Valium Detox: What to Expect

Valium detox is the first step of addiction treatment. Here’s what you can expect.

Valium is a benzodiazepine medication that’s prescribed to treat anxiety and panic disorders. It’s also a widely abused drug due to its relaxing and euphoric effects. Many people abuse Valium by taking higher doses than prescribed by their physician, taking someone else’s Valium, or using Valium to get high. Valium is highly addictive, and valium detox and treatment are essential for ending a dependence and addiction to this or other benzodiazepines, such as Klonopin or Xanax.

What is Dependence?

Addiction and dependence are not the same thing.

Addiction is characterized by being unable to stop using a drug even though it’s causing major problems in your life, such as relationship, health, legal, or financial troubles. Addiction is a complex disease that changes your brain function and affects thought and behavior patterns.

Dependence is a physical reliance on drugs. When you heavily abuse Valium, your brain changes the way it functions chemically in order to compensate for the effects of the Valium. This leads to tolerance, which means that you need increasingly larger doses of Valium in order to get the desired effects. But the more you use, the more your brain function changes. At some point, brain function may shift so that it now operates more comfortably when Valium is in your system. Then, when you stop using Valium, normal brain function rebounds, and withdrawal symptoms set in. Valium detox ends your brain’s physical dependence on Valium.

Valium Withdrawal Symptoms

When you stop using Valium, you’ll likely experience a number of withdrawal symptoms. These can be dangerous, which is why Valium detox is essential for ending your dependence on it.

Withdrawal symptoms can range from mild to severe, and not everyone will experience all of the withdrawal symptoms associated with Valium. The most common Valium withdrawal symptoms include:

  • Intense cravings.
  • Anxiety and panic attacks.
  • Tremors.
  • Insomnia and other sleep problems.
  • Irritability, paranoia, and mood swings.
  • Dizziness and lightheadedness.
  • Confusion and cognitive problems.
  • Dangerous increases in heart rate and blood pressure.
  • Delirium and hallucinations.
  • Psychosis.
  • Seizures.

Valium withdrawal can be dangerous or even deadly. Since the FDA has not approved any medications to treat the dangerous symptoms of Valium withdrawal, Valium detox is a matter of tapering off the doses to prevent the onset of withdrawal altogether.

Valium Withdrawal Timeline

Detoxing from Valium the traditional way–cold turkey–is dangerous, and dangerous symptoms can last for a week, with some of the psychological symptoms, like cravings and anxiety, persisting for weeks or even months.

When detox is done properly by reducing the doses over time until you can safely stop using Valium, the Valium withdrawal timeline is longer, but it’s far safer and much more comfortable.

To detox from Valium safely, your physican will work with you to develop a safe Valium withdrawal timeline based on your current dosage and other factors.

Detox is Not Addiction Treatment

Ending your physical dependence on Valium is not the same thing as treating your addiction. Addiction is far more complicated than dependence, and treating the addiction requires re-learning healthy ways of thinking and behaving and developing essential skills and strategies for coping with triggers, such as stress and cravings.

Valium addiction treatment helps you restore your life on all fronts. Through treatment, you’ll improve your self-awareness and self-esteem, find purpose and meaning in a life of sobriety, and work to restore family dysfunction. Treatment offers a wide range of programs, services, and resources to help you find employment, return to school, resolve legal problems, and restore your physical and mental health.

Treatment is essential for ending an addiction to Valium. If you or someone you love has an addiction, valium detox followed by high quality addiction treatment can help you restore your quality of life and sense of wellbeing and end your addiction for the long-term.

If you or a loved one needs help with abuse and/or treatment, please call the WhiteSands Treatment at (877) 855-3470. Our addiction specialists can assess your recovery needs and help you get the addiction treatment that provides the best chance for your long-term recovery.

About the Author

is a proud alumni member of WhiteSands Treatment. After living a life of chaos, destruction and constant let downs, Mark was able to make a complete turnaround that sparked a new way of life. He is serious about his recovery along with helping others. At WhiteSands Treatment, we offer support to you in your homes or when you are out living in your daily lives.