Has anyone seemed to regress for a little bit?

[[Er...]]

I just hit my 6 month off mark today. I've had some pretty good Windows over the last few months and the waves have been pretty short. However, over the last few weeks my "window" has not been as much of a window as they have been. Before this, I would hover in the 80%-90% of baseline between waves it seems over the past month. However, the last few weeks I've been hovering in the 65%-75% of baseline range it seems. Is this Norma to feel like you're regressing for an extended period of time after 6 months off? Thanks.

[[ld...]]

I'm still having a rough time. I am entering my 6 month off. I was on Benzos for about 10 months, add a 3 month taper = 13 months. I began on Ativan and crossed over to Valium. So far have had only 3 mini windows and as far as recovered at this point I would say I am about 60%. Lately the symptoms fluctuate with mainly anxiety in the mornings. The mornings are the worst for me. Tinnitus in the right ear, cortisol/adrenaline rushes come and go mainly in the early morning hours 1:30 to 4:00 am. Ruminating thoughts, obsessive thinking, etc. It seems my symptoms have ramped up lately. I thought by the 6 month I would have improved considerably. Just waiting and hoping for improvement and recovery. You weren't on them for long right? Maybe you will improve sooner than others. Just hang in there! Your windows are sign that you are going to be okay in time. This is a sign that you are healing! Very good sign my friend! Keep on going, you are going to be fine.

 

                      Regards

 

                                  ldm27

[[bl...]]

I have a friend who's a professor of pharmacology, and he said that in recovery the brain will often heal to new high baseline where it seems like it's getting everything right, then you'll plateau a bit, and then maybe regress, but it won't be to an abnormally low level - so just as you describe, you've backslid a bit to 65%-75%, but that's nowhere as bad <65%.

 

Eventually, my guess is you'll surpass your last highest baseline soon, plateau, and then maybe regress again to 85%-95%, and then you'll recover beyond your old baseline and so on. Apparently average full-time to heal is around 24 months, with the most noticeable progress at 6 months, which makes total sense, because once you get above 90%, improvements won't be as pronounced, but you do continue to recover as your brain fully heals.

 

I didn't understand what Ashton meant by exceeding your baseline before you started benzos, but I get it now. I feel remarkably good at month 3, suddenly things have really clicked, maybe 75%-80%. Nowhere near perfect but good enough to notice if I regress.

[[ld...]]

There are phases we go through during withdrawal. Click on the link below: You can share where you think you are during your withdrawal:

 

I am in Phase 2.

 

 

Click on the link: http://www.benzobuddies.org/forum/index.php?topic=156111.msg2089263#msg20892

 

Regards

 

              ldm27

[[Da...]]

HI EricSS, You and me are exactly in the same place I was six months in late june. This has been absolutely the hardest thing I have ever done in my life.

 

It seems to me this thing changes and morphs with time. I wish I could say I'm fine but that is the farthest thing from the truth. Right now I'm so consumed by anxiety, depression, fatique, DP/DR and almost any other symptom I can think of. It feels better sometimes and worse others. I am hoping both of us gets much better soon.