Is any parent/carer prescribed long term Valium?

[Notmyselfatall]

Hi, just that really. I have 3 kids, I'm on my own, youngest dd is 9 weeks, dd, 11 and ds will b 6 in March.
Ds has severe special needs and I am being prescribed Valium (diazepam) 5mg just now for postnatal depression and I suffer severe OCD. I can function and cope brilliantly on them. I am also on citalopram 2mg. Does anyone get prescribed this long term ? Or a similar drug that makes such a difference in getting on with daily life? Thanku in advance x

[sneezecakesmum]

valium is rarely prescribed for long term use because of the extreme dependency it causes. It is very addictive and the guidelines are for doctors not to prescribe for more than a week or two short term. citalopram can be prescribed long term though. Valium can be given for intermittant use when things are getting a bit overwhelming (which obviously PND is).

//www.nice.org.uk/nicemedia/live/13314/52603/52603.doc

Gives the NICE guidelines that your GP should be using to help manage your condition. You should try pushing for CBT (cognitive Behavioural Therapy) as this is proven to be very helpful in the long term.

Are you getting help with managing DSs needs? Do you get support?

[Crawling]

I take seroxat (anti d) trazodone (anti d and sedative) and olanzapine(anti pychotic) for type 1bipolar not quite the same but thought I would reply as I also have a long term mental illness.

[Crawling]

I also have 3 dc one with fairly severe special needs.

[Notmyselfatall]

Ty everyone soo
Much. Mrs Devere, just wanna know how you go about getting it prescribed regularly?
Aww, do you crawling? So you're in the same situation as me. I can get on much better when I'm prescribed it and I wonder if I'm bi polar also. Thanks for the advice about the cousin of diazepam. I just want to feel motivated and not depressed and upset all the time. I have actually bought diazepam illegally when the dr has not prescribed it. It just basically makes my life easier to deal with and motivated x

[sneezecakesmum]

Notmyself. Please take great care when taking diazepines and dont be tempted to buy them illegally. In the 1950/60s they were given out like smarties to (mainly) women who were depressed or finding life difficult, PND etc. (very minor depression in most cases because the lives of women in the 50s was so shit). It produced a generation of women who were basically zombified for decades. It works short term, but with longer term use the doses need to be increased to get the previous effect. Eventually the doses are large enough to cause a completely blanket the emotions. This is why GPs will not prescribe it on any basis except short term or occassional use (as MrsD has). Honestly they are more difficult to come off than heroin and it is not a path to take lightly.

If you are able to negotiate with your GP and only take the diazepam on an 'as and when' basis with use only when it is really necessary, you may be prescribed these more longer term, but even this use is not encouraged and you would need an understanding GP.

If you feel you may have an underlying psychiatric condition, see your GP and ask for a proper psych referral. Medication to manage bi polar and depression needs to be properly evaluated. You also need to be on the waiting list for CBT or other counselling. You also need help to cope with your family circumstances. SS can be a dirty word to some people but they can help, as can charities and organisations for ASD etc.

[Notmyselfatall]

Hi, thanks for comments. Ss doesn't come into the equation, I cope well and am organised with the kids, it's just for tough times ESP with my ds. He does go to respite once a month for a weekend and more recently a Monday to Friday, was torture at first, missed him soo much, I call every night. I suppose, I feel like I'm grieving for the little boy I thought I would have. I adore my lil man but I soo long to hear him say ' I love you mummy' as ppl in this situation will know I do have diagnosed severe depression and severe OCD. Sorry of I'm repeating myself, can't remember if I mentioned that in my first post ans will lose this message if I go back and look, as I'm on my phone lol x

[ronaldmacdonald]

I'v been on both for post natal depression.

The Citalipram was at 20mg and the Diazipam initially at 5mg then down to 2mg.
I wasn't really happy with being on the Diazipam because even though they helped me function brilliantly I used to feel more anxious when they were wearing off (usually about 3 hours after taking one).
I was also prescribed a medicine called Mirtazipine which worked really well for me. The 15mg dose works as a sleeper aswell as an anti-depressant (but not such a deep sleeper that you can't wake for the baby). The Mirtazipine I took at night and it worked round through the next day (I did end up having dose increased to 30 then 45mg, then eventually back down to 15mg and off altogether).
Only one side affect that is apparently quite common with Mirtazipine is weight gain, but helped me at the time cause I had no appetite.
I had several therapies running alongside the meds which was really important for me.

My recovery was not really through help from the GP as all I got at GPs was a 10 minute appointment and a prescription :-/ Hard as it was I found myself walking into the mental health unit.... And it was the best thing I could have done.
Seven years later, been a long ride, but feeling well, and I still have a 6 monthly follow-up at my mental health unit.....just in case. My current stress is my seven year old who is in the process of being diagnosed with Autism (Got referral due to extreme behaviour problems). Am stressed beyond all belief and have had days where I feel like I can't cope (not just due to him, but the lack of understanding frm the school, extended family the CAMHS....in fact everyone! .... If my mood gets to where It was years ago I'd be the first in line at my mental health unit.

Hope you get the support you need through these tough times xx

[TheLightPassenger]

yes, great post from Sneezecake. There is good reason the docs are so unwilling to prescribe Valium long term. ADs like citalopram/prozac etc are currently regarded as absolutely fine for long-term use. Have you ever had proper CBT (i.e. OCD focussed, with clin psych) for your OCD) out of interest? Might be worth you pushing for a psych referral. I appreciate given the challenges of your day to day life pushing harder for mh treatment is not going to appeal, but if you've reached the point of buying illegal valium then you do need more help managing your mh issues.

[TheLightPassenger]

btw for OCD people mostly need higher than the starting dose of ADs like citalopram. That may be something more sustainable to discuss with your GP in terms of long term prescribing.

[Jammother]

I have a PRN prescription for diazepam and have had so for four years. But I have a lifelong mental illness and refuse to take it more than two days running or three times in a week to avoid addiction. Unless you have been under mental health services for a long time you are unlikely to receive a long term prescription for valium as it would irresponsible. An example of this is that a new GP prescribed me 56 tablets in one go and offered to put it on repeat prescription. My therapist has reported him and he will probably be reprimanded. And I have been taking the drug for years and avoid it and still it was a concern that I was prescribed too much.

PND is horrible but you don't want to find that eases or becomes more liveable only to become addicted to diazepam. Part of the problem is that it makes you feel you can cope and so you keep taking it and then become physically addicted to it. Valium makes me feel wonderful and that is why I avoid it if I can.