Another Use for Valium

Valium or diazepam is usually thought of as an anti-anxiety medication. It is a benzodiazepine and was originally developed as an anti-seizure drug. While it is often prescribed for anxiety, it may not be the best drug for long-term use because of the development of tolerance in chronic use. However, Valium can be very useful in pain control.

I had a patient today who had a bilateral total knee replacement due to osteoarthritis compromising his knees to the point where he was in chronic pain. Before giving him oxycontin prior to therapy I spoke to the nurse that I was working with and she suggested that I also include his prescribed 5 mg of Valium to help with muscular relaxation. She discussed the value of this medication in pain management. I was grateful for the information.

I recalled reading about Mick Mars' battle with ankylosing spondylitis in Motley Crue's biography The Dirt. Mick had started having severe muscle spasms and his pain was so severe that he was also hallucinating. One doctor suggested that he was depressed and put him on an antidepressant. Mick's response was "well, I've been depressed all my life so I don't see what that has to do with anything, but I'll try it." 

The antidepressant made the hallucinations worse. The doctor then decided that Mick must be schizophrenic. His response was that he might not be the most educated guy or the smartest guy, but he did know a few things and he in no way believed that it was very likely for someone in his 50's to have a sudden onset of schizophrenia. The disease usually manifests in a person's 20's. 

Mick then went to a pain control specialist who prescribed a low dose of Valium along with his pain medication. He said that his initial thought was that he didn't feel nervous, he was just disturbed by the symptoms he was having. The doctor told him to give it a try for a couple of weeks and it worked wonders. He didn't feel any sedative effects but the spasms decreased significantly.

I had a prescription for 6 2 mg Valium tablets following my foray to the ER a couple of weeks ago for a particularly nasty panic attack. I actually never took any of them, but tonight my fibromyalgia was so bad that it felt like barbed wire was wrapped around my arms. I decided to try an experiment.

I took my normal OTC Naproxen sodium but this time I also broke a Valium in half and gave myself 1 mg. It did seem to help relax my muscles and it's such a low dose that I have had none of the Valium dopiness. I don't like to take drugs. Currently the only prescribed medication I take is 2 mg of amlodipine besylate, or Norvasc, which is a calcium channel blocker to control my blood pressure. It's a very mild medication and I've had virtually no problems with side effects after the first 2 weeks of taking it. The initial side effects were mild and resolved within 10 days. I will probably stay on this medication for life. My Lithium is Lithium Orotate, which is available without prescription.

Now, my problem is getting the doctor to listen to me and allowing me to have a few Valium on hand for times such as this. I wouldn't want to take them every day, only when the fibro pain gets as bad as it was today, which is not only compromising physically but negatively effects my mood. Like many health care professionals, my doctor is worried about the addiction potential of Valium and the fact that every time I've had an anxiety crisis I request it has lead him to believe that I am addicted to it. I'm not. It's simply that it's the only sedative type medication that does not give me a rebound effect. I only take it rarely. I suppose if my doctor won't hear me on this I can go to a pain clinic and try to discuss the matter with them. It isn't as if I need this medication to survive, but knowing how helpful it can be, why not have some on hand for situations of this nature?