Benzodiazepines for anxiety: no effect at all?

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Hi,

My doc put me on diazepam (a benzodiazepine) with the intention of giving me some short-term relief from anxiety over the Christmas period before shifting to something more long-term in the New Year. The dose each time is 2mg as needed, up to twice a day.

I've taken two pills so far. I was concerned about negative side-effects, not an unreasonable worry considering I've had some odd reactions to medication in the past. Well, I'm having an odd reaction to this one - nothing obvious is happening at all! It could be making me more mellow, but so subtly I might be imagining it, and my anxiety is still triggered by all the situations that used to trigger it before the medication.

So for those who have taken or are taking this stuff: Has anyone else ever experienced this? Did it take some time to work? If you found the drug helpful, how did it make you feel? What dose were you on?

Thanks,
Lockheart

Have been on benzo's a couple of times - worked well for me. Mostly felt perfectly normal but with the general anxiety gone. I found they just smoothed things right out for me - not stoned at all, just calm.

I've only taken benzodiazepines rarely, just during (rate) times of insomnia. (Really do not like to take any such prescription, but it has it's place).

Last prescription, about 1.5 years ago, had virtually no effect, like you. The low dose was, I think, 2mg.

When were you prescribed the medication? Drugs may need time to circulate in your body for it to start taking effect. When I started taking nootropics to help with my inattentive behaviors it took a month for it to actually do anything notable.

Actually, benzodiazepines are fast-acting & relatively quickly metabolized.

Further, benzodiazepines are NEVER intended for prolonged use: highly addictive & quickly lose their effect over time.

Have used benzos from the doctor for emergency anxiety situations, only once a year or every couple of years though, as the things are very addictive.

My doctor told me that people react differently to them - I'm lucky to be sensitive and I absolutely love them, the high for me is the sudden absence of anxiety.

Best to talk to your doctor about your reaction, you might need something else.

I've been taking clonazepam for the past year and 4 months with no issues, at the same dosage. .5mg in the morning and .5mg at night. I haven't had any issues until the past little bit, where I'm a bit more anxious. Then again, clonazepam has a long half life.

But I do agree with you on them being addictive, depending on the exact drug. Lorazepam is very addictive and I was hooked on it for quite awhile due to massive anxiety, which meant coming off of it was not fun at all.

I understand, and there can be specific conditions under which low-dose benzodiazepines are prescribed longer under close supervision, like spacing doses carefully. Yeah though, fairly readily becomes resistant.

I occasionally take Valerian root herb, a natural alternative from the nutrition store.

Well there is your problem right there. 2mg of Diazepam(Valium) is a dose that is so insignificantly small I can only imagine that it was created merely for placebo purposes, so no wonder it had no effect at all. 2mg of Diazepam is equivalent to 0.1mg of Clonazepam(Klonopin). The smallest dose pill Clonazepam comes in is 0.5mg. Either your doctor doesn't know what he is doing(very likely) or you have a past experience of being VERY sensitive to meds or he was counting on the placebo effect to help your anxiety. Many doctors are unwilling to prescribe actually useful doses of Diazepam, and you have better luck going with something more potent per mg like Clonazepam or Lorazepam.

10mg of Diazepam(Valium) = 0.5mg Clonazepam(Klonopin) = 0.5mg Alprazolam(Xanax) = 1mg Lorazepam(Ativan)

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

Too much of any benzo and you will be knocked flat on your ass, too little and nothing will happen. You need to find the sweet spot between need and tolerance to get the best effect. A word of warning is that tolerance with most people builds over time requiring you to use more and more to get the same effect and you may very well reach a point years from now where the drug no longer helps you but you only continue to take it to avoid withdrawal. Benzodiazepene withdrawal is the worst of all psychiatric medications to withdraw from. You cannot cold turkey it from mid to high doses. High dose sudden benzo withdrawal can include seizures and even death. The withdrawal is beyond awful and can last even for years since your last dose. You must always taper off benzos.

Benzos are best taken only as needed, that way you avoid tolerance and you avoid physican dependence. Everyone who takes benzos long enough and above minimal doses will become physically dependent meaning they will experience withdrawal if they suddenly stop taking the drug without tapering. Physical dependence is different from addiction. Addiction is the maladaptive behaviours surrounding impulsive drug seeking behaviour and use and is often accompained by physical dependence.

Always inform and educate yourself on any medication. DO NOT RELY solely on your doctor to inform you about any medication you decide to take. If you end up going through withdrawals, your doctor won't be the one to suffer it will be you and he won't be at your bedside or be filling in for you at work. Always plan out what your short term, mid term and long term will look, run a simulation in your head. Plan ahead, because most doctors won't(you may think they are but they often cannot see even two steps ahead simply because they don't care).

I took Klonopin for a tremor disorder & I was taking 1mg 3x a day or 2mg 2x a day. It did help my anxiety at 1st but quit having an effect after a while. After being off it for years, I started taking it occasionally for anxiety & I usually take 1 point 5mg pill or half a pill as a preventative measure & it helps.

Hmm... it seems I spoke too soon. While it's still not doing much for the anxiety, the stuff might be making me sleepy, which I don't like at all. I thought that wasn't supposed to happen unless you took a dose of about 10mg before bed.

Thanks for the helpful information, everyone. Don't worry, I won't be taking them long-term. The only reason I tried them at all was because the intense anxiety I've been experiencing has been going on for at least year and nothing else I've tried so far has helped. I haven't slept properly for months, so I'm at the point where the potential benefits outweighed the risks. I'm going back to the doctor on Friday to report my 'progress'.

The doc and I decided to try mirtazapine instead. I hate all these psychiatric drugs for being double-edged swords, but I'm also really tired of being anxious all the time. Here's hoping this one works with minimal side-effects.

My doc insisted I take them long term they do not work anymore, the benzo is not even working to put me to sleep anymore, and my doc insists to still take them.

Maybe get a second opinion? My doc was very clear that they were for short-term use, and my own research supports that idea.

I've been on them for 6 years. You build tolerance. Like a heroin addict, you end up taking them so you don't get sick or I suppose in this instance a rebound anxiety which would make heroin withdrawal a walk in the park in comparison.

Any doctor that prescribes Valium , ya, I would see someone else, you want something fast acting with a short half life like alpralozam.

They are incredibly addictive and the process of weening off well in my case 6 years of judicious non recreational use had taken more than a year just to half the dosage. Withdrawal is hell if done cold turkey when you've been in them for enough time. Imagine a constant panic attack and it doesn't stop. Now imagine that for , well ive never made it more than 1.5 weeks before you start getting seizures from your gaba system trying to rebalance.

Exercise. Meditate. And accept that you are an anxious person. My advice. Having said that, having access for those times where failing due to anxiety is life altering, I think they are fantastic.