hope for all about healing ♥️

[[or...]]

Edit: I'm turning this into a "hope and healing" thread as some very good things are happening.  If you want to, read further than this "sad" post I made when I was itching so bad Things are much better

 

I'm learning to pray again and I added in one for those that have never taken a benzo, or any pill without checking them out first on their own.  Maybe even coming across BB and reading some stories, that are true experiences, not some fake horror story but the real deal.

 

Lastnight, well, it's this morning here now, at 2:55 a.m.(woke up 2 hrs after falling asleep) and I just wanted to scream and cry when I got so tired of itching, everywhere!  Plus I started having a migraine and that really pissed me off.  I have either gotten hooked on Zyrtec which is now causing me to itch more/worse, or it's just the wd sxs from last, sort of crazy taper.  I only went down .001 in weight of tablet 2 days in a row (so .002 total), but something got wacked out and it was probably my scale.

I've been off the 10 mg Zyrtec doctor gave me for hives for 4 days now, of course I know nothing for sure except that it's been hard to withstand the itching.  It's like one spot will quit itching and another area starts.  I guess I should be glad it isn't everywhere on my body at once

So I cried, cussed a few choice words and got up and on here now.  Most of the real bad itching stopped but some is still happening.  It feels like little hot pins poking me.  How stupid I was to think that Zyrtec is just an innocent little "drug" to help me, what lies people get fed.  You think after experiencing was Clonazepam has done to me I would not just blindly take something else, but I sure did.

Well, I guess I need to try and enjoy this day as much as possible.  Hard when all I want to do is sleep and forget for awhile.  I'm on a freaking mini-taper, so I doubt I'd live through a CT.  I think I'll consider myself blessed I didn't do that like I tried years ago when I was much younger.  Hope I'm done venting, along with others reading this crap.  I feel real grateful right this moment having a place I can share this stuff.  Misery loves company, I guess that's true, oregonlady/Denise PS having loud Tinnitus more often lately, but the good news is my tremor seems to be almost gone.  Windows and Waves, I was warned, but only thanks to BB folks

 

Edited April 5 by [or...]

[[Ka...]]

Hello @[or...] Denise 

I am so sorry & that you are wakeful - its 11.47 am in UK. It’s ok to vent. Thank goodness for BB, a place where we go thru this shared mayhem & fully understand.  That tremor going is a good thing to hear. Hold tight. Sending you much positivity & ❤️

[[or...]]

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

Hello @[or...] Denise 

I am so sorry & that you are wakeful - its 11.47 am in UK. It’s ok to vent. Thank goodness for BB, a place where we go thru this shared mayhem & fully understand.  That tremor going is a good thing to hear. Hold tight. Sending you much positivity & ❤️

Thanks Katrina,

I appreciate your message, I hate complaining, but I guess that's just pride, wanting to be uplifting for others, but sometimes it's good to be uplifted too Denise

[[or...]]

Wow, I've found some info since posting this topic, and I'm fairly certain I'm having wd sxs from stopping Zyrtec antihistamine 4 days ago.  I can't go off this CT, I was literally swelling up with hives so I went ahead and looked for info on antihistamine tapering.

I did find a couple of things on it, one here from our old forum I'll link to as well.  The first thing I read was telling me that 25% to 50%  can work as a taper in a month.  I'm going to go slower after reading these articles I'll link to now as I don't want this new "issue" to interfere with my benzo taper.  Thought I'd share what I've found in case others are doing antihistamines, not that the same thing will happen to you, it's just my experience.

First thing I read was a thread from 2012 by SamElliot:

https://benzobuddies.org/topic/44462-hydroxyzine-withdrawal-~-is-there-one/#comment-665326

The next is from OregonLive I came across which I read the first post in article(notice Zyrtec is mentioned as well) The person used a liquid form of Xyzal which I hadn't heard of, but they found a "slow" taper was needed for this drug too: 

https://www.oregonlive.com/advice/2023/09/heres-the-secret-to-tapering-off-antihistamines-without-itching.html

This has been an awful lesson for me to learn when I've already experienced enough that I should have known better, Denise PS but at least I learned here about tapering, wd sxs. It's coming in very handy, all I've learned here on BB

 

[[Bu...]]

Hey @[or...],

I am so sorry for all the misery right now.  I hate waking up in the middle of the night with some other symptom.  As if the insomnia itself isn't enough!  

I have had that itching you're taking about.  It will wake me out of a dead sleep and I'll get random patches of itching everywhere, like a bad game of wack-a-mole.  It's almost always at night.  I was on Klonopin, too.  Maybe it's part of the withdrawal from that one specifically?  I don't know.  I hope tonight is a better night for you.  Prayers and hugs.❤

[[or...]]

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

Hey @[or...],

I am so sorry for all the misery right now.  I hate waking up in the middle of the night with some other symptom.  As if the insomnia itself isn't enough!  

I have had that itching you're taking about.  It will wake me out of a dead sleep and I'll get random patches of itching everywhere, like a bad game of wack-a-mole.  It's almost always at night.  I was on Klonopin, too.  Maybe it's part of the withdrawal from that one specifically?  I don't know.  I hope tonight is a better night for you.  Prayers and hugs.❤

I totally believe now that it was a symptom of withdrawal definitely but by taking the Zyrtec I made it worse because now my body is craving for the Zyrtec so in the morning I've got it all set up to start weaning off the Zyrtec which if I follow some directions I found it should be a fairly quick taper and I'll have to listen to my body again with that but the only symptom I have is the itching as far as I know but at least I know I have to taper off the Zyrtec and there's a way to taper off it just like any other drug thanks so much for your sweet message I really appreciate it tonight I'll let you all know how I'm doing especially to let folks know that might be hooked on an antihistamine that they can actually cause dependence as well talk to you later Denise 👍😉

[[or...]]

I've been realizing, also, that my tremor (especially in head, and hands) is improving (healing).  It's just becoming more stable every day.  This a.m. for the first time in literally months, I can write with pen and paper, and this is such a biggy for me as I was so terribly self-conscious about having to sign anything in public like for my 'script.

I attended a 2 year college and got a 3.6 GPA, but I had test-anxiety so bad.  I'd been on the benzo for several years when I decided to go back to school.  I literally shook so bad I couldn't fill out my test sheets in Math.  It was weird because I was fine in just regular classes but I guess when the pressure was on, that's when the tremors hit me.

It's not totally gone as I get excited or anxious, I still shake worse, but not all the time now, or it almost feels like I can stop shaking myself with my mind if that makes any sense, Denise, sending hugs, and hope/encouragement for everyone here that needs it today ♥️

PS on the Zyrtec issue, I've started my taper from original tablet.  I'm going to ask if I can add it to my history since it isn't a benzo

Edited April 5 by [or...]

[[dj...]]

Some 7 years ago, before getting off benzos was a thought, I ran and out of Zyrtec and just decided to stop taking it.  I was out of town for work and started itching like crazy and was clawing at myself.  I couldn’t figure out what was happening at first and then I remembered I had stopped the Zyrtec.  Just started taking it again and it went away. 
 

I doubt withdrawals are noticeable if you do any sort of taper.  I’d been taking 10mg everyday for years.  My daughter had to taper off and it was take one it every other night, then every 3 nights.  No problem there 

[[or...]]

I see how that would work as I had zero itching until the 4th night   Splitting them is a pain, so maybe try this way as well.  So just string out the doses a little longer until you don't need them!  Sounds totally doable   thank you @[dj...], Denise