Valium Poem by Paul Hartal

Valium and other benzodiazepines in the western world are the most frequently abused pharmaceuticals. Doctors prescribe them by the millions. These drugs are highly addictive. The side effects of valium include anxiety, nausea and restlessness. Thus, the drug produces the same symptoms as those for which they are prescribed. Moreover, the long-term side effects of valium are even more serious, among them: memory loss, blurred vision, trouble urinating, difficulty breathing, coma and heart attack.

In 1978, at the time of the drug’s peak popularity, Americans consumed more than two billion Valium tablets. The medicament even became a cultural icon. The Rolling Stones sang the praises of the ‘little yellow pill” in their 1966 hit, “Mother’s Little Helper.” Diane Keaton in Woody Allen’s 1977 film, 'Annie Hall', desperately crawls on the floor in search of Valium. The film maker also gave a cameo role to the pharmaceutical in his 2011 'Midnight in Paris', wherein Gil offers Zelda “the pill of the future” to unbind her angst.

Valium was developed by the chemist Leo Sternbach at F. Hoffman-La Roche’s pharmaceutical corporation in New Jersey. He created a whole family of new drugs called benzodiazepines intended to help ease anxiety. In 1963 the Food and Drug Administration approved the marketing of valium, a medicine invented to “reduce psychic tension”. It became the first drug to exceed $ 1 billion in sales. Valium was marketed aggressively as a wonderful chemical answer to anxiety. However, as early as 1964, responsible medical experts sounded alarms regarding the pill’s addictive potential. A Vogue story in 1975 warned that taking valium could result in a “far worse addiction than heroin”.