What Are The Signs Of Valium Addiction And Abuse?

Valium is a prescription drug which is very useful in treating many medical conditions. However, it also has the potential to cause addiction if used for a longer period of time. Hence, studying the signs of valium addiction and abuse becomes of utmost important for us.

Valium is a benzodiazepine. It finds numerous uses in the medical world. It can be used as a sedative, anxiolytic, hypnotic, anticonvulsant, amnestic and a muscle relaxant. It is more often used to cure short-term moderate and severe anxiety and insomnia. It is used to cure acute hallucinations, agitation, paranoia and tremors in cases of alcohol withdrawal.

Its other uses are for relieving muscle spasms, spasticity in neurological disorders (cerebral palsy and paraplegia), tetanus, stiff-man syndrome and to treat status epilepticus and recalcitrant recurrent convulsive seizures. It also dissipates anxiety in patients who are to undergo surgery.

However, in spite of all these benefits, one needs to be very careful while using it. A prolonged, out-of-prescription abuse leads to physical and psychological dependency and, ultimately, a severe addiction for it.

Regular overdose of valium, over a long period of time, leads to many health hazards. It affects the central nervous system and causes lethargy, difficulty in walking, fatigue, depression, mental confusion, speech difficulty, headache, tremors, dizziness and sleepiness. Nausea, constipation and vomiting are also caused.

The other effects on the body are; the bladder control slowly diminishes along with an erectile dysfunction in men and impotency. The heart rate slows down resulting in low blood pressure and shock. Signs of skin rash and urticaria are also seen. Altered vision and double vision result in due course of time accompanied by frequent hiccups, mouth dryness and liver problems, among others.

Valium can particularly harm the liver functioning in the long run. Some individuals have also suffered from anxiety, hyper-excitation, increased muscle spasticity, hallucinations, insomnia and extreme anger.

The withdrawal symptoms include tremors, convulsions, vomiting, abdominal and muscle cramps and sweating. These effects happen due to a sudden discontinuance of diazepam in hard core abusers. The milder symptoms, on the other hand, include dysphoria and insomnia. These happen only in cases where the drug was consumed for a few months. This is why the doctors always wean off a patient gradually after a prolonged therapy involving the drug. The withdrawal symptoms can however be avoided by using a benzodiazepine with a long half-life.

Valium taken along with alcohol and in excessive amounts can cause respiratory arrest and even coma. Extreme caution is advised while injecting its dosages on the elderly and those with breathing disorders.

These are the signs of valium addiction and abuse that show with over dosages of the drug. Although valium is a secondary drug for abuse, it carries an inherent risk of acute addiction.

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