Psych Drug Truth

Common Valium Side Effects

Valium an addictive drug and should not be reduced quickly.

Valium

Anxiety - Insomnia - Agitation

For proper Valium withdrawal click here
 
Home Page  - Ativan - Celexa - Cymbalta - Effexor - Klonopin - Lexapro - Paxil - Prozac - Ritalin - Sarafem - Strattera - Valium - Wellbutrin - Xanax - Zoloft -  Withdrawal

Valium. Valium side effects, warnings, precautions, adverse effects, overdose, withdrawal symptoms and Valium natural alternatives. Before you begin the spiral down with this drug, try giving your body what it really wants. 

Valium

Diazepam 
Valium Side Effects

This site gives basic information about Valium and other psychoactive medication.

Are you experiencing Valium withdrawal?

Are you looking for Valium answers?

We just received word How to Get Off Psychiatric Drugs Safely 2010 Edition was released by the publisher, and is now available at Barnes and Nobel. The book sells for $13.64

Click here to go to Barnes and Nobel to purchase.

 

The 2010 Edition covers:

 

  • Antidepressants, Antipsychotics, Anti-anxiety, Benzodiazepines and ADHD Medications

  • How to taper off the medications

  • How to taper off multiple medications

  • What to do if you are already tapering and suffering

  • What to do if you have already quit a medication and still suffering

  • What to do once off medication

You can also meet the author:

 Meet the author, James Harper, How to Get Off Psychiatric Drugs Safely 2010 Edition at the following medical conventions:

Parker Chiropractic College Annual Convention Jan. 14-16, 2010 Las Vegas Hilton, Las Vegas, NV.

Alternative College of Medicine, San Diego, CA. Exact day in April to be announced.

Holistic Treatment: Changing the Way We Look at Recovery April 28-30, 2010 Palms Resort, Las Vegas, NV.  James will be presenting at the conference and the topic will be Duel Diagnosis, How to Solve Drug/Drug Interactions

New World Fair Health Expo May 22-23, 2010 Pasadena Convention Center, Pasadena, CA. James will be a keynote speaker and discuss how a person can get off psychoactive medication and what they can do to eliminate the medication side effects.

“I am now more than halfway off my antidepressant, using the program. I was able to reduce a little bit of the medication with my naturopath, but we reached a standstill after the second reduction. The side effects started and we could not get rid of them. The Omega 3 got rid of the brain zaps within a few hours and they never came back. The Body Calm has been amazing at helping me stay calm during the day and with my sleep. And that barley did just what you said it would do for my energy and complete feelings. I can’t thank you enough.”

J.S.

New York

Pharmacology

On this Web Site find information about Diazepam (Valium) Diazapam. Diazapam side effects, warnings, precautions, adverse effects, overdose, withdrawal symptoms and Diazapam natural alternatives. Before you begin the spiral down with these drugs, try giving your body what it really wants. Valium diazepam, valium, valium diazepam stress, valium diazepam anxiety, stress, anxiety, stress valium diazepam, anxiety valium diazepam, VALIUM DIAZEPAM, valium diazepam side effects, side effects valium diazepam, valium diazepam dangers, side effects valium diazepam, side effects valium diazepam, valium diazepam, stress and anxiety, stress medication, stress relief, relief from stress, stress, valium diazepam and children, valium diazepam withdrawal, how to get off valium diazepam, valium diazepam therapy, ssri, ssri's, Asendin, valium diazepam and depression, side effects of valium diazepam, difference between valium diazepam and valium diazepam, valium diazepam and depression, valium diazepam and obsessive compulsive disorder, american psychiatric association, mental disorder, mental disorders, dangers of valium diazepam and valium diazepam.Anxiolytic - Sedative - Muscle Relaxant

Valium is a benzodiazepine with CNS depressant properties and a somewhat flatter dose-response slope than the sedative-hypnotic drugs. In laboratory animals, it produces, in varying doses, taming, disinhibitory, sedative, anticonvulsant, muscle relaxant, ataxic and hypnotic effects.

Valium is relatively devoid of autonomic effects and does not significantly reduce locomotor activity at low doses, or depress amphetamine-induced excitation. In high doses, it activates the drug metabolizing enzymes in the liver. Valium also possesses dependence liability and may produce withdrawal symptoms, but has a wide margin of safety against poisoning.

Metabolism studies in animals and man have indicated that oral diazepam is rapidly absorbed from the gastrointestinal tract. Peak blood levels are reached within 1-2 hours after administration. The acute half-life is 6-8 hours with a slower decline thereafter, possibly due to tissue storage.

In humans, comparable blood levels of diazepam were obtained in maternal and cord blood indicating placental transfer of the drug. Valium may appear in human breast milk.

With the parenteral form, peak blood levels are reached within 15 minutes after i.v. administration and are of the same magnitude as after oral administration. The respective half-life is approximately 2-3 hours.

The distribution and fate of tritium-labeled Valium in man has indicated that the drug has a rapid and extensive uptake by tissues. Although the radioactivity in the blood appears to represent mainly the intact drug, Valium was shown to be excreted exclusively in the form of its metabolites. The two major metabolites are oxazepam glucuronide and N-desmethylated diazepam.

 

Indications

The short-term symptomatic management of mild to moderate degrees of anxiety in conditions dominated by tension, excitation, agitation, fear or aggressiveness, such as may occur in psychoneurosis, anxiety reactions due to stress conditions and anxiety states with somatic expression.

In acute alcoholic withdrawal, diazepam may be useful in the symptomatic relief of acute agitation, tremor and impending acute delirium tremens.

As an adjunct for the relief of skeletal muscle spasm due to reflex spasm to local pathology, such as inflammation of the muscle and joints or secondary to trauma; spasticity caused by upper motor neuron disorders, such as cerebral palsy and paraplegia; athetosis and the rare stiff man syndrome.

 

Contraindications

Myasthenia gravis, known hypersensitivity to benzodiazepines. Not recommended for children under 6 months of age.

 

Warnings

Pregnancy:
 Several studies have suggested an increased risk of congenital malformations associated with the use of Valium, chlordiazepoxide and meprobamate during the first trimester of pregnancy. Therefore, the administration of diazepam is rarely justified in women of childbearing potential. If the drug is prescribed for a woman of childbearing potential, she should be warned to contact her physician regarding discontinuation of the drug if she intends to become or suspects that she is pregnant.

 

Precautions

Geriatrics:
 Elderly and debilitated patients or those with organic brain disorders have been found to be prone to CNS depression following even low doses. For these patients it is recommended that the dosage be limited to the smallest effective amount to preclude development of ataxia, oversedation or other possible adverse effects.

Use in emotional disorders:
Valium is not recommended in the treatment of psychotic or severely depressed patients. Precautions are indicated for severely depressed patients or those who show evidence of impending depression, particularly the recognition that suicidal tendencies may be present and protective measures may be necessary. Since excitement and other paradoxical reactions may result from the use of the drug in psychotic patients, it should not be used in ambulatory patients suspected of having psychotic tendencies.

Use in epileptic patients:
 Since Valium may exacerbate grand mal seizures in some patients, caution is required when it is used in epileptic patients. An adjustment may be necessary in their anticonvulsive medication. Abrupt withdrawal of Valium in these patients should also be avoided.

Potentiation of drug effects:
 Patients should be advised to abstain from alcohol and other CNS depressant drugs during treatment with Valium. Phenothiazines, barbiturates, MAO inhibitors and other psychoactive drugs may potentiate the action of the drug and should not usually be given concurrently.

Drug dependence:
 Abrupt cessation of large doses of Valium after prolonged periods may precipitate acute withdrawal symptoms and, in these cases, the drug should be discontinued gradually. Caution should be exercised when it is considered necessary to administer Valium to addiction prone individuals.

Occupational Hazards:
 Patients receiving Valium should be advised to proceed cautiously whenever mental alertness and physical coordination are required.

The usual precautions in treating patients with impaired renal and hepatic functions should be observed. If Valium is administered for protracted periods, periodic blood counts and liver function tests would be highly advisable.

 

Adverse Effects

The most common adverse effects reported are drowsiness and ataxia. Other reactions noted less frequently are fatigue, dizziness, nausea, blurred vision, diplopia, vertigo, headache, slurred speech, tremors, hypoactivity, dysarthria, euphoria, impairment of memory, confusion, depression, incontinence or urinary retention, constipation, skin rash, generalized exfoliative dermatitis, hypotension, changes in libido.

The more serious adverse reactions occasionally reported are leukopenia, jaundice, hypersensitivity and paradoxical reactions.

Paradoxical reactions such as hyperexcited states, anxiety, excitement, hallucinations, increased muscle spasticity, insomnia, rage, as well as sleep disturbances and stimulation, have been reported; should these occur, the drug should be discontinued.

Minor changes in EEG patterns have been observed in patients on Valium therapy. These changes consist of low to moderate voltage fast activity, 20 to 30 cycles/second and are of no known significance.

 

Overdose

Symptoms:
 Drowsiness, oversedation and ataxia. When the effects of drug overdosage begin to wear off, the patient exhibits some jitteriness and overstimulation. The cardinal manifestations of overdosage are drowsiness and confusion, reduced reflexes and coma. There are minimum effects on respiration, pulse and blood pressure unless the overdosage is extreme.

Treatment:
 Gastric lavage may be beneficial if performed soon after oral ingestion of Valium. If necessary, a CNS stimulant such as caffeine or methylphenidate may be administered with caution. Supportive measures should be instituted as indicated, such as, maintenance of an adequate airway, levarterenol for hypotension. Dialysis appears to be of little value.

 

Dosage

Must be individualized according to diagnosis, severity of symptoms and degree of response. While the usual daily dosages given below will meet the needs of most patients, there will be some who may require higher doses. In the first few days of administration a cumulative effect of the drug may occur, and therefore the dosage should be increased only after stabilization is evident.

Adults:
 Symptomatic relief of anxiety and tension in psychoneurosis and anxiety reactions: 2 to 10 mg, 2 to 4 times daily depending upon severity of symptoms.

Symptomatic relief in acute alcohol withdrawal: 10 mg, 3 or 4 times during the first 24 hours, reducing to 5 mg, 3 or 4 times daily as needed.

Adjunctively for relief of skeletal muscle spasms: 2 to 10 mg, 3 to 4 times daily.

Elderly and debilitated patients, or in the presence of debilitating disease:
2 mg, 1 or 2 times daily initially; increase gradually as needed and tolerated.

Children (Because of varied responses, initiate therapy with lowest dose and increase as required. Not for use in children under 6 months):
1 to 2.5 mg, 3 or 4 times daily initially; increase gradually as needed and tolerated.

Do not prescribe or administer diazepam for periods in excess of 6 weeks, unless a definite need for utilizing this medication has been established by a follow-up medical examination.