Diazepam - any experience

[Cheryllou]

Hi my doctor has prescribed me diazepam on top anti depressants as I’m really struggling after my husband of 34 years (married 22) has left saying he’s not in love with me any more. This has been stretched out over a year and I’m mentally exhausted- can’t eat or sleep or focus. I know I need to pull my socks up but I need to be in a stronger mental health position. Has anyone had any experience with diazepam (Valium) for managing extreme sadness and anxiety? I’m not wording this very well…

OP - the only decent bit of advice on here so far is to not listen to any of the ‘advice’ on here.
Yes, benzos are habit-forming if taken on an ongoing basis. But we still prescribe them because they have a very real place in short-term, acute, crisis management. Which is why your medically-trained GP has prescribed them (having seen you and spoken to you).

Please trust your GP over medically-unqualified randoms on MN who’ve neither seen you nor spoken to you, know almost nothing about your circumstances or functioning, nor any other potentially relevant aspects of your health & medical hx. Yeah, we all know of someone who knows of someone who had a bad experience with Valium once etc etc… Who doesn’t? The point it, no one on here is in the correct position to be giving you medical advice apart from your own physician.

FWIW I work in acute MH & it’s perfectly normal and safe to be given a v short course of benzos in an acute crisis. Which this sounds like it is.

fine in the short term but it will reduce efficiency quite quickly and it’s habit forming.

try a beta blocker and or antidepressant for longer term use.

sorry to hear what you are going through. I have been there. Use your GP and meds to get you through the initial pain and shock and then therapy and self help in the longer term. You will get better ❤️‍🩹.

Yes, after my mum died suddenly, I hit a really dark place. I desperately needed sleep and a chance to rest from the unrelenting misery. Doctor gave me a week’s worth and I had a week of ‘being on holiday’ from my own life - it was just what my poor tormented brain needed.

Diazepam. Lovely drug. Very addictive in that it won’t hit the same for long so you have to increase the dose. An opiate I think?
I’ve had it prescribed in A&E for back spasms as can’t tolerate Diclofenac.

not sure about it as treatment for depression anxiety though - I do remember MIL was on it for years after bereavement - she was veerrry calm. I had no idea how much until she was weaned off!
I agree with others who suggest finding other ways to help adjust to this situation as Valium won’t help longer term.

Just wondering why you have revived this zombie thread? Particularly when there’s another thread on a similar topic this evening.

Have you had any counselling? I think that would be a better start than benzos. My DP had to take Diazepam to stop muscle spasms during a CT scan recently and it was like he was drunk, just completely away with the fairies and saying disinhibited things. I don't think its the answer to emotional difficulties, in the same way I wouldn't encourage people to drink alcohol to numb their emotions.

They're more effective as a combo for a lot of people. The meds make it easier for the person to fully share in order for the therapy to be the most beneficial.

I think there would be a big range of opinion on this.

Anything that can potentially impair your memory / emotions / reactions during therapy I think is best avoided. The therapist needs to see the unmedicated version of you in order to know how to help you best, and be able to practice techniques to help your distress in real time.

Being disinhibited from Diazepam might make you share things that you're not actually ready to share yet. Then you feel you have to keep taking the diazepam before the next session to deal with the stuff you talked about last time, and the cycle continues.

I agree with @ParmesanRealignment
My doctor taught me years ago that there is a time and place for valium..
It is extremely helpful to aid you (sensibly) through a time of great stress. A doctor should not prescribe you more than 2 weeks worth though. You don't even need to use continuously over 14 days..just when you really feel the need. No-one should suffer when there are aids to help in times of great need. My doctor prescribes me 14 pills at a time and they last me for months. I like to know they are there should I feel I really need.

In error, I was reading the other much more curent thread and this one popped up, I read it and posted my comment without checking which thread I was on.

What antidepressants did the dr give you? I was given Mirtazapine as well as diazepam. The Mirt was a literal life saver for me. I noticed a huge difference after the first night of taking one. I only needed the diazepam for one day

I guess they would see you unmedicated first then go from there. I'm not sure it is diazapam they use for this. I know a relative had therapy, then the combo and helped hugely.