Valium/diazepam wearing off or not working at times

[westeastern]

Hello all. This is my first post here, and I'm glad there's a place for people like us to talk.

Anyways, currently I've been on bupropion for probably about 4-5 months now at 300mg a day. I have GAD/social anxiety. The only bad side effect was that it seemed to intensify and also manifest anxiety (randomly) from mild to moderate levels, and some high levels too. I talked to my psychiatrist about this. He told me give it another month to see if the welbutrin settles in my system. 1 month later, nothing (which was month #5).

So, he prescribed me valium/daizepam 5mg tablets. 1 or 2 tablets twice daily. I also have sleep problems, so he said that might help too.

At first, the diazepam worked great compared to where I was before. No more 'heart stopping moments' that hit me with anxiety. One or two 5mg tablets, and I was calm, happy to be in social events, talkative and I finally felt normal, the way I felt it should be (I took 2 tablets when I knew I was going out and going to meet a lot of new people, that gives me a lot of anxiety). However, it's been only about 3 weeks now, and the diazapam seems to be wearing off very quickly now (anywhere from 1-3hrs after effects come in, sometimes they come ago go very weakly) This medication is supposed to be taken every 12hrs! I tried taking 10mg's twice a day and that works a little better, but when I take the train home from school I find it extremely difficult to stay awake, but walking around I'm completely alert and fine.

Now, I don't know if the 'feeling happy talkative' feeling is just like a high and that the medication itself is still in my system, but it sure doesn't feel like it. I do feel slightly less agitated and calm, but not anywhere near where I was in the begging, whee I'd like to be.

Any thoughts or similar problems with you guys? Should my dosage be increased already?

[Carla]

Hello!
I am new to the site too and it so far seems really helpful and friendly. I dont know what country you live in, but here in the UK Diazepam is only prescribed for a short while by gps due to how addictive it is and also due to how long it can take to withdraw off the drug. I took it for that short time @ 5mg a time ( I hate taking medication and this was one of the few times when I felt so bad with anxiety that I took some) and to begin with it felt great and I thought all my problesm had been resolved by taking this drug but very quickly the effects wore off, and it made me want more of it to get the same happy feelings, and then it made me very depressed to the point of feeling suicidal. I have never ever suffered with depression in my life and I as began to come off the Diazapam so the depression went and I have never had any depression since then. I was told that Diazepam can cause depression and my gp told me that Diazepam does wear off as the person gets used to it and then the dose has to upped which is when problems can start as it is very addictive. It is as addictive as any street drug and here in the UK a lot of people sell Diazepam as a recreational drug. It is classed as Class C drug. Maybe try speaking to your gp and see if there is anything he/she can prescribe to help you. I wouldnt ever advise you take increased doses of Diazapam due to how addictive it is plus the awful withdrawal effects. I have heard of people suffering for years after being addicted to it. Hope you feel a lot better soon with the right help.

[westeastern]

Thanks for the reply. i haven't been able to get in contact with my pysch. yet, so i've been taking eithe 5mg at day times and 10mg at night. on a side note, i've been suffering back pain due to (from what doctors have guessed so far) inflamed muscles. i read that diazepam can relieve that my back feels a bit better. i'll see if maybe i can talk to my pharmacist, can they give advice??

[punkgod94]

Your pharmacist is better used to tell you if there are drug interactions - if it's OK to take benadryl and valium together for example. However it seems you need to talk with your doctor. Wellbutrin is more of a stimulating type of anti-depressant that works differently than your typical anti-depressants which work on serotonin. Wellbutrin works on dopamine and norepenephrine. Norepenephrine is responsible for the stimulating feeling. That's why you should take it in the morning and not at night. You'll never get a good night's sleep. As for the valium feeling like it's not working anymore, that's because your body is becoming adjusted to it. It DOES make you feel better, or high, when you first begin it. But your body quickly develops a tolerance to it just like heroin or any other addictive drug. Then it takes more of the drug to achieve the same effects. My doctors did the same thing to me. Told me to take Klonopin twice a day every day. It started feeling like it wasn't working anymore. Then I started to abuse it so I could get the good feelings back again. Do yourslef a favor. Talk to your doctor about getting off of the bupropion and trying a different SSRI. Tell him you don't want to take the Valium/Diazepam anymore either. They're HIGHLY addictive, and they're the only type of drug that you can actually die from if you just stop taking it cold turkey, so make sure you wean yourself off it with doctors approval. I find that those kinds of medicine (Ativan/Lorazepam, Klonopin/Clonazepam, Xanax/Alprazolam, and Valium/Diazepam) are best used for people who suffer panic attacks, not for mild, moderate, or chronic anxiety, because they will lead to addiction. I won't even get into the path that I ended up going down, but let's say that I chased the rabbit down the rabbit hole and got into a big mess that took me awhile to clean up on my own.

[westeastern]

okay not really sure what to do here. did the Valium never work for me as intended? i know it never lasted 12hrs on 5mg or 10mg. 4-6hrsmax in the first few days, then just teetered off in a few hours, with the 'desirable' feelings lasting up to an hour. i quote desirable because I've never been on it and i don't know exactly how it's supposed to feel. my definition of desirable is calm and relaxed. if i have to take smaller dosages (2.5mg??) at for example every 4hrs or something, is that a possibility? I've tried taking the maximum of 10mg 2x a day but which is decent, but I get pretty sleepy if I sit down for too long. Although it actually seems like I have MORE energy when I'm keeping busy. Obviously I have to talk to my doc about this, but I'm not sure where to start. He's pretty pushy and jumps to conclusions too, which is agitating. Any advice or experience?

[punkgod94]

To be honest, the Valium was probably working just as it was supossed to. It maintained a steady level in your blood. But it DOES stop feeilng as though it works because you develop tolerance to it very quickly. Rest assured it was working properly, even though it didn't feel like it anymore. But if you're not personally feeling any help from it then talk to your doctor and have him help you wean off of it because there's probably no reason to be on it. I've been where you're at before...it sucks, but you'll honestly be better off without it unless you have panic attacks. Then talk to your doctor about different medications that may help prevent panic attacks rather than treat them as you get them.

You didn't feel the effects of the Valium for 12 hours, but it was still in your blood. It's called the half life of the drug. If you test your blood, it will still show up as you having Valium in your system. I understand your "desirable" thing and the best advice I can give you is that if you feel it's not doing anything and is just a waste of your time and money, then have your doctor wean you off. I'm off it now after almost 2 years and I feel better because I'm not addicted to a pill that doesn't feel like it works unless I take it at a dose that was not recommended to me. Your doctor CAN potentially change you to a lower dose more often throughout the day, but the same thing will happen. You'll stop getting the "desirable" effects. Send me an email if you want to discuss it in more depth...benzodiazepenes are tricky drugs that can be very dangerous on many levels!! If you feel as though your doctor is a "know-it all" then it's not a good doctor. I went to 2 family doctors, 3 counselors, and 3 psychiatrists and I finally found the combination of medication and therapists that work for me. You want a doctor that treats you as an individual...not just another case of "oh, he/she has anxiety, try this pill" and then look at their watch half a dozen times. My advice is to get your doctor to wean you off of the medication. See another doctor that's in the same practice, or get a different doctor altogether. Feel free to email me too man, I've been in your boat before. I have lots of experience with all of it - therapy, medication, doctors, addiction, etc. Shoot me an email with some questions you have an I'll answer you as best as I can. I'm heading to bed for the night though...I'm exhausted!!!

[email protected]

[westeastern]

Well, this is a tough one. I've been on, let's see here...lexapro, cymbalta, sertaline, klonopin, and i think one more, i cant remember this has been over the past 2 years. All of those gave me side effects like jaw chatter, yawning, jittering, quirkiness, sleeplessness, and 2 of them gave me sexual side effects (lack of). Note that each one didn't give every one of those side effects, they all had their own. Anyways, the klonopin was the first thing i was on, worked well, no bad side effects, but just seemed to stop working about 6months later.

Bupropion, however has given the best results, as far as my depression was going away, and i felt a lot better. only side effect was that it seemed to slightly/moderately intensify my anxiety that i already had, and add random anxiety at times too. i also felt that it made me moody/agitated more easyily. my psychiatrist said give it 1 more month, then see if i stabilize and we'll take it from there. i sorta didnt like to wait a whole month, but i did. i think the aggitation did go down a bit so that made me feel better about Bupropion. my anxiety was still there.

Fast forward to today, i called my psychiatrist, told him the current problems with the daizepam and he told me we may need to switch but he wanted to see me first. i told him that the diazepam gave me (imo) the feelings that i wanted to feel like. not high, not buzzed. just NORMAL. i was dissapointe that i may needed to switch. in my experience, constant switching is quit stressful. i wished it just lasted the 12hrs it was suposed to. im home from work and school all week next week, so he suggest try 15mg 2x a day. see if i stabilize on that. (not like i'd be at work or school and doze off if that';s what could happen). if that didn't, he mentioned buspar, but only until i came in to see him to talk it over.

soooo i dunno. i feel like a guinea pig, but i guess that's why they call it 'practicing medicine' everyone's different. i'll give the one week a shot, unless i feel uncomfortable he told me to come in and we'd take it from there. i did a quick read on buspar, it seems to sound pretty good, but what do i know i'm no doc. so that my update. thanks for reading.

p.s. i plan on taking the 15mg's probably at night and midday, unless anyone else thinks there are better times. i figured if they first few days are guna suck then i might as well be sleeping half the time.

[punkgod94]

Hello again :) I'm going to send you a personal message so we can talk through there, so check it out and get back to me!

[westeastern]

Hello again :) I'm going to send you a personal message so we can talk through there, so check it out and get back to me!

ty email sent :)


to update the thread, the 15mg diazepam doesnt feel much different, dont last long either.

[westeastern]

jesus, i've been reading articles on getting off of benzos like diazapam that they are being WORSE than heroin withdrawal. THIS IS NOT SOMETHING I NEED IN MY LIFE RIGHT NOW. this is driving my nuts, its like valium is a devils drug that works for a small % pf people, and the rest get addicted and have to go thru withdrawl/weinging off. why the hell did my doc prescribe me 15mg 2x a day for a week, ive been on 10mg 2x a day for last week. thats 2 weeks of high doses. from what i read you should be on this stuff for more than 4-6 weeks. and my body is already seeming to become immune to it. yes, he's a doctor, he has his thought and theories, but this one?? i dunno where to take this now.

[westeastern]

well that it. I'm wuite ashamed to say it but my body will just not keep this stuff working in my system. It feel weird in between doses (been on it for only 2 weeks) and my dosages are way too high for me to sleep. If my doc wasn't Jewish (he's away the next 2 days, for I think Roshashana, no offense to anyone) I'd be at his office asap. I need to start getting off diazepam immediately. I don't know the proper way to ween off or iF there are supplementary meds that can help. I'm pretty scared at how quicky my body got immune to it. Do this mean I'm an addict? Or is diazepam just not right for me? I was on Klonopin last year and it took 6-8 months for me to build up a tolerance where I had to get off of it, but i mean c'mon, 2 weeks? This is bothering me.

Also, has anyone had any luck with Buspar? It's supposed to be like diazepam but longer lasting and less habit forming.

[westeastern]

saw doc in person today. he said he never heard of diazepam completely wearing off in 2hrs. he gave me klonopin (whoop-dee doo) up to 20mg a day

[northstar]

hi westeastern, i hope the new drug is helping you to feel ok at this stage?

i was just wondering have you ever thought about the fact that you've been on all these drugs, so many different kinds and dosages and you're still not feeling right? i tend to believe that meds only work on getting rid of a symptom rather than working on the root of the problem.

have you tried anything else other than meds to help you on your way? have you looked into nutrition or therapy? on the general discussion forum here there are tons of posts with advice on ways to help yourself along with your meds or i can post some for you here if you're interested. i suffered with anxiety for 2 years and learning about nutrition and its effect on the body i discovered information that saved my life and i no longer have the problem now.

[westeastern]

hello all.i I've progressively getting pretty down and depressed (before the new drugs too)

first off the klonopin works like crap. 10 20 30mg, i feel nothing. slight dizziness for half an hour, talkative for 2hrs. then sleepy. maybe benzos arent for me. maybe meds aren't either. maybe i cant be fixed.

I've had back problems for almost a year, I haven't been financially assisted, I can't work most jobs the way my back is. My school has been a roller coaster as far as me getting into a class. I started in '06 it was supposed to be a 9mo program, I'm still there slated to finish in march '09. $30k debt from school, $3k debt with CC cards. Again, have no income. I'm ranting. sorry. Also just had a big fight with my best friend last night haven't talked to him yet so i dunno whats going to happen. getting my license next week, can;t find insurance that will cover me, nor do i have a car, hence any jobs within driving distance that are out of range of pub. trans. is outta the question. fucked.

anyways, 35mg of klonopin, I might as well have taken a Tylenol. no effects. xanax is supposed to be like every 4hrs of some shit, but that's another benzo.

i dont know whats stronger, mg wise, diazepam, klono or xanax. doesnt matter really.


dunno about the natural thing, right now i just want to stay in my bed for the next month and smoke as many cigs as i can.btw im not suicidal, so dont worry. my email is poweredbyv8 AT gmail DOT com if you have any concerns. i check it on my phone several times a day. anyones welcome to email me, bitch at me, help, or just say hi. or dont email at all. its okay.

btw, music is the only thing that can get everything off my mind most of the time. so its music time.

[Carla]

Hi!
I am sorry you are so down. Are you able to get thro this weekend and then get to the doctors on Monday to discuss your medication. I know you have already been, but there are so many medications available, I am sure there is one to suit you. Are you giving the medications enough time to work. For some of them they can take up to 3 weeks to kick in for you to feel the benefits. I realise things are very tough for you but hang on in there. Life wont always be this terrible. In some of my worst moments when I thought nothing would ever or could ever improve, I got thro it somehow. First I wld get your medication sorted and then once you have done that, then try getting help for your back problem and then sort out the rest. Just take 1 day and 1 issue at a time. I am sure your best friend and you will make it up. Have you told your friend how you are feeling? Do you have family who are there for you? You are not alone in what you are going through, believe me. Things are really tough for me at the moment but I am just taking it 1 day at a time. Keep posting. It is very quiet on here at the moment isnt it, but I am sure you will get other replies. Hugs...

[Carla]

Hi again...
Just to add, yes listening to music does really help...the right type tho not depressing music! lol I find when I am really down that music can really lift how I am feeling even if it is temporary. Just for the time I am listening to it, it really can help, as does reading too, basically anything that can give your mind a rest from the anxiety and problems. Keep posting and let us know how you are.

[westeastern]

update:

me and friend are fine. all's good there

not really depressed anymore, just more annoying/sick n tired of med after med working 25% one way another med working 50% another way.

been on diaz for about lets say 2 weeks. klono about 1 week. the benzos, acordng to what ive been told take that long to level off. i was at a relaxed bar/lounge tonite, testing out the effectiveness of the meds. i didnt feel comfortable at all there, didnt really want to be there (i like the place, i was just uncomfortable). talk to a few people, made me more uncomfortable and anxious. again, i dont have panic attacks or agoraphobia. so, what other viable meds are out there that are 'next on the list' to see if they work?

i have school all week next week mon-fri 8-7 so no doc appts. i can call though.

what should i do? i feel i have no direction at this point. dunno

[Carla]

Hi again
Glad you and friend are ok now. I have been on Diazepam and it really made my anxiety worse and I became depressed and I came off it due to that. You say you are at school all this week - can you not take some time out of school with permission to go to an appointment. If things are not improving you do need to tell your doctor. Maybe you need to give the medication longer to work? I dont know what other meds there are as I dont take medication myself, maybe some of the others on this forum can help you with that? I wldnt place all my hope on medication. I think 50% is medication and 50% self help/therapy. I know anxiety makes you feel fed up cos sometimes it never seems to go. I have been there. It is so frustrating at times but what I do is not allow it to make me scared, I just go with the flow of it. Sometimes it is always there but how I am dealing with it is reading lots about it, doing a lot of self help techniques, and taking natural supplements plus eating very healthily and not drinking or smoking. Exercise helps too. I find it really helps me. If things got so bad then I wld take prescribed meds tho. Do you have support off other people? I hope things get better for you/

[westeastern]

hey all

been busy at school, sorry i havent replied.

current update over the last month or two:

well last i posted, i was on the welbutrin still 300mg 1x a day and klonopin (again) at 4mg 2x a day. klono didn't do much really, same as before with the others. i dont know, maybe this stuff really takes a while to kick in? thing is, from what i've read online is that most benzos are supposed to be taken up to like about 4-6 weeks (on average) if that's correct. i was on klono 2 yrs ago for 8months, and i've read many many people whove been on it for years. so i dont know what the story about that is.

then i was on lorazepam (which, if i remember correctly, basically turns into valium in the body, but the body metabolizes it instead of taking it straight). his thought was that might extend the efficacy of our goal. no luck though.


anyways, been talking with my doc (i've also been going to counseling, which i think helps too) and since i've almost exhausted every benzo out there, he said let give something one more a try which was clorazepate (aka Tranxene). nope, no dice there either. i was on 1-2 7.5mg 2x a day, 1 extra if i really needed it (not that it worked anyway).

so today i went back to update him. we came to the conclusion that benzos probably wont work for me. we needed to give something else a try. so he put me on gabapentin (Neurontin) 300mg 3x a day. i've also been on Ambien to help me sleep the past month. that doesnt even work half the time.

what am i, a unstoppable energy/anxiety machine? lol, everything thrown at my doesnt calm me down. havent given the gabapentin a shot yet, just started today, so we'll see.

anyone else have experience with gabapentin?


take care all

[westeastern]

hmmm this ones quite interesting. seems to work well so far (2 days in) but getting used to the dosage is a little bit of a bump in the road. it can catch me off guard and i'd be out of balance/dizzy. but it's not like an intoxicated/high unbalance, more like a calming relaxed state. So relaxed infact that it's like i forget to stand up straight lol. thats the best i can describe it. but its not like im holding onto things to walk straight or bumping into stuff everywhere and falling over.

on the other hand, i havent been in any anxiety provoking situations yet, but no GAD so far, so thats good. no noticable side effects either. again, only day 2, so we'll see how it goes.