it the night before an Event to stop any early morning surges, and if necessary another at breakfast. Anything to stop that awful feeling and because I knew they worked, I didn't need to rely on them daily.
Mrs Bennett - take 1 the night before and 1 mid-morning ;) - rather than relying on the fact that you had them to hand. That way ……. you won't get addicted because this has been prescribed for a specific purpose.
Enjoy your trip - once you are home you will know if you did or not ;)
-
Thank you all so much for your pearls : )........I feel so relieved to know others have been a little reticent in taking this particular med, you tend to hear/read all the bad reports....I will do as you say CLKD & take one the night before & one later on the following day ( will I be awake on the journey ;D ) only going to Cornwall so can doze in the car.....what a treat that would be
I will post again on Tuesday next week with my report :) xxxxxx
-
You relax as much as you are able to! I was desperate so my GP gave me Valium in the 1990s, other meds I was worried about taking but hey ho! I worked out a regime that helped me to survive.
Take it about half an hour before you go to bed in case it makes you drop off ;) ………
Look forwards to the update! 'only' is a word which is OK when we feel OK! As long as *you* aren't driving to Cornwall :o
-
Yep....I have them too. Sometimes it's just to know they are an option. Mostly they sit in my bedside drawer and are very rarely taken.
However I think they have a good effect. I have never taken more than two in a day and mine are 2mg. I will then go months before I take anymore.
If they help then great .....but they are highly addictive, so much so I'm scared of them so keep them for when I need to go somewhere that there is no choice and I know that if I didn't take one I would never make it. I was prescribed 12 last November.....I have ten left.
Treat them with respect and you will do fine.
Honeyb
X
-
Ok - here is the horror story. I was given them when I first started with anxiety. Over the space of a couple of months I was up to I think about 20mgs a day - all under the control of my doctor. Got a different doctor one day who refused to prescribe - stopped cold turkey and my body went straight into muscular spasms. Was crying for days with the pain. Took 2 appts with the same doctor over 7-10 days before he agreed with me that it was withdrawal symptoms and allowed me to go back on and cut down slowly over 4-8 weeks. As soon as I took them again the pain started to go away. It was a horrific time. Never touched them since. One every now and then is fine - on a regular basis no no no.
Bramble
-
Totally agree bramble.....I think being scared of them is a good place to start. I like the way they unknot all the knots but take regularly....nope no way.
Honeyb
X
-
I too only take them occasionally ,but as I know they work fast it's like a security blanket to know they are there and that's half the battle you will be fine Mrs Bennett on 2 mg once or twice a day ,if it's a really bad spell you are having don't be afraid to use them for a few days your body will tell you when you don't need them and that you can once again get it all under control ,just be aware not to use continuously for days on end . Most gp only prescribe 14 at a time and I to still have 4 left from script beg. November. Have a great time x
-
Yep - my head went all whoozy ……….. so after a couple of 'goes' I stopped ……… my body was 'telling' me ……… Valium is used successfully as pain relief as it reduces spasm as well as a pre-med ;)
-
Thank you everyone......I will treat them with respect I promise :) so glad to have had your advice it has really helped....will let you know how I get on xxxxxx
-
I found this interesting because my daughter was recently prescribed a similar drug for her epilepsy, another benzodiazepine. After a lot of research we decided it was not a drug to be taken daily for seizures, much better used occasionally for anxiety. So I agree with everyone who says you'll be fine as long as you don't take on a regular basis. My friend took a low dose anxiety med for a while during perimenopause and did quite well :)
-
Ive been taking Lexoton 6mg for almost 30 years
Take no more now than I did then.
Son takes Anxiety meds and will for life.
Im OK so is son.
-
I was prescribed them 5 years ago, when suffering horrendous side effects from Citalopram.
I was too terrified to take them. :o
-
I never had problems with Citalopram ………. so how did you 'get through' without Valium :-\
-
Yes I am also interested in how you managed without the diazepam. I feel that if I had taken it for a few days last week it may have speeded up my recovery, I feel by only taking it once it didn't allow my body/mind to relax for long enough to restore itself and even though I have since calmed down I now feel I made myself suffer unnecessarily. I think this could make an interesting thread and help others when deciding whether to take the diazepam or not. My family (who have never needed sedation) frown heavily on it whereas my MIL, SIL and best friend all scream at me to take it as they have all suffered and used it.
-
I had to stop listening to 'others'. When I told Mum I was depressed I got "You don't want to be depressed" - no Mum I don't want to be but this is where I was …….. a hug would have been nice. So I NEVER told her again about any of my medical situations. Now I listen to DH and m y GP ……… and if I require immediate anti-anxiety I end up in the Surgery, a shivering wreck - kind of gets the GP on side …….
Relaxation therapy can help but needs to be practiced and of course, once I felt better I forgot ::). I also take a Beta-blocka every night and have an emergency drug when the anxiety floors me.
-
I never had problems with Citalopram ………. so how did you 'get through' without Valium :-\
Well that's a good question, CLKD - because I really did react horrendously to them...all night panic after the first tablet, even hearing voices, I couldn't eat, sleep, cry, function.
I would say it took 3 months to stop feeling bad. I just hung on for dear life and sat it out, because having started, I wasn't prepared to stop and have to go through the same horrors on a different medication.
I won't go back on them or any other antidepressant through choice, so I've found other ways to deal with anxiety - meditation, rest, exercise, self-help books, supplements etc. Not always easy, but it didn't kill me then, so it won't kill me now. :)
-
Well done you ! :medal: some people do have awful reactions to various medications for various medical conditions. Scarey. I had weird side effects to Prozac ……..
-
You may have realised - I'm stubborn and determined as hell! ;)
I may well sit tight through peri too, because I'm frightened by the possibilities of side effects from HRT. I deal much better with the "known", rather than the unknown what if' s.
Horses for courses, though - we are all different.x
-
I had a reaction to an AD after 2 tablets which resulted in 3 days of solid panic and it left me with a head tremor that I now have for life so you will totally understand why I could never have them again. Even writing that down still makes me shudder and up goes my shoulders. I have recently started CBT and I must say I am very very impressed with the counsellor which is a big statement from me as things have to be absolutely perfectly factual for me to even listen to someone and counselling always seemed a bit hairy fairy but this lady knows her stuff so well and I feel very hopeful.
-
OK MUM now listen one god or the great inteli in the sky gave men and women the brains to invent stuff
Imagne no Im not taking Polio jab or Insulin or Thyriod pills ohh they could have side affects
So do Pen and Antibiotics so do paracetamol . Theres no reason on gods green earth to suffer fear@panic OK!
Now I didnt take HRT cos my GP at the time wouldnt give it to me my Mum had had a HA due to Pill at 32
I went over at 37 they now call it Oarian failure then it was early meno
My dinlaw had my grandson last year. at 36 so u can imagine how I felt when it hapened to me at 37!
GPs were loath to prescribe HRT in the 90s it was being linked to heart attacks and cancer.
So with the help of the mini pill and couple of years later Ovestin which 10 yrs later I changed to Vagifem
Plus Beta Blocas to get rid of that mind numbing fear panic which was ruining life(I only take them when needed
My heart would skip beats my pulse would race I felt like I was in a plane that was crashing no hope horrible YUK
BUT with the help of the Mini Pill the Beta Blocas my life turned around for years. Untll I had some news thats affected my entire life and will do till I die my son developed a disease incurable but with the drugs available
Here he is almost 15 years on is here married with a wife and child. The pills that I to was scared to take
In the end was the best thing I could have done I also had 3 years of recog Therapy every single month
But it worked I still get the odd week or so when Beta blocs have to come out and even now like you I say I will be OK I can manage then one morning I realise I cant I take them. Then wish god wish Id taken them 3wks ago We have ONE life thats it no coming back saying wish Id done?
Im not saying that given diff curcumstances I wouldnt have jumped at trying HRT AND for me BECAUSE I DIDNT
I now have severe@I mean severe Vaginal atrophy. BUT my sis in law didnt take anything and she didnt get it
So as u say diff strokes but whats the point in ending up as u probably will like I did thinking I was having a HA
Rushed to Casual to find out it was panic thats when I gave in finally took the Beta Blocas.in the bathroom cub Dont be scared to try dont put up with it Life is to be lived enjoyed and stress when it comes is crappy
im 62 in June and went through it alone
No parents no sisters no freinds no tinternet hehehe I had no choice but in the end to accept help
This site and Taz and CLKD nagged and nagged me day after day for HOW long YOU 2! Aug 2009 till Feb 2010
When I finally went to the GP and took my kickers off and said LOOK cos the ache pain throb dryness even with the mini pill and Ovestin one look Vagifem off the mini pill@Ovestin with in 5 days better with in 4mnths 100%
If it wasnt for those 2 NAGGAROONIES and this site only god knows how Id have coped. So dont be scared OKx
-
Hi SuziQ >wave<
I found a tub of Valium this week from over 20 years ago ……. lid still on tight ;)
-
Hi girls well here is my report after my few days away......I took the diazepam the night before we went away and was impressed that I managed to travel to Cornwall without incident and as its a 4 hour journey that was pretty good ;D however a full 24 hours later I had some weird attack of shaking and feeling sick it was dreadful and really scared me I don't know whether it was the tablet or not? I did not take any more so the break was some what marred by my anxiety and panic over will I or won't I need the loo if we went out, so stayed near the hotel pretty much all the time :( Now I am home I don't know whether I should give the Sertraline a go, I was prescribed this yonks ago and never took it because of fear of side effects, I feel in a real muddle in my head not knowing which way to go for the best, have been battling with this for so long now.......beginning to think I am beyond help. xxxxxxx
-
You got there in one piece. Maybe you hadn't eaten properly during the journey? It is unlikely to be related to the Valium as it doesn't stay in the body for long ……..
Or maybe you should have taken another Valium …… you won't know ……… but it spoiled your break :-\ …….
What were you prescribed Sertraline for? Some ladies here take it with good effect.
-
I am not a doctor but it sounds to me that you had an anxiety attack but you need to focus on the point that it did pass, you did travel home, you did go on holiday. No one is is beyond help, work on this and you can beat it xx
-
Mmmmm.....maybe it was an anxiety attack Everyones mum now wish I had taken another Diazepam hey ho......but you are right it did pass and I did travel home ok on ward and up ward :) I was prescribed the Sertraline for the anxiety CLKD... I think my GP is all out of solutions for me :( my body just does not like ADs or any meds for that matter suppose like many I am looking for a magic pill to make me normal whatever normal is ;D I am just fed up with feeling as I do. My probs are deep seated I think whist I have always been a bit of a worrier it has escalated out of control since my dad died in 2012 my mum has long standing ( 50 plus years) mental health probs along with narcissistic personality disorder she is now in a nursing home and I am have been on a no contact for 6 months...that is just a brief summary... I would so love to meet up with someone who is in a similar situation to me....look at me feeling sorry for myself sooooo did not want to be a victim xxxxx
-
Sorry to read about your parents. For me personally I feel this peri meno has thrown up lots of emotions that I have found difficult to deal with and I have tried to run away and not face them but they sadly caught me up and bit my bum. I have also always been a worrier but I do not have a narcissistic mum but my husband does and I find him very critical at times. My worrying escalates when I am anxious and since hitting Peri I don't seem to cope very well with bits and pieces. Propanolol beta blocker works for me and the odd diazepam if all else fails. You are not alone x
-
Thanks Everyones mum it has been helpful being able to vent on here and knowing i'm not the only one really does give comfort, I take propranalol too, my GP said it's fine to take when I feel the need, think I best take one tonight, feeling very uptight it's all such a pain in the bum ;D xxx
-
Mrs B...you are only a victim if you want to be. You can also be a survivor.
I also have a very difficult mother. 92 and can be a nightmare.
I am getting better at separating myself from her problems although I see her very often. I am one of her carers. As i leave her house I stand for a minute and leave the problems on her doorstep and don't take them back to my family. It's getting easier.
It's down to you and I do know how difficult it can be.
Be a survivor.
Honeybun
X
-
I feel that it was an anxiety attack. When you are frightened Of doing something then you achieve what you were frightened of its like your body goes into shock so you have panic and you blame the med that you took.This is what. Happened to me so I never took the diazpam again. For 15 years which I so regret as I too cannot take ad's. please just take the diazpam as When needed. Don't waste your life away in fear. Take it from someone who has been there and has so many wasted years. I just had to reply as I'd hate anyone to suffer like I did..
-
I would say too,IMHO,when you feel really anxious take a diazepam it will help, it's OK to take them now and again ! Some days I take 1 in am and then 1 early evening sometimes for a couple of days then might not need then for days or weeks just don't reprieve yourself of relief . I don't think the way you felt next day was down to the 1 diazepam you took as CLKD said it only stays in your system a short time ,maybe you just had a taste of feeling good with it which in turn made you notice the bad feeling more . Just an idea .x
-
Thank you so much for the advice girls :-* I think you are all correct in saying I had a bad panic attack whilst away :( . Last night I read through a booklet ( Panic Moodjuice self help guide) it is me to a T'
All I need to do now is put everything I read ie. Dr Caire Weekes & the above & I will be set ;D I WILL!!!! be a survivor....I hope :) xxxx
-
I take Aplrazolam ('xanax') for occasional severe anxiety. Like diazepam but quicker and shorter acting. It really helps and as I know that now, just having them in my bag seems to help almost as much - I take rarely, and never daily. Was recommended by my cardiologist as I was having anxiety induced palpitations and ectopics. GPs warn it can be addictive but used sensibly it is great. Also I think it enables my body (and mind) to remember what feeling relaxed is like, if that doesn't sound too odd…helps me to believe that the anxiety is always only temporary and that I will feel good again.
Good luck x
-
ADs and other medications are different. Diazepam as necessary can give you some relief. What was the suggested dosage for the Sertraline?
I have a Narcasstic mother and sister :-X ……. if you read 'daughters of narcisstic mothers' you'll see that it isn't 'you', it's her condition. Apparently not diagnosed until 1988! you are not alone and I think that sometimes a non-contact regime gives the sufferer breathing space. I'm only hanging in there because we have distance and Mum is very active. Also, I want to see the 'end of the story' …… but sometimes :bang:. It's the way others fuss round her which of course she likes ……… but I can walk into her house and she'll stand in the kitchen, rigid, arms down her sides - no emotional contact at all :-\
-
CLKD :hug:
I know it's not the same but still ;)
-
We're not having to visit her in the 'rest' home ;) but if push comes to shove, I expect I will require copious amounts of Valium-type calmer-downerers ……..
-
GP happily agreed to a new prescription today.
Use sensibly was her words.
Honeybun
X
-
Which you will do ;) - knowing that you have them helps?
-
Just 25mg of the Sertraline for me.....very low but like I said ADs & me don't mix that well :) I have decided to hold fire and just go on with the Propranalol 10mg, I took one this morning and have felt a little calmer today even though I have been out most of the day. Sorry to hear that you have a mother with similar probs CLKD ( how do you cope? )I have read that book and related very well to it even though I am an only child......although my mother has had psychiatric problems, bi-polar etc, all of my life, the narcissistic diagnosis has only been made since my dad has died....so wish he could of known as so much has slotted into place.....it is the guilt of not seeing her these past months which is now really getting to me. I am in regular contact with the care/nursing staff so I do know what is going on but just feel if I went to see her at this point it would be for the wrong reasons. Prior to her being admitted things were very bad indeed, I tend to worry what other people think of me even though they know little of my life. I have a very supportive family who help tremendously with keeping me on the right road :) so I am at least very lucky on that front xxxx
-
There's a programme about manic depression this evening, late.
I cope by having a supportive DH and by anticipating when not to open my Big Gob but it's hard not to respond. She will invent problems which I immediately answer ……. which 'allows' her to get angrier and angrier ……… if you read the thread 'My Mum' ………
We try to take her out and about away from her house which eases her mood a bit. She has too much time to dwell ……. and if she retells a 'story', she goes back to the beginning even if it's 20 years ago and we HAVE to listen or else. I wasn't aware as a child but after Dad died in 2006 and she took up with another man, who she began treating the same way as she had treated Dad :'( ….. a lot fell into place.
Once you know that the Diazepam will work without making you feel woozy you are half-way to feeling more relaxed ;)
-
I like my diazepam ;)
It does the job but I don't abuse them ,just hope the propranol does the same job ! :)
-
Propranolol is prescribed for a different condition ;)
-
Yes but she said that dose was for anxiety so I'm was hoping ...... ;) she knew what she was talking about ;D
Hope it calms it down a bit anyways .
-
Propranolol lowers the heart rate to ease anxiety surges.
Diazepam works on the brain centre to ease symptoms.
-
Better have both then ;D
Only joking ! Didn't known that ,you're such a mind of info ;) x
-
We are - full of great ideas on here ::)
Do what your GP tells you …………. ;) and keep a mood/food diary?