Does anyone ever NOT have major withdrawal symptoms from coming off diazepam?

[oregonshell]

I had a major scare.  It did something to my body where I could not sleep, eat, stop shaking for days.  My hormones and thyroid were tested and every test had me on the highest end of normal possible. (the thyroid test came back slightly raised initially, but they retested it a month later and it had raised to hyper end rather than hypo end too)  Essentially, I was put on valium for the shaking and anxiety and insomnia etc which was constant, unlike panic attacks which come and go.  

Long story short, I have been on valium for about 40 days now.  Initial week 40 mg/day.  Then, apx a month of averaging 20 to 30 mg per day.  Then, 8 days of 22.5 mg per day.  As of today I am on my 3rd day of being at 15mg per day (5mg taken once every 8 hours.) This is all at my own discretion though I call and tell my doctor each change I make.  He wanted me to stay on high doses of valium much more long term, but I get anxiety from being so drunk feeling and I have bruises from falling over even when I was at 22.5mg a day.

I dont know if it's because of the readjustment of my body's stress hormones (I dont shake as much, got appetite back, no longer have any insomnia or nightmares) but is it possible that because of my physical situation (ie, the valium being almost medically necessary to eat or sleep or stop tremors at first) I am not going to experience much real withdrawal from going off it?

I do have a history of anxiety, but I have to say, I felt more anxious being on the high doses of valium than I have so far being at 15 mg.  Honestly, I suspect that I am STILL on too much medication- I feel sleepy and lethargic but with a constant headache.  These dont seem like the typical withdrawal symptoms I've heard people talk about.  

I'm just in all this anxious suspense waiting for some horrible rebound of anxiety and insomnia etc and is it possible that's not going to happen?

[oregonshell]

I appreciate your reply.  The symptoms get worse when I try to go below 15mg-- intenstinal cramps, nausea, woozy, shaking, headache sharpens, tired, but easily agitated (I've had a headache for most of the last ten days).  When I called my doctor about what to do, he says, I should be able to go down to 10 mg for a week then 5 for a week then get off it if I really wanted to but says I should stay on valium longer because of the physiological effects still in place from the traumatic scare I had.  I still shake when I wake up and become inappropriately adrenalized by just about everything.  The doctor says it's something about my adrenalin/stress hormones got over-aroused and the valium is offsetting that response.  It was supposed to "reset" it in the short term but now its been almost two months and while the symptoms are 75% gone, I still feel how I am over sensitized to stimuli.
I have decided to stay at 15mg for the next 1 to 2 weeks and just stay at home and try to avoid stress as much as possible.  Maybe after that, dropping down wont be as hard.

[RubyWitch]

Forty days is really not a long time to be on diazepam. While 40mg is approximately 10mg over the recommended max dose, you were only at that level for one week. You then dropped yourself down to between 20-30mg for a month. While 10mg could be considered a fairly steep cut, you had only been at 40mgs for a week. Your body would not have had time to become tolerant, which is why the drop did not bother you. Then we find you dropping down to 22.5mg (?) a day for 8 (?) days. After 8 days, you've dropped now to 15mg per day. If you felt drunk and lethargic at 22.5mg, and were actually falling, you should have alterted your doctor to the reaction you were having. At that point, he should have discontinued the medication immediately. If he wants you to be on a benzo long term, he should put you on something like Klonopin, which IS a long term benzo. Valium is really only effective for anxiety, on a daily basis, for a very short period ot time. It works well when used on a PRN (as needed) basis for occassional mild anxiety. Valium is most often prescribed these days as a skeletal muscle relaxant for quads and paras.
If you are on your third day at 15mg and have as your only "withdrawal" symptoms, (which I'm doubting is even withdrawal) tiredness, lethargy and a constant headache that is a mild tension type headache, then I'd say that this might possibly be withdrawal for YOU. Since you are being very good about staying in contact with your doctor during this period, give him a call and tell him about the tiredness, lethargy, but most especially the headaches. It might be a good idea for you to stay at the 15mg level for a week or two before stepping down again. You may just be going a bit too fast for your body to adjust completely before you make another cut.
Your headache could also be the result of as you, yourself, called it........"this anxious suspense waiting for some horrible rebound of anxiety and insomnia."
And yes, it's very likely you won't be bothered by any kind of w/d after just 5 weeks. I think what you are experiencing now is the worst you will feel. Andn once the valium is completely out of your system, those issues will resolve.

You never said what this "major scare" was in your life which apparently necessitated getting on medication for anxiety, but my honest feeling is that you need to talk with your doctor about your meds and possibly some therapy to deal with the aftermath of this event. Even if you feel OK now, these events have a nasty way of crouching in the corners of our minds and years from now, jumping out to throw our lives into total chaos. It might be a good idea to deal with what's in those corners now while their still awake.
I wish you the best
Peace
Greenlydia