Please help me: Impaired vision/3 months off post taper

[[Cm...]]

My name is Chelsea. I’ve decided to join this group because there’s no where else to go for help & the fb group I’ve been in has been no help, mostly people still tapering & a bunch of horror stories with assumptions & misleading information. I was on Xanax for a year tapered down as much as I could then switched to Valium for a year & a half & tapered down. I’ve been off for 3 months now & my vision is completely impaired/messed up/blurry & has been since I went into withdrawal & hasn’t let up. This is my biggest concern, someone please explain this to me & does this go away do we ever heal & go back to normal.

[[pi...]]

Hello cmac814,

 

Welcome to Benzo Buddies and congratulations on being benzo free. It seems like you did a nice slow taper, good for you! There are a myriad of possible symptoms for benzo withdrawal and the symptoms can vary from person to person.  I had some vision issues early off as well.  You are still very early off benzos.  It can take a while for the cns to return to balance.  I was very symptomatic at 3 months off.  Things eased up for me very slowly.

 

I'll give you a link to the Post Withdrawal Recovery Board where you can receive feedback from members.

 

I'll also give you a link to the Ashton Manual. Although it discusses tapering in detail, it also gives good information about the withdrawal process in general. The manual was written by Dr. Heather Ashton , an expert in the field.

 

Accepting the process was key for me, understanding that I had to allow my body to heal. It's also a good idea to have a check up to make certain that something else isn't causing the symptoms. I did this several times. 

 

You've come to the right place for information and support, we do understand what you are going through. It'll get better, much better. Please do ask questions, we're here to help.

 

Post-withdrawal Recovery Support 

 

The Ashton Manual

 

pianogirl 

[[go...]]

Cmac

 

Here is a suggestion that will help you feel better.  It is called a pinhole test.  Take a blank sheet of paper and poke a small hole in it with a ballpoint pen.  Cover one eye at a time with the paper and peer through the hole on the paper.  The print should get much clearer.  If it does not, you should probably see someone about your eyesight, but I would bet you will see reasonably clearly.  I am speaking from experience as I thought my eyesight had suddenly gone really bad!  I hope this helps relieve some anxiety.

Let me know if I can be of further assistance and please drop me a note and let me know if this helped.

 

Bryant