Exercise intolerance

[[TH...]]

Anyone else struggling with basic tasks like changing bed sheets and showering? Heart absolutely races just by putting sheets on my bed. Then I gotta sit down to compose myself. Scares the life out of me, it's draining both physically and mentally. I'm still at 3.5mg V, nowhere near jumping and struggling already. Even when resting my heart is pounding and find it very difficult to get it to slow down. I've had tests, x-rays but all fine apparently. 

[[kn...]]

I’m tapering diazepam at the same level you are at. I’ve come down from a 60mg cross over during the past 2.5 years. My symptoms parallel yours.  Conferring with other med providers has revealed the same. I experience shortness of breath, unrelenting fatigue and muscle weakness. Just putting on socks and shoes is almost impossible. I walk with a cane and have to lie down for about half an hour in the AM and PM. I’m now with a new provider, micro dosing very slowly and taking a small dose of Pregabalin. Things are slowly improving. We’re both going to make it through this. Our experiences are common around here. Take heart. We’re going to make it. 

[[ac...]]

I have had this problem as well. I would suggest holding for 3 months or so and the continuing slower on a microtaper once you have stabilized. 

[[Em...]]

I am having this from workouts. Everytime my heartbeat goes up I go into full blown anxiety attack with palpilations, shakyness, shortness of breath, chestpain. Very physical like panic attack.

I have no advice for you, Im sorry. This recently started happening to me and Im very confused by this myself

Good luck:)

[[jo...]]

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

I am having this from workouts. Everytime my heartbeat goes up I go into full blown anxiety attack with palpilations, shakyness, shortness of breath, chestpain. Very physical like panic attack.

I have no advice for you, Im sorry. This recently started happening to me and Im very confused by this myself

Good luck:)

I had a wave of symptoms because of jogging. You have to be careful. It seems fairly common.

[[Em...]]

11 minutes ago, [[j...] said:

I had a wave of symptoms because of jogging. You have to be careful. It seems fairly common.

Thank you, I will really take things easier now. Sucks but I believe it must pass by at some point.

Take care

[[Ja...]]

Thfc900 how long you been tappering bud,have you recently had a dose drop

[[TH...]]

33 minutes ago, [[J...] said:

Thfc900 how long you been tappering bud,have you recently had a dose drop

I started tapering 20mg in March 2023. Today I'm down to 3.5mg. I would write this in my history but it's so all over the place. Some weeks I've stayed on a particular dose for 3 weeks then another dose was just 2 weeks, another was 5 weeks. Just a mess tbh. I've been on 3.5 now for 3 weeks, will be 4 by next Thursday. I bought some scales but I can't make head nor tail of it, confuses the hell out of all these mgs, grams, ounces. Maths was never my strong point lol. Plus the scales only have grams and no milligrammes. I've tried weighing out 1mg but the scale is saying it's 0.09 grams 🤷🏻‍♂️ which is 90mg. Confused. Sorry for the rant but I don't know what to do with the next drop now. Someone above said stick with 3.5 for 3 months...seems a bit too long that.  

[[TH...]]

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

I am having this from workouts. Everytime my heartbeat goes up I go into full blown anxiety attack with palpilations, shakyness, shortness of breath, chestpain. Very physical like panic attack.

I have no advice for you, Im sorry. This recently started happening to me and Im very confused by this myself

Good luck:)

Yes it's very confusing. Thank you for your reply. 

It's so scary right? I even wake up between 3-4 with pounding heart rate then I'm awake the rest of the morning trying to calm myself down. It's draining. I don't know about you but I'm just constantly worried about the worst happening. I'm sure it won't but like I said it's draining. Hope you manage to keep it under control yourself. Take care 

[[TH...]]

2 hours ago, [[a...] said:

I have had this problem as well. I would suggest holding for 3 months or so and the continuing slower on a microtaper once you have stabilized. 

3 months? That's a long time but maybe that's how you go when you're getting this low. A micro taper confuses me no end! I can't get my head round it. Plus the scales I just bought seem useless. Need to get another set. Thanks for your reply 

[[st...]]

 

You’re a much bigger man than me, because I didn’t take a shower for 6 months, just sponge baths in the sink. Also didn’t change bed sheets for 6 months towards the end of taper. Before, I was a half-marathon runner and during taper/withdrawal I couldn’t crawl up an incline, forget about mowing grass (which I once loved). Now after 18 months off, I’m pushing a mower and walking up hills just fine. The best thing I did was not to get down on myself about it. It all passed.

 

 

[[Em...]]

6 minutes ago, [[T...] said:

Yes it's very confusing. Thank you for your reply. 

It's so scary right? I even wake up between 3-4 with pounding heart rate then I'm awake the rest of the morning trying to calm myself down. It's draining. I don't know about you but I'm just constantly worried about the worst happening. I'm sure it won't but like I said it's draining. Hope you manage to keep it under control yourself. Take care 

I have the same waking up in panic moments! Not always but it comes and goes... yes its very scary

I try to dose at exactly the same time each day and I take a little bit bigger dose in the evening. Try to take it just right before I go to bed. I think it is helping. But maybe its the holding...? I dont really know a lot anymore because some symptoms have been improving and New have been coming 🤔 

my life is like LaLaLand right now... 

One pro tip: when I wake up in panic I now do these body scan: like I try to feel the panic to the fullest. I am like Ok yes my heart is really pounding and I have full attention on that, no flinching from it until it slows down and so forth with all my symptoms. I dont try to calm it down I just give it full attention, no resistance. Hard to explain this but this has actually helped and sometimes I can fall a sleep again, poor sleep but some kinda sleep...

 

Hope I made any sense,

Good luck and take good care 😊

[[TH...]]

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

You’re a much bigger man than me, because I didn’t take a shower for 6 months, just sponge baths in the sink. Also didn’t change bed sheets for 6 months towards the end of taper. Before, I was a half-marathon runner and during taper/withdrawal I couldn’t crawl up an incline, forget about mowing grass (which I once loved). Now after 18 months off, I’m pushing a mower and walking up hills just fine. The best thing I did was not to get down on myself about it. It all passed.

Appreciate your reply. I think you may of replied to my other post with your micro taper plan. Totally confused me lol! But I'll try and work it out...got too really. That's crazy...I mean I wasn't super fit but I was on my feet 8 hours a day working, walking miles a day at work to hardly being able to walk round the block. That must of been difficult for you being a half marathon runner to not being able to shower 😔 affects you mentally also doesn't it? Glad you're getting there and healing. Gives me hope at least. 

[[st...]]

Yes, unfortunately this is a symptom. I started my withdrawal process mid training for a triathlon of all things. I now laugh at myself for thinking that somehow that would ever be possible. Imagine how woefully unprepared I was. I had my first wave 24 hours after a workout and thought I was literally dying. For weeks afterwards I would get dizzy going up the stairs at my house. How is it possible that I was doing 21 mile bike rides and 1000m swims just 7 days prior and then suddenly couldn’t walk up the stairs because of a drug withdrawal. So yes those symptoms are real and you are not going crazy. I dont know the full reason why this is happening but my best conclusion I can come up with is that GABA receptors are responsible for calming the body down after heightened activity of any time. Your GABA system is gone to shit and doesn’t work which means you have no ability to calm down after any heightened activity so you just become exhausted. Good luck and take it easy. 

[[Le...]]

11 hours ago, [[T...] said:

Anyone else struggling with basic tasks like changing bed sheets and showering? Heart absolutely races just by putting sheets on my bed. Then I gotta sit down to compose myself. Scares the life out of me, it's draining both physically and mentally. I'm still at 3.5mg V, nowhere near jumping and struggling already. Even when resting my heart is pounding and find it very difficult to get it to slow down. I've had tests, x-rays but all fine apparently. 

I had heartrate around 140-150 for a year and took an hour to climb a set of stairs at times. This isnt easy to go through. You are managing well. 

[[Ja...]]

Thfc900,.yea U definitely need micro scales buddy,..an example to help you is,.I’m tapering a 10mg benzo,..In milligrams 1 pill weighs out about 176mg,.I’ve been splitting them recently so worked out 88mg a half,..I started a 10% drop started today so I took half a pill 5 mg/88 mg and a calculator,…you divide 88mg by 5…= 17.6..then 88 - 17.6 = 70.4 mg,..that leaves 4mg from the 5mg pill,..when I drop another 1g it will be 70.4-17.6 = 52.8m leaving 3g and so on as I go along,.I know it buzzed my head last night working it out lol,.but yea withowt micro scales I couldn’t do that,.I got AACT milligram scales from amazon for £27,.no complaints so far even if there a couple micro out,your basically nearly dead on weight bud.

[[TH...]]

12 hours ago, [[J...] said:

Thfc900,.yea U definitely need micro scales buddy,..an example to help you is,.I’m tapering a 10mg benzo,..In milligrams 1 pill weighs out about 176mg,.I’ve been splitting them recently so worked out 88mg a half,..I started a 10% drop started today so I took half a pill 5 mg/88 mg and a calculator,…you divide 88mg by 5…= 17.6..then 88 - 17.6 = 70.4 mg,..that leaves 4mg from the 5mg pill,..when I drop another 1g it will be 70.4-17.6 = 52.8m leaving 3g and so on as I go along,.I know it buzzed my head last night working it out lol,.but yea withowt micro scales I couldn’t do that,.I got AACT milligram scales from amazon for £27,.no complaints so far even if there a couple micro out,your basically nearly dead on weight bud.

I recently bought some and not sure they're decent enough. I'm sure they are. Just not very good at measurements lol. Can you drop the link of the scales you bought? That'll be great. You UK based I guess? How's your withdrawal going? Thank for your explanation. 

[[Ja...]]

 ACCT Milligram Scale, 50g-0.001g, 7 Units, High Precision Scale with LCD Backlit, Mini Gram scale with tare function, mg scale for Powder, Gold, Jewelry (Batteries Included)

[[Ja...]]

That’s them there buddy I didn’t know how to copy the url,..my withdrawal is ok I’d say,.came down %10 yesterday morning and felt it within hours,blood pressure up and over hyper.from sleeping 5 to 6 hours where I was holding,.last night I barley got 4 hour,but it’s to be expected ain’t it,.todays been a test an all but I’ll solider on bud.

[[TH...]]

13 hours ago, [[J...] said:

That’s them there buddy I didn’t know how to copy the url,..my withdrawal is ok I’d say,.came down %10 yesterday morning and felt it within hours,blood pressure up and over hyper.from sleeping 5 to 6 hours where I was holding,.last night I barley got 4 hour,but it’s to be expected ain’t it,.todays been a test an all but I’ll solider on bud.

Cheers mate. Found em, on there way today 👍🏻 hopefully I'll get my head around how to cut and measure them properly lol. 

[[TH...]]

Just walked half a mile on the treadmill and now my left arm is aching. I don't understand the human body whatsoever. 

[[OD...]]

Yep I was very into fitness and not only could I barely exercise, but like others said even bathing, getting dressed, cooking etc. took so much out of me.

One thing I tried to do though is keep a step counter on me and still try to get my 7-10k steps in daily. Now I'm not talking going for a walk or anything, just walking in place in front of the TV, or back and forth in my home, at the slowest, most useless pace ever... but I needed to do that because de-conditioning is a thing, and even if it was just standing and lightly swinging my arms back and forth, I wanted to keep my heart and lungs in as good of shape as I could. I watched a lot of videos about exercise routines for POTS patients who struggle with this, there are many you can do entirely laying down (which some days I had to do).

At 22 months this is starting to improve for me. Showering is easy now, I still can't do anything too strenuous or I get heart palpitations and feel really sick, but I'm fairly functional doing day to day things which is something.

[[Le...]]

i like what you are doing and think it will help a lot. I used to walk around the house non stop as controlled as I could counting down from 10 and pausing at 0. helped me control the akathisia and calm some while getting activity. 

[[Le...]]

4 hours ago, [[T...] said:

Just walked half a mile on the treadmill and now my left arm is aching. I don't understand the human body whatsoever. 

look for tension in other places that could be causing it. maybe one side of stomach is tense and other not. its a good hint 

 

[[Jo...]]

On 08/05/2024 at 09:42, [[T...] said:

Anyone else struggling with basic tasks like changing bed sheets and showering? Heart absolutely races just by putting sheets on my bed. Then I gotta sit down to compose myself. Scares the life out of me, it's draining both physically and mentally. I'm still at 3.5mg V, nowhere near jumping and struggling already. Even when resting my heart is pounding and find it very difficult to get it to slow down. I've had tests, x-rays but all fine apparently. 

Was on 2.5mg Ativan for 14 years. Crossed over rapidly with seizures in 3-5 Days. 5th day no seizures. Now been tapering for 2 years from 13mg Diazepam and it takes 120 Days to drop 10% without symptoms and all that time I have had HIGH Blood Pressure Spikes, some that have taken me to the Hospital! I also went through what you are going through but at age 54-56. My Blood Pressure is through he roof on the Spikes which are 195/135. Before on Ativan it was around 267/139 around there because I had built a Tolerance. I am now at 6.5mg. Lately, I waited for 140 Days to drop to 6mg from 6.5mg and then I had a HBP Spike that sent me to the Hospital and observation overnight. went back to 6.5mg Diazepam. When I move around too much and I feel out of breath and twitching and palpitations in my chest. Hospital says I am structurally fine. However, my Detox MD wants me to get a Angiogram to be sure my heart is ok. That is after all those test in the Hospital: EKG, Multiple Troponin blood tests, CT with phase contrast, Sonogram of my heart. I have actually had people say they are older than me on here and could down dose every 2 weeks and get off of their Benzos!? Nice for them? I have had weird withdraws like spasm in my chest and all over, chills, shortness of breath, slight anxiety (But not like when I was on Ativan Long Term as it made me have a full PTSD Attacks). Still short of breath most of the time just moving around doing chores, I use a cane now and again most of the time. I am angry at these and the fact I can not help my Family! I do not know your age, but if you are short of breath get checked out by a cardiologist and be careful of taking Meds that interact with Diazepam. That really can spike BP too. If you get those pounding then try Valsalva breathing techniques. Basically, take a slow deep breath and exhale slowly and repeat. Get a Blood Pressure cuff from CVS Pharmacy and check your BP and Heart rate. You should see it go down after 5-10 minutes of sitting down and doing this. I am hitting a wall at 6mg of Diazepam myself.