Find hope here

[[li...]]

What an inspiring story! I too find myself somewhat thankful for this benzo experience so far even though I'm still scared s#$itless as I am still tapering. It has made me so much stronger in so many ways. I look forward to the day I can also write my success story. Thanks for sharing. May you have a beautiful life .

[[no...]]

Thank you, folks. 

 

Something else, I was on medication since I was 16, antidepressants, and felt that years of medication had damaged me for good. That is very clearly not true. Nothing is impossible if you keep going. It might only be that you cry yourself through some days, that you are unable to cry through others. Fake it to make it when you can, dance to music that you cannot feel, smile at comedies, do anything that, as fake as it feels, is a big f*ck you to withdrawal, even it is only for 30 seconds some days. It comes good. There is a happy ending. 

H FMWAK  I often wondered how you were doing are am very glad life is now amazing for you A big thank you for posting an update on your progress.

 

Love Nova xxx  :smitten:

[[Br...]]

Oh my goodness! I don't post on here too much anymore but I remember messaging you! This made me cry. You just gave me a lot of hope! I needed this more than ever tonight! Thank you!

[[in...]]

Thank you, so much. 

[[Sa...]]

Congratulations, Mark!

You have been my inspiration for a while now. Yours is a story of superation and selfhealing. I used to check if you posted a succes story and it is finally here, i'm so very glad and proud of you.

I'm right behind, following your steps, dealing with gut dysbiosis and inflammation again after my baby birth, but I'm there. Probiotics are my allies, diet aswell.

I will post a story like this one day,I know it.

Thank you for your lessons and support.

Take care and enjoy life as much as you can.

Lucy

[[Fo...]]

Awww so many of my friends from BB.  :smitten:

 

Lucy, so good to see you close, we gather in success and send stronger wishes, more hope than ever for the healing of others coming behind us.

 

Nova, honey, lovely to hear from you. You were and still are a fountain of knowledge and support.

 

Brookelane, you call on me any time, my angel for support on here until you are healed. I'm going to hang around and check my messages when I can. You're all going to be the next success stories. 👍👍👍

 

To answer some of the questions raised:

 

Vica55, the burning head was alleviated with small doses of liposomal curcumin, but I took this is combination with probiotics, chief strains the bifido ones, lactobacillus rhamnosus (took them at different times). Most effective vfor me were Culturelle and Optibac probiotics.

 

The burning in my head went away with that help over 2 years of a microtaper. I still take some probiotics but more for health and I can now also take milk and water kefir, which I couldn't during taper.

 

Hi Colley, I didn't work for a year, and then with support of a disability officer returned to work at a desk. I had given up ever returning to work, and was still in withdrawal when I did. I found out that I'd been spiked with antipsychotics after 2 weeks back and that put me back off sick for another 4 months.

 

Whilst off I built up my time walking, I read extensively on the internet about the brain and about the influence of probiotics on our central nervous system and of course spent a lot of time here on BB. I lied to myself sometimes when it was bad that I would take medication to help me through it. I inevitably read a few scary stories in that time, but they were all bullcrap, we all make it. If I can ANYONE can, I cannot stress that enough.

 

When I went back to work the 2nd time, I was obviously still in withdrawal but it was a very basic deskjob and some days I just stared at the computer screen typing numbers into spreadsheets, bland and boring to many no doubt, but it anchored me in the world.

 

All of that, coming here, searching the internet for cures, don't listen to people telling you it's an obsession. You owe yourself your undivided attention in crisis. It is NOT an obsession. It is the soul inside you, your guardian angel doing what it knows will give you tangible footholds in the climb that is progress.

 

And just like you build your muscles in a physical climb, you are building your mental muscle in those activities. You can try things out, nothing is final. Took me two goes for work with a failed marriage and the trauma of being spiked with an antipsychotic by people I trusted my whole life in between. Keep knocking at the door of progress. It will open my friends, it's opening a little bit more everyone you push and a little more light and laughter gets through each time. Listen out for it, my brave fellows. You have my unwavering respect always. 

[[...]]

Wonderful to read a success like this. You have been remarkably brave and warrior like. I have followed your story at times and I'm so happy for you. It's remarkable and I can't wait to be in the same position although today is an 'it's eternal day'. It's taking me longer, nearly 33 months now, been off nearly twice as long as been on. however this is the second time I've come off valium, first time never even considered this, maybe in hindsight there was a 1000th of this.

 

Any way well done and thank you for writing.

 

[[Fo...]]

Thank you, marj. Rooting for you all the way. 

[[No...]]

That's a beautiful story!! The thing that bothers or bothered a lot of us is this part where doctors and family members question your state of withdrawal. It's sad that the vast majority of health care practitioners are so uninformed and untrained on benzodiazepine and its/theirs withdrawal.

I guess your family by trying to spike you tea with the substance feel sorry or dumb now that you're fully recovered.

 

If you have time I have some questions for you.

1) Did you had bad insomnia and if so when did it disappear?

2) You're currently exercising, did you experienced joint pain at one point when you went back to training? And if so did it disappeared with time.

 

I personally am bothered by joint pain only when I had a couple bad nights of sleep (under 5h30 or 6 hours a night). I guess I'm trying to know if it will eventually subside ^^

 

Wish you the best mate and thank you for posting your success story !

[[Ja...]]

Wow. Thank you

I feel like I am doomed but I love your story

I am on gabapentin and remeron and last 1mg of Valium

It looks like it took you about 6-7 mos to get off the last 1mg of the Valium?

I have burning too

I am so hopeful reading your post you have no idea

I feel like my whole life, etc is over. Lost my business etc

I use hotlines too and they are helpful in the middle of the night

I took bifido and acidophilus the other day and it sparked more intense sx so I am eating sauerkraut.

Idk. And I will try goat yogurt.

Thank you so much !!!

[[Be...]]

Amazing! Congratulations!

[[Gr...]]

Thank you SO much for coming back to encourage us all. Your story is so well worded and encouraging - and I know that you know how much we all needed that!

 

God bless you and your family.

[[be...]]

Chills, chills, more chills and hope.  Thank you, so much.  Happiest of new years to you!

 

 

[[Ce...]]

So encouraging and brings a new light on hope...thank you and congrats!!

[[Wa...]]

thank you so much for such an interesting and very well written story of hope and of course healing! You are such a nice guy to come back and share you successes with us!

I am happy for you that you have met someone that you fell in love with. My boyfriend of 5 years has left me and is living with a new woman now. He said he didn't want to be with someone that is sick anymore  :'( I needed to read a good story of healing as I almost feel so broken some days. all the best to you! I am proud of you for not giving up

god bless

xo

[[Le...]]

I needed to read this today, thank you for coming back and posting your success story. Words of hope for me to hold onto while in the midst of this mess.

 

So happy you made it to the other side. 

[[Bl...]]

Amazing, thank you. How long did it take for full healing? Just one year?

[[Ar...]]

Thank you for sharing your success.  Almost healed, still forging ahead.  Wishing you joy and peace. 

[[Ni...]]

I've read many of your posts about probiotics.  Thank you sharing your experience and for posting your success story, it's amazing! You have encouraged so many here and are always so thoughtful.  Wishing you continued success and happiness.

[[...]]

Been reading succes stories all day long.

Have to keep faith and sanity so this is just great!

 

Thank you for sharing this wonderful success story 

I'm so glad for you and everybody who have made this journey and live to tell us how great life can be without drugs.

Thank you and congratulations !☺

[[He...]]

What a wonderful inspiring success story!  Thank you for sharing with such heart. 

 

Congratulations and enjoy your health!

 

Karen

[[Kg...]]

I so needed to hear this story today. I am at the end of my ropes here and cannot handle anymore of the depression, anxiety, memory loss, dementia,  loneliness, and many of the other million symptoms for 3 years now. How long did it take you to recover and how did you progress through your symptoms?

[[Fo...]]

Thank you all for your kind words. I was healed by around February 2016, sick from antidepressants initially bad reaction end of 2012 through start 2013, withdrawal from them then mid 2013, when zopiclone was added, the antipsychotic merry-go-round and all that came with it. I'm sorry it will probably always be a bit fuzzy now trying to recall it all. From every drug, and there were a lot in the mix, I'd say it took me around 3 years (ish), but I was obsessively searching for cures, and found that probiotics were my mainstay. I'll post a bit more detail tomorrow evening, just been flat out all day. One thing I will say is this: whatever gets you through each day is working for you. I cried some days out and took any seconds of reprieve I could find. I obsessively read on the brain, the wonders of neurogenesis, and how no matter what we do, it is working to heal. Everything, your depression, your anxiety, fear, despair, your burning pains, everything is a way of your brain learning to heal from. And at the same time, it is teaching itself to become more resilient. I can fight for the jobs of people and not flinch now. You will arrive at that point, my incredible friends. I cannot stress the inevitability of that enough. All your fears of not healing, those are the tricks your brain uses to motivate its own healing mechanisms. It is a truly beautiful thing that we heal in every path we take. 

[[pr...]]

Formywife,

 

it's so good to see you again and i am so happy that you have healed. i am in gratitude of the times you took to send me Pm's about probiotics and other healing foods for the gut. i actually had a session with a medium last month who told me that starting some good probiotic is going to be a must for my full recovery. i am in search now for some that arrive in a cold and live state as she recommended. thank you so much for coming back here and updating us with your success. i am still pretty non functional as i got hit very hard from this although i've had some good improvements which i hope will continue.

 

blessings to you!

Prettydaisys

[[ed...]]

Beautiful story. Thank you so much for sharing. As someone who will be jumping in a week, I have plenty of reservations about what the future may hold. I'm just going to keep handing it over to God and reading success stories like yours.

 

Thank you,

Ed