17 Months off, Showing Improvement Though Need Help -- Please Reply

[[Fl...]]

I am now near 17 months since my cold turkey of nearly 8 years Xanax & Valium. I went through acute for first 3 months where my symptoms were insane. Everything from no sleep, random racing heart episodes, afraid to leave house or drive, feeling of being an alien, feeling flush, feeling like I was dying, and the mornings, oh the horrid mornings due to insomnia and adrenaline.

 

Fast Forward to 17 months and I am dealing with this pain in my back that has moved from my shoulder area and now is into my entire left back from mid back to neck, and the other day it morphed around to the front of my left chest. It hurt if I took in a deep breath. The hurting to breath part has gone away today. I get muscle twitches all over my body from head to toe. Sometimes something will twitch and will make my heart race and I will feel flush/weird. The other night I was woken up in middle of the night by my left chest area spasminig real quick and then my heart took off racing, felt extreme panic and terror, after I was left shaking. My insomnia had been gone for many many months though returned somewhat, a few nights strait that I could not sleep more han a couple unresting hours.

 

Has anyone experienced this, this far out. Had new symptoms show up or get worse this far out? I have improved lots over these months. I am working, can drive, can eat most things that I want, though these last few symptoms have me terrified. I have had 2 EKGs since cold turkey and they both were fine. Had blood work done and it was fine too. Not sure what to do 

[[me...]]

I'm sorry you're still having these symptoms.  For a long time, I had strange pains that would jump from one body part to another, but mostly in my neck, shoulders, and chest.  This finally went away sometime in my second year off. 

 

New symptoms can appear, and symptoms long thought gone can reappear even at this late date.  Just before I healed, I had a week of vertigo and dizzyness, symptoms that I hadn't had for a long time.

 

[[si...]]

Florida

I am 17 months of and still suffering from the things you described.

There are others that I know of that are still suffering this far out. It is very scary and very draining on the soul.

There are symptoms that have gotten better and some may have gone away completely, when symptoms hit in a bad wave it is like I haven't healed at all.

Just know you are not alone and I hope the end of all this comes soon.

 

[[Be...]]

I have the very symptoms at 22 months off

[[Fl...]]

The hardest part about this is how I am healing. I was in hell for first 3 months. Then for several months was fine, almost healed feeling. Then I was bad again for a few months. Then felt almost healed again. Now I am back in it with intensified old symptoms. Each time they come back it is usually shorter duration though symptoms are more and more intense when they do happen. I am hoping healing is around the corner for us all. Going on like this has me thinking about driving myself to the ER every day. I have refused to go since I was in acute and I am still alive, so all the heart racing episodes, shifting pain in my back and chest, as well as other crazy symptoms must not be fatal. This is just exhausting...

[[Bh...]]

Hang in there Floridablue. I'm 14 months out and feel like I'm going backwards too. At least you are having windows where you get a break. I don't really have true windows, just temporary moments where I get a lift in some of my symptoms.

 

My depression and fatigue is worse then it was 6 months ago. I will say my anxiety and cog fog has improved a great deal. I just don't understand how these symptoms keep cycing in and out week to week, month to month. No pattern whatsoever.

 

I keep praying to God that He will heal me and every BB on this site. Thank you for posting this...It's so nice to know I'm not alone 

[[Ca...]]

The only doctor who ever acknowledged to me that benzos can have side effects told me he's seen a lot of post-benzo patients with all kinds of nerve and muscular pain, it's not unusual, but it does suck and it's hard going through it. Hang tough, your body is trying to heal, I hope your pain dissipates soon!

[[Je...]]

The random cycling is horrible. I am sorry you are in pain. I commented about 2 months ago that my muscle cramps had finally let up and now it is back worse than ever. I think our system is just recalibrating or I am hoping. I hope you feel relief soon.

[[Fl...]]

Thank you all for your replies. I ended up in urgent care last night, just couldn't shake the feeling that something serious was wrong. Have been having heart racing episodes, chest spasm, muscle and nerve pain in neck and back as well as twitching all over my body. Talked to doctor there for an hour and he dismissed benzo withdrawal and said was anxiety, told him I was jot anxious, that my symptoms were very physical and only worry I had was dying from Heath issues. I talked him into a chest X-ray given my pain and hurting to breath at times. He read it and said it was beautiful, perfect, nothing wrong in my entire chest. Lungs were healthy, heart looked perfect. That helped ease some of my worries. I guess these remaining symptoms are from benzo withdrawal because I had none of them before quitting. Ugh it just sucks to keep having symptoms this far out, I'm exhausted and ready to be at peace with my own body, this war must stop!

[[si...]]

Florida

Maybe we are seeing the grand fan alley of symptoms. I have read where a lot of healing takes place in months 18-24.

So lets keep hoping for the best.

[[Fl...]]

I would like to think that too silver. I am tired, hurting, and ready to be comfortable in my own body again. 17 months of this and I am 😴

[[si...]]

I know we will get there.