Valium : help please!

[kathyd]

sorry for typo ..I meant clonazepam..
Thx
kathy

[kathyd]

Thanks Sunil
We can't be sure but after all this time I ve been told I have neuropathic pain, ..
I have not given valium a shot as I am on Meth adone, oral, didlaudid rectal supps and beditime clonepin
The pain meds don't work and docs are guessing that the Methadone has had a rebound effect (hyperalgesiad-- and has caused more pain) Ive been on it for about 6mos..
So were slowly lowering it..
Not sure if I can take the valium along with what Im taking currently ...but sounds like it is for nerve pain? I know that anti-depressants like Cymbalta were suggested for my pain but my bladder (where my pain syndrome started) was badly effected by it, so couldn't take it..
Would like to see if valium helps!

Would be great if a simple and cheaper med like Valium could help this intense pain..
Thx for mentioning it as a nerve pain med..
Kathy

[Pafen]

I found valium works really well but from what ive read the withdrawl effects can last such a long time ive stoppped taking it...continously anyway

I also found its a bit of a double edged sword in that it works quite well but dampens yours enthusiasm for doing things....I felt it made me quite drowsy

I only use it as a last resort now when my pain is really bad occasionally...usually takes about 5mg to get decent relief

[Violet M]

Not sure if I can take the valium along with what Im taking currently ...

Kathy, valium and clonazepam are in the same class of drugs so probably not a good idea to take them together unless your doc/pharmacist approve.

Violet

[nooneman]

2mg of valium is not a large dose at all, but everyone is different.

One thing I will warn regarding Benzos (Xanax, Lorazepam, Valium, etc) is that its very difficult to know you are addicted until you stop. At which time, if you are not lucky, you will be in hell.

My wife took 1mg Ativan (lorazepam) at bedtime for almost a month to help with her PN--this is about equal to 10mg valium. She couldn't sleep otherwise because the pain was so severe. The morning after she stopped, she lost consciousness twice. Her skin began to burn, as if it was on fire, all over. She spiraled into extreme anxiety. She became confused and delirious. The local ER had no idea what was wrong. In the coming weeks she lost almost 20 lbs (she is now sub 8% bodyfat). She could barely walk and get outside. She can't drive, so I do everything now and am a full-time caretaker. She has battled pain magnified by the withdrawals. Its as if a part of her was lost from this drug; her personality just isn't the same yet because her GABA receptors are shocked. Her skin still burns (chest, arms, feet, etc), especially when her PN calms down and she tries to sleep. And now she faces insomnia. Her PN/PFD is worse than ever. And these withdrawals can come and go for up to a year (benzobuddies.org is a good resource). And yet, it seems she has a mild case compared to people who have been on these drugs for years. The month of sleep she got was not worth the pain we've gone through since.

I'm not saying this is going to happen to everyone. But remember, drugs have to list side-effects. They don't list withdrawals and most doctors do not acknowledge benzo-withdrawals (especially older doctors). Check out the "Ashton Manual" and always taper. Better yet, find an alternative. Ill never let anyone I know or care about take a benzo again.

[Violet M]

Wow, that's pretty severe withdrawal. I hope the effects will be short-lived. Do you know why she had to quit taking it?

I experienced a bit of withdrawal -- not severe though. I had taken clonazepam, a benzo, for almost a year, and it helped significantly with sleep. I was noticing toward the end of taking it that I developed a tolerance to it and it wasn't helping as much though. When I quit taking it I tapered off very slowly.

Violet

[sadie]

Nooneman
I am so sorry to hear about your wife ...Karyn just sent me this link because I too had a sever reaction to a benzo which was Valium.i took 5 mg for 2 months for dystonia caused by Amitryptline , and the Valium slowly took away all muscle strength and because I think a tongue is a muscle ...i could not eventually speak , and it was like talking in slow motion .

I became so nauseous I had to put towels under the doors so the smells of the kitchen would not make me want to throw up . I was 115 and went down to 103 and I had no brain left. I was so weak I had to craw and the doctors said "it can't be the Valium you are only on 5mg." Another doctor even prescribed Hag-gen Daz ice cream as a joke because I was so thin.

I called a friends husband who is a dr. and he heard my voice and said "WHAT ARE YOU TAKING??" i told him 5mg of Valium and he said "GET OFF OF IT , IT CAUSES MUSCLE WEAKNESS, NAUSEA , SLURRED SPEECH," so I came off of it , and it took months and months to gain back the weight and for the neurotransmitter to reconnect ..i do not know how long, because i started taking clonazepine before my brain had a chance to fully recover, and then I had to take them for over 4 plus years..so I do not know how long it would have taken to recover.

As for the clonazepine that is another story. I could tolerate that better, as it did not make me nauseous but all I did was walk slow and stay confused and sleep for years (ever decisions or thing I said was not me) .

My brain on benzos even a small amount was flipped up side down. I was a vegetarian since I was in my 20s and on that drug the taste or thought of vegetables was disgusted to me, and I lived on subs and pizza with pepperoni for years....but in my case sleeping was better then being awake and dealing with PGAD. I had to choose my poison. I was never afraid of being addicted as I don't drink or smoke etc...but I did take them with out thinking. Once they are in your system and you do not tolerate them like your wife and my self ...i found myself on auto pilot and thinking I was just tired it was not until years later that I realized all the bizarre things I had said and done .

It took me 2 years after taking clonazapine and all the other drugs to have the neurotransmitters reconnect. I read in the Aston Manuel that it can take up to a '12 months or more " for cognitive function to return. So two years for someone that has been on them since 2006 to 2014 (except for when I was on the Valium) and who is sensitive to all drugs ..does not seem to be so strange to me.

I have also read patients testimonies on the askapatient.com that have taken as long also. The British National Formulary says "Withdrawal symptoms for long-term users usually resolve with in 6-18 months of the last dose." That is a year and a half and again that is close to the two years it took me. I am still not thinking straight but I think it is the Lyrica and lexapro I am still on. I have the memory of a gnat. Withdraw from Clonazepine was hell , however my side effects during withdraw were more on the sever emotional and cognitive turmoil side then physical manifestations.

I know this is hard on you and I am glad your wife has you and I commend all the husbands and wives and family members that support in every way, PN patients . I know she would do the same for you. I hope letting her read this an knowing she is not the only one that had a bad reaction will help her. I think time will help and if you go to 'askapatient.com" and fill in the drug you want to search and that to will help.


P.S if I can't sleep i take on occasion benadryl , maybe your wife can do that. I also do not try to go to sleep, I just let myself fall asleep when I get so tired and I can no longer stay awake, maybe even at 3am and sleep till 12pm . She will be on a different schedule but it will be organic. That way she will not have forced and medicated sleep. i have now become best friends with Seth Myers and Steven Colbert the late night talk show hosts and it will be this way until the PGAD stops and I am medication free. I am unapologetically on my own schedule as you must listen to your body. She may not have the luxury of doing 100 things and exercising and can no longer exhaust herself physically,( I am guessing if she is still slow), so because of that it may be hard to sleep because of that too.

Gods blessing to you and your wife
Sadie