Diazepam to help with withdrawal?

[TramadolTrap]

I am prescribed 120 2mg diazepam every month for a severe anxiety disorder. I usually take one every couple days and have never even thought about getting addicted though I know it can happen. Will this help with my withdrawal? I'm allowed to take four a day.  But I've never taken that many. I'm too scared to get addicted. I heard it could help a lot with RLS which in the past I've gotten horribly. Any thoughts?

[onthefence]

when i was abusing pain meds i was also prescribed alprazolam (xanax), when i detoxed (wife and i) we burned all scripts, even though i new it would help me sleep, i for some reason wanted to stop everything, the w/d was horrible! the acute stage lasted 7 days or so and hot baths were the only thing that helped get us through, (we ran out of hot water so many times).

fast foward 3 years and some months, (detoxed in march of 2012) and now i realize that its that mindset, (i'll take a drug to stop the pain from not taking the other drug)that had to change . and am so glad i just accepted the sickness, because
after i started feeling better i used alcohol thinking i was so proud of myself for "kickin" opiates, even after it causing me a lifetime of problems, after a long journey i am finding what sober really means, to me it means not manipulating my feelings , rather accepting and following instead of trying to control.
I am not fixed, by any means i have had slips with alcohol and just finished  20 months of dui/drug court , which helped hold me accountable, but i truly feel progress being made.
i posted today because i remember when i first thought about really truly quitting  the opiates
(physically addicted 8 years) that i thought that i could just quit them and everything would be fine, not having to get something not to be sick (hated that).it wasnt , life and bad things happen and i have felt sad, grief, pain, but i also felt joy , happiness , self respect ,love , all kinds of feelings. its good to feel.
my opinion is get rid of any type of benzo or drugs, and replace with supplements cal/mag/zinc. etc. its not the quick fix , but its just to easy to cross addicted to something else.

[brownvelvet]

I have read that benzo's don't directly help with rls but help you sleep "through it" I am avoiding the Xanax I have because I am trying to get "natural sleep" but if you are like me...I get rls normally (my whole life not just withdrawal) when I am over tired.... so if I get rls and don't sleep then the rls gets worse...a self-perpetuating cycle.... so if a benzo helps you sleep then maybe that's good....I am back and forth on taking it myself but holding out for now

[TramadolTrap]

Thanks so much Ronda. I'm not worried about getting addicted to it I'm just so worried about the RLS. I have trazadone to help sleep. But before I had so much trouble with RLS. I had no diazepam then

[Ronda8899]

Yes it will help with the withdrawal and the rls. I'm taking kolonopin for panic disorder and I know when I take that I do feel better. Not great by any means but better. If you need to take a little extra to get through this as long as it's proscribed to you then go ahead. Just try not to go up to the daily dose of 4. Try just doing two a day when it's really unbareable.  Then cut yourself back down to what you were doing. I'm sure you are well aware you do not want to become addicted to this so just take it safely and as less as you can. Good luck.

[TramadolTrap]

I have tried everything and shock treatments for different things. 8mg I have heard is low to normal and I'm the U.S. My doctor said 2mg is a baby dose so I can take up to four a day. I'm trying to figure out if it will help with my RLS. Thanks

[ScalpMassager]

hmm, which country are you in?  120/month (4 per day) sounds like a large quantity and the choice of diazepam (and not oxazepam) seems questionable.  The daily amount (up to) 4 x 2 mg = 8 mg of valium, seems an average dose overall (eg. someone coping with back muscle spasms might be advised to take that sort of dose daily for a few days) -- beyond one to four weeks use though seems likely to risk becoming a problem imo.

In Canada, valium (diazepam), is recognized as addictive but an invaluable bandaid med (eg. in an E.R.) for short term muscle relaxation, and a gross anxiety reducer (yes, it does tend to make us sleepy).  A cousin med, serax (oxazepam), is more targetted to anxiety (I've taken both over decades).  And, since both are benzodiazepams and known to likely be addictive over long term use, in my province (B.C.), no more than 30 days' worth is usually prescribed so that the patient must keep in regular touch with their doctor. The past few years, my consumption of oxazepam for anxiety and as a sleep aid has been irregular and merely 5 to10 mg/month (and of diazepam, 5-10 mg/year for back muscle pain).

Have you tried camomille tea, and has it had any impact on taking the edge off your anxiety?  I find I can drink up to two cups of it a day (more, tends to make me 'wired'), and its impact is comparable to 1 or 2 mg of valium (2 or 4 mg of oxazepam).  Have you tried natural methods to reduce your anxiety, such as avoiding electronic stimulation and seeking out calming routines reading, puzzle books, meditation like quiet breaks, etc.?