Is it really withdrawal?

[[...]]

Dear friends,

i ct 10 mg Valium after 4 months use last April and I am almost 6 months out. In the first months I have experienced many symptoms, mainly anxiety and panic attacks. Then the symptom subsided for a couple of months and then they came back stronger than before. I had 3 waves since august, and this wave is stronger than the last one, now I have mainly a lot of anxiety and panic attacks, and in the last days I woke up at night because of this. Is it normal to have stronger waves as time progresses? My psychiatrist is not convinced that this is Benzo related since she said that enough time has passed and I am very confused. I have bipolar 2 and take lithium and I was very stable before taking Valium. These panic attacks, multiple per day are destroying my marriage. I cannot talk to my wife and my feeling is that she had had enough and she is very angry at me. I am going to sick leave today until the end of November. Before this wave I have been steadily and slowly improving for almost two months, then after huge stress at work things started spiraling down.

bottom line: do you think this is consistent with withdrawal? Even if things are getting worse than a few months ago?

thanks

keep the faith

[[me...]]

Hi everybody  

Does anybody have breathlessness I seem to get it when my meds are due...I'm in bed alot at the moment don't think it's that 

Thankyou🙏

[[Th...]]

Yes, what you are describing is consistent with WD.  My worst month was month 3 after my CT and it was intense for another 6 months.

[[Br...]]

Hello @[...] and welcome to BenzoBuddies!  This sounds like withdrawal.  It's not unusual to experience the symptoms you describe and for symptoms to vary in intensity.  Over the course of withdrawal symptoms can come and go - the process isn't linear - it's erratic with symptoms stopping and starting. Symptoms can disappear and new ones appear.  Unfortunately, panic attacks are very common.  But please remember - these symptoms are temporary.  It takes time to heal from benzos but symptoms do begin to ease up.  

Benzo withdrawal can put a strain on our closest relationships.  It's very, very hard for anyone to begin to imagine what we're going through unless they've been through it themselves.  We may feel very isolated during this experience.  That is one reason BB is so helpful - it can be incredibly helpful to be among others who understand.  It can help take the pressure off your relationship to vent here and I hope you will.  

I'm so glad you're able to take some time off from work.  When your symptoms begin to ease up you may find that work helps distract you from symptoms.

Many of us have felt hopeless and that we'll never feel like ourselves again.  A hallmark of benzo withdrawal is despair and hopelessness but it is just your healing brain misfiring as it adjusts to being without benzos.  One way to help offset those messages is to read Success Stories.  So I hope you will go to the Success Stories forum when you need encouragement.  You will see many stories from people like you who went on to heal.  You will get through this.

[[An...]]

Edited October 20, 2023 by [An...]
spelling correction

[[me...]]

On 19/10/2023 at 16:10, [[T...] said:

Yes, what you are describing is consistent with WD.  My worst month was month 3 after my CT and it was intense for another 6 months.

Thanks ThEwAy2 that's reassuring as I panicking  I feel as though I can't get air but my stats are ok.  Hope you are doing ok on this stony ground 🙏🥺

[[Th...]]

I had a few months where it felt like I was breathing through a straw.   There was nothing physically wrong with me.  It was all WD.  It slowly faded and ended after about 3 months.  It will end for you too.  Peace!