Long Term Benzo Use

[[Jz...]]

Hi,

 

  Long story made short.. started taking xanax about 30 years ago and built up to 1.5mg / day.

  In the end it was just to prevent withdrawal but eventually that stopped working.

 

  I've developed inner ear problems(severe tinnitus, pain, intermittent deafness) over the past year that the Dr's can't give me an answer to.

  When I ask if it could be the long term xanax use they all say no. 2 mri's and 2 cat scans along with other tests but no answers.

 

  When my GP Dr. wanted me to go to 2mg/day I just decided I wanted to go the other way just in case they're all wrong. After some researching

  I crossed to 15mg valium (which went smooth) and then after a couple months started tapering at various rates.

  I've gone from 15 to 5.5 mg valium over the past 4 months and it hasn't been much fun to put it mildly.

  It's depressing to think how long I have to go. I've learned to go slower now at about  .5mg every 2 weeks or so which is still rough

  but I really want off this stuff.  This site has been helpful and enlightening since I found it.

[[Ch...]]

Welcome to BenzoBuddies, Jz.

 

Long term Xanax use can cause all sorts of minor and not-so-minor health issues.  I took Xanax for about ten years and looking back, see all sorts of problems it caused that I wasn't aware of at the time.  Withdrawal was tough, but it was very much worth the time and misery.

 

Doctors may not think the tinnitus is connected to long term benzodiazepine use, (and perhaps it isn't) but we have many members here who have developed tinnitus concurrent with benzodiazepine use.  Glad to hear you're tapering slowly to avoid making the tinnitus worse.

 

Here are a couple of boards to begin posting for support:

 

General Taper Plans 

Withdrawal Support 

 

 

When you have a chance, I highly recommend that you take a look at The Ashton Manual, which is an authoritative source on what to expect during withdrawal and recovery, authored by Dr. C. Heather Ashton, who is an expert in the field. It provides a great deal of information that can be very reassuring during any stage of this process, including a list of common symptoms with helpful explanations on the reasons for their existence.

 

Please take some time to Create a Signature. This will help other members understand your history so they will be better able to support you.

Go to the top of the page and select Profile, then choose Forum Profile, insert drug history/timelines into the text box and click Change Profile.

 

Take care,

Challis 

[[Ni...]]

I never had tinnitus until I ran into tolerance withdrawal (it was way more than just 'tolerance withdrawal'!) in 2015. Very common side effect both of benzo use and benzo withdrawal.

 

Welcome JZ and all the best for your journey 

[[on...]]

Welcome JZ- like you I took xanax for thirty years- at 1.5 mg. I am still dealing with very loud tinnitus at 15 months out and some hearing loss in my left ear. I figure it must be the result of either 30 years of xanax or the withdrawal. Really hoping it will subside in time but not sure. I have slowly but surely learned to accept it as a a disturbing side effect- I can't make it go away so I have to make peace with it. Right now my left ear is clanging. I find stress really exacerbates the tinnitus. I did also want to give you hope and encouragement that even after 30 years of use it is possible to get free of the xanax. The struggle is worth it for the freedom. You can do this!

[[Su...]]

Welcome JZ!

I'm another long term Xanax user who has found this site a treasure trove of information about tapering.  The how's, the speeds, the methods -- and there are multiple answers for all of those.  Congratulations on coming down as far as you have done.

It's a road we're all on together.   And yup tinnitus is something that I deal with in varying degrees daily.  Often it's a barometer of if I've been cutting too quickly, so I've learned to listen to it more closely (as if we ever aren't listening to it ....)

Wishing you a good day

SS

[[Jz...]]

 

Ironically I started taking Xanax all those years ago for tinnitus from one loud noise exposure as well as for anxiety.

That ringing eventually faded to a level my brain learned to easily ignore but could always hear. Now the ringing & pressure fluctuate so much in volume & frequencies my brain can't tune it out.

Plus the hearing in my right ear fluctuates & has cut almost completely off for hours a dozen times over the past year.

I have masking sounds playing everywhere to help distract some. People think I have crickets all over the house. 

I've seen numerous Dr's (ent's, neuro-otologists, neurologists). One says atypical meniere's disease(no vertigo or low frequency loss), another says virus of some kind(I'm on antivirals now),

another says some kind of otic or ear migraine's, and another says an artery loops around the right hearing nerve (from mri) but I'd need surgery to find out if that's the problem and it doesn't explain the other ears symptoms. The others just said they don't know. Stress does exacerbate the symptoms so tapering now is um, I'll say challenging.

 

Anyway, I just wanted to reply to thank everyone for the welcomes & encouragement.