They can take up to 3 weeks or even longer to work. Something the sufferer doesn't want to hear at a time when they are having these awful feelings. Diazepam or Valium are fantastic and can work very fast but sadly taking them after a few days or even the next day will not have the same desired effect and I know a few who has died . Mainly because they take more and more to have the same affect as the first tablet.
Medication was a mask for me, not a solution. I had to look at it as more of a sidekick rather than a solution as I world through CBT to get my life back. Also for anxiety medications I always had to up the dose due to my body getting used to the dose always. It's a tricky cycle...
Hello dodo
Anti depressants have always taken several weeks even months to work as the chemical in our brains that is usually low when we need these meds takes this amount of time for these kinds of medications to help build it back up again
Any medication if abused can cause death not just valium and usually if a doctor prescribes them they will only give you a few so you can not abuse them so not sure how your friends managed to get so many and get to that stage very sad
Personally I am not one for medications mainly as I have a med fear but I have know and do know many that they have been a life saver and they may mask the problem but while they are they can also give you that breathing space to feel more able to deal with the problems yet again I have know people that have took them for years and they have had very happy full life's and swear by them and how much they helped
Would be more helpful though if other than valium they could come up with a medication that helps anxiety sufferers more quickly because 3 weeks or more can seem like a life time when we are in need
Hope you have managed to eat today and you get a good nights sleep 
x
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