Exercise Extreme Soreness

[[Br...]]

 

I was on ativan (highest amount being 2 mg for like first 3 weeks) for 10 weeks including tapering which was the majority of my time on the drug. I have been working out since I was 12 (23 will be 24) 5 days a week since 9th grade and would do legs 3 times a week with a day in between. Any time i’ve attempted to exercise now I am sore to extremes for days and before I would never feel sore ever. I have been off them for over a week now and was feeling small improvements so tried to go back to the gym and have extreme pain days after working out. Did anyone else experience this? 

 

[[ns...]]

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

I was on ativan (highest amount being 2 mg for like first 3 weeks) for 10 weeks including tapering which was the majority of my time on the drug. I have been working out since I was 12 (23 will be 24) 5 days a week since 9th grade and would do legs 3 times a week with a day in between. Any time i’ve attempted to exercise now I am sore to extremes for days and before I would never feel sore ever. I have been off them for over a week now and was feeling small improvements so tried to go back to the gym and have extreme pain days after working out. Did anyone else experience this? 

Hi BreeB,

I think we all experience this. I uses to excercise all the time. I was exercising everyday at the start of this current withdrawal to stop Panic attacks and anxiety attacks. It helped me. Further in to my taper i found that excercise only made me feel worse! I also lost more weight. I get more anxious and lots of symptoms. By the next day, I'm so sore I can barely move!

So I kept doing them hoping that I would get used to it and the soreness would lessen, but it didn't.

So now I do light stretching and I hate that! I'm getting so out of shape and it's going to take a piece of heavy equipment to get me moving again 🙃 

But seriously, I've read that we should only do light stretching while in withdrawal and I guess it's because it revs up our symptoms. 

Take your time, do light stretching but keep moving, keep yourself Mobile_

Ns

[[wi...]]

Yes, it’s totally normal. It’s just how the muscles react during this. Lactic acid isn’t being flushed out of the muscles fibers properly. Do not freak out, this happens to most of us, even with minimal exercise.

Edited March 7 by [wi...]

[[Br...]]

@[ns...] thank you so much! 

[[Br...]]

@[wi...] okay thank you so much it’s been so scary i’m so not used to this and can’t stand being sedentary this long. i also used to have really high pain tolerance and now any pain seems unbearable and intensified is this also normal? 

[[Br...]]

27 minutes ago, [[B...] said:

 i’m so not used to this and can’t stand being sedentary this long. i also used to have really high pain tolerance and now any pain seems unbearable and intensified is this also normal? 

All our senses are highly sensitized during withdrawal - it's normal to fee everything more intensely.  Remember, benzos are a very effective muscle relaxers and our muscles often freak out after benzos as our systems readjust. Like all withdrawal symptoms, this is temporary and with time it will ease up.  You were on Ativan such a short time relatively, I think there's a good chance things will ease up for you more quickly than if you'd been on them a long time.  Still, you should expect it will take time and try to accept that.  This will help give you some peace of mind as you go through this.

Now as far as exercising, in my opinion moderate exercise is an important part of coping with withdrawal.  The key is finding what is the right level of intensity for you since everyone is different.  So you may need to pull back considerably for a while.  You can still move but it's important to listen to your body and not push too hard.  

[[Br...]]

@[Br...] Okay this makes sense. even my taste is super off and weird. thank you so much. my body is definitely telling me to stop pushing so hard because i’m working with little to nothing and expecting to be able to just do everything which just isn’t the case. i’ve always been very all or nothing so I need to try my best to accept this situation that is limiting me 

[[Pi...]]

3 hours ago, [[B...] said:

All our senses are highly sensitized during withdrawal - it's normal to fee everything more intensely.  Remember, benzos are a very effective muscle relaxers and our muscles often freak out after benzos as our systems readjust. Like all withdrawal symptoms, this is temporary and with time it will ease up.  You were on Ativan such a short time relatively, I think there's a good chance things will ease up for you more quickly than if you'd been on them a long time.  Still, you should expect it will take time and try to accept that.  This will help give you some peace of mind as you go through this.

Now as far as exercising, in my opinion moderate exercise is an important part of coping with withdrawal.  The key is finding what is the right level of intensity for you since everyone is different.  So you may need to pull back considerably for a while.  You can still move but it's important to listen to your body and not push too hard.  

You nailed it Brighterday: I try to walk every day even though some days I'm walking out of balance and like a drunk still. Always feel better afterwards and does help with sleep. As hard as it is to move some days, staying sedimentary will finish you. I try to hit the gym at least 1 day a week and do weights. Went there on Tuesday with my whole body racked with pain. Forced myself through and felt way better about an hour later. Biggest problem I have is I literally need to stretch all my leg muscles for about an hour or I'm doomed to get those really painful leg spasms mostly in the quads and hamstrings. Also take magnesium at night to relax muscles. I see the chiropractor once a week because all the tight muscles throws everything out of alignment. I'm 69 at the end of month and 21 months CT Xanax. Taste was normal about 10 months out but still having major stomach issues. Anxiety issues about 70% gone. Keep healing guys.

[[He...]]

I can relate .Before i started taking benzo 16 months ago i liked to work out.When i was from 16 to about 30 i used to go to gym after that i just like to work out at home with dumbells and not so heavy. Now after i started taking benzo i can not work out .I get extreme sore for many days even if using light weights but and also the tendons get inflamed very easy.I also get increased anxiety .It may be the CNS going into fight or flight mode from training.Now all i can do is just some rehab with rubberbands trying to keep the body going.I have tapered from 5mg then down to 2,5mg and after that i have slowly tapering by using a sandpaper and grind off the 2,5mg pill and using a microscale .im now at about 1,8mg and struggeling, but also have good days.

so hoping i will be able to work out again in the future because it used to make me feel good .

I hope you will heal fast BreeB

[[Pi...]]

My leg muscles especially the quads and hamstrings just hurt now all the time. Not like pain after a workout in recovery. Just a constant for days on end aching pain. A lot of twitching in my upper legs but mostly in my stomach muscles along with major benzo belly. Anyone else this far out?