Discussion: Four Phases of Withdrawal-Where Are You?

[[La...]]

I think I am in Phase 2.  I have been tapering since May, but think I am hitting tolerance - not sure.  I am tapering very slowly, but the waves of pain are hitting me harder now.  I do have some good windows and it feels like I am doing better and then it hits me.  This last 6 days have been so hard.  I need encouragement....I need to know that this will get better.  Thanks.

[[so...]]

Lahenz,

 

You are probably right in guessing that you may have hit tolerance.  Phase One is the acute phase once you have jumped off the drugs.  Some people who taper slide smoothly into Phase One, then continue on through the rest of the phases.  Basically, the phases are benchmarks that show you that your system is healing itself.  Some have reported that they don't follow this pattern of healing but, overall, most people see the systematic healing pattern.

 

Good luck to you!

 

Sofa

[[Re...]]

I am unfortunately still and phase two. The never ending phase.

[[ld...]]

Oh yeah!

 

    I am in the borderline of Phase 3 and Phase 4 leaning into Phase 4. Feeling good! 

 

          ldm27

[[...]]

I guess id be in phase three.  I went to a concert and it threw me into an 8 week wave(mainly tinnitus and visual disturbances).  I hope it ends.  Anyone experience a tinnitus based wave due to a stressor or outside influence?

[[He...]]

Hello! Thanks for the post. Very informative. I think I'm in phase 3. I've noticed stress, sugar, and waiting for long periods of time makes

My waves appear! I'm thinking phase 3 is where I'm

at. Took my last pill on April 1. I do feel there has been improvement. Still having headaches, dizzines, slight anxiety, and eye & forehead spasms. But, the windows are getting longer. Thanks again and God bless us all. 

[Guest [He...]]

Thanks so much for this post. Very helpful. As someone who is tapering off Xanax I seem to move between phases.  As I get lower in dose I have longer windows  and shorter waves which keeps me motivated to continue my taper. I am confused about the whole concept of tolerance withdrawal and whether or not I will bypass the whole acute phase once I jump.  It seems that each time I make a cut I cycle thru phase 2 and phase 3 (partially).  I haven't felt like I've been in acute phase since I made my first cut. Can anyone else share their taper experience and how it relates to theses stages?  I would like to know if you went thru all the stages again once you jumped. I know everyone is different but anything you can share would be great. Thanks!! 

[[Yo...]]

I am in three and trying to figure it out. I have been here for awhile, seen a nutritionist and had a sensitivity panel done so it is less of a guessing game, although it seems to constantly change. I have gone gluten free, dairy free and yeast free. Working on switching home cleaning to essential oils, make my own deodorant and try to buy organic. It is not cheap or easy but I know we will emerge better, healthier and stronger. I hope everyone gets to stage four as soon as possible. No one deserves it more.

[[Ce...]]

Hi. Just a bookmark! 

[[Be...]]

Hi, I just completed a month on phase 1, I have crazy anxiety and recurring depression, is there a specific time frame for each phase? Does anyone know? Cheers Beejay

[[Bl...]]

Right now I'm on Three and I feel like Four is coming soon. 

[[so...]]

Way to go, Blueskies!  We will make it.  We all recover from this nightmare.  Our brains know how to fix this.

 

Sofa

[[an...]]

Just came out of a month long wave about a week ago with a higher baseline. I believe I am in phase 3 finally!

[[Re...]]

Just came out of a month long wave about a week ago with a higher baseline. I believe I am in phase 3 finally!

 

Congratulations ang111 . I came out of a month long wave a week ago and noticed a higher baseline as well. 

[[so...]]

Way to go Ang and Remy.  I came out of a two week wave recently due to getting my hair dyed and I too have a higher baseline.  We are healing.

 

Sofa

[[ld...]]

Just came out of a 2 week wave. Today feeling fantastic! Yes we are healing!    Best to you all!

 

  ldm27

[[Ce...]]

Just came out of a 2 week wave. Today feeling fantastic! Yes we are healing!    Best to you all!

 

  ldm27

 

 

So happy for you,  ldm27! And so hopeful for us all. This is a good sign of things to come....

[[so...]]

Awesome IDM!

 

Sofa

[[il...]]

These phases are confusing. At one time I felt they were accurate, but now I don't know if they apply to me?

 

Of course today I shouldn't speak much on my recovery because I barely slept last night. But, today I feel fried. Mental sxs are horrible. Out of nowhere, too. I've been doing great. Physically and emotionally amazing. Maybe this is why mental sxs are more profound? I also never really followed the windows and waves pattern all that much - at least never enough to even notice certain blocks of each, like how many say "I just had a 4 day window," or "I just had a 3 day wave," I've just gotten better and better gradually.

 

If anyone has taken notice to my journey, where does it sound like I am? Hell I'm half functional driving for Uber half the time. I even drove Uber in center city Philly a bunch of times. I'm confused today...

[[Ce...]]

These phases are confusing. At one time I felt they were accurate, but now I don't know if they apply to me?

 

Of course today I shouldn't speak much on my recovery because I barely slept last night. But, today I feel fried. Mental sxs are horrible. Out of nowhere, too. I've been doing great. Physically and emotionally amazing. Maybe this is why mental sxs are more profound? I also never really followed the windows and waves pattern all that much - at least never enough to even notice certain blocks of each, like how many say "I just had a 4 day window," or "I just had a 3 day wave," I've just gotten better and better gradually.

 

If anyone has taken notice to my journey, where does it sound like I am? Hell I'm half functional driving for Uber half the time. I even drove Uber in center city Philly a bunch of times. I'm confused today...

 

As you said, Never Again, you lost sleep last night. It's a whole different world without sleep when you aren't in w/d. When you are in w/d it's a nightmare and everything looks hopeless and 10x as depressing. I don't follow windows and waves, either. I just feel better or if I don't sleep, I feel like shyte.

[[il...]]

These phases are confusing. At one time I felt they were accurate, but now I don't know if they apply to me?

 

Of course today I shouldn't speak much on my recovery because I barely slept last night. But, today I feel fried. Mental sxs are horrible. Out of nowhere, too. I've been doing great. Physically and emotionally amazing. Maybe this is why mental sxs are more profound? I also never really followed the windows and waves pattern all that much - at least never enough to even notice certain blocks of each, like how many say "I just had a 4 day window," or "I just had a 3 day wave," I've just gotten better and better gradually.

 

If anyone has taken notice to my journey, where does it sound like I am? Hell I'm half functional driving for Uber half the time. I even drove Uber in center city Philly a bunch of times. I'm confused today...

 

As you said, Never Again, you lost sleep last night. It's a whole different world without sleep when you aren't in w/d. When you are in w/d it's a nightmare and everything looks hopeless and 10x as depressing. I don't follow windows and waves, either. I just feel better or if I don't sleep, I feel like shyte.

 

Thanks, CeCe. It's crazy what no sleep during this can do. I already feel better and am looking forward to a much better day tomorrow. I hope you're well, as well as can be, anyway. Thanks so much for responding.

[[ld...]]

Hi

 

      I know a lot of us are different and our symptoms may be different too. Just like how we are all healing but at different rates and time. I am one of those that have the waves and windows. It's crazy. Right now I am 7 months out and it has been wild with the symptoms morphing and changing as time passes. One thing I have noticed is that in the early period of jumping my sleep was terrible. I was only getting 1 1/2 to 2 hours per night. At this point in time my sleep has improved to the average of 5 hours per night with more days happening to 6 and 7 hours per night. Just thought I would share. Hope all is well and that everybody can begin to feel better as we keep pushing through this stuff. 

 

Your buddy   

 

                        ldm27

[[il...]]

These phases are confusing. At one time I felt they were accurate, but now I don't know if they apply to me?

 

Of course today I shouldn't speak much on my recovery because I barely slept last night. But, today I feel fried. Mental sxs are horrible. Out of nowhere, too. I've been doing great. Physically and emotionally amazing. Maybe this is why mental sxs are more profound? I also never really followed the windows and waves pattern all that much - at least never enough to even notice certain blocks of each, like how many say "I just had a 4 day window," or "I just had a 3 day wave," I've just gotten better and better gradually.

 

If anyone has taken notice to my journey, where does it sound like I am? Hell I'm half functional driving for Uber half the time. I even drove Uber in center city Philly a bunch of times. I'm confused today...

 

As you said, Never Again, you lost sleep last night. It's a whole different world without sleep when you aren't in w/d. When you are in w/d it's a nightmare and everything looks hopeless and 10x as depressing. I don't follow windows and waves, either. I just feel better or if I don't sleep, I feel like shyte.

 

Since most of the time only the bad gets posted on here, I'm happy to report today I feel amazing. It took me by such surprise I guess because it's been months since I had trouble sleeping, so I forgot what lack of sleep felt like! Ha! I slept like a baby last night! Thanks again, CeCe, and God bless!

[[so...]]

Illneverdothisagain,

 

Thanks for posting, sweetheart.  It's good to hear from you.

 

Each of us is traveling along the healing highway uniquely.  You have a different pattern than I have.  You get big blocks of breaks that make you feel 90% healed.  I never get these blocks.  My healing is a slow methodical trudge through mud and molasses with almost imperceptible improvements, so subtle I almost have to make them up and talk myself into feeling them.

 

Try to judge where you are in the phases by noticing if you get upticks from situational triggers like food with preservatives, chemicals, too much sugar or fruit without protein, anything that can kick your blood sugar out of balance.  When your blood sugar gets whacked out of synch, you get nailed.  The farther out you are, the more delayed your reaction will be.  Instead of reacting immediately, like you would in acute, it make take a day or two for your system to react, so you'll have to remember back further to find the culprit.  Situational upticks are characteristic of Phase 3.  You don't get bashed around for no apparent reason like the previous two phases.

 

The four phases completely ring true for me.  I have inadvertently made several mistakes that have hit me pretty hard.  I believe the phases are the framework of this healing process for all of us, but there are some people who cannot see it.  They see this process as completely chaotic and that doesn't make any sense to me.  Linear healing is methodical, so why shouldn't non-linear healing be systematic in its own way.  After all, our bodies are biological machines and should operate within some kind of natural order, right?

 

Just for your own peace of mind, look for triggers and avoid them.  It won't get rid of your symptoms, only time does that, but it sure dampens them down.

 

You could be in Phase 2 with some nice long windows or Phase 3 with some nasty situational triggers.  How fast we move through the phases varies with each person.  You could be done with this whole mess very soon.

 

Keep sailing on smoothe waters....Sofa

 

 

[[il...]]

Illneverdothisagain,

 

Thanks for posting, sweetheart.  It's good to hear from you.

 

Each of us is traveling along the healing highway uniquely.  You have a different pattern than I have.  You get big blocks of breaks that make you feel 90% healed.  I never get these blocks.  My healing is a slow methodical trudge through mud and molasses with almost imperceptible improvements, so subtle I almost have to make them up and talk myself into feeling them.

 

Try to judge where you are in the phases by noticing if you get upticks from situational triggers like food with preservatives, chemicals, too much sugar or fruit without protein, anything that can kick your blood sugar out of balance.  When your blood sugar gets whacked out of synch, you get nailed.  The farther out you are, the more delayed your reaction will be.  Instead of reacting immediately, like you would in acute, it make take a day or two for your system to react, so you'll have to remember back further to find the culprit.  Situational upticks are characteristic of Phase 3.  You don't get bashed around for no apparent reason like the previous two phases.

 

The four phases completely ring true for me.  I have inadvertently made several mistakes that have hit me pretty hard.  I believe the phases are the framework of this healing process for all of us, but there are some people who cannot see it.  They see this process as completely chaotic and that doesn't make any sense to me.  Linear healing is methodical, so why shouldn't non-linear healing be systematic in its own way.  After all, our bodies are biological machines and should operate within some kind of natural order, right?

 

Just for your own peace of mind, look for triggers and avoid them.  It won't get rid of your symptoms, only time does that, but it sure dampens them down.

 

You could be in Phase 2 with some nice long windows or Phase 3 with some nasty situational triggers.  How fast we move through the phases varies with each person.  You could be done with this whole mess very soon.

 

Keep sailing on smoothe waters....Sofa

 

Thanks, Sofa - I hope you're edging even closer to full recovery as I'm sure you are by now. I've said some prayers for you.

 

It's definitely confusing. And, like you said, I think I'm either in a really good phase 2 or I'm in phase 3 doing this to myself. If I have food sensitivities, I'm sensitive to EVERYTHING. But, in between meals? I feel so close to normal it's not even funny.

 

I'm having a window from mental symptoms today, thank sweet baby Jesus. They started breaking up around 7-7.5 months, but for some reason, they surged recently. I'll take them over physical/emotional surges, I guess, but boy can they be scary. They also seem to be the only sxs left aside from some core buggers like faint tinnitus and anxiety after I eat.

 

I also never meant to paint a picture of delusion. I'm not symptom-free physically - just last night my hyperacousis flared a bit. It was a minuscule fraction, mostly annoying if anything. My tinnitus is down to a new low, it's only been able to be heard at night for months now, slowly creeping towards a full disappearance, with very minor and seldom flare ups.

 

These phases are great, just confusing. The confusing this is, I'm working. It's not much, but I drive people around as an Uber driver. I've even driven down to center city Philadelphia to drive Uber. So it's like this odd existence of "I'm clearly a bit sensitive,  but look at what I'm doing?!" And then I knock on wood. A lot. Ha. So, among other reasons, I *feel* like I'm in 3, but maybe I won't know until I keep going and look back in retrospect?

 

And to use an analogy like you so often do, so well - I've said that for months, it was like I was lost at sea with no floatation device during a hurricane, barely treading water enough to breathe. Then, months 6 & 7, I felt like I was somewhere where I could finally stand, but far out at sea still. Then, months 8 & 9 have felt like I was slowly walking to shore, progressing to where I said at one point I felt hip-deep in water, and finally only ankle-deep. The current has taken me back out some, but not far at all. And for heavily drinking in January, I feel beyond grateful for how well I'm coming along.

 

Thanks again for this. You've contributed a lot to this community, and whichever of the paths we're on - the seemingly faster one or the slower one - your knowledge on this hell known as benzo withdrawal syndrome has been extremely helpful and comforting. I pray you're much, much better and readier than ever for your new life.

 

Never Again