Post Benzo Freedom Withdrawal Support Group

[[ga...]]

Hi all,

 

I was benzo free in April 2010 and remained that way until Dec 2011. Then I got hit with two flus while on vacation, along with pressure at work and from holidays. My insomnia came roaring back. I tried to do walks when I woke up then started using Nutra Sleep again (Natural sleep aid). Things only got worse, and I was averaging 2 - 4 hrs of sleep/night. It became very difficult to function at work, let alone drive a car. After a month and a half, I had to go back to Trizolam and get sleep again. This time, I only started with a half tablet and have been slowly tapering. I'm hoping to be benzo free in the next couple months. Very frustrating when you get an insomnia relapse, when you've been sleepng naturally for a long time. Has anyone experience that ? 

 

George

[[do...]]

Very frustrating when you get an insomnia relapse, when you've been sleeping naturally for a long time. Has anyone experience that ? 

 

George

Hi George,

Yes, I have experienced such a thing. I find Magnesium (total) helpful.

[[ve...]]

Thank you Pianogirl and Doublewave,

The on again/off again approach is making me nervous.  I found this approach sited quite a lot on the internet for estrogen w/d - seems to be quite common.  Doesn't make sense when applied to withdrawing essentially a benzo.  I didn't take the progesterone yesterday and actually felt better since the side effects of being on the progesterone are pretty bad.  I called my doctor again today and still didn't get any response.  Frustrating!  I had already decided to ask for a Rx for 3/4 of the dose, so that is confirmed by what you did doublewave.  I'll have to look into Keppra.  I was told by the pharmacist that my prog. dose is on the low side, so wondering if I don't need the anticonvulsant.

Again, thanks,

Wish

 

Hi Wish, Doublewave, Pianogirl, Libby, Rocko and the rest.  I am glad this topic has come up for discussion.  As I mentioned in my earlier post, I know a buddy who had a relapse from going off progesterone seven or eight months off valium and had to reinstate valium due to strong side effects.  I agree that some doctors may not be aware of the impact on GABA that these hormones can cause when going off.  I don't know about on again and off.  I can tell you that I found that I can take prilosec (PPI) every other day with good enough results (PPIs by the way must also be tapered slowly and can impact a taper as it can influence absorption rates of the benzo), something I hope doctors know about as well!  Therefore, going off a PPI during taper can make you feel an updose.  Conversely, I believe if you add a PPI during taper, it can feel like a downdose. 

 

Vertigo

[[ve...]]

Hi all,I was benzo free in April 2010 and remained that way until Dec 2011. Then I got hit with two flus while on vacation, along with pressure at work and from holidays. My insomnia came roaring back. I tried to do walks when I woke up then started using Nutra Sleep again (Natural sleep aid). Things only got worse, and I was averaging 2 - 4 hrs of sleep/night. It became very difficult to function at work, let alone drive a car. After a month and a half, I had to go back to Trizolam and get sleep again. This time, I only started with a half tablet and have been slowly tapering. I'm hoping to be benzo free in the next couple months. Very frustrating when you get an insomnia relapse, when you've been sleepng naturally for a long time. Has anyone experience that ? 

George

 

Hi George. Sorry to read about your relapse due to insomnia.  Hopefully you'll be off the benzo again in a few months as you said.  Meanwhile, have you looked into Silenor/doxepin?  I've posted about it earlier in this thread, can't remember if I posted on it on your blog. I tend to get strong insomnia still when I travel (back to the 3AM wake ups and only about four hours of sleep a night).  I'm probably going to try Silenor (3mg) next trip in about a month.  I've been trying melatonin the last couple weeks with mixed results.  Others here have indicated L-Tryptophan has helped with their sleep, some have used some other things.  Much of this is covered in the last twenty pages of this thread.

 

Good to hear from you but sorry under these circumstances,

 

Vertigo

[[gi...]]

Hi Angel, V- my Oscar buddies!

 

Angel I want to see Hugo as well. It looks fantastic!

 

George was with his new girlfriend.  While I'm wildly attracted to him (he looks a lot like my husband  ) I would never go out with him (so if you're reading this, George, sorry to disappoint you  ). The guy collects women like some collect stamps!  I feel sorry for each of them; certainly they must think "I'm going to be The One...I will not get dumped in 6 months like the others...I don't mind moving into a home that recently housed yet another woman..."  I would love to have a couple beers and shoot a few hoops with him, however.

 

V, how do you really feel about George?    Have you guys seen "The American"?  I was really surprised he wasn't nominated for that one. He barely says a word in it; his expressions tell the story.  That's when I started to take his acting seriously.

 

Speaking of excellent, gorgeous actors, what are your takes on Brad Pitt?  I agree with the media that he's this generation's Robert Redford. Evidently Robert feels the same way; he said so when he cast him in A River Runs Through It. I've never seen him in a bad movie.  Speaking of, did you guys see Moneyball?  Angel, you probably won't get into it because it's about baseball. V, even if you don't know a lot about the game you should see it if you haven't already. Brad's performance is excellent - totally nomination-worthy.  Same with the movie; I was thrilled when it was nominated. It's a great true story.

 

Jeeze, I have got to get going - will catch up later -

 

An aside: sleep is still terrible.

 

g

 

 

[[An...]]

Movie talk: Thanks for recommendation of Hugo. Will defo see it. Moneyball - We Brits don't know the first thing about baseball but will see that some time probably.  Do NOT bother with We Need to Talk About Kevin unless you want to get seriously depressed. The acting may be good but the subject matter so distressing it is unreal.  Who on earth could enjoy a movie like this?  I am preferring feel-good films these days.

 

I worked for Paramount Pictures in the UK for a long time years ago and movies are still in my blood!

 

Hope everyone is doing well these days,  I am, aside from the morning cortisol and some GI probs today.  But the doc has reduced my A/D to 75mg/daily and I feel I am getting my emotions back.

 

Angel

 

PS Just adding to this - I did not enjoy Midnight in Paris at all!  Sorry!

[[mc...]]

Hi guys,

I am having some bad anxiety these days or maybe it is high cortisol levels I have read others thinking this is what they are dealing with. I have had anxiety off and on throughout my healing, but for the most part I have been able to get relief from breathing and relaxation exercises and that doesn't really seem to work very good the last couple of weeks and it just seems to be getting worse. This anxiety reminds of when I first came off the K. I'm not sleeping very good these days as well, before this I was able to get at least a couple nights good sleep a week, but the last several weeks. I could tell that a shift was happening, but I thought maybe it was going to be a positive shift and not sliding backwards. I have an appointment with a neurologist this Monday due to the ongoing numbness and swollen legs and the off and on tingling, burning and other wierd sensations in my legs. I also made an appointment with a rheumatologist in a couple of weeks. There is someone else on this forum whos is dealing with very similar issues and has been told that his test results are showing muscle damage. I have had such issues with tight muscles during this healing process and wonder if they have been damaged. I also deal with on and off breathing issues that get reved up under stress, which seems to be constantly these days. My husband's patience is starting to get very worn and then this also causes me stress. I just don't know what to do any more.

It seems like people on this forum who are dealing with the issues I am dealing with this far out are still dealing with them 2 and 3+ years out. I just wonder if we will actually heal from this or if we are going to be dealing with the fallout from benzos the rest of our lives. I have a real difficult time wraping my arms around that possibility. Damn the Dr who persuaded and convinced me to take the K and not recognize that I was having withdrawl symptoms from coming off of xanax.

I just needed to talk to someone, so I posted here. Thanks for listening!

Marta

[[pi...]]

mcfuzzie,

 

I am so sorry you are feeling a surge of anxiety, these waves are just so frustrating.  I think it is a good thing that you are getting things checked out by the doctors.  I also still have muscle issues but I truely don't believe that it is causing permanent damage. I had 2 surgeries while on benzos, one for fusion in my neck and the other was for torn rotator cuff and bicep tendon.  These are my most sensitive areas and so my pain is worse there.  I have had tests and they show no further nerve damage.  My muscles still feel relatively strong and I have recently started an exercise program again.  I believe our muscles can learn to relax again as the receptors that are involved with engaging them reach balance again.

 

Has your husband read any of the posts here so he can understand about this process.  My hub has learned so much about this and has had to learn to be patient, which he is.  All the fear and uncertainty can cause more anxiety.  Try not to worry about how long healing will take, we are all different and will heal at different rates.  It will happen though.

 

Hugs,

 

pianogirl 

[[ve...]]

Hi Angel, V- my Oscar buddies!

Angel I want to see Hugo as well. It looks fantastic!

George was with his new girlfriend.  While I'm wildly attracted to him (he looks a lot like my husband  ) I would never go out with him (so if you're reading this, George, sorry to disappoint you  ). The guy collects women like some collect stamps!  I feel sorry for each of them; certainly they must think "I'm going to be The One...I will not get dumped in 6 months like the others...I don't mind moving into a home that recently housed yet another woman..."  I would love to have a couple beers and shoot a few hoops with him, however.

V, how do you really feel about George?    Have you guys seen "The American"?  I was really surprised he wasn't nominated for that one. He barely says a word in it; his expressions tell the story.  That's when I started to take his acting seriously.  Speaking of excellent, gorgeous actors, what are your takes on Brad Pitt?  I agree with the media that he's this generation's Robert Redford. Evidently Robert feels the same way; he said so when he cast him in A River Runs Through It. I've never seen him in a bad movie.  Speaking of, did you guys see Moneyball?  Angel, you probably won't get into it because it's about baseball. V, even if you don't know a lot about the game you should see it if you haven't already. Brad's performance is excellent - totally nomination-worthy.  Same with the movie; I was thrilled when it was nominated. It's a great true story. Jeeze, I have got to get going - will catch up later -

An aside: sleep is still terrible.

g

 

Hey G. 

Yes, I've seen Moneyball.  Our whole family enjoyed it a lot. I like Brad Pitt (way more than Clooney ).  And what's up with Brad's wife's thigh and anorexia? Also used to go to some Oakland games when we lived in the Bay Area .

 

Saw Hugo too with my family.  Another thumbs up from all of us , but a little too long, could have been about 20 minutes shorter, a little slow to start.

 

Saw the Descendants.  Sorry, the wife and I both found it to be a dud.  Saw The American.  I thought it was good, wife didn't care for it.  Clooney is still not my favorite!

 

Saw Midnight in Paris.  Both the wife and I gave it a big thumbs up.  Great flick.

Saw Incredibly Close, loud... It was ok, interesting but way too long.

Saw and loved The Help.

 

Still have not seen The Artist or The Iron Lady, but hope to soon.  Also have not seen War Horse.

 

Well, hope you got some sleep G. 

 

V

 

 

[[mt...]]

HI Marta,

Sorry you are feeling unwell.  Its good to make the rounds and see the Dr's to rule out any other ailments.  At least it puts your mind to rest that all is well and unfortunately your body is still recovering from benzo w/d.  I do believe we will recover.  The hardest part is keeping our chins up! 

 

I am so sorry to hear your husband is not giving you the support you need at this time.  It is upsetting for me when I hear about those who have unsupportive family.  I was fortunate that I have a very loving supportive husband but I have quite a bit of bitterness over the lack of love and care that did NOT come from my closest friends and family members.  All my life I have been the person who showed up on the front porch with some soup or other form of love and care to any in need.  My home had an open door policy and every weekend was filled with visiting friends and family.  When I became ill it was like my home with me in it had fallen off the face of the earth.  While I certainly did not EXPECT reciprocity, I am deeply saddened and now a bit angered when I look back and see that  almost NO ONE was there for me in my "long dark night".  I mean I was not looking for any great expressions of love and care....but  how about a card, an occasional email, shoot even a damn text message, saying "thinking of you, hope you are feeling better"!  Not one...sad.

 

I was cleaning out some old boxes yesterday and came across hundreds of old photos of all the "fun" from over the past 25 years.  As I looked at the images of the love and connection I "thought" "we" shared, I found myself thinking that so many of my relationships were built on sand. I felt like the fun and love being shared with those in the photos was fake not real. What made me the most sad is that while I wish them all well, I find myself reluctant to spend any time reconnecting with any of them.  I am also thinking that so much of my past was "other" focused and the solitary nature of this benzo ordeal has allowed me to reconnect with myself and develop a newfound sense of self love and care. And in many ways I am healthier.  In a way I feel like I have been reborn but in my early stages I am not sure how I will move forward with this awareness.  Last night I was thinking that maybe I need to do a little therapy to find forgiveness and a more postive outlook in moving forward.  If anyone has some thoughts on their own or my experience with getting on and moving past... I would like to hear. 

 

Happy Thursday!  Looking forward to Friday and a loving weekend with my husband in my nice clean QUIET house!  LOL

Mimi

 

 

 

 

[[mc...]]

Thank you Mtmimi and Pianogirl

My husband for the most part is very supportive and I have read him things off of this forum and he knows and accepts this is happening, its just every once and awhile when its really taking its toll on me, it gets to him too and he gets frustrated. I just was venting because he had one of these moments last night. This is a lonley journey and I think sometimes he feels alone when I am having a difficult time and withdrawl.

 

mimi - I also understand about friends. I dont have alot of friends, but the one that I thought was a caring person has really disappeared into the background. I hear from her occassionaly, but she also has had some family issues that have been overwhelming to her. It does hurt my feelings though that she has called instead of texting messages. I guess we just need to keep moving forward with the ones who are in our life right now.

 

Pianogirl - I sure hope you are right - that we will heal fully from this. I wanted to come off of the benzo to be healthy and take care of anxiety and insomnia with natural remedies, like diet and exercise and relaxation techniques. I'm so afraid that I wont get that opportunity.

Thanks for sharing your thoughts and I hope for fast healing to you both and to everyone dealing with this journey.

Marta

[[Li...]]

Oh Mimi. I resonate so much with what you posted. It's particularly poignant for me right now because in addition to benzo withdrawal, I am in the process of adopting a special needs child. So it sort of feels like the first round of friends were wiped out by me being "sick" all the time (tolerance w/d then true w/d), and the second round is being wiped out by the adoption. People just don't "get" why I would give up my easy life and take on a needy child (even my friends who have bio children- somehow, me adopting rather than inadvertantly getting pregnant...hard to explain, but basically, I don't feel understood at all by so many "friends"). I am finding, though, that as much as it hurts having people gone who I thought would always be there (of note, people I have done SO MUCH for, like you with your friends), it does open up space in my life for new relationships, healthier ones. People who will reciprocate, and who get it. It's not the same, of course, and change is hard...but I am hopeful (and pretty sure) I'll end up with better relationships, of more substance. In the meantime, though...*sigh*...it is difficult.

 

Just wanted to say what you wrote really touched me.

 

Lots of love,

 

Libby

[[ve...]]

It is upsetting for me when I hear about those who have unsupportive family. I was fortunate that I have a very loving supportive husband but I have quite a bit of bitterness over the lack of love and care that did NOT come from my closest friends and family members. All my life I have been the person who showed up on the front porch with some soup or other form of love and care to any in need. My home had an open door policy and every weekend was filled with visiting friends and family. When I became ill it was like my home with me in it had fallen off the face of the earth. While I certainly did not EXPECT reciprocity, I am deeply saddened and now a bit angered when I look back and see that almost NO ONE was there for me in my "long dark night". I mean I was not looking for any great expressions of love and care....but how about a card, an occasional email, shoot even a damn text message, saying "thinking of you, hope you are feeling better"! Not one...sad.I was cleaning out some old boxes yesterday and came across hundreds of old photos of all the "fun" from over the past 25 years. As I looked at the images of the love and connection I "thought" "we" shared, I found myself thinking that so many of my relationships were built on sand. I felt like the fun and love being shared with those in the photos was fake not real. What made me the most sad is that while I wish them all well, I find myself reluctant to spend any time reconnecting with any of them. I am also thinking that so much of my past was "other" focused and the solitary nature of this benzo ordeal has allowed me to reconnect with myself and develop a newfound sense of self love and care. And in many ways I am healthier. In a way I feel like I have been reborn but in my early stages I am not sure how I will move forward with this awareness. Last night I was thinking that maybe I need to do a little therapy to find forgiveness and a more postive outlook in moving forward. If anyone has some thoughts on their own or my experience with getting on and moving past... I would like to hear. Happy Thursday! Looking forward to Friday and a loving weekend with my husband in my nice clean QUIET house! LOL Mimi

 

Hi Mimi. I'm both a little sad and cautiously happy about your last post. While you have been processing through some of the losses of the last couple years in terms of friendships and unsupportive family, you have also realized that some friendships are not worth the energy, given that you deserve more! That is a step forward I think. I also experienced some of this, particularly with regard to one or two close friendships.

 

Yes, people are busy, sometimes have their own families and struggles, especially in this difficult economy of the last couple years. However, I realized that one friendship truly was built on a house of cards or "sand" as you put it. It was very artificial, based on having fun and "good times" only. When things got rough and needed more, there was an unfortunate shallowness and lack of depth that could not be surmounted. I tried to revive that friendship and evolve it but there was nothing left. another friendship is still precarious. You know how you sometimes find that some people call you for support when they need it but remarkably are not there for you when the situation is reversed? It may not be so obvious. They'll listen for a while when you have a problem to express but the next conversation, it's all about them again, no follow up. In this case, I've called the person on it and while it's not been smooth, I believe the friendship has grown some.

 

I have a little different view of the past good times with particularly the first friend I described. When we were younger, life was not as complicated. We could just go out and have fun without many worries or need to get too philosophical. I appreciate those good times and can still look on the photos with fondness. Yet, moving forward, there are different needs in a friendship. My wife somtimes says to me that you don't have to be best friends with all your friends. You can have some who you are closer to than others but not have to discard the ones that are more superficial. I don't agree. I think in life we try to evolve ourselves and our relationships. When there is no effort of reciprocity, one has to question the meaning when things change.

 

I'm not sure what you do with family relationships that have proven to be less supportive.  As you know, I have a sibling relationship which has been difficult for many years, long before benzos.  During my roughest times during my taper, he and his wife not only were not supportive but they ridiculed me and called me names, suggested I was an addict, tried to bring me down further.  I have not forgiven my sister in law and we have no contact.  My brother suffers from some psychological problems for which he refuses to get  help.  For years I sucked it up for the sake of our children to try and have a relationship, but it's gotten to the point where it's not worth the aggravation.  At present, there's little to no contact.  I keep thinking that maybe once my father passes, things might change, but the damage may be too great already.

 

Fortunately, my wife has been very supportive and I really don't know if I could have gotten through that taper and the Shingles without her loving support. Great post Mimi, Vertigo

[[ve...]]

Verti, I am wondering how you are doing with budgeting you time with BB? I know when you were going to leave you said it was taking too much time away from family. I'm so glad you are still here, and hope you have a balance worked out with time for your son and wife, too. It seems to me that life is best when we can find a balance in a variety of interests and relationships.

 

Hi Wish. I went back and looked at the number of my posts over time. It appears that in my first two years on this forum, I had close to 5000 posts (May 2009 to May 2011). From last May when I wrote my success story at 18 months off, it's been almost a year and have had less than 1000 posts (compared to about 5000 in the first two years), so my activity on the site has been way down although I've posted a little more this past month. Yes, my focus has been more on my family and friends this past year, but I've managed to find some time for my virtual buddies here as well .

 

 

Vertigo

[[An...]]

Verti, I am wondering how you are doing with budgeting you time with BB? I know when you were going to leave you said it was taking too much time away from family. I'm so glad you are still here, and hope you have a balance worked out with time for your son and wife, too. It seems to me that life is best when we can find a balance in a variety of interests and relationships.

 

Hi Wish. I went back and looked at the number of my posts over time. It appears that in my first two years on this forum, I had about 5000 posts (May 2009 to May 2011). From last May when I wrote my success story at 18 months off, it's been less than a year and have had about 600 posts (compared to the 5000 in the first two years), so my activity on the site has been way down. Yes, my focus has been more on my family and friends, but I've managed to find some time for my virtual buddies here as well .

 

Vertigo

 

 

I really appreciate your input here Verti - you make me feel that everything is going to be alright.  You must be a wonderful guy in 'real life'!  Shame we shall probably never meet up 

 

Luv

Angel xxx

[[ve...]]

Verti, I am wondering how you are doing with budgeting you time with BB? I know when you were going to leave you said it was taking too much time away from family. I'm so glad you are still here, and hope you have a balance worked out with time for your son and wife, too. It seems to me that life is best when we can find a balance in a variety of interests and relationships.

Hi Wish. I went back and looked at the number of my posts over time. It appears that in my first two years on this forum, I had about 5000 posts (May 2009 to May 2011). From last May when I wrote my success story at 18 months off, it's been less than a year and have had less than 1000 posts (compared to about 5000 in the first two years), so my activity on the site has been way down. Yes, my focus has been more on my family and friends, but I've managed to find some time for my virtual buddies here as well . Vertigo

I really appreciate your input here Verti - you make me feel that everything is going to be alright. You must be a wonderful guy in 'real life'! Shame we shall probably never meet up Luv Angel xxx

 

Thanks Angel. Hey, you never know.  My wife has always wanted to go back to Spain and we do like to travel .

 

 

Verti

[[An...]]

Verti, I am wondering how you are doing with budgeting you time with BB? I know when you were going to leave you said it was taking too much time away from family. I'm so glad you are still here, and hope you have a balance worked out with time for your son and wife, too. It seems to me that life is best when we can find a balance in a variety of interests and relationships.

Hi Wish. I went back and looked at the number of my posts over time. It appears that in my first two years on this forum, I had about 5000 posts (May 2009 to May 2011). From last May when I wrote my success story at 18 months off, it's been less than a year and have had less than 1000 posts (compared to about 5000 in the first two years), so my activity on the site has been way down. Yes, my focus has been more on my family and friends, but I've managed to find some time for my virtual buddies here as well . Vertigo

I really appreciate your input here Verti - you make me feel that everything is going to be alright. You must be a wonderful guy in 'real life'! Shame we shall probably never meet up Luv Angel xxx

 

Thanks Angel. Hey, you never know.  My wife has always wanted to go back to Spain and we do like to travel .

 

 

Verti

 

Ok well we're on!  I mean it - would love to meet you both some time.

 

Angel xx

[[ve...]]

I wanted to come off of the benzo to be healthy and take care of anxiety and insomnia with natural remedies, like diet and exercise and relaxation techniques. I'm so afraid that I wont get that opportunity. Thanks for sharing your thoughts and I hope for fast healing to you both and to everyone dealing with this journey. Marta

 

Hi Marta. 

You will get that opportunity Marta.  The anxiety and insomnia may ebb and flow but it will improve with time.  You're not even a year off. Remember, normal non protracted healing off a benzo is anywhere from 6-18 months, some say 2 years to fully heal.  You're ahead of the game by already focusing on learning some relaxation techniques and also eating right and exercising.  There may be a couple setbacks here and there but as you get to a year and beyond, I am confident that you are going to notice some very nice progress on this journey.

 

Vertigo

[[mc...]]

Thanks V for your supportive words. I want to believe and I still have hope, maybe just not as strong as it has been. I think going to these Drs and hopefully hearing that my some what not very common issues cant be diagnosed with anything that I will be able to embrace that this is withdrawl much better and then maybe anxiety will subside some and sleep get a little better. Last night I actually did get some better sleep than I have been getting, some solid 4 to 5 hours I think. I really worked on my breathing for quite awhile before drifting off to sleep and I could feel some release of tension in my chest lifting, which I haven'r been able to do for a couple of weeks. Breathing still challenging today with some wheezing for lack of a better description. But better, so I will take it and be very happy!  

I hope you are having a great day and that your sleep was good last night. Today we are finally having a sun shiny day after gloom for the week and snow, so I plan on soaking in some rays. The sun definitely helps.

Marta

[[gi...]]

V - I used to go to A's and Giants games all the time.  My boyfriend at the time was a camera operator at the stadiums so I always got in free (I would have gone anyway; I love baseball).  Please do see The Artist and report back!  Angelina went from goddess to oh-my-god overnight, didn't she?  Man did she look bad! And upstaging the Oscars with her leg -?!  How tacky.  Truly a disappointment.

 

Angel - Too bad you didn't like Midnight in Paris!  What didn't you like about it?  I'll take your advice and not see the "Kevin" movie. 

 

I need to see Hugo; maybe this weekend if tornadoes don't take us away.

 

My counselor has referred me to another acupuncturist. Maybe this one will do the trick. I've also contacted the Weil Institute (Dr Andrew Weil - heard of him?) to see if they can offer any help.  I've got to get this sleep under control.  The biggest cause of my insomnia is my racing thoughts. I'm beyond manic. Hopefully one if not both of these alternatives will help.

 

g

[[wi...]]

My counselor has referred me to another acupuncturist. Maybe this one will do the trick. I've also contacted the Weil Institute (Dr Andrew Weil - heard of him?) to see if they can offer any help.  I've got to get this sleep under control.  The biggest cause of my insomnia is my racing thoughts. I'm beyond manic. Hopefully one if not both of these alternatives will help.

g

Ginger, I don't know why I didn't think of this before.  When you said "racing thoughts" it came to me.  I don't know where you live, but my son and I did Neuro-Integration Therapy and it really helped.  I did it for the first time after a Traumatic Brain Injury from a car accident.  My son had ADD.  Both of our brains were calmed tremendously.  I then did it again to calm anxiety and help sleep after two c/t w/d from K.  It retrains the brain.  The office I went to does see patients from out of town.  This therapy isn't very common, but there are a few places across the US that do it, and maybe in other countries.  Here is the link to the practice where we went.  If you Google NeuroIntegration you will find more.  http://pristinehealth.qwestoffice.net/index.html

 

Hope you can find relief.

Wish

 

 

[[wi...]]

Thank you Pianogirl and Doublewave,

The on again/off again approach is making me nervous.  I found this approach sited quite a lot on the internet for estrogen w/d - seems to be quite common.  Doesn't make sense when applied to withdrawing essentially a benzo.  I didn't take the progesterone yesterday and actually felt better since the side effects of being on the progesterone are pretty bad.  I called my doctor again today and still didn't get any response.  Frustrating!  I had already decided to ask for a Rx for 3/4 of the dose, so that is confirmed by what you did doublewave.  I'll have to look into Keppra.  I was told by the pharmacist that my prog. dose is on the low side, so wondering if I don't need the anticonvulsant.

Again, thanks,

Wish

 

Hi Wish, Doublewave, Pianogirl, Libby, Rocko and the rest.  I am glad this topic has come up for discussion.  As I mentioned in my earlier post, I know a buddy who had a relapse from going off progesterone seven or eight months off valium and had to reinstate valium due to strong side effects.  I agree that some doctors may not be aware of the impact on GABA that these hormones can cause when going off.  I don't know about on again and off.  I can tell you that I found that I can take prilosec (PPI) every other day with good enough results (PPIs by the way must also be tapered slowly and can impact a taper as it can influence absorption rates of the benzo), something I hope doctors know about as well!  Therefore, going off a PPI during taper can make you feel an updose.  Conversely, I believe if you add a PPI during taper, it can feel like a downdose. 

 

Vertigo

Well, I am going to have to try the on and off approach with the Progesterone.  Even with lowering my dose a little, I cannot tolerate taking it everyday.  The w/d symptoms on the off days are not as bad as the side effects on the days I take it.  My doctor did finally call me back.  He didn't really believe me that the progesterone could be causing the problem.  I know it is a problem.  I feel it within 15 to 20 minutes of taking it.  I wasn't surprised that he thinks this.  He is willing to work with me on doses during a taper, however.  I just convinced him I have to get off.

 

Vertigo, interesting about the PPI during taper.  I had ulcers and an H pylori bacterial infection which caused me to take it and a very strong antibiotic after my second c/t.  It really messed with me.  It was HORRIBLE and flared my w/d symptoms...but I had to complete the protocol to get rid of the infection and let the ulcers heal.  Now I know what it was so bad - probably that and taking the antibiotic were a double-whammy.

 

Wish

[[wi...]]

Verti, I am wondering how you are doing with budgeting you time with BB? I know when you were going to leave you said it was taking too much time away from family. I'm so glad you are still here, and hope you have a balance worked out with time for your son and wife, too. It seems to me that life is best when we can find a balance in a variety of interests and relationships.

 

Hi Wish. I went back and looked at the number of my posts over time. It appears that in my first two years on this forum, I had close to 5000 posts (May 2009 to May 2011). From last May when I wrote my success story at 18 months off, it's been almost a year and have had less than 1000 posts (compared to about 5000 in the first two years), so my activity on the site has been way down although I've posted a little more this past month. Yes, my focus has been more on my family and friends this past year, but I've managed to find some time for my virtual buddies here as well .

 

 

Vertigo

 

Vertigo,

Wow, 5000 posts!  So glad that you have been able to find a balance so you can stay awhile and encourage so many of us here on BB.

Wish

[[Li...]]

My counselor has referred me to another acupuncturist. Maybe this one will do the trick. I've also contacted the Weil Institute (Dr Andrew Weil - heard of him?) to see if they can offer any help.  I've got to get this sleep under control.  The biggest cause of my insomnia is my racing thoughts. I'm beyond manic. Hopefully one if not both of these alternatives will help.

g

Ginger, I don't know why I didn't think of this before.  When you said "racing thoughts" it came to me.  I don't know where you live, but my son and I did Neuro-Integration Therapy and it really helped.  I did it for the first time after a Traumatic Brain Injury from a car accident.  My son had ADD.  Both of our brains were calmed tremendously.  I then did it again to calm anxiety and help sleep after two c/t w/d from K.  It retrains the brain.  The office I went to does see patients from out of town.  This therapy isn't very common, but there are a few places across the US that do it, and maybe in other countries.  Here is the link to the practice where we went.  If you Google NeuroIntegration you will find more.  http://pristinehealth.qwestoffice.net/index.html

 

Hope you can find relief.

Wish

 

Wish, is this the same thing as neurofeedback, do you think? I've looked into it for chronic pain but my insurance won't cover it. I think it would be amazing- maybe I'll keep hounding my insurance about it.

 

Good luck with the progresterone- wishing you all the best!

 

Libby

[[ga...]]

Very frustrating when you get an insomnia relapse, when you've been sleeping naturally for a long time. Has anyone experience that ? 

 

George

Hi George,

Yes, I have experienced such a thing. I find Magnesium (total) helpful.

 

Thanks DoubleWave - When do you normally take Magnesium and at what dosage ?