Diazepam does damn-all...

[InMyLittleHead]

Was prescribed 2mg Diazepam tablets for panic attacks, which I have suffered from for years.

I know 2mg is a low dose, but I have doubled it and still no difference. I've been told that diazepam sometimes doesn't kick in quickly enough to have an effect on a panic attack, but you feel sleepy later as they take effect. This doesn't happen either, even with 4mg.

Is there a different kind of tranquilliser my GP could put me on or should I just give up on meds?

[expatinscotland]

I need 10mg for it to do anything nad really, 15.

Have you tried beta blockers?

Some ADs work better for panic attacks than others.

[IrishDraught]

I'd talk to your GP, I used mine as a mild sleeping pill an hour or so before bed so not ideal in a panic attack. 4mg is still quite low (I think) - he may up your dose to 10mg (as far as I can remember) , I am very resistant to drugs and need higher doses for some reason. Don't give up x

[BitOfFun]

I second beta-blockers

[onepieceoflollipop]

2 or even 4mg is a fairly low dose imo. I am a mental health nurse btw.

The difficulty is with diazepam and other benzodiazepines is that they should really only be prescribed for short term use (2 weeks max) to avoid the risk of become dependent. Also as time goes on the person often finds they need higher and higher doses to get the same effect.

Ime they have limited benefit in long term management of panic attacks and anxiety.

Has your GP discussed any other strategies to help you deal with your panic attacks? If you want to pursue the situation with meds as others have suggested beta blockers may be worth a try. If medication generally hasn't been helpful then perhaps you could ask for a second opinion (i.e. for a one off appt with a psychiatrist to discuss and review your medication)

Have you tried/considered any talking therapy/counselling/anxiety management etc?

Hope you find a solution soon.

[expatinscotland]

I agree, Leonie.

Like Irish, I have a high resistance.

Even anasthetists said I'm hard to knock out.

[InMyLittleHead]

I have tried counselling etc. which, though helpful in other ways, didn't really do anything for panic attacks, which have no discernible trigger and come out of nowhere, usually during the middle of the night when I'm asleep. I think their cause must be really deep rooted and not something that I will be able to fix.

If they seem to be reaching their peak quite quickly but some seem to go up and down (iykwim) for hours, and it is for ones like these that it would be nice to be able to stop them with something.

[deepbreath]

Leonie, you can get propranolol in liquid form (it's called Syprol) if you need it to work faster (dd used to have it for a heart condition), but most pharmacies don't stock it so it takes a couple of days for them to order it in. It's orange flavour, so prob. not as nasty as crushing up the tablets.

HTH