Anxiety and depression on alternate days

[[Wa...]]

Hello - does anyone else have this?  I am 9 months off.   My symptoms are much improved and I have developed an ‘alternate day’ pattern  - a ‘fast’ day - when my heart beats very fast and I suffer anxiety - followed by a ‘slow’ day - when I feel so slow and depressed it feels as if I am weighed down by stones.   Then I have a short ‘window’ in the evening before the whole thing starts again.    It’s as if my brain is swinging from one extreme to the other, trying to find homeostasis?  

[[Pa...]]

Hi @[Wa...], I’m not sure where you are in your journey, could you fill in your history?  

 

I’ve read members talk about the rapid cycling of symptoms, but this will typically occur when someone is benzo free, are you?

 

[[Wa...]]

12 hours ago, [[P...] said:

Hi @[Wa...], I’m not sure where you are in your journey, could you fill in your history?  

I’ve read members talk about the rapid cycling of symptoms, but this will typically occur when someone is benzo free, are you?

 

[[Te...]]

Oh wow, I was just about to post about this. This started about a week or so ago. It alternates ever 24 hours. Yesterday was brutal, heavy weight, really bad tight symptoms. Then today, it's released and alot of vibration. I'm not kidding, it goes like this every alternate day.

[[Wa...]]

Thank you so much Pamster.  How fascinating -  I had never heard before that rapid cycling typically occurs when someone is benzo free.   This is absolutely true in my case - I have had nothing in my system for 9 months.  

Here is my history:   I was prescribed 250mg pregabalin (known as a ‘mini-benzo’) in March 2021 for anxiety  (Ritalin was also taken intermittently for ADHD).     A few months later I tried to taper off the pregabalin,  and encountered immediate problems.     To ‘help’ the withdrawal symptoms I was prescribed 0.5 - 1mg Lorazepam to be taken a maximum of a few times a week.   I was told that as long as I didn’t take it every day,  I would be fine and not develop tolerance.   This was not the case - I endured a year of crucifying akathisia and other symptoms which I now know was down to inter-dose withdrawal.  So I took my last benzo in January this year (2023).      I was told that as I was taking it PRN only a taper was not required.   Now (at October 2023) I am 9 months off everything,  and although the akathisia has gone I am still struggling. 

[[Wa...]]

Gosh Teddy - you too!   Are you benzo-free now, like me?

[[Pa...]]

Thanks for filling out your history, but you may have misunderstood my statement about rapid cycling.  Some members have said they believe the rapid cycling of symptoms has preceded their full recovery, I’m not sure I agree with this but wondered about your benzo status in regard to that. I don’t know if your every other day experiences would be what others have described as rapid cycling since I didn’t experiment it myself.  

Have you been able to determine if any of your daily activities is playing a part?  I know we try to make sense of things by looking for clues but we can’t always find a rhyme or reason.
 

Edited October 9, 2023 by [Pa...]
Typo

[[Wa...]]

Thank you for your helpful reply Pamster.   No, like Teddy, my symptoms follow a clear alternate day pattern, swinging one to the other, whatever I am doing.   

[[Te...]]

Yes, exactly. I was gonna post yesterday about this but it was my rough day. Then I saw your post. 

[[Te...]]

Today the akathasia isn't as bad. The anxiety and vibration is bad but I will take that. I know tomorrow is going to suck.

[[Wa...]]

Yes, it is extraordinarily predictable.  The one thing that helps is that the particular ‘day’ is only one day before it switches back again……

[[Te...]]

It's so weird what this crap does to our brain. 

[[Wa...]]

Couldn’t agree more!

[[de...]]

I have a definite pattern as well. My Tuesday and Wednesday are bad and then the rest of the week is better!  So strange!

[[Ti...]]

I’m 15 months off benzos. And my days are all of the place. It’s hard to plan for life as I never know how I’m going to feel.  

[[no...]]

Hi  I am not off, but I am tapering and quite a few of us have the same thing tapering cycling  of symptoms if one day or some time of the day is bearable  for a while then the next day is hell all day.  

And it’s absolutely very very common. There is nothing abnormal happening to you. I am back in the trenches, again, today yesterday was the other side of the coin I felt I was really making stride head, hopeful, peaceful. now I feel everything and anything but

 

it is not easy. and i cannot always be done, but I  tell myself that feeling bad means that my body is working as it is trying to rectify itself not a sign of ireversible damage.

in other words, there is nothing to fear. It proves that your body is working 100% the way it should be, even though it feels totally the opposite at the time healing unfortunately is uncomfortable and painful..

They are  rare outliers that get through this  either without any symptoms or minimal symptoms regardless of whether they are tapering or off completely.

 

[[Wa...]]

Very reassuring - thank you nova 1!   The depression is debilitating for a couple of days then it goes away - poof!   Then it comes back…..this is what differentiates it from depressive illness apparently (which doesn’t ‘come and go’ like this…)

[[Du...]]

@[Wa...]

I do recognize the cycles, although in my case it's not alternating each day. It can last a few days. I do have some windows now and then when symptoms are less prominent. I got off 3th of August, after a 8 week fast taper. 

For me its anxiety followed by crying spells, feeling really tired and having cognitive problems (planning, thinkinh, memory). 

 

[[Wa...]]

10 hours ago, [[D...] said:

@[Wa...]

I do recognize the cycles, although in my case it's not alternating each day. It can last a few days. I do have some windows now and then when symptoms are less prominent. I got off 3th of August, after a 8 week fast taper. 

For me its anxiety followed by crying spells, feeling really tired and having cognitive problems (planning, thinkinh, memory). 

 

[[Wa...]]

Yes, same symptoms here - they are lessening as time goes by though, hopefully not too long to go now…..

[[Bl...]]

I have the same. Yesterday wandering around IKEA, a bit tired and dizzy but otherwise fine. Today awful, anxiety for no reason, bad stomach, tight chest. I'm 15 months off Diazapam, now trying to reduce Clomiprimine. Very slow process.

[[jo...]]

I get this. I am currently on my second day of anxiety which was preceded by 2 days of Depression which was preceded by a good day etc. It's very challanging.

[[En...]]

On 08/10/2023 at 15:00, [[W...] said:

Hello - does anyone else have this?  I am 9 months off.   My symptoms are much improved and I have developed an ‘alternate day’ pattern  - a ‘fast’ day - when my heart beats very fast and I suffer anxiety - followed by a ‘slow’ day - when I feel so slow and depressed it feels as if I am weighed down by stones.   Then I have a short ‘window’ in the evening before the whole thing starts again.    It’s as if my brain is swinging from one extreme to the other, trying to find homeostasis?  

I get this as well. One day I am feeling ok the next I feel symptoms. I guess by the sounds of it this is normal. Some days are worse then others with relief in the evening. 

[[En...]]

2 hours ago, [[E...] said:

I get this as well. One day I am feeling ok the next I feel symptoms. I guess by the sounds of it this is normal. Some days are worse then others with relief in the evening. 

Actually have anxiety today and o didnt yesterday