does valium help anyone?

SSince its been a year of constant pain I am considering taking valium as an occasional relief for the less severe pain. If I want to maybe start going out for the day with a friend or something since I can't take the edge off with steam pans if I'm out side.

I find steam pans reduce the stress induced pain, so as the pain increased so does stress in my body as a response to it which increased the pain even more. A hot steam pan with a towel over my head and some eucalyptus oil releases the tension a bit andbrings the pressure and pain down to the normal level that it was for that day. Not for long mind you only 15 minutes or so but still.

I wonder if valium will at least have a similar relaxant effect, preventing the built up stress from the pain increasing the pain further and further throughout the day.

I know it's highly addictive. I've used it in the past for anxiety but did not get find myself even slightly addicted toit so not concerned about that.

Just wondering if anyone uses it for milder level migraines/pressure in the head and whether they get any benefit?

I don't currently have any pain killers that work. Never did really.

Or triptans. So just want some kind of break or ability to socialize occasionally while I wait for the correct treatment to work.

Thank you

I have not tried Valium, but I have used this supplement for insomnia and anxiety that the constant headache pain gives me:

http://www.amazon.com/Source-Naturals-GABA-Peppermint-Tablets/dp/B000GFSV5K/ref=sr_1_2?s=hpc&ie=UTF8&qid=1359924902&sr=1-2&keywords=Gaba-+Calm

My review is the four star under "mxgo." It does work for me at lower headache pain, by easing my anxiety the pain of the constant headache gives me.

Just something for your consideration.

Martin

Thank you Martin
I am looking into herbal stuff too, but concerned about the unregulated nature of it all.

Someone suggested magnolio rhodiola which I'll ask my gp about.

I don't think we sell gaba calm in the UK. But I'll keep looking into it.

X

Hi,

I have used valium in conjunction with other meds for the really bad migraines. It helped quite a bit. If it has worked in the past, then definitely ask your doc about it. It is worth a shot.

Pain free days,
sailingm

It never helped me. I get horrible neck pain with all most all of my migraines and it was prescribed to help with that and it never even touched it, everyone is different though. I have also had Ativan via IV and it is also completely ineffective.

here's my little input re: valium and/or the other benzodiazipines. since i have had several sleep disorders for over 25 years, along with the migraines (44 and counting) i have used one of the other benzos for that, very successfully. as we all know, these drugs are highly addicting, physiologically. meaning that the body gets very used to sleeping or whatever else it does for a person, and wants more more more. in my case, the addiction is NEVER wanting the drug in order to feel a certain way, only that i long for sleep.

in order to make the drug keep working at a reasonable dose, every few months i have to "back down" the dose and go thru a few days of hellish non-sleeping. then after a withdrawal period it begins working for me again.
btw, years and years ago i did try it, of course, during the day for migraines, and it did nothing at all, nor did it make me sleepy.

NEVER has it had any effect on my migraines. but here's the kicker: when i am on the high side of a dose, i still have daily migraines, but they are far more tolerable. i need far fewer triptans. previously, and for years, i have taken one or another triptan daily, which is, of course, not recommended, if a pain drug will work.

sleep equals fewer killer pain days, for me. that's my story. dianne

Thank you all
Dianne - what dose do you Take when you say high side of dose?

I think I am going to avoid taking it but as I have come off topiramate fully now and have my desire to be sociable again, I will keep it on me incase I get stressed from the pain in a social situation.

Not sure if it will help. But it's nice to know it's there as an occasional measure.

Doesn't seem like it helps as a daily dose based on what you have all said.

I ordered the herbal supplement which is a mixture of relora, magnolia and l-theinine to see if that helps with myanxiety and sleep. X

i'd have to ask my "druggie"son (he's not a pharmacist but should have been, having experimented with just about everything out there, unfortunately) about how what i take (lorazepam, aka ativan) compares with the dosage of valium. mine is 2 mg/day. i know that some folks take 6 mg./day or more, but that's for anxiety, and it's taken not just at night, as i do.

i keep my dose at 2 mg. or 1.5.

for years, i kept it at 1 mg. the older i get, the less well it works....... i'm sure you can google the comparison dosages. best wishes, dianne

Update on Valium: I tried it the other night, my pain was at a lower level anyways but still frustrating me a lot (level 4 I call it - constant pressure, heavyness & aching in head and sinus area - any exertion like watching TV turns it into throbbing pain).

I took a 2mg Valium (was just chilling out at home so thought I'd test it) and it brought it down to level 2. I was feeling pretty miserable and lacking energy before it though and although I had friends round still didn't feel like socialising (possibly because they were just getting horribly drunk...) so just went to sleep. I took it at 7/8pm and went to bed around 10pm and at 1am it had worn off already and i couldn't get back to sleep.

not sure it would do anything at the higher levels. Or if I am out and about and it is throbbing or hurting more because of exertion/strain.