Mental illness comes with a lot of stigma. This is very unfortunate.
There are people who are struggling inside themselves but feel ashamed to get help. I have been there. It only makes things worse.
I went through a mental health crisis a couple of nights ago wherein, I had to take a medication. For this post, I wanted to talk more about the situation.
It was a terrible night to say the least
I was having a great day with my family. So, I did not expect to have what happened, happen.
I laid down and checked my favorite gossip site like I usually do. Suddenly, my mind was overcome with this feeling of dread and hopelessness. Completely out of nowhere.
I tried to just lay there and ride it out, but I could not. The feelings were overwhelming, and I had to get up. I then proceeded to pace around extremely fast.
Everything felt wrong with me, with the world. I began to scream and cry.
I had to run, and I did. I ran out the door and onto the street. Still screaming, still crying. I do not know if the neighbors heard me or not. I can not imagine what they were thinking if they did.
My husband came to get me and brought me back into the house. He was really worried about me.
Panic attacks and anxiety cause physical symptoms in me too. This meant that I also experienced extreme nausea, shortness of breath, racing heart, lightheadedness and shaking. Not fun!
This was a serious panic attack (I have had more mild ones) and I needed to do something about it. I made the hard decision to take some Valium.
What is Valium?
Most people have heard of Valium before. This is especially true if they have any experience with mental health issues.
It is in the class of drugs called, benzodiazepines. These medications work to provide a calming effect to our minds which in turn helps our bodies out too in certain cases. They are most commonly used for anxiety, panic attacks and seizures.
Benzodiazepines are not without their dangers (like a lot of other drugs). They have side effects which include drowsiness, headaches, abdominal cramps, dizziness and clumsiness. Dependency is another issue with them as many people have become addicted.
Valium is one of the weakest benzodiazepines and has a long half-life (takes a long time for half of it to be metabolized in the body). Tolerance to it can also build up pretty quickly with its use so it is not always good to take long term.
Why it was so hard for me take it
I used to have horrible panic attacks every month around the time of my period. Because of this I was given Valium prescriptions. The dose for me is ¼ of a pill.
I have felt ashamed about needing them once in a while. This is due to the stigma that is attached to mental health problems and the medications that help with them.
I keep refilling the prescription anyways despite rarely ever using them because they do expire after a while.
I hated like hell that I had to take Valium that night, but I needed relief. There was no way I could continue on like that and who knows how long it would last.
It worked
Valium does work very well for me-even at the super tiny dose that I take. Within about 30 minutes, I felt calmness wash over me.
I stopped pacing, screaming and crying. My mind started getting the break it needed.
I finally felt as though I could lay down. When I did, the relief I was looking for continued to come over me. Wrapped in its warmth, I fell asleep.
It is okay to treat a mental health condition
The stigma that comes with mental health conditions need to go! It makes things worse for people and then they continue to suffer in silence.
I am trying to get over feeling bad about the fact that I suffer with my mental health at times. It is unfortunate because I and many others should not feel ashamed. No one should make us feel ashamed either!
Mental health issues can strike anyone at any time. This fact, this truth-needs to be normalized.
We should be able to have open and honest conversations about what we are experiencing without being looked down upon.
Do not be afraid to seek help
If you are struggling with your mental health, please do not hesitate to get help. If someone you know is struggling with their mental health, support them in any way you can.
Everyone deserves to have the best life they possibly can which means having their mental health taken care of.
Have you ever taken Valium or any other type of benzodiazepine?
Thanks for reading!
#mentalhealth #struggling #panicattack #anxiety #medication
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