Q. I had horrific side effects from 5mg diazepam when I was switched to a different generic diazepam. The first time I took the new pills, I woke up feeling like I was being shocked or as if I were having a seizure. I thought the plugs behind my bed that had a fan and an alarm clock plugged into them had shorted out and into my bed or my hand or some part of my body. This kind of reaction occurred at least 5 times.
I felt like I was having an out of body experience on several occasions, like I was half awake and half asleep, trying to come back into my body, trying desperately to wake fully up again and again, as if I were having some sort of seizure. On these occasions I also felt as if I were being shocked by A/C electricity.
Obviously I stopped taking this particular generic and have moved to another pharmacy. I have taken diazepam on many occasions and never experienced anything like what these orange generic pills did to me.
It should be noted that all or almost all pharmaceuticals or their ingredients come from China or India or some other country, especially the generics. BE CAREFUL!
A. Whenever we hear that someone experiences withdrawal-type symptoms when they are switched from one generic benzodiazepine to another we worry about FDA oversight. Diazepam is the generic name for Valium. It is one of the most commonly prescribed anti-anxiety agents on the market. Doctors sometimes prescribe it to help people sleep or relieve muscle spasms. It is also used to help control seizures associated with epilepsy.
Sudden discontinuation of the drug can lead to all sorts of complications. Withdrawal symptoms can include seizures, so your description of a seizure-like experience is not surprising if the generic drug did not have the normal dose of diazepam your body was used to.
Other drugs in this benzodiazepine (“benzo”) class include:
- Alprazolam (Xanax)
- Chlorazepate (Tranxene)
- Chlordiazepoxide (Librium)
- Clonazepam (Klonopin)
- Lorazepam (Ativan)
- Flurazepam (Dalmane)
- Oxazepam (Serax)
- Prazepam (Centrax)
- Temazepam (Restoril)
- Triazolam (Halcion)
Other side effects of diazepam and similar drugs include:
Benzo Side Effects:
- Drowsiness, dizziness, fatigue, lethargy
- Clumsiness, impaired coordination (not good for older people)
- Memory problems, amnesia
- Cognitive impairment, difficulty concentrating, confusion, irritability
- Dry mouth, constipation
- Sexual difficulties
- Low blood pressure
- Depression, suicidality
- Difficulty stopping the drug
Stopping benzos is not always easy. One reason so many continue to take these drugs for so long is that it can be incredibly challenging to stop them. When discontinued suddenly, symptoms can be almost unbearable. Doctors used to say that it was just the underlying anxiety returning. We now know that these medications can rearrange neurochemicals in the brain. For some, it can take many weeks or months to return to “normal.”
Symptoms of Benzodiazepine Withdrawal:
- Anxiety, restlessness, jitteriness, agitation
- Irritability, sensitivity to sound, light and touch
- Impaired concentration
- Panic
- Insomnia
- Faulty memory
- Depression
- Headache
- Fatigue
- Muscle cramps
- Muscle twitching
- Seizures
- Sweating
- Diarrhea
- Blurred vision
- Decreased appetite
You had certainly not intended to stop diazepam suddenly. And yet switching from one generic form of diazepam to another seemingly had that effect. We suspect that there was something wrong with the generic. We wonder if anyone else has experienced this sort of thing when switching from a brand name to a generic or from one generic to another. Share your own story below.
