Discussion: Four Phases of Withdrawal-Where Are You?

[[so...]]

Gettingthere,

 

Ang is so right.  We are all completely different in how long the different phases last.  We have many similarities, though, in experiencing what each phase feels like.  Remember, you are only reading what people write in the moment.  Five minutes or a couple hours after they post things could change entirely.  Just keep in mind that there is a happy conclusion to all of this turmoil.

 

Sofa

[[yy...]]

I am in Dallas, TX. 

[[Kl...]]

I am pretty sure I've been in 3 for a little while now, a few weeks maybe. Seems like the small waves I have were triggered by something, food, or exercise or too much stimulation. The last couple of symptoms are finally starting to fade, so hoping I am close to phase 4..

[[Fa...]]

Phase two right now.

I don't think I really had an acute one. 

[[so...]]

Hey Buddies,

 

Well, at 24 months off, I seem to be firmly planted in Phase Four finally, with two bugger symptoms still parking their asses in my CNS and, like the last two annoying losers left after the party has long been over, they will be munching on stale leftovers until they get good and ready to leave.  The symptoms I have left aren't painful or distressing, just STILL HERE.

 

I hope everybody continues moving forward as smoothly and quickly as possible through the remainder of this journey.

 

My love and admiration to all of you warriors,

 

Sofa

[[Be...]]

2 going on 3....crap. lol

[[so...]]

Lol Beau,

 

Yup, crap is a perfect way of putting it.  Take heart.  It gets better down the road!

 

Sofa

[[ol...]]

My experience does not seem to quite follow the four stages outlined here.  Took my last dose of benzos on July 19, 2016 after a 16-month taper from taking 1mg of clonazepam for 19 months.  For about 6 weeks I had symptoms that were similar to those I had during the taper, although somewhat more intense - trouble sleeping all night, some anxiety & depression, muscle aches and my old friend nausea.  In addition I had a few new symptoms like being easily startled, intense short bursts of anger, and random muscle spasms.  Then about 7 weeks out I started feeling pretty good.  I was sleeping better, pains gone, no anxiety or depression to speak of and best of all the nausea was virtually non-existent.  I was really beginning to look forward to picking up a reasonably normal life again. Then after about 10 days or so of feeling really good and thinking I was going to be one of the lucky ones, things went downhill fairly rapidly.  My GI symptoms really got bad, as did muscle pains, anxiety and depression.  I also started having frequent headaches which had never been a problem before and sleep issues returned.  Since then my symptoms do come and go with the sort of windows and waves flow others have described, but I definitely have a lot more bad days than good ones and the good ones are not nearly as good as I felt during the ten days or so 7 weeks out from my last dose. I realize that everyone is different when it comes to benzo withdrawal but I haven't found reference to anyone else having this sort of experience where my acute Phase One was very mild and the really bad withdrawal symptoms didn't begin until after a period where they had essentially disappeared almost entirely.  Either way I guess I'm just going to have to ride it out, but I guess I am just curious if anyone else has

[[so...]]

Oldlawyer,

 

Your signature is a bit confusing to me.  You said you switched over to Valium from K, but your sig says you are tapering K?

 

Some people who taper have a smoother landing into the Acute Phase.  Many people who taper Valium experience a "honeymoon" period immediately after tapering and jumping, due to Valium's long half life.  It is stored in fat cells and leeches out slowly.

 

I'm glad you got that initial smooth landing.  I CT'd a short half life benzo, Ativan, and got hit immediately and severely the next morning at 3am.  The fact that you are now feeling some of the harsher fangs of WD at this point in the process is totally normal.  You are also taking 3 other drugs, which plays into all of this.  You will be fine.

 

Sofa

[[ol...]]

Thanks Sofa.  Sorry for the confusion, the signature information is correct, but my message had gotten so long that I just referred to the K as a shortcut. It was the drug originally prescribed and which I was on for nearly two years until I figured out it was time to get off it.  In any event, I assumed there was nothing really new under the sun in the world of benzo withdrawal but I live in a small city of only about 100k people and support is a little thin on the ground, so, your words of reassurance are a big help.  Also, the information about the valium honeymoon is helpful as well.  As with all "honeymoons" it would be nice if it had lasted indefinitely.  Sigh .... 

[[ch...]]

Obviously, I am  in Phase 3 (hypersensitivity to foods, supplements and environmental stimuli). Although this Phase deserves celebration,  there  is also an increase in confusion and frustration from experimenting with various foods, diets and environmental stressors which stimulate the CNS. I'm grateful for this post because  sometimes I've felt as though these setbacks will persist, but I now know there are 4 phases in the withdrawal process. I pray that I can slide into Phase 4 soon !

[[lo...]]

i tapered slowly. is it possible that i went straight into phase 2? my mornings are really bad, till 12 or so at least.

I sleep well, and have some easier time in the late afternoon, and feel pretty happy in the evening altough I am still aware of symptoms

[[so...]]

Locutus,

 

It is definitely possible to bypass the acute phase and slide directly into Phase Two after a slow taper.  That is one of the benefits of coming off the drugs slowly.  Congratulations!  You are on your way!

 

Sofa

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Chitowngirl,

 

I've written many posts about how detrimental supplements are during this process.  Our fragile CNS just can't handle the chemical overload.  Eating a hypoglycemic diet of whole unprocessed foods is a key factor in recovery as well.  70% protein/30% complex carbs.  Steer clear of all preservatives in foods by reading labels and making sure that restaurant meals do not use MSG, sauces of any kind, nitrates, etc.

 

You are well on your way. 

 

Sofa

[[lo...]]

so how long is stage 1 supposed to last. I know it depends on many factors. How long did it took you to feel some sliding into stage 2?

I am starting to think that I am in stage 1. sleeping for 8 hours though. but as soon as I wake up ^*&%&^^&

[[so...]]

Locutus,

 

How long each stage lasts is very individual.  1-6 months in Phase One seems average.

 

Sofa

[[Ma...]]

Hi ... I am in stage one and beginning stage 2................... I am 9 months of a ct Klonopin ...but I only used Klonopin for 6 weeks before tapering.!... and I have been having a terrible time with sx...

 

Klonopin .5 twice a day for 6 weeks

.5. .375  2 months

.5 .25  2 months

ct. at .375 night and .20 day...

and it has not been fun to say the least...

but 5 different doctors and 3 er visits

took me off the Klonopin... I had severe reactions to it while taking ... and

well. the wd was even worse

and all doctors said... no possible.. it is in my "head"... which has been brutally  hard to accept

that the medical community is ignorant and/or denies what these medicines can do to people.!

and we are left to deal on our own.. at least I have been.

 

 

[[of...]]

Hey Buddies,

 

My angel and mentor through this withdrawal mess is someone who survived benzo withdrawal herself, supported and cared for her husband during his withdrawal, and has observed and supported hundreds of people on BB through this process, all of whom have healed and are out living lives of complete rebirth and utter bliss.  They have all healed.  She has read thousands of posts and followed hundreds of journeys and, as a third party observer, she has concluded there are four distinct phases to this withdrawal process.  I thought it might be interesting to some people (me) to try and figure out where we are in our journey and maybe how much longer we have to do "time" before we're released from our temporary prison.  I also think it may give some people (me) hope that we are progressing and this will, one day, come to an end.  Maybe these phases don't ring true for your withdrawal experience.  Tapering versus cold turkey would likely make our journeys different for that reason alone.  I hope lots of people chime in with their experiences through withdrawal, as the collection of more anecdotal evidence helps all of us.

 

PHASE ONE

This is what we commonly refer to as the Acute Phase, which commences once you jump off the medication.  It is marked by a severe onslaught of unrelenting symptoms that make us suffer non-stop 24/7.  If you tapered and went through tolerance withdrawal, perhaps the shock and horror of this phase is a smoother transition.  For others, it may be the same hell we all go through in Acute, whether we tapered or not.  Over time, we all even out and catch up with each other.

 

PHASE TWO

This phase is, unfortunately, not much easier than Phase One, but is marked by symptoms "morphing" in nature, becoming intermittent, decreasing in intensity and frequency, and even disappearing altogether.  New symptoms may even pop in and out periodically.  Some people start detecting the Windows and Waves pattern beginning.  Others may start seeing relief in the late afternoon and evening.  In this phase, you can pretty easily identify your "core" bugger symptoms versus the auxiliary ones, kind of like a circle within a circle of your close "friends" versus your "acquaintances."  Even if you experience windows, the waves crash down on you for no apparent reason too.  It's still a very hellish phase, to say the least, but it IS progress.

 

PHASE THREE

This phase is better than One and Two because it is more situational and predictable.  It is the Sensitivity Phase.  You might never have noticed you reacted to things earlier in withdrawal, mostly because you were dealing with horrific symptoms all the time and didn't make the sensitivity connection.  How could you?  You were suffering ALL THE TIME.  Now that you are further along in your healing and notice a definite dampening down of symptoms, you'll recognize a big difference when you get upticks and flare ups.  For some people, their sensitivity reaction will come the following day in the form of a wave and they will pull out of it in a matter of hours. This delayed wave reaction and short duration is evidence that your system has healed a LOT.  Others might get hit with a wave that lasts a few days or weeks.  It probably depends on what caused the sensitivity reaction.  Here are just a few things that may or may not cause a sensitivity wave: 

 

1.  You eat something that doesn't agree with you, or contains preservatives or too much sugar.

2.  Caffeine, alcohol, weed.

3.  Missing meals which makes your blood sugar drop.

4.  Too much strenuous exercise, activity or over-stimulation.

5.  Stressful life circumstances.

6.  Antibiotics.

7.  Drugs and supplements.

8.  Chemicals in cleaning and personal products.

 

These are just a few of the sensitivity triggers that may or may not cause a wave.  I'm sure the buddies on this forum could name many others and I HOPE THEY DO, so the rest of us can keep our antennas up.  Bottom line:  These are situational upticks and waves that are not random and come out of nowhere.  You are further along in the healing process.  You'll bounce back and keep moving forward, avoiding the things that trigger your waves.

 

PHASE FOUR

This is the Recovery Phase.  Almost all of the debilitating symptoms that kept you dysfunctional are gone.  The remaining one or two symptoms are more annoyances than anything.  Your systems are still healing, so you need to walk gently into re-entry.  You also need to keep living the healthy lifestyle you've acquired throughout your withdrawal journey.  You will feel better and better each day because your systems are continually healing.  You will KNOW your suffering is over, but you need to keep your antennas up and abstain from your previous vices for another year.

 

So that's it in a very big nutshell.  I'd love to hear feedback from other buddies on whether or not these phases strike a familiar chord, or really don't seem to apply.

 

My own journey has mirrored these phases so far.  I seem to be in Phase Three.

 

Where are all of you in your journey so far?

 

Sofa

 

I think I'm finally entering stage four. Can't wait till this is over!!

[[lo...]]

i'm seriously considering getting off work and getting short/long disability. I checked into the employee insurance and they pay for mental conditions for up to 24 months. shouldn't be an issue getting it approved in CA.  there is no way i can sit 8h at a desk as of today.

I think even if w/d gets better, this will still be a recovery process, just to re-learn to deal with underlying anxiety which was already a big issue before benzo.

So far I took rest of year off, and I would hope my symptoms improve at least a bit in 1 month.

 

Locutus,

 

How long each stage lasts is very individual.  1-6 months in Phase One seems average.

 

Sofa

[[so...]]

Locutus,

 

I think you have a good plan in taking off some time from work to get through this process without the hindrance of added pressure.  So many buddies have to work throughout this ordeal and I think they are the bravest of warriors.  I cannot even imagine working and I used to be a senior banking executive.  I am a far cry from that now and I doubt I will ever be again, but I will find happiness somehow, in simpler terms, once this is over.

 

Sofa

[[so...]]

OE,

 

So happy for your crossing into Phase Four.  This will soon be in your rear view mirror.

 

Sofa

[[so...]]

Marie,

 

I was in acute for six months and Phase Two lasted a year for me.  I'm sure you will see some windows soon which will instill in you the hope you need to carry on.

 

Sofa

[[re...]]

Thank you for this, Sofa.

 

I'm on Day 13 and saw some let up today. Thinking I am making the transition into two. I was able to get some work done.  And so I wait...ready for the next round in this battle.

[[lo...]]

day 15 for me. I feel similar. like getting into 2 or maybe even 3, or maybe something all together and in between

 

Thank you for this, Sofa.

 

I'm on Day 13 and saw some let up today. Thinking I am making the transition into two. I was able to get some work done.  And so I wait...ready for the next round in this battle.

[[so...]]

Whatever comes your way, you will deal with it guys.  I am proof positive that we can endure withdrawal and survive it.

 

Sofa