Muscles strained and sprained

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10 minutes ago, [[n...] said:

I`ve noticed that it can get much worse before it gets better, yes lets hope.   

Yes, me too... Sigh...

[[sh...]]

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Hello buddies suffering from muscle and other pains/ aches/ etc. How are you? Please, keep in touch. Remember that we are doing it together! This way is much easier to get over the nasty withdrawal.

I'm somehow coping. No too extreme pains this year yet. Something strange has happend to me today. When i got up, I was 90% sure it was going to be a day of pain. But an hour later the pain "thought better of it" and stayed neither there nor here. This is something new for me. Not sure what to expect tomorrow...

I hope this year will bring release from all sorts of pain for us all!)

Edited January 8 by [...]

[[Kh...]]

On 21/12/2023 at 06:58, [[n...] said:

@[...] I woke one morning a few weeks ago with almost zero pain, I was ecstatic, I felt 10 years younger and if that`s how recovery will feel, then yes we`ll be happy beyond belief.

It`s strange how one side of our body is affected worse than the other.   Let`s keep in touch and help each other through this.  

2 months now and stiff neck muscles persist, mostly on left side.  Dull pain when I do too much physical activity.  Done 7-8 physical therapy sessions with ultrasound and 5 session of neck traction.  No real improvement.  Muscle relaxers seem to help a little.  Tylenol also helps for period of time.  A drug called Arcoxia really helps - blocks the COX-1 enzyme, but Dr only prescribed small amount.  Guess there are side effects.  Available in Asia - looks like FDA not yet approved. 

Anyone having improvements?  Really depressing as it is affecting my day to day activities.    

Edited January 9 by [Kh...]

[[wi...]]

Thai massage, acupuncture. You are in the best place for this!

Also, myofascial release therapy. Google myofascial release therapy/therapists in your area. 
 

research the technique. It’s wonderful and effective.

 Works wonders for me.

Edited January 9 by [wi...]

[[Kh...]]

15 minutes ago, [[w...] said:

Thai massage, acupuncture. You are in the best place for this!

Also, myofascial release therapy. Google myofascial release therapy/therapists in your area. 
 

research the technique. It’s wonderful and effective.

 Works wonders for me.

Thanks - yes my PT guy is doing the myofascial release  -its helps but seems to be temporary.  I have degenerative issues on c5/6 so proper Thai massage might not be good given the extreme stretch positions.    I dont seem to be any nerve related issues - so thats good.    Accupuncture still haven't tried but considering.  My Dr recommends dry needling after the conservative treatments are finished.  Then steroid injections last.  Need this to settle down, ugh...  

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5 hours ago, [[K...] said:

2 months now and stiff neck muscles persist, mostly on left side.  Dull pain when I do too much physical activity.  Done 7-8 physical therapy sessions with ultrasound and 5 session of neck traction.  No real improvement.  Muscle relaxers seem to help a little.  Tylenol also helps for period of time.  A drug called Arcoxia really helps - blocks the COX-1 enzyme, but Dr only prescribed small amount.  Guess there are side effects.  Available in Asia - looks like FDA not yet approved. 

Anyone having improvements?  Really depressing as it is affecting my day to day activities.    

@[Kh...], hi) i think pain and stiffness are our reality for the time being.  Not everyone is that "lucky" but yet it's common. I haven't done anything special to relieve the symptoms. In my case, time has proved to be the healer. I do have improvements and see the progress but it took each muscle group months to recover and some of them are still stiff and painful from time to time.

Sure you are going to get better over time. Good luck!

[[...]]

5 hours ago, [[w...] said:

Thai massage, acupuncture. You are in the best place for this!

Also, myofascial release therapy. Google myofascial release therapy/therapists in your area. 
 

research the technique. It’s wonderful and effective.

 Works wonders for me.

@[wi...], does it really help? I thought of it and sometimes had the therapy done in my dreams) but it's always seemed to me that nothing will truly help for the first few months. Perhaps, i'm mistaken here. It would be great if i'm wrong!)

 

Edited January 9 by [...]

[[wi...]]

@[...]I couldn’t take on anything in the few months. I was severely acute. But yes, MFR is wonderful work. Super gentle and highly effective. Everyone is different. My experience only.

@[Kh...]we all want these issues to be “fixed”..not possible right now. Temporary relief is not what we ideally want, but isn’t it better than constant pain?

 

[[Kh...]]

8 hours ago, [[w...] said:

@[...]I couldn’t take on anything in the few months. I was severely acute. But yes, MFR is wonderful work. Super gentle and highly effective. Everyone is different. My experience only.

@[Kh...]we all want these issues to be “fixed”..not possible right now. Temporary relief is not what we ideally want, but isn’t it better than constant pain?

Not sure why it’s not possible to be fixed.  🤷‍♂️. Surely once we have discontinued these drugs permanent healing should come to us?  

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6 hours ago, [[K...] said:

Not sure why it’s not possible to be fixed.  🤷‍♂️. Surely once we have discontinued these drugs permanent healing should come to us?  

@[Kh...], i don't know exactly but have some ideas in this regard) Firstly, our "flat" muscles must kind of wake up after benzo dream and whatever we do, it takes time - steady natural processes are never in a hurry. Second, the pain, in fact, isn't that severe. What we feel is a real pain much multiplied by wrong neuronal signals, so no matter how hard we try, we have to wait till cns recovers. This is just my attempt to explain the issue to myself bc i felt awful at the beginning of wd and, anyway, couldn't do anything about it, including therapy. But if you can, you should try. It may help. 

Good luck and a speedy recovery to you!)

 

[[Kh...]]

[[...]]

11 minutes ago, [[K...] said:

Thanks - just hope and wish we get thru this ..all of us.  My Dr's here in Thailand are trying to treat the symptoms (sore and stiff neck), assuming the causes (spinal stenosis).  I do have spine issues but they never manifested until I started weaning off Xanax -- and they cant wrap their head around it could be benzo related.   

@[Kh...], thank you too!) i think your spine issues are benzo related in a way. The withdrawal does hit our weakest points in the first place. I hope your doctors know what they do and will help. Anyway, we are bound to get better. The question is When?)

[[sh...]]

I agree with Kate. 

Good and swift healing to everyone 🍀

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

I agree with Kate. 

Good and swift healing to everyone 🍀

Thank you @[sh...]. The same to you!)

[[dj...]]

[[Kh...]]

8 hours ago, [[d...] said:

This is what I think.  I don’t think there is anything inherently wrong with my muscles.  I have plenty of strength.  I think the neuronal circuitry is just jacked up.  NSAIDs do nothing. The doctor gave me a muscle relaxer called tizanidine (no effect on GABA).  It hardly does anything other than put me to sleep.  I tried Gabapentin briefly and it did nothing.  This all makes me think that the circuitry is wonky since there is no response to traditional medicine.  
 

Most my pain comes from tension, which again I’m not sure is real tension.  I think it’s more a sensation that everything is tense.  Or just very amplified sensations from a dysfunctional nervous system.  
 

Let it also be known that what pain I’ve head is just really stressful.  It’s not necessarily painful, but it sends an out of control stress response to the brain that makes everything seem a lot worse than it is. 

Interesting take.  I have neck tension too.  But it’s real tension - when I go see PT they always remark how tight my muscles seem - and when I stretch I can feel the tightness.  I agree the tension could certainly be caused by wonky circuitry.  That said the muscles are still tense.  For me Alleve and other anti inflammatorys seem to help some to reduce some pain, but not the root cause, obviously.  Let’s wait it out.  🙏🙏

Edited January 11 by [Kh...]

[[Gy...]]

Hello to everyone here

I’ve been around BB since 2013, I can’t believe that I’m still here. I thought I would be well and truly finished with Benzos but unfortunately not so, I’m still tapering, definitely a long hauler and slow and steady wins the race kind of girl. I’ve tried going fast but that didn’t work out to well. 

Since I got to the lower numbers I too am having issues with cramping back and shoulder muscles, hips thighs arms depending on the day then sometimes nothing at all. 
 

I concur with everyone that it is the Benzo depletion in your system slowly leaching out of your muscles. When benzos bind to neurons it prevents those neurons from firing so stands to reason that when we withdraw those neurons start to fire again which would lead to muscle tension, spasm or contraction. 
 

I feel for everyone that has to endure this. May we all continue to heal and support each other. 

Cheers

Gypsy 🥰

 

 

[[Wi...]]

On 10/01/2024 at 19:05, [[d...] said:

This is what I think.  I don’t think there is anything inherently wrong with my muscles.  I have plenty of strength.  I think the neuronal circuitry is just jacked up.  NSAIDs do nothing. The doctor gave me a muscle relaxer called tizanidine (no effect on GABA).  It hardly does anything other than put me to sleep.  I tried Gabapentin briefly and it did nothing.  This all makes me think that the circuitry is wonky since there is no response to traditional medicine.  
 

Most my pain comes from tension, which again I’m not sure is real tension.  I think it’s more a sensation that everything is tense.  Or just very amplified sensations from a dysfunctional nervous system.  
 

Let it also be known that what pain I’ve head is just really stressful.  It’s not necessarily painful, but it sends an out of control stress response to the brain that makes everything seem a lot worse than it is. 

I agree because this tension sometimes passes in a blink of an eye. Like my arms will be tense and then all of a sudden it moves to some other part of my body.

[[ne...]]

15 hours ago, [[W...] said:

I agree because this tension sometimes passes in a blink of an eye. Like my arms will be tense and then all of a sudden it moves to some other part of my body.

This is what happens to me. 

[[dj...]]

On 10/01/2024 at 20:53, [[K...] said:

Interesting take.  I have neck tension too.  But it’s real tension - when I go see PT they always remark how tight my muscles seem - and when I stretch I can feel the tightness.  I agree the tension could certainly be caused by wonky circuitry.  That said the muscles are still tense.  For me Alleve and other anti inflammatorys seem to help some to reduce some pain, but not the root cause, obviously.  Let’s wait it out.  🙏🙏

I think I oversimplified things.  The tension is real.  The muscles will be tense.  But, it can resolve almost instantaneously sometimes which is likely evidence of wonky circuitry.  All of a sudden, something clicks right in the brain and it’s gone.  For “normal people,” tension like this typically takes time and/or drugs to resolve.  

[[Kh...]]

5 hours ago, [[d...] said:

I think I oversimplified things.  The tension is real.  The muscles will be tense.  But, it can resolve almost instantaneously sometimes which is likely evidence of wonky circuitry.  All of a sudden, something clicks right in the brain and it’s gone.  For “normal people,” tension like this typically takes time and/or drugs to resolve.  

Got it….my tension has lasted 8-10 weeks now.  Some drugs help and PT feels good for a bit and then back to tension.  Hope my circuits get back to normal soon 🙏

[[dj...]]

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

Got it….my tension has lasted 8-10 weeks now.  Some drugs help and PT feels good for a bit and then back to tension.  Hope my circuits get back to normal soon 🙏

I’ll have immense pain and tension for 2-3 days sometimes and then I’ll wake up and it will go away for a week.  
 

This raises another issue.  Sleep is how our bodies largely heal.  I believe the quality of our sleep is so poor that a lot of this stuff just can’t resolve.  

[[Gy...]]

On 13/01/2024 at 09:54, [[K...] said:

Got it….my tension has lasted 8-10 weeks now.  Some drugs help and PT feels good for a bit and then back to tension.  Hope my circuits get back to normal soon 🙏

Hey Kuhn kit

Right about now would love to know what drugs helped you, because my backache has gotten progressively worse with yesterday being my worst day in years.  I am literally beside myself with the aching.

(so close to taking a rescue dose)

I wouldn’t class this as pain per say, but painful constant ache that never lets up if that makes sense. Nothing seems to help except sleep when I’m unconscious and unaware, that at the moment is my bliss place to be then I wake up and realty sets in.

Any advice From Anyone is greatly appreciated.

Gypsy
 

[[dj...]]

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

Hey Kuhn kit

Right about now would love to know what drugs helped you, because my backache has gotten progressively worse with yesterday being my worst day in years.  I am literally beside myself with the aching.

(so close to taking a rescue dose)

I wouldn’t class this as pain per say, but painful constant ache that never lets up if that makes sense. Nothing seems to help except sleep when I’m unconscious and unaware, that at the moment is my bliss place to be then I wake up and realty sets in.

Any advice From Anyone is greatly appreciated.

Gypsy
 

I have a prescription for a muscle relaxer called tizanidine which has no bearing on GABA receptors.  It can help a little but it is really sedating so taking it during the day is not indicated.  But, if you take it at night and get quality of sleep, that might help the pain enough for it to improve.