Valium FAQ – Your Questions Answered
What is Valium?
Valium is a medication that falls into a class of drugs known as the Benzodiazepines. Valium is the brand name of the drug, and it’s known by the generic or medical name of Diazepam. Valium is a drug that works on three regions of the central nervous system – the hypothalamic, the limbic, and the thalamic regions of the brain. What Valium does is initiate a process with chemicals known as inhibitory neurotransmitters, and this allows Valium to help calm things down in the central nervous system. This is what makes Valium so useful for experiences such as anxiety and insomnia.
How do you take Valium?
Valium is available for at home use in tablet form in dosages of 2 mg., 5 mg., and 10 mg. A Valium is taken with a glass of water as directed by your pharmacy or physician.
How soon will I notice the effects of Valium?
Generally this will depend on what form of Valium you take and what dose. If you are given Valium intravenously in the hospital, you will feel its calming effects within 5 minutes. Valium for at home use taken orally is generally felt within the first thirty minutes of taking a tablet, sometimes sooner for higher doses.
Will I experience side effects from Valium?
Every prescription medication comes with its own set of side effects, and sleepiness is the most common side effect of Valium. You may also experience clumsiness or staggering, headaches, confusion, dry mouth, slurred speech, shaking, increased heart rate, and in rare cases blurred vision and abdominal cramps.
Is Valium safe to use?
Every medication comes with its own set of precautions, but Valium has been widely used for over forty years as one of the most prescribed drugs making it very safe and effective. Valium is only dangerous when you are taking it in combination with other drugs or medications, so your doctor will need to know everything you are taking before prescribing Valium.
Can I take Valium with other medication?
There are some medications that will contraindicate with Valium, meaning they are not safe to take together. Valium does have many contraindications, even something as simple as the birth control pill can weaken its effects, so talk to your doctor or pharmacist about every medication you are taking if you wish to take Valium.
Is Valium an addictive medication?
Valium does carry with it the risk of addiction, as the longer it is used, a tolerance will develop and the individual will feel the need to take more in order to attain the same effects. As such, Valium can become both psychologically and physically addictive. If you want to stop taking Valium, you must do so under the guidance of your doctor to do so safely.
