Valium Withdrawal??

[Fulton762]

I stopped taking Valium after 14 years of use and now feel horrible. I was only on 10-20mg a night plus 1mg of Ativan. It's been about 70 days now off the meds and I have multiple symptoms, headaches, ringing in my ears, neck and shoulder pain, facial and tooth pain. My body is trying to get back to normal, but everything seems so very odd, dream like at times. I've spoken to my PCP and she just said it's WD, no tests or anything. I have chest pains and my heart pounds in my chest. My BP is up and they listened to my heart, but said it's OK. I have been online looking for answers and it seems you can go through WD for months on end. Is this really WD or something else?

[Fulton762]

I have noticed a reduction of some symptoms, I had RLS and it felt like things were clawing on my skin. Light and sound does bother me, but not as much as before. So if I think about it I know I am getting better, but it's so very slow. I believe this can go on and on and I have to be patient. I wish I had something to help with the WD, but the doctor said only Benzo's would help. Thanks for the help!!

[meegWpaw]

Hi Fulton I'm no expert but I took a lot of benzos for a long time and it took a very very long time for the withdrawals to stop.  I'm clean a little over three months and I still sometimes think I am having benzo w/d symptoms.  I experienced a lot of what you're describing.  That's not a huge amount of mg, but it is a long time you used it.  Is there any way you could go to a second doctor, just to check it out, at the very least for peace of mind?  That dream-like feeling sounds like derealization, which I had to a great degree during my withdrawal, and it was extremely unnerving.  That lasted a long time for me, too, though it was not constant throughout the day, just episodic.  I hope you are feeling better soon.  It's great that you are quitting the stuff.  Stay with it!!!