GI Symptoms During Wave

[[mi...]]

I'm at my wits end with my gut. Anyone have GI symptoms get worse during a wave and settle down when the wave does? Still in a horrible wave that won't end. More symptoms than I've ever had, with gut being the worst of them.

[[Re...]]

Hello mikeyjoed! 

Yes, one of my main and most disturbing symptom is nausea, that gets a lot worse in a wave. It comes along with head pressure and chest pain etc. It has become somewhat better, but I am still quite in the middle of this. I noticed that a lighter, healthy, vegetable diet and still mineral water does help in my case. 

[[Fa...]]

My GI symptoms ALWAYS amp up when in a wave.  Things just ‘shut down’ it seems.  Normal…especially for those dealing with more GI problems.

[[mi...]]

Do these symptoms seem to get better when the wave ends? I hadn’t had GI problems much until this doozy. Just an occasional off day. This wave is insane and acute and so is my gut. My God I can’t tolerate this it hurts so bad and feels so nervy. 

[[Re...]]

In my case it seems like that, yes. I actually had no nausea for some time, but on Tuesday the barometric pressre dropped (weather change) and that brought a cascade of symptoms back. I hope you and I will both get better soon. 

[[mi...]]

For me it’s more than nausea. It is full fledged benzo belly symptoms which I did not have until 6 weeks ago when it all started at once. Massive bloating and hyper reactivity in gut. Feels inflamed and swollen. Whether I eat or not. Bowel movements are normal though.

[[An...]]

Same exact symptoms here. I have gi symptoms all the time, but yes, worse in a wave and following a reduction in dose. My gut is swollen and very nervy feeling, too. 

[[mi...]]

I had such minor GI symptoms that I never even thought about them. They’d come for a day or so but it went away always. I changed brands a few times and tried liquid formulation and like a light switch my gut went absolutely haywire. Literally instantly. It hasn’t stopped since. I’m in a bad place with insane wd symptoms. Hoping this is just a wave and not my new norm. I can’t function or eat many foods. The day before this happened j could eat anything. 

[[Fa...]]

18 minutes ago, [[A...] said:

Same exact symptoms here. I have gi symptoms all the time, but yes, worse in a wave and following a reduction in dose. My gut is swollen and very nervy feeling, too. 

Yes...after a reduction in dose, too.  I forgot that.

[[mi...]]

How would you explain it if I never really had symptoms and then a few brand changes and my system fell into a wave and now I feel like my entire gut is going crazy and I can’t stop thinking about it and j have like 30 other symptoms. I feel like the med suddenly stopped working even though I’m back on my original brand for a month. 

[[Fa...]]

@[mi...]  How I would explain it would be totally subjective and without any evidence whatsoever.  However, having said that, what I would say is that the NS was kicked into a heightened state where ALL symptoms, regardless of how they manifest, move to another level of intensity.  I mean, regardless of the symptom, they all stem from the same injury...and, because that injury is to our NS and affects the entire body from top to bottom, it can manifest in so many different ways.  So, there are literally hundreds of plausible explanations...but, they all come back to a NS that is highly sensitized.

Sometimes, it can be an accumulation of things and we don't even see it.  It can stare us right in the face, but until we see that things have taken a turn, we don't really investigate things.  Sometimes, it takes a fresh pair of eyes to take a look.  In my 'short' time, I have seen some things that have shocked me.  Sometimes, things can move forward beautifully, and then a derailing happens...and, sometimes the answer is 'just because'.  There are a lot of 'just because's' in this journey.  And, we keep adjusting our sails and navigate the terrain as best as we can with no friggin' guide book.  With 'best guesses' and 'best intentions' and with as much knowledge as there is.  We all brain storm...try to problem solve...and, we do our best.

I'm not sure if this has been asked before, but it would be helpful to know your tapering schedule up to this point.  Sometimes we get to a point in our taper, and it gets more difficult and more symptomatic.  Sometimes, adjustments need to be made.  And, sometimes, it can be as simple as a delivery/brand change.  And, this all sucks....in a huge way.

I keep coming back to your experiencing chronic gut issues in the past.  And, in my experience, WD will always 'attack' your weak areas the hardest when things get bumpy for whatever reason that may be.

The 'med' will 'stop working' the lower your dose gets.  Are you comfortable detailing your taper schedule?

 

 

 

 

[[Sc...]]

Hi everybody, I have suffered terrible GI symptoms, through all my taper, and I'm still not at the end, I have lost lots of weight and muscle. I have got down to 3mg, and now I feel the tablet turning on me, within an hour or so of taking it my symptoms become terrible, Im not getting any relief from tablet now. What do I do? I can't jump at this high dose, but taking tablet now is unbearable. Please could someone advice me,I'm desperate 

[[mi...]]

@[Fa...] I tapered linear since last year. Slowly climbing but never more than 3.25% every two weeks or 6.5% per month and always every two weeks. I always felt better first week of a cut, mind felt clearer, mood better. Second week was always rough. I will say I never allowed the cuts to fully stabilize before I cut again at 14 days but ironically when I cut it would immediately make me feel good again as I’d it took me out of WD. I’m wondering if I was building up a debt without realizing it and it caught up with me finally. And then the med changes were the tipping point. 

[[Fa...]]

24 minutes ago, [[m...] said:

@[Fa...] I tapered linear since last year. Slowly climbing but never more than 3.25% every two weeks or 6.5% per month and always every two weeks. I always felt better first week of a cut, mind felt clearer, mood better. Second week was always rough. I will say I never allowed the cuts to fully stabilize before I cut again at 14 days but ironically when I cut it would immediately make me feel good again as I’d it took me out of WD. I’m wondering if I was building up a debt without realizing it and it caught up with me finally. And then the med changes were the tipping point. 

So, you're cuts were 3.25% of your total original dose, not 3.25% of your current reduced dose, correct?  If so, and numbers are not my strong suit, you have not been tapering at 3.25%/14 days...it would have accumulated.  

I relate to getting relief after a cut...however, I do get 'hit' hard when the half-lives have ended...and, I'm just about there right now on my last reduction.  So, I understand what you were doing and why.   But, yes...a debt does build up.  And, being at the bottom end of your taper is a really important time to move forward mindfully.

Klonopin is a potent drug.  I'm not sure what you are at now, but you started at .5mg...so, you must be getting low.  And, it is really important to slow things down at the end...and, really important to calculate based on your current dose while doing the last stretch of your taper for the softest landing possible.

It may be wise to do a hold as your body catches up.  I know those two changes...the compound and then the generic brand switch threw a monkey wrench into things.  This may be a culmination of all of this.  @[je...] navigated her bottom end of her taper off of Clonazepam (Klonopin) really well.  I think having a good plan in place from this point forward is essential.  Even posting in the tapering forum for help with this last stretch would be very beneficial, too.

I think that what you are saying makes a lot of sense.  It explains your uptick in symptoms as well as it really affecting your gut which has been problematic for you in the past.

What dose are you on now? 

 

[[Fa...]]

1 hour ago, [[S...] said:

Hi everybody, I have suffered terrible GI symptoms, through all my taper, and I'm still not at the end, I have lost lots of weight and muscle. I have got down to 3mg, and now I feel the tablet turning on me, within an hour or so of taking it my symptoms become terrible, Im not getting any relief from tablet now. What do I do? I can't jump at this high dose, but taking tablet now is unbearable. Please could someone advice me,I'm desperate 

Hi Scary Mary1964,

I'm sorry you are experiencing terrible GI symptoms during your taper.  I know how uncomfortable and distressing it can be.  May I suggest you post on the Withdrawal and Recovery support board in the forum?  You will get far more responses dedicated specifically to your concerns rather than within an existing thread.  Just click on the Forums tab, and select Withdrawal and Recovery Support and create a new post.

Also, it would be helpful to share your medication history, if you feeling comfortable, on your profile.  The instructions to do this are in a post at the top of the Withdrawal and Recovery support board.  It really helps members to be able to help you.

We are all here to support each other.

Warmly,

F

[[mi...]]

I was cutting .002g of pill weight since about .275mg K last fall. That started at like 2% every 14 days and when I hit the wall that linear taper had gotten up to 3.25% roughly. I don’t have the means to get the cuts less than .001g pill weight with my scale. I’m at .160mg K now and trying to hold as of last week. If holding gives me relief then I will hold as long as I need to. This GI thing has me paralyzed it’s so disabling. I hardly leave the house and look pregnant and feel like I want to throw up. Never had anything like this this bad. It’s all I can think about 24/7 and it’s been two years since I was worried about my gut even remotely close to this. It was one symptom that was so so minor. It was a 1/10 at worst. It’s a 10/10 daily now over night. I will never be able to live a normal life or go anywhere if this doesn’t resolve. I am down to three foods and I can’t hardly stomach those. I don’t know if holding will help this or not and that scares me. Cutting gives me a tad bit of partial relief for maybe a couple of days on day 3-4 of my cut, then it gets worse again. Holding is the only thing that makes sense and I fight kicking and screaming when I try. I feel like I get worse when I hold but how do I stabilize if I don’t. 

[[Fa...]]

When I was at my worst with the GI stuff, it was horrible.  Completely distended, shooting pains, nausea, burping, intense fatigue, full body ache, couldn't keep my eyes open after I ate something.  I cried and cried.  I was in a state.  It would come on shortly after I ate...about 20 minutes or so, and last until it processed.  Would go through it again next time I ate.

What foods are you able to tolerate now?  Only three foods at this point? 

[[mi...]]

@[Fa...] I eat eggs, plain chicken, cornbread, and surprisingly breakfast chicken sausage helps. I had string beans the other day and was ok. I've been eating apples but wondering if they're hurting. The night before this started like 6-7 weeks ago I had garlic parm chicken wings, like 15 of them with blue cheese. Day before I had massive chicken breast with bacon, cheese, BBQ sauce, fried egg and stuffed my face and felt completely fine. I had carbonated water prob 2-3 a day for months with no issue. Even as I started destabilizing on the drug change my gut was unaffected other than a reduced appetite certain days. I just don't dare eat complex foods because my brain tells me food is the enemy right now. But I also know that this is neurological not actual true GI because i am pooping daily and easily. I don't feel worse after i eat. I can feel just as bad if I eat as if I don't eat. I can have a huge bowel movement and feel massively bloated still and in pain, or I can eat a massive serving of my safe foods and stomach feels so so. It really isn't triggered by when I eat, but I have amassive aversion to food because something seems not ok. When your waves go away and you aren't making a reduction, how would you rate your GI symptoms. Outside of this wave mien are 0-1/10 with an occasional 2-3/10 that lasts a day or two per month. Totally nothing. Other past waves never affected my gut. This one took my gut completely out and lit it on fire and it feels like it's swollen and alive and I am obsessed. I check it in the mirror every 20 minutes, I feel it constantly and panic, i feel like there's a megaphone picking up all the sounds, i am hyper aware and intuned with it. I don't know how to not do this. Distraction does not work. I don't get this at all. I was in a rough place even two months ago with panic and agitation and everything, but my gut was fine. In fact, my mom said how is your gut when I was having a particular bad day and I said mom it's flat as a pancake and i pool daily, my gut has never been an issue on this taper, and then a week later it's like it got nuked and is my worse symptom. I can't fathom this lasting and being a part of my life. I can't fathom that one bit. It's life altering. I travelled to DC and to Miami in the last 6 months and ate mostly normal food, I waas never worried about it. I even drank coffee in small amounts and had occasional ice cream. Zero bloating from it. A light switch went off and it's like it came alive. How is that even possible? Yes I had issues in the past but they went away when I got stabilized on K, but even so they were never this bad. The bloating was never like this. I am terrified this is permanent and I can't live this way.

[[Je...]]

@[mi...] Your reference to eating apples leaped out at me. Here is my experience: I had TERRIBLE GI symptoms and ended up trying a low FODMAP diet - which is a diet low in fermentable sugars. Turns out that the fermentable sugars in fruits were one thing that was messing with my gut. Apples are very high in fermentable sugars. Whenever I ate apples I would have extremely painful GI symptoms - which is a complete bummer because, hey, APPLES! I had to go for low FODMAP foods, and that helped a lot. I then added foods back a bit at a time to see what helped. I also try not to eat the same thing two days in a row. If you search for "low FODMAP" there is a lot of information. I think that because of the GABA receptors in our gut, the tapering affects our digestion, and then certain foods that didn't bother us before can start to. Anyway, I'm no dietician, but cutting out some of those types of foods helped me. It took time, but it helped.

[[mi...]]

@[Je...] yeah, the thing I don’t get is nothing bothered me the day before this started. I had greasy brisket with bbq sauce and smoked sausage. Chicken wings. Ranch and blue cheese. I have eaten this way for years. No worsening of GI. Then one day I felt the nerves go haywire and coild feel everything and now I can’t eat anything. That wasn’t gradual. It was like my cns got hit when I made the switch to liquid formula. It happened the day after. I switched back and it didn’t matter. The damage was done. I’m so distraught. 

[[Je...]]

26 minutes ago, [[m...] said:

@[Je...] yeah, the thing I don’t get is nothing bothered me the day before this started. I had greasy brisket with bbq sauce and smoked sausage. Chicken wings. Ranch and blue cheese. I have eaten this way for years. No worsening of GI. Then one day I felt the nerves go haywire and coild feel everything and now I can’t eat anything. That wasn’t gradual. It was like my cns got hit when I made the switch to liquid formula. It happened the day after. I switched back and it didn’t matter. The damage was done. I’m so distraught. 

OK, that is so strange! I would be distraught, too! I wish I had some other experience and advice! I really hope this passes and that things calm down for you! 

[[mi...]]

I think it must have just been my CNS crashing from too many changes. I had been destabilizing from a brand change and then i changed to liquid and my body went nuts and I crashed instandly, lost 7 lbs in 7 days, heart rate went crazy, lost my mind and my stomach went nuts. It was like instant Cold Turkey feeling. I feel like I shocked my CNS and that's why I maybe feel this way.

[[Sc...]]

Thank you Faith25264,

 I have done what you asked, put in Withdrawal and support, I have had no replies, so just wondered as I'm new to this could you check I have done the right thing, I'm so sorry for being a nucianse. Much thanks 

[[Fa...]]

@[Sc...]  Yes, you have done it correctly.  You are not being a nuisance, so please do not feel that way.

Things will pick up on here later.  I am sure you will get replies.  Sometimes it just takes a little bit.  

Warmly,

F

[[Sc...]]

Thank you so much for getting back to me, Glad I have done it right, I notice when people answering other people .there names come up in blue, how do I do that? I don't suppose you have any Answers to my question? So very kind of you to be patient with me, We are all going through hard times yourself included through this horrible process