When will it end? Anyone tempted to reinstate?

[[Gr...]]

@[mi...] Yes, I think that, too. It's so odd. I know this is out there, but if I was in a Twilight Zone episode, I would wonder if the theme would be the pain comes back in an area where I was vain. That's just a fictional perspective.

I wish it would stop. I am scared it's here to stay.

[[Gr...]]

@[...] You are 11 months and still having symptoms, not even getting to the mailbox! I am sorry to hear that and at the same time I am afraid I will go on like this. Numb toes, shakiness, stuff like that I have, I would work around them as long as there's no pain. It's this d*mn pain. It doesn't stop and I don't know ehat it's from, at least thrn I could manage it.

I tell myself I will fight this. I tell this evil entity I will fight it. That doesn't make it feel better.

 

[[...]]

I didn't see, have you tried any Advil?

[[Gr...]]

@[...] No, because I don't know what it is and I am unsure about taking anything. Maybe I need to see a doctor at least about the numbing in case it's poor circulation. It's probably unlikely because what are the chances I just happened to get that?

I guess it's worth checking anyway considering my age and I have familal (elevated) cholesterol (I watch everything I eat, go figure). Plus, my sugar was recently elevated (another hereditary issue), not too high, but they said pre-diabetic. Ugh. I am not a diabetic or high cholesterol type since I do watch everything I eat. They were pushing a statin on me.  I think that's drastic.  My cholestetol was only right on border high.

Distraction from this LOUD tinnitus and other things - watching baseball, the Yankees get clobbered by the Royals who are next to last place in MLB. Pretty sad.

Edited September 30, 2023 by [Gr...]
typos

[[Gr...]]

@[mi...] You may be on to something. I have the burning pain in my cheeks and about 2 yrs ago I got a dermal filler in that area. Recently, I had an appointment I had to cancel because of this. This doesn't explain the inflammation between my brows. I never tried Botox. Also, my numb lips and and tongue (no piercings). IDK. Face gets freezing cold. Odd. Annoying. Benzo poison.

Is that the end of my dermal filler adventure? I hope not.

I am tired of this already.

Edited September 30, 2023 by [Gr...]
addition

[[pi...]]

[[Gr...]]

Sinuses feel inflamed. I have been very dry. Not sure if this is causing the pressure feeling which may in turn feel like numbness?  Nothing I had before this withdrawal. Using saline and humidifier for weeks. I'm sure air conditioning contributed to dryness, but this withdrawal seems to have made it worse. I saw similar older posts here about dryness. Amazes me how this withdrawal causes so much agony for all with all kinds of strange things.

I had turbinate sinus surgery 20 yrs ago, right side was the one he fixed. Interestingly, it's  right side which is more troubling. I pray I get more moisture or something asap and this subsides. I wake with nerve pain all over.

Does anyone know if niacin or niacinamide proven to work or has great results for withdrawal? I need this out of me. I don't want to go back on a low dose, but I am feeling weak and can't stand the pain. Not knowing how to treat any of this or when it will end is a concern. What I think may have been windows seemed to have shut down fast on me.

Edited September 30, 2023 by [Gr...]
correction

[[...]]

I am currently babying my sinuses. I never had to do this before. The humidity is high around here. The house is averaging 70 percent. yet I need a humidifier beside my head, a nasal gel with aloe, and ice packs. Advil for migraines I never had before.

For about a month in acute my fingers were shriveled like I had been swimming. Never had that before either. So yes benzos mess with our systems. They say strange things come and go. The shriveled fingers never came back. I'll be glad when this sinus thing resolves.

For you too.

[[Gr...]]

@[...]. OMG, I have the same thing with my fingers. I thought it is from the drastic weight loss after stopping. This whole thing is bizarre. I wish the only symptoms were wrinkled fingers.

The sinus seems to be common on here yet not listed anywhere else including prescribing info. I don't understand how this correlates to this kind of withdrawal. Strange. It seems many people including myself experience dry or runny nose, sometimes eyes and mouth. I think it's helpful for people to report all of their symptoms to the FDA if in US. They need to know so they can collect data and make uodates. I reported mine.

I can't do this today. It's unbearable, my head is also numb & throbbing. I don't want to have this for months -- or longer. My life has been on hold.I have things to do and life still goes on 

How long did you say you have you been off this?

Did I read you were 30 years on?

You said you still have trouble?

Are symptoms shorter lasting with shorter use?

I am extremely petrified. I have to get the flu shot. This is concerning because how will I distinguish side effects, if any? 

Do you mind me asking how old you are? Reason is, I'm older and I've noticed some short symptoms last with younger people. That may not be 100% true. I am concerned I will have this for a long time because of my age (66).

None of this makes sense because you would think we'd have symptoms after taking the stuff. Especially dryness which a lot of meds do. I want to go back on it. Maybe something else milder? Is there a mild benzo? I didn't have these things 2 months ago or else the pill masked these things.

Edited September 30, 2023 by [Gr...]
error

[[Gr...]]

I'm weary and tired. Sick of hearing whistles in my head 24/7. Sick of it. I want to seek out something to calm my senses and maybe ease symptoms. Some kind of gaba supplement? Glutamate? Niacin flush?

I am desperate. This is too much for me.

 

[[Gr...]]

I asked my husband to put me in a home. He won't, plus it costs a fortune. .I'm in a bad place right now. Unbearable pain.

Edited September 30, 2023 by [Gr...]
correction

[[de...]]

@[Gr...]  For many of us this will be the hardest thing we will have to do in our lives.    You can do this!   You are a lot stronger than you think.   It is so important to develop some coping skills and some ways to distract.   Is there something you can do to distract for a little while?   I am a knitter, and I found that to be very helpful in the early stages.  Yes, it was hard to focus, but I would make myself do it for a few minutes at a time.   Looking back, I now see how helpful it was.    Also, I would walk around my driveway.   I had a circular driveway and I just walked in a circle for an hour at a time.  I am sure my neighbors thought I was crazy!  Ha!   Also, deep breathing exercises were very helpful in the early days.     

[[Gr...]]

@[de...] Thank you. I am in a state of panic today because I woke uo with many more symptoms than other days. I think some of this right now as I write this, is internal anxiety from this withdrawal wreaking haboc on my system. I am shaky and all my nerves are on edge. I am falling in a dark place. I read so many people here have trouble months to years later. I can't go through that. This is unbearable. Too much pain. Trouble breathing now.

I want to go in a home. It's so expensive, it's rididulous. I don't know what to do. My skin is continously burning. I miss fixing myself up and wearing makeup. I dread that will never happen again. 

Isn't there something like a supplement to speed this up? I want to reinstate, but only if it guaranteed this would end.

Distractions are so hard with this pain. I did thibgs yesterday, but I wasn't as bad during the day (was bad at night). Today is awful.  I want to end this. 

Edited September 30, 2023 by [Gr...]

[[Gr...]]

All of this is wrong. This should not be like this after a few weeks. These meds control us. 

I have to get better. I need a sign, a long window that stays open, something with this pain. I'm suffering most from that. 

 

[[pi...]]

39 minutes ago, [[G...] said:

All of this is wrong. This should not be like this after a few weeks. These meds control us. 

I have to get better. I need a sign, a long window that stays open, something with this pain. I'm suffering most from that. 

I realize that you are struggling with acceptance, @[Gr...], we all have at one time or another.

All I can say at this point is yes, it can be like this after a few weeks off benzos. That doesn’t mean it will always be like this. Putting too much pressure on yourself to get better is very draining. Allowing your body to do it’s thing, to heal on its own time worked best for me.

[[Gr...]]

@[pi...] Hello. I read your story, but that was long ago and you are still having symptoms?  Oh, I hope after all that time that's not true. You are around my age, 62? Is thst right? Oops, sorry, if I am wrong. I'm 66. I am petrified. I am not so worried about anything that doesn't cause pain.

I am in horrric pain (paresthesia?). I can be more patient it if I'm in acute recovey which I've told, but I read it's a protracted symptom. That concerns me. I am concerned I've advanced to that stage. It's hard to function. I get temptations to reinstate to calm the nerves. That could set me back.  This has been a nightmare.

I am wanting to go in a home. I was an active, youthful high-energy person who skis, fixes things at home, a gardener, bakes, cooks, computer saavy, dances, etc and now turned into a fragile person wanting to live in a home because I can't take care of myself? I have become very depressed because of this. Like now way out. I want a sign. Nothing. This drug hijacked me.

I want to eat a healthy Mediterraean Diet and not be concerned with gaba and glutamate. I will do that because I have been watching everything I eat and it didn't change anything.

Yes, I'm anxious because I want to be me again and live. Xanax and Ambien robbed me of that and still doing it to me! I want to look nice. Use my anti-aging cream to take care of it without my skin burning. Wear makeup to mask this benzo worn face. I can't even wear my glasses because of the pain. This is ridiculous.  I know I'm preaching to the choir. 

Could the acute phase begin once symptoms do? Those started right away. Then do I need to factor in I didn't end Ambien till Sept 13. Does that add extra time and push me out? So, be more patient considering those factors? A month might now be Oct 13th?

My opinion and suggestion: A Black Box Warning in large red letters needs to be on every bottle and pharmacy leaflet. 

Edited September 30, 2023 by [Gr...]

[[An...]]

Hi Grace,

I just took a look at your history in your profile.

Quote

Xanax .5mg twice daily Sept 7, 2022 to Aug 26, 2023 -- I tapered myself off of Xanax because the doctor refused to help me.

Prior to Sept 7, 2022 when you started Xanax, what was going on in your life? What was the main reason you started the xanax and did it help initially? You actually were not on benzos long-term like many of us here. You were also put on them late in life. I was put on Xanax at age 24? This is just my opinion but I think your w/d SXs from the Benzo/Ambien detox will start to resolve if you can endure the required wait time, easier said than done I know.

Also-- my opinion only-- if SXs become unbearable, I would seriously consider trying an SSRI before a benzo reinstatement. The SSRI will probably exacerbate your SXs at the start of therapy but  they are very helpful for many ppl after you get past the break-in period. You should know after a month of being on them whether they are helping, hurting, or making no difference in how you are feeling.  Since they make you feel worse at the start of therapy, many ppl stop them too soon before the positive therapeutic effects can take hold (4-6 weeks).

 

[[pi...]]

34 minutes ago, [[G...] said:

@[pi...] Hello. I read your story, but that was long ago and you are still having symptoms?  Oh, I hope after all that time that's not true. You are around my age, 62? Is thst right? Oops, sorry, if I am wrong. I'm 66. I am petrified. 

@[Gr...],

I’m not sure where you read I am still  having symptoms because that is certainly not the case. I recovered completely with absolutely no withdrawal symptoms ever again. As far as age goes, I’m way older than you.   I will be 73 next month, yikes! I feel and IMO act much younger. In fact when I went for the shingles vaccine the pharmacist didn’t believe I was me. She said I looked so much younger. So benzo withdrawal does not rob us of life, it’s there waiting to pick up and carry on once the cns heals.

[[Gr...]]

@[An...] Is 33 months of Klonopin considered long-term?  I think I put somewhere I had been taking Klonopin from the end of 2019 to Sept 2022 when they switched me to Xanax because I didn't like the Klonopin. I didn't like Klonopin before I took it because I heard these drugs shrink your brain. It's amazing how I got weak and still took it. I didn't know about withdrawal for a prescription drug. I never thought there was anything to. I associated that with recreational and abused prescription drugs with other things.

I was first given Klonopin .5mg twice a day in December 2019 when I visited a doctor who I used to work for and asked him for something to help me sleep. I tried melatonin, but I have some kind of allergy. I wish it had worked for me.  There were some deaths in the family and some marital issues at that time. I was having trouble sleeping. Now I know he should have just given me Ambien for a month or so. He started me at 10mg Ambien which is double what FDA recommends for females. He added the Klonopin. I was adamant about not using that, yet I did. I was in a vulnerable place. (He also added Celexa, but I never took it. I thought it was worse than the other two, so I never filled the prescriptions.)

Required or general wait time for this detox -- count from the last Ambien on Sept 13?  1 month? (Please say yes.)  I finished the last 2 weeks of Ambien with a sort of taper. I had of trouble sleeping. I won't touch it again. I can say that my sleep has gotten a little better in the last week. 

The primary doctor and neurologist offered Cymbalta, but I am afraid to go on any kind of stuff I have to withdraw from. I never took any meds on a regular basis. I forgot many times to take the Xanax and I only took Ambien when I couldn't sleep. Mixing those is dangerous and it's wrong to give anyone those at the same time. 

I was told the Cymbalta may help my facial pain, but then they never said what it really is. Again, the idea of side effects and withdrawing scares me. It's funny, because I was aware of withdrawal for antidepressants because I knew that they are taken every day, but I didn't associate it with Klonopin, Xanax or Ambien because I thought they are prescribed as needed, even if you take them daily, I didn't even think of it. If we could only go back in time. . . 

Without taking any SSRI or SSNI(?)  What am I looking at? I'm 66 and I am obviously having other and weirder side effects than younger people. I don't know. Being on this site I realize there really is no timeline, contrary to recovery sites and what the manufacturer sites say. They claim withdrawal is gone in 28 days, 4 weeks, 6 weeks. Hmm. . . 

 

[[Gr...]]

@[pi...] Now I remember. Maybe you were 62 when you first got on this site? No symptoms now. I must have read an old post. I always looked younger and now I worry this and the meds have aged me. I felt like I was suddenly aging recently and that these meds (Xanax and Ambien) were doing it, another reason I stopped. I wanted it out of me.  So, there's hope for me retaining and getting back my youth? 

I use a close-up mirror. This may sound odd, but I have not looked in the mirror since I saw my cheeks and eyes puffed up. I don't want to be more upset. I am waiting for this to calm. As I wrote, I want to fix myself up again. I couldn't lose weight on that junk no matter what I did. I thought it was hormones. My thryroid is fine. Another reason to stop, I realized the med was not allowing me to shed weight. I dropped 6 pounds 2 weeks after stopping and back to my ideal weight. 

Someone, an angel, please step in. . . 

[[Gr...]]

@[Pa...] Hello. I just read your story. It is amazing. At 5 months you felt pretty good, but it may have been delayed a little longer from Ambien? Is the 5 months including after you also stopped Ambien?

Would my age (66) keep me from healing as fast as someone younger or does it not matter?  I'm in good health, I never smoked, don't drink.

I am eager to get through this fast, but I am tempted at times to go back so I can try to ease my pain symptoms. It's unbearable.

After my Xanax crappy taper, I took Ambien until Sept 13 so that may screw me up causing me a delay. Maybe why I'm still in acute(?)

Thanks and congratulations on getting through your withdrawal in a reasonable amount of time. I hope I have good news like that real soon to report. 

[[Pa...]]

6 minutes ago, [[G...] said:

@[Pa...] Hello. I just read your story. It is amazing. At 5 months you felt pretty good, but it may have been delayed a little longer from Ambien? Is the 5 months including after you also stopped Ambien?

Would my age (66) keep me from healing as fast as someone younger or does it not matter?  I'm in good health, I never smoked, don't drink.

I am eager to get through this fast, but I am tempted at times to go back so I can try to ease my pain symptoms. It's unbearable.

After my Xanax crappy taper, I took Ambien until Sept 13 so that may screw me up causing me a delay. Maybe why I'm still in acute(?)

Thanks and congratulations on getting through your withdrawal in a reasonable amount of time. I hope I have good news like that real soon to report. 

I didn’t feel good at 5 months, I was miserable, thats when I started taking Ambien and I just kept getting worse until I finally stopped the Ambien 14 months past my cold turkey from Klonopin, that’s when I finally felt fully recovered.

I believe you can recover but yes, I think age has to be considered.  We don’t heal like we did when we were young, a cut, a bruise all take longer, so it makes sense that it could be the same for recovery from benzodiazepines.

I’m glad you stopped the Ambien, like me, it didn’t do you any favors and could be playing a role in what’s happening to you now. The only way out of this mess is through it.  There are no shortcuts, no potions and techniques that will help the healing process your body is doing, the best thing we can do is get out of the way and let our body do the work it knows how to do.  

 

 

[[Gr...]]

@[Pa...] 14 months?  I misread.  I can't take this pain that long. My insides seem like they are drying out. I can't wash my face. My skin is parched and inflamed and I can't put anything on it. The problem is coming from inside. The heat from blow dryer burns my face.  I don't do my hair. Who knows if I can sleep. The pain is 24/7.

i've had enough of this. 

[[Gr...]]

Anyone know a good exorcist?

[[me...]]

Hi grace 2023 my feelings for me too it might help 🤣