Staying active during withdrawal vs resting and being inert

[Guest [Cl...]]

I am on day two of a huge withdrawal. My throat feels really tense as well as my arms. I am feeling overheated, muscles are twitching, etc.

 

I don't feel the symptoms as much when I keep moving. When I stop, as I am now -- sitting in bed -- I feel all of the symptoms (that are probably there while I am active but just being overshadowed) especially the tingling throughout my body.

 

I am not sure if it is better to keep moving or rest during this massive change in my body. I feel worse when I just sit here....

[[wh...]]

keep moving and stay busy I would say. But at some point you'll probably have to rest. that would be the time to meditate and not to get too overanxious about the symptoms you are feeling.

[[ne...]]

Hello Ms. Wieck,

 

Though I'm about the furthest thing from a doctor, it sounds as if you're suffering from a condition called "akathisia," which of course is a common withdrawal effect when one is cutting benzos. Akathisia is basically an involuntary need to keep moving, even in small ways, spurred on by a restless compulsion. Yours sounds a bit different; it doesn't sound like you necessarily have a deep compulsion to move, but your physical symptoms find relief when you have movement. So, you might be suffering from a variation or sub-set of akathisia.

 

Unfortunately, a lot of treatments for akathisia call for other psych drugs to be employed, which I'd avoid if you could. Personally, I find movement and exercise to be one of the few reliable reliefs for my symptoms, which are mostly psychological in nature. If you're able to, try to set up time to walk/run/swim/move in some productive way that will assuage your ailments. If you overheat, definitely don't exercise under a blazing sun and stay hydrated! The goal is for your symptoms to recede a bit so you can get some respite. Resting is good too, but I think people recovering from benzo withdrawal are often overcome with pain, and don't try to make the effort to exercise because they think that'll worsen their symptoms. Deep breathing (also incurred by exercise) helps too. Withdrawal is by nature paradoxical, though, so unless exercise makes your symptoms worse, you should start including it in your recovery plan.

 

Off topic question - so are you the mythical off-spring of a Clara Schumann-Johaness Brahms matchup that may or may not have happened?

 

Good luck! Nemo