Valium help or hinderance?

Hi everyone,
I have been taking 10mg of valium per day for 18 months. Over
the last month I have slowly cut down to 2 mg and do I feel like shit. I have felt this bad before whilst taking 10 mg so I am unsure if its withdrawal or I just feel shit this week.
I have the same anxiety panic issues that are described so often here. I am unable to work at the moment. I have tried to stop taking the valium for several obvious reasons. The main reason is I have been told it affects learning in the same way that alcohol does. Its a good fix ona day to day basis but acctualy stops your brain from learnig how to get better in the long term.
Has anyone got any thoughts or experience on this.

[jitters]

O.K. the meds Vs. therapy question is raised a lot... the truth is if you feel meds work for you you can take them. however somthing like valium is not a long term solution because most therapies are CBT Behavioural therapies. These thearapies work by giving you the tools to deal with the anxiety as it arises, but this is impossible if the meds work and you never get symptoms. Valium is extremly addictive and notoriously difficult to quit. SSRI's are better long term treatments for anixiety combined with CBT. A little on valium withdrawal:

Valium depresses the nervous system much like alcohol and is abused by all segments of society. Valium is both physically and psychologically addicting and as is considered one of the toughest addictions to break. With chronic use, its abuse potential is high. Withdrawal symptoms can be seen after only 2 or 3 days of repeated use.

Tolerance to Valium builds quickly and is the effect of cellular adaptive changes or enhanced drug metabolism. This tolerance develops over days, weeks, or months is a diminished response associated with chronic use of this drug.

It is important that your physician help you discontinue this medication in a careful and safe manner to avoid severe withdrawal.

To abruptly stop Valium after an extended period of use is extremely dangerous and can cause seizures and sometimes death. Discontinuation of the medication must include a physician supervised gradual taper schedule and/or adjunct medications to minimize acute withdrawal.

Essentially, withdrawal symptoms from Valium are like the mirror of its therapeutic effects. Valium withdrawal can produce especially severe withdrawal symptoms similar to those in alcohol and barbiturate withdrawal, including jittery, shaky feelings and any of the following: rapid heartbeat, tremor, insomnia, sweating, irritability, anxiety, blurred vision, decreased concentration, decreased mental clarity, diarrhea, heightened awareness of noise or bright lights, impaired sense of smell, loss of appetite, loss of weight, muscle cramps, seizures, tingling sensation, and agitation. In more extreme cases, typically associated with sudden cessation of the drug, users may experience convulsions, tremor, abdominal and muscle cramps, vomiting and sweating. After extended abuse, abrupt discontinuation should be avoided and a gradual dosage tapering schedule carefully followed.

Obviously, the severity of withdrawal symptoms is directly related to the amount of the drug taken and the length of time over which it has been taken.

Your nearly of the stuff I know but you will have difficulty with withdrawal this is normal, I just dont undrstand why doctors still subscribe the stuff.

Duncan