Valium and Anxiety: What Users Say

• BS1...
• Taken for 1 to 2 years
• August 26, 2019

For Anxiety "After taking Xanax off and on for years, I developed a problem with it making me more anxious when it wore off, like a lot of heart palpitations, sweating, fear. I was switched over to Valium 6mg for two years and then advised to withdraw to see how I went. I’ve spent the last six months tapering and been off for 7 weeks and I’m miserable. I have returned PTSD and depression. So, I guess I didn’t go well and am going to reinstate 2mg a day to get my life back. When I take it I have no side effects and feel alive. I didn’t hit tolerance before. I say yes to Valium if you need it to feel normal and don’t abuse."

• BS1...
• Taken for 1 to 2 years
• August 26, 2019

For Anxiety "After taking Xanax off and on for years, I developed a problem with it making me more anxious when it wore off, like a lot of heart palpitations, sweating, fear. I was switched over to Valium 6mg for two years and then advised to withdraw to see how I went. I’ve spent the last six months tapering and been off for 7 weeks and I’m miserable. I have returned PTSD and depression. So, I guess I didn’t go well and am going to reinstate 2mg a day to get my life back. When I take it I have no side effects and feel alive. I didn’t hit tolerance before. I say yes to Valium if you need it to feel normal and don’t abuse."

• Pai...
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• December 21, 2019

For Anxiety "I have been dependent on morphine and oxycodone in high doses for 20 years. Then someone suggested Suboxone, worst decision of my life. I was on it for 8 months and it worked as directed, I was very happy, but started reading about PAWS (Post-acute Withdrawal Syndrome) and started to wean down. Well, anxiety, panic attacks, and confusion hit me like a ton of bricks. Buprenorphine is a horrible drug to get off of. I would rather have gone through full opiate detox than those. Tried Klonopin, Xanax, both were a waste and very addicting! But I was tried on one 10 mg Valium, and I have not felt that normal in ages. I am very leery of any pharmaceutical and don’t take it daily, sometimes I put it away for a month. It has truly given my life back, but I’m still on a drug. I want to be off everything, and I don’t know if that will ever be. But for now, I’m not clenching my teeth all day and tossing all night, so I’m grateful. Thanks, doc, for taking a risk on me."

• Pam...
• Taken for 5 to 10 years
• December 6, 2022

For Anxiety "Bless the doctor who finally saw this drug as an anodyne for me. I have arterio-venous necrosis, which means my joints are collapsing due to the death of tiny blood vessels, a very painful condition causing difficulty walking and using my arms. Valium not only relieves the pain, it also calms the crippling fear of falling, which keeps me from progressing with my physical therapy after the hip replacement, which I'm finally beginning to walk again after more than 2 and a half years on the Rollator. It allows me to sleep, it blots out social anxiety, and it prevents nausea and muscle spasms. I call it my anodyne... it is THE medicine for me. If I am addicted to it, so be it. I'm addicted to having a livable quality of life! Thank you, Diazepam!"

• Cou...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• April 10, 2023

For Anxiety "Several weeks ago, I had a huge panic attack and took Valium to calm down, but noticed I still had to really talk myself out of the panic attack. The next day, I was unusually anxious, so I took another. This continued until I realized my anxiety was getting out of hand and started antidepressants. Big mistake. Antidepressants made my anxiety much worse, and I still continued taking Valium, thinking my anxiety must be so bad that even Valium can't fix it. After two weeks of this, I ended up in the hospital, having strange body panic attacks I couldn't stop, like my body was just doing its own thing and releasing adrenaline on its own. I was told to come off both medications and start with another antidepressant. I stopped the antidepressants but continued to take the Valium. I then noticed every time I took it, my anxiety would triple and leave me an anxious, quivering, sleepless mess. I stopped the Valium, and now my anxiety is more manageable. Still left with a high heart rate but no more panic attacks."

• noc...
• May 21, 2014

For Anxiety "This is a wonderful medicine for anxiety. It works within 20 mins and lasts for a long time because of its long half-life. However, if you are suffering from depression, especially clinical depression, I would not recommend taking this. It will worsen your depression symptoms if taken too often. If you started an SSRI antidepressant, it can be used early on to help with some side effects like increased anxiety in the first few weeks on the medication."

• Mel...
• February 23, 2016

For Anxiety "Used for 17 years, worked well at first but needed increased doses as I became tolerant. Held the same dose for the past 7 years then suddenly became acutely anxious and agoraphobic, dose was increased again but the only result was awful unsteadiness on my feet. Finally, I was told that some people get withdrawal symptoms even while taking the same dose, and it seems that is the problem I have. Never been this ill in my life and now I face having to taper off it which scares me. My experience and opinion is it was fine short term but long term caused me more problems than it ever solved."

• Mel...
• February 23, 2016

For Anxiety "Used for 17 years, worked well at first but needed increased doses as I became tolerant. Held the same dose for the past 7 years then suddenly became acutely anxious and agoraphobic, dose was increased again but the only result was awful unsteadiness on my feet. Finally, I was told that some people get withdrawal symptoms even while taking the same dose, and it seems that is the problem I have. Never been this ill in my life and now I face having to taper off it which scares me. My experience and opinion is it was fine short term but long term caused me more problems than it ever solved."

• Jer...
• January 17, 2016

For Anxiety "I had pain in my stomach that no one could diagnose for three months. I was put on an SSRI that made things worse, and I lost 35 pounds with no appetite. One day the pain released and I became extremely anxious. By taking a small dose of Valium in the morning and evening, I am so much better. I was also given Dr. Claire Week's book which helped. I never thought I would recover, but hang in there."

• Kai...
• Taken for 10 years or more
• December 3, 2017

For Muscle Spasm "I have CP on my right side and down my back, along with scoliosis and a bad pars defect. For the pain and spasms, I take methadone and diclofenac for the pain, Lyrica for the neuropathy, and Valium, Soma, and cannabis for the spasms. I've been on the Valium the longest. It's a double-edged sword in that I use it for anxiety and spasms. Before it, I was on all the other standard benzodiazepines. Pound for pound, it is the safest benzo to be on. It lasts the longest in your system and self-tapers, meaning that withdrawal from it is easier than, say, Xanax or Klonopin. I've been on Valium for almost 10 years, and it has helped tremendously. With it, I can get out of bed every day and have quality of life. Recently, I switched from generic to name brand."

• Eye...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• November 27, 2019

For Anxiety "I can’t say this medicine is horrible for everyone, but I can say that I got the unlucky end of the stick. This medicine actually made my anxiety worse! I literally felt like I was losing my mind. I couldn’t sleep at night because my fight or flight response wouldn’t stop rushing through my body, and it made me have horrible panic attacks. It got to a point I had to call the EMS because my heart rate went up to 170. I was excited to try the medicine from the reviews because I wanted the relief and calm mind, but I will never take this medicine again."

• Anx...
• Taken for 1 to 2 years
• December 7, 2017

For Anxiety "Having anxiety my whole life, I never sought help and always hid it. Eventually, it led to depression, which I covered up too. The final nail in my coffin was when I acquired a parasitic infection in my gut. The infection left me with permanent irritable bowel syndrome, which I suffer from every day. For a year straight, I saw numerous nerve pain experts and probably had 100 pill bottles in my drawer, which nothing helped. My first psychiatrist started to prescribe medicines I already tried, which I denied, then asked for 5mg Valium. Miracle drug that took all pain away, physical and mental. After 2 years, decided to stop, which was a devil's ride to hell. Miracle drug with insane withdrawal when stopped, even tapering. Back to being miserable now."

• IHa...
• Taken for 2 to 5 years
• April 16, 2018

For Anxiety "15 years ago, my mother gave me a Klonopin to help me out on my first plane ride, and the euphoria of freedom from anxiety was instantly addicting. I soon got my own RX, and over the years, I was up to 4 mg a day, and my anxiety wasn’t improving. A very incredible psychiatrist told me it was now just harming me and my tolerance was far too high, and he amazingly got me off Klonopin to taper with Valium because of the longer half-life. I’m now down to 12 mg a day (from the converted 60!), and it’s been hell. I’ve never been so anxious and depressed. Though this is sadly normal with tapering. I’m working with therapists and trying to keep on a schedule of exercise and deep breathing, but I fear I’ll never be able to break free from these terrible drugs that are killing me. (I also lost 80 lbs, and my BMI is under 17 after the taper.) While I hate all benzos for what they’ve done to me, Valium is definitely the lesser of all the evils."

• bec...
• January 20, 2010

For Anxiety "I have suffered from anxiety, muscle spasms, nightmares, tremors, restless legs, and mood swings. I have taken 5 mg of Valium, sometimes 10 mg on and off since an extremely stressful nightmare of a divorce my ex dragged on for 3 years. My attorney suggested Valium, and my regular doctor had no trouble prescribing this. 30 tablets will often last 3 months - I've had refills expire, as I only take as needed (since 1995). This medication has been a lifesaver for me, and when I had PMDD (when it was just BAD PMS in the '90s), I have taken Xanax in the past, and the forgetfulness was unbearable, I couldn't drive, and withdrawal was immediate and awful. No problem with Valium! My pain doctor and regular doctor won't prescribe Valium to anyone anymore - long half-life? Ativan and Buspar didn't help at all."

• Gee...
• Taken for 10 years or more
• February 20, 2018

For Anxiety "The medication I stopped for a month off a taper. And just went back on it. I was sweating profusely, along with social anxiety and PTSD. It has been a godsend medication, but the only downfall is that it can have bad withdrawal symptoms! But I was on Xanax 4 mg daily and Valium. The Xanax withdrawal put me in the hospital, but the Valium withdrawal is mild, but it is dangerous. Hope this helps someone in need of some advice! Make sure it's only taken at the recommended dose and try to use it every couple of days, not daily, otherwise, you develop a tolerance."

• X-B...
• March 16, 2008

"I have found this drug also acts as a muscle relaxant and aids in the pain relief effectiveness of Vicodin, OxyContin in 2.5-5 mg dose, reducing the frequency of increasing the dose of these pain relievers due to developing a tolerance to these narcotic drugs in long-term chronic pain illnesses such as mine. This drug also reduces the stress and fatigue associated with my illness and would most likely work well for other long-term chronic pain illnesses such as fibromyalgia."

• Mis...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• October 10, 2014

For Anxiety "I was given a sample pack, but it has the opposite effects for me, as I had an increase in fear of danger and worrying. I was extremely focused and unable to sleep. My doctor has had me test a few anti-anxiety meds-Ativan, antidepressants-and the only one that works for me is Xanax at a low dose. I would make sure you consult your doctor first on this one."

• Cya...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• November 2, 2021

For Anxiety "This drug was rubbish. They gave me this in the hospital today after telling me they gave me Ativan but gave me this garbage instead. It calmed my anxiety down, yeah, but I started feeling insanely sleepy, detached from reality, angry, and not like myself. This was my very first time taking it, won’t take it ever again. Ativan is the BEST benzodiazepine out there, hands down never disappoints me. I was acting all weird, paranoid, saying weird things, and MORE anxious. I took an Ativan for that several hours later, I much prefer that drug over anything else. Never again 2/10."

• Cya...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• November 2, 2021

For Anxiety "This drug was rubbish. They gave me this in the hospital today after telling me they gave me Ativan but gave me this garbage instead. It calmed my anxiety down, yeah, but I started feeling insanely sleepy, detached from reality, angry, and not like myself. This was my very first time taking it, won’t take it ever again. Ativan is the BEST benzodiazepine out there, hands down never disappoints me. I was acting all weird, paranoid, saying weird things, and MORE anxious. I took an Ativan for that several hours later, I much prefer that drug over anything else. Never again 2/10."

• X A...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• January 15, 2021

For Anxiety "Before I got my wisdom teeth removed, the surgeon prescribed me Valium, so that I’d be relaxed during the procedure. Instead of making me relaxed, it made me extremely anxious and upset, to the point where I could not stop crying despite not being worried at all before taking the Valium. They also gave me laughing gas, which did not help. I was awake and able to remember all of the surgery, though I did blank out for a couple of seconds when they gave me Benadryl through an IV after removing the first 3 teeth. After receiving the Benadryl, I started to feel calm again. But being able to remember the entire procedure is not a fun memory."

• Pau...
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• June 1, 2017

For Anxiety "I used to be on Klonopin for years, and I think it helped, but I'm not sure since I was also on Paxil. It came to a point where neither were working for me, even at higher dosages, so I started taking Ativan. This really helped my anxiety, but it would come back every morning. Eventually, I hit tolerance and had to increase it. Eventually, I hit tolerance again, and I found myself feeling more anxious than ever. I decided it was time to get off. The doctor put me on Valium because it's easier to taper off than any other benzo. He suggested I could take anywhere from 4mg to 10mg per day. I slowly tapered down to 1.5mg, but I was miserable. I reinstated and went back up to 6mg and have also tried 10mg, and it has never worked for me. Stay away from it."

• Me2...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• March 28, 2023

For Light Anesthesia "I had 2 severely ruptured discs in my neck. I needed to have a steroid injection into the space around my spinal cord where the nerves exit my vertebrae. They needed to use fluoroscopy (a type of live X-ray) to see where they were going inside my neck because the injection needed to be very precise. I was extremely anxious because they were sticking a needle into my neck. I was given Valium IV right before they took me back. I was still able to stand and follow their instructions, I can remember talking to them while they did the procedure. But I was so relaxed, and I didn’t feel the poke, I didn’t feel anything other than being able to tell them that they must be in the right area because I could feel pressure right in the area that had been hurting me a lot. Then we were done. The drug gradually wore off. I felt fine after. The steroid injection ended up not working for me, and I needed surgery, but the IV Valium worked great!"

• Coo...
• January 22, 2015

For Muscle Spasm "This medication works as intended with minimal side effects. Relieves my muscle spasms and takes away the nervousness and bad attitude caused by back pain (not back ache). I take Percocet with Valium."

• Myk...
• February 6, 2009

For Anxiety "Valium has really helped me. It has made a difference in my life. I'm 24, I went from being violent and having anxiety after anxiety attack but since being prescribed Valium, it has worked wonders."