Short term benzo users

[[ph...]]

Yup. Those all sound normal and standard to me.

[[bo...]]

Yup. Those all sound normal and standard to me.

so you haven't healed after your CT?

[[ph...]]

so you haven't healed after your CT?

 

I don't get those anymore.

I'm not done with recovery,  but I no longer experience those symptoms.

Most of my remaining issues are anxiety and gut related

[[Su...]]

I am new to the group as of yesterday and consider this an answer to prayer but also a huge reality check. I took xanax 35 years ago for situational panic attacks and the stopping was asymptomatic. I only took it for a couple of months.

I have a complicated spine/ortho history with chronic pain. I have detoxed myself off high dose narcotics and lyrica in the last 2 years.

 

I have to add that I was on Paxil for 25 years, started for some relatively mild mood swing pre menopause and getting off was never discussed. Last fall I decided to quit that cold turkey. I had so many months of unbelievable symptoms that I was in the ER twice and when it finally even connected to me that it could be from stopping the paxil I finally..duh!... looked it up. Seeing it could be months longer and thinking I was going to die I went back on it. In a month I was much better. I hate I was too weak to go the long haul. I was so scared.

 

So, finally to the xanax- 4 months ago my chronic pain, actually new pain for the last 16 months, was so severe that I was in bed for 4 weeks, bed to bathroom only. I was so extremely hopeless and stressed that I was relieved when my Dr gave me Rxs for morphine and xanax. I'm back off the morphine but I continued to take the xanax. It was ordered 1 mg 2x day as needed but I hardly ever took that much and until the last 3-4 weeks I never took it every day. A new and possibly serious health problem cropped up and my anxiety went sky high. I really thought I would have no problem stopping since I didn't have any issues 35 years ago.

 

I stopped CT 6 days ago. Day by day the symptoms increased until yesterday the body pain was so extreme (I was NOT taking morphine!) and the anxiety and crazy thoughts so extreme that I finally... duh!... looked up withdrawal from xanax. Thinking I just had to tough it out a few more days I was just flabbergasted! I could not believe what I was reading! With the dangers of seizures so stressed on medical sites for going CT I went back on a dose of .5 mg every 12 hours yesterday. After my AM dose today I slept for 2 hours, something I never ever do. But when I woke the anxiety was there. Not as bad but still a pretty big discomfort.

 

I am also on Ambien and before this fiasco I had been meditating, learning to do tapping, etc and had slept without it for a week or so. But when my physical pain has me in bed I will admit that I watch the clock just waiting for it to be time to take that Ambien so I can just 'disappear' for a while. I will work on that AFTER the xanax.

 

I have told myself that this isn't the time to even try to get off the xanax with the new physical issue but I am ready to deal with things and not have the xanax in my system a second longer than safe to get off. But my pills don't break evenly. I see info about dry cutting and weighing with a scale. Also about dissolving in measured water. I will buy a scale if I can understand the process. Whatever it takes. I feel like I need to hold at the dose I started yesterday for at least 2 weeks but just don't know. Then do I cut both doses down a bit? Or do I decrease one dose until it's gone and then the PM dose?

 

I got to a low dose weaning off lyrica and even a 10% cut after that would cause the feeling of fire ants on me and the restlessness caused constant thrashing in bed. I tried taking the lowest dose and increasing the time between doses by an hour each time. If I had any symptoms I would stay at that time frame for a little longer. It meant taking doses all hours of the day and night as time advanced but SO worth it. I went to over 72 hours between doses and stopping was painless. Does the low half life of xanax make that method impossible?

[[Ma...]]

Success77, you have really been through quite a few drugs .  So to make sure I understand, at this time , you are off all pain meds, but are still in a lot of pain?

 

I stopped CT 6 days ago. Day by day the symptoms increased until yesterday the body pain was so extreme (I was NOT taking morphine!) and the anxiety and crazy thoughts so extreme that I finally... duh!... looked up withdrawal from xanax. Thinking I just had to tough it out a few more days I was just flabbergasted! I could not believe what I was reading! With the dangers of seizures so stressed on medical sites for going CT I went back on a dose of .5 mg every 12 hours yesterday. After my AM dose today I slept for 2 hours, something I never ever do. But when I woke the anxiety was there. Not as bad but still a pretty big discomfort.

 

You have not been off the other 1 mg of Xanax very long, I would add it back.  Then , once we have tried to work our way through all this, we will begin tapering that very slowly.  You can read up on ways to taper, I use a daily liquid micro taper.  You should not use water, it either needs to be 100% whole fat milk or a tiny amount of alcohol.  There is also something you can get at the pharmacy, but water does not work.

 

So you are still on ambien, if it is helping you sleep, definitely taper after the xanax.  The Paxil also.

 

I know everything in you wants off all this medicine but I am afraid you have been on and off so may things lately, so quickly, your central nervous system is very very sensitive and you have chronic pain.

 

Xanax is a short half life, which means, you are  probably going to have interdose withdrawals.  You may need to cross over to something with a longer half life so you don't have interdose withdrawals.

It will be a choice you have.

 

Your's is a very complicated history, with the recent pain meds and changing doses.  I truly would go back to 2 mgs to give yourself some relief while we figure out the best way.  There are several ways to taper, you can find those on the Home Page, ask all the questions you need .  This isn't going to be an easy process Success.  It will be hard and long.  You will make it, the worst thing you can do is rush.

Slow is your best friend now.  I want others to read this also, so bear with us.  Love Mary ♥️

[[Ma...]]

Success77, I have had others read this also.  Agreed you should go back up to 2 mgs.  Remember, we are not Dr's .  We also agree you made need to speak to your doctor about another pain med.  you won't be able to hold back the pain with the Xanax long.  I saw you said you were also suffering from another illness, can you tell me about that?  Mary ♥️

 

[[bo...]]

so you haven't healed after your CT?

 

I don't get those anymore.

I'm not done with recovery,  but I no longer experience those symptoms.

Most of my remaining issues are anxiety and gut related

How long did it take you  to for those sxs to resolve,  even though I  didn't  CT I have  a history  of ssri  wd,  so I'm very  sensitive  right  now... I feel  so out of it, like in a different  dimension its difficult  to  walk,  but I do anyway...  I just feel  so screwed... Hope you r sxs resolve  soon

[[Er...]]

Short term user here and I'm 42 months off and in my 3rd bad wave in the last 3 months.  Almost all Physical symptoms. This is after being 95% healed 95% of the time for the past couple of years.  I still had minor 1-2 day waves but the waves this year have been 1-2 weeks.  It's SOOO frustrating because I thought I was mostly done with this stuff a few years ago. Now I never know when my last wave will be. I'm 3 days into this one and hopefully it will lift sooner rather than later.

[[ar...]]

Eric, are you still taking omeprazole? That stuff will deplete your magnesium.  They recommend 400 mg a day starting with a gradual increase.  I'm 99% recovered now but if I miss one day of magnesium, I go into a wave.

[[Er...]]

I also don't know when the last wave will be,  yesterday an annoying wave , the last 'serious' wave was 9 days ago.

[[Er...]]

Eric, are you still taking omeprazole? That stuff will deplete your magnesium.  They recommend 400 mg a day starting with a gradual increase.  I'm 99% recovered now but if I miss one day of magnesium, I go into a wave.

 

Sorry I just saw this. Yes, i’ve Been omeprazole for probably 8 years now. I’ll look into high magnesium foods but i’m scared to take a mag supplement.

[[Re...]]

Short term user here and I'm 42 months off and in my 3rd bad wave in the last 3 months.  Almost all Physical symptoms. This is after being 95% healed 95% of the time for the past couple of years.  I still had minor 1-2 day waves but the waves this year have been 1-2 weeks.  It's SOOO frustrating because I thought I was mostly done with this stuff a few years ago. Now I never know when my last wave will be. I'm 3 days into this one and hopefully it will lift sooner rather than later.

 

What do you think triggered this most recent wave? Hope you feel better soon !

[[Er...]]

Short term user here and I'm 42 months off and in my 3rd bad wave in the last 3 months.  Almost all Physical symptoms. This is after being 95% healed 95% of the time for the past couple of years.  I still had minor 1-2 day waves but the waves this year have been 1-2 weeks.  It's SOOO frustrating because I thought I was mostly done with this stuff a few years ago. Now I never know when my last wave will be. I'm 3 days into this one and hopefully it will lift sooner rather than later.

 

What do you think triggered this most recent wave? Hope you feel better soon !

 

I really don't know.  I haven't restricted my diet at all in the last few years (except no alcohol) but I did eat like crap for about a week straight since I was off work, then I did a spin class which was pretty physically exerting and went home and drank a big glass of Crystal Light which is high in Aspartame.  So it could be a combination of all that stuff or it could be all a coincidence!  That's for the first wave a few months ago.

 

This most recent one could be from stopping Zyrtec after taking it for a few years.  Again though, maybe not.  It hard to know if there is anything triggering it or if my body just got thrown out of whack for no reason.  That's part of what is so frustrating.

 

I'm still in my most recent wave.

[[Er...]]

If you still take omeprazole , you won't get rid of waves and side effects.

[[Re...]]

Eric SS,  i’ve been doing some research about acid reflux. You may want to check out this book “ why stomach acid is good for you.”  Very often proton pump  inhibitors are the very last thing that we need  ...  the book was really eye-opening and actually reminded me of my benzo situation ( how doctors often prescribe the very worst possible thing for you).  You also may want to look into digestive bitters As an alternative natural remedy....  can I ask how old you are? Only because stomach acid usually decreases as a person ages  ....

[[Wo...]]

Throwing my hat in the ring. A daily user for about 6 months of .25-.35mg. Currently pretty stable at .36mg. I can get throughout the day fairly easy. Going to resume work soon which is horrible since I have to drive. Sleeping is okay. Woke up usually 5 hours after I pass out, but I wake up with some morning sweat. I know I’m tossing and turning, and usually have the ac on, but a heating pad on my feet which could cause it. Gi issues, not sure if benzo related. Wake up in the morning but that’s pretty common from what I’ve read.

[[bo...]]

as  short term klonopin user 0.5mg  I'm at 0.28  Im having a terrible time

sxs: dry eyes, lip and tongue numbness, broken sleep, stomach, off balance

acid trip feeling, dp/dr very bad, very bad vision, exhausted most of the time

but was switched from one ssri to another , CT from paxil after 4 months so my CNS is not great... anyone have these sxs?

[[Tw...]]

Hi I had a really bad reaction to buspar and ended up in the er. The er dr gave me ativan. I was prescribed 1mg twice a day. This was on Oct 24th. I haven't been taking them twice a day. I went and saw my psych and she added klonopin .25mg to take in the morning and to take 1 to 2 mg of ativan at night. My stomach feels anxious and I cry a lot when I don't take the ativan but I really want to get off both. My psych said when I go back on the 14th she will start tapering me down but I am so nervous. Does anyone have any good withdrawl stories? I'm more anxious about the withdrawl than anything else. I am also on cymbalta 60mg but have been for years.

Thanks

[[Da...]]

**I also posted this [i took some things out] in the Cold Turkey Withdrawal Forum, before I saw this group for short term.

 

 

I am fairly new to BB. I rarely post but I read A LOT.

 

I am looking for any short-termers (and C/T) out there who are pushing through. Even if you reach out via personal/direct message. I am in physical pain everyday (muscle spasms in legs, feet, wavering appetite, lost 30lbs since August, burning, tingling skin, head pain, heart palps etc. All of the symptoms of withdrawal). I can say that for a while things were winding down until 2 days ago. It seems my body has revved up again. Insomnia is back. No sleep, crying all the time. What is also VERY challenging is the emotional roller coaster of anxiety and depressed mood. I did not experience any of this prior to use. I’m actually a very “chill” “cool” person. I want to be that strong, independent, “always together” woman that I was, literally just 5 months ago before I was ever even introduced to that HORRIBLE Xanax pill. One anxiety attack due to work and life stress has cause an entire shift. My self-esteem and confidence is so low. The only things that are keeping me going is my family and God. In addition to that, finding BB and a community of people who understand EXACTLY what I am going through. Please anyone reading this. I need encouraging words!

 

All my respect to short termers soldiering through!

 

Dani B

[[Ma...]]

Hey can’t read anymore horror stories so sorry if any of you answered this but do any of you wish you had tapered?

[[Ac...]]

I do. I would have tapered for as long as it took. I would give up my right leg to be able to go back and taper.

[[Er...]]

If you still take omeprazole , you won't get rid of waves and side effects.

 

Eric SS,  i’ve been doing some research about acid reflux. You may want to check out this book “ why stomach acid is good for you.”  Very often proton pump  inhibitors are the very last thing that we need  ...  the book was really eye-opening and actually reminded me of my benzo situation ( how doctors often prescribe the very worst possible thing for you).  You also may want to look into digestive bitters As an alternative natural remedy....  can I ask how old you are? Only because stomach acid usually decreases as a person ages  ....

 

Sorry for taking so long to reply to this. i’m now 41. I had forgot that I posted in here. I’m now 59 months off and still having the same pattern of waves over the last couple of years. Good for a few weeks to a few months followed by waves that last a few days to a few weeks. I’m still on omeprazole. I’ll try going off but worry about my bad heartburn. I just want this to be over with. I felt pretty good for a few years with just minor short waves (except the daily pre-waking surges) but the last 2 years have been rough.

[[Tr...]]

Very short term user, I think my reaction has been one of the worst long lasting. I’m going to be a year off soon and still crutching along. I did take a Gaba supplement after CTing, which made things so much worse. I’m off that 9 months now. Tinnitus and electric sensations are my biggest issues and I never had them before this. If they healed I’d consider myself 90% healed. I believe if you are a short termer, are not on any other psychiatric medications and gaba affecting supplements, then 1 year is how long it will take for most to feel much better. Having Tinnitus will make the process take longer but I hope by 18 months I’ll be feeling more like my old self. So... know you are not alone. Hang in there it’s a tough ride but you can do it. And it does start to feel better. I’m functional now, I’m sleeping better most nights, working, going out etc. I just have to always listen to my body and  rest when needed.

[Guest [fl...]]

Trying2BHopeful, what were your remaining symptoms when 70% at month 4? Curious as I’m coming up on month 4...

 

I have to say, I do think the super long recoveries are the exception rather than the rule. People who are on these boards are going to be the most severe and long-lasting cases. These forums are imperative for support of these outliers, but can make newcomers here feel really depressed due to the horror stories. I don’t think we can say “probably x amount of time.” Average recovery times are 6 - 18 months (with many outliers on both sides). Also, the definition of recovered might vary. For example, if I didn’t have chemical anxiety, I’d consider myself pretty recovered even with palps, intermittent burning skin, fatigue and even some sleep issues.

[Guest [fl...]]

Bess55, have you had all of your labs checked? Thyroid, hormones, etc? Are you otherwise healthy? Do you take any meds? Smoke, drink, nutrient deficiencies? There are a lot of things that can be addressed to help healing. What are your main symptoms?

 

That said, I have done all of that and at 5.5 months, I am struggling so much. From day 21 to day 2 of my cycle I am suicidal and fear for my life. I have to have my husband watch me 24/7 (except after 7PM when I revert to normal. I am trying some new things including tianeptine for depression - I will report back in a month. After such short low(ish) doses, it is scary.