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  • BDD Moderators: Keif’ Richards | negrogesic

Diazepam Withdrawal

-Guido-

-Guido-

Bluelight Crew
Joined
Apr 21, 2009
Messages
12,098
How is everyone doing? Long time no post in the focus forums for me.

Today I went to get my Diazepam prescription as well as my Bupropion, Hydroxyzine, and Lisdexfetamine precriptions refilled at my primary care physician's office like I have been for the past few month because the psychatrist he had working in his practice quit a while back and I was waiting until he hired a new one, otherwise seeing another that was not in his practice would cost me money out of pocket. I had no issues up until today when he barged in and said he wouldn't authorize the other doctor to refill my Diazepam prescription and I needed to get it from a psychiatrist because its a psychiatric medication and he "can't prescribe too much of it".

I was told this at 4:30pm. He authorized the filling of my other scripts which I got orginally from my psychatrist but pretty much told me to get fucked in regards to the Diazepam. I even asked politely if he could could give a script for enough to get me through that evening and the weekend but he said no. Luckily one of the other doctors went behind his back and phoned the urgent care at the nearby hospital and told me to go there where I was dosed no questions asked and given a packet on benzodiazepine withdrawal symptoms and told to return if I started experiencing them.

Now I am prescribed 10mg of Diazepam twice daily for severe anxiety. I was given 10mg at the Hospital at 5:00pm Friday. Right now its 4:00am Saturday. I have been taking only 10mg once a day for the past week because my Father was experiencing muscle spasms in the neck for a bit and its the only thing that helps him. I experienced no issues. Sometimes I will forget to take a dose and I actually toss the missed dose down the drain. Yeah I know, I should probably save them but I'm on the straight and narrow now.

My question is when will withdrawal from Diazepam start for me? I won't be able to get to a psychiatrist or another doctor until Monday, more likely Tuesday. I have been on benzodiazepines for 2 years now. The first year I was taking Clonazapam at 1mg twice daily, the second year I was switched to Diazepam at 10mg twice daily. I am prescribed Diazepam for panic attacks, social anxiety, and agrophobia. Should I be concerned about waiting until Monday or Tuesday to either see a psychiatrist or another doctor? Would it be in my best interest to go back to the ER before then? I know Diazepam has a long halflife but I am unfamiliar in regards to when withdrawal from cessation of it will start to occur.

Thank you for reading my wall of text and any answers and exchange of knowledge on this subject would be greatly appreciated as I am a bit nervous over this.

-Guido-
 
Its not a huge dose to be honest mate. I think withdrawals would be obvious 18 or so hours after last dose. It depends on how you cope with that without help. I havent had withdrawal issues personally as I dont take it regularly. I would suggest you visit the ER again to tide you over until next appointment just to relieve the stress. Its a pain going but you arent guaranteed an appointment when you need one and its not a lot tou are asking for. If you can get a confirmation of an appointment maybe that will help?

Your dad will have to get his own. Muscle spasms are a legit reason and Ive been prescribed for that myself so you're best off taking him to get his own too.

Hope you feel better.

Xxx
 
Thank you for the reply. That actually helped me feel better. I'm just nervous about having a seizure after reading so many horror stories about benzo withdrawal. You bring up a good point though, its not a huge dose and unlike most of those horror stories I take them as prescribed or even take less than prescribed.
 
Thanks I'm sure I feel better, especially when I get a new doctor because what he did rubbed me the wrong way along with some comments he made about my back injury.
 
those are all psychiatric medications.
Im so tired of the random nonsensical excuses, I wish they'd just be honest about their biases.
 
My experience would probably be useless in your situation because I've never taken diazepam on a long-term basis. I've only had withdrawals from the shorter acting benzos and it seemed to hit me at night when it was time to go to sleep. What I would do is see how it goes tonight then if you feel poorly go ahead back to the hospital tomorrow.

I'm surprised that your doctor is willing to give you the other three meds but reluctant to prescribe diazepam. Today could you get by with taking less lisdexamfetamine? Doing that would help jitters. If he is uncomfortable with benzos, perhaps he would be willing to let you take that until you find another psych doctor. I hope you can get this sorted out, Guido!
 
Hey my friend I just came off of a couple months of around 40-50 mg of valium a day, I did do a 6 day rapid taper with lorazepam but that really didn't do much, from about 24 hours to 96 for me was the worst but I didn't seize up or anything. I also was quitting suboxone/heroin too though. You probably won't have much issues, for me it was cold sweats, fatigue and no sleep for about a week, hang in there if you don't get more it will get better.
 
-Guido- said:
How is everyone doing? Long time no post in the focus forums for me.

Today I went to get my Diazepam prescription as well as my Bupropion, Hydroxyzine, and Lisdexfetamine precriptions refilled at my primary care physician's office like I have been for the past few month because the psychatrist he had working in his practice quit a while back and I was waiting until he hired a new one, otherwise seeing another that was not in his practice would cost me money out of pocket. I had no issues up until today when he barged in and said he wouldn't authorize the other doctor to refill my Diazepam prescription and I needed to get it from a psychiatrist because its a psychiatric medication and he "can't prescribe too much of it".

I was told this at 4:30pm. He authorized the filling of my other scripts which I got orginally from my psychatrist but pretty much told me to get fucked in regards to the Diazepam. I even asked politely if he could could give a script for enough to get me through that evening and the weekend but he said no. Luckily one of the other doctors went behind his back and phoned the urgent care at the nearby hospital and told me to go there where I was dosed no questions asked and given a packet on benzodiazepine withdrawal symptoms and told to return if I started experiencing them.

Now I am prescribed 10mg of Diazepam twice daily for severe anxiety. I was given 10mg at the Hospital at 5:00pm Friday. Right now its 4:00am Saturday. I have been taking only 10mg once a day for the past week because my Father was experiencing muscle spasms in the neck for a bit and its the only thing that helps him. I experienced no issues. Sometimes I will forget to take a dose and I actually toss the missed dose down the drain. Yeah I know, I should probably save them but I'm on the straight and narrow now.

My question is when will withdrawal from Diazepam start for me? I won't be able to get to a psychiatrist or another doctor until Monday, more likely Tuesday. I have been on benzodiazepines for 2 years now. The first year I was taking Clonazapam at 1mg twice daily, the second year I was switched to Diazepam at 10mg twice daily. I am prescribed Diazepam for panic attacks, social anxiety, and agrophobia. Should I be concerned about waiting until Monday or Tuesday to either see a psychiatrist or another doctor? Would it be in my best interest to go back to the ER before then? I know Diazepam has a long halflife but I am unfamiliar in regards to when withdrawal from cessation of it will start to occur.

Thank you for reading my wall of text and any answers and exchange of knowledge on this subject would be greatly appreciated as I am a bit nervous over this.

-Guido-
Click to expand...
Valium has a long half life and great day after calm and energy. It's easy to taper than other benzodiazepines
 
From my research, Diazepam is actually the drug they use to wing you off of benzos since it is fairly weak and has a long half life.
 
Hey Guido, sorry to hear you have to deal with the prescriber bullshit. I (like many of us) have gotten to the point now where we expect most prescribing doctors to be uninformed, incompetent, negligent or what have you. The community as a whole has proven time and again that their primary motivation is money and that they cannot be trusted, but I digress.

I feel that if you have already cut your dose in half in the short-term, then you should at least have an idea of what kind of withdrawal you might be in store for. I would wait and see if you can make it to your formal appointment. If you really need to, at least you know you have the ER option in your back pocket.

Melancholy: It's all relative really. Diazepam (Valium) is sometimes used to taper from short(er)-acting Benzodiazepines, but it's a powerful drug in its own right, so I just don't want to be misleading people into thinking that it's any less powerful or addictive than others. Diazepam is actually the Benzo of choice for a lot of folks, myself included.
 
Tomorrow I plan on going to get my script refilled, be it from a doctor at this psychiatric center he said I "need" to go to or going to the Urgent Care unit (still part of his practice and center) before 7am and seeing the doctor I normally would see for my refills as she changed her schedule to nights at this particular facility and days at facility a good deal away from where I am located.

I maysee her only because I have a close relationship with her. She treated my father afor years before her schedule change and treated me for 2 years now. I only saw thee actual PCP on my insurance card twice; First was my initial visit for a referral to a psych when I decided to treat my anxiety and the second time was just recently with his bullshit. She knows I am a recovering addict, I had admitted to her my relapse, and she knows more about me than my actual PCP doctor. She just works at his practice. She had actually asked me months ago if I wanted a referal to a psychiatrist or if I felt I was fine with the current medications and doses I was on and just to simply come in monthly for a refill. I chose the latter because aside from my now West Coast residing psychatrist, she was the only other doctor I have ever and do trust.

I apologize for my lengthy post thus far. When I'm anxious and having a panic attack I actually tend to talk or type a lot. I do it to seem normal because being to quiet is suspicious in a sense; I don't want people to know I'm anxious and having a panic attack because I don't want them to think I am weird and something is wrong with me psychologically. Only my best friend Chris and probably Kytnism knows this about me ( amt exactly think straight) but I'm sharing it with you all now because you have all been cool with me since 2003 when I was ClubbinGuido and won't think I'm wierd and decide not to talk to me ever again.

As of now I am shaky, my head is unclear, and I am quite anxious but surprised it isn't as bad as I suggested. I took everyone's advice and I am just staying calm and I have not been taking my Lisdexfetamine. I definite my don't feel normal and can tell my behavior and demeanor is certainly off but nothing of concern. The doctor at the ER gave me a packet on benzodiazepine withdrawal and highlighted the stuff that if it occurs, I need to go to the ER.

I do have a question though. I am not on any pain management plan or taking narcotic pain killers so why do I get drug tested every visit to my PCP facility? I never was tested by my Psychiatrist but everytime he was on vacation, out sick, or unavailable like he is now indefinitely I am always asked by the nurse before one of the doctors see me to pee in a cup in the bathroom and then come back to the room where she dips a thing into it and then makes a note for the doctor and then says the doctor will be in shortly. I thought it was normal but since my last visit where he said I could only get a refill from a psychiatrist yet still gave me my other meds, one of which being scheduled, asked about my cane and sounded annoyed, and then had a rude tone when he said my MRI was fine, I shouldn't feel any pain, and I don't need painkillers. Then he brought up a drug related arrest I had a year and a half ago. My name was in the news for a major drug bust. I was charged with sale of immitation narcotics outside the Methadone clinic. The charges were dropped though because they turned out to be actual narcotics. One ingredient in the capsules I was selling was a benzothiezapine instead of a benzodiazepine, a liver enzyme inhibitor I managed to isolate from white grapefruit juice after a few weeks of trial and error, an OTC anti-histamine, and phenibut. Nothing was imitation and nothing was illegal, scheduled, fell under the federal analog act, and I never advertised them as a known drug when I sold them. That's why my lawyer said I had nothing to worry about and I wasn't charged with anyhing. When my lawyer presented that stuff the judge dismissed my case but said what I did was still not right. It wasn't. Thinking about it now and makes me feel more anxious and actually sad and my doctor bringing that up in front of two nurse and another doctor made me sad and thinking about that makes me anxious and sad.

I feel really anxious and sad this evening. And my back is hurting worse now along with my muscles because he didn't refill my Valium and my last dose was Friday evening at the ER. The Valium helps with my back I hurt at work and with my Lyme Disease. I'm really tired too but I can't sleep. I don't think I sleeped Sunday morning and Monday morning. I sleep during the day because I work at night. I have insomnia too. The Valium helps with that but strangely it will only get me to sleep during the day. I have a strange cicada rhythm.

Anyways thanks for any further input and a swearing of my questions and for listening to me and not thinking I'm weird when Im anxious and having a panic attack and giving me info about Diazapam widowers. I appreciate it.

-Guido-
 
you got my empathy. not sure what else to say. valium wd really starts at 36 hours for me, and quickly progresses from there. no fun. hope you get your pills asap. that doctor fucked with his oath.

sounds like you're not, but don't do anything silly like try to drink it away. doesn't work.
 
Last edited:
Hi,
Just my personal experience of diazepam withdrawal.
Had been on 30mg for six years, and similar to you a new doctor decided to refuse my script, saying a psychiatrist needed to ok it.
I stubbornly thought I would cold turkey. Within three days, I had tremors, sweats, shakes, no sleep and confusion. I thought I was going to die.
My best friend took me to an emergency mental health team, where I saw the residential psychiatric doctor who put me straight back on 30 mg a day. My withdrawal stopped immediately. I now continue to have them through my G.P.
They are prescribed for anxiety.
Just a quick break down of my personal experience.
There is now no intention of me attempting stopping or reduction. I am unsure of their benefit as a medication now, after so long, but have neither the energy or money to attempt withdrawal from such an addictive drug.
I would how ever add if I did have the time and money I would book in to the priory and withdrawal in a controlled environment over several months.
Sorry about my quick drafting of this comment, hope it reads ok and is of some help, feel free to ask for any advice if ya like ?
Peace
 
yeah as others have mentioned, that;s quite a small habit
not saying that its not insignificant, if you are dependent you will feel shitty but i was under the impression that seizures tend to happen to people with larger tolerances
but i'm probably wrong - i was told by my last drugs councilor that if my hands started shaking to get my ass to emergency as that's tends to be a sign that a seizure is imminent

good luck and get well soon
 
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