Dr won’t prescribe me diazepam aibu ?

[Bluewaterbottlebig]

So been mad stressed since the summer
building work going wrong
costing loads and non stop stress
mess hassle etc

as a result of this I’ve had bad bad insomnia and generally stressed
never been like this before

anyway asked for diazepam for given 14x 2mg
so have to take 3 to get any effect to help me sleep

so that’s only 4 and a half doses

so in 6 months I’ve only had 8 doses
but it’s massively massively helped
and I don’t get any side effects from it

dr did give me 14 zopiclone but I get bad side effects
Brain zaps
and feeling wired and feeling horrible in general and v v dry mouth
i still have about six of these to take as gave up on them
due to how horrible they make you feel

I've done all the good sleep hygiene practices
bath milk no screen time before bed
already don’t read the news at night
avoiding stress as much as I can

but I know this is a temporary situation
but I need help getting through the next few weeks
as the lack of sleep is making me unable to function properly

bit the dr os refusing to prescribe me anymore diazepam but I’ve only had it prescribed twice to me in six months
2 lots of 14 x 2mg tabs
Which having to 6mg to get any effect to sleep works out to 9 doses !!!

the dr won’t prescribe me anymore
so aibu

i desperately need sleep and these doenst cause me side effects
even if I could only take it once or twice a week it would be such a relief

I’m also been trying loads of other complimentary treatments too
massage etc and I’m booked in to try acupuncture
reflex only

please help
cant function properly without sleep and I’ve tried all the otc sleep stuff too

I take Quetiapine for my mental health and most nights it knocks me out.

Yes a family member has been prescribed quetiapine as alternative to the diazepam she was given initially.

i desperately need sleep and these doenst cause me side effects

All drugs with effects have side effects. And diazepam has dreadful ones. Chief among them is addiction and terrible withdrawal. Also overdose isn't treated with naloxone and therefore more likely to be fatal. It's a terrible drug. Really terrible.

I know the physical side effects of the other drugs are unpleasant. And they don't work as well. But the answer isn't diazepam.

Diazepam for stress from building work is extreme.
Money worries are awful-is there anything you can do about the build/problems? Sounds daft, but could you write down your concerns and try to work through them one at a time? CBT for stress management?
I hope you feel better soon.

I take lorazapam. Does anyone know if it's as addictive as diazepam? I'm not addicted to it so just wondered.

DH takes 10 mg of amitriptiline, when he’s very anxious and can’t sleep. It has the double benefit of knocking him out, and calming him down the next day. He only takes it occasionally though!

I’ve had Valium and OP, it feels amazing but that’s why it’s a problem. It’s incredibly addictive. The GP is right on this one.

Anyone who demands diazepam and gets upset when they can't have it has probably already got a degree of addiction.. even if it's just psychological and the quick hit it gives. It is completely appropriate to decline the request. Any GP can decline ANY request for anything if they have clinical concerns... this is good practice, not fobbing off !

YABU I'm afraid. Your GP is following best practice with such an awfully addictive drug.

I'm a life long insomniac but have found a sleep mask, cheap headphone hairband that you can wear in bed whilst lying on your side and a weighted blanket really helpful. Also trying to mirror more natural circadian rhythms. Bright lights in the day, low level in the evening and no screens for a couple of hours before bed.

I wash my face earlier in the evening, if I forget I don't do it as I know it wakes me up too much.

Oily fish, goji berries and almonds all have melatonin if you want to boost that in your diet.

Valarian tea and capsules are good for promoting sleep, but they stink like cheesey feet and still shouldn't be consumed habitually.

Honestly I know people saying have a cup of chamomile tea, lavender pillow sprays etc can be really annoying when you want medicating, but I've friends who've been a right state from prescribed sleeping pills and I can't see how anyone was allowed to stay on them for so long.

My GP would not even give me a one off dose for a medical procedure.
They seem to be very strict about you they give it to nowadays.

Yep. All benzos are

YABVU benzodiazepine withdrawal can at times be worse than coming off of heroin!

Please don’t pursue this. Especially since you are so desperate to continue them. I am glad you have a good GP. He or she is protecting your long term health, this is a temporary situation, and you have plenty more methods to try. Many good suggestions from pp’s. Address the root cause.

I say this with empathy for someone with sleep problems and stress, but more so someone who has been through that benzodiazepine withdrawal hell and I not only thought I was dying and in excruciating pain, it made me WANT to die to escape the unbearable suffering. I was not on it for sleep problems, I have a serious neurological disease and it’s a necessary part of treatment for specific horrendous symptoms. Trust me at that point you would trade that torture in a heartbeat for temporary stress and bad sleep problems. I can’t reiterate this enough and be grateful for your GP.

good luck in finding a combination of methods that will help you get through this tough time.

When I had a breakdown the psychiatrist at the hospital would only prescribe 2mg of diazepam in lots of two. I had to report to the hospital every other day. I appreciate it's not the same situation but if that level of control is applied to someone in the grips of a crisis (I had been awake without eating/drinking around 72 hours by this point) why would they offer large doses to someone who doesn't present in crisis?!

And I can still only get 7 x 3.75mg of zopiclone once every about two years and only when I visit my GP in the most horrendous state (last time was a miscarriage, 19 months ago)

Your doctor seems pretty sensible, but maybe I'm skewed by my own experience.

I wish you good sleep. Xxx

Try amitriptyline.

Mirtazapine, definitely. Low dose, makes you really sleepy. It's an antidepressant.

Yes it is, all benzodiazepines have similar side effects and there are strict prescribing guidelines for them.

Why do you think this is a medical problem? It sounds stressful but like a normal part of life.

Mirtazapine is an antidepressant that is v effective for anxiety and also for sleep. Took it at night and the sleep was amazing

Just in case anyone hasn't mentioned it yet, try phenergan. You can buy them otc. They're antihistamines, but recommended by mental health professionals for sleep problems.

Thanks. I guess I'm lucky then not to be addicted. They do help me a lot, though. I've been on them 5 years.

If you've been taking them consistently for five years, physiologically speaking you absolutely are addicted.

My dog wonders what to ask a dr to get them to prescribe lorazepam?

OP hope you can find a solution, good luck, must be hard.

As an aside, (not a derail, just for info/interest!), as lots of discussion of addiction to benzos on this thread, I'm just posting a link to the Ashton manual, written by Prof Heather Ashton (Newcastle university), which is hugely detailed about how benzodiazaepines work and summarises years of as her work in a withdrawal clinic. Really informative read, some people might be interested in and isn't as widely known about as it should be I think:

benzo.org.uk/manual/

I work in psychiatry and benzos are dished out like sweets because of severe disturbed behaviour. Addiction is no joke , your GP is right. They are not for helping with insomnia, there's many other options out there.

Reading your posts you need to stay off all coffee and sugar and practice some medication as you come across frantic.

Breeeeathe