2mg diazepam for anxiety?! Help I’m worrying myself sick!!

[Dana98]

just been prescribed 2mg diazepam for my chronic anxiety disorder. But I can’t seem to shake the feeling of being even more anxious at taking something, I don’t know anyone who’s taken them to try and understand what they will make me feel like, if they don’t help they said they will increase the dosage. But I can’t bring myself to take one! How long will I feel the effects, I have to be up every day for the school run, so if I took it at 10pm would I feel like crap 7am? I’m absolutely s@#tting myself , thanks for any replies in advance I appreciate it x

Please take the medicine. I started sertraline for my anxiety last month and I'm feeling so much better. Sorry I can't comment on diazepam but I know how hard anxiety can be

I’m shocked you’ve been prescribed 2mg diazepam for chronic anxiety. Are you in the U.K.?

If you've never taken it before there's no way to predict how strong it will be for you. You should try it when you've got at least a clear day ahead with no driving. The effects are usually calming and relaxing, and they can sometimes make you feel sleepy, but that's unlikely with a 2mg dose. And I'm sure the doctor has mentioned this, but it's only to be used short-term — you don't use it the same way you'd use a drug like sertraline. If you take it every day for more than a couple of weeks you can become dependent on it, and it's a difficult drug to quit.

I was prescribed sertraline for anxiety and propranolol to help with the physical effects of anxiety and it has changed my life! Both have helped without giving me the spaced out feeling that diazepam gives. Sertraline can make you feel a bit worse for a couple of days but honestly after that I'm like a new person. Can't recommend it enough; I wish I went on it months ago! X

I used to take diazepam for flying- so not quite the same but was definitely highly anxious - sorry I can’t remember the dose. What I do remember is how well it worked- it completely chilled me out. I could function on it fine but I did feel a little like I was stoned - especially after a second dose.
if you feel worried about it, why not just take a half and see how that affects you first?

Thankyou for responding, I have a 5 year old so I was so worried last night to take one, but I think I might start them when I’m having a very rough day with my anxiety x

Bluekaftan yes I’m in the UK, I have to take 4 blood pressure tablets daily for severe hypertension so a lot of anxiety meds I’m not allowed, diazepam was last resort as I can’t sleep and get myself worked up when I need to go out🤦🏻‍♀️ the good days are bad and bad days are worse, but I’m gonna bite the bullet and try one. I may take one now as I’m having a really hard time with my anxiety. im so scared to try new things but I’m sure the good result outweighs anything else xx

It's a small dose. You will feel so much better.

It’s a tiny dose, I’m on it, have been for some time, alongside other meds. Life changing.

Journey, thanks for replying, I hope you’re ok now on your meds?
I am not allowed those wht your on due to my health conditions so diazepam are all I’m allowed to try and take the edge off a bad day, I know I’m only allowed a couple as and when because they are highly addictive. I’m just so worried I won’t respond well to them x

Whatvideo and zelda - thankyou. How long roughly for the effect to show, and how long would you think it lasts. Example being if I take one now? Will I be able to walk to pick my daughter up at 3pm? Normal xx

When are you old to take them?

2mg did very little to me - no drowsiness at all.

I was told to take one or two an hour before leaving the house or to go to an appointment or if I’m having a “bad day” the horrid churning gut feeling that the world will end.
how ever I am so scared to take one!
I need to do the school run in 5 hours. I don’t know how I will feel

2mg kicks in in about 5-10 mins, zero drowsiness. Single parent to 3 here so I understand your concern. Even when I was on 6mg, no drowsiness.

I was prescribed an anti depressant years ago. I was too anxious to take it, was worried about reactions and I still don’t take medication to this day unless I really have to.

If you’re worried about reactions just know that it’s massively rare to have a adverse reaction to diazepam. It’s incredibly safe to take. I get it though, it’s a massive step. I think if you do decide to take it you’ll feel so much relief and it will open the door to being less anxious to take it regularly when you need to.

I will say, that when I decided not to take my antidepressant I was offered CBT therapy instead and that worked so well, understand my anxiety and panic disorder did wonders and I’d highly recommend it even along side tablets.

Oh thanks this is so reassuring. Did it just make you feel a bit more not on edge? And kind of relaxed but able to do normal day to day xx

It makes you feel less anxious. Imagine half a glass of rosé on a summer day with a friend kind of calm.
No drowsiness. No problem picking up kids. No loss of function

Just the edge off the anxiety

Thankyou , and I genuinely mean it thankyou. I’m going to take my first one now I’m going to bite the bullet now.
cant wait to feel better and more me.
going to take it then have a rest on the sofa, hopefully I feel ok ❤️

I wouldn't drive after taking them

2 mg is a tiny dose, I barely felt it. With higher doses I felt calm and able to think, focus, etc. I even felt that I could see better because I wasn't twitching, squinting and squirming all the time! You do sound as if you are suffering - please try the medication and see if it helps at all

I got prescribed this for anxiety as well because I did not want SSRIs because I was not depressed.

Valium worked a treat for me, 2mg in the morning calmed me down so much and made me able to carry on with my day.

I'm very wary of what SSRIs do long-term and I know few people who came off them, and quite a few who were clearly damaged by them. I loved Valium, it saved me.

You can get 2mg prescribed each time because they deem them highly addictive, but for some reason being on SSRIs for the rest of your life is okay?

I don't take anything now. This was 10 years ago and it was the Valium that helped me cope at that time. The only real side-effect was lack of libido from them.

2mg diazepam is allowing me to live a normal life whilst coping from the fallout of an abnormal situation.
I'm not depressed. I'm having a normal reaction to an abnormal situation but it was a horrific situation & the anxiety was destroying my life. My GP was and is wonderful

bingmummy having taken SSRIs and benzodiazepines I completely agree. I am off medication, too BTW.

2 mg is a low dose. Obviously I can only speak for myself but it doesn’t do much for me. I take it for trigenimal neuralgia. It takes the edge off my spasms as it’s a muscle relaxant bug it doesn’t make me drowsy

I’ve been on countless different SSRIs/SNRIs, they made zero difference weaning off them was horrific, took between 6-9 months each time.

Its rare I take the Diazepam more than once or twice a month now, when I do, it’s instant and I can crack on with my day. I was on 6mg a day for 4 months, then 4mg for 2 months and then 2mg. Zero withdrawal issues when dropping the dose.