Valium taper and bronchial spasm in COPD patients

 

 

Hi everybody,

 

I need advice from buddies who have COPD or other breathing and bronchial distress, who have had trouble with worsening bronchial spasm during benzo taper.  

 

I'm coming down from 2mg valium, and have COPD, and have been getting suddenly debilitating bronchial spasm attacks regularly throughout the day, almost always four hours after a dose of valium.  At a lower dose of valium my bronchial attacks have got much worse, to the point of a crisis.    

 

The lungs start filling with fluid and I get rales (rattling mucous) bubbling and churning in my bronchial tubes, and can't breathe!  Finally I have to use my albuterol bronchial inhaler, which in turn causes its own paradoxical bronchial spasms, then I am even worse, so I have to take a benadryl to dry up the mucous quickly so I can breathe again.

 

The benadryl makes me tired and then I have to go to bed.  I can't live like this.  I was stable on my fixed dose of 2mg valium.  Anybody got any ideas?  

 

Not happy!  

 

 

 

 

 

I assume you see a specialist of some kind for the COPD, AnnieLaurie, and I think you really need to discuss treatment options with your doctor.  I have chronic asthma but did not get the paradoxical spasms from using my albuterol nebulizer.  Maybe you could get the equipment and script to do that rather than the short acting inhalers, which is what I'm assuming you were referring to.  I know how terrible it feels when you can't get a breath so you really need to be seeking some expert advice in my opinion.  Good luck.

Hello annielaurie

 

Sorry that you are having bronchial spasms while reducing your valium.

 

I know how frightful it is to not be able to breath.

 

My taper from K did result in significant muscle spasms which have almost completely gone now that I am 2 months benzo free.

 

Make sense that a strong muscle relaxant when removed would result in muscle spasms.

 

 

Beeper is correct you need to seek the advise of your Doctor.

 

Good news is that most likely you will be spasm free after you are benzo free.

 

 

 

Hope you feel better soon!

 

 

 

Teakettle

 

 

Thanks Beeper and Teakettle, appreciate your replies!  

 

I am pretty sure what you're saying is correct, Teakettle.  It stands to reason that chest wall muscles would be affected by valium and then valium withdrawal.  

 

This is very scary, and I am worried that I will take too much albuterol and overdose on it, trying to open the airways so I can breathe again.

 

Now my idea is this, to skip daytime doses of the valium and take my full dose at suppertime or evening.  I almost never have a bronchial attack in the evening.  My worst symptoms and coughing are in the afternoons, then everything gets better around suppertime.  

 

Beeper, yes I am under a doctor's care.  But I only see him for yearly appointments, unless it is an emergency.  He prescribes the albuterol sulfate inhaler for quick rescue during a breathing attack, and the longer lasting steroid inhaler for daily maintenance.

 

But people have warned against anything with steroids, will make benzo wds worse, so I have hardly used my steroid inhaler at all since I began my taper.  Maybe this is the problem, I am going to go back to using it regularly.  

 

Thanks for your help,

Annie

 

 

 

 

Thanks Beeper and Teakettle, appreciate your replies!  

 

I am pretty sure what you're saying is correct, Teakettle.  It stands to reason that chest wall muscles would be affected by valium and then valium withdrawal.  

 

This is very scary, and I am worried that I will take too much albuterol and overdose on it, trying to open the airways so I can breathe again.

 

Now my idea is this, to skip daytime doses of the valium and take my full dose at suppertime or evening.  I almost never have a bronchial attack in the evening.  My worst symptoms and coughing are in the afternoons, then everything gets better around suppertime.  

 

Beeper, yes I am under a doctor's care.  But I only see him for yearly appointments, unless it is an emergency.  He prescribes the albuterol sulfate inhaler for quick rescue during a breathing attack, and the longer lasting steroid inhaler for daily maintenance.

 

But people have warned against anything with steroids, will make benzo wds worse, so I have hardly used my steroid inhaler at all since I began my taper.  Maybe this is the problem, I am going to go back to using it regularly. 

Thanks for your help,

Annie

 

 

 

I'm glad to hear this, Annie.  I use my Advair inhaler 2x/day every day and have for years, including throughout my taper.  It delivers such a small amount of steroid and it is targetted at the bronchial tubes, that I didn't have any trouble from it.  It can take a while before you see the results but I am hopeful for you that this will make a difference in your breathing.  Your doctor might be willing to prescribe a nebulizer for you for regular treatments if this stays so worrisome.  It is easier on my system than the short-acting inhalers but, then, I've suffered from asthma for 40+ years so my situation is different from yours.