Short term benzo users

[[sn...]]

Corsair....how are you feeling now?  I'm so sorry you've been down...going through w/d is hell I know-but there is light at the end of this dark tunnel.  Do you take the trazadone and seroquel regularly? Maybe the combo of the two are causing the depression? I know it's hard when sleep is scarce.  I thought about going the AD route to help w/ sleep but decided against it.  I took doxepin for two days and didn't like the side effects. Dry mouth, nausea, and I was incredibly moody.

 

Hopefully soon you will get better from the flu and start feeling a little better. Are you taking vitamin c? Hope tomorrow is a better day 

[[an...]]

my thoughts are with you corsair - hang in there...you can do this ... Just remember that you won't always feel this way...hugs!!!!

[[Co...]]

Yes i do take the trazodone and seroquel at the same time. I didn't sleep tonight. Tried to taper the trazodone. I'm so scared and messed up i want to be off pills all together but i can't seem to manage. And with the flu. And needing surgery. So fucking messed up. I hate the doctors for putting me on these pills. Thank you all for your kind words

i should be much more patient

[[co...]]

It's so hard to believe these intense physical symptoms at five months out are from benzos! Feels like a heart attack but every test under the sun says my heart is fine! Gotta keep the faith but it's hard.

 

[[me...]]

Confused1,  I hear you!  I have had sporadic chest pain and tightness, everything checked out fine with cardiologist.  So hard to believe that a medication can cause all these symptoms & problems in the body!

[[Mo...]]

Having tingling/burning in my left arm and headache for about 3 hours (which is how I know it's not a heart attack ). I realized I haven't had one day since stopping Ativan without SOME sort of symptom. I might have a few hours where I feel pretty good, but it never lasts. Almost 3 months out...really REALLY hoping for it to get better. For all of us.

 

xo

Mookie

[[me...]]

Sorry to hear that, Mookie12.  I am sitting here with vibrations inside my feet.  They got worse last night and woke me up.

[[Co...]]

Are there other ppl on here who feel so extremely tired? Can't get out of bed because of it

[[Mo...]]

I've had some of that too, Meggie, but not that bad that it's woken me. When that symptom first started it made me laugh, actually. It was so strange! I'm still having the arm issue today, along with a headache and "face-ache" on my left side. Thinking it's probably a nerve issue or poor circulation. I try to get up at work as much as I can, but it's probably not enough. Also wondering about vitamin deficiency, as I've been gluten free since November. This is all just so delightful.

 

[[Lo...]]

Hi BBs, I am a short term K user and thought I would ask your advice! When you started tapering, did you split your doses into 2 or 3 times a day? Right now I am at .5 mg K and basically cut the pill into 4ths, take 1/4 in the AM and 3/4s at night (basically my first neurologist put me on this for insomnia )

Should I start to take a mid-day dose, say 1/4 midday and 2/4 at night? And then take a bit off each dose? Or do you taper first from your AM dose and then eventually taper from your PM dose?

My 2nd neurologist is glad I am getting off these Benzos! She explained the burning you may feel at the top of your head or various areas is where your muscles are contracting, and that an ice pack on the neck should help. Sorry for all the ?s and best of luck to everyone!!!

[[me...]]

Sniogra,

 

How are you doing?  Are most of your symptoms gone?  It is 35 days since my last xanax, some symptoms are better and some not.

[[Co...]]

Hi BBs, I am a short term K user and thought I would ask your advice! When you started tapering, did you split your doses into 2 or 3 times a day? Right now I am at .5 mg K and basically cut the pill into 4ths, take 1/4 in the AM and 3/4s at night (basically my first neurologist put me on this for insomnia )

Should I start to take a mid-day dose, say 1/4 midday and 2/4 at night? And then take a bit off each dose? Or do you taper first from your AM dose and then eventually taper from your PM dose?

My 2nd neurologist is glad I am getting off these Benzos! She explained the burning you may feel at the top of your head or various areas is where your muscles are contracting, and that an ice pack on the neck should help. Sorry for all the ?s and best of luck to everyone!!!

 

you should not change the amount of times you take the medication, because your CNS works best on stability. I don't really know which one you should taper first.

[[Lo...]]

Hi Corsair, thanks for the response.  I see you are using Trazadone for sleep.  Do you have to taper off that also? A few docs told me it wasn't addictive but of course now I take all advice from docs cautiously! I hope you are doing well.

[[sn...]]

Meggiemay-  I am doing ok.  Having good and bad days...I'm also suffering from other health issues so I'm not sure if my symptoms are still benzo related or from mycoplasma infection. Right now I'm taking antibiotics for that and am feeling a herxheimer reaction. Still having burning, tingling pain and muscle spasms.  One improvement is sleep- now that I'm almost 4 months out my sleep has slowly returned and I'm now getting decent sleep most nights. This just started about a week ago. I do take benedryl every now and then and I've been drinking green tea in the morning...which I honestly think has helped w/ my sleep. My hair is still falling out some but not as bad. I've also noticed some weird muscle aches and pains, but once again don't know if it is benzo related or other stuff.

 

What symptoms are you still having? How are you sleeping?

[[me...]]

sniogra,

 

Well my anxiety is much better, I can drive now and goes places, where before it was too much and I stayed home.  I had head fullness/pressure that was gone 1 week ago, but came back yesterday.  I was having the feeling of butterflies in the stomach, like the feeling you get when you drop down a roller coaster hill (but not as extreme) probably 20 times a day for no reason.  That has gotten better, less frequent.  The vibrations in my feet are lessening.  Sleeping is still not too good.  I usually fall asleep around 11:00 (sometimes needing Benadryl), but wake up around 2:30 am, and I am wide awake for several hours.  I can't wait until the day comes that I go to sleep and wake up 7 or 8 hours later! 

[[sn...]]

Good to hear meggiemay.  The anxiety is the worst.  Sleep will get better....I promise.  I went through a two month phase of horrible sleep and wake-ups.  You will start to see an improvement when your body is ready. 

 

Overall, I feel like the short time benzo use is on our side.  Hopefully we all will recover a little quicker and have not done quite as much damage.  It's pretty crazy how strong of an effect benzos have on our system...even if we only use them for a couple weeks. 

[[sm...]]

Introducing myself in this group, since I am a short term user as I've been on K for less than 4 months.

 

Anxiety and OCD runs in my family. (Whether it is environmental or genetic - there is a definite history of it) I got divorced 8 years ago, and to cope I became a bulimic and exercise nut. Got me through things okay. A few years later I added alcohol into the mix. I was never a full-blown alcoholic, but I definitely relied on it too much (Haven't touched a drop in 4 months). I could not cope and did not know how to handle disappointment, suffering, etc..

 

Then I caused a car accident that nearly took my 12-year old daughter's and my own life. (Ran a red light because the car in front of me turned right - just on automatic pilot). No one else was hurt. I suffered a concussion. So, now I had brain chemistry issues caused by the physical damage of the concussion, loss of my coping strategies (bulimia and alcohol) and was facing the tremendous guilt of the accident (Was raised in a strict Catholic household - so guilt is in my blood :-( )

 

I was prescribed Ativan. I took 10 doses of that and it just stopped helping me. At the same time, I started talk therapy because I knew I had a lot of issues that I need to work through. I worked with my PCP and agreed that I needed long-term anti depressants so I could get started on working through the issues. She started me on Zoloft since that is highly effective for OCD, Trazodone for sleep since I need that to make sure I get enough down time to let my brain rebuild from the concussion damage. I truly believe drugs do have a purpose in life is used correctly. My father and mother-in-law wouldn't have survived cancer without the.

 

I started working with a psychiatrist, which are not easy to find in my rural area. While the AD stacked, I was put on Klonopin (0.5mg - 1 mg / day as needed). I RESISTED, but I was making no progress. Every day was torture. I have a job to keep, a home to take care of, and a daughter to nurture, plus a wedding to plan. So I gave in. Went on 1mg / day and started feeling slightly steady. Each day got better and I was able to function more. The repetitive thoughts went away!!!! I had peace in my mind and was truly happy again.

 

4 months after the accident, I felt 90% healed. I still had issues to work through but I was enjoying life again. So, I talked to my psychiatrist about coming off the K. He told me to go down 0.125 every week. I obeyed. All hell broke loose at 0.375mg. Panic attack, severe shakes, anxiety and obsessive thoughts racing. I felt like I was back at square one. I'm back to being a shell of a person. Scared all the time, crying all the time.

 

I still exercise and try to distract myself, but the anxiety is always there. I meditate and do reiki but those are temporary reliefs. I've been holding on the 0.375 mg for 10 days and I really don't want to go back up. I have been on 150mg of Zoloft for 6 weeks and my Trazodone is steady at 25mg/night. I finally requested a case manager through my health insurance. She found me and got me an appointment for this Wednesday with a highly-skilled psychiatrist who specializes in anxiety. As an engineer, I want a plan, with backup plans. I want assurance that this will end. But I also want to know that if I need to be on drugs for the rest of my life so I can live a life - then so be it. I would rather live than suffer.

 

Love to you all,

Jennifer

[[me...]]

Jennifer, when I was in withdrawal from xanax,  my anxiety was the worst I ever had!  I could not drive, stayed home most of the time.  It was much better by 4 weeks after my last xanax.  Please know that the anxiety is one of the many w/d symptoms we all go through.  It is awful but eventually gets better.  Also, reading about your history with anxiety and bulimia, you might want to research a condition called pyroluria. I have just learned about it myself.  Here is some info but do a search and read other articles.  If a person has pyroluria, it is treated with needed supplements.  http://www.joanmathewslarson.com/HRC_2006/Depression_06/D_Hide_In_Closet.htm

[[sm...]]

This is where my confusion comes in. If I was put on K to control anxiety and it comes back when I am trying to go off, how can that be withdrawal? Isn't that just a return of the original problem. I was told the K was to supplement the Zoloft. But now I don't think anything is helping me

[[me...]]

I might know enough to properly answer your question, but I do know that benzos at first help relieve anxiety and then they eventually czusry and it increase anxiety. 

[[Co...]]

It's the nature of the medication. Your brain compensates for the medication and so it down regulate the natural state of how your brain works (you should read the ashton manual, it explains it clearly with the GABA and stuff, I'm too much in withdrawal to give you a detailed answer). If you take away the medication, you're in a worse state than when you started. The reason of you getting on the benzo may be long gone, but your brain now has a chemical imbalance that needs healing.

[[me...]]

Read this:

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

[[sm...]]

So is the anxiety going to magically disappear someday? I have been anxious all my life, just never this out of control.

 

I thought the Zoloft would have taken care of that. Guess not. Sorry I'm asking so many questions. It just sounds like I sentenced to either a life of anxiety or a life on bentos.

[[Co...]]

No, that's not true. You can learn many, many techniques for anxiety (mindfulness, meditation, accupuncture,...) And there might be a medical reason. But I saw you were bulemic and had alcohol problem.

Do you remember when your anxiety started? Did it had a reason before the bulemia. (alcohol works on the same receptors, so you were already sensitized, You will heal. (boulemia causes deficiencies, and alcohol works on the receptors that causes anxiety) So if you had a reason before (bad childhood, unsafe parenting from your parents, a trauma, whatever reason) i would look at the reason before you had boulemia.

[[sm...]]

That is why I'm in talk therapy ... To get through the issues that caused the bulimia (divorce, an impossible standard to live up to growing up) but I can't make headway if I'm anxious all the time.