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4.1 Overall Rating

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Most voted positive review

400 People found this comment helpful

I have been taking Valium for a little over 20 years for insomnia, anxiety and PTSD. I take 5mg in the evening and 2.5 mg (1/2 tablet) as needed during the day. It works great, no side effects. I have stopped taking for brief periods and didnâ??t suffer withdrawal symptoms. I believe this is an effective medication, it helps me function and takes away the horrible feeling that is extreme anxiety. ...

Most voted negative review

269 People found this comment helpful

I have been using Valium for almost 3 years, but I also tried Zanex for about 6 months. I preferred the Zanex, but I didn't want to get addicted. The Valium doesn't really help anymore. So I don't know what to do. I have Buspar as well, but it doesn't work at all. I'm very interested in finding out what I can do about this. I'm very interested to find out. I have tried to talk to my doctor and he ...

Shared reviews and ratings

mriissues | 75 or over | Male |
12/16/2023
Condition: Inducing of a Relaxed Easy State
Overall rating 4.7
Effectiveness
Ease of Use
Satisfaction

I take a 10mg Valium to relax me enough to have a closed MRI. My claustrophobia plus the loud noises cause panic attacks if I am not sedated.

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Aileron2021 | 35-44 | Male | On medication for less than 1 month | Patient
1/22/2023
Condition: Anxious
Overall rating 4.3
Effectiveness
Ease of Use
Satisfaction

I was prescribed this after years of GAD and panic disorder I started having panic attacks when 16 to where I couldn’t leave the house. I then drank alcohol and it helped anxiety but caused a whole other problem but finally gave that up but noticed I would relapse every 3 years all due to anxiety and panic and pelvic pain. I had tried almost every SSRI, SNRI, etc Finally I met a psychiatrist who truly listened to me and actually recommended this medication which most nowadays do not. as in last 3 years I’ve had 6 surgeries due to pelvic floor dysfunction and am just so tense both physically and mentally to where I now have ileostomy as nothing wants to leave my body. Since I have started this my stomach muscles have relaxed I’m able to function thru an entire day work full time and be the father and husband I strive to be. It’s truly been a life saver in multiple ways and I understand the risks as well but the benefits far outweigh the cons and I’m grateful. I take 5mg 3 times daily though in morning usually just 2.5 then about 7.5 in evening after work day. Read More Read Less

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Hazel | 65-74 | Female | On medication for 10 years or more | Patient
11/6/2022
Condition: Other
Overall rating 5.0
Effectiveness
Ease of Use
Satisfaction

Only medication that had worked for a number of mental and physical disabilities. Was able to stop taking hormone replacement therapy.

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Diazepam | 45-54 | Female | On medication for less than 1 month | Patient
9/18/2022
Condition: Sleep Disturbance with Extreme Anxiety
Overall rating 3.0
Effectiveness
Ease of Use
Satisfaction

Hi all I have just came across this website and I’m so afraid. Long story short. I am plagued by panic attacks since hitting menopause 4 years ago. I have tried 7 different types of antidepressants. I’m on hormone replacement therapy. I was started on 2 mga of Xanax 4 years ago and came off it 13 weeks ago due to visual hallucinations and terrible fatigue also waves of anxiety. I have tried therapy everything that I have been told to do and I am so unwell now with debilitating anxiety and panic. I do not have depression. I am under a psychiatrist but after 4 years with him I haven’t got better. My GP who is brilliant has suggested low dose of diazepam. I feel a failure if I try this and so afraid of medication now. But I can’t live like this every day. 3 times I have been in emergency due to panic attacks and the dreadful physical symptoms. I guess I just need reassurance as what I should do and will I be ok taking them.Read More Read Less

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simona | 35-44 | Female | Patient
8/4/2022
Condition: Panic Disorder
Overall rating 4.3
Effectiveness
Ease of Use
Satisfaction

I've been on benzodiazepine medications since 2004 when I went through a horrible bout of anxiety and could barely leave home. I've had an anxiety disorder my entire life and have had panic attacks since I was 12. I've been taking Valium 5 mg for about 5 years now but I'm now tapering off it because I'm having trouble accessing the medication and don't want to wind up in the ER with benzo withdrawal, which has happened to me before. It angers me that a person with true anxiety and PTSD like myself who doesn't even drink alcohol is being treated like a drug addict for the mere crime of needing my long-term medication by my "new" psych nurse practitioner. Healthcare providers today care too much about their potential financial liability and nothing about the suffering of their patients. I am being forced to pay for urine drug screens out of pocket (yesterday I paid for one at $135, which I cannot afford) to ensure I'm not abusing my medication. Honey, if I was an addict I'd be on skid row by now as I've been on benzos for 18 years, yet I manage somehow to hold down a good job with good insurance. My only crime is living in an area with no healthcare providers. But, I digress. Valium is a good drug and has kept my panic disorder at bay. It does make me very tired during the day so I think that cutting down and getting off it will be a good thing for me. Hopefully I can keep my anxiety under control with "natural supplements." Wish me luck.Read More Read Less

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Anonymous | 19-24 | Male | On medication for less than 1 month | Patient
5/10/2022
Condition: Psychosis caused by Sudden Alcohol Withdrawal
Overall rating 5.0
Effectiveness
Ease of Use
Satisfaction

Suffered with alcoholism for many years, finally had the strength to quit, but I knew there would be some uncomfortable withdrawals and possible seizures going forward, went into the ER to detox, they gave me Ativan at first, did well, then they discharged me and prescribed me Valium, started taking it and helped my withdrawal symptoms so much, had very little to no shakes, tremors etc. I can honestly say valium saved my life cuz who knows if I would have had a withdrawal seizure

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JJ2 | 45-54 | Male | On medication for 5 to less than 10 years | Patient
1/6/2022
Condition: Anxious
Overall rating 5.0
Effectiveness
Ease of Use
Satisfaction

I have basically situational exacerbated Generalized Anxiety Disorder. Translation: My A-type personality makes me worry a lot more than the average person and I'm not as well 'equipped' mentally to deal with unusually high-anxiety life events/situations than most people to the point it disrupts my ability to get through a day productively sometimes. For most of my like I just 'sucked it up' until I found out in my 30's that my Mom had GAD (which until then I didn't even know I had GAD) and starting putting the pieces of the puzzle together as to why I so often feel anxious and fear and foreboding of bad events to come in the future. I exhaustively research anything and everything. The pharma profile (so to speak) of Valium fit my condition (and low and behold that's what my Mom was taking off and on all these years I didn't know.) The psychiatrist I went to agreed but we both agreed that regular physical exercise and Vitamin D supplements were also key (I live in the Northwest and get Seasonal Affective Disorder in the Winter of course also.) I'm 190 lbs male. I take it off and on, usually for a 1-3 day stint every 6-9 days. If I haven't taken any for a week or more, 5 mg once or twice a day is enough to take the anxious/panicky edge off and let me work productively throughout the day. Otherwise it takes 10mg if I've take it in the last 5-6 days. The actual therapeutic effect (that you feel) is short-lived (maybe 4-6 hours at best) but the metabolites have a much longer half-life (3-4 days or in that vicinity) than the other popular benzodiazepines, namely the popular Xanax. This is mostly a good thing and a bit of a bad thing. It's bad due to the aforementioned reason in that if you take it frequently, it contributes to a tolerance (which plateaus) but so is the same as the other benzos. The more important good thing about it is that unless you are taking high doses for a very long time (like 20mg total a day or more for a month or more every day), valium is WAY easier to stop taking as the long half life of the metabolites makes the withdrawal period stretch out much longer than say Xanax. Depending on your dosing regimen you might feel a varying degree of withdrawal which is easily avoided by slowly tapering off on your dosage but if you unexpectedly don't have access to your medication for 2 or 3 days, if you're a moderate or infrequent user, you are MUCH better off than if you were taking Xanax or Ativan. Xanax is frankly DANGEROUS to intentionally or unintentionally abruptly discontinue after consistent use. Xanax also doesn't have the same muscle relaxant properties as Valium but it is better suited to combat SEVERE and SUDDEN full blown PANIC attacks than Valium (but not by much in my opinion as Valium kicks in, in about the same time but just not as suddenly strong as Xanax.) Many doctors will avoid prescribing benzos like the plague and rightfully so because if the patient doesn't understand about things like half-life and withdrawal, tolerance and dependence, these things can easily creep into the patient's life and as a result benzos in general have gotten a very bad wrap (like opioids and overuse of antibiotics) in recent years. Valium is also considered sort of the 'old school' benzo and for some reason I think a lot of doctors don't put it on their radar all together when considering prescriptions (except for muscle spasms.) Based on my personal experience and reading my opinion is that for anxiety disorder, PTSD, and moderate panic attacks, this is by far the best choice over the other benzos as long as you try to limit your intake to just the minimum of what you need to feel "normal" and productive not "sedated" and lethargic. I like that it doesn't affect my ability to work a fairly mentally intense job (software development.) Note though there have been studies that long-term use can cause some cognitive decline but I believe that is for a years of constant use and more than 10mg a daRead More Read Less

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Lizzie | 55-64 | Female | On medication for 10 years or more | Patient
11/2/2021
Condition: Other
Overall rating 5.0
Effectiveness
Ease of Use
Satisfaction

I was always somewhat of a Type A personality, but then I had a number of tragic issues that I had to deal with which ultimately resulted in the loss of my family. I began having issues breathing and my doctor said I was hyperventilating. I was prescribed valium 5 mg daily and it was a major relief. Sadly, it's apparent that I suffer from PTSD and I've remained on the valium. If it wasn't for this medication, I truly would be in the ER way too often. It allows me to function with NO side effects. The only PROBLEM, is that when attempting to change physicians, no other physician will prescribe it. How on earth can this be. It saved me and they can easily check to see how many I get and how often I get them, so it's easy to see that nothing has changed all these years. It's a shame that these doctors try to make it seem that you have an addiction. Severe anxiety, PTSD , none of these are a joke!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Read More Read Less

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Sobelle | 55-64 | Female | On medication for 2 to less than 5 years | Patient
10/30/2021
Condition: Seizure with Loss of Normal Tone or Strength
Overall rating 5.0
Effectiveness
Ease of Use
Satisfaction

I have seizures and vertigo ànd it works for both. I also take tegretol and meclizine. I take 5 mg of valium 3x a day. I also have anxiety and panic àttacks. Works very well for me.

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Viberzi | 55-64 | Female | On medication for less than 1 month | Patient
9/27/2021
Condition: Other
Overall rating 5.0
Effectiveness
Ease of Use
Satisfaction

I was given Valium for IBS-D several years ago from a Dr at the ER! If some people doesn't know what IBS-D is it's Irritable Bowel Syndrome with super watery diarrhea! Sorry for being so blunt! That Dr gave me 2 RX'S for Valium 1 mg taken 3 times a day for 5 days. Each RX was the same. He told me if the diarrhea stopped within the first RX to not fill the other RX and I told him okay. It didn't stop so I filled the other RX and within 2 days, the watery diarrhea totally stopped! I have been having another attack of my IBS-D for over a month now! I have gone to the ER where I live 2 times and in another town and no one would help me! I finally got in with my Dr a few days ago and he said the Valium would be okay but he rather try me on a new drug called Viberzi! This new med has been nothing but solid hell. I am going to call my Dr in the morning and tell him to get me on the Valium instead. It does work for so many things. I also have taken Valium when I have had to have a MRI because I have a bad anxiety disorder and I can't stand to be in that little tunnel. Just freaks me out. Why won't Dr's listen to us anymore? This Viberzi that he put me on is also what they call a Controlled Substance and I can't stand the way it makes me feel. Plus it's making me get fluid retention super bad. I had no problems when taking the Valium for that short time and I'm going to get back on it to get this stopped. I highly recommend Valium for a lot of reasons. I'm a Retired Mental Health Counselor. Hang in there my friends. It does get better. <3 Read More Read Less

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808sista | 55-64 | On medication for 10 years or more | Patient
1/31/2021
Condition: Anxious
Overall rating 5.0
Effectiveness
Ease of Use
Satisfaction

I have been taking Valium for a little over 20 years for insomnia, anxiety and PTSD. I take 5mg in the evening and 2.5 mg (1/2 tablet) as needed during the day. It works great, no side effects. I have stopped taking for brief periods and didnâ??t suffer withdrawal symptoms. I believe this is an effective medication, it helps me function and takes away the horrible feeling that is extreme anxiety. It also is very effective for the debilitating insomnia I sometimes suffer from. I highly recommend this medication.Read More Read Less

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Painfreenowthankgod | 35-44 | On medication for less than 1 month | Patient
6/4/2020
Condition: Muscle Spasm
Overall rating 4.0
Effectiveness
Ease of Use
Satisfaction

I has a lot of pelvic pain and perineum pain back in 2013. My doctor diagnosed me with prostititis. Months of antibiotics and no relief what so ever i had to even go on disability because it was too painful to walk long distances. Finally my urologist sent me to a pelvic floor specialist who said it wasnt my prostate but was the muscles of pelvic floor. He told me stress or physical trauma can cause you to tighten your pelvic floor muscles and they get all bound up and spasm causing crazy symptoms. It can cause painful urination, pelvic pain, testicle pain etc.. i honestly thought the guy was nuts and there was no way so muscle strain could be causing all this. He basically showed me some stretching techniques, put my on rectal valium suppository to loosen the tension and gave me some norco for a week so that the pain was reduced and i could relax. Im not even kidding you have two weeks i was completely pain free and its like it never happened and it was all just a nightmare. I dont care what anyone says valium played a role in saving my life because i contemplated suicide on a daily basis at that time in my life.Read More Read Less

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velpan | 45-54 | Male | On medication for less than 1 month | Patient
2/14/2020
Condition: Chronic Trouble Sleeping
Overall rating 1.0
Effectiveness
Ease of Use
Satisfaction

I took Valium for very short period for trouble sleeping, I have stopped them few weeks later I developed depression very major depression that last for few weeks, Valium is is really bad for sleeping I prefer lack of sleep than this depression.

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Saskatoonian | 55-64 | On medication for 10 years or more | Patient
1/26/2019
Condition: Sleep Disturbance with Extreme Anxiety
Overall rating 5.0
Effectiveness
Ease of Use
Satisfaction

I have been on almost every type of benzodiazepine in the last 40 years. I suffer from severe PTSD, have insomnia and suffer from muscle spasms, all due to an MBA I was in in 1984. I have found from all the benzodiazepine family, diazepam works the best for me. The others are all too short acting, or make me feel like a zombie. Valium is definitely the best choice for my ails! I also take Dilaudid and fentanyl for pain and find that with the valium, I can still lead a fairly normal life.

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Anonymous | 75 or over | On medication for 10 years or more | Patient
1/8/2019
Condition: Anxious
Overall rating 4.3
Effectiveness
Ease of Use
Satisfaction

Been dealing with anxiety and depression since being diagnosed with/treated for prostate cancer in 2000. Take Valium on and off as needed for mild GAD and â??anticipatory anxietyâ?? (i.e. pre-travel). It also helps with morning depression. Itâ??s the only prescription med I take. Have tried several SSRIâ??s with some success, but prefer valium because it works with almost no side effects. While on Valium, after eating a meal, I may doze off for 20 or so minutes. Combination of the meal and the Valium. When taking, usually itâ??s 5mg at bedtime. Sleep better, longer, with fewer disturbing dreams. May take a 2nd 5mg during really anxious days (i.e. when packing for a trip). Will take for a couple of weeks while traveling, and no problem stopping except maybe a day of mild depression. Doesnâ??t conflict with my before-supper 2 glasses of wine, except when on Valium the size of those glasses may be smaller (more relaxed to begin with). According to blood tests over the years, doesnâ??t seem to have affected any vital organs (kidneys, liver). Continues to be a lifesaver!Read More Read Less

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Anxietyandy | 25-34 | On medication for 1 to 6 months | Patient
5/16/2018
Condition: Panic Disorder
Overall rating 5.0
Effectiveness
Ease of Use
Satisfaction

Started on 2mg 3 times a day which took the edge of anxiety and panic but got upped to 5mg to be taken as needed which due to how effective they are at stopping my pankc attacks in 20-30 is becoming less and less frequent because i no longer wonder will an activity cause me to have a panic attack and the less i obsess over that the less i have. After a bit over month with valium i feel ready to get a job again. My panic attacks forced me to quit a great job. Valium has given me my sanity back. Im just wary of its addictive potential due to previous history of substance addictions.Read More Read Less

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Wolf Angel | 45-54 | On medication for 2 to less than 5 years | Patient
5/11/2018
Condition: Anxious
Overall rating 3.0
Effectiveness
Ease of Use
Satisfaction

I have been using Valium for almost 3 years, but I also tried Zanex for about 6 months. I preferred the Zanex, but I didn't want to get addicted. The Valium doesn't really help anymore. So I don't know what to do. I have Buspar as well, but it doesn't work at all. I'm very interested in finding out what I can do about this. I'm very interested to find out. I have tried to talk to my doctor and he won't ever suggest anything else. So for now I take 2 10mg a day with no relief.

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Anonymous | 55-64 | Female | On medication for 1 to 6 months | Patient
11/12/2017
Condition: Anxious
Overall rating 3.3
Effectiveness
Ease of Use
Satisfaction

It helps calm me down from my mood swings. I sleep better. And I have chronic pain daily, an somehow it helps relieve my pain as well.?

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Anonymous | 75 or over | On medication for less than 1 month | Patient
11/11/2017
Condition: Chronic Trouble Sleeping
Overall rating 1.7
Effectiveness
Ease of Use
Satisfaction

Some can take generic Diazipam. It gave me crying spells but half tablet (5 mg) was better. Never had problems with real Valium I took years ago. Some cannot take generic drugs without many side effects - that's me. If you are sensitive to a lot of drugs, it may be the generics. Wish more studies would be available on this subject.

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Anonymous | 45-54 | Female | On medication for 1 to 6 months | Patient
7/6/2017
Condition: Other
Overall rating 1.0
Effectiveness
Ease of Use
Satisfaction

Took this medication for tinnitus. It was great at first then started causing me severe anxiety. Tried to stop taking it and had hallucinations and panic attacks for almost a month. This drug should be banned!

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