Am I dealing with or PAWD or Acute WD?

[[Lu...]]

I’m on day 10 CT from Xanax .5 3 times a day for 6 months. I have not suffered anything besides anxiety, depression,confusion and insomnia. I don’t have the urge since day 2 CT to take another Xanax, I’m curious if I’m dealing with PAWD or ACUTE WD? I do miss naps and wish I can get a full night of sleep. 
 

 

[[jo...]]

Your still in acute I would say. 10 days isn't long. Acute is not an exact timeline but most say it will last between a few weeks and a few months. Some recover very quickly after acute phase.

Edited June 9 by [jo...]

[[Lu...]]

So sleep is still gonna be an issue after the acute phase is over with 

[[Re...]]

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

I’m on day 10 CT from Xanax .5 3 times a day for 6 months. I have not suffered anything besides anxiety, depression,confusion and insomnia. I don’t have the urge since day 2 CT to take another Xanax, I’m curious if I’m dealing with PAWD or ACUTE WD? I do miss naps and wish I can get a full night of sleep. 
 

Acute lasts 3-6 months according to benzo-wise experts. So a person could be in acute for up to six months. Take things one day at a time and don't be concerned with titles or definitions. Time heals.

[[Lu...]]

3-6 months I’ll lose everything. I can deal with everything but I need help with sleep. Time is not on my side. 

[[be...]]

18 minutes ago, [[L...] said:

3-6 months I’ll lose everything. I can deal with everything but I need help with sleep. Time is not on my side. 

me too. i need help

[[Lu...]]

Need 6 hours minimum the rest I’ll man through. 

[[Re...]]

51 minutes ago, [[L...] said:

3-6 months I’ll lose everything. I can deal with everything but I need help with sleep. Time is not on my side. 

@[Lu...]You have to make the decision that's best for you. From my own experience, taking a sleep aid during benzodiazepine withdrawal extended my recovery process. Looking back, I would have preferred dealing with the insomnia and milder akathisia from the benzos rather than enduring the severe pacing akathisia for 14 months straight, feeling like there was an electrical current shooting through my body, and experiencing skin burning and more and still having many symptoms at 11 months off from a sleep aid. And instead of tapering once I had to taper twice. If I had just let it be, I believe I would have healed in 6-8 months.

I lost everything so I understand what you are saying. I may not have if I had found this website earlier and taken the sage advice of those on the path before me. None of us are fortunate to be here, but you are fortunate to be here now, so early in the process.

Perspective plays a significant role as well as weighing the risks versus benefits of introducing new unknown treatments.

Unfortunately, we're all subjected to varying recovery times in this journey, and some are more fortunate than others in healing faster. 

It is best not to look down the road too far and just stay in the day/week.

Edited June 10 by [Re...]

[[Lu...]]

Wait so you’re saying you extended your healing due to take sleep aids? 
 

it’s hard not to look down the road I have important dates coming up soon and have notice I can’t be around anyone without feeling spaced out and cannot socialize, drink, or eat normal. It’s nuts how this happened so quickly. 

[[Cr...]]

16 minutes ago, [[L...] said:

Wait so you’re saying you extended your healing due to take sleep aids? 
 

it’s hard not to look down the road I have important dates coming up soon and have notice I can’t be around anyone without feeling spaced out and cannot socialize, drink, or eat normal. It’s nuts how this happened so quickly. 

The only sleep aids that could extend recovery would be meds like Ambien or Lunesta and of course other benzos. As for natural aids, Valerian root acts on gaba receptors though it doesn't appear to in the same way nor intensity as benzos. I have seen people say they think it set them back while others say it helped and experienced no negative effects.

I took anti-histamines for allergies and sleep during withdrawal and I still recovered. There are many people that believe one can only truly recover from BW by not taking any meds or otc meds. I find that line of thinking to be quite hyperbolic as I recovered while on an ssri and using otc meds, as have many others.

Luis, you are still early in your withdrawal so many sleeping tips like hot showers, meditation, etc.. will have little effect. Supplements like melatonin and magnesium may be more helpful but still ineffective at your point in recovery. Otc meds like diphenhydramine, Unisom, or an RX like hydroxyzine are probably the closest you can get to possibly getting 'some' sleep without using other psych meds.

As a last resort and if sleep is an absolute must that you can't afford to go without... you can ask your doctor about a low dose of the anti-depressant Mirtazapine (3.75mg to 7.5mg) or low dose of anti-psychotic Quetiapine (25 mg). Many members have found success with these meds, but as with any psych med there is always potential for side effects.

There is no quick, 100% safe, side-effect free cure to withdrawal-induced insomnia beyond time and patience. So you have to be willing to take on some risk (depence, side effects) if time and the other non-prescription options are not viable for you at this stage.

 

[[...]]

If you take sleep aids or other meds just make sure you heal from benzo WD before you taper the others.  Otherwise you blame the sleep aids for causing symptoms when in fact it’s still benzo WDs going on which can last a long time. 

[[Lu...]]

Crazy don’t have that time to heal due to the nature of my job operating heavy machinery through out night and day. 

[[Wh...]]

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

Crazy don’t have that time to heal due to the nature of my job operating heavy machinery through out night and day. 

Luis trust me I get it. I am in acute as well and work construction it is very difficult. Every day I make it through is a win. I do use hydroxyzine to sleep