etilaam Pro 20 (.5mg)user

[[Et...]]

Hi everyone,

I have an episode of sleeplessness since 1st of July, 2014, which have increased my stress levels. I have been working night shifts for 2 and a half years, so insomnia was bound to set in. On 22nd of July, I had muscle twitches and finger twitches accompanied by short breath and nausea. The next I went to a psychiatrist, who recommended Etilaam Pro 20 (0.5mg) every day and recommended a blood test which revealed that I am Vit B12 and Vit D3 deficient. I have taken ETI continuously since 22nd of July, and stopped taking on 25th of August (cold turkey) because of unavailability of this medicine in nearby drug store, this created symptoms of insomnia, muscle twitches, headache, nausea and ultimately resulted to a panic attack on 30th Aug, when I got hospitalized. I am back on it on the same dose of 0.5mg a day, but this time I am tapering off very slow. I crush the pill and remove around 5% of it before taking it. It will take me months before I get rid of it completely

[[ma...]]

Hi EtilaamUser86

 

Welcome to Benzobuddies,.

 

Sorry you found out the hard way, It can be dangerous to stop these drugs abruptly. Have you read the Ashton Manual, it is an excellent resource for information about benzodiazepines and it gives a lot of information about withdrawal. Here is a link to the manual: Ashton Manual

 

Well done in starting your taper,  It is generally recommended to taper no more than 5-10% every 10-14 days.  If you have only been taking benzos a few weeks then you can reduce quicker.  This is a guideline and it is ok to adjust this schedule. 

 

We have a great community here of knowledgeable and friendly people who understand this process.  They will be willing to share their experience with you.  Feel free to ask questions. So that members can respond

 

Here are some helpful links:

 

The Ashton Manual. 

 

Withdrawal Support

 

General Taper Plans

 

Please Create a Signature.  This will allow others to see where you are in the process so they can better support you.

 

Welcome aboard

Magrita

 

[[Mo...]]

Hi Etilaam,

Working irregular night duties got me into this Benzo-mess as well.

Had i known then what i know now, i would have rather changed my job than taking

a Benzo for insomnia.

In a way you were lucky that you couldn't obtain the pill from your drug store,

awful experience but made you aware how serious those meds are.

Don't worry, you will get plenty of support and tapering advise on this Forum , members have a lot

of knowledge and experience.

 

here is an explaination how Benzos affect our brain, quite interesting.

http://www.benzobuddies.org/forum/index.php?topic=66397.0

 

Glad you have joined us and all the best,

Claudia.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[[...]]

Hi Etilaam,

Welcome to BB from me too.  I am so sorry that you are dealing with insomnia.  It is what got me into my benzo dependency as well.  The good think is that you found us and are now in the right place for support and advice.

 

I hope you find this site as informative and helpful as I did.  Good luck on your taper!

[[Et...]]

Thanks Magrita and Morreweg for your support.

That Panic Attack I had which hospitalized me really opened my eyes. My doctor didn't tell me that its because of the withdrawal, rather she prescribed medicine for gastric. I was not convinced though, gastric hardly ever leads to complete loss of control from hands and legs while the heart condition remained intact (BP 130/80) pulse 75.

I had find it out from the internet after enuf research to finally arrive at the conclusion that it was an extreme sign of withdrawal.

[[Et...]]

Hi All,

First phase of taper is successful. I m down to around 75% of etilaam .5mg since 14th September. The withdrawal symptoms are occasional mild headache, a little sensitivity to sound and light and some muscle twitching. I have seen hydrating myself more often helps a lot to overcome the symptoms, but that can also be another symptom of feeling thirsty.

Will continue on this dosage till 21st september.

So far so good, thanks everyone for the support

[[Et...]]

2nd phase of taper to .375 mg of Etilaam was successful, even though there were symptoms of nausea, thirst and sensitivity to light and sound occassionally, most of the time I can say I was myself, unlike the first time when I got off cold turkey. I have started on a good Paleo Diet (check http://authoritynutrition.com/paleo-diet-meal-plan-and-menu/) and a strict exercise schedule of 1 hour everyday and allowed myself for atleast 7-8 hours of daily sleep and 3-4 litres of water. So the second taper was overall bearable. My other deficiencies of Vitamin B12 and D3 which started insomnia and the benzo cycle are also cured now.

 

3rd phase of taper to .25 mg of Etilaam started from 22nd of September, this was met with two consecutive nights of nightmare. In the nightmare the thing I am afraid the most which is a panic attack seems to the subject of the nightmare and its very vivid, once I felt my jaw shivered which is new to me. I wonder if other people go through the same thing during benzo withdrawal. The good thing is that I wake up and realise its all a dream and go back to sleep. Muscle twitches which were part of the first phase of taper have eased off a great deal, so my body is healing. I am not sure of the nightmares but the constant reassurance that my brain is healing itself calms me down. I will continue on this dosage till 28th of September.

 

Hopefully I will succeed to overcome these nightmares.

[[ma...]]

 

this was met with two consecutive nights of nightmare. In the nightmare the thing I am afraid the most which is a panic attack seems to the subject of the nightmare and its very vivid, once I felt my jaw shivered which is new to me. I wonder if other people go through the same thing during benzo withdrawal.

 

Hi Etilaam

 

Thanks for stopping by and keeping us updated. Yes I can identify with these vivid nightmares, it is quite common. I have not had  the jaw shivering but I had many other strange symptoms. Well done with the taper plan, don't try and rush it and let us know how your doing.

 

 

Hopefully I will succeed to overcome these nightmares.

 

You will succeed, we are rooting for you and the nightmares will stop, it does get better!!

 

Magrita

 

[[Et...]]

I have shifted to .2mg of Etilaam from .25mg on 1st Sep'14 and the results were not too good till now, but I am hopeful. Withdrawal combined with the stress I feel on my job on the first two weeks of every month made insomnia and twitches to set in. Thank God, the twitches are not severe as they used to be. Even though somehow I manage to sleep for at-least 6-7 hours everyday, I don't feel refreshed. Its a dreamy sleep throughout and occasional jerks or loud noise wake me up. I have gone through the Ashton Manual and it seems to be a withdrawal related symptom. Its a price I have to pay. But the realization that I can go on such a low dosage of Etilaam without fear of panic attack in enough for the time being. One significant improvement is that feeling of nausea doesn't seem to be as severe as it used to be. But eye muscles when closed at the time to falling asleep seem to dance a lot. A little crazy till now