My Brain Has Recovered !!

[[Li...]]

26 years ago, I had a "situational" panic attack at the Dr's with my 4 young son's in tow.  The Dr prescribed me Xanax and for the next 10 years, he would prescribe me 1mg 4 times a day.  He then switched me over to Valium 15 mg in the morning and 10mg in the afternoon.  For 26 years, my whole central nervous system was being slowly poisoned and eventually disabled.  In September this year, I saw a new psychiatrist.  I told him that I was sleeping for about 18 hours a day and basically had absolutely NO quality of life at all.  He suggested an inpatient stay at The Hobart Clinic in Tasmania, Australia.  My rapid taper started on October 2nd and I took my last ever Valium on 26th October 2023.  I went almost immediately into acute withdrawals (I do not recommend this at all !!), after the first drop in dose and I stayed there until 30 days zero Valium.  Today is 7 weeks off.  Nearly ALL symptoms have stopped.  I purchased a new car in September but was way too ill to drive it.  Today I woke up, after 26 long years.  I wouldn't wish this torturous journey on my worst enemy.  I've had 2 mini seizures and 2 emergency dept stays.

I can now taste food again, have more saliva in my mouth, have no pain in my body anywhere after years of mysterious pain,  mysterious rashes have disappeared, fowl body odour completely gone, heart palpitations that I've had for years have completely stopped, I'm thinking clearly, I can see things in 3 dimension again, my hearing is super sharp, colours are way brighter and basically in a nutshell, I'm happy to be alive !!

I've spent the day OUT today, for the first time in years ! I smelt my new car for the very first time, enjoyed driving it so much, visited 2 lots of friends, had one hour of refexology which felt AMAZING !! Had a pedicure, a manicure, then wandered around a huge shopping centre with absolutely NO ANXIETY AT ALL !! I just wanted to put this post up to encourage people and to say that not everyone is going to have a long healing journey.  My brain is well on the way to a full recovery, even though I was sure I was going to die and this has been the most terrifying experience of my whole life to date.  I feel like I have woken from a 26 year coma and have been completely re born ! I don't sleep at ALL through the day now and sleep for about 6 to 7 hours at night.  It's broken sleep but that's OK. 

I'm now 56 and feel like my life has just begun !! 🤗❤️

You will heal too !! 🤗❤️

[[st...]]

Congratulations 

[[Li...]]

@[st...] Thankyou.  Going through nearly 3 solid months of acute withdrawals, has been a life changing experience !!

[[Kh...]]

That is so awesome we are all striving to get there too.  Well done!

[[Li...]]

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

That is so awesome we are all striving to get there too.  Well done!

@[Kh...] Thankyou so much ! I'm sitting here this evening with not one single symptom.  I honestly thought I was about to die.  What an absolutely horrific experience 😳

[[ve...]]

Congrats!

The only thing I'll regret is not leaving this stuff years ago as I feel my senses are sharper now even when I'm taking the lowest possible dose.  My dog has some cute features I haven't noticed before.  The simple joy I felt was denied to me is now within grasp.

[[Li...]]

@[ve...] YES !! Today I was looking at everything through completely different eyes  !! I have a cute little moodle and I felt LOVE for him today.  I went to my builder son's new house and walked from room to room in awe.  The most amazing thing to me is seeing peoples faces in 3D again.  I had no idea how many things this POISON had stolen from me.  You are nearly there !! 🥰

[[Li...]]

@[Li...] Congratulations!!   Wow!  How amazing that you were able to come off so quickly and have started to feel so much better.  Thank you for your encouraging story!! 

[[Si...]]

It just goes to show, stability is EVERYTHING.  If you're stable on the drugs, you'll recover easily after coming off.  Kindling is what does people in.  

[[ji...]]

Wonderful news @[Li...]!

[[Li...]]

@[Si...] I just slept like a log after my huge day yesterday and woken feeling SHARP.  I think the drug had damaged my CNS many years ago but it wasn't evident, until it was ceased.  It was honestly the most TERRIFYING experience of my life.  Day 9 from zero, I lost the ability to speak, amongst many other horrific things.  I had no feelings at all, not even for my own children and Grandchildren, it was heart breaking 💔 I am now in a position to be able to completely rest with absolutely NO stressors around me.  I honestly feel that the KEY to healing all of the CNS damage, is to completely rest.  I couldn't ever bare the curtains open but that's OK !! The only thing I seem to be left with is a bit of fingertip tingling and a tight feeling in the back of my neck.

I was diagnosed with "generalised anxiety disorder"

This is incorrect.  I no longer suffer from anxiety ❤️

 

[[st...]]

14 hours ago, [[L...] said:

@[st...] Thankyou.  Going through nearly 3 solid months of acute withdrawals, has been a life changing experience !!

Yep. We will never be the same, hopefully in a good way

[[Li...]]

22 minutes ago, [[s...] said:

Yep. We will never be the same, hopefully in a good way

@[st...] I will never forget the trauma and the whole days of pure terror 😳

[[Jo...]]

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

@[Si...] I just slept like a log after my huge day yesterday and woken feeling SHARP.  I think the drug had damaged my CNS many years ago but it wasn't evident, until it was ceased.  It was honestly the most TERRIFYING experience of my life.  Day 9 from zero, I lost the ability to speak, amongst many other horrific things.  I had no feelings at all, not even for my own children and Grandchildren, it was heart breaking 💔 I am now in a position to be able to completely rest with absolutely NO stressors around me.  I honestly feel that the KEY to healing all of the CNS damage, is to completely rest.  I couldn't ever bare the curtains open but that's OK !! The only thing I seem to be left with is a bit of fingertip tingling and a tight feeling in the back of my neck.

I was diagnosed with "generalised anxiety disorder"

This is incorrect.  I no longer suffer from anxiety ❤️

 

[[Jo...]]

Did you use any herbal supplements during your withdrawal period?

[[Je...]]

Wonderful! Congratulations and thank you so much for sharing your experience!

 

[[Li...]]

@[Jo...] The only supplement I take is 2 x "mega magnesium night" tablets about an hour before bed 👌

[[Jo...]]

I just recently tapered my temazepam 22.5mgs in a three week period after 9 weeks of use. So I started the taper about 7 weeks on it. I used various herb supplements during this time and I still take them but alas my sleep has not been the greatest. I slept the first night I dropped it and then the third night. However, the past two nights sleep has escaped me. There is a part of me that thinks I did sleep a little bit last night but I don’t know. I get use to just lying in the dark without passing out all the way that I lose track of time. Today was day five and I hope I sleep tonight because I am tired. Then again I’m always tired. Im hoping things will lighten up soon since I was only on it for a couple months. Which I know is longer than you’re supposed to be but shorter than a lot of people on this forum. 

[[Jo...]]

I also still need to taper 600 mgs of gabapentin that I have been on for about five weeks so there is that too.

[[Li...]]

19 minutes ago, [[J...] said:

I also still need to taper 600 mgs of gabapentin that I have been on for about five weeks so there is that too.

@[Jo...] You will get there.  I went nearly 3 days without sleeping earlier on.  I ended up crying hysterically and that exhausted me so much that I ended up sleeping.  Sleep is very different now.  I don't really feel tired when I go to bed about 10pm but I go in and lay there quietly in the dark.  I usually wake a few times through the night but seem to be waking for the day about 7.30am.  I wake, not feeling dopey and drugged anymore, I wake feeling fresh.  I haven't slept at all through the day for some time now.  I've gone from being so tired 24/7, to not being the slightest bit tired ever.  I'm not 100% still but I'm well on the way !

[[Ni...]]

This is exactly what I need to hear today. 15 days off Lor for me, went CT and I was really worried I might have done some permanent damage to myself. This gives me hope.

[[Li...]]

@[Ni...] You'll be OK Nickie !! I was sure I had permanent brain damage.  It is a terrifying thought.  Just rest and take deep slow breaths and try not to be scared of all the symptoms.  I know it's easier said than done when you are in the midst of it but already your nervous system has started to repair 🙏

[[...]]

On 13.12.2023 at 07:17, [[L...] said:

Vor 26 Jahren hatte ich beim Arzt eine „situative“ Panikattacke mit meinen vier kleinen Söhnen im Schlepptau. Der Arzt verschrieb mir Xanax und für die nächsten 10 Jahre verschrieb er mir 1 mg viermal täglich. Dann stellte er mich morgens auf 15 mg Valium und nachmittags auf 10 mg um. 26 Jahre lang wurde mein gesamtes Zentralnervensystem langsam vergiftet und schließlich lahmgelegt. Im September dieses Jahres sah ich einen neuen Psychiater. Ich erzählte ihm, dass ich etwa 18 Stunden am Tag schlief und im Grunde überhaupt KEINE Lebensqualität hatte. Er schlug einen stationären Aufenthalt in der Hobart Clinic in Tasmanien, Australien, vor. Mein schnelles Ausschleichen begann am 2. Oktober und mein letztes Valium nahm ich am 26. Oktober 2023. Nach dem ersten Rückgang der Dosis geriet ich fast sofort in akute Entzugserscheinungen (das empfehle ich überhaupt nicht!!) und blieb dort bis zum 30 Tage null Valium. Heute sind 7 Wochen frei. Fast ALLE Symptome haben aufgehört. Ich habe im September ein neues Auto gekauft, war aber viel zu krank, um damit zu fahren. Heute bin ich aufgewacht, nach 26 langen Jahren. Ich würde diese qualvolle Reise nicht meinem schlimmsten Feind wünschen. Ich hatte zwei kleine Anfälle und zwei Aufenthalte in der Notaufnahme.

Ich kann jetzt wieder Essen schmecken, habe mehr Speichel im Mund, habe nach Jahren mysteriöser Schmerzen nirgendwo Schmerzen in meinem Körper, mysteriöse Ausschläge sind verschwunden, Geflügelgeruch ist vollständig verschwunden, Herzklopfen, das ich seit Jahren hatte, haben vollständig aufgehört Ich denke klar, ich kann Dinge wieder dreidimensional sehen, mein Gehör ist superscharf, die Farben sind viel heller und im Grunde bin ich glücklich, am Leben zu sein!!

Ich habe heute zum ersten Mal seit Jahren den Tag draußen verbracht! Ich habe zum ersten Mal an meinem neuen Auto gerochen, habe das Fahren so genossen, zwei viele Freunde besucht und eine Stunde Refexologie gemacht, was sich FANTASTISCH anfühlte!! Hatte eine Pediküre, eine Maniküre und schlenderte dann völlig OHNE ANGST durch ein riesiges Einkaufszentrum!! Ich wollte diesen Beitrag nur veröffentlichen, um die Menschen zu ermutigen und ihnen zu sagen, dass nicht jeder einen langen Heilungsweg vor sich hat. Mein Gehirn ist auf dem besten Weg, sich vollständig zu erholen, obwohl ich sicher war, dass ich sterben würde und dies die schrecklichste Erfahrung meines bisherigen Lebens war. Ich habe das Gefühl, aus einem 26-jährigen Koma erwacht zu sein und völlig neu geboren zu sein! Ich schlafe jetzt tagsüber überhaupt nicht mehr und schlafe nachts nur etwa 6 bis 7 Stunden. Es ist ein gestörter Schlaf, aber das ist in Ordnung. 

Ich bin jetzt 56 und habe das Gefühl, dass mein Leben gerade erst begonnen hat!! 🤗 ❤️

Du wirst auch heilen!! 🤗 ❤️

Congrats!!!! ❤️

May I ask how the seizures felt? When did they come what were the Symptoms? I am very scared of that

[[Bl...]]

Wow what an amazing story. I’m so happy for you ❤️💐

[[Li...]]

@[...] It felt like I had been hit by a sudden bolt of lightning and my bed shook.  It happened twice and lasted but a split second.  It felt like KACHOONK in my head and whole body shook.

I honestly feel so amazing.  It's only now I can see just how much this drug had poisoned me.  I've had fowl body odour for several years, it's completely gone.  I've had mysterious purple patches under both arms, they've now gone. I was diagnosed with congestive chronic heart failure in 2016 with severe heart palpitations, they have completely stopped and my heart feels calm and amazing.  This drug was slowly killing me !! The most amazing thing is that I was diagnosed with generalised anxiety disorder in 1997 and told I'd be on Xanax/Valium for life.  I NO LONGER SUFFER FROM ANXIETY !! 🤗