Question:
Anyone got experience coming off valium low dose 5mg twice daily? I have weaned myself down to 0.125mg (quarter of a tablet) in the evening over the past 6 weeks but since I’ve cut out the morning 0.125mg, 2 weeks ago, I am finding I’m real tense, over react to little things, increasing anger as well. Could it be withdrawal symptoms or flare up PTSD? Hasn’t been helped by my employer creating stressful situations that I have dealt with successfully whilst I’m on a rehab return to work program. I think they were expecting me to crash but 6 weeks in I haven’t so therefore they are creating problems and I am reacting. I’ve already told them that I have learnt how to fight hard and I am returning to work! I also have to deal with ignorant staff who think I have suffered stress not PTSD and treat me as a bludger, no brain, no feelings "watch out for her" attitude. I’m beginning to feel unwelcome and to recover fully I think I will have to leave and work somewhere else where nobody knows me. Any suggestions? Barb
Response:
Hi Barb! > Anyone got experience coming off valium low dose 5mg twice daily? I have > weaned myself down to 0.125mg (quarter of a tablet) in the evening over the > past 6 weeks but since I’ve cut out the morning 0.125mg, 2 weeks ago, I am > finding I’m real tense, over react to little things, increasing anger as > well. Could it be withdrawal symptoms or flare up PTSD?
——— snip ———– > Any suggestions?
If you trust your therapist and psychiatrist, ask them and try doing as they suggest. If you don’t trust them, find replacements. Smile and there will be something to smile about! Nancy
Response:
> Anyone got experience coming off valium low dose 5mg twice daily? I have > weaned myself down to 0.125mg (quarter of a tablet) in the evening over the > past 6 weeks but since I’ve cut out the morning 0.125mg, 2 weeks ago, I am > finding I’m real tense, over react to little things, increasing anger as > well. Could it be withdrawal symptoms or flare up PTSD?
Hi Barb, I went through this one time about five years ago. I was taking 40 mg/day and weaned off just as you are doing by my psychiatrist. At the same time he was increasing my anti-depressant. I came off of the valium fine, but my problems with anxiety and depression continued just as it had pre-valium and pre- anti-depressant. In other words, I don’t think I was on the valium long enough to be addicted.I may or may not have been addicted to the valium. I am not sure, since I weaned off of them to a very low dosage just as you are doing. The reason that I think that it was still my anxiety and ptsd is that I still experienced the same symptoms of depression and anxiety as I did before ever starting on the valium and that the anti-depressant that I was taking (paxil at the time) was doing very little to help with my anxiety and depression. I stayed off the valium and the psychiatrist kept trying various anti-depressants, to which I never found any real relief. He blamed everything on my extreme case of panic. I eventually changed psych docs because I checked in to a hospital and was put on Trazadone. This worked very well. The largest problem with it was it was highly sedating and I had to grow accustomed to it to be able to function during the day without getting drowsy. We cut back the dosage and I did fine. No valium needed. Since that time a lot of things have changed and I was in the hospital when I was started on Trazadone. I am no longer on it, but have been through a myriad of anti-depressants since because of changes in ins. hence changes in psychiatrist and changes in meds to suit the psychiatrist. Barb, you didn’t say if you are on another med to help with your anxiety, such as anti-depressant. Also, from reading below about what you are suffering from your co-workers, this would be enough, in my oppinion, to trigger your ptsd. Yes, I agree with the others that by all means, you should check with your psychiatrist, but imho I don’t think that it is an addiction to valium that is causing you these problems. It sounds as though your psychiatrist took a very slow and easy route to wean you off of it. Who knows? Different people will have various reactions, but I would venture to guess that it is the pressures of returning to work and to make matters worse, returning to a hostile work environment, instead of a supportive one. Personnally, I applaud you for returning to work with the determination that you have. I have never been able to recover enough to do this, but that is my story and has nothing to do with your situation. I still think that you are a very strong person to be fighting this battle and be determined to win, even if it means changing companies. Please do make an appt. as soon as you can to talk with your psychiatrist. He or she will have a lot more input and suggestions than I, but don’t put to much pressure on yourself. It sounds like the people at work aren’t exactly cooperating. It isn’t you. Your doc may change dosages or meds to help you along. Good luck and let us know how it turns out. Sandra – Hide quoted text — Show quoted text -> Hasn’t been helped by my employer creating stressful situations that I have > dealt with successfully whilst I’m on a rehab return to work program. I > think they were expecting me to crash but 6 weeks in I haven’t so therefore > they are creating problems and I am reacting. I’ve already told them that I > have learnt how to fight hard and I am returning to work! > I also have to deal with ignorant staff who think I have suffered stress not > PTSD and treat me as a bludger, no brain, no feelings "watch out for her" > attitude. I’m beginning to feel unwelcome and to recover fully I think I > will have to leave and work somewhere else where nobody knows me. Any > suggestions? Barb
Response:
-Thanks to all I stuffed up my original response so had to create new thread, sorry Barb.
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