Which Med = Withdrawal Length?

[[Go...]]

I have seen a lot lately on the withdrawal symptoms being a case of which benzo you took.  Not necessarily how long or how much. 
 

Just a topic for discussion.  And I’m not certain this is true. At least hoping it isn’t  🤞🏼
 

I CTed from Ativan at 9 weeks in.  My symptoms at 5 weeks out seem to be smoothing but still fairly hard.  At first I had horrible Akathisia, agoraphobia, anxiety, etc, etc.  

I have seen/read about people who taper or even CT Valium and tend to have easier withdrawals. They also seem to report shortened withdrawal period, as well.  
 

Could this be partly why the Ashton manual says to switch to Valium? 

[[jo...]]

1 minute ago, [[G...] said:

I have seen a lot lately on the withdrawal symptoms being a case of which benzo you took.  Not necessarily how long or how much. 
 

Just a topic for discussion.  And I’m not certain this is true. At least hoping it isn’t  🤞🏼
 

I CTed from Ativan at 9 weeks in.  My symptoms at 5 weeks out seem to be smoothing but still fairly hard.  At first I had horrible Akathisia, agoraphobia, anxiety, etc, etc.  

I have seen/read about people who taper or even CT Valium and tend to have easier withdrawals. They also seem to report shortened withdrawal period, as well.  
 

Could this be partly why the Ashton manual says to switch to Valium? 

I'm not sure I think it's to do with the half life. I CT'd off Valium and nothing seems short or easy about this to me.

[[PE...]]

I took all of them. I'm 8 months out CT and better than the majority. So i don't think it's matter what kind of benzos was ingested. 

 

Edited June 25 by [PE...]

[[Go...]]

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

I'm not sure I think it's to do with the half life. I CT'd off Valium and nothing seems short or easy about this to me.

I understand.  I’m not trying to make light of anyone’s situation.  
 

I have just read and talked to multiple people that got off it and we’re fine in 3-6 months 😑

[[Go...]]

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

I took all of them. I'm 8 months out CT and better than the majority. So i don't think it's matter what kind of benzos was ingested. 

This is my thought, as well. But with people commenting and asking “which benzo” to determine how poorly they will be… just seems like people need answers. 

[[jo...]]

Just now, [[G...] said:

I understand.  I’m not trying to make light of anyone’s situation.  
 

I have just read and talked to multiple people that got off it and we’re fine in 3-6 months 😑

yeah I know I'm not offended!  I hear people say the withdrawl is different from different benzos all the time. I;m not sure.

[[jo...]]

I think most taper valium easier. But not all.

[[Go...]]

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

I think most taper valium easier. But not all.

I had no idea what tapering was until 2 weeks into my CT.  
 

I would have preferred to taper from the sounds of it. 

[[PE...]]

4 minutes ago, [[G...] said:

This is my thought, as well. But with people commenting and asking “which benzo” to determine how poorly they will be… just seems like people need answers. 

Yes for sure you're right! I had one wd before this like 8 years ago. That time i was fine after a month. But only took benzos for a few months back then. 

So if anything effect the wd time it's hiw long it's been used. But after taking part of so many history's here it's not that simple either.

What kind of wd symptoms people get is another enigma. Like i have never had pain in any way. Just mental stuff. I don't say one is easier than the other. Just strange there are such a broad range of symptoms. 

I also had no waves or windows. I have like a slow train moving forward. So far 😅😊

[[PE...]]

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

I had no idea what tapering was until 2 weeks into my CT.  
 

I would have preferred to taper from the sounds of it. 

That is another strange thing. I tried to taper the whole last year but was in acute the whole time. I was actually better after i CT.

[[Go...]]

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

That is another strange thing. I tried to taper the whole last year but was in acute the whole time. I was actually better after i CT.

Oh wow!  Maybe you went through all the troublesome things before CTing?  
 

I am absolutely amazed at how incredibly different all the stories are.  
 

I’m sure it is normal for us to find a common denominator.  Logic says there should be, right 🫣😆

[[jo...]]

1 minute ago, [[G...] said:

Oh wow!  Maybe you went through all the troublesome things before CTing?  
 

I am absolutely amazed at how incredibly different all the stories are.  
 

I’m sure it is normal for us to find a common denominator.  Logic says there should be, right 🫣😆

Anxiety. I dont think anyone escapes that one. And sleep disturbance.

[[PE...]]

17 minutes ago, [[G...] said:

Oh wow!  Maybe you went through all the troublesome things before CTing?  
 

I am absolutely amazed at how incredibly different all the stories are.  
 

I’m sure it is normal for us to find a common denominator.  Logic says there should be, right 🫣😆

Yeah you might be right! It's really strange..

[[PE...]]

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

Anxiety. I dont think anyone escapes that one. And sleep disturbance.

Yes I think you're right. No one escape the mighty anxiety..I never had it before this and are very bad at it. Now I'm an expert 😁

[[PE...]]

47 minutes ago, [[G...] said:

I have seen a lot lately on the withdrawal symptoms being a case of which benzo you took.  Not necessarily how long or how much. 
 

Just a topic for discussion.  And I’m not certain this is true. At least hoping it isn’t  🤞🏼
 

I CTed from Ativan at 9 weeks in.  My symptoms at 5 weeks out seem to be smoothing but still fairly hard.  At first I had horrible Akathisia, agoraphobia, anxiety, etc, etc.  

I have seen/read about people who taper or even CT Valium and tend to have easier withdrawals. They also seem to report shortened withdrawal period, as well.  
 

Could this be partly why the Ashton manual says to switch to Valium? 

Difrent personality's might be a one reason for this. How much a person want to give away about then self. I know being raised as a male in sweden you are learned to be strong and no cry baby 😅

That sucks but it is what it is. 

[[Js...]]

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

 
 

I am absolutely amazed at how incredibly different all the stories are.  
 

I’m sure it is normal for us to find a common denominator.  Logic says there should be, right 🫣😆

I find your question refreshing and I too have wondered what exactly triggers people to experience different withdrawal timelines in terms of acute and even post.

Sure the following is applicable:

• age
• diet
• any medical conditions
• medication hx
• the type of benzo - certainly worth exploring

What if it had to do with a little...eh....ethnicity?

I know a there are a lot of people who do not share much when they are successful in terms of a quick timeline. I for one have almost hit my 30 day milestone after three years of Xanax 4mg and the worst appears to be over.

One thing I wondered, and this would apply to me is Asians. I am East Asian descent(Chinese)but American born.

I cannot since a young age drink alcohol. We call it the Asian glow or Asian flush. Pretty much one beer can floor me into a red face or instant headache and hangover feeling. I use to just tell friends I was "allergic".

Recently I found the below on NCBI and not sure how accurate it is. Per Google it's a reliable US Government funded source. I guess I have an ALDH deficiency, but while my withdrawals were severe from Xanax, the timeline was not too bad (I think and hope it stays this way)

 

 

What are the symptoms of ALDH deficiency?

 

 

In addition to a facial flush, the flushing reaction also may include an elevated heart rate (i.e., tachycardia), headache, heart palpitations, shortness of breath (i.e., dyspnea), hyperventilation, low blood pressure (i.e., hypotension), vertigo, nausea, and vomiting.

 

Why is aldehyde dehydrogenase important?

 

 

ALDH activity is crucial to the biosynthesis of retinoic acid, an important regulator of vertebrate development, and to the metabolism of the neurotransmitter GABA (Yoshida et al., 1992; Vasiliou et al., 2000; Sophos and Vasiliou, 2003; Vasiliou and Nebert, 2005; Marchitti et al., 2008; Niederreither and Dollé, 2008; ...

 

"Using medications to treat Asian American patients with mental disorders can be challenging. Because of the belief that Western medicines may be too strong for their constitution, patients often experiment withmedications.³ Many seek immediate symptom relief because of previous exposure to benzodiazepines.

[[PE...]]

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

I find your question refreshing and I too have wondered what exactly triggers people to experience different withdrawal timelines in terms of acute and even post.

Sure the following is applicable:

• age
• diet
• any medical conditions
• medication hx
• the type of benzo - certainly worth exploring

What if it had to do with a little...eh....ethnicity?

I know a there are a lot of people who do not share much when they are successful in terms of a quick timeline. I for one have almost hit my 30 day milestone after three years of Xanax 4mg and the worst appears to be over.

One thing I wondered, and this would apply to me is Asians. I am East Asian descent(Chinese)but American born.

I cannot since a young age drink alcohol. We call it the Asian glow or Asian flush. Pretty much one beer can floor me into a red face or instant headache and hangover feeling. I use to just tell friends I was "allergic".

Recently I found the below on NCBI and not sure how accurate it is. Per Google it's a reliable US Government funded source. I guess I have an ALDH deficiency, but while my withdrawals were severe from Xanax, the timeline was not too bad (I think and hope it stays this way)

What are the symptoms of ALDH deficiency?

 

 

In addition to a facial flush, the flushing reaction also may include an elevated heart rate (i.e., tachycardia), headache, heart palpitations, shortness of breath (i.e., dyspnea), hyperventilation, low blood pressure (i.e., hypotension), vertigo, nausea, and vomiting.

Why is aldehyde dehydrogenase important?

 

 

ALDH activity is crucial to the biosynthesis of retinoic acid, an important regulator of vertebrate development, and to the metabolism of the neurotransmitter GABA (Yoshida et al., 1992; Vasiliou et al., 2000; Sophos and Vasiliou, 2003; Vasiliou and Nebert, 2005; Marchitti et al., 2008; Niederreither and Dollé, 2008; ...

"Using medications to treat Asian American patients with mental disorders can be challenging. Because of the belief that Western medicines may be too strong for their constitution, patients often experiment withmedications.³ Many seek immediate symptom relief because of previous exposure to benzodiazepines.

I have a friend who is asian and he must have this because he just can't drink without getting blasted! Three beers and we have to carry him home!

But like i wrote before. My last wd was over in a month now I'm at 8 month and still not completely back. I have insomnia and minor anxiety that's all buy still, last time was easier. And i wasn't Chinese that time 😅

[[Go...]]

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

Anxiety. I dont think anyone escapes that one. And sleep disturbance.

I - surprisingly - have had no real problem with “sleeping”.   It is the quality of it and feeling like I have been dipped in acid upon waking up.  I can still sleep 8+ hours if I get to.  Hate the wake up, though. 

[[Go...]]

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

Yes I think you're right. No one escape the mighty anxiety..I never had it before this and are very bad at it. Now I'm an expert 😁

Anxiety is so bad. I haven’t heard of anyone missing that one, either 

[[PE...]]

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

Anxiety is so bad. I haven’t heard of anyone missing that one, either 

The bread and butter off benzo withdrawal 

[[Go...]]

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

Difrent personality's might be a one reason for this. How much a person want to give away about then self. I know being raised as a male in sweden you are learned to be strong and no cry baby 😅

That sucks but it is what it is. 

I actually think this is true to some extent, Peppe.  The people I have seen really just muster through and push to do healthy things (I.e. exercise, healthy eating, etc) tend to mend faster?  
 

I do know that if I don’t go for my daily run or at least walk (that has been THE hardest thing I have pushed myself to do) I have major anxiety the next day.  Or if I eat something fried or breaded (be what ever turns my stomach around) I get flighty symptoms or heart palpitations.  
 

Honestly, we need to get an honest organization to get in here and do some research!!!

[[Go...]]

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

I find your question refreshing and I too have wondered what exactly triggers people to experience different withdrawal timelines in terms of acute and even post.

Sure the following is applicable:

• age
• diet
• any medical conditions
• medication hx
• the type of benzo - certainly worth exploring

What if it had to do with a little...eh....ethnicity?

I know a there are a lot of people who do not share much when they are successful in terms of a quick timeline. I for one have almost hit my 30 day milestone after three years of Xanax 4mg and the worst appears to be over.

One thing I wondered, and this would apply to me is Asians. I am East Asian descent(Chinese)but American born.

I cannot since a young age drink alcohol. We call it the Asian glow or Asian flush. Pretty much one beer can floor me into a red face or instant headache and hangover feeling. I use to just tell friends I was "allergic".

Recently I found the below on NCBI and not sure how accurate it is. Per Google it's a reliable US Government funded source. I guess I have an ALDH deficiency, but while my withdrawals were severe from Xanax, the timeline was not too bad (I think and hope it stays this way)

What are the symptoms of ALDH deficiency?

 

 

In addition to a facial flush, the flushing reaction also may include an elevated heart rate (i.e., tachycardia), headache, heart palpitations, shortness of breath (i.e., dyspnea), hyperventilation, low blood pressure (i.e., hypotension), vertigo, nausea, and vomiting.

Why is aldehyde dehydrogenase important?

 

 

ALDH activity is crucial to the biosynthesis of retinoic acid, an important regulator of vertebrate development, and to the metabolism of the neurotransmitter GABA (Yoshida et al., 1992; Vasiliou et al., 2000; Sophos and Vasiliou, 2003; Vasiliou and Nebert, 2005; Marchitti et al., 2008; Niederreither and Dollé, 2008; ...

"Using medications to treat Asian American patients with mental disorders can be challenging. Because of the belief that Western medicines may be too strong for their constitution, patients often experiment withmedications.³ Many seek immediate symptom relief because of previous exposure to benzodiazepines.

I went to college with multiple Native Americans and this was them, as well!  Not the flushing - they would have horrible rage issues and other symptoms if they drank.  It does seem to be that certain ethnicities get the brunt of the effects.   
 

Now I have to look into this.  
 

How are you doing on the timeline?  What is your experience? 

[[PE...]]

1 minute ago, [[G...] said:

I actually think this is true to some extent, Peppe.  The people I have seen really just muster through and push to do healthy things (I.e. exercise, healthy eating, etc) tend to mend faster?  
 

I do know that if I don’t go for my daily run or at least walk (that has been THE hardest thing I have pushed myself to do) I have major anxiety the next day.  Or if I eat something fried or breaded (be what ever turns my stomach around) I get flighty symptoms or heart palpitations.  
 

Honestly, we need to get an honest organization to get in here and do some research!!!

I started going to the gym 4 months out and really had to force myself. But it made me feel really good after, like a drug!, so I kept on. I believe my healing goes faster because of it. And now i see and feel the effects from it witch make me feel even better.

If everything feels like shit I try to work on some project that makes me forget how bad i feel. This has positive effects in many way's. Makes me feel good about myself. And i believe working out makes the brain a happy organ again.

I know it's not possible to everyone but for the ones that can, just do it!

 

[[Go...]]

4 minutes ago, [[P...] said:

I started going to the gym 4 months out and really had to force myself. But it made me feel really good after, like a drug!, so I kept on. I believe my healing goes faster because of it. And now i see and feel the effects from it witch make me feel even better.

If everything feels like shit I try to work on some project that makes me forget how bad i feel. This has positive effects in many way's. Makes me feel good about myself. And i believe working out makes the brain a happy organ again.

I know it's not possible to everyone but for the ones that can, just do it!

Yes!  I agree.  It was just awful for me the first 3 weeks.   
 

I literally walked myself through panic attacks, heart palpitations, dizziness, muscle spasms, bone and muscle pain, nausea, and much more.  Hands down the hardest part of my journey thus far. 
 

Part of me thinks, if I can make it worse and push through it - the symptoms can’t control me.  🤷🏼‍♀️ 

[[Bu...]]

Hey Y'all, this is a really interesting topic. 

I'll throw a little more fuel on the fire here:  I have had very, very minimal anxiety during this.  Lots and lots of other symptoms, mental and physical, but only a handful of times where I felt anxiety or panic.  Go figure!