Valium belongs to the drug class benzodiazepines and is commonly used to treat medical conditions that are related to hyperactivity of the brain or spinal cord. Valium is beneficial because its chemical properties reduce nerve activity in the brain or spinal cord by increasing the action of specific inhibitory neurotransmitters in the central nervous system, or CNS. Although beneficial in reducing activity of the central nervous system, immediately stopping Valium can result in serious paradoxical effects that a patient should be aware of.
Tremor
According to MayoClinic.com, a paradoxical effect of Valium that a patient should be aware of includes shakiness, unsteady walk, unsteadiness, trembling, and other tremor-like conditions. This occurs because Valium inhibits the activity of the central nervous system that can help stabilize and coordinate muscle movements. When muscle movements are no longer stabilized or well coordinated, a patient may experience tremors in his hands, fingers, toes, feet, or throughout his entire body. Tremors are most likely to occur when a patient is taking high doses of Valium, such as 10 mg or more, and immediately stops taking Valium without slowly lowering the dose. In this case, a patient should immediately get back to taking the prescribed dose of Valium or seek emergency medical treatment to prevent further effects from occurring.
Overactive GI Tract
Drugs.com states that Valium may also affect the gastrointestinal, or GI, system paradoxically. Specifically, Valium may cause gastrointestinal hyperactivity, which includes nausea, vomiting and diarrhea. This occurs because Valium may also slow down nerve signals in the gastrointestinal tract which when quickly withdrawn, can result in these less than calming effects. In this case, a patient should continue taking his prescribed dose of Valium to prevent these effects from occurring. If GI effects are severe, he should seek immediate medical treatment.
Hypersalivation
Valium has been shown to affect the salivary glands. In most cases, regular Valium use will slow down the activity of salivary glands because it slows down the nerve activity sent to the salivary glands. By immediately withdrawing Valium, the salivary glands may become overactive, which will result in hypersalivation. A patient with hypersalivation may experience excessive saliva in his mouth during the day or excessive drooling during the nighttime. In this case, a patient should let his doctor know that he is experiencing this and the doctor may reduce the dosage of the Valium or prescribe a different medication to treat the same symptoms that Valium was indicated for.
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