In this article, I’m going to teach you how to use Valium for opiate withdrawal. Opiate withdrawal wouldn’t be all that bad if you only experienced the physical symptoms. Unfortunately, the anxiety, psychological terror, and insomnia can make withdrawal a living hell. Several years ago I was addicted to opiates. Every few weeks or months I would not be able to get any more opiates. Sometimes my dealer was out, but usually, it was because I was out of money.
Whenever this happened, I knew that I had about twelve hours after my last dose before the withdrawal symptoms would start coming on. During this time, I would text everyone I knew to see if I could score some Xanax for opiate withdrawal symptoms. Actually, I didn’t even care if it was Xanax. Other pills such as Valium, Klonopin or Ativan would work extremely well too.
Note: These medications are in a class of drugs called benzodiazepines. Commonly referred to as “benzos”, these pills are very effective at reducing anxiety and easing nervous tension. They also relax muscles and help you fall and stay asleep, thus Valium can help with opiate withdrawal.
Valium for Opiate Withdrawal Symptoms
Valium is a brand name for the anxiolytic (anti-anxiety) medication known as diazepam. Valium is commonly prescribed for anxiety and panic disorder, though many opiate abusers have used Valium for opiate withdrawal. Valium falls right in the middle of the Xanax and Klonopin as far as onset goes. Xanax is fast to come on, fast to come off in effects. Klonopin is slow to come on but lasts the longest out of any benzo. Valium is a happy medium.
Using Valium for opiate withdrawal has become popular due to its remarkable ability at treating the following symptoms:
- Anxiety
- Restless Leg Syndrome (RLS)
- Muscle tension and soreness
- Psychological terror
- Insomnia
- Poor appetite
When determining whether or not you should use Valium for opiate withdrawal, please consider the following key points:
- Everyone is biochemically unique; so while Valium worked well for me and countless others, it won’t help everyone ease their symptoms.
- For some individuals, Valium will work well, though Ativan, Xanax, Librium or Klonopin might work better.
- Many individuals say Valium helps them calm anxiety and fall asleep, though a small minority complain that it makes them too much like a zombie.
- Valium and other benzos can be habit-forming.
- Taking too much Valium can lead to an overdose.
How to Use Valium for Opiate Withdrawal
Taking Valium for opiate withdrawal can be a lifesaver if done properly.
The following key points illustrate a very safe way to use Valium for opiate withdrawal symptoms relief:
- Always take Valium under the supervision of a physician.
- Valium comes in tablets that have the following strengths (2 mg, 5 mg, 10 mg).
- Due to differences in severity of addiction and biochemical uniqueness, there is no set Valium for opiate withdrawal dosage.
- Take the least amount of Valium necessary to achieve opiate withdrawal symptoms relief.
- Discontinue Valium after 3-4 days; the worst of the withdrawals should be over by day 5, and this way you won’t develop a physical dependence to Valium.
- Most individuals will benefit from as little as 5 mg per dose, though some will need up to 20 mg, especially at night before bed.
What if you Can’t Get Valium for Opiate Withdrawal?
If you’re going through opiate withdrawal right now and can’t get Valium from a doctor or drug dealer, I feel your pain. Fortunately, there are two herbs that work in very similar ways to Valium. Valium benefits for opiate withdrawal are due to it binding to GABAA receptors in the brain. GABA is an inhibitory neurotransmitter that acts as a mental relaxant. GABA is basically our natural Valium, though our bodies produce it in the precise amounts we were designed to handle.
Valerian root and passion flower are herbs that activate your GABA receptors like Valium does. They both have been shown to naturally reduce anxiety and insomnia. In one study, 75 participants with nonorganic insomnia were put into two different groups. One group received 600 mg of standardized valerian extract, while the other group received 10 mg of oxazepam (a benzodiazepine medication) for 28 days. Assessment tools used to evaluate the effectiveness and tolerance of the interventions included validated sleep, mood scale, and anxiety questionnaires as well as sleep rating by a physician.
Results: Both groups had the same improvement in sleep quality but the valerian group reported fewer side effects than did the oxazepam group.
I used valerian root and passion flower many times for opiate withdrawal anxiety and insomnia. Passion flower is also very beneficial for relieving gastrointestinal upset due to narcotic drug withdrawal. These two herbs are not as strong as Valium for opiate withdrawal, but they still work very well, especially when combined with other herbs, vitamins, minerals and amino acids used in the treatment of withdrawal.
Note: If you can’t get Valium for opiate withdrawal, I HIGHLY RECOMMEND taking passion flower and valerian root as a natural and safe alternative. These will help with anxiety, insomnia, and muscle relaxation, but they will not treat other symptoms. They do nothing for fatigue, hot and cold flashes, diarrhea or sweating. Furthermore, they don’t help replenish your brain with dopamine. I always encourage people going through opiate withdrawal to take a concentrated supplement specifically designed to treat all of these symptoms in a holistic and synergistic way.
*This Opiate Withdrawal Supplement is an extremely potent opiate withdrawal formula that can work well on its own without Valium. However, if you can manage to get Valium or another benzo, the Opiate Withdrawal Supplement and Imodium AD, and take all of these together…you’re sure to have the easiest withdrawal ever. If you can afford it, I also highly recommend taking this awesome supplement, because the benefits are just too good to pass up.
Click here now to view my best home detox program. If you have any questions on how to use Valium for opiate withdrawal symptoms, feel free to post them in the comment box below.
clonodine is the bees knees for RLS, nothing compares. If your having issues with RLS (like i had, i hate running a marathon a night while trying to catch a couple winks, fleeting winks at that) try clonodine. just because its MAINLY perscribed as a hypertension med doesnt mean that it doesnt have usefull side effects which help with opiate withdrawl. careful on the dosing, if you havent taken it before start with .05, if that doesnt work bump it up to .1 some negative side effects of clonodine: passing out while changing from a laying to standing position. this medication GREATLY reduces your blood pressure along with heart rate. also dry mouth is a pain, but ill take that any day over RLS. also might want to mention one sideffect of benzos that wasnt brought up (i dont think?) SHORT TERM AMNESIA. howry cow i call em memorywipers. at higher doses dont bother studying or engaging in activities which require you to retain the information any longer then a couple hours.
I began slowly tapering down from 190mgh fentanyl patches which I first began using 1997 after my accident.I have decided to wean off completely about 9 months ago and as of December 01,2017 I’m down to 12.5 mgh.I am going to start a dose of 20-30mg of oxycodone to give me the opportunity to take off the long acting fentanyl to the short acting oxycodone. I’ve been told that trying to withdraw using long acting patches is not safe or practical.
This is my regimen for withdrawals which has worked so far concerning my nasty restless leg syndrome. I use high CBD oil and high cbg cannabis oils which I’m lucky my insurance pays for along with magnesium citrate for restless leg.
It’s been 2 days with out my 12.5 mgh fentanyl patch and I’m using only 30 mg of oxycodone fast acting and along with the oils I’m happy I transferred of the fentanyl but my road ahead will be the oxycodone is my next withdrawal experience which I figure by end of march 2018 I’ll be free of drugs.The cbd oils work along with magnesium citrate pills to almost eliminate the rls I suffer from.
I’ll keep you informed
Hello everyone
i have a question just like everyone else
i was taking 5mg valium for pain and panic disorder for about 2 yrs and my connection moved out of state so i just didnt take anymore….dont remember any bad withdraws… but as time went buy my wife had knee surgery and i took a 5mg oxycodone and worked great for pain.been on them for about 2 yrs now and want to stop because its getting harder to get,but really works great for my cronic back pain. question i still have 20 5mg valiums left and i just took my last oxy. now when and howmuch valium should i take to ween off the oxy
thanks tom
Hi all iv been a herion addict for 20 years I am only 35 now..I’m currently stable on 90mg ov methodone every day.and I ain’t had herion for 2 years.but it’s my benzo additiction is bad iv brought my self down to about 30mg of vallium every day.from about 280mg a day I would eat a box ov 28 10mg no problem.but when I don’t have any benzo for about 4 days I always end up in hospital fitting..what can I take to help the withdrawal of benzo without using other benzo. .like the anti fit drug.I’m in the UK so I don’t know what it’s like in the states..but I have had enough of vallium pretty much dictate my lifemail for 20 years
Try high strength CBD legal in UK helps with stress, anxiety and insomnia vaping it throughout the day helps create calm not an alternative but certainly helpful for cutting down initially when you notice the positivity in life again you may find it easier then cutting down on the opioids then always the choice for oral cbd drops a few times a day to manage fitting / seizures.
I am planning to start opiate withdrawal this Tuesday 07/18. I have set aside 5 days for being in bed and 3 further days for being miserable but mobile. I am tapering from 120mg Hydro per day beginning today and plan to get to 30mg/day by Monday 07/17. I intend on having Valium on hand by Monday but after reading this post and other info regarding Benzos I am very concerned about Benzo addiction and withdrawal.
I am fully aware everybody responds differently so I am asking these questions for general info and maybe of someone who is similar to me in usage and body type. I am male, late 40s, started 20mg/day Hydro 3 months ago, up to 120mg/day today, 175lbs, smoker, no alcohol or other drugs.
My questions:
I have read that 2mg Valium 3 times per day is a common dosage, I am concerned that this may be excessive for me. Would Xanax which comes on faster 1 time in evening/night be a wiser choice to help with insomnia and if so what is a suggested dose?
How long can I expect the brutal part of withdrawal to last? Is 5 days in bed and 3 days of being generally useless enough to get past the extreme discomfort? I am taking vacation time from work.
Thank you for any guidance/stories you can provide. I have studied quite a bit about what to expect and while not looking forward to any of it I am looking forward and excited about being on the other side of this.
How did your rapid withdrawal work out for you.
I’d like to know too. My guess is it didn’t take as he did not come back and update with good news.
After your last oxycodone dose (approx. 80mg a day) WHEN do u start gabapentin useage ?
To come off opiates, doctors typically prescribe it to use as soon as you start feeling withdrawal symptoms. Here is an article I wrote on it:
How To Use Gabapentin For Opiate Withdrawal>>
Got off gabapentin gain weight i was using it for nerve damage been on so many types of pain medication .am taking 6 to 10 perks aday .went to get my medication the other day .my dr wrote out script wrong for got he upgraded went to pickup my medication there said iwas a week early so i went back to my dr he wrote me 5 dsys of 5 mg of valium and to take 4 times a day i hate the feeling i make me sleepy
This guy sounds high right now. It’s like one long incoherent sentence trying to read what he typed.
Would you know if being on a daily dose of 10/325 hydrocodone would affect my valium/xanax withdrawal? I have been off the valium/xanax for about five months, but am still going through benzo withdrawal. I am on the vicodin for chronic pain and cannot go off and am concerned that being on it will affect my recovery, the gama issue. I cannot seem to find any info on this and my doctor is not very informed on benzo withdrawal and opiates. Any advise or reassurance that I can stay on my vicodin and still recover would be appreciated. If not, I would have to wean off the vicodin and I have been on many years and need it for chronic pain, but I cannot live in this benzo hell forever either if the vicodin would prevent my recovery. Thanks.
High everyone. I’ve been taking 500mg of codine a day for about 7 years. Tryed multiple times to get off the things ( cold turkey ). Make it to day 2-3 and cant handle the withdrawal symptoms. Finally went to a doc he put me on suboxone. Been taking it for 2 days. Works great for the cravings but does nothing for the symptoms. Insomnia, gut aches ect. Got some antanex ( valium ). Going to try that just so i can get some sleep. Even on the codine i was suffering insomnia. Havent had the subs for 28 hours will it be ok to take the vals? Thanks.
Hi Matt, thanks for this site its been a real help. I have been off tramadol now for about 5 days and I have been taking Valium 2.5 three times a day. I was taking 40 X 50mg a day for quite a while so my withdrawal was super tough. I am going to stop the Valium in 2 days and wanted to know any more long term supplements, vitaminss ect.. to help more on long term basis?
I also was on methadone and I also tried Suboxone. I can tell you right now that methadone and Suboxone were THE WORST drug i have ever taken In my 20 years of addiction. I tried to taper off with the liquid methadone and I was in HELL I thought I was dying. I am NEVER going back to methadone or Suboxone again. I quit cold turkey and it was so hard for me. I can never go back to this stuff again because I feel that they are worse than what in was initially addicted to which was Norco 10/325 and Percocet 10mg I am trying so hard and I am at my wits end. I do have Valium and I have benadryl and Immodium. Now what should I do?
I am an addict I have been addicted to opiates for 13 years and just recently I did get off of them but I keep getting withdrawals even after 3 months. I get to the point where my stomach clenched up and I cannot eat and when I do I end up with diarrhea. I don’t know what to do. I was taking Tramadol aka Ultram and I was okay. BUT now I am to the point where I don’t want to take the tramadol/ultram anymore. I am now off of the tramadol/ultram and I feel okay. I went to my dr. And I told her EXACTLY what is going on with me. If I don’t tell her the truth about how I am feeling she cannot do much for me but she gave me Valium 10mg and so far I am doing okay but what I am deathly afraid of is that the withdrawals will come back with a vengeance and I don’t know if I can hold on anymore I’m crying because I am so scared of what my life is going to be like a month from now. I have a fiance who is a drinker and he knows I am trying my hardest to stay sober but he does not respect this at all. I don’t know what to do I need help I am so scared.
Pray many times a day…
Even if you don’t believe,
PRAY….!!!!
I need to get off opiets but I need to work can I work on valum
Everyone responds to medications different. I was able to work on Valium and other benzos, but some people say they make them too sleepy. Please ask your doctor about this. Take care and I wish you the best of luck.
Hey, guys I have been down the Vicodin road 3 times and all due to surgeries. I’m one of those people who take pills and it’s on. Plus I have people who I can them from easily. My doctor is a maxing guy who I come clean to everytime it’s happen. If you truly want to get off opioids go get on the suboxone patch called butrans. It’s awesome. Butrans with some Valium for 4-7 days and you can take the patch off and just do a little Valium. Trust me it works. My worse pill habit was 20-30 Vic’s a day. I a back surgery I have to go through. Also butrans does show on drug test. I get test for work all the time. Now you still have to want to stop taking opioids. I like the patch because it gets me use to not taking pills. That’s half the battle. I use a 20mg patch. It’s the strongest patch they make. Also don’t get it twisted with the patch not becoming habit forming. The withdrawals from the patch are 100 times worse than any pill. They are more intense. So only a week on them and that’s it. They will not get u high at all! You feel like you where never dependent on opiods. I’m sure someone will bash this post. But it’s my experience not your so save your theory .
Hey Matt, I’ve been addicted to opiates for 7 years. I started out on Hydrocodone, 60 to 90mg daily for 2 years. The Oxycodone, 100 to 160mg daily for 3 years. Then black tar for a year, using 1/2 to 1 gram daily. Now I’m currently in a Methadone Maintenance therapy program and have been for the last couple years. My dose is 80mg. I have never used a needle, all the pills I was taking them orally, and I was smoking the black tar. I dont have the confidence to taper off and get off of Methadone completely due to the fear of withdrawal. I have many comfort meds including Diazepam, Clonazepam, Promethazine, Hydroxyzine, Gabapentin, and Loperamide all saved up to help me get off of Methadone. Do you recommend me to take Diazepam while I’m still detoxing off of Methadone? Or wait til I get to a very low dose or completely get off of the Narcotic? Thanks in advance.
Hi David,
Thanks for sharing a bit of your story regarding opiate addiction and Medication Assisted Treatment. I would be very happy with those medications if I were planning a methadone detox. When I worked as a counselor at a methadone clinic, many patients would take prescribed low dose diazepam or other benzos when they reached a very low dosage tapering their methadone. This would help to rid them of anxiety, insomnia, and even depression due to the decreasing amounts of methadone in their system.
Many patients would also take benzos for a week or two after their last dose of methadone. However, when you start taking benzos for this duration, there could potentially be minor withdrawal symptoms as well, though not necessarily. Please talk to your doctor and see what protocol you should use. If you have not done so already, I encourage you to read the following articles:
How To Use Gabapentin For Opiate Withdrawal
How To Use Loperamide For Opiate Withdrawal
Matt i could use some help with a few ?’s i have b4 withdrawl begins in a few days.
Sure Samantha what can I help you with?
I also don’t know how much diazepam to take or how often.!
Re-read the part of the article that goes over dosing protocols, but always ask your doctor for the correct dosage.
Take only 2 mg three times a day will help with the anxiety for a week by then your withdrawal systems should be getting better this is the recommended dose by gps. If you must take diazapan for week two only take 2mg twice a day for the rest of the week and stop taking it as soon as possible one should never forget diazapan can be additive too, but the dosage I have quoted are only considered very small amounts and you should be safe on taking theses amounts. But please talk to your doctor at all times with any drug related problem
I am jst starting withdrawal today I’ve got 5 box’s of 5mg diazepam, that I got myself (no doctor) however I did go & see the doc yesterday.! He prescribed me clonidine 0.1 tabs, buscopan. Will this clonidine help,? I don’t know how this clonidine will help,?? From what Ive read about it its for hypertension.!?? And to make things work the pharmacy had to order them in for today. So won’t get them till 9-10 am. ! My heads all over the place.! I want to to it but still feeling like scoring.! I was also on 85mg methodone 19 days ago, I stopped that my self as I couldn’t get the right help from the drug team.! They just want people stable.! So I don’t know what to do for the best.? Any advice would be great, thanks
Please refer to the following article:
How To Use Clonidine For Opiate Withdrawal
Im currently at .25mg on my suboxone taper, i want to stop but get a lot of anxiety when i try to jump, i have to a lot of valiums in my possesion and want to know if i can take 5mg every night while i taper to a lower dosage of the sub, or should i just jump off the sub and take the valiums for 3 to 4 days
It’s probably best to wait until you come off Suboxone completely, then just use it for 3-4 days.
Disclaimer: I am a Strategic Intervention Coach, not a doctor, so I can’t give professional advice regarding aspects of the body, only the mind. This comment is for informational use only. It’s not intended to treat, diagnose or prevent any disease. Always check with your doctor before changing your diet, trying any new supplements, medications, exercise or opiate tapering programs.
I have followed your guide and it does what it says….i found the small short doses of diazpam very useful not more than 4 days …imodium,water,gatorade,vitimins mineals,extremly helpful ,Found all information eye opener for me… Matt i have been on journey for 6/7 years ups and downs …i am 20 years with adiction. In UK we are away behind…i have worked hard to be were i am now….A thanks to your site……Made me aware of p.a.w.s and much more…have faith my friendz
I’m so happy to read this comment Charles. I love when readers comment how using some of the methods on this website helped them get off opiates. I sincerely appreciate you taking the time to write me. Good luck on your journey.
Hi immon my almost fourth day of detox from perk/Vic 60mg a day and lomotil everyday for about 4 years straight. The only symptoms I’m still having is RLS (really bad) and anxiety and no appetite! I got 7 5mg Valium from a doctor today how much should I take? I can’t sleep because my legs are just so restless! Thanks!
Take however much your doctor instructed you to use. Best of luck to you Krystal!
I am on first day with H….I used that to detox off oxycodone. I would get 1 pt and ration it it to three doses just to have a trickle of opiates in my system…. like all the hubbub regarding cannabinoid receptors, I believe the same for our opioid receptors. Oxy is NOT a four letter word and is part of the plant matter (Thebaine) our bodies require.
I forgot, I am using 5mg Valium to detox off H so I will be clean if I find new Pain Doctor. They cut our doses forcing us to self medicate to have any quality of life….all the alleged overdoses are intentional suicides…..
If your going to be saying things about drugs get your facts strait, maybe site your references? Even a high school student is taught to make a biblography. Your not a doctor and while your site has merit this a glaring falsehood: “Valium falls right in the middle of Xanax and Klonopin as far as onset goes. (this maybe true but has little importantance in this application) Xanax is fast to come on(true), fast to come off in effects. Klonopin is slow to come on, but lasts the longest out of any benzo. This is wrong. The half life (the time it takes the average person to eliminate valium aka diazepam is 200 hours. That means after your recomended three days off you still haven’t eliminated half the drug yet so when you go back to using it three days later you have now increased your total blood Valium content increacing your chance of dependance. Yes xanax has the shortest half life(mere hours) thus it is not a good choice for opiate withdrawal as it is a short term fix. klonopin has a 30-40 hour half life depending on your age/metabolism.
Hi Guy,
Thanks for the additional information about diazepam taking 200 hours to eliminate. However, I don’t recommend anyone use Valium or another benzo for more than 3-4 days, as it states. Never do I say to to go back to using it 3 days later, which seems to be what you have an issue with. And yes, I’m not a doctor, that’s why I have a disclaimer at the bottom of every page on my website. Also, I’d like to thank you for your compliment that my site has merit.
Furthermore, you said Xanax is not a good choice for opiate withdrawal as it is a short-term fix. I disagree. I concur it is not as good of a choice as Klonopin. But I have used Xanax and it works very well, and much better than having no benzo at all. I have created the following articles for the convenience of my readers to give them options.
How to Use Klonopin For Opiate Withdrawal
How to Use Xanax For Opiate Withdrawal
How to Use Ativan For Opiate Withdrawal
Not everyone has access to Klonopin, so I want readers to see how to use the medications that they have the ability to get, or already have.
You see Guy, all of these medications are wonderful to take for 3-4 days during acute opiate withdrawal. I know this because I have tried them all, and I’ve also been a counselor at an Opiate Treatment Program where countless opiate abusers have told me how well Valium, Xanax or Ativan worked for them.
That’s just great that you know the exact number of hours diazepam (Valium) stays in your bloodstream. I’ve been working with addiction for a long time, and I know how many people these drugs have helped minimize withdrawal symptoms.
Thanks for the comment and I really appreciate you taking the time to write about your knowledge of these medications.
Hi Matt,
I appreciate what you are doing with helping of withdrawal symptoms. I’m 10 days off, I am going to stop all Valium use since I read your reports. I do take Gabopentin, for leg pain. All my pain med opiate use is due to 7 spine surgeries. But I can no longer take opiate side effects. Please write me on your feelings about long term Gabopentin use. Thanks Jules. PS I’m in late stage PAWS withdrawal it seems. I really need your help
Valium does not have a 200 hour half life, it has a 20-100 hour half life. Its main active metabolite desmethyldiazepam has a active half life of 36-200 hours.