Addicted to Valium?

[venustus]

I have been on Valium 10mg for about 6 months now and feel I cant get of it without suffering with anxiety.In fact in the morning when my anxiety is high I find that I cant function without it.Also taking remeron 30mg at night.Do you guys think I am addicted?My psychiatrist doesn't think I am addicted on such a low dose.He told me he deals with people taking up to 200 5mg tabs a day!!!That sounds insane.
Regards,
Dimi.

[ocdengineer]

You aren't addicted, but your body has probably become dependant on it.  I am in the same situation with Xanax which is a similar drug.  When I wake up in the morning I am usually not feeling all that great until I have taken my pills, then I am OK.  Think of it this way, if you needed insulin daily and didn't take it, would you be sick?  This medication is the same way.  It has altered (temporarily) the functionality of your GABA receptors in your brain.  In doing this it has made you feel better, however, when you stop taking it your GABA receptors have to go back to the normal functionality which was probably a time of anxiety for you.  There is also withdrawl, so it is important to take your medication at the correct times.  If you are taking Valium, you should be taking it before bed and in the morning.  Is that how your doctor prescribed it?

Also, if you do decide to stop taking the Valium, you need to wean off of it over time for the exact reason I stated previously.  You need to give your brain time to adjust and the slower you go the better you will feel. 

Of course speak with your doctor before making any changes in your meds, but this may be a good conversation to have with him.

Addiction implies tolerance and taking the drug even though you know it is harming your body such as the case of an alcoholic drinking when he knows his liver is shot.  Valium doesn't do either, but it can cause a nasty withdrawl, so speak with your doctor.

Take care,
OE

[venustus]

Yes he has prescribed a morning and night dose of 5mg.Thanks for your input and time to properly clarify this for me.
Regards,
Dimi.

[ocdengineer]

No problem.  Check out this article.  It also applies to Valium since Xanax and Valium are related drug types.

http://www.lexington-on-line.com/naf_xanax.html

Later,
OE

[venustus]

Your a wealth of information OE, thanks alot.From previous posts I know that antidepressants haven't really worked for you. It seems I am in a similar boat finding relief only from the Valium.Remeron and Paxil haven't made me any better.But my doctor seems to keep pushing them for me.I feel I am more anxious than depressed.
regards,
Dimi.

[ocdengineer]

That is typical.  There are some legitimate concerns and some politics involved in the benzo addiction discussion.  Paxil and other antidepressants also cause withdrawl and are considered dependency forming, but there is no street value for Paxil because it doesn't intoxicate.  Benzos in large doses are used by drug users and there have been a lot of problems, but with doses far above the therapeutic doses we would take.  We may still have withdrawl when we stop taking it, but some people, like us, just plain don't respond well to antidepressants.  I am very rarely depressed myself.  Most times I am anxious and if I am ever depressed it is because of being anxious for so long.  LOL.  It is a nasty process as you know.  Just to make sure you know.  I am not a medical professional.  I am just a guy who has OCD and has found relative peace with it.

Take care,
OE

[venustus]

I understand this OE, but I really have lost faith in the medical profession in really understanding our problem.We "sufferers" know what its like to cope with this everyday and sometimes "non" doctors tend to be more helpfull.I guess we have "hands on" experience so to speak.Your advice from this and other posts has been a great help.And these forums have really helped me.I think doctors tend to over prescribe antidepressants as a wonder drug,but for me they have done nothing in curbing my anxiety and obsession issues.Valium has worked.Do you think 15mg a day is excessive?
Thanks,
Dimi.

[ocdengineer]

Here is a good chart that compares the different benzos.  My doctor told me that most men stabilize around 3 mg of Xanax and women tend to stabilize between 2 and 2.5 mg of Xanax which per the chart is roughly:

60 mg of Valium for men and
40-50 mg of Valium for women

So, 15 mg is a very small dose.  I am on 2 mg (Xanax) per day and found it pretty good at combatting the anxiety which would be roughly 40 mg of Valium per day.  Most doctors won't go above 4 mg of Xanax because dependency is more likely and that is equivalent to 80 mg of Valium, so you are definitely in the very small range of doses.

So, no, I don't think 15 mg is excessive and you may even need to increase a little later, but discuss it with your doctor if you feel that the amount you are taking just isn't cutting it.  It took me a couple months to get up to the dose I am at, but now that I have achieved and effective doseage I have stabilized and have been pretty comfortable for 9-10 months now.

Check out the chart

http://www.benzo.org.uk/bzequiv.htm

Take care,
OE

[venustus]

Thanks again OE.
Regards,
Dimi.