Some seem to never heal

[[ss...]]

Seems some never go on to heal and keep waiting it out and get worse.  Keep finding more and more threads of people 4 plus years out worse then the first couple of years. I’m 28 months and worse in a lot of ways and I take no medications what so ever. I don’t know what to believe because I know the ones early off need support and I was once them and believed and hoped now to only not be healed and find more ahead of me not healed.

[[Pu...]]

What are you still experiencing that you feel is due to the withdrawal?

[[ja...]]

This is my second time coming off benzodiazepines. I’m 31 months off from a c/t Lorazepam and slowly getting better. Hang on you’ll improve, it gets better.

 

Jackie  :smitten:

[[ss...]]

People keep saying that but I’m getting worse in a lot of ways. Fatigue, anxiety, depression, fear, dp, cog fog. I think some think it’s withdraw when they are to this point when it’s something else

[[bo...]]

Try other medications. There is no reason living like this forever.

[[id...]]

After a lot of frustration about this and also realizing that common BB members advice of "pushing yourself" making me worse, I realized I might have ME/CFS with PEM and CCI. I found reading Jennifer Brea's blog to be extremely helpful and useful. I tried some of the health management ideas that helped others with ME/CFS with good results (taking anti-virals, NOT pushing myself, etc.) I'm not saying that's what you have but I'm saying it might be time to venture out from BB and explore other health conditions that could have been triggered by wd.

[[Sa...]]

While I’m extremely compassionate and sympathetic to those that are 4 years out and not healing ... I avoid their stories as much as possible.  If I believed I would not be a great deal better than the past 5 months since CT, I could not face each day.  Brutal is the only word I can find for these months of WD. 

 

I see healing and I’m thankful, I hope it ends soon.

 

SaraSue

[[me...]]

Seems some never go on to heal and keep waiting it out and get worse.  Keep finding more and more threads of people 4 plus years out worse then the first couple of years. I’m 28 months and worse in a lot of ways and I take no medications what so ever. I don’t know what to believe because I know the ones early off need support and I was once them and believed and hoped now to only not be healed and find more ahead of me not healed.

 

Hi,

 

This forum tends to attract those having trouble healing, and our membership is skewed that way.  Most people, the vast majority, do go on to heal, usually within a year or two.  But for some, it takes longer.  It took almost three years for me, but it did happen. 

 

[[ss...]]

I think a lot of us are sick with other things and avoid looking because of withdraw is what people say but I have found that not the case and have tried other things and read a lot is CFS and PANS any many individ.

[[Sa...]]

Seems some never go on to heal and keep waiting it out and get worse.  Keep finding more and more threads of people 4 plus years out worse then the first couple of years. I’m 28 months and worse in a lot of ways and I take no medications what so ever. I don’t know what to believe because I know the ones early off need support and I was once them and believed and hoped now to only not be healed and find more ahead of me not healed.

 

Hi,

 

This forum tends to attract those having trouble healing, and our membership is skewed that way.  Most people, the vast majority, do go on to heal, usually within a year or two.  But for some, it takes longer.  It took almost three years for me, but it did happen. 

 

 

Hi Megan,

 

While I know this, I tend to forget it in the deep pain of WD.  Thank you for the reminder ... sometimes, I need reminders often.

 

SaraSue

[[Ma...]]

If you're drinking, stop. It makes a big difference and don't try other medications. Get super clean (no supplements, nothing) and wait it out.

It gets better. It does. I don't believe that people don't heal. I just do not believe it. You don't know anyone going through this. You don't know their histories, you don't know what they're doing. Don't take anything here too much to heart. Just know what you're doing and do that.

 

TIME

 

that's it. And it is sufficient. I'm so sorry someone scared you, cause it's not true. This place is great to come off. Beyond that, it can be a detriment. It's an online group, nothing more, we are ALL strangers to you who's motives you cannot guess at. Everything with a grain (or pound) or salt.

 

[[Sa...]]

NO drinking here!

 

 

[[Ma...]]

I added to the post while you were typing, see? Look up

[[Ho...]]

While I’m extremely compassionate and sympathetic to those that are 4 years out and not healing ... I avoid their stories as much as possible.  If I believed I would not be a great deal better than the past 5 months since CT, I could not face each day.  Brutal is the only word I can find for these months of WD. 

 

I see healing and I’m thankful, I hope it ends soon.

 

SaraSue

 

Hi SaraSue,  We seem to have jumped around the same time.  I am 5 months 2 weeks out.  How are you feeling these days? 

[[Le...]]

18m off still same shits every day.

[[ss...]]

Yes at 28 months I’m worse then ever. I think many is underlining issues that the drugs helped to mask. It doesn’t always improve

[[Sa...]]

Hi Hopper, I believe I’m still in Acute.  I do see small improvements.  I’ll take any improvement!

 

SaraSue

[[ja...]]

I have found this time around that my diet strongly affects me. Especially with anxiety and depression. If I eat super clean like Marina suggested I feel better and can cope with sx’s better.

 

Jackie :smitten:

[[Ho...]]

Hi Hopper, I believe I’m still in Acute.  I do see small improvements.  I’ll take any improvement!

 

SaraSue

 

I’m sorry to her that Sara!  For me acute was completely bedridden so I have improved from that but I’m still in pretty bad shape.  I do have some brief windows where I feel as good as 50% but they don’t last as long as I would like. 

 

Hoping we all see some relief soon!

[[bo...]]

I wonder what it's like to be completely healed from this. Do you quit talking about it and thinking about it? I'm slightly convinced I just have depression at this point.

[[Cu...]]

Hi,  I see SS around BBs a lot.  You & Hopper jumped approx. 2 months before me...

I can see in Hopper's sig. current sxs - what are your post-w/d sxs?  Any way to put in yr. sig. line?

Interested to hear from Megan, too, so far as w/d sxs you had for 3 years?  Physical/cognitive &/or both?

 

Is anyone experiencing severe neuropathy/physical pain?  I've taken it pretty much as a given this would be case for at least 7 months from jump date.  I'm at month 4 & am experiencing worsening pain last 2 months.  I've been completely non-functional past 2-1/2 years now...from tolerance w/d, taper & now.  I am thinking the ativan was absolutely helping pain management & allowing me to actually live a life worth living, at all ...until it stopped working - but then it brought about agoraphobia & depression...it was still easing pain, however.  Now, it's awake = pain & itching.  Sleep (when it finally arrives) = peace/comfort.  This is zero quality of life.

 

I take nothing for pain, other than tylenol (about as effective as M&Ms).  No alcohol in over 2 years-never much of a drinker; only occasionally, socially. Can't take NSAIDs due to having had ulcer.  Others have suggested neurontin.  Was given that about 8 years ago by a neurologist after a fall & concussion.  I believe I only took 1 dose.  I very much recall that med. making me extremely dizzy/worse than the concussion had me; I was holding walls while walking.  Was also given lyrica @ one point.  I just recall also not taking that for any length of time; I believe that also may have caused a dizziness or brain fog type thing; sometime, afterwards I know an Aunt took it successfully for about a year & then began developing swelling.  She stopped it & swelling went away.

 

Everywhere I've posted last 4 months, I'm asking if anyone else was put on their benzo. for pain management & I'm not getting any responses to that query...which is getting me more & more concerned & despondent, b/c I'm wondering if pain will actually begin to lift @ 7 months or not (?)  I do have the jelly legs, dp/dr, agoraphobia, depression, too, but that's such a backseat to the pain, b/c in this amount of pain, it's impossible to do anything.  Severe trigger points throughout left thigh, outside @ top & top front; not what I've read sciatica is. 

 

Would love to hear from anyone else re: pain.  Okay to PM me, as well.  Thanks, all. 

[[ea...]]

I wonder what it's like to be completely healed from this. Do you quit talking about it and thinking about it? I'm slightly convinced I just have depression at this point.

 

First of all, HI BOOMBOX! I have missed you.

I am fully healed and I feel just great. I am a normal person now, in almost every way. Okay, getting off benzos did not make me rich, or make me find a life's partner other than my beloved cat. Those are issues way beyond benzos. But once I had healed from my benzo disaster, I felt just wonderful! NO more depression. NO MORE major anxiety. GONE are all those weird troubling symptoms that drove me to see specialists all the time. I hardly ever feel anxious now. Getting off benzos did not make me a perfect human being. I have flaws. But I no longer depend on a drug to help me sleep or feel less anxious.

Once I felt fully healed, I started to move away from BB. I needed a break from all of the sadness and fears. But after about a year, or maybe two, I again felt the need to come back here and try to help others. I also know that helping benzo victims is part of my "life's calling".  I considered writing a book. I considered trying to start an in person support group. I STILL do not know what life wants me to do to help fellow benzo people. But someday I will.

east

[[ss...]]

Easy coast you were probably healed fast and didn’t get worse over time?

[[NH...]]

People keep saying that but I’m getting worse in a lot of ways. Fatigue, anxiety, depression, fear, dp, cog fog. I think some think it’s withdraw when they are to this point when it’s something else

 

I believe a lot of people here are expecting the anxiety to be gone once the WD is over.

 

It won't. Quitting anti-anxiety meds is not the cure for anxiety.

 

If you stop taking the benzo's and do not develop any strategies for coping with your anxiety, you will suffer. There was a reason you took the medication in the first place.

"Fatigue, anxiety, depression, fear, dp, cog fog"

If your body is not healthy and you are not masking the anxiety with a benzo then I do not know what you expect.

How much exercise do you get?

Have you changed your eating habits to avoid meals that trigger anxiety?

Do you drink caffeine?

Do you drink things that lower the PH of your stomach?

Do you smoke?

Do you drink alcohol?

What do you do when you get anxiety? Do you suffer through it or do you have 3 or more tricks you use to make it go away?

What tricks have you found to calm yourself down?

How do you relax your muscles when they become tense?

Are you here on this forum to discover tips from others that can help you overcome anxiety without medication, or are you here only so you can complain about it and know that people will listen?

 

We all need someone to talk to some times, someone who understands, but that in and of itself is not a cure. It might help with DP but it will do little for anxiety other than to let you identify that much of what you are going through is related to the anxiety or WD and not another scary medical condition.

 

When I found this forum I thought it would be A LOT more focused on sharing things that help us overcome our SXS and tips for specific problems. I could make a GIANT list of all the things I do for each individual SXS that pops up, and which ones are most effective for me. But what I have discovered in many of the people here is that they avoid those tips and instead keep coming here to post about the same problem over and over because it gets them attention.

 

I'm sorry if this post seems harsh, but I call a spade a spade when I see it.

If you don't have a plan for how you will cope with the anxiety once the benzos are out of your system then you are only fighting half the battle.

 

[[Da...]]

 

Everywhere I've posted last 4 months, I'm asking if anyone else was put on their benzo. for pain management & I'm not getting any responses to that query...which is getting me more & more concerned & despondent, b/c I'm wondering if pain will actually begin to lift @ 7 months or not (?)  I do have the jelly legs, dp/dr, agoraphobia, depression, too, but that's such a backseat to the pain, b/c in this amount of pain, it's impossible to do anything.  Severe trigger points throughout left thigh, outside @ top & top front; not what I've read sciatica is. 

 

Would love to hear from anyone else re: pain.  Okay to PM me, as well.  Thanks, all. 

 

CuzKK, if it is pain that developed from withdrawal, then it should disappear with the other withdrawal symptoms. A similar thing happens with opioids. When someone takes an opioid for pain from a temporary injury, they will often feel pain upon withdrawal, sometimes at the exact point where they were injured. They are then tricked into thinking that they need to continue the drug, when in fact the pain is just a withdrawal symptom, even though it may feel identical (or even more intense) than the original pain. I think this is part of the reason the opioid epidemic got so out of control.

 

Benzos do not act directly on pain, but rather suppress the activity of the entire nervous system, thus muting the pain signals. When you start to withdrawal, your nervous system is ramped up above the normal level, so the pain will likely be more intense if it isn't from something that healed. It is probably also made worse by the anxiety and dysphoria of withdrawal.

 

Long story short, the pain should get less intense when you heal from withdrawal, but whether it will take more, less than, or exactly 7 months, nobody can actually know. Hopefully less