Puddles2009 Posted March 2, 2014 Share Posted March 2, 2014 Hey guys is it ok to be on valium long term? I've been on 5mg a night for the last 3 months now due to insane sleeping troubles. So far it's helping keep me sleep in order and allowed me to hold down a steady job but what are the side effects long term of been on such a benzo?? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mirazh Posted March 2, 2014 Share Posted March 2, 2014 It's okay and yes you can be. Physical dependence can potentially develop with long-term benzo use, this basically means that if/when coming off the benzo you'd be doing it reeeeaalllly slowly and under a doc's supervision/instruction most likely/hopefully/in your best interest/etc. Physical dependence is not the same thing as addiction and there's a stickie at the top of this forum that talks about the differences if you'd like to take a look into that. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Puddles2009 Posted March 2, 2014 Author Share Posted March 2, 2014 Oh ok no worries i'll suss it out hey Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Spadez87 Posted March 2, 2014 Share Posted March 2, 2014 Hey guys is it ok to be on valium long term? I've been on 5mg a night for the last 3 months now due to insane sleeping troubles. So far it's helping keep me sleep in order and allowed me to hold down a steady job but what are the side effects long term of been on such a benzo?? I dont want to scare the shit out of you but.. Basically the longer you are on it the more chemically dependant you will be on it. I have been on one benzo or another for about 10 years and wish i had never seen them, Im tapering off them as i type this, The w/ds are horrifying, (worse then heroin, i would know) and to top it off you cant just cold turkey. you could have seizures etc etc. stop while your ahead and take something else. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ADeviantGirl Posted March 2, 2014 Share Posted March 2, 2014 I've taken Valium for severe anxiety for the past seven years. Currently, it's my only benzo, at 5 mg tablets twice a day, with room for two more PRN if I need it. I've also taken Ativan, Klonopin, and Xanax in combination with the Valium, all prescribed. As Mirazh said, there's a big difference between physical dependance and addiction, and the mods have posted really great information about the topic. Can your body become reliant on the medication? Sure. Will 5mg/night for three months lead you down a path to pukes-n-shakes? It depends on how your body reacts when you are able to stop taking the Valium. Everyone's tolerance is different, everyone metabolizes differently, everyone is able to tolerate medication cessation differently. One person's experience isn't necessarily going to be your experience. Have you ever taken a benzo before? What's your diet like? Do you keep yourself well-hydrated? Physically active? Any other health concerns? Remember, your doctor considered all those things when prescribing the medication for you, and isn't out to hurt you or get you hooked. Have you talked about the medication and your sleep since it was prescribed? Three months is a LONG time to have disrupted sleep, and it can contribute to sleep and anxiety issues in a sort of mobius-loop-of-evil-feedback. You could talk to your doctor about your concerns and pre-plan a tapering schedule now, you could work with a naturopath or sleep specialist to address your current sleep issues, you could ask to try out different medications specifically for sleep/different non-benzo medications that cause sleepiness as a side effect...the list goes on and on. Spadez is correct in that it's not adviseable to cold turkey any benzodiazapene...your best bet is to plan for a future in which you have no sleep troubles that require Valium, and work with your health pro to figure out how to slowly come off AND what to do if you experience withdrawal symptoms. I would ask what's causing you concern about the possibility of withdrawal? Are you feeling like you like the Valium too much? Don't be afraid to talk about it with your doctor. S/he won't lock you up and throw away the key. It's better to deal with it now, before it's months and months on, than to deal with it later when you might be feeling the way Spadez is and are physically miserable. Best of luck with it! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
San Posted March 2, 2014 Share Posted March 2, 2014 I've been on benzos for 12 hours, varying from ativan, valium, xanax and clonazepam. Yes, you can get physically or mentally dependent on them, but if you need it, you need it. There really are no long term effects. Like Mir said, coming off it can be a long process. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Wooster Posted March 2, 2014 Share Posted March 2, 2014 I'm assuming you mean years, san. The w/ds are horrifying, (worse then heroin, i would know) and to top it off you cant just cold turkey. you could have seizures etc etc. After a period of stability on the medication being used as prescribed, and after setting up a reasonable taper schedule with your pdoc, you should have no to minimal challenges stopping benzos... IF you're doing it right. If you have horrible withdrawals and seizures, you're definitely doing it wrong. Puddles, I used benzos (lorazepam and klonipin) for 4 years when I needed them and had no difficulty tapering when it was time to stop. They were very helpful in getting my physical anxiety under control so I could benefit from the talk therapy that helped me to learn new skills to manage the anxiety without meds. I take a total of 1-2 mg of lorazepam per YEAR now as needed when I have one of those days that nothing else works. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
burial Posted March 2, 2014 Share Posted March 2, 2014 i've been on lorazepam for a couple of years and only once tried to quit it, it was tough but not that bad. Valium might be a lot more managable when quitting, because of the long life of it, many pdocs prescribe valium for quittint other benzos Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
San Posted March 2, 2014 Share Posted March 2, 2014 Valium is the 'easiest' benzo to get off of because of the long half life. I had been on it for 2 years and tapered off it over a month, at one time. It wasn't that bad. Breakthrough anxiety. It was a relatively fast taper, and doctor supervised. I had some trouble sleeping. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mirazh Posted March 2, 2014 Share Posted March 2, 2014 The scare-mongering about physical dependency on benzos is really unnecessary. Yes coming off them (incorrectly) can be unpleasant to dangerous -- and properly isn't always comfortable either. Lots of meds carry the physical dependency aspect though -- my mood stabilizer is something I cannot just "stop," I feel sick and dizzy if I miss a dose, and I risk lowering the seizure threshold (even though I've never had one) from just stopping. But it can be stepped down. And it's absolutely a necessary part of my medication regime. I take clonazepam (Klonopin) PRN for anxiety but there are times, like when I'm hypomanic, that I end up having to take it more regularly. Like a month and half straight type of regularly. I haven't yet developed a physical dependency during that time -- everyone is different though. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Puddles2009 Posted March 3, 2014 Author Share Posted March 3, 2014 (edited) Ok thanks all well i see my doctor friday i will ask her about coming off it now only as i feel it's done it's job and for the dangers of long term use Edited March 3, 2014 by Puddles2009 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Puddles2009 Posted March 3, 2014 Author Share Posted March 3, 2014 (edited) Ok thanks all well i see my doctor friday i will ask her about coming off it now only as i feel it's done it's job and for the dangers of long term use Where do you get this stuff? "the dangers of long term use"? Did you not read any of the stuff that was written in response to your original question? YOU NEED YOUR MEDS. Be stable for a year. A solid year. You were gone from here for a month. When you left, you were highly symptomatic. So, you've been stable for a month? Maybe five weeks? And that is assuming that you magically became stable the moment you were no longer here on CB, which I find highly unlikely. When i was banned from here i was within 1 week involuntary hospital patient i was then a voluntary patient 2 weeks later for a med change and they released me stable total time 1 week involuntary 3 days voluntary If the hospital has released me i would say i am stable yes The doctors didn't want me on valium long term anyway they wanted me off it when i left hospital but the gp kept me on it pdoc said no gp said yes I see my doc friday anyway they will probably keep me on everything but the valium i reckon Edited March 3, 2014 by Puddles2009 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Puddles2009 Posted March 3, 2014 Author Share Posted March 3, 2014 Ok thanks all well i see my doctor friday i will ask her about coming off it now only as i feel it's done it's job and for the dangers of long term use Where do you get this stuff? "the dangers of long term use"? Did you not read any of the stuff that was written in response to your original question? YOU NEED YOUR MEDS. Be stable for a year. A solid year. You were gone from here for a month. When you left, you were highly symptomatic. So, you've been stable for a month? Maybe five weeks? And that is assuming that you magically became stable the moment you were no longer here on CB, which I find highly unlikely. When i was banned from here i was within 1 week involuntary hospital patient i was then a voluntary patient 2 weeks later for a med change and they released me stable total time 1 week involuntary 3 days voluntary If the hospital has released me i would say i am stable yes The doctors didn't want me on valium long term anyway they wanted me off it when i left hospital but the gp kept me on it pdoc said no gp said yes I see my doc friday anyway they will probably keep me on everything but the valium i reckon Being released from the hospital does not mean you're stable. It means that you are no longer in crisis. It means that you are no longer a danger to yourself or others. It does not mean you're stable. If they waited for that, people would be spending a heck of a lot more time in hospital. I'm glad i didn't spend that long, apparently the hospital said i was confirmed BP1 i'm just glad i am getting the help i needed. It's a shame about the therapist part though i really wish i had one thought who could help i guess i'l be relying here a bit Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
olga Posted March 3, 2014 Share Posted March 3, 2014 You are totally disregarding everything sylvan is saying to you. Do you get that she has been dealing with MI for many years and understands how to tell when people are symptomatic? Do you understand that being "stable" for a week or two is NOTHING??? How can you be this dense? You have a mental illness and you don't want to treat it properly with meds and regular therapy. If you continue to resist this combination, you will be seriously ill, in and out of the hospital, and symptomatic FOR THE REST OF YOUR LIFE. What part of that don't you get? olga Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Phoenix_Rising Posted March 3, 2014 Share Posted March 3, 2014 It's a shame about the therapist part though i really wish i had one thought who could help i guess i'l be relying here a bit If you're going to rely on CB, then at least listen to what people are saying to you. You have received a lot of good advice. I want to emphasize again that being on benzos long term is not inherently dangerous. Going on and off your meds is dangerous. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
WinterRosie Posted March 3, 2014 Share Posted March 3, 2014 My grandmother was on valium for over 30 years and it seems to have worked out fine for her. "Long-term" isn't counted in months. It's counted in years and decades. I know that compliance is hard for you. You're over-thinking it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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