Valium or Diazepam is one of the most interesting medications on earth. It is considered by WHO (World Health Organization) the 6th most essential medication. It falls under a type called ‘Benzodiazepine’. Benzos are CNS (Central Nervous System) relaxants. Valium is also known as an ‘Anxiolytic’.
It calms the brain and the body down by improving the effectiveness of GABA (Gama-Aminobutyric Acid), the chief inhibitory neurotransmitter. Now, this is a lot of difficult medical talk, but I guarantee that it’ll get easier as you read along.
We’ll have separate articles like ‘How Does Valium Work’, ‘Valium Side Effects’, ‘Valium Addiction and Recovery’, and so on so that you can clearly understand everything about Valium.
History of Valium
The brand name ‘Valium‘ belongs to Hoffman La Roche, a German multinational pharmaceutical company. It was patented in 1959 and was the most prescribed medication in the world in 1963.
Additionally, in the USA alone, between 1968 to 1982, Valium was the highest selling medication with over 2 billion tablets sold per year. After the end of the patent term, almost 500 other brands sprung up. They are still in the market, but the original Roche Valium is still the number one brand.
What is Valium Used for?
Valium has so many uses that it cannot be described in this article. We shall have a separate article ‘Valium Uses‘ for that. Here, we can only give you a short version.
Mental Illnesses:
- Anxiety Disorder (All types of Anxiety)
- Panic Disorder
- Insomnia caused by Anxiety
- Depression
- Agitation
- Mood Swings
Physical Illnesses:
- Seizures
- Muscle Spasms
- Epilepsy
- Insomnia
- Trauma
- Pre-Surgery
- Post Surgery
- Alcohol withdrawal Symptoms
- Smoking Withdrawals Symptoms
- Withdrawals from other drugs
Forms and Dosages
Valium comes in many forms. For hospital use, there is a liquid Diazepam that can be injected or administered together with an IV. There is also the nasal spray version that patients with Panic Attack risks can carry.
The most common, however, is the tablet forms. They come in 5mg, 10mg, and 20mg dosages.
How much you should take in a day depends on your age, sex, and medical condition. Always seek advice from a doctor.
Side Effects
We’ll have a totally different article for that. In short, you may feel the following:
- Dizziness
- Sleepiness
- Blur vision
- Laziness
- Lightheadedness
- Nausea
They are nothing big and generally go away in a few days. If you do feel seriously uncomfortable, please consult your doctor.
Legal Issues
Valium is a controlled substance in the USA, UK, and several other countries. There are also many other countries where Diazepam is only an OTC medication. It’s called a Schedule IV by the DEA. That means it has a low potential for abuse and addiction.
It is also a prescription-only medication in Australia, Canada, and Japan. Mostly, the USA and the US ally countries follow the same rules.
However, there are many international pharmacies where you can buy Valium online without a prescription. Since they are out of US jurisdiction, they don’t care much about the USA laws. Yet, you should be careful when you order Diazepam online. A lot of those online pharmacies are fraudulent.
Precautions
- If you are using Valium for the first time, you may feel some initial discomforts. Since it relaxes, you might feel sleepy. Do not drive or operate complicated machinery at least for the first 3 days.
- Let your doctor know your complete medical history.
- If you have any allergies, the doctor should know about it.
- If you have had a substance abuse history, your doctor should know about it.
- Pregnant women can take it, but really carefully, and strictly upon the doctor’s recommendation.
- Breastfeeding mothers should also do the same. Diazepam passes through breast milk.
- If you plan to buy Valium online without a prescription, you must find a reliable online pharmacy as there are plenty of fake pharmacies on the internet.
- Before ordering Valium online, make sure the pharmacy has a ‘Discreet Packaging’ system.