Healed people - if you read this, just tell us you exist

[[Ne...]]

Title says it. We hear that everyone (or at least most people) heal, but where are they? Is anyone even on here on BB?

 

If you are truly healed and a functional member of society again (meaning you can handle some stress, you don't have anxiety and panic, panic attacks, DP/DR, heart problems... you can work, you can work out, you can drive a car and go on public transportation, you can drive a car on a highway, etc. etc.),and you happen to read this, please just quickly tell us you exist, and maybe a few short details about you and your experience! (how long you're off, how much you took of what you took for how long, did you CT or taper, etc. etc.)

 

It would really go a long way to make me (and many others, I'm sure) more hopeful.

 

[[Aj...]]

http://dtfsdf.oco.net/Benzo_success_stories_rev_2_modified-2.pdf

[[Le...]]

Here! Fully functional part of society after almost a year of hell.  Just still need more rest than others.

[[se...]]

I'm just about there at 9.5 months off everything.  I have weird issues still and don't get much sleep but I'm basically fully functioning otherwise.

[[ne...]]

Well, I can do everything on your list so I would say I am pretty close to healed..in exception with a 2-3 day small wave here and there (not often at all) and broken sleep. Id say I'm 85% there after almost 2 years (that includes a 10.5 month taper). Everything just slowly got better for me, month by month. But yep, I pretty much now live my life at about almost the same level I did before I started my taper.

[Guest [is...]]

I was on Xanax for 12 years 3 mg a day . I can do everything on the list ,tapered for 8 months and went through hell for 4 months. I just got done with a hard run and I feel great after running . Everyone should try to run or exercise it’s helps big time !

[[re...]]

I'm like a man whose leg was bitten off by a shark, seven years ago.

I guess by now I'm healed - but that leg ain't growin back.

[[bo...]]

What exactly do you mean, Redevan?

[[re...]]

What exactly do you mean, Redevan?

 

I mean I'm probably about as healed as I'm going to get. But enough about me. How you doin?

[[ea...]]

I am fully healed now. And very happy about this. I live a normal life now, I don't feel depressed, or even very anxious now and I can sleep just fine. NO MORE weird symptoms that drove me to specialists who told me I had this or that disorder. ALL my old symptoms have just disappeared....because they were ALL being caused by benzos and possibly ADs as well.

You have to understand that most people, once they heal, want to AVOID being on a forum like this! It can be very painful for them. Once I felt healed I stopped coming here on BB every single day. I avoided BB for quite a while. But for me, eventually, I felt a need to try to help others get through this.

In my journey through this disaster, I have met MANY people who have now healed and almost all of them lead normal lives now. Getting off benzos was, by far, the hardest thing I ever did and the BEST thing I ever did.

Never give up, no matter how awful you feel right now.

east

[Guest [Ko...]]

If people heal I doubt they ever want to come back and relive the nightmare they went through.

[[Sa...]]

I was on Xanax for 12 years 3 mg a day . I can do everything on the list ,tapered for 8 months and went through hell for 4 months. I just got done with a hard run and I feel great after running . Everyone should try to run or exercise it’s helps big time !

 

Issey,

 

Great!  I hold on to the wall to walk ... so unbalanced.  I wasn’t a runner before so I’m sure I won’t be now.  So happy for you!

 

Sara

[Guest [is...]]

Thank Sara,

 

Just any kind of movement to get the heart rate up is a good start !

You will heal !!

[[bo...]]

Redevan, I'm still dealing with depression and very bad anger issues. I just feel mad at everyone I'm close with and mad at the world. I figured with better sleep, which I am getting, some of this mental stuff would be improved, but it really hasn't. Just no zest for life and angry at everyone. No hobbies or interests seem to help because I've seemed to lost them.

 

Been thinking of getting on a low dose of Remeron for a long time now.

[[So...]]

I'm good to go now,can do everything you have listed ! Restoril 30 mgs. nitely for 14 years,did a fast taper due to my pcp retiring (he was dying of cancer) right as I was starting to taper...had only limited amount of rx left.After last dose was out of system, went thru scary head to toe symptoms for many weeks,lingering problems eventually resolved with time & taking supplements.

Reading on BB helped me immensely because I understood what was happening and knew the mind and body symptoms would resolve as CNS repaired.Plenty of advice and recommendations here I tried to see what worked at different stages of healing.

1 year, 3 months off benzo this month.

 

 

SfD

[[bo...]]

That's awesome soupfordinner. Would you consider yourself healed? How were your mental symptoms?

[[Sa...]]

S4D,

 

Yay!  Congratulations!!  May all days be bright.

 

SaraSue

[[re...]]

Redevan, I'm still dealing with depression and very bad anger issues. I just feel mad at everyone I'm close with and mad at the world. I figured with better sleep, which I am getting, some of this mental stuff would be improved, but it really hasn't. Just no zest for life and angry at everyone. No hobbies or interests seem to help because I've seemed to lost them.

 

Been thinking of getting on a low dose of Remeron for a long time now.

 

Well I don't know, boom. I would tell you to wait a while before doing mirtazepine. It has a lot of side effects. I had a lot of mental issues at 14 months out that went away later. On the other hand, I'm still not "completely" healed - if that means back to where I was before benzos - so maybe I shouldn't be giving advice. If I still haven't healed myself after 7.5 years, what good is my advice anyway? Maybe I've done it all wrong. All I can tell you is what happened to me. I'm a lot better now than I was at 14 months out, for what it's worth.

[[So...]]

That's awesome soupfordinner. Would you consider yourself healed? How were your mental symptoms?

 

Boom,I do consider myself healed.

 

I had no mental symptoms while taking restoril all those years, until I noticed after being prescribed Ciprofloxin, prednisone & some other antibiotics,I began to experience agoraphobia & irrational fear of leaving my house,having panic attacks.I ended up quitting my little nite job (not career) & retiring.I had been ready to get off benzo/already in discussion with dr. so the timing was right to get free.Mental symptoms with withdrawal were most everything listed here on BB.Now calm,very mellow,happy.No fears,very positive......I'm back to my normal confident self, and so very happy to have made it thru.

 

Sleep without any supplementation is improving every day,getting quality on a regular schedule.I feel good getting up,am able to get all my chores and projects done without feeling like I need sleep,rarely nap.

 

I do give credit to time & taking supplements for sleep and mood (Repair of Central Nervous System) being my own experiment (n=1) became my job.Regular sleep was critical for me to stay positive and heal so I focused on solving that with supplements until my own CNS was repaired enough to take over.

 

SfD

[[So...]]

S4D,

 

Yay!  Congratulations!!  May all days be bright.

 

SaraSue

 

Thank you so much,SaraSue!

 

 

[[Le...]]

I am fully healed now. And very happy about this. I live a normal life now, I don't feel depressed, or even very anxious now and I can sleep just fine. NO MORE weird symptoms that drove me to specialists who told me I had this or that disorder. ALL my old symptoms have just disappeared....because they were ALL being caused by benzos and possibly ADs as well.

You have to understand that most people, once they heal, want to AVOID being on a forum like this! It can be very painful for them. Once I felt healed I stopped coming here on BB every single day. I avoided BB for quite a while. But for me, eventually, I felt a need to try to help others get through this.

In my journey through this disaster, I have met MANY people who have now healed and almost all of them lead normal lives now. Getting off benzos was, by far, the hardest thing I ever did and the BEST thing I ever did.

Never give up, no matter how awful you feel right now.

east

how long did it take you to feel recovered?

[[in...]]

I think we should all make a promise to revisit this BB occasionally after healing to offer support and hope for those still in the struggle. Good Karma!

[[in...]]

I am only nine weeks out from jump after two year wd and 30+ years on klonopin/clonazepam.  That said, I thought it might be worthwhile to share positive progress.

 

I have decided to rate a few things I have gone through in this way; first number is peak, second number is where a symptom is at now, all rated on scale of 1 to 10, with ten being really bad/awful.

 

Depression: 7/1

Panic: 7/0

Anxiety: 7/2

Agoraphobia: 3/4

Fatigue: 9/2

Focus: 7/2

Happiness: 7/4 (lower# = happier)

Physical Pains: 2/6

Bad/Intrusive Thoughts: 7/1

Dissiness/Vertigo: 8/0

Sleep: 8/3

Motivation: 7/2

Self-Esteem: 6/2

Appetite: 6/1

Bowels/Urine: 5/2

Misc: 4/1

 

Sum: 100/33

 

So, a 2/3rds reduction in symptoms over peaks. Almost everything is trending better than it's worse point, many significantly. Each of the symptoms above is a part of the body going through the healing process.  There was a point when many of these symptoms were at there worse at the same time, others persisted at uncomfortable levels for a year or more, but as one can see, the body, the mind heals. It is designed to do that.

 

How we interpret the healing is a choice. Not that understanding healing makes things go away, but it can help make the journey more bearable, and it gives hope.  Hope is healing. Seek it out.

 

For now I try to live like my Golden Retriever, very much in the moment, not focused on the past, not thinking to much about the future, looking for treats, a good belly scratch, a grass roll, ready to wag my tail on any opportunity I can find.  SQUIRREL!

 

[[go...]]

I wouldn't say I am fully healed, but I am definitely function in society again. I drive, I work full time, I socialise on weekends, I exercise, I eat whatever I want. Still have days of low mood now and again, and fatigue. My memory isn't what it was. But I am function again.

 

Last summer I could barely leave the house and was sure i was losing my mind.

[[bo...]]

I wouldn't say I am fully healed, but I am definitely function in society again. I drive, I work full time, I socialise on weekends, I exercise, I eat whatever I want. Still have days of low mood now and again, and fatigue. My memory isn't what it was. But I am function again.

 

Last summer I could barely leave the house and was sure i was losing my mind.

Hi wanted to know if you were taking other meds before or during tapering? so 4-5 months you had acute suddenly?