Key Takeaways
- Valium is a type of benzodiazepine that may be prescribed to relieve symptoms of anxiety.
- This medication helps calm anxiety by increasing GABA in the brain.
- Valium can cause dependence and should not be stopped suddenly.
Valium is a drug used for managing anxiety disorders and short-term treatment of anxiety symptoms. The drug, which is also sold under the generic name diazepam, works by actually slowing down activity in your brain.
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.
How Valium Works for Anxiety
Valium works by increasing the availability of gamma-aminobutyric acid (GABA) receptors in the brain. GABA is an inhibitory neurotransmitter that helps calm the nervous system, which reduces symptoms of anxiety. The effects of GABA help calm anxiety, increase drowsiness, and relax muscles.
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 give mood stabilizers enough 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.
Valium also can be used to treat skeletal muscle spasms from conditions like inflammation or trauma, along with spasticity, a condition where your muscles contract involuntarily. Spasticity can be caused by conditions like cerebral palsy, multiple sclerosis, and even exercise and dehydration.
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 as delirium 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.
Before Taking Valium for Anxiety
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.
Side Effects of Valium
The most common side effects of Valium include:
- Drowsiness
- Fatigue
- Muscle weakness
- Unsteady gait
- Cognitive issues
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:
- Phenothiazine antipsychotics (including Compazine and Thorazine)
- Antipsychotics (including Zyprexa, Haldol, and Risperdal)
- Anti-anxiety medications (such as Xanax)
- Sedatives and hypnotics (including Ambien and Lunesta)
- Anticonvulsants
- Narcotic painkillers (such as Percodan)
- Anesthetics
- Sedative antihistamines (such as Benadryl)
- Barbiturates
- Certain antidepressants
There also are several drugs that can potentially lead to increased Valium levels or even toxicity when taken with Valium. These include:
- Tagamet (cimetidine), prescribed for ulcers and excess stomach acid
- Prilosec (omeprazole), another drug for excess stomach acid
- Oral ketoconazole, which treats fungal infections
- Luvox (fluvoxamine), used for obsessive-compulsive disorder and depression
- Prozac (fluoxetine), used for depression and anxiety
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
Valium should always be taken exactly as prescribed by your doctor. It should never be combined with alcohol or other central nervous depressants.
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.
Dependence and Withdrawal
Valium is a member of the benzodiazepine family. 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 of withdrawal from Valium can be mild to severe and include:
- Insomnia
- Headache
- Muscle pain
- Sweating
- Restlessness
- Irritability
- Abdominal and muscle cramps
- Tremor
- Seizures
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.
Your doctor can help you by designing a plan to taper down your dose gradually when discontinuing Valium.
Pregnancy and Breastfeeding
Valium can potentially increase the risk of birth defects if you take it during pregnancy, and there is some risk that your baby will go through withdrawal if you take the medication during your third trimester. Talk to your doctor if you are pregnant or are planning to become pregnant.
You also shouldn’t use Valium if you’re breastfeeding, since the drug will pass through to your baby in your breast milk.
Other Treatments for Anxiety
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 include other medications such as antidepressants, beta-blockers, and buspirone. Different types of therapy can also be very effective for treating anxiety, including:
Lifestyle modification can also help, including getting regular exercise and practicing relaxation techniques.
Verywell Mind uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read our editorial process to 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/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
Thanks for your feedback!
What is your feedback?
Helpful
Report an Error
Other
