Is it appropriate for a psych to force patient to go cold turkey from Diazepam 5mg??

I bet the Quetiapine (and another mystery substance) shut you up, I've no doubt at all that you ended up a bit cabbaged after that But seriously drugging you up like that does smack a bit of abuse Hmm but coming off 5 mg doesn't seem like much, 5 mg is hardly worth taking Not that I'm doubting what you are saying or how you were feeling

Please on behalf of the rest of us: Please sue them!! if you can. Hold them accountable for their own damn ignorance. How dangerous it is to do that and I don't care that you were already in a hospital setting it was NOT fair to you to make you go through that when it was preventable in the first damn place. Stuff like this makes me crazy when I hear it. Why is it that NO ONE seems to know of Benzodiazepine Horror Withdrawal? I went 'cold turkey' from Klonopin with the blessing from my therapist and alcohol & drug specialist. They couldn't have been more wrong if they tried. I made it through alive but not my choice, I prayed for death so many times and if I would have had a gun in my house I would have used it to escape the horror I was in and didn't understand why because no one from Mental Health would tell me anything. I am doing everything in my power to get our local Mental Health to acknowledge first that there is a problem. And it's a big one!. I will do everything including selling my house to take them to court and make them pay. But like you said, it's not about the money. It's about making them help the next person who comes into their office informing them that they too have decided to get off their Benzo that has been prescribed for over 8 years. Mind you the National Guidelines for prescribing Benzodiazepines is 2 - 4 weeks not 8 years. Sue, Sue Sue Make them listen, make them have to learn about Benzo withdrawal so when Johnny's going through his intolerable withdrawals with a gun to his head to escape the horror he's found himself in maybe someone will or can help him.

I am so sorry you had to go through the nightmare you did and I compare mine to being on 10 hits of LSD for 8 weeks. And that is no joke.

Benny....it is hell even getting off just a small amount. At the moment I'm on just 3mg, it has taken me years to taper from 8mg. I have tried to cut further by just small amounts but enter hell each time so I know longer bother. Its been 12 years now since my first prescription, I can't see me ever being able to get off the stuff, but thats me and I accept that other peoples experience maybe different.

Hi guys, wow... I had forgotten about this thread until I had suddenly had an unexpected email about the post. I really hope you are still here and get to read this and offer up your great advice. The update is that I am still stable and well on a reduction programme of Diazepam with a very understanding psychiatrist who has told me she doesn't mind if I come down a milligram a month or a milligram a year. She knows and understands the torture I went through. At one point I was actually standing beside the top of my local quarry and was GOING to jump until I was literally jumped on by a dog walker.

Anyway, I wrote a very strong letter of complaint to the hospital, including as much published info about Diazepam Withdrawal Syndrome as I could, along with details of that Nazi bitch's behaviour. I received an insult of a reply stating that the psychiatrist was "sorry if I disagreed with her professional opinion." That was it. So.... I have decided that the next step is to sue through a no win, no fee agency as I don't have the money to cover legal costs myself. If you wouldn't mind, it would be great to have as many of your stories of Diazepam hell to include in my legal action. It may help others aswell.

Thanks, Caroline.

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Hello Caroline, good luck with your legal action. If you look online there are several Benzodiazepine withdrawal support forums, you will find a huge amount of material and contacts there. Its incredible just how many people are suffering with this all over the world.

You are lucky to have a sympathetic doctor, mine is insistent that my problems are "all in my mind", he thinks that if I was given placebos I wouldn't notice! I find this typically ignorant of people who have never been on benzo's for any length of time.

Carol here,i would like to know the best way of reduceing diazepam of 5 to 8 mgs a day for the past year.also have used them on a when needed basis for past 8 years,i feel i will never get off them any advice please,

Hi Carol, the best thing you can do is to stabilise on one dose, I take it you are on the 2mg tablets? How many do you normally take and when? If you flit about with your dose your going to make it difficult for yourself and you will experience more side effects and withdrawal symptoms. Once you stabilise on a set dose each day you can start to reduce very gradually, and I mean by a no more than a quarter of a tablet each time and leave it at least two weeks before you cut again. If you have the 2mg tablets you can use a craft knife to cut into quarters. Once you get to a lower dose you need to cut by even smaller fractions. It maybe that you won't be able to come off completely, especially if you have a lot of stress in your life, but if you start moving in the right direction you will start to feel better. Cutting out coffee and tea, or any caffeine helped me. If you drink alcohol then I would recommend cutting down on that gradually, or stop altogether if you can. Also if you look online for "Benzodiazepine withdrawal support forums" you will find many people going through the same expereince as you and you will find support there, that helps a lot in the initial stages of cutting your dose. Carol, don't hesitate to contact me here if you are experiencing difficulties with the advice that I have given you, I will do the best I can to help.

Hi Diazapam is very hard drug to come off and to stop them suddenly without any medical reason sounds very bad practice. Coming off slowly is not just about side effects, although that, I think is the main reason, but also to help you sort out the problems that made you start taking them in the first place. That way you will be able to cope much better with life without drugs and stay clear of them in the future.

I am trying to get my dose stable at the moment which is my first goal, then a very slow reduction plan. I get my script from the Chemist once a week, so I don't have a lot of tablets to tempt me. My GP has also arranged for me to have more if I suddenly have to go away without seeing her. I see her once a month and we just talk. I can see her more often or phone her if things are bad. I hope to start a very slow reduction programme soon. If you can find a GP or physico you can trust or feel happy with its a big help, both to confidence and self esteem.