Suggest Remedies To Manage Side Effects Of Valium

Posted on Fri, 29 Jul 2016

Medically reviewed by Ask A Doctor - 24x7 Medical Review Team

Fri, 29 Jul 2016 Answered on

Thu, 18 Aug 2016 Last reviewed on

Question : 2 & 1/2 yrs. ago I was sitting @ table & went kind of limp. Long story short, went to hospital, had MRI, brain scan, sonogram of heart, arteries in neck checked. Went to ENT, Eye Dr. & could find nothing. Finally Brain Dr. thought anxiety, maybe. Give me 5mg valium 3 times a day, but I've never taken but 1/2 of 5 once or twice a day. Had to lay in & out of bed 3&4 times a day for 6 months with no energy at all. Stayed foggy headed til this day. Had gotten 75% better in last 2 yrs. except My energy leaves every 4-6 wks. & I can do nothing but lay in bed 3 to 6 days, up & down only 20 min. @ a time. When head feels foggy, 1/2 valium does help. Have not been able to clean house or cook like I did before attack happened. Think something may be wrong with my Thyroid?

Answered by Dr. Shehzad Topiwala (-4 hours later)

Brief Answer:
Thyroid possible

Detailed Answer:
Sorry to learn about your bothersome symptoms. When I see someone like you in my practice, I typically order the following blood tests in addition to a detailed physical examination:

CBC (Complete Blood Count, also known as Hemogram; includes Hemoglobin, WBC and Platelet counts)
Electrolytes (Sodium and Potassium in particular)
HbA1c (Glycosylated Hemoglobin = your last 3 months' glucose average). Also known by other names such as GlycoHemoglobin or Glycated Hemoglobin or A1c
Liver function tests (SGOT , SGPT, Albumin, Bilirubin, Alkaline Phosphatase)
Kidney function tests (BUN, Creatinine)
TSH (checks your thyroid)
Free T4 (this checks your thyroid too)
25 hydroxy Vitamin D levels (ideal range 40 to 60 ng/ml = 100 to 150 nmol/liter)
 None of these tests require any fasting and can be done at any time of the day

Above answer was peer-reviewed by : Dr. Chakravarthy Mazumdar