Benzos Strange Diazepam Withdrawal?

[JJD11999]

Hello Members,
I am new here, so greetings to all and I apologize if this thread is a duplicate, I tried to post it but never showed up, I am not sure why.
I searched and read the threads and learned a lot in the last 24 hours but haven't really found the answer to my issue.
I was prescribed low dose (5mg) diazepam a while ago for travel as I have claustrophobia. It helped me a great deal and only used it on occasion. Sometimes, when I would fly several times a week, I would use it 3-4 times a week then didn't use it for months. So dependence was not an issue.
I haven't used it for about 4 months, but last week there was a very traumatic experience (family related) and I was stupid enough to take 60 mg within 6 hours to calm myself and try to sleep. Interestingly, after the initial sedation (which was a new feeling for me) I actually became more agitated and had nightmares. So I thought I better not mess with this medication. Again, I am not a regular user at all. The next 2-3 days I felt light headed but that passed. However, on the 6th day at night (last night), I had a major panic attack (never get those) and again nightmares. I searched and found that diazepam is delayed because of the long half life and I actually may be having withdrawal. Questions:
1, How is that possible if I am not a regular user (although I used it several times sometimes months apart)?
2, I see everybody says to taper, but how would I taper when I don't even have a regular dose (other than the occasional 5 mg when I travel)?
3, Can one single, relatively large dose trigger withdrawal, and if yes, what to do??
Please, any advise would be appreciated, I am really scared and right now I am okay, now symptoms other than being tired from last night's bad sleep, I am really worried how it will progress.
Extra info: I am not using nor have I been using anything else.
Thank you very much!

 

[dirzted]

I believe you aren't going through withdrawals you are just having severe rebound anxiety -so don't bother with tapering or anything like that, regardless of what it is, if you're feeling okay right now and you never took them with any regularity than it's pretty obvious withdrawals are not your problem. I sometimes get R.A. too, just not as bad as you are describing.

If you don't notice anything in the next couple days, than I would say you're totally fine, with that high of a dose, any number of side effects could have arose in the days after, so that doesn't sound too extreme to me+if you just went through a traumatic incident, that could also be related.
^^^ So if you don't experience any consistency in your mental/physical alterations than that panic attack was probably just the culmination of a bunch things that aren't of any significant threat to your health

Hope everything turns out well (which im quite confident it will)
-Cheers!

 

[JJD11999]

Thank you very much for your answer, dirzted! Really appreciate it! So, as I understand, the unusually large dose is slowly leaving (given the long half-life of diazepam of which I learned here) and that may have caused last nights trouble? Then again, with the very long half life, I probably still have unusually large dose of the stuff in me which will keep leaving my body in the next days. Should I expect then similar issues in the coming days?
Also, please forgive me if it is a dumb question: what is rebound anxiety in this case? I don't have anxieties other than claustrophobia (and I can often handle it anyway) so the anxiety I felt was new for me and very scary. Cheers!

 

[sarajenni88]

Rebound anxiety is exactly what it sounds like...anxious feelings after use of usuallly benzos. I'm not sure about the half life of diazepam
So I can't tell u if ull be experiencing more. I would say no u wont ...However if u do I'd go to ur doctors because this seems more severe than what I've herd of or experienced. Good luck

 

[dirzted]

Thank you very much for your answer, dirzted! Really appreciate it! So, as I understand, the unusually large dose is slowly leaving (given the long half-life of diazepam of which I learned here) and that may have caused last nights trouble? Then again, with the very long half life, I probably still have unusually large dose of the stuff in me which will keep leaving my body in the next days. Should I expect then similar issues in the coming days?
Also, please forgive me if it is a dumb question: what is rebound anxiety in this case? I don't have anxieties other than claustrophobia (and I can often handle it anyway) so the anxiety I felt was new for me and very scary. Cheers!

Rebound anxiety is just the "rebound" of the absence of anxiety caused from the use of benzodiazepines (most common this happens with is xanax i believe), i'm not sure of the specific physiologic action of this effect but it's pretty simple to understand- go for a lil while without any anxiety, drug fades, anxiety comes back but you're not as used to it because of the brief intermission with the drug.

I'm sure people on this forum will know more about this specific topic than me so there may be something I'm missing, but again, if nothing happens in the next couple days you shouldn't have any long term consequences arising from this, but IF THERE IS ANYTHING YOU FEEL UNCOMFORTABLE ABOUT AT ALL, just see your doctor as soon as possible or call for medical help - safe is better than sorry although i don't forsee that ^^^^ situation happening with any likelihood.

 

[sarajenni88]

I use Xanax very sparingly now and I do notice the next day (or sometimes a few days) I'm ovvery irritated and have a hard time coping with my day to day anxiety. But I've also had a dependence on benzos so I'm more susectable to rebound anxiety. Did u start feeling better??

 

[JJD11999]

Thanks, guys, for all the input! It's been about two days since the scary episode and I feel absolutely normal. But I guess I am just an odd case - been doing a lot of reading and it seems that people who take an unusually large dose of diazepam (without being dependent) actually get sedated and feel good unlike me, who had adverse effects. Then 6 days later a panic attack, which has never happened anyway... probably as you suggested a rebound anxiety. I tried to investigate this, but the info on the net is very contradicting about delayed effects, half-life, etc. I just hope the stuff is out of my system by now (although based on some net sources it will take 40! days). Anyway, I hope that nothing else happens... and I am through with this stuff, won't touch it, not even occasionally for my claustrophobia. Just isn't worth it with all the horrific stories I've read in the last few days!

 

[sarajenni88]

YaI'm glad ur feeling better.: ) after having such an adverse reaction I'd stay away too!!! I'm u have chronic anxiety talk to ur Dr. There r plenty of meds they can prescribe that much safer than benzos.