Injuries After Akathisia/Frozen Shoulder

[[Re...]]

Hi Buddies,

I have been filled with questions and doubts the last 24 hours so please forgive that I have posted a few times. After surviving severe pacing akathisia, I have now been dealing with a frozen shoulder since November. The akathisia I have is slight now, not gone. But it is much better. I had to get an MRI despite trying not to and had to see a specialist who of course offered me drugs I would not take. PT, massage have not helped. I was told the MRI findings were not indicative of a serious problem. Guess what? Frozen shoulder typically resolves in six months but can take up to THREE YEARS. It is a cruel joke because like protracted withdrawal anything you do can make it worse and time is the only solid remedy. What a s**t show.

I understand hormones can instigate it frozen shoulder. Since these drugs mess with hormones, I am pointing the finger at them. I think the drugs threw me into earlier perimenopause. I have also learned that injuries after akathisia are quite common. I know how to use the search bar around here but wondering if anyone has had this symptom or knows anything further about this I wanted to post to discuss.

I have an IUD which tapers itself and gives me progesterone. This further potentially complicates the web of medical mayhem I have been in as coming off of that can irritate the benzo injury since progesterone acts on the brain. But the consensus among my care team who understands benzo harm is to leave that in and let it taper over years. It micro tapers. Getting the IUD out without any numbing or even a Tylenol is not a fun thought. But then again, with the pain I have been through it will probably be nothing. I will cross that bridge when I come to it I guess.

I see people six years off having setbacks while others at four years are back to life without them. It speaks to how different these injuries are. There is no way to know where you will end up on this spectrum and that is the scariest part. Now to find out that I am close to 18 months off the benzo, 8 months off the Seroquel and that 18 months off the benzo is considered protracted??!! This does not make me feel hopeful. But then again, I kind of gave up hope long ago for the discovery of what is as this all unfolds. Hope was hard for me because my hopes were not met.

Anyway, if anyone has any thoughts or experiences I would like to know. Thanks for reading.

[[Ma...]]

Have you spoken to Chris Paige? His aka lasted for quite some time and has since opened an aka foundation. Perhaps he can better answer your questions.

BTW, although I am sorry for your need to return here, I am happy to see you again ☺️

[[Re...]]

3 minutes ago, [[M...] said:

Have you spoken to Chris Paige? His aka lasted for quite some time and has since opened an aka foundation. Perhaps he can better answer your questions.

BTW, although I am sorry for your need to return here, I am happy to see you again ☺️

Hey Mary, I was actually wondering how you are doing. I do not speak with Chris Paige. He is very pro med which I am not so I don't think it would be a fit. But thank you for the recommendation. I have a coach and I participate in withdrawal group support. I like to get my information from that coach and from patients on here who are the clinical data!

[[Fi...]]

Hey @[Re...]

I too am dealing with a frozen shoulder. This is my second one. 

The first happened at the end of my bemzo withdrawal when I strained my benzo weakened arm. Took about 8 months to heal. Used Feldenkris and acupuncture. 

This one happened 5 months ago as I neared the end of my Mirt taper. I'm off Mirt 2 months and benzo for 3 years. 

I initially did PT in the freezing stage, which was a mistake; made things more painful. I'm now in the frozen stage and am seeing an osteopath and acupuncturist. I use a heating pad and lots of arnica.

Don't let other peoples experiences scare you. So many people have helped from med withdrawal. I am someone who was pollydrugged and then had a bad setback due to surgery and anesthesia. I have more healing to go but I am solid.  

Handling a frozen shoulder while healing is a literal pain but things will get better. Be easy with yourself. 

Final Healing 

 

Edited March 3 by [Fi...]

[[Re...]]

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

Hey @[Re...]

I too am dealing with a frozen shoulder. This is my second one. 

The first happened at the end of my bemzo withdrawal when I strained my benzo weakened arm. Took about 8 months to heal. Used Feldenkris and acupuncture. 

This one happened 5 months ago as I neared the end of my Mirt taper. I'm off Mirt 2 months and benzo for 3 years. 

I initially did PT in the freezing stage, which was a mistake; made things more painful. I'm now in the frozen stage and am seeing an osteopath and acupuncturist. I use a heating pad and lots of arnica.

Don't let other peoples experiences scare you. So many people have helped from med withdrawal. I am someone who was pollydrugged and then had a bad setback due to surgery and anesthesia. I have more healing to go but I am solid.  

Handling a frozen shoulder while healing is a literal pain but things will get better. Be easy with yourself. 

Final Healing 

Thanks, Final H. I love your screen name! I am so sorry you have the frozen shoulder twice but I guess there is something to this with the drug withdrawal. I have it a little in the other arm as well but full range of motion. I hope it doesn't happen twice. If it does I guess I deal with it then. This initial stage was so bad it felt like my muscles were being ripped off my bones. Of course PTs, doctor had never seen that before.

[[So...]]

I will say Rebecca, I've talked to a good handful of people dealing with or just healing from aka and I'm sure you know this too as you said but hormones SCREW us over really bad.  Whether it's breastfeeding, perimenopause, periods, pregnancy, birth control, etc.  

 

I would recommend to you to get the IUD out (I use to have the non hormonal one, I'm guessing you have one of the hormonal ones) but I'd be really scared you could tip the scales again of your healing NS.  Maybe you can in like 6 months to a year get the IUD out and replace it with a similar hormone equivency pill and then taper off of that? 

 

If you look up Beautifully Broken on YouTube she had an aka flare up from quitting her BC pill so I know she is very read up on it.  She seems pretty open to replying.  Anyways, I guess what I'm saying is, the frozen shoulder could honestly be related to all those hormone fluctuations, as weird as that is, or perimenopause, so don't get too worked up, maybe it could go away with a smart tapering plan of the BC?

[[ns...]]

Rebecca29, and all here, hi.

I had involuntary body movements from my first fast forced taper.  My shoulder jerks went from the left to ultimately the right and remained there for quite awhile. My left shoulder is what I would call frozen I guess.

I sleep in the fetal position on my right side. My left shoulder doesn't allow me to take my arm off of my hip unless I'm turned almost on my stomach. It's been over 3 yrs now.

The body movements have stopped. 

I went back on lorazapam last April, I felt better for only a couple months. My family thought i needed hormones, i quit them in 2014 i believe, due to chest pain. My doctor agreed I needed low dose premarin so I took it. It wasn't long I had vaginal drip which I thought was a yeast infection!

Doctor advised over the counter med. After 3 days I went to er with pain down there and worse drip. Er doc gives me a different drug and antibiotics.

In a different er 1 week later. Thyroid level is high and er doc is very concerned, thinks I have hypothyroidism. 1 month later I'm in withdrawal from the lorazapam and had to taper.

I assumed this was paradoxical reaction but unsure what?

So I'm almost finished tapering. I've had a rough withdrawal and still in it of course. 

I have internal tremors and jumping nerves in my abdomen and I'm numb from my upper waist down including pelvic floor. I was numb in my right hip to thigh for almost 3 yrs which is now from waist to both legs and feet. 

The numbness is getting better, the internal tremors are getting less, the typical withdrawal symptoms are still ongoing but I get breaks if I'm just sitting or lying down.

Overall, I can feel healing even though it's very difficult to walk or stand do to the tremors/vibrations.l, muscle/nerve squeezing in arms, thighs and back. 

I'm reading this post and am beginning to piece together what actually caused my reaction to lorazepam this last go around however, no one can ever be quite sure the cause. Probably the previous withdrawal and reinstating the lorazapam is more the cause.

I had thought about the premarin and the antibiotics but brushed it aside. I also had a tooth pulled during this time and was given a shot of epinephrine which I made clear I could not have prior to the visit. My next lorazapam dose after the dentist caused a reaction. The am dose prior to the dentist was the last therapeutic dose of lorazepam. 

So who knows really, all in 2 weeks time so much happened that could have caused this. I guess it really doesn't matter, what's done is done. 

My thyroid is fine by the way. 

It is interesting about hormone imbalances and benzo and your experience peaked my interest.

Note, I was taking an over the counter estroven soy product before the premarin and I was feeling great!

I can no longer eat soy including many other foods, however I have been able to slowly add more foods to my diet recently. 

I'm on my way, I'm healing, crawling slow but I'm healing none the less.

I've learned a great deal from this process and I think when I'm done I'm got to write a book! Lol!

Seriously, withdrawal from benzos is horrible and my heart aches for anyone going through this, especially if they don't have help at home.

BB has, and is a great help to me and reading accounts of people like yours and others helps many feel a belonging where we were previously feeling very alone.

We learn from each other and this is a blessing!

Thank u for sharing your experience and I truly hope for healing for everyone here.

Keep pushing, keep going, don't focus on your symptoms and keep a positive attitude. 

Remember, we're safe, we're uncomfortable bit we're ok!

Bless yas

Ns