Valium and Depression: 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."

• 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."

• kha...
• Taken for 6 months to 1 year
• November 25, 2015

For Anxiety "I've tried everything for panic attacks and depersonalization so far. I don't like SSRIs, they make me feel like a zombie. I don't really have any side effects, which is very rare as I'm sensitive to a lot of drugs/food, anything you name it. I do find sometimes the day after I'm still tired and a bit depressed. I have 4 mg+ if I'm having a panic attack, it seems to help quite a lot. I take 2 mg if I'm going to a party or a new place and take more if I need to. I'm going to try propranolol next, I heard it's great too."

• Jui...
• April 18, 2012

For Muscle Spasm "No doctor had been able to diagnose my condition. As a result, I was prescribed 10 mg of Valium 3x daily as a crutch indefinitely. At first, I was dim-witted and happy and got some relief, but after about a year, I started to become increasingly apathetic, dim-witted, started to have problems with light sensitivity and focus, became uninterested in socializing, and had a personality shift from the funny, charming guy to a depressed robot with anger spasms, who takes risks just to feel some sense of being alive. After 2.5 years, the physical relief has all but stopped, and in any case, I cannot have a life taking this. I am in the process of tapering off of it."

• leo...
• September 26, 2010

For Light Anesthesia "I was given Valium intravenously for light sedation during a quick medical procedure. It worked very well, but about 30 minutes after the I.V. was removed, I became very irritable and depressed and craved more. It also caused a slight temporary personality change in me that lasted the rest of the day."

• Anonymous
• Taken for less than 1 month
• January 2, 2018

For Night Terrors "This was for my heroin addiction, insomnia, night terrors. It helped me with sleeping, eating, irritability, and the major depression."