Post Benzo Freedom Withdrawal Support Group

[[19...]]

Thanks TC for the encouraging words! Take care and sleep well.

[[fa...]]

Vertigo hey! how are you doing?  Is this your blog?  I found one for you,  but It hasn't been posted on in ages......

 

anywhoooo hope you are well.  Lemme know if this is where to find ya? 

Love, Robin

[[...]]

 

This is YOUR blog

 

And anyone else recovering post benzos...

 

V has a blog entitled "four mgs and chipping away"..or something like that....

 

He was a co founder of that this thread though..which was a great idea..to give us post benzo folks somewhere to hang out..

 

TC

[[fa...]]

 

This is YOUR blog

 

And anyone else recovering post benzos...

 

V has a blog entitled "four mgs and chipping away"..or something like that....

 

He was a co founder of that this thread though..which was a great idea..to give us post benzo folks somewhere to hang out..

 

TC

 

Thanks TC and thanks for all that you do here as well....I see you all over helping.  I like this thread very much.

 

Robin

[[...]]

Thanks Robin..

 

 

I forgot to add..when V started his 4mg and under thread...about his valium taper..I could not wait to get to the equivalent of 4mg of valium during my taper, so I could join..but by the time I got there....he was here benzo free..so my next goal was to get here.. Now, my next goal is to get the rest of this wd over with..hehe...

 

Good to see you here too...I love this thread..

 

TC

[[gi...]]

2 years ago today, and I no longer suffer!

 

http://www.benzobuddies.org/forum/index.php?topic=15030.1590

[[...]]

Ginger,

 

Congrats on two years free of benzos.

 

 

TC

[[gi...]]

Thanks, TC -

I'm not "benzo free" though - until I'm 100% for a year I won't be free!

Be well -

ginger

[[...]]

Ginger,

 

I believe 2011..will be your year.

 

TC

[[ve...]]

Hi Ginger.  I'll check out your blog later to see your 2 year update.  I know it's been an ongoing struggle with some remaining symptoms.  As I recall you have been lingering around 80% for a while.  Hoping you will continue moving forward with healing in 2011.

 

Best wishes,

 

Vertigo (no more)

[[ve...]]

width=420 height=80http://www.ezticker.com/ticker/2036/644/20100120/my+escape.+/ticker.png[/img]

11 months and 11 days today

i feel pretty good

happy new year

 

Congrats Mike on almost reaching a year.  Glad you're feeling pretty good .  Hope 2011 will be a kinder year and complete your healing off the benzo beast.

 

Best wishes,

 

V

[[ve...]]

Hey, this is a great thread  i'm heading into fourteen months and life is good.  It's hard to tell now , when i feel lousy  if it's just life stuff or benzowithdrawal.  I choose to believe it's not benzo withdrawal,  the memory is fading and things are really great.  I applaud all of you, all of us, this is a hard won battle but the other side is just so great.  Congrats to all of you and Happy New Year.

Katie xo

 

Thanks for the update Katie.  Glad that things are going so well at 14 months.  I'm comin up on 14 months next week.  A year ago I had Shingles only six weeks after my taper off valium ended.  Things started to turn around around 6 months, a little setback at 9 months after a summer of over indulgences, months 10-13 have been better with each month.   I just started my taper off prilosec and as you said, some of the remaining health issues are mostly not benzo related, only in the sense that my nerves are still a little shot and I might be a little sensitive to certain types of unexpected stresses.  Overall, I'd say what you descrbe is close to my situation as well.

 

Take care,

 

V

[[gi...]]

Hey Vertigo,  I bumped up to 85% - I've been hovering at 90% the last couple of days!

ginger

[[Re...]]

Hey Folks,

 

I'm at the 17 month mark today.  How do I feel?  Unfortunately like crap! :'(  Insomnia has been horrible these past 2 weeks.   Sorry guys, nothing favorable to report.  I've been dragging myself to work; dragging myself home; dragging myself to fitness class; and dragging myself to bed and only geting 3-4 hours of sleep that has been definately interrupted several times in the course of a night.

 

Not in a celebratory mood today, but staying the course nonethless.

 

Retire2010

[[ve...]]

Hey Folks,I'm at the 17 month mark today.  How do I feel?  Unfortunately like crap! :'(  Insomnia has been horrible these past 2 weeks.  Sorry guys, nothing favorable to report.  I've been dragging myself to work; dragging myself home; dragging myself to fitness class; and dragging myself to bed and only geting 3-4 hours of sleep that has been definately interrupted several times in the course of a night.

Not in a celebratory mood today, but staying the course nonethless.

Retire2010

 

Sorry to hear that Retire. Your last post before today I think was very positive.  Is there some unusual stress going these days at work or home that could he contributing to insomnia?  How long has this been going on?  I hope it resolves soon and you feel better.

 

Vertigo (no more)

[[gi...]]

Hey Retire,

 

Sorry to see you've hit a bad patch. I can pretty much guarantee that you won't always feel this bad, though, if that's any comfort!

Stay the course!

 

ginger

[[ve...]]

Tomorrow is 14 months off the benzo beast.  I hope by 15 months to be pretty much medication free.  I'm about one week into the prilosec taper (PPI).  So far it's going a little better than expected.  Had a little heartburn last night, took a deglycyrized licorice root tablet before dinner and it seemed to help.  I'm still going every other day between zantac and prilosec in the mornings.   I've also reduced the statin medication I take from 20mg (which was already the lowest dose they make) to 10mg two months ago (I now cut it in half).  Most people who take a statin take 40mg so 10mg seems like a pretty low dose.  We'll see if the cholesterol numbers hold up next month.  I may just keep taking a low dose of 10mg each day since I have a family history of heart disease.  My doctor wants my LDL down to 70. It was about 90 last November.  I've lost 30 lbs since last August when I had my pre diabetic scare.  Things are overall pretty good, still have some anxiety in the day but sleeping very well and look forward to being free of prilosec dependency next month.  

 

Best wishes and GO DUCKS!

 

Vertigo (no more)

[[gi...]]

Congrats on another month down, V!

 

I was doing great until an email this morning socked me in the gut. Back to 80% and dropping fast.  :'(

 

g

[[Re...]]

Hey Verti and Ginger,

 

Since Friday, I have been sleeping better.  I'm now back to getting 5-6 hours each night; although still interrupted, at least I am able to get back to sleep.

 

I don't think it's so much as hormonal as opposed to stress, although, hormone fluctuations can make you stressful.  I guess today, I feel about 90%.  The regular tinnitus has settled down in my right ear, but in my left ear the pulsitile tinnitus is humming away; its more bothersome at night while I am trying to sleep.

 

17 months and counting.

 

Staying the Course!

Retire2010

[[...]]

Hola,

 

I don't really have much of an update to post, but I wanted to check in on my post benzo buds.

 

Things are pretty much status quo for me...a little over six months off, and hopeful that sometime this year..this mess will be over or close to over...

 

Symptoms remaining...in order of annoyance

 

1) eye problems...this has improved..but still bothersome (occasional burning, twitching, blurry vision)

 

2) Insomnia...this really goes in cycles...I find if I wait until I am really tired...I sleep well...I still have problems intiating sleep...I no longer fight it..I just stay up until I am really tired...it is possible this might fix itself long before I figure it out I have been battling it for months tho..it stinks

 

3) Inner viberations....this only happens a few times a day now...before it was more constant..some days not at all..

 

4) Jaw pain...this used to be that vice like pain that KC describes...and when it hit it..it hit hard..now it only hurts when I eat certain foods....like when the jaw is overworked I guess...I would think it is similar to TMJ...which I never had before...but not as extreme...probably due to the K making me grind my teeth or clench my jaw when I sleep...this has improved quite a bit...and is almost gone....I think..

 

That pretty much covers the symptoms....there four seem the most stubborn..but I am hopeful that at least one of these will drop off the list in the upcoming weeks...and hopefully, I don't add any new ones...

 

Many symptoms have come and gone...too many to list..so I suppose if those can go..these will too..I do have several hours a day where I have no symptoms at all..but rarely more than a day with none...as these symptoms seem to sort of bubble under.....and are just enough symptoms to make one feel "off" still...as far as benzo withdrawal....

 

TC

[[gi...]]

TC,

 

You are doing GREAT! There is no reason to think that your remaining problems will last forever. Congratulations! Whatever you're doing, keep doing it! 

 

ginger

[[...]]

Ginger,

 

I am just following the advice of those of you who came before me   I do feel pretty lucky to only have a few symptoms, but I so much just want to wake up and feel like I did prior to taking this junk for the first time in the Spring of 2009....and I don't mean waking up feeling like I can take on the world, I just mean waking up not having to worry about any symptoms at all.. I know you can relate to what I am saying...as you have been fighting this for some time too..

 

I believe we all are going to get there...we all accomplished one of the hardest things we will ever have to do...I can tell you without any doubt...this was the biggest challenge of my life thus far...and I never would want to do it again..

 

Oh yeah..and Klonopin sucks   Xanax too...Ativan too...Valium..ok they all suck

 

TC

[[ca...]]

6 months off yesterday! 5 symptoms remain, insomnia, eye floaters, electricity feeling, burning skin on arms, and pounding heart. None are constant except the eye floaters. Doing overall pretty well, just would like to flush the last 5 symptoms down the toilet    TC, glad to hear you are doing well. Retire, sorry to hear you hit a bad patch, I am sure your sleep will return very soon so hang in there.

[[ve...]]

I just looked at the calendar and noticed today is 14 months off benzos  .  The fact that I'm not that obsessed with the dates anymore is likely a sign of much recovery.  I'm happy to say that I'm still at about 90% as I was at a year off (2 months ago), still working out some kinks.  Some things/symptoms are 100% at this point.  Sleep, for example, is actually better than it was before benzos yippee.   Despite the last week of inconsistent sleep times and early wake ups to take the our new puppy out, I'm still sleeping very well.  The thing that probably still is most noticeable is anxiety during the day (which I had before benzos,  but it's a little higher and sustained longer in the day if that makes sense, though much less than during taper).  If I had to estimate, it's about 25% more anxiety than I had before benzos but perhaps 50% less than during taper.  Also, I'd say I have less patience with stressful situations when they come up.  An example is the new dog.  I seem to be a little quick to react and worry over things that don't seem to warrant quite as much reaction to a stressful situation when it comes up.  And of course, there's the prilosec taper which started a week ago.  I've started a separate thread on that in "Other Prescribed Medications".

 

Congrats Cantwait on 6 months .  That's a milestone.  Glad to read that your symptoms are mostly not consistent.   The only consistent symptom I have is ongoing daytime anxiety which really does not surprise me since I had anxiety on some level most of my adult life, must be the way I'm built.

 

Retire, glad your sleep is getting better now.  I hope the tinnitus will settle down for you soon.  As you say, all we can do is "stay the course".

 

TC, thanks for your update as well.  It seems like you're making very good progress too.  Hope your sleep gets better soon.  It's interesting because I was so wiped out after my taper that sleep was not an issue.  I wonder if it was the Shingles that sent me over the edge with fatigue. Or maybe there's a difference between klon and valium, who knows.  Like you said, they're all poisonous in their own way.

 

Best,

 

V

[[ve...]]

Hey guys. Just bumping this up for a few folks who might be wanting to take a look at this thread today.

 

Hope all are having a great day,

 

Vertigo (no more)