The Dizziness Group: For those who are floating, boating, falling or flying

[Guest [...]]

Hey Dizzy Buds,

Check out this PubMed study called "Out-of-body experience in vestibular disorders - A prospective study of 210 patients with dizziness". It mentions the depersonalization-derealization, anxiety and depression, as well as migraines, that are sometimes associated with dizziness. Very interesting indeed!

 

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/28669509

 

 

Thanks Lapis!I printed it to read later,when I can think more clearly.Lots of lovely brain fog today!

 

I was very dizzy this morning,and then went back to a 5 again this afternoon!Still not as good as healed,but I will take it over an 8 or 9!

 

Ahh, the neighbors cute puppy!I would have to limp over and see the little guy,I can't resist puppies and kittens,they are one of my biggest weeknesses!They are so naughty and tons of extra clean up work,but oh so much cuteness to love there!!

 

I am happy to say frog legs have never touched my lips! :laugh:Just the thought of that makes me want to hurl!Besides these frogs are so tiny,it would take about 50 of them to make a decent meal!

 

 

I pray you have a better evening and day tomorrow Lapis!I think your turn to heal is coming soon!You might be one of the ones who wakes up and it's just gone!

 

Something to dream about anyways!

 

[[Ko...]]

Lapis & 2200,

 

Thanks for your quick responses. I'm lucky I don't have tinnitus or nose bleeds from Ibuprofen. My pain is not muscle related, will not the pain on my legs. I do have some muscle pain in my back when Zi try to do to much moving around. It's more like cramping. It goes away when zi sit down and rest.

The pain I get is nerve pain on the skin to the right side of my shin bone. I can handle it when Im up and doing things (distracting). When it really hurts is when Im it bed and trying to sleep. I do use ice, but it only helps while it on then it comes back.  The pain is like the worst sunburn that you can imagine. I've tried lanocaine products, but they don't work either.

 

The good news is today my boatiness dropped backed to a 6. The leg pain also is a little better. Lapis so sorry that you had a rough night again. I hope you get relief soon.

 

2200, where do you live?  All the baby frogs must be cute. What's the cause of having so many?

 

Lapis, thanks for the study info. Just wish there was an actual study of people like us who are suffering as a result of medication.

 

Best to both of you,

Korbe

As a result of medication

[[Ma...]]

I haven't posted for a long time because I wanted to make sure of my experience.  Take it for what it is worth. I am NOT a doctor. I had been on clonazepam for over 8 years, 2 mg a night--because of a really awful psychiatrist.  Last year I realized I didn't want to take it any more.  It was not doing any good and as I now realize it was actually doing a lot of bad things.

 

With a doctor's help I began to taper in May of 2016---by July vertigo began which was so horrible I thought I might die and I sort of wanted to die.  And it went on 24/7 every day--in spite of a neurologist, MRI, physical therapy with a vertigo specialist---who told me I did NOT have BPPV and the therapy wouldn't help--which after two months it didn't.  I exercised over an hour a day, ate well, read, did puzzles, listened to music---nothing made a slight bit of difference in the vertigo.

 

Towards the end of March, this year, under a doctor's help and supervision, I took several doses of ativan over a 36 hour period, partly for other things, but partly with the theory that since a benzo withdrawal side effects, and in particular clonazepam, had caused the vertigo--there was no doubt---that a sort of rescue dose might click something in my brain and change things.  Which it did. 

 

It is now towards the middle of July and I have no vertigo--it has been gone since March.  I feel better and better every day, in fact I feel wonderful.  It was not reinstatement and I would never ever take clonazepam again in any way.  If I had known last year what I know now for sure--I would have found some ativan or other short acting benzo without a doctor and I would have taken it.  It is so apparent to me that my poor brain needed a sort of jump start or change. 

And it worked.

 

I cannot say that this would work for anyone else.  I can only say it worked for me.  Take it as you will and consult with your medical professionals.  I consider it a true miracle.  If you feel like criticizing me or second guessing me, feel free.  I won't read this again any time soon because the last time I tried to share my healing experience I was blasted.  Anyway, that is what happened to me.

[[be...]]

Thanks for good wishes.  I am doing great.  I managed to stop trying to tell everyone else to do and to try to get as healthy as possible.  I did not spend 24 hours a day feeling sorry for myself.  I have exercised and eaten well and listened to doctors who tried to help me and I have not spent 24/7 being in a miserable state and I got off all benzos a while back and I have been trying to heal.  And I have.  And it is wonderful. I think spending all of one's day discussing how bad one feels does not do anything positive. I thought I would probably die and I didn't. I did not glorify my pain every day by numbering it and by enjoying it.  I think there has to be moving forward and getting out of this huge canyon of complaining together all day every day. I pray for everyone here.  I want you all to heal  And I pray that you do.

 

No, this is why you were blasted last time, not because you shared how you may have healed.

[Guest [Le...]]

I haven't posted for a long time because I wanted to make sure of my experience.  Take it for what it is worth. I am NOT a doctor. I had been on clonazepam for over 8 years, 2 mg a night--because of a really awful psychiatrist.  Last year I realized I didn't want to take it any more.  It was not doing any good and as I now realize it was actually doing a lot of bad things.

 

With a doctor's help I began to taper in May of 2016---by July vertigo began which was so horrible I thought I might die and I sort of wanted to die.  And it went on 24/7 every day--in spite of a neurologist, MRI, physical therapy with a vertigo specialist---who told me I did NOT have BPPV and the therapy wouldn't help--which after two months it didn't.  I exercised over an hour a day, ate well, read, did puzzles, listened to music---nothing made a slight bit of difference in the vertigo.

 

Towards the end of March, this year, under a doctor's help and supervision, I took several doses of ativan over a 36 hour period, partly for other things, but partly with the theory that since a benzo withdrawal side effects, and in particular clonazepam, had caused the vertigo--there was no doubt---that a sort of rescue dose might click something in my brain and change things.  Which it did. 

 

It is now towards the middle of July and I have no vertigo--it has been gone since March.  I feel better and better every day, in fact I feel wonderful.  It was not reinstatement and I would never ever take clonazepam again in any way. If I had known last year what I know now for sure--I would have found some ativan or other short acting benzo without a doctor and I would have taken it.  It is so apparent to me that my poor brain needed a sort of jump start or change. 

And it worked.

 

I cannot say that this would work for anyone else.  I can only say it worked for me.  Take it as you will and consult with your medical professionals.  I consider it a true miracle.  If you feel like criticizing me or second guessing me, feel free.  I won't read this again any time soon because the last time I tried to share my healing experience I was blasted.  Anyway, that is what happened to me.

Warm greetings, Dizzy Buds! 

 

I realize that MaricopaMom is not planning to view any replies, as she states above, but I would urge any members who may read this post that taking Ativan as 'therapy' is a very risky proposition. Just my two cents, as another member posted a very similar experience at around the same time, and came back in a rather bad state.

 

Please note that the vast majority of BB members were prescribed benzos as a form of therapy, by MDs, and it ultimately led them to BenzoBuddies.

 

Leslie

[[La...]]

Hi All,

Whether or not MaricopaMom decides to check back in, I would like to suggest that her experience is highly unique. For some, a few doses of Ativan would set them back a fair amount. Some people need to take -- or are given -- benzodiazepines for various kinds of surgery or other medical procedures, and then they seem to recover okay. The truth is that there is no way of knowing how an individual will respond to another dose of a benzo once they've been off for awhile. Kindling is a concept that many of us are familiar with from experience. Each successive exposure to the medication can make things a bit worse, but again, there may be exceptions.

 

We each, individually, have to inform ourselves the best we can and make the best decisions for ourselves that we can based on the info available to us.

 

I don't think anyone here is interested in criticizing or "second-guessing" anyone. MaricopaMom has restated her personal experience, and that's fine. I'm just going to leave it. But I do hope that people weigh the pros and cons before attempting a similar thing in the hopes that the outcome would be the same. If that worked for many people, I can imagine that most of us would have done it by now. Ten years of BenzoBuddies and more than 33,000 members have shown us that most people need to get off the medication and stay off it in order to allow their bodies to heal.

 

As always, we're here to support and help each other along -- with love, information sharing, laughter, tears, and virtual hugs. Onwards we go together! Thanks to BenzoBuddies, we have an online place to do that. I value everyone's input here. 

 

 

[[La...]]

Hey Dizzy Buds,

Check out this PubMed study called "Out-of-body experience in vestibular disorders - A prospective study of 210 patients with dizziness". It mentions the depersonalization-derealization, anxiety and depression, as well as migraines, that are sometimes associated with dizziness. Very interesting indeed!

 

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/28669509

 

 

Thanks Lapis!I printed it to read later,when I can think more clearly.Lots of lovely brain fog today!

 

I was very dizzy this morning,and then went back to a 5 again this afternoon!Still not as good as healed,but I will take it over an 8 or 9!

 

Ahh, the neighbors cute puppy!I would have to limp over and see the little guy,I can't resist puppies and kittens,they are one of my biggest weeknesses!They are so naughty and tons of extra clean up work,but oh so much cuteness to love there!!

 

I am happy to say frog legs have never touched my lips! :laugh:Just the thought of that makes me want to hurl!Besides these frogs are so tiny,it would take about 50 of them to make a decent meal!

 

 

I pray you have a better evening and day tomorrow Lapis!I think your turn to heal is coming soon!You might be one of the ones who wakes up and it's just gone!

 

Something to dream about anyways!

 

Hi 2200,

Thanks for the lovely post. No hurling, though, please! As a joke, I once ordered "Braised Frogs" from a home-delivery Chinese restaurant so that I could surprise my friend. Suffice to say, she was very surprised! Um....neither one of us could stomach more than one bite, and the bites were, indeed, quite small.

 

I really can't walk at all today, so I won't be going out to admire the cute little puppy. If I see it, though, I do get all warm and fuzzy inside, and that will have to suffice for now.

 

And yes, I do dream about waking up dizzy-free! Sounds like a complete miracle, and I'm not sure I believe in them, but I will try to hang onto hope that my time is coming soon. Oh please, oh please, oh please! I wish it for you too and for everyone else here.

[[be...]]

for Lapis and all DizzyBuddies.

[Guest [...]]

I do love to hear how others have healed!

 

But......... I have to say I would rather die then take anymore benzos.

 

When a prescription drug gives me side effects,I run like the wind,and don't look back.

 

There is wisdom in our bodies on what we can and can't handle,and I have learned the hard way not to mess around with it.

 

Just my two cents worth.

[Guest [...]]

for Lapis and all DizzyBuddies.

 

 

Right back at ya benzohno!

[[be...]]

[[Ma...]]

Dr. Heather Ashton wrote: "What happens if someone who is in the course of benzodiazepine withdrawal or has successfully withdrawn needs a surgical operation?  Benzodiazepines rse of value as premedication before major operations and for sedation and amnesia during minor surgical procedures.  Yet many ex-users are terrified that if they are givenn a benzodiazapene for these purposes they will become dependent all over again.  They can be reassured; a single dose of a benzodiazepene given for an operation does not bring back the addiction, although the stress of an operation may re-awaken the anxiety symptoms experiences during benzodiazepene withdrawal.  Symptoms reported under these circumstances have usually been the result of fear.  Many personally observed patients have had repeated doses of midazolam (Versed, Hypnovel) a short acting benzodiazepens, for dental procedures (dental phobia is common in withdrawal) and other benzodiazepenes including diazepam for major and inor surgery and have recovered without complications".

 

This is the same basic thing as what happened to me in March.  Because of it I have now had several months of feeling great and I have my life back.  I didn't think I would ever take another benzo after what I had gone through for months but under the care of doctors who were professional and who went to medical school and who had my best interests at heart, I had a few doses.  I am now very well.  I realize so many people think I am crazy, but I do believe Dr. Heather Ashton knows a lot and I see her quoted here quite a bit.  So she supports what happened to me. 

[[La...]]

Maricopa Mom,

In my post above, I referred to people who need to take benzodiazepines for medical procedures. I said "and then they seem to recover okay". I was taking that directly from Dr. Ashton's manual. No one is calling you "crazy". You experienced whatever you did, and that's great. Everyone is happy that you're well.

 

 

[[Ma...]]

Thanks Lapis.  Dr. Ashton doesn't say that anyone has to have surgery---just that if someone is given short acting benzos for a medical reason, there is no problem.  I feel blessed that I was given short acting benzos.  I knew I could never take clonazepam again which a renowned psychiatrist gave to me and almost killed me.  I have the last laugh because while that doctor and others pretty much tried to kill for over 10 years, I managed to survive.  It is ironic that a short-acting benzo healed me.  But as Dr. Ashton wrote, in small doses it is not harmful.  In my case it gave me my life back.

[[La...]]

When will you write your Success Story, MaricopaMom?

[[Ma...]]

Lapis I don't exactly know how to write a success story.  Nothing I did over a period of almost 9 months helped me at all.  I exercised like a maniac, ate wonderfully, read a thousand books, did thousands of crossword puzzles---literally I did----listened to music over and over---talked, asked, begged--my doctor told me I was a perfect patient and that I would heal.  If it had not been simply an accident---and I was given short acting benzos during a hospital stay---which made the vertigo totally disappear in a period of 32 hours or so----I would still have vertigo or I might even be dead.  I have a huge success but not because of anything I did which I was told to do as a remedy. 

It is certainly a success and I feel better and look better than I have had in years and years--and I have my life and my personal power back----but I don't know how this translates to anyone else especially since nobody else seems to think that taking a small dose of a short acting benzo over a short period of time is an option---

as I have said before, if I had known months ago what I know now, I would have figured out how to take some ativan over a 32 hour period and I would not have lost so much of my life.

I will never take a benzo again---unless it is medically necessary in a medically controlled and supervised situation---but no plans on the horizon as far as I am concerned.

[[so...]]

MaricopaMom,

 

I have read thousands of posts on this forum and not ONCE did I read of someone given a short-life benzo as part of a surgical procedure that miraculously cured them of withdrawal.  It is far more plausible that your chemical imbalance just "kicked" for no reason at all.  What you are suggesting in your recent posts is, if you had known this would have been the "miracle cure" for withdrawal, you would have done it nine months earlier, as if to say to people reading your posts, hey, try this, it may work for you like it did for me.

 

Well, thousands of people HAVE done this.  I've read their posts.  They may have had a surgical procedure, like you, and were given a benzo, like you.  It did NOT go well for them and they had to deal with months of a setback, or it may have not effected their withdrawal at all, but they found themselves back in withdrawal post surgery.  Those are the outcomes I've read.  Hundreds of them.  Not your outcome.

 

I think the biggest problem, for me, is that, instead of getting on your knees and thanking God for your temporary window or complete recovery, you have gone into attack mode directed at all of us still posting on this forum, still suffering in withdrawal months and years beyond your rather short duration of suffering.  Instead of having an abundance of compassion and empathy towards those still suffering when you are not, you are proclaiming a miracle cure for withdrawal that simply is not real.  In your mind it is, no doubt, it is just not the TRUTH. 

 

There are many very vulnerable people on this forum who may accidentally read your posts and say, "Oh my God!  This is the answer!  I need to try this!"  It certainly wouldn't be the first time a desperate member jumped off a 500 ft cliff blindfolded following someone else's advice.  This is why I feel compelled to counter your healing claims and your cries of THE MIRACLE CURE.  I really don't care what you THINK brought about your wondrous healing.  I care about the unsuspecting people who read your claims and innocently follow your very dangerous advice.

 

My wish is that you pray to God every day you wake up symptom-free.  Thank Him for healing you.  Pray for healing for those of us on this forum who are still suffering in the throes of withdrawal.  Ask God to help you find the humility and the compassion you should have gained as a result of this experience, but are sorely lacking.

 

Lapis, I am sorry for my long-winded response to MaricopaMom on your beautiful and supportive thread.  I felt something should be said to protect and stand up for others who are suffering even more than I am and aren't strong enough yet to see the ridiculousness of what she is posting.

 

God bless all of my friends on here.  You are all warriors and your spiritual journey will bring you a sense of peace someday that most people will never experience or comprehend in their lifetimes. 

 

Sofa

[[Ma...]]

I totally believe in God and I know the divine lives with me daily.  That said, I have not written anything here to make other people jump off of a cliff.  I didn't have surgery--but my situation is my own---and I simply have tried to share what was a miracle for me----and based on all I have learned about benzos and particularly about clonazepam---it makes all the sense in the world that what happened to me indeed clicked something in my brain and stopped the vertigo.  Beyond that I cannot say.  I won't go into all of the details of why I think this--to much to try to explain.  As I said NOTHING else helped me.  My doctor who knows me well and who knows benzos really well totally agrees that it was a great miracle that this happened to me.

I am not trying to get anyone to do anything they do not want to do.

I just know that I was sure I would never be rid of the vertigo and there were many reasons to believe it was never going to happen.

You can call me a horrible, Godless person.  I accept that.

At the same time I am healed and whole and I am really happy.

I hope you all can find something to heal you.

[[Ma...]]

One more thought.  If what happened to me was so impossible, stupid, crazy, ridiculous, dangerous---then everyone should write to Dr. Heather Ashton--except I think she may be dead now---and tell her that much of her research and writing was simply wrong.  I am the beneficiary it seems to me of the fact that taking a few doses of a short acting benzo does no harm.  Dr. Ashton has written that.  It was my experience.  But I am a Godless inhuman clod.  Okay.  I will take it.  But my experience healed me and it makes total sense to me and to my doctor.  Best of luck.  See what Dr. Ashton's estate has to say.

[[La...]]

This has gotten a bit outrageous. Maricopa, it's great that you're doing well. Enjoy it! Dr. Ashton advocated that people get off benzodiazepines and to do so in a slow, methodical way. The paragraph you quoted has to do with the short-term, one-off use of a benzo for the purposes of a medical or dental procedure. She didn't suggest it would gravely harm anyone, nor did she suggest it would end the symptoms. She simply wanted to put people at ease, should they need to use a bit of a benzo in a medical situation.

 

That's all.

 

Dr. Ashton has given much of her life to helping people, and now it's her time to rest She is, apparently, not well.

 

No one has used the words "impossible, stupid, crazy, etc" to describe yourself except you. We're here to support and help each other with care and kindness -- as much as possible. In that spirit, can we keep things a bit gentler around here?

 

Thank you.

[[Yo...]]

Can we keep the information shared "factual" and leave the personal beliefs out? We try to deal in helpful facts here as much as possible...

 

 

[[so...]]

As always, Lapis, you have my heart.

 

Love,

 

Sofa

[[so...]]

Shook,

 

Nice to see you again.  How are you doing?  I think of you often and I know you are in the tapering zone of Mt. Everest.  I think Hillary named it after a Sherpa on benzos.  This is the tough section, my friend, and you will pull through it like the mountain climber in funny shorts and suspenders that you are.  You'd climb Everest in that get up just to make the ladies smile.

 

Sofa

[[La...]]

Maricopa, I do think writing your Success Story would be a good idea -- whenever you're ready. The Success Stories aren't about giving other people advice. They're just a way for people who have come out the other side of this nightmare to tell their personal stories. In that way, others can see that there is a wide variety of experiences around here and that there are many roads to healing. Yours is yours. It's unique. You can talk about why you took the benzo in the first place, how long you took it and how much, why you decided to go off it, how you came off it (taper vs. cold turkey vs. something else), what your withdrawal symptoms were, how you dealt with them, what your course of healing was, etc. You referred to your experience as a "great miracle", and others beyond this particular thread might like to know about it.

 

For most of us, there hasn't yet been a miracle. Many of us -- including me -- feel quite raw much of the time. We're just trying to get through each day, hoping that our miracle will happen soon. In the meantime, we're trying to keep each other company, to support each other, to commiserate with one another on the rougher days, and to buoy each other up with laughter and silliness when necessary. It's about survival. And it's about compassion. Please keep us in your thoughts. Please understand what we're all going through.

 

In the meantime, I'm sure everyone here wishes you well as you go off to enjoy your life. Take good care. We'll look forward to seeing you share your Success Story whenever you feel ready to do so.

 

[[La...]]

As always, Lapis, you have my heart.

 

Love,

 

Sofa

 

Massive hugs are on the way to you from me, my dear Sofa....all the way from Ontario, Canada!  :-*