Speech difficulty

[[Ye...]]

I'm having trouble with speech. It seems like it takes a lot of effort to actual speak words. I can understand others but when I go to speak myself, it's difficult. My words come out in a low pitched tone which is not the norm.

 

Symptom? Never had issues prior to tapering benzos. I'm 37.

[Guest [ba...]]

I had speaking difficulties for a time.  It got so bad for a while that I couldn't finish a sentence - I'd forget what I was talking about mid-sentence.  Very difficult to do a college lecture like that (thank goodness for Powerpoint).  It's temporary.  It should resolve.

 

Was this difficulty noticed right after a cut?  Or maybe you're doing a continuous micro-taper???  You might wish to add a signature so that we better know where you are along your path.

[[Ye...]]

I'm doing a continuous micro taper. Cutting about 1 percent valium a week. Even though it's slow, I'm having a really hard time. I noticed it this morning. I'll add a signature. I've gone from 15mg valium and sitting at 8.5 in over 16 months.

[[Ti...]]

I just started tapering from a nighttime dose that I took for years.

Even before the taper I had problems finishing a sentence.  I was like my brain knew what it wanted to say, but my mouth couldn't catch up.  I saw a speech therapist, before I caught on that it was benzo related.

I hope it resolves for us soon!

[[Ye...]]

Okay, this is extremely strange. So like I mentioned, I woke up at 6am.having trouble actually speaking. My voice was this low toned pitch and I just had a sense like it took effort to actually speak. I was forced into a nap around 11am and woke up with the ability to fully speak again with no difficulty.

 

Lately I've been having these episodes where I am literally forced to sleep during the day, almost like I can't wake up out of it.

[Guest [ba...]]

Okay, this is extremely strange. So like I mentioned, I woke up at 6am.having trouble actually speaking. My voice was this low toned pitch and I just had a sense like it took effort to actually speak. I was forced into a nap around 11am and woke up with the ability to fully speak again with no difficulty.

 

Lately I've been having these episodes where I am literally forced to sleep during the day, almost like I can't wake up out of it.

 

Withdrawal is so weird.

[[ho...]]

From what you've written, it seems more mechanical than mental if I read you correctly. During WD, the thyroid takes a beating due to the constant on/off of the sympathetic nervous system. If the thyroid swells, it will produce a deep lower toned voice.  ( See actress Kathleen Turner's stint on Friends.) It also can commonly cause brain fog. Those with severe low thyroid can become physically immobile.

 

When you have auto-immune aggravation, a condition can develop called Hashimoto's thyroiditis. Antibodies attack the gland which can cause swelling, voice changes, difficulty swallowing, and usually fatigue. You might want to get a full thyroid panel done NOT just a TSH (thyroid stimulating hormone) like many doctors request. This website explains the labs:    http://www.tiredthyroid.com/?s=Lab+work

 

This is easily detected and treated with thyroid meds.  If you choose not to, you may get ever increasing symptoms. This may explain the need for the naps.  Please look into it. It will not magically correct itself.

 

Hope this provides useful information.

[[Ye...]]

From what you've written, it seems more mechanical than mental if I read you correctly. During WD, the thyroid takes a beating due to the constant on/off of the sympathetic nervous system. If the thyroid swells, it will produce a deep lower toned voice.  ( See actress Kathleen Turner's stint on Friends.) It also can commonly cause brain fog. Those with severe low thyroid can become physically immobile.

 

When you have auto-immune aggravation, a condition can develop called Hashimoto's thyroiditis. Antibodies attack the gland which can cause swelling, voice changes, difficulty swallowing, and usually fatigue. You might want to get a full thyroid panel done NOT just a TSH (thyroid stimulating hormone) like many doctors request. This website explains the labs:    http://www.tiredthyroid.com/?s=Lab+work

 

This is easily detected and treated with thyroid meds.  If you choose not to, you may get ever increasing symptoms. This may explain the need for the naps.  Please look into it. It will not magically correct itself.

 

Hope this provides useful information.

 

Last December I did go hypo. TSH was starting to from a normal range to 12. I was hardly sleeping at the point of testing, perhaps 1-3 hours a night for a month and a half. I ended up taking levothyroxine but my God, I couldn't tolerate it. After 9 days I quit, it felt like it was burning a hole in my brain and my chest hurt so bad. Since then I've had my TSH levels checked and they come back normal.

 

I do have issues with energy. I literally feel like I'm going to drop dead if I go for a walk around the block. Also like you mentioned, I'm starting to get the forced sleep episodes.

 

My Dr keeps telling me my thyroid panel is fine. What exactly do I need tested?

[[ho...]]

With Hashimoto's, when the gland is underachieving you get fatigue, hair loss, poor temp control, but when the antibodies actually destroy some thyroid tissue, you can get temporarily too much as the tissue releases a bunch at once. Normally the thyroid puts out about 100mcg of T4 (storage form) and 10mcg of T3 (active form) per day. The idea is that T4 is converted in the tissues to active T3 as needed.

 

Thyroid panels should include: TSH, T3 free and total, T4 free and total, Thyroid antibodies. I'll give a brief explanation here, but really encourage you to read the Tiredthyroid.com info as she goes into great details and in depth explanations. TSH is the hypothalamus signaling the thyroid gland to make more. Since the brain protects itself, the levels around it can be significantly higher than those in the tissues. Your level of 12 is high enough to give horrible symptoms. Despite the lab's normals, a desirable level is a TSH of <1.5. This has been proven to lower cardiovascular risks too.  T3 is the active form, T4 is the storage form. If these total values are high but the "free" is low, there may be a conversion problem. High histamine can drive Hashimoto's. High histamine often happens in WD.    https://www.restartmed.com/t3-and-t4/

 

Adequate T3 has actually been used to treat patients for depression, bipolar, and OCD. That's how important it is for the brain's well being. T3 acts on GABA like receptors.  (STARR report) T3 is the gasoline of the engine in the cells and literally determines energy production.

 

Please be aware, you need to look at things around the house that might make this worse.  There is a chemical called oxybenzone that is ubiquitously put in almost all hair care, skin care products, lip balms, and sunscreens. It decreases thyroid output. It is also in almost all women's cosmetics, especially anti-aging products.  This stuff is so bad the state of HI and other places has banned sunscreens with it as it kills off the coral reefs.  It also contaminates any lakes or reservoirs where people swim with it on, killing the fish. CDC did a study on some 6000 people and found even little kids had very high levels in their blood. This cannot be good for anyone.

 

Also look at some supplements.  Vitamin A is required to convert T4 to T3. Low selenium and iodine equally harm the thyroid. If you can stand it, liver and kidney meats provide many things to nourish the thyroid. Good fats help make all hormones: butter, ghee, fish oil, etc.

 

Encourage everyone to read up on the thyroid and it's problems during WD. Explains a lot.