# Valium 10mg and Xanax 2mg



## eppcheck (Jul 27, 2009)

After lurking these forums for a solution to my social anxiety for a couple months. I am now taking valium and xanax. I have been trying to avoid any type of anxiety medication previously because of the bad rep of building tolerances, addictions, and withdrawls. After trying non-pharmaceutical approaches I've taken the plunge into medication and received and rx for both val and xanax. Currently I just take 1 valium a day right before work and use the xanax sparingly only for meetings, interviews, etc...basically for situations that my anxiety really kicks in. My concern...

It appears (from what i've researched) all these medications are only temporary solutions to anxiety. Although they have been working great for me and I would love to continue use with them I don't want to find my self a couple years later with a tolerance requiring larger dosages or even worse an addiction. 

What is everyone elses experience with these medications? Am I just setting myself up for more problems in the future? I just want to be able to interact normally like everyone else with out being a bubbling socially awkward penguin that can't function when the anxiety kicks in. 

Anybody sucessfully been taking these medications for a long period of time?

Is the addictions, tolerance, withdrawls dependent on the individual? Will a responsible user taking as prescribed have sucess with these?

Thanks for all replies


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## kittymeow (Mar 3, 2010)

idk i havent started medication yet but i have a question for you. how long did it take for you to work? like how many days have you been on it?


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## arth98 (Nov 30, 2009)

both your meds are high doses, I would halve them and take as needed and not every day, carry some tablets with you when out and disolve 1 under the tongue if needed suddenly

it also helps to breathe deep and slow when anxious

your meds arent addictive for sensible people


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## Arisa1536 (Dec 8, 2009)

10MG of valium is not a high dose, but considering you are on both Xanax and valium (diazepam) together makes me wonder why the doctor would prescribe you two benzodiazepines at the same time and not an anti depressant or something like buspar or an anxiety blocker before going to the last resort which is generally benzo's well it is here in this country (N.Z) 

Yeah they are a temporary solution to a long term problem, but i found they helped my social anxiety tremendously mixed with a decent anti depressant for me it was effexor which is a standard SNRI and a benzo that helped, but even if i am not on benzo's my social anxiety is low, i do not have issues with it, its the anxiety that the benzo withdrawal causes that causes the doctors to think twice before prescribing because they ARE addictive


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## n1kkuh (Jul 11, 2008)

BE wise with your dosages and if you feel a rebound anxiety, don't take another pill to get rid of it, you'll end up with a harder rebound effect later. You don't want to take it consecutively for more than four days I would say, cuz that's where the hardcore withdrawals come into play, and they can last for weeks. 

Btw, do you notice any significant difference in the effects between the Diazepam and the Xanax?


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## eppcheck (Jul 27, 2009)

kittymeow said:


> idk i havent started medication yet but i have a question for you. how long did it take for you to work? like how many days have you been on it?


I hardly take any pills not even tylenol or ibroprofen so medications hit me pretty hard. To answer your question tho,the valium worked beginning the first day. I took my first one right before work and walked into my office as if I was a boss. This might of been intensified by a placebo effect though because I was excited before hand about taking them. I've been on them for about a week now and I'd say 90% of my anxiety is gone.

The xanax takes about 20-30 min to kick in and works imediately after that. I have the 2mg so they are pretty strong and most of the time i'll split them to avoid some of the side effects like drowziness. When split for some reason they kick in alot faster almost 5-10 min. I've only taken 3 this last week even though I'm prescribed to take them daily. I take the xanax with an energy drink before meetings, presentations, interviews, etc...


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## Arisa1536 (Dec 8, 2009)

eppcheck said:


> I hardly take any pills not even tylenol or ibroprofen so medications hit me pretty hard. To answer your question tho,the valium worked beginning the first day. I took my first one right before work and walked into my office as if I was a boss. This might of been intensified by a placebo effect though because I was excited before hand about taking them. I've been on them for about a week now and I'd say 90% of my anxiety is gone.
> 
> The xanax takes about 20-30 min to kick in and works imediately after that. I have the 2mg so they are pretty strong and most of the time i'll split them to avoid some of the side effects like drowziness. When split for some reason they kick in alot faster almost 5-10 min. I've only taken 3 this last week even though I'm prescribed to take them daily. I take the xanax with an energy drink before meetings, presentations, interviews, etc...


What you are doing sounds good:clap, it seems you have been able to create a fair balance for yourself, i understand taking the energy drink with the xanax before something work related or social, i take coca cola or coffee the proper espresso stuff with my clonazepam as it does aide its absorption since we are not able to get the wafers you can get in the states and canada, we only have the benzos in pill or liquid form but no doctor would say yes to liquid form unless i was under medical supervision

would the Xanax on their own be beneficial?
i am just wondering, do you need the diazepam valium as well?


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## eppcheck (Jul 27, 2009)

Arisa1536 said:


> What you are doing sounds good:clap, it seems you have been able to create a fair balance for yourself, i understand taking the energy drink with the xanax before something work related or social, i take coca cola or coffee the proper espresso stuff with my clonazepam as it does aide its absorption since we are not able to get the wafers you can get in the states and canada, we only have the benzos in pill or liquid form but no doctor would say yes to liquid form unless i was under medical supervision
> 
> would the Xanax on their own be beneficial?
> i am just wondering, do you need the diazepam valium as well?


Well my situation with anxiety is only extreme in performance type situations like being the center of attention or being questioned. So to answer your questions, yes the xanax probably would be sufficient and I could live without the valium but...

Since being on it for awhile now I've notice the valium has helped me tremendously with just being "normal". What I mean by "normal" is that now I can finally feel confortable just saying hello, starting friendly conversations, making good eye contact without showing the awkward body language you get with SA. I use to walk into my office paranoid everyone is staring and judging me. While others are grouped together talking and laughing I'm usually speed walking by trying not to make eye contact so they won't initiate conversation with me. Also, I'm able to take the elevator now because I'm not so nervous if someone starts conversation with me. I use to take the stairs and back ways to my desk to avoid people. Althought doing this usually will keep me from getting any anxiety I don't want to be that weird guy that avoids everyone staring at the ground and the valium helps me with that.

Basically the valium seems to last alot longer and is less strong which is perfect for work. It gets me through a day of work being productive and friendly. I know supposedly valium only last 4 hours or so but it seems to work a full work day of 8 for me. Maybe because I don't normally take medication. I also have a theory that since I've been more social with my co-workers with the valium that even when the valium is no longer in effect I have developed some confidence/comfort levels therefore the anxiety has subsided :boogie.

A little updated on the Xanax....that sht is strong and I'm going to talk to my doctor about a lower dosage. If I take a full 2 mg I'm drowzy and completely relaxed. In a meeting I had a few days ago I had no anxiety but kind of gave off the vibe that I didn't care about what we were talking about like I had "better things to do". Plus it's hard to stay focused on things.


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## Arisa1536 (Dec 8, 2009)

eppcheck said:


> A little updated on the Xanax....that sht is strong and I'm going to talk to my doctor about a lower dosage. If I take a full 2 mg I'm drowzy and completely relaxed. In a meeting I had a few days ago I had no anxiety but kind of gave off the vibe that I didn't care about what we were talking about like I had "better things to do". Plus it's hard to stay focused on things.


Really? hmmm yeah maybe 2MG all in one go is a bit strong, i do not take my clonazepam in one go, i take 1MG in the morning and 1MG at 8pm so perhaps two in one go was a bit much?
i also hear Xanax is very potent and this is obviously the case for you
to be honest i am surprised the doc gave u them on top of the 10MG of valium
i would have thought they would have added something with a little less "voom" so to speak like Lorazepam or serepax cuz u need at least 30MG of serepax for it to have an effect as its also low potency, my mate karen in aussie takes it and she needs 30MG so perhaps 15MG of that is better or extra valium and no Xanax?


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## eppcheck (Jul 27, 2009)

Arisa1536 said:


> Really? hmmm yeah maybe 2MG all in one go is a bit strong, i do not take my clonazepam in one go, i take 1MG in the morning and 1MG at 8pm so perhaps two in one go was a bit much?
> i also hear Xanax is very potent and this is obviously the case for you
> to be honest i am surprised the doc gave u them on top of the 10MG of valium
> i would have thought they would have added something with a little less "voom" so to speak like Lorazepam or serepax cuz u need at least 30MG of serepax for it to have an effect as its also low potency, my mate karen in aussie takes it and she needs 30MG so perhaps 15MG of that is better or extra valium and no Xanax?


Well, I'm actually in the pharmaceutical insurance industry and my doc is a good friend of mine. I actually requested to give them a try and he knows I'm not the type to abuse medications. Infact, I hate taking medication it's kind of againts my ideals. Working with pharmacies and people that take medication I kind of have a negative view on the use of them. The horror stories and reliance on medication now days makes me very hesistant. This experience with my SA and meds has definanently made me more understanding.

Thanks for the input I'll definanently discuss those alternatives with my doc. I'm actually just going to link him to this thread that way I don't have to repeat myself and explain my experiences thus far. Any more input is appreciated and thanks in advance.


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## eppcheck (Jul 27, 2009)

One last thing. If I continued to use the valium 10mg daily for example and nothing else. Would I just end up building a tolerance and have to keep uping it and uping it as life goes on? It seems to work well but If i'm just going to end up with a tolerance to a point it doesn't work than whats the point of starting?


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## UltraShy (Nov 8, 2003)

I seem to take more benzos than anybody on SAS that I'm aware of. I take 10 mg of Xanax daily and have been at that level for several years.

Benzos have never done very much for me. Many look at my dose and assume I must take so much as I developed a tolerance over years, which isn't the case. I take so much because they never did much.

The first time I took a benzo was August 2000 when I tried Valium and Ativan. Valium is a legendary drug. What could be more iconic than a drug that was the top selling prescription drug of the 1970s, ruling the pharmaceutical world for so long. Taking it was as anti-climactic as possible and was very disappointed that it doesn't even come close to living up to it's near-mythical status.


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## meyaj (Sep 5, 2009)

eppcheck said:


> One last thing. If I continued to use the valium 10mg daily for example and nothing else. Would I just end up building a tolerance and have to keep uping it and uping it as life goes on? It seems to work well but If i'm just going to end up with a tolerance to a point it doesn't work than whats the point of starting?


It should work for quite some time as long as you're okay with SOME tolerance. The sedative effects can start to wear off quickly but it can still be a useful anxiolytic. What's important is that you DON'T keep upping it constantly as life goes on, or tolerance will just quickly build again to the newest dose increase. Find a dose that works for you and stick with it, even if you do become somewhat tolerant. That's really the only way to keep it from skyrocketing.


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## eppcheck (Jul 27, 2009)

UltraShy said:


> I seem to take more benzos than anybody on SAS that I'm aware of. I take 10 mg of Xanax daily and have been at that level for several years.
> 
> Benzos have never done very much for me. Many look at my dose and assume I must take so much as I developed a tolerance over years, which isn't the case. I take so much because they never did much.
> 
> The first time I took a benzo was August 2000 when I tried Valium and Ativan. Valium is a legendary drug. What could be more iconic than a drug that was the top selling prescription drug of the 1970s, ruling the pharmaceutical world for so long. Taking it was as anti-climactic as possible and was very disappointed that it doesn't even come close to living up to it's near-mythical status.


Well everyone knows people react diffrently to medications. I can't get off the couch off a small dose of vicodin.

Why do you take so much medication? Not trying to be mean, but why take so much medication if it doesn't help. This is an example of what I was talking about a couple posts up. Medication doesn't fix anything. It only helps your body fix or help itself. In myy opinion, your not comparing the pros and cons. You have a tolerance for a highly addictive medication that in your own words "never did much". This is why I made this thread. I don't want to end up taking a medication that will for a short time help then leave me disappointed and addicted.

I'm sorry if those questions and statements offend you, but I'm hear on these forums like everyone else with questions and concerns. What you stated is actually the kind of feedback I'm looking for to help me with my decisions. Sincerly, I hope you overcome your SA and please just take my statements knowing I'm just a regulary guy victim to SA (like yourself) looking for the real solution.

If there is such a thing...


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