Anxiety still 6 months out. Why???

[[Bu...]]

6 months since last dose and I still have anxiety, paranoia, and I can't handle the least bit of stress. Am I alone in this? Are others feeling as bad as I do this far out?

I'm so overwhelmed !!

[[Bu...]]

Any ideas? I'd appreciate anything.

[[Nu...]]

You're not alone. I'm there with you, as many others are. I'm 11 months off and making progress like molasses... but progress at least...

[[Pi...]]

I am 20 months off.  I can’t handle stress and I still have anxiety but it is all tamped down and less obvious.

[[Bo...]]

Yep still struggling with this but mirt is also complicating my situation. 
hang in there as more time this should level out more and be less noticeable as months go on. Hugs and good job at 6mo. Big milestone so congrats for reaching this off benzos. 

[[Bu...]]

Thank you, All. Life is really hard, as I'm sure you all know.

Take care!

[[Lo...]]

 

Hello, I'm sorry that you continue to suffer, 6 months is still too early to improve, keep holding on as it gets better. I have been off Clonazepam for 21 months and I have the same symptoms as you, but I noticed a great improvement after 18 months, so I am slowly healing, unfortunately it seems to be a too gradual process, we have no choice but to endure. How long did you take benzos? ¿Did you do ct?.

 

Edited March 27 by [Lo...]

[[PE...]]

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

Hello, I'm sorry that you continue to suffer, 6 months is still too early to improve, keep holding on as it gets better. I have been off Clonazepam for 21 months and I have the same symptoms as you, but I noticed a great improvement after 18 months, so I am slowly healing, unfortunately it seems to be a too gradual process, we have no choice but to endure. How long did you take benzos? ¿Did you do ct?.

I'm 6 months out and like 80% back to myself. I was a pure mess 6 months ago from CT huge doses. I have some tinnitus left that's about all.

[[Bu...]]

Yep, I suppose maybe I'm expecting too much after 6 months off. 28 years on drugs is a long time. I shouldn't expect to be the same, strong woman I was before taking pills ( at least at this time. As I keep saying-we're all in the same boat.

[[Ho...]]

I was hoping for the same thing! Every time another benchmark passed (3 months, 6 months, 9 months etc) my expectations get dashed. At six months I was still struggling every morning with such anxiety! I honestly didn't know what the heck it was, because in my pre-benzo life anxiety wasn't an issue for me. I just knew it was awful.

From what I've read it seems as if this particular anxiety is a side effect of having your body's balancing system whacked out. Oh honestly I forget the dynamics, but the end result is not enough GABA can be absorbed by your GABA receptors. Not because there isn't enough GABA in our system; there usually is. But many of the GABA receptors sort of slacked off and vanished (down-regulated) because the benzo provided enough fake GABA for a while. So when the benzo stopped, so did the GABA. Don't forget GABA is our feel-good, life is good, I feel great substance. So we lost that and are waiting (and waiting and waiting) for those receptors to grow back (up regulate). That's what is as slow as molasses. Yes, agonizingly, tediously slow but is happening sure as God made little green apples. Nothing can stop it and nothing can hurry it. We can only wait it out.

I've heard green tea has l theanine. I noticed some calming effects from it! Decaf green tea for me, though. Also chamomile tea, but it has to be the German variety for the calming effect.

The other thing I hated to do but did anyway was box breathing. Definitely works. It has a physiological effect because your fight-or-flight system (the origin of the anxiety) can't dominate when you're breathing in that controlled way. 

You WILL get past this and get better. It happens because that's the way you were designed. Simple science. Horrific benzos, but simple science, really.

Hugs,

HCHC

[[Bu...]]

Thanks, hot cold. Sorry you had to go through this, too. It's been so isolating ( over 4 years). Hard to look to the future.

[[Pa...]]

@[Bu...]

I feel you. I just take it 3 months and now 3 months in horrible withdrawal. The physical symptoms are gone but the psychological symptoms get worst since i am back at work. I was 6 weeks at home, then back to work boom stress takes completely over, Intrusive thoughts starts just random. Now i know it was to much stress. Just shopping groceries put me in high stress its extreme.

[[Ho...]]

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

Thanks, hot cold. Sorry you had to go through this, too. It's been so isolating ( over 4 years). Hard to look to the future.

Looks like you must have done a nice slow taper, am I right? Over Four years sounds like it, and if that's the case, I'm sure you were hoping to sort of 'walk off'. I've read that people have done that.

My taper was short, about 4-6 months, fast in the beginning and slow at the end. Not very slow, but slow-er. I'm 19 months post-jump and was hoping to be back to myself at this point, but no go. I'm better, but not good enough. Still have that overall negative pair of spectacles that takes all joy away, some burning skin, dizziness and jitteriness. I've had some windows though, when my head is on straight and I feel pretty good. Same set of physical symptoms but my head is just in a better space, so things don't bother me as much. Every time that happens I want to sing the hallelujah chorus and think, maybe this is it!!

I guess those times, since I had none for about a year and a half, make me believe better days are coming for me. I hope they are for you, too! I really, really do.

Warmly,

HCHC

[[Bu...]]

Again, hotcold, I'm sorry your having all this. You did a very rapid taper, something I couldn't do. Tried and I thought that was it. Over 4 years of anxiety, paranoia and extreme physical symptoms are becoming too much too bear. 30 years of addictive prescription drugs took my adult life away.

[[Bo...]]

Hugs, I’m at 4yrs this month too, 7mo off K after 3 1/2yr taper. Hell of a road Polydrugged along hr way and aka nightmare so now tapering mirt but crying all wknd bc wondering when can I get a break.

its exhausting to be on the rollercoaster where everything physically mentally emotionally is hard… we are being manipulated by things out of our control but gotta go with it and the coping mechanisms and one day we will realize It’s not so hard anymore. 
hang in there, hoping things ease to give some hope soon. Lots of hugs 

[[ns...]]

On 27/03/2024 at 03:08, [[P...] said:

I'm 6 months out and like 80% back to myself. I was a pure mess 6 months ago from CT huge doses. I have some tinnitus left that's about all.

That's good to.hear. sorry about the tinnitus, it's no fun, I have it!

[[Ra...]]

Bulldog

im at 26 mos. My anxiety really started to go down at 16 mos. I will still have bouts of it but it’s a lot shorter and not nearly as bad as the 16 first mos. It was at horrible levels the first 16 mos.  Most everyone I’m in contact with say somewhere in that first 20 mos it will change. Hopefully sooner then later for you!

Ranch

[[PE...]]

36 minutes ago, [[n...] said:

That's good to.hear. sorry about the tinnitus, it's no fun, I have it!

Yeah @[ns...] it seems like many have it. It's a bit better though. But I'm guessing it will take some time until it's gone..

[[Pa...]]

@[Bu...]

 

It takes time, a lot of time mostly.

If you can do exercise, eat very healthy and try to do a lot of things that you really enjoy. We all will heal.

 

[[Bu...]]

Boxes, Ranch, and Paul!

Thanks, you guys. Like I say, all of us are in the same boat. I really question why i am going through this in life. Guess there's no answer, philosophically speaking. Life is just so damn hard. I'm not the same woman I used to be so long ago.

Take care all!!!

[[us...]]

Hi @[Bu...] I have this terrible anxiety.. I read when I searched 'overheating' that you also had this symptom, I thought I had some kind of virus because my temperature would go up to 98.6 F for no reason, but I felt like I have 105 F, my brain was on fire, but that suddenly stopped thank God..but now I have some other strange symptoms

[[Co...]]

Some posts to this thread have been removed.

Hi all,

We do not allow members to request or supply their contact details on the open forums. We also suggest that members are careful in supplying such details via the PM system.

We plan to have a (safe) system in place soon to allow members to communicate, where you do not need to share any personal data or contact information. We hope to announce details within a few weeks.

[[Co...]]

Edited my previous post for clarity.