Can I stop taking Valium abruptly?
If you have been taking 200 mg of Valium (I agree, I am amazed a doctor would have prescribed that much- the normal max is 40 mg/day) you may very well be SEVERELY dependent and if you go into withdrawal you will have a very difficult time. Actually severe benzodiazepine (the class of drugs Valium is in) withdrawal is considered to be a medical emergency. I am not certainly saying you an an addict, which is completely separate from physical dependence but if you abruptly stop and you are physically dependent the withdrawal will be pain full than anything you can imagine, most Heroin addicts prefer going cold turkey off Heroin than a drug like Valium. To give you an idea of what withdrawal can be you may experience- anxiety, panic attacks, agitation, psychosis, hallucinations, fever, loss of appetite, hypertension, tachycardia, derealization, photophobia, severe depression, dysphoria, self harm, suicide attempt, suicide completion, tremor, tinnitus, gan mal seizure, status epilepticus,