Benzodiazepines such as Valium will cause physical, mental, and emotional withdrawal symptoms for individuals who are abusing it. People who struggle with substance use disorder (also referred to as addiction) to Valium will likely experience withdrawal symptoms if they suddenly stop using Valium. Valium withdrawal can be serious.
The time that Valium withdrawal symptoms last depends on the individual’s history of abusing Valium. For persons who have only used Valium for legitimate medical conditions such as anxiety, muscle spasms, insomnia, managing seizures, or as a medication to help them tolerate alcohol withdrawal symptoms, it is not likely that these individuals will experience withdrawal symptoms.
Contact us at 866.931.9312 for our drug detox program at Evoke Wellness at Miramar.
What Are Valium Withdrawal Symptoms?
Benzodiazepine withdrawal symptoms include the following:
- General — Headache, heart palpitations, sweating
- Musculoskeletal — Tremors, muscle pains, stiffness, and aches (limbs, back, neck, jaw)
- Neurological — dizziness, light-headedness, paresthesia, shooting pains in neck and spine, visual disturbances, tinnitus, faintness and dizziness, sense of instability, confusion, disorientation, delusions, paranoia, hallucinations that are visual or auditory, grand mal seizures 1–12 days after discontinuing benzodiazepines
- Gastrointestinal — nausea, anorexia, diarrhea that may resemble irritable bowel syndrome
- Psychological — rebound insomnia, nightmares, anxiety, panic attacks, irritability, restlessness, agitation, poor memory and concentration, perceptual distortions, abnormal sensations, distortions of body image, feelings of unreality, depersonalization, derealization, depression, dysphoria
The withdrawal symptoms that Valium addiction causes start shortly after the last dose. For people using Valium to get high and ingest large quantities of Valium regularly, their withdrawal symptoms can begin within one day, or in extreme cases, after a few hours from taking it last. The severity of Valium withdrawal symptoms can cause a life-threatening emergency to occur. Therefore, it is never recommended for any person taking Valium without a prescription or taking more than their prescribed dose to attempt to detox without medical supervision.
The Valium Detox Timeline
There are three phases of Valium withdrawal symptoms that most people with a SUD to Valium experience.
Acute Phase — Three to Seven Days
The first phase is the acute phase. It is the most difficult as the withdrawal symptoms affect the person physically, mentally, and emotionally. The acute phase typically lasts three to seven days.
General Withdrawals — Ten Days to Two Weeks
The second phase of Valium withdrawal, or general withdrawals, is similar to the acute phase but has less intensity and newer symptoms. This phase will likely last from ten days up to two weeks or more.
Post Acute Withdrawal Syndrome — Days to Years
The last stage is what is known as Post-acute withdrawal syndrome, or PAWS for short. The first two phases of Valium withdrawal require medications and medical supervision to successfully and safely detox Valium from the body. In the third phase, PAWS can occur within days, weeks, months, and even years of someone completing a Valium detox. PAWS symptoms are exceptionally prominent with benzodiazepine addiction and generally are because of why Valium is so often abused. Valium causes a person to feel relaxed and at ease.
In a nutshell, Valium will reduce psychological discomforts such as nervousness and anxiety and cause a person to experience euphoria and feel high. Valium is a very addictive drug for these reasons. Therefore, PAWS can develop days, weeks, months, or even years after a person has stopped taking Valium. The best course of action for someone who may acquire or has developed PAWS is to enter a long-term treatment program for Valium addiction.
Valium Withdrawal Timeline
Valium withdrawal symptoms generally last ten days up to two weeks, and some people’s withdrawal symptoms may last as long as three weeks or one month. Because Valium causes dangerous withdrawal symptoms, doctors will prescribe a taper protocol to help a person detox from Valium safely.
The withdrawal symptoms must be monitored by a medical team specializing in benzodiazepine addiction. Going cold turkey is simply too complex. The withdrawal symptoms that Valium causes can easily be reduced to a tolerable and even comfortable level if they are managed by medical experts and through a taper regimen.
According to medical researchers who published an article with the National Center for Biotechnology Information advances science and health, benzodiazepines, such as Valium, cause numerous dangerous and debilitating withdrawal symptoms. They will also continue during the second withdrawal phase but at a lesser intensity. Many or some of the symptoms can also reappear during PAWS.
The most crucial aspect that is needed to get and remain clean from Valium -successfully- is getting help for the addiction. Addiction to Valium and other substances stems from multiple influencers; however, when treated through a qualified Valium rehab program, it can be overcome.
Persons who use Valium to feel better emotionally, mentally, and physically have a longer-lasting option: to receive professional drug addiction treatment specializing in Valium and benzodiazepine addiction.
Beating Valium Withdrawal with Evoke Wellness at Miramar
Contact us at 866.931.9312 today if you require benzo addiction treatment. We’re here to help you every step of the way.
