problems with Valium withdrawal II

Hi folks, thanks again for all the replies and help. Well, ironically and accidentally, I have started on benzos again - my wife had some meds for anxiety (which I thought were NOT benzos) and I took two (one per day) before I realized that it was Victan/Meilax. The good/bad news is that i feel much better, but now I think I need to get some help to figure out what's wrong that I feel so much better on these drugs and then get off of them again before too much time goes by.

A few questions for anyone who might know/be willing to chime in:

1. does anyone have experience with Victan/Meilax?

2. my reaction to the drugs is that I have MUCH more energy and better concentration (like when I was on Valium). I feel somewhat more relaxed too but mostly I feel energized - not hyperactive - but energized. Any experience of this?

3. I also had some very odd symptoms which are decreasing - my eyes would get very dark and recessed, the skin under them would get sort of saggy and soft and this would increase before urination (during which I usually feel burning) and decrease afterwards (sorry for the details). This is all much lesser since the Victan/Meilax. Any experience at all of anything like this? Is it possibly related to levels of hormones? Wild speculation on my part of course.

Thanks again everyone. I need to get sorted out before going into another long cycle of benzos.

Best of luck to everyone,

Dan

"Ethyl loflazepate (marketed under brand name Meilax) is a drug which is a benzodiazepine derivative. It possesses anxiolytic, anticonvulsant, sedative and skeletal muscle relaxant properties." So it's not Valium, but I'm finding it does have a very long half-life.

Dang! They're creating new benzodiazepines?

I'm hoping Colin sees this and can figure out the equivalencies. In the meantime, does it come in pill form, what dose are you taking, how frequently, and how long have you been taking it?

Thanks.

Tony

Hey Tony -

thanks for the response and the homework, man are you guys great. Here's what I know: it's in pill form, looks each pill is 2mg and I have so far taken 1 per day for four days (4 total). It seems to be working on me the same way that the valium did, I feel much better generally, sleep better, sometimes feel a bit tired physically but it's the kind of tired that's easily fixed by a quick nap and overall I have - pardoxically? - loads more energy, clarity of thought and drive. Just like the 6 months I took Valium, which were probably the happiest and most productive of my life (fortunately/unfortunately).

Victan may be either new generation or old generation - my mother-in-law, who is a doctor in Portugal, sent it along with us when we moved to Paris. Sometimes in PT they have newer things and every once in a while they are a few generations behind, depending.

Thanks a million,

Dan

I'm hoping Colin sees this and can figure out the equivalencies. In the meantime, does it come in pill form, what dose are you taking, how frequently, and how long have you been taking it?

I'm not certain (I have not confirmed this yet), but 1mg Ethyl Loflazepate appears to be equivalent to about 5mg Valium.

Hi Colin, thanks so much for the info - I guess since it comes in a 2mg pill and the literature inside suggests a 1-1.5 pill dose, that makes sense.

Much obliged, everyone,

Dan