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 have a huge pot of melatonin that dd brought back from the States. The first day I took one, i slept really deeply. Then after thst it seemed to stop working 🤷🏼‍♀️

I know what you're saying.

I used to be prescribed diazepam for flights because I'm scared of flying. It was the GPs suggestion. I was then prescribed it for a trapped nerve in my neck. Very small amounts, no more than 6 x 2mgs from memory at a time. I had three of these tiny prescriptions over about five years.

I asked my GP for a prescription when I was struggling with a possible repossession, I'd lost my job, my son had disappeared, had chronic pain (which is why I asked) and was already on anti depressants. He said that I'd been black listed at the surgery, if anyone prescribed me with diazepam then they'd be dismissed straight away and, if I wanted it, then I should go out on the street and find myself a drug dealer.

This was in 2016 and I kid you not.

PS. I did not find a drug dealer, I sobbed and lost myself in vodka instead. Not advised!

Oh and I've been prescribed amitriptyline (sp?) for nerve pain and insomnia. That was about 3yrs ago. I don't take it very often because I feel so out of it in the morning but still don't have a good night's sleep and it doesn't help much with the pain.

What is withdrawal like?

Absolute hell on earth. Stay away. It's not a bad thing that you're not being prescribed them. Benzo withdrawal is one of the worst.

By all means try it and see.

I came on here expecting to side with you, because the NHS keeps people in chronic pain that ruins their life rather than prescribe diazepam. It's a disgrace. But actually, you aren't taking it responsibly and have no idea if you have side effects given you've only used it eight times. Go to the GP, and report the side effects from the drug he's prescribed and request an alternative therapy or medication or demand a referral to a sleep clinic. Stop making it even harder for those who legitimately need diazepam to address their physical agony.

Definitely personal. I take 100mg of Amitrityline every night (originally started taking them for tension headaches). Rarely get more than around 5 hours sleep, sometimes only 4 hours! Apple Watch sleep ap shows I often wake up 5-8 times nightly. Son is zonked on 10mg!

All of this. Thank you for saying it.

I genuinely needed it for one two week period of my life as I had worked myself up into a frenzy, and had a complete mental breakdown. I still had to check in every other day with a doctor to check I wasn't abusing it. I'm ok with that, because I just needed help from anywhere, pharmaceutical, therapeutic, emotional.

I just wanted help, not a specific drug. It says something that you want diazepam in particular. Have you tried propanol (beta blocker)?

Also, as a complete virgin user of diazepam 1 x 2mg tablet knocked me right out, I collapsed walking home from the hospital. To need 3 tablets to sleep suggests you already have a tolerance to the drug

You doctor is trying to prevent you becoming addicted to a 'quick fix' solution. You don't want to become dependent on a drug like that, then you will have even worse problems.

I have insomnia atm and I find the sleep hypnosis app by Glen Harold extremely helpful! Use earphones and I promise you'll sleep the first time you try it. It's also free which is handy but you can buy some in app extras. Another thing I found helpful was creating a 'pre sleep routine' - i started by taking melatonin three hours before bed and a warm bath two hours before bed and then going to bed to listen to my Glen Harold playlist plus I also started wearing an eye mask to bed to blackout any lights. I really hope some of this helps you! My insomnia is 100% caused by stress and anxiety, the only way to help that is condition yourself to switch off your anxiety brain before bed. I know it's easier said than done but you have to start somewhere. Good luck OP!

You have my huge sympathy; I had a bout of severe insomnia and the Diazapam was a life saver (literally).
Are you in peri? HRT helps me enormously with anxiety and sleep.
(Do NOT take 5HTP if you also take an SSRI as you will get serotonin syndrome which is bloody awful!)

I buy them for my MIL online. She has mental health issues and can't leave the house without diazipam. She stays in for weeks on end but uses them for rare trips, funerals etc and only takes about 20 10mgs every 4 or 5 months. It is genuine medication but you could be opening up a can of worms using online as it's easy access unlike the GP. MIL is totally clueless online so has to depend on me to order them so I know she won't up with a physical addiction, I suppose she's mentally addicted but she has been for 20 plus years and in all honesty it's the least of her worries.

HNRTRT but I have been prescribed zopiclone over 12 years . I only take one 3.75 mg tablet a week.It really does help . Have taken anti histamines and melatonin and both have made me feel awful the next day . 6mgs diazepam over a few weeks is hardly addictive doses ! Am up tonight because I have just picked up son from party !

60 x 10mg a year is a LOT. If she has 20 every 4 months.

She is 100% addicted and you are buying and giving a controlled substance to her. One that if she ODs, she cannot be brought back with naloxone. You're essentially her dealer. There are so many concerns around that I'm not sure I can fathom it.

If I was your friend I would be having a really serious talk with you.

I've had sleep issues myself but didn't find benzos effective. Amytripiline was better.

Mirtizipine knocked the absolute shit out of me, knackered for days afterwards, sleeping for 18 hours after taking one. They also can give you an uncontrollable appetite, I ate 10 rounds of bread smeared with ketchup in some kind of mirtizipine haze and anything else that was in my line of sight (I shit you not).

I get what you're saying but she's a grown adult and she can make that decision for herself. She was getting someone to buy her them off the street before we started buying them online and they were very obviously fake, at least these ones are real. She's in her early 50s with her full faculties and her doctor is aware she gets them online (obviously doesn't agree but of course she wouldn't).

I don't feel like I'm her dealer. I press a few buttons and they go to her address. She's not physically addicted. As I said, psychologically probably. I don't feel like I need to explain myself, I'm quite aware about the risks of benzos but I feel for her the benefits outweigh the risk, you don't know her personal situation.

Try Xailin Night Gel for your eyes & Carmeelose drops during the day, I get them prescribed by my doctor but you can buy them OTC. Have you tried Phenergan to help you sleep or I take melatonin & Co-codamol which works well.

As someone who works in substance misuse and sees the damage benzo dependence does day in day out your Dr is correct. Benzos are a bigger issue in our service than heroin and crack cocaine. Your Dr is following the strict prescribing guidelines for a reason. Benzo addiction is real and really dangerous.

There are being sensible but really boring. Generations of bored housewives got through on valium then later Xanaz and all the other lovely floaties. They are such spoil sports not dishing them out like sweets.

"A bit of help", you said. This drug you want, Diazepam used to be called Valium or - "mother's little helper".

There is no magic pill: Face your problems and deal with them and don't end up stuck on this drug. It's awful. when I grew up, there were so many women given this during a bad patch that got hooked on it and were stuck on it for decades.

You are you MIL's literal drug dealer and your comment is not really helpful given OP's obviously vulnerability!

It’s hugely addictive and even if they will give you them, they’ll only give you whites (2mg) and only temporary.

Yeah, black market prescription drugs aren’t exactly a good idea though are they?

Agree

There's so much wrong with this that I don't really know where to start.

Thanks for all the replies
I’ve really thought about all you’ve said
so basically I need to try something else then
I’m doing all the good sleep hygiene practices
and for the eye problems in doing hot compresses massages and eye drops
just so scared of anything that could make my r already dry and painful eyes worse

so thinking of trying either htp5
or amitripaline