Still struggling almost 6 years off

[[Gr...]]

Hi My name is Greg and I have been benzo free for almost 6 years now. I was put on Xanax for panic attacks and after only 2 months became extremely addicted because I was taking such a high prescribed dose of 2 mg at a time. Sometimes I would take up to three doses a day. I thought it was normal as that is how it was prescribed to me.my doctor refused to believe that I could have become addicted in such a short time. But I knew different. I knew what I was feeling, I was scared because I had never felt this way before, so I ended up going to a detox facility where I was taken  off cold turkey. Those were the worst two weeks of my life!almost immediately I became agoraphobic  not even able to leave my house for 8 months.yes it seems at times that this is been an uphill struggle but I have had moments of clarity and the waves of symptoms to get better but for some strange reason this for out I'm feeling sick again almost as bad as it did at the beginning. I'm looking for someone who can relate to my situation and maybe could shed some light on what's happening to me.

[[ma...]]

Hi Greg Welcome to Benzobuddies

 

Congratulations on being benzo free. I am sorry your still experiencing withdrawal symptoms so far out. You will heal eventually, we are all different I guess and for some it can take a lot longer for the CNS to fully recover.  I will put a link to the Ashton manual here for you: Professor Ashtons Manual It is an authoritative resource on benzodiazepines and withdrawals

 

Please feel free to post to any of the dedicated boards,  we have a great community of caring people here, they will give sound advice. Members have been through all aspects of benzodiazepine use and withdrawal and are more than willing to share their experiences.

 

Here are a few links for you:

 

Post withdrawal recovery support board

 

Protracted Benzodiazepine Withdrawal Symptoms

 

If you would be so kind as to add a signature (history of meds/doses etc) it will help members give you relevant advice this link will show you how toCreate a signature

 

Please let us know If you have any questions.

 

Welcome Aboard

 

Magrita

 

[[De...]]

Hello Greg,

 

Welcome to to the forum from me too 

 

Congratulations on being benzo free! I'm also very sorry to hear you are still suffering but you're not on your own with taking a long time to heal. Magrita has given you a link to The Protracted Benzodiazepine Withdrawal Board where you'll find other members who are still having problems after being benzo free for 18 months or more. The members here will be able to empathise with you and it always helps, I feel, to compare stories with others who are in the same boat as oneself. Have a look also at the stickies at the top of the protracted board, there are quite a few protracted success stories which will hopefully be encouraging for you.

 

I'm glad you found us and I do hope that full healing, for you, is not too far away.

 

Debbie

[[Gr...]]

Thank you for the support, I feel better knowing that there are people that care out there that I'm not alone. Sometimes I feel that everyone I know thinks that I'm making this up or that I've gone crazy to a certain degree. Since it's been so longand I still have a recovered yet.

[[be...]]

Thank you for the support, I feel better knowing that there are people that care out there that I'm not alone. Sometimes I feel that everyone I know thinks that I'm making this up or that I've gone crazy to a certain degree. Since it's been so longand I still have a recovered yet.

 

Well, you have my support you poor man.

[[ea...]]

Gregor,

You have my support, too. I, too, went cold turkey off a very high dose of a benzo, plus I did a very fast taper off Ambien and two antidepressants. I went through utter hell for over a year. It was only at 1.5 years I began to feel like a human again. Its been 27 months now, and I STILL have some withdrawal symptoms, but I really do feel a lot better.

 

You must be a strong person to have kept on going without reinstating. Few people could go through what you and I have been through and made it. These are qualities that will serve us your whole lives. And now that we're off benzos, our lives will undoubtedly be longer and better. I know mine is already. It has been a very long, unpleasant journey, but its finally ending.

east

[[pr...]]

Gregor,

 

all i can tell you is my own story as i have two benzo stories. i was off large dose's of a few different benzo's once before for 7 years. and at the 7th year mark i started having some very strange neurological symptoms and didn't know what was happening to me. for why would i ever think it could possibly be from the benzo's? so off i went to do a search for what was wrong with me and i did get diagnosed with MS and subsequently got back on klonopin again for another ten years of which i did another cold turkey from and now i am only 27 months again.

 

i still to this day really don't know what happened to me? i doubt i have MS. i could possibly of had a very serious setback from the first time i was on benzo's. i probably will never know. but just saying that these setbacks or "aftershocks" are not uncommon.

 

prettydaisys