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How Long Does Valium Stay In Your System

What Is Valium?

Valium is used to relieve anxiety and to control agitation caused by alcohol withdrawal. It is also used along with other medications to control muscle spasms and spasticity caused by certain neurological disorders such as cerebral palsy (a condition that causes difficulty with movement and balance), paraplegia (inability to move parts of the body), athetosis (abnormal muscle contractions), and stiff-man syndrome (a rare disorder with muscle rigidity and stiffness). Valium is also used along with other medications to control seizures. Valium is in a class of medications called benzodiazepines. It works by calming abnormal overactivity in the brain. [1]

Diazepam, first marketed as Valium, is a medicine of the benzodiazepine family that acts as an anxiolytic. It is commonly used to treat a range of conditions, including anxiety, seizures, alcohol withdrawal syndrome, benzodiazepine withdrawal syndrome, muscle spasms, insomnia, and restless legs syndrome.

Some prescription drugs, such as Valium, are more addictive than others. Most addictive drugs affect your brain’s reward system by flooding it with dopamine. This results in a pleasurable “high” that can motivate you to take the drug again. Over time, you might become dependent on the drug to feel “good” or “normal.” You might also develop a tolerance to the drug. This can push you to take larger doses but how long does 1 10 mg valium stay in your system? and does valium show on drug tests?

How Long Does Valium Stay In Your System?

Valium may be habit-forming. Do not take a larger dose, take it more often, or for a longer time than your doctor tells you to. Tell your doctor if you have ever drunk large amounts of alcohol, if you use or have ever used street drugs, or have overused prescription medications. Do not drink alcohol or use street drugs during your treatment. Drinking alcohol or using street drugs during your treatment with Valium also increases the risk that you will experience these serious, life-threatening side effects. Also, tell your doctor if you have or have ever had depression or another mental illness.

How long does valium stay in your system? Valium may cause physical dependence (a condition in which unpleasant physical symptoms occur if a medication is suddenly stopped or taken in smaller doses), especially if you take it for several days to several weeks. Do not stop taking this medication or take fewer doses without talking to your doctor. Stopping Valium suddenly can worsen your condition and cause withdrawal symptoms that may last for several weeks to more than 12 months.

Your doctor probably will decrease your Valium dose gradually. Call your doctor or get emergency medical treatment if you experience any of the following symptoms: unusual movements; ringing in your ears; anxiety; memory problems; difficulty concentrating; sleep problems; seizures; shaking; muscle twitching; changes in mental health; depression; burning or prickling feeling in your hands, arms, legs or feet; seeing or hearing things that others do not see or hear; thoughts of harming or killing yourself or others; overexcitement; or losing touch with reality.

How Long Does Valium Stay In Your System
How long does valium stay in your system? On average, a saliva test can detect Valium or its metabolites for 7-9 days after the last dose of the drug was taken.

How Long Does It Take To Feel Effects?

How long does valium stay in your system and its effects? Valium can be taken by mouth, injection, or rectal gel. 1 When administered via injection, valium takes just one to five minutes to take effect. When taken orally, people usually begin to feel the effects 15 to 60 minutes after ingestion.

After oral administration >90% of Valium is absorbed and the average time to achieve peak plasma concentrations is 1 – 1.5 hours with a range of 0.25 to 2.5 hours. Absorption is delayed and decreased when administered with a moderate fat meal.

Effects of Valium last approximately 4 hours, although may persist for longer in some people. One study suggested diazepam may be more effective than alprazolam at controlling anxiety particularly if the person was also depressed; however, the overall difference was not significant.

Valium In Your Blood, Urine, Hair, & Saliva

Valium has a half-life of approximately 48 hours. How long does valium stay in your system? The half-life of a drug is how long it takes for half of a dose to be eliminated from the body. As Valium is processed by the body, it is broken down into other substances known as metabolites. In many cases, these metabolites are detectable in the body for much longer than the drug itself. The most common metabolites of Valium are nordiazepam, temazepam, and oxazepam. [2]

The metabolites of the drug may have much longer half-lives as well. Nordiazepam, for example, has a half-life of up to 100 hours. Valium also accumulates when people take multiple doses over a period of time, which can slightly prolong the total half-life of the substance.

Urine

How long does valium stay in your system? Based on a valium urine test, valium can be detected in urine for one to six weeks after being taken.

Blood

Valium is detectable in blood for six to 48 hours. Blood tests tend to be used less frequently than other test methods due to the shorter detection window and the more invasive nature of the test. However, a blood test may be used in some forensic settings or to confirm an unexpected positive urine test result.

How Long Does Valium Stay In Your System
How long does valium stay in your system? Speak to a health care professional to get a proper drug test.

Saliva

A saliva valium drug test can detect Valium for one to 10 days after it’s taken. Research suggests that saliva testing can be a viable alternative to urine testing for the detection of Valium and other benzodiazepines.

While saliva tests have a fairly long detection window, this type of testing can present some challenges. Valium side effects can include dry mouth or hypersalivation, which can affect the ability to collect an adequate sample or may dilute the amount of detectable substance in the oral fluid.

Hair

Like many other drugs how long does valium stay in your system?, Valium can be detected with a hair follicle drug test for up to 90 days. The long detection window of this testing method means that it can be used to look for past drug use. If you have been prescribed Valium to treat anxiety or another condition, be sure to inform the testing lab, even if you are no longer taking your medication. [3]

Factors Influencing How Long Valium Stays In The System

There are many variables that affect how long does valium stay in your system. The rate at which medications and other substances break down depends on things like metabolism, age, weight, percentage of body fat, activity level, and hydration. Some health conditions, including liver impairments, can play a role in the rate at which drugs are metabolized by the body.

Other factors that can affect how long Valium stays in the body have to do with the specific prescription. The larger the dose and more frequently you take it, for example, likely means it will be detectable for longer. [4]

Symptoms Of Overdose

How long does valium stay in your system and what are the long-term effects? Valium addiction can have hazardous health consequences, including low blood pressure, respiratory depression, dizziness, seizure activity in the brain, and overdose. Symptoms of drug overdose include confusion, impaired coordination, slow reflexes, coma, and death.

A specific treatment to reverse the effects of valium for anxiety does exist. This medicine, called flumazenil, can reverse the effects of valium but must be given through an IV at a hospital. Only a doctor can decide if you need this medication.

Symptoms of overdose may include:

  • Drowsiness
  • Confusion
  • Tiredness
  • Slowed breathing and heartbeat
  • Loss of consciousness

Valium Withdrawal

Can Valium be used long-term for anxiety? While Valium can be extremely beneficial at relieving the immediate effects of severe anxiety, it is not something that should be used for the prolonged treatment of anxiety disorders. Valium, like other benzodiazepines, is a highly addictive substance and can therefore elicit dependency quickly.

Valium Withdrawal Symptoms

Valium is a benzodiazepine medication that can cause seizures during the withdrawal process. As a result, it’s best for people with a Valium addiction to enter a formal addiction treatment program. In rehab, patients can move through withdrawal with the help of a qualified medical team. Then, comprehensive therapy can help people address the root causes of Valium addiction and acquire the skills necessary for lifelong sobriety.

Worldwide, more than 2 billion Valium tablets were sold in a single calendar year. More than 500 derivative drugs have been made with this drug, Valium being the most well-known brand name. The World Health Organization considers Valium to be an essential medicine that should be an inherent part of a basic health system. The drug’s effectiveness and range of conditions it treats have made it a household name. [5]

The widespread use of this drug for both treatment and recreational uses has led millions of people to become dependent on Valium. Many have lost money, years of their lives, and relationships to Valium addiction.

Valium addiction is a complex issue that requires long-term treatment – not a quick fix. The first step in overcoming Valium addiction is to seek help from your medical provider or a trained professional. Clearing prescription drugs from the body and overcoming withdrawal symptoms is the goal of detox, which is the first step of treatment for prescription drug addiction

If you are addicted to drugs, your very first step in recovery should be to medical detox in a safe and medically supervised setting. We Level Up TX detox center medically assist clients to clear their systems of addictive substances.

How Long Does Valium Stay In Your System
How long does valium stay in your system and how to overcome addiction? Medical professionals can help addicted individuals slowly taper off the drug until it’s safe to stop taking it entirely.

For anyone who suffers from addiction, just the thought of having to stop using can cause severe mental distress. Given that, the medical detox process is managed with the help of a medical detox center. A comprehensive team prescribing medications can alleviate your withdrawal pains while monitoring your health 24 hours. Assuring both your safety and comfort.

 Possible Valium withdrawal symptoms include:

  • Anxiety
  • Insomnia
  • Irritability
  • Restlessness
  • Hand tremors
  • Muscle spasms
  • Headache
  • Sweating
  • Delirium
  • Grand mal seizures
  • Feelings of unreality
  • Racing pulse
  • Hyperventilation
  • Nausea or vomiting
  • Aches and pains
  • Panic attacks
  • Hypersensitivity to stimuli like light and touch
  • Abnormal bodily sensations (skin-crawling, goosebumps)
  • Depression
  • Problems with concentration and memory
  • Visual disturbances (flashes of light or blurred vision)
  • Auditory, tactile, or visual hallucinations

Valium Withdrawal Timeline

According to the American Psychiatric Association (APA), withdrawal symptoms from short-acting benzos such as valium withdrawals peak on the second day and improve by the fourth or fifth. However, some people find they last for several weeks. [6] Estimates suggest that 10 to 25 percent of chronic benzo users experience what’s known as protracted withdrawal.

Protracted withdrawal is a long-term withdrawal syndrome that may come and go for several months. Symptoms will be milder than acute withdrawal and they can disappear for weeks at a time. Protracted withdrawal rarely lasts longer than one year.

Detox Treatment For Valium Addiction

We Level Up Texas Valium addiction treatment tailors the program to the individual and the individual to the program of recovery. We begin by assessing our client’s history of mental health, drugs, and alcohol-related past. The needs of each patient are specific and personalized, as we aim to provide comprehensive support for mental health, addiction, and dual diagnosis treatment.

Clients at We Level Up Texas residential rehab programs will live comfortably within the facility during this crucial and fragile time. This supportive environment is designed to give clients 24-hour care for sobriety, removing temptations for relapse and applying an air of recovery into every component of the treatment timeline. We Level Up TX treatment center, we find that when patients are living in a supportive community, especially during their early recovery process, they can truly focus on what matters most: their recovery.

Make this your opportunity to reclaim your life. Call today to speak with one of our treatment specialists if you have concerns with how long does valium stay in your system.

Sources:

[1] Diazepam – U.S. Department of Health and Human ServicesNational Institutes of Health
[2-4] How Long Does Valium (Diazepam) Stay in Your System? – https://www.verywellmind.com/how-long-does-valium-stay-in-your-system-80344
[5] How to Spot Valium Addiction Signs, Symptoms and Treatment – https://americanaddictioncenters.org/valium-treatment
[6] https://www.psychiatry.org / Hood SD, Norman A, Hince DA, Melichar JK, Hulse GK. Benzodiazepine dependence and its treatment with low-dose flumazenil. Br J Clin Pharmacol. 2014;77(2):285-94. doi:10.1111/bcp.12023