Lump in throat - benzo WD never ends

[[Mo...]]

3 years after quiting 2-3mg Xanax per day (was on it for a year) I still feel at 20-30% of how I used to feel before Xanax. I have a never-ending lump in throat that pisses me off and drives me crazy. I never had that before benzo's and I still cannot have even half a small drink because I immediately get benzo WD itch, extra anxiety, restlessness.

 

Drugs like Gabitril and Gabapentin helped a lot and did calm me down, but now I need to stop them (taper) for several reasons. I think they actually lengthen longevity of WD duration since they affect GABA A by reuptake inhibition (Gabitril) or by substituting for GABA A (Gabapentin), acting as an analogue.

 

Once you go with long-term benzo use, you damage your brain beyond repair permanently. I do not care what anyone says. I saw an expert in this field and he has patients with benzo WD 20 years after stopping them. It should be illegal to prescribe these drugs for more than 2 weeks!!!

[[lu...]]

I had the lump in throat during my taper.  I found a video that helped me through it.

Go to Youtube, Charles Linden, Globus Hystericus.  It worked for me. 

[[MH...]]

If you are ever going to allow your autonomic nervous system to get back to it's natural homeostasis, you have got to stop all GABAergic drugs like Gabapentin, etc. If you are using that stuff, you really haven't completed the withdrawal process per se.

 

As for the people who have withdrawal problems 20 years out, I think that it is probably fair to say that they have been permanently damaged. I would be remiss to point out though that that population of people is the exception not the rule. All of the survey information that I have seen regarding benzo withdrawal indicates that nearly 99% of the people are healed at 2 years. The number isn't 100% but the people who are left are a very small fragment of the original set of people who experienced problematic withdrawals. Even for those people who feel that they are healed, I wouldn't be surprised that the level of healing isn't exactly 100% but that they are no longer symptomatic. For me ( who is currently experiencing a problematic withdrawal ), I would take no longer symptomatic any day of the week and twice on Sunday.

[[Ch...]]

30+ years on either Temazepam or Xanax and I'm fully functional at 4 years off, have been for awhile.  I'm sure kindling was a contributing factor since I stopped taking Temazepam cold turkey when I became pregnant with my daughter and cold turkeyed it yet again a number of years later.

 

So please be careful about painting with too broad of a brush.  Perhaps read the Success Stories and check the signatures.  There are many others who are asymptomatic after years and years of benzodiazepine use.  Megan and Magrita are two others who are still here helping others navigate the withdrawal and recovery journey after recovering from decades of prescription use. 

 

As far as being illegal to prescribe after two weeks, I'm right there with ya!

 

Chal

 

 

Once you go with long-term benzo use, you damage your brain beyond repair permanently. I do not care what anyone says. I saw an expert in this field and he has patients with benzo WD 20 years after stopping them. It should be illegal to prescribe these drugs for more than 2 weeks!!!

[[Mo...]]

So each time I have a drink (maybe 3-4 times per year), I am setting my recovery backwards? What about NSAID's then? I NEED NSAID's to manage pain...

[[No...]]

"Once you go with long-term benzo use, you damage your brain beyond repair permanently. I do not care what anyone says."

 

Hmmm ... you may not care what I have to say, but here it is anyway ... my body is healing quite nicely, thank you ... granted, it is taking a while ... but that's okay ... healing is its own mysterious process ...

 

I will turn 69 in a couple of weeks ... the only permanent damage I have noticed is being mostly bald ... 

[[ca...]]

Once you go with long-term benzo use, you damage your brain beyond repair permanently. I do not care what anyone says."

 

Wonderful post  ( not ) just what a lot of us do not need to hear errrr!

[[so...]]

Monarch,

 

You are taking Gabitril and/or Gabapentin, drinking alcohol and taking NSAIDS.  All of the things you are doing downregulate GABA receptors.  You are preventing healing and making your symptoms worse.  It is no wonder you feel the way you do at 3 years off.  You are not "off" a number of things that keep you in withdrawal. 

 

Sofa

[[MH...]]

Let me be more specific. GABAergic drugs that replicate the effects of benzodiazepines appear to delay the recovery of people who are experiencing benzo withdrawal as mentioned on this site. Gabapentin does not directly work on GABA-A receptors but it directly increases the amount of GABA in the brain. The concern that I would have is that the brain would adapt to the higher level of GABA and lower level of glutamate ( through glutamate suppression ) by keeping the number of GABA receptors at a downregulated level and upregulating the number of AMPA (stimulatory) receptors.  On the other hand, NSAIDs are actually GABA antagonists which block the GABA-A receptors and produce the opposite reaction to benzos for the parasympathetic ( inhibitory) nervous system.

[[MH...]]

I would also add that I believe that this becomes a problem with chronic use. 3 or 4 drinks in a year very likely makes little actual difference.

[[so...]]

Can do,

 

Monarch was not a long term user at all (1 year).  He should have been symptom free in 2 years or less with his short term use.  Unless you are making the same mistakes he is, you will not suffer his consequences.  You will be fine.

 

MHW,

 

Unfortunately, with my limited ability to comprehend the "science" of what is going on in our brains, you lost me.  I appreciate your post.  I wish I understood it.  I'm just leaving my body alone and keeping it healthy while it heals.  That's all the science I need I guess.

 

Sofa

[[so...]]

My question is, if you only have 3 or 4 drinks a year, why do it at all?

 

Sofa

[[ca...]]

Can do,

 

Monarch was not a long term user at all (1 year).  He should have been symptom free in 2 years or less with his short term use.  Unless you are making the same mistakes he is, you will not suffer his consequences.  You will be fine.

 

MHW,

 

Unfortunately, with my limited ability to comprehend the "science" of what is going on in our brains, you lost me.  I appreciate your post.  I wish I understood it.  I'm just leaving my body alone and keeping it healthy while it heals.  That's all the science I need I guess.

 

Sofa

Sofa, I been on 4 mgs k 20+ years did a partial c/o to 45 mgs v and cutting it down now so far I been at this taper 20 months am k free but must say not having fun and reading stuff like the above sure does not lift up hopes but I take it with a grain of salt ! Thanks for the reply and I hope your doing ok ? ~CD

[[so...]]

Can do,

 

Please don't be discouraged.  Your signature does not indicate your usage, or I would have added the following. 

 

The length of time you were on the drugs has less to do with the duration of the recovery process than how you are taking care of yourself now to help the process along.  Many people who were long term users heal just as fast as short term users like myself.

 

I hope this clarifies my previous post.  You will be fine.  Just eat a healthy balanced hypoglycemic diet.  Steer clear of the things that touch your GABA receptors and you will sail into homeostasis.

 

Sofa

[[MH...]]

Sorry. I spun off into brain chemistry geekland. The short version of what I was saying is that NSAIDs are fine for recovery unless the GABA-A antagonist effects of the drugs cause your symptoms to rev up ( it has for a few people here ). The Gabapentin would be concerning for long term use because it is artificially elevating the amount of GABA in your brain. I would worry that it would delay recovery of your system due to your body adapting to the higher levels by keeping your GABA receptors at a lower level ( and we benzo recoverers need those numbers to go up). I hope that is a little simpler.

[[so...]]

Thanks MHW.  Yes, your explanation helps, but I disagree about NSAIDS, like ibuprofen, which I think may prolong one's recovery or make symptoms worse.  I've just seen it happen on this forum too much to ignore the possibility.

 

Sofa