Valium Question??

[AnxietyNewbie]

I have only taken Klonopins in the past for anxiety and only right before my sinus surgery which I was a wreck for. I do have anxiety all the time now and my PCP prescribed me Lexapro which I stopped taking because it was horrible for me. Anyway for the past year I have been getting extremely bad foot cramps at night and now during the day. I went to the podiatrist today and he said my blood work shows no indication of deficiencies that would cause the cramping so he put me on Valium 2mg at bedtime. I keep telling my PCP that I'm not depressed per say......I gained a lot of weight from being on prednisone so Im not happy with that and its been hard shedding the 30 extra lbs gained!! I told my PCP that i have major anxiety lately and she told me the lexapro would cover anxiety too.

To make a long story short my PCP wouldn't just prescribe me an anti anxiety pill only but here the podiatrist is and says that valium believe it or not is a great med for muscle cramps and to help me sleep. My questions are If the valium works for my anxiety and the cramps do I ask my PCP to just put me on it after the 30 day supply from podiatrist is up? Has anyone else used valium for both?

Thanks and I hope this wasn't to confusing and long!!

[Yazzy]

Hello :)

I'm not sure about using it for cramps sorry, but i use Valium when i have a major anxiety attack. Valium is very addictive, so your doctor shouldn't have you on it for long. I wouldn't advise taking it for longer than 2 weeks as you will become dependent on it. You need another method to help your anxiety... maybe counseling/CBT?

xx

[Ritch]

I have only taken Klonopins in the past for anxiety and only right before my sinus surgery which I was a wreck for. I do have anxiety all the time now and my PCP prescribed me Lexapro which I stopped taking because it was horrible for me. Anyway for the past year I have been getting extremely bad foot cramps at night and now during the day. I went to the podiatrist today and he said my blood work shows no indication of deficiencies that would cause the cramping so he put me on Valium 2mg at bedtime. I keep telling my PCP that I'm not depressed per say......I gained a lot of weight from being on prednisone so Im not happy with that and its been hard shedding the 30 extra lbs gained!! I told my PCP that i have major anxiety lately and she told me the lexapro would cover anxiety too.

To make a long story short my PCP wouldn't just prescribe me an anti anxiety pill only but here the podiatrist is and says that valium believe it or not is a great med for muscle cramps and to help me sleep. My questions are If the valium works for my anxiety and the cramps do I ask my PCP to just put me on it after the 30 day supply from podiatrist is up? Has anyone else used valium for both?

Thanks and I hope this wasn't to confusing and long!!

I think the reason why the PCP wouldn't just prescribe only Valium is because it is a benzodiazepine, is extremely addictive and it is advised to be given only for short term use. The Valium will treat the anxiety and possibly treat the cramps because it is a "muscle relaxant". I understand that lexapro may not have worked for you but IF it had it would have been a safer long term alternative for your anxiety than Valium, so it may be worth trying a different SSRI such as Zoloft which may treat you better but this is something you have to speak to your doctor about. I'm using a tricyclic anti depressant at the moment which is taken at night and helps me sleep..... so there are many more alternatives to lexapro :)

Can I ask is your anxiety more severe at night? I ask because if there are no indications in your blood work that something is wrong then my guess would be that the cramps are being caused by the anxiety

[AnxietyNewbie]

I think the reason why the PCP wouldn't just prescribe only Valium is because it is a benzodiazepine, is extremely addictive and it is advised to be given only for short term use. The Valium will treat the anxiety and possibly treat the cramps because it is a "muscle relaxant". I understand that lexapro may not have worked for you but IF it had it would have been a safer long term alternative for your anxiety than Valium, so it may be worth trying a different SSRI such as Zoloft which may treat you better but this is something you have to speak to your doctor about. I'm using a tricyclic anti depressant at the moment which is taken at night and helps me sleep..... so there are many more alternatives to lexapro :)

Can I ask is your anxiety more severe at night? I ask because if there are no indications in your blood work that something is wrong then my guess would be that the cramps are being caused by the anxiety


Thanks for the response and yes anxiety is much worse at night! Its the panic attacks. I dont have social anxiety or anything.....hell I am a big social butterfly! I get panic attacks driving and basically at night.

[AnxietyNewbie]

Thank you for the fast response Yazzy. I can understand that.

[soManyProblems]

Valium (diazepam) is a very effective muscle relaxant, so there is a good chance (but no guarantee) that it will help with your foot cramps. Valium is a first-line treatment for Stiff Man Syndrome (I know, the disease has a sexist name) and tetanus, which is also called lockjaw because of the way it tenses your jaw muscles. Valium is effective for many kinds of muscle tension.

That said, Valium is no longer a first-line treatment for anxiety in the US. The first-line treatments are SSRIs like Lexapro, Prozac, Zoloft, and Celexa, and also the other non-SSRI antidepressants.

Most doctors will not prescribe benzodiazepines (such as Valium) for every day use unless you have failed several trials with antidepressants. Taking a benzodiazepine every single day is a big decision because you will get withdrawal when you stop, and that means you will be dependent on it. This is not addiction, addiction is a much more serious disease characterized by lack of control over drug use. Benzo addiction is possible, but usually shows up only in alcoholics and people who take way more of the drug than prescribed.

If you do want to use a benzo every single day, you should get it prescribed by a psychiatrist, not a podiatrist or a general practitioner. Psychiatrists have much more experience with cases like yours, and they are more aware of the cost-benefit equation. You may also want to see a psychiatrist just to choose and try SSRIs and antidepressants. Studies have shown that psychiatrists are better at treating depression with antidepressants than family doctors, and the patients of psychiatrists are significantly less likely to attempt suicide while starting antidepressants. Psychiatrists just have more experience with mental health problems and mental health drugs, and you really reap the benefits as a patient.

[AnxietyNewbie]

Valium (diazepam) is a very effective muscle relaxant, so there is a good chance (but no guarantee) that it will help with your foot cramps. Valium is a first-line treatment for Stiff Man Syndrome (I know, the disease has a sexist name) and tetanus, which is also called lockjaw because of the way it tenses your jaw muscles. Valium is effective for many kinds of muscle tension.

That said, Valium is no longer a first-line treatment for anxiety in the US. The first-line treatments are SSRIs like Lexapro, Prozac, Zoloft, and Celexa, and also the other non-SSRI antidepressants.

Most doctors will not prescribe benzodiazepines (such as Valium) for every day use unless you have failed several trials with antidepressants. Taking a benzodiazepine every single day is a big decision because you will get withdrawal when you stop, and that means you will be dependent on it. This is not addiction, addiction is a much more serious disease characterized by lack of control over drug use. Benzo addiction is possible, but usually shows up only in alcoholics and people who take way more of the drug than prescribed.

If you do want to use a benzo every single day, you should get it prescribed by a psychiatrist, not a podiatrist or a general practitioner. Psychiatrists have much more experience with cases like yours, and they are more aware of the cost-benefit equation. You may also want to see a psychiatrist just to choose and try SSRIs and antidepressants. Studies have shown that psychiatrists are better at treating depression with antidepressants than family doctors, and the patients of psychiatrists are significantly less likely to attempt suicide while starting antidepressants. Psychiatrists just have more experience with mental health problems and mental health drugs, and you really reap the benefits as a patient.

Thank you so many problems for such a thorough answer. Im sure ill get it all figured out, right now Im just new to all this so its baby steps for me. The muscle cramps are my main thing right now to get under control. Its horrible and getting worse.