Gut Health and diet information

[[st...]]

Hi everyone, I Just wanted to post on here some information and resources from my experience. It is my belief that benzodiazepines dramatically change both the contents of the bacteria in the gut and the integrity of the lining of the gut. There is shockingly little information available on the internet about this relationship as the gut brain axis is a very new topic. I will link some articles below and what I have found. 

1. Withdrawal from benzodiazepines can affect gut emptying- this has been coined Digestive withdrawal syndrome also known as benzo belly- here

2. Doctors are actually trying to use benzos to treat IBS, (This was my personal experience with my doctor, it worked for a while and then had the reverse effect) -link

3. This article is really crazy which shows that gut bacteria actually produce compounds that act like benzodiazepines (rat) and treatment with antibiotics can kill off this bacteria strain. Which means your gut bacteria are actually responsible for creating compounds that can act on the GABA system. link

4. Animals that had gut disturbances (dysbiosis) at an early age showed signs of anxiety and depression in adulthood and showed different levels of GABA receptors in the brain. They treated these animals with probiotics and saw an improvement. link

This information let me to read the book The good gut and also listen to his interview on Andrew Huberman. It is worth a read if you havent been down the gut brain axis rabbit hole. However, I think what we will find soon is that MANY of the effects of withdrawal are actually from the increased inflammation on the gut following long term use of Benzos, and the change in gut bacteria. 

I am not at a point yet where I can take probiotics without them making me sick, I have tried all sorts of different versions, kombucha, kefir, probiotic supplements, and fermented foods. Everything makes my gut flare up. However, in the book the good gut he mentions that a high fiber diet alone can dramatically improve your health of the bacteria you have. 

My experience with a high fiber diet: overall has been incredibly positive. 

Symptoms that are gone- Diarrhea, nausea, midnight hunger, anxiety is lower, sleep quality is higher.

The kicker with a high fiber diet is you have to stick to it, I went out of town for a weekend and I ate a lot of junk food. When I got back I completely forgot about my diet and I also wasnt doing the grocery shopping. Its like my brain was wiped of this new habit I had developed over 3 months. My sleep quality went down, I had diarrhea several times and I was confused as to what was going on. I since restarted and have seen a big improvement. 

I am putting this information out there in hopes it helps someone else recovering from benzo belly. Does anyone have any experience with this or information?

[[Le...]]

I agree. Its also important to salt ones food because sodium cholorid(sea salt) and potassium cholorid is used by the body to make hydroclorid acid, which is stomich acid.

Which we need to digest protein and absorb minerals. How much to use? Salt ones food so that it taste good, if its too salty one have used to much.

I agree with eating fiber rich food. I have just ordered some raw saurkraut. Thanks mate for writing this topic, im a big believer in that diet affects our withdrawal recovery.

 

All the best to you.

[[...]]

Hi,

          I've been on Alprazolam, 1.5 mg for 8 years at bedtime. I'm still deciding when to taper.

For a while now, I feel bloated at my solar plexus when I've hardly eaten anything. No pain, just a feeling of slight nausea and my bathroom habits are normal. I do have a small paraesophageal hiatal hernia as a result of a CT scan in October for a suspected pulmonary nodule on my lung which was negative. Research that I've done, suggest anxiety could play a big role.

I'm just wondering if this is an interdosal thing with the Benzo. There are days, I eat very well but never overdo it. I hate to keep running to doctors and nothing shows up. I'm having a nuclear stress test in a few weeks because I have stents in my heart. Any input would be great.

[[st...]]

[[...]]

Thanks.

At the moment, things are going pretty well. I'll eat things that are nutritious such as a lettuce and tomato sandwich and I'll feel bloated. Another day, I'll have a few slices of salami with crackers and I'll be fine. Weird.

From what I've read, as you get older, your appetite is not as great. I'm 68 and I've noticed my capacity for eating a lot in one sitting greatly reduced. No pun intended, but my gut feeling is that it's Benzo related too.