Smoking Valium

Smoking Valium can cause low blood pressure, confusion and hallucinations. Explore how smoking Valium affects your body and just how safe smoking Valium really is here.

5
minute read

ARTICLE SUMMARY: Smoking Valium isn’t really an effective way to take this medication. In fact, it’s difficult to get high while heating and inhaling Valium. Weigh the risks against the benefits by reading more here.


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What does smoking Valium do to you?

Smoking Valium (diazepam) probably won’t get you high or make the medicine work better. While heating and inhaling the vapors from the drug might allow diazepam to quickly penetrate the nasal tissues, quickly entering the bloodsteam, its effects are not significant. But there’s more to a pill than its active ingredient; Valium contains a number of binders and fillers which won’t be absorbed into your body and can cause irritation of the eyes and respiratory tract. This irritation can even lead to an infection, or cause permanent lung damage over time.

So, before you try it, you should know what smoking Valium really does to the body – there are drawbacks and risks to taking any medication in a manner other than it would normally be prescribed.  In sum, it would be difficult to get high while smoking Valium. Even more, the non-active ingredients (binders and fillers) in the pills are incredibly bad for your throat and lungs.

Can you Get high Smoking Valium?

No, smoking Valium will probably not get you high.

Valium is an anti-anxiety medication which can cause pleasant feelings of relaxation, and sometimes even cause a “high” when taken in large doses. Valium is meant to be taken orally, but some people will try to get the drug into their system more quickly by crushing the pills and snorting, smoking, or injecting the powder.

Still, while snorting Valium to get high and smoking Valium may work on occasion, smoking Valium isn’t really an effective way to take this medication. As a potent tranquilizer, sedative, and central nervous system depressant, diazepam has been made to be consumed orally. In fact, it is rapidly absorbed when taken orally. Oral bioavailability of Valium is approximately 100%, and close to 99% is bound in plasma.

Still, you need to be safe with this medication. Call 911 if  you develop any of the following symptoms:

  • Extreme sleepines.
  • Lightheadedness.
  • Slowed or difficult breathing.
  • Unusual dizziness.
  • Unresponsiveness.

Be sure that your caregiver or family members know which symptoms may be serious so they can call the doctor or emergency medical care if you are unable to seek treatment on your own.

Smoking side effects

Valium effects on the body and brain include central nervous system depression.  Plus, diazepam can be habit-forming. Do not take a larger dose, take it more often, or for a longer time than your doctor tells you to. Tolerance may develop with long-term or excessive use, making the drug less effective.

Any type of  misuse increases the likelihood of overdose on Valium.  Smoking Valium can have other effects on your body, as well. Whenever Valium is abused, there’s the potential for adverse reactions to the medication. Some of the side effects to watch out for include:

  • Blurred vision.
  • Confusion.
  • Delusions and hallucinations.
  • Drowsiness and fatigue.
  • Low blood pressure.
  • Muscle weakness.

If you experience a serious side effect, you or your doctor may send a report to the Food and Drug Administration’s (FDA) MedWatch Adverse Event Reporting program online or by phone at 1-800-332-1088. How can you take even more precautions for possible negative side effects?

MedlinePlus suggests that you do not take diazepam regularly, daily, or chronically for more than 4 months at a time. Further, you should not stop taking this medication without talking to your doctor. Stopping Valium suddenly in a cold turkey withdrawal  can worsen your condition and cause withdrawal symptoms (anxiousness, sleeplessness, and irritability). Instead, if you think you’ve become dependent on Valium, ask your doctor to supervise a taper and decrease your dose gradually.

Smoking on tin foil

By heating Valium on tin foil, the active ingredient is supposed to be vaporized, making it easy to inhale and quick to act. In reality, very little of the medication is probably being released. This is because when you try to smoke Valium on tin foil, high temperatures are usually damaging to most medicines. You’ll have to use much more Valium this way than you would if you were taking it using a different method. If you insist, this means more exposure to irritating fillers and more damage to your throat and lungs.

Smoking with weed

Valium shouldn’t be taken with weed. Why? Both these drugs act on the central nervous system and can heighten one another’s effects. Further, both Valium and marijuana cause drowsiness and loss of coordination, so you’re opening yourself up for possible falls or accidents.

It’s also easier to overdose on Valium when you mix it with other drugs. The CDC reports that about one-half of prescription painkiller deaths involve at least one other drug, including benzodiazepines. In fact, smoking weed and taking Valium simultaneously may increase the risk of serious or life-threatening problems including:

  • breathing problems
  • coma
  • sedation

Need some more reasons to avoid it?

Is Smoking Diazepam Bad for You?

Yes, smoking diazepam is bad for you. The fillers and binders in the tablets can cause mild irritation or serious physical damage, depending on your sensitivity and the amount you’re attempting to smoke. Taking Valium this way opens you up to a host of potential adverse effects and raises your risk of developing a Valium addiction.

Does Smoking this Benzo Work?

No. Smoking this particular type of benzodiazepine probably won’t get you high or make the medicine work better. Valium should only be taken as directed to avoid the risk of overdose or addiction. Smoking Valium has its own unique risks, which are probably not worth the effects you’ll get by taking the drug this way.

If you are looking for a new way of thinking…we can refer you to a life free of Valium. Learn what the recovery process looks like in our comprehensive guide on Sedative Addiction Treatment. You don’t need to keep getting high. Instead, learn to live life drug-free.

Now, We invite Your Questions

Still have questions about smoking Valium? Please leave your questions here. We do our best to respond to your questions with a personal and prompt reply ASAP.

Reference Sources: Washington State NHTSA: Valium and diazepam
DailyMed Valium tablet
NCBI: Misuse and abuse of diazepam: and increasingly common medical problem
NCBI: Addiction to diazepam (Valium) 
About the author
Lee Weber is a published author, medical writer, and woman in long-term recovery from addiction. Her latest book, The Definitive Guide to Addiction Interventions is set to reach university bookstores in early 2019.
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