Possible Substance Problem

[Nagini]

I'm worried I've developed a dependence on my Valium medication. I'm having frequent instances of taking more than I should in an attempt to escape my panic attacks and flashbacks.

I know this is a dangerous area and I recognize the warning signs- I went to detox and rehab last year for an addiction to my old pain medication. I'm over a year sober now and I have addiction support/resources- people I can turn to for help, but I'm scared they'll send me back to rehab.

I will do it- if I have to go back to rehab to secure my sobriety I'll do it- but I'm not sure my Valium dependence is severe enough for such a drastic measure.

I want to fix this problem myself, but if rehab has taught me anything, it's that you can't fix your relapses/addiction by yourself.

I've brought my concerns to my shrink- that I'm more dependent on the Valium than is helthy- I want to go cold turkey, but she says that's dangerous and I need to transition out of Valium to a different medication....I haven't told her the whole truth, that I've been taking more pills than I should-

I'm afraid she'll throw me out of her practice and then I won't have any help/guidance with my psych meds.
(<-A dramatic, probably unrealistic scenario but I still worry)

Has anyone had a similar problem? Any advice is appreciated. I'm scared- I can tell I'm in a "danger zone" and I'm afraid- if I'm not careful- that this could develop into a big relapse or something...

 

[Lawir]

Taking more than you should doesn't make it less dangerous to go cold turkey... It makes it more dangerous.

Diazepam is one of the ones that also has a very long half life... So reduction by 5mg, & the 2mg, is generally done every 2-3 weeks. Meaning a 60mg per day habit? Generally takes about 6mo or longer to taper down from.

Just suddenly quitting? Often results in a fairly long term inpatient hospital stay, if you survive the initial physical withdrawal. Not rehab, but hospital. Benzos are no joke.

 

[Rewa]

i have had the same problem , particularly with valium or any other benzo , it seems to remove my natural ability to protect myself and i just keep taking them , or i start thinking of other things that i used to get into...
I have done valium and klonipin cold turkey and unless your aware of what is going to happen , i wouldnt advise it - the physical part is uncomfortable but the easy part , the emotional part is not so easy. Be honest with your doc, they will probably take them away , unless you can control them. But in all honesty nip it in the bud while you still can, as you said youve been to rehab and know what to do...whenever you relapse , dont beat yourself up , just take the lesson from it and keep moving forward

 

[Ebonet]

Whatever you do, DON'T go cold turkey. By day 3 you'll be scarfing down pills just to make the withdrawals go away. Check out benzobuddies.org as they have TONS of info about coming off of benzodiazepines.

Also, rehab is not recommended for benzo dependence as rehab will rip you off those damn pills so fast that your health could be in danger. Benzos are different than most other drugs in that the taper MUST be slow. The website I referenced has plenty of rehab horror stories as people thought "its a drug, I'm dependent/addicted, so rehab is the best choice" even though it was quite possibly the worst choice. That is, rehab is only for so long, and depending on your dose, you may have a very prolonged taper.