Table of ContentsView AllTable of ContentsHow Valium Works for AnxietyBefore Taking Valium for AnxietySide EffectsInteractionsDependence and WithdrawalPregnancy and Breastfeeding
Table of ContentsView All
View All
Table of Contents
How Valium Works for Anxiety
Before Taking Valium for Anxiety
Side Effects
Interactions
Dependence and Withdrawal
Pregnancy and Breastfeeding
Close
Valium can help people who need relief from anxiety, but it can also have side effects and risks you should understand before you begin taking this medication.
At a GlanceValium is a type of benzodiazepine that may be prescribed to relieve symptoms of anxiety. It increases the activity of an inhibitory transmitter in the brain, which results in feelings of calmness, sleepiness, and relaxation. Keep reading to learn more about how Valium can help with anxiety as well as the potential risks you should consider.
At a Glance
Valium is a type of benzodiazepine that may be prescribed to relieve symptoms of anxiety. It increases the activity of an inhibitory transmitter in the brain, which results in feelings of calmness, sleepiness, and relaxation. Keep reading to learn more about how Valium can help with anxiety as well as the potential risks you should consider.
For anxiety disorders, Valium begins working quickly to help reduce symptoms of anxiety. When taken orally, Valium usually begins to reduce anxiety symptoms within 15 to 60 minutes. Diazepam has a long duration, and the effects can last 12 hours or more.
In bipolar disorder, Valium and other anti-anxiety medications in the same family can quickly help halt certain manic symptoms, such as agitation.This can givemood stabilizersenough time to kick in.
Your physician may prescribe Valium just for a short period—generally just a few weeks or less—to treat manic symptoms in bipolar disorder.
In another use, Valium may be used as an add-on medication to help people who have seizure disorders. Finally, the drug may be prescribed to treat the symptoms of acute alcohol withdrawal, where it may help control tremors, agitation and even the DTs (known in scientific terms asdelirium tremens).
Valium, which is potentially addictive, was one of the first drugs that are popularly known as the Benzodiazepine tranquilizers. It was approved in 1963.
According to the manufacturer, Valium should not be given to children under the age of six months. Also, there are other possible contraindications in patients with sleep apnea, serious difficulty breathing, severe liver disease, or myasthenia gravis (a condition that causes weakness in your muscles).
If you have glaucoma, it’s possible that you should not take diazepam.
Make sure you know whether you have open-angle glaucoma (where Valium use is okay as long as you are receiving appropriate treatment) or acute narrow-angle glaucoma (where Valium should not be used). You should contact your ophthalmologist if you are prescribed Valium.
How Long Does Valium Last?
Side Effects of Valium
The most common side effects of Valium include:
You shouldn’t use alcohol or take anything else that makes you sleepy while taking Valium.
In addition, if you’re taking Valium to help treat a seizure disorder, you shouldn’t stop taking it suddenly, because doing so may increase your risk for seizures.
Possible Drug Interactions
Because Valium slows the activity of your central nervous system, your doctor should be careful when prescribing other drugs that can affect your central nervous system. These include:
There also are several drugs that can potentially lead to increased Valium levels or even toxicity when taken with Valium. These include:
You should always make certain both your physician and your pharmacist know what other drugs you’re taking if you’re starting a Valium prescription since it interacts with so many drugs.
Overdose
If Valium is taken in excessive doses or is combined with other depressants, an overdose may occur. Symptoms of an overdose can include extreme sleepiness, dizziness, confusion, weakness, trouble breathing, and unresponsiveness.
How Long Does Valium Stay in Your Body?
Valium is a member of thebenzodiazepinefamily. These drugs can lead to dependence even if you’re only taking the prescribed dose. Valium can also be abused. You run a higher risk of this if you misuse the medication or have an underlying substance use disorder.
Symptoms ofwithdrawalfrom Valium can be mild to severe and include:
A temporary return of anxiety symptoms that are worse than before treatment was started also can occur.
If you stop taking the drug suddenly, your withdrawal symptoms may be more severe.
Keep in Mind
Valium can be helpful for relieving anxiety, but other treatments are also available that can help. Your doctor may recommend Valium as a short-term treatment to give longer-term treatment approaches a chance to kick in.
Other effective treatments for anxiety can includeother medicationssuch as antidepressants, beta-blockers, and buspirone. Differenttypes of therapycan also be very effective for treating anxiety, including:
Lifestyle modification can also help, including getting regular exerciseand practicing relaxation techniques.
Therapy for Anxiety Disorders
5 SourcesVerywell Mind uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read oureditorial processto learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.Edinoff AN, Nix CA, Hollier J, et al.Benzodiazepines: Uses, dangers, and clinical considerations.Neurol Int. 2021;13(4):594-607. doi:10.3390/neurolint13040059Atagün Mİ, Oral T.Acute and long term treatment of manic episodes in bipolar disorder.Noro Psikiyatr Ars. 2021;58(Suppl 1):S24-S30. doi:10.29399/npa.27411U.S. Food and Drug Administration.Valium.Aylett E, Small N, Bower P.Exercise in the treatment of clinical anxiety in general practice - a systematic review and meta-analysis.BMC Health Serv Res. 2018;18(1):559. doi:10.1186/s12913-018-3313-5Toussaint L, Nguyen QA, Roettger C, et al.Effectiveness of progressive muscle relaxation, deep breathing, and guided imagery in promoting psychological and physiological states of relaxation.Evid Based Complement Alternat Med. 2021;2021:5924040. doi:10.1155/2021/5924040
5 Sources
Verywell Mind uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read oureditorial processto learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.Edinoff AN, Nix CA, Hollier J, et al.Benzodiazepines: Uses, dangers, and clinical considerations.Neurol Int. 2021;13(4):594-607. doi:10.3390/neurolint13040059Atagün Mİ, Oral T.Acute and long term treatment of manic episodes in bipolar disorder.Noro Psikiyatr Ars. 2021;58(Suppl 1):S24-S30. doi:10.29399/npa.27411U.S. Food and Drug Administration.Valium.Aylett E, Small N, Bower P.Exercise in the treatment of clinical anxiety in general practice - a systematic review and meta-analysis.BMC Health Serv Res. 2018;18(1):559. doi:10.1186/s12913-018-3313-5Toussaint L, Nguyen QA, Roettger C, et al.Effectiveness of progressive muscle relaxation, deep breathing, and guided imagery in promoting psychological and physiological states of relaxation.Evid Based Complement Alternat Med. 2021;2021:5924040. doi:10.1155/2021/5924040
Verywell Mind uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read oureditorial processto learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.
Edinoff AN, Nix CA, Hollier J, et al.Benzodiazepines: Uses, dangers, and clinical considerations.Neurol Int. 2021;13(4):594-607. doi:10.3390/neurolint13040059Atagün Mİ, Oral T.Acute and long term treatment of manic episodes in bipolar disorder.Noro Psikiyatr Ars. 2021;58(Suppl 1):S24-S30. doi:10.29399/npa.27411U.S. Food and Drug Administration.Valium.Aylett E, Small N, Bower P.Exercise in the treatment of clinical anxiety in general practice - a systematic review and meta-analysis.BMC Health Serv Res. 2018;18(1):559. doi:10.1186/s12913-018-3313-5Toussaint L, Nguyen QA, Roettger C, et al.Effectiveness of progressive muscle relaxation, deep breathing, and guided imagery in promoting psychological and physiological states of relaxation.Evid Based Complement Alternat Med. 2021;2021:5924040. doi:10.1155/2021/5924040
Edinoff AN, Nix CA, Hollier J, et al.Benzodiazepines: Uses, dangers, and clinical considerations.Neurol Int. 2021;13(4):594-607. doi:10.3390/neurolint13040059
Atagün Mİ, Oral T.Acute and long term treatment of manic episodes in bipolar disorder.Noro Psikiyatr Ars. 2021;58(Suppl 1):S24-S30. doi:10.29399/npa.27411
U.S. Food and Drug Administration.Valium.
Aylett E, Small N, Bower P.Exercise in the treatment of clinical anxiety in general practice - a systematic review and meta-analysis.BMC Health Serv Res. 2018;18(1):559. doi:10.1186/s12913-018-3313-5
Toussaint L, Nguyen QA, Roettger C, et al.Effectiveness of progressive muscle relaxation, deep breathing, and guided imagery in promoting psychological and physiological states of relaxation.Evid Based Complement Alternat Med. 2021;2021:5924040. doi:10.1155/2021/5924040
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