Driving/ Riding in the car - anyone else having trouble?

[[La...]]

Hello BBs I pray that you all are making positive gains in your tedious journey to healing. Like most of you, I’m taking one day at a time and doing all I can to encourage my healing by using clean diet, gentle walks outside, self love, meditation and staying clear of things that are known culprits of causing uptick in symptoms/waves…especially stress!

I am currently 41 months as of 4 days ago. Yay!!! Although I’m still having symptoms and waves occurring in a pattern, I’m happy to report that there are many that are gone or well on their way of being gone. This is to the extent that they’re mostly just annoyances occurring mildly for most of the days in each week. My main issues from my tapering days have been vestibular issues ( boatiness, head pressure, disequilibrium, sudden vertigo episodes and ataxia episodes). I’m happy to say that out of all of these, the ones that remain are head pressure and boatiness. The others on that list just pop in mildly every now and then or are gone! Even the boatiness and head pressure are much milder to the point that I can now push through with going on walks when it’s more intense. Having said that….these have caused me to be housebound for over 2 years. About 3 months ago, I started trying to drive/ ride in the car. It has been very challenging just to go from one parking spot to over to a couple spots then back. Some days of trying are easier to get it done but most are not. 2 months ago, I was able to drive two buildings over to get my mail. I was over the moon excited! But, sadly I have not been able to do it again. As a matter of fact I can barely drive from just 2 spots over and back. I immediately get revved up head symptoms and have to go lay down. This is very frustrating and occurring nearly everytime I try! How can I get my brain used to driving with this occurring? I don’t know what to do…I’m not affected by the sun, I’m not scared at all to drive, I’m relaxed before I start etc… what am I doing wrong? Is there anything I haven’t tried to make it successful? Should I ignore my brain warning me to stop and just do it anyway? 
Has anyone else been through this or going through this too? If you pushed through it, how? What were your consequences? 
The fear I have is if I push too much, I might go back to being bedridden again! I’m not scared to try but when my symptoms flare up from trying then that’s when I get scared. But, I try again and again without any progress. 
Please someone reply. Thank you! 
love and hugs 🤗 

[[Bu...]]

I don't have any words of wisdom on this, I just wanted you to know you're not alone with this one.  I haven't driven in a little over four months.  I'm just too dizzy.  My eyes won't focus right and I have too much head pressure.  Most days, I'm too dizzy to ride in a car.  I am hoping it will just eventually go away.

[[Ja...]]

I didn’t drive for over 4 months when I started my taper, i was too anxious and had problems with spacial distance. But now I’m able to drive with no problems. Maybe you need to give it more time or just keep trying a little everyday. I’m sure you’ll drive again soon.  I was agoraphobic  for so long that I finally forced myself out a little every day no matter how uncomfortable and stressful it was and it finally lifted.  
♥️
 

[[La...]]

Thank you both for your replies and encouragement. I’m relieved to hear that I will be able to drive normally again. I just keep trying nearly everyday….no way for me to know if it’s improving unless I do. It’s the strangest thing! 
I pray you both are healing nicely and have a nice day! 
Lots of love 💕 

Lady Den

[[Ja...]]

I love you Lady, you’re definitely not alone and I’ll always be grateful for benzo buddies. 
id still be in tolerance withdrawal without the help of the people here and this site. 
♥️♥️♥️

[[La...]]

I love you too Jacky Boo! 🤗

 This forum has been an anchor for me as well. Thanks. 

[[...]]

On 24/11/2023 at 22:43, [[L...] said:

Hello BBs I pray that you all are making positive gains in your tedious journey to healing. Like most of you, I’m taking one day at a time and doing all I can to encourage my healing by using clean diet, gentle walks outside, self love, meditation and staying clear of things that are known culprits of causing uptick in symptoms/waves…especially stress!

I am currently 41 months as of 4 days ago. Yay!!! Although I’m still having symptoms and waves occurring in a pattern, I’m happy to report that there are many that are gone or well on their way of being gone. This is to the extent that they’re mostly just annoyances occurring mildly for most of the days in each week. My main issues from my tapering days have been vestibular issues ( boatiness, head pressure, disequilibrium, sudden vertigo episodes and ataxia episodes). I’m happy to say that out of all of these, the ones that remain are head pressure and boatiness. The others on that list just pop in mildly every now and then or are gone! Even the boatiness and head pressure are much milder to the point that I can now push through with going on walks when it’s more intense. Having said that….these have caused me to be housebound for over 2 years. About 3 months ago, I started trying to drive/ ride in the car. It has been very challenging just to go from one parking spot to over to a couple spots then back. Some days of trying are easier to get it done but most are not. 2 months ago, I was able to drive two buildings over to get my mail. I was over the moon excited! But, sadly I have not been able to do it again. As a matter of fact I can barely drive from just 2 spots over and back. I immediately get revved up head symptoms and have to go lay down. This is very frustrating and occurring nearly everytime I try! How can I get my brain used to driving with this occurring? I don’t know what to do…I’m not affected by the sun, I’m not scared at all to drive, I’m relaxed before I start etc… what am I doing wrong? Is there anything I haven’t tried to make it successful? Should I ignore my brain warning me to stop and just do it anyway? 
Has anyone else been through this or going through this too? If you pushed through it, how? What were your consequences? 
The fear I have is if I push too much, I might go back to being bedridden again! I’m not scared to try but when my symptoms flare up from trying then that’s when I get scared. But, I try again and again without any progress. 
Please someone reply. Thank you! 
love and hugs 🤗 

Hello,

A quick question..did you have the vestibular issues before you began your taper or did they begin later?

[[La...]]

[[...]]

Hi @[La...], before I realised i was in tolerance withdrawal, I thought I had vestibular issues. Constant sense of lightheadedness. It subsides when I take the ativan. I found this thread around that time and posted. 

Strange timing because my lightheadedness is worse today all of a sudden and it's uncomfortable.

I hope it subsides.

I wish things get sorted out for you soon and you are able to drive!

[[...]]

I wonder if my lightheadedness will worsen when I begin my taper. It's the biggest tolerance symptom I have at the moment.

[[La...]]

Nlav thanks for your reply and encouragement. 
You were wondering if your light headness will increase as you taper? I can’t say one way or the other.But, what I have seen with this experience is that it might get worse for a little while. In my experience as I tapered many of my symptoms left. Then there was some that didn’t start until I was toward the end or 3 weeks or so after I finished my taper. IF it does get more light headed for you, just know it is temporary as well as normal reaction to coming off your medication. It’s to be expected but not feared. That is key to accept the symptoms as the beginning of your healing. For many, if they do a VERY slow taper, the WD is easier because apparently they start healing as they go down. Once they jump, there’s going to be symptoms and waves but they are less intense. IMO low and slow is the way to go! 
Some people try too fix the dizziness with trying this or that, vestibular therapy, PT, acupuncture, Epley maneuver, etc. They reported that after giving those things a fair chance, none of it helped and some of those made them worse. Why? Because the dizziness is the brain’s reaction and not caused by something else. Personally I tried vestibular therapy, physical therapy twice and to wish it away LOL. Nothing worked but time…some people it doesn’t hang around long and might pop up every now and then during a stressful time. Some it hangs around for a year or two then POOF gone. Some it will leave and after awhile return for a few months. Some, like me, over the years it just gradually get better until it’s gone. There’s no prediction on what it will do to anyone. All I know is in ALL of the cases, it gets better and goes away. I used to be on the dizziness thread before they changed this forum. Many dizzy/ boaty/floaty/ lightheaded buddies had it rough for a bit then as it went away they left the thread. You can search the archives to read some of the experiences. It might help you.