Question about Benzos

[refusingbondage]

Ok I have a question and this is not for me.. Believe me, benzos were never my thing.  But my mom takes Diazepam.  Her pills are .05 mg (which is really low I am guessing).  She breaks the .05 pill up into three little pieces and takes one before work, one at lunch and one before bed.. so she is taking .05mg Diazepan per day (Is it DiazepaM or DiazepaN?)

Anyway since being on this site and seeing how dangerouse benzos are, I am worried for her.  I talk about you guys all the time to her and she wanted me to ask you guys if she is taking an amount that would be dangerous to just stop taking.  She doesnt intend to stop taking it at this point, but wants to know if she ever did wake up and decide she didnt want to take it, that she could do that without danger.. Any advice would be helpful.. PS -its legit that she takes them - her doctor prescribes them and told her that at such a small amount she should be fine.. but I know first hand that doctors can be wrong lots of times.. Thanks!

[refusingbondage]

Thank you guys for all your answers.. she is definitely not an addict and has never abused the meds, in fact takes less than prescribed.. I think because Ive been talking to her so much about *my* addictions and all the info I read, she may have started to worry a little.. but just a little.. Thanks again!

[TheSerlingFactor]

Especially at 1/4 a night. Don't worry about it -- if she wants to stop, she can try every other night for a while, then twice a week, then "as needed" with reasonable spaces between doses (e.g., one a week or so).

I mean, it translates to <2mg. Valium, which is a tiny, tiny dose.

[TheSerlingFactor]

Small, orange ... Klonopin, and the dose fits. They're about 10x as potent as Valium, and almost identical in properties, clearance time, etc. So -- they're 0.5mg (=5mg Valium), so Kevin's advice is still appropriate.

No worries.

[SophieShine]

Hey Hon'!
Your Mom is taking very low dosage of valium. Some people need that lil to get to sleep, and you have the placebo effect, you never know. I don't really think it's a dangerous dosage and if your mom feels more comfortable and doesn't abuse them, I wouldn't know why she would stop them. Where it gets tricky is when you build up tolerance and you start raising the dosage for the same effect but this really doesn't seem the case at all...
All the best to her, hugzzzzz to you both.
xoxoxoxox. sophie.

[worried878]

then they r 5...not 0.5   kevin is right and the lowest dose form is 2 mgs...5 mgs and 10 mgs...if she is only taking 5 mgs a day or less then she is not in immediate danger..valium altho has a reputation as it was the first benzo introduced..is actually much weaker than xana, klonopin or ativan...course tolerence can occur..and she does need to be safe...but if she is only takin 5 mgs a day and spread out she is probably ok....my mom takes dalmane//a benzo for sleep...u know i am ok with it cos she needs her sleep..her fingers r swollen from rhuematoid arthritis...not gonna worry bout it..she needs her sleep

[refusingbondage]

I am pretty sure they are .05 or 0.5.  They are tiny orange pills.  Generic.  She has been taking a quarter at night for years off and on, not consistently but off and on probably since my dad died in 2001.. Things got stressful at work for her over the past 5 or 6 months so she takes a quarter before work, quarter at lunch and a quarter before bed.. She swears they put her to sleep at night, but I think its probably more mental since its such a small amount and she's been taking it for so long.  

Ill tell her that even at a small dose, she should not just quit and should taper if the need arises..Thanks!

[Kevin_Bacon]

They come in 2mg, 5mg, and 10mg. The 5's are yellow ... how long has she been taking this very low dose?

If she decided to stop taking them, tapering is always recommended -- this one would be pretty uncomplicated. Even if she ran out, the active drug would be in her system for days.

And you're certainly right about doctors. Some real meatballs out there.