Intense stress attacks with insatiable hunger..

[[Lu...]]

Very curious if anyone can relate to this symptom. Sometimes after returning home from work where I was trying to hold it together all day when I get home I get this incredibly bizarre and unpleasant bodily sensation, almost like extreme adrenaline and restlessness to the point it hurts my limbs mixed with incredible fatigue and feeling like blood sugar is low kind of. It’s almost impossible to describe but that’s the best way I can word it. Usually also accompanies sudden and EXTREME hunger, weird kind of hunger. I have never had a weird relationship with food prior to benzo WD but I feel like I could eat 5000 calories when these attacks hit. It usually lasts for about a half an hour or so then dies down after I eat and lay down. I understand my description of this is probably hard to follow but if you have had the same thing you may recognize what I mean. This one really scares me. It’s so beyond unpleasant and almost painful. Any responses would be much appreciated. 
 

love and prayers to you all. ❤️

Edited July 11 by [Lu...]

[[Fa...]]

Yes, this happens to me.  I think it happens to a lot of people.  We have so many receptors in our gut that have been affected.  It's not a normal hunger feeling.  It's more than that.  Our gut has such an affect on everything...the 'second brain' as they say.  The receptors in our gut are just healing like all the other receptors in our body.  And, the gut will send out hunger signals which in a healing WD state can trigger anxiety, body/muscle pain, etc.  It's all interconnected.  I do try to eat every few hours to keep this at bay.  It usually happens to me at a certain timeframe in a reduction.  If eating helps to calm things, that's good.  I know it does for me.  If you have long spans between eating, maybe try to snack more if you're able to during your day.  Having said that, I do that and I still go through episodes of it.

Warmly,

F

[[Lu...]]

5 minutes ago, [[F...] said:

Yes, this happens to me.  I think it happens to a lot of people.  We have so many receptors in our gut that have been affected.  It's not a normal hunger feeling.  It's more than that.  Our gut has such an affect on everything...the 'second brain' as they say.  The receptors in our gut are just healing like all the other receptors in our body.  And, the gut will send out hunger signals which in a healing WD state can trigger anxiety, body/muscle pain, etc.  It's all interconnected.  I do try to eat every few hours to keep this at bay.  It usually happens to me at a certain timeframe in a reduction.  If eating helps to calm things, that's good.  I know it does for me.  If you have long spans between eating, maybe try to snack more if you're able to during your day.  Having said that, I do that and I still go through episodes of it.

Warmly,

F

Thank you so much for this gentle and informed response. This helps put my mind at ease that others are experiencing this. It’s so unpleasant, I just want to crawl out of skin when it happens. I will try to start bringing some snack with me tomorrow and see if that helps, thank you so much ❤️

[[Fa...]]

@[Lu...]  I'm glad you feel a little more at ease.  I know that many try to eat smaller meals/snacks at more regular intervals.  The trick is to not gain the excess weight!  I worked for so long to gain back weight I had lost.  Now, I'm making sure that I don't gain back too much.  Crazy how this all happens.  Just remember that your body is healing...that's the only reason you are experiencing these things.  You're doing great!

[[Lu...]]

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

@[Lu...]  I'm glad you feel a little more at ease.  I know that many try to eat smaller meals/snacks at more regular intervals.  The trick is to not gain the excess weight!  I worked for so long to gain back weight I had lost.  Now, I'm making sure that I don't gain back too much.  Crazy how this all happens.  Just remember that your body is healing...that's the only reason you are experiencing these things.  You're doing great!

Thank you! You’re doing great as well 😊 

I was a pretty healthy person prior to this, a decently in shape 30 year old who lifted weights and walked regularly. 
 

after a cold turkey in February I have probably gained 25 pounds and feel so terrible about myself. Most of the weight gain is from not feeling well enough to cook healthy meals and opting for fast and easy options (delivery or fast food) But I am trying not to let that bother me much right now. I will deal with that problem once I am healed from this. I think a weightloss journey will feel like a walk in the park after a benzo WD. 

[[Fa...]]

@[Lu...]  Oh goodness.  I did not mean to imply that weight gain is something to concern yourself with during the recovery process.  Far from it.  I'm sorry if it sounded that way.  It was a comment coming from a position where I had lost 40lbs from Akathisia, and due to food intolerances, etc., I had to work at putting it back on...or, at least half of it.  So, my attempt of humouring my situation, I commented that now with these new hunger episodes that happen and a feeling of constantly needing to feed my body to keep it feeling 'at ease' has me in the opposite situation.  The body will do what it will do as it does its thing.  We may not have control over weight for a while...until we do, again.

When you boil it down, if we could just reach a state of self-acceptance as we move through this, it would serve us well.  Much easier said than done when the brain is not working for us.  Negative self-talk and distorted self-image is what we all experience, and I am no exception.

You will bounce back when the time is right.  You'll know when you are able to push the envelope a little more.  You'll just know.  And, yes...weight loss will be child's play in comparison to moving through this.

Warmly,

F 

Edited July 11 by [Fa...]

[[Ma...]]

I am the same way. I oftentimes feel so tense and overwhelmed through my work, and feel like the only thing to bring me any comfort is a big bowl of pasta or something similar when I finally get home. Also during my shift, eating pretty regularly seems to help keep anxiety at a level I can tolerate, but the things I feel compelled to eat aren’t always the most healthy. 

[[Cr...]]

@[Lu...] you are definitely not alone with this weird hunger sensation. I would often get very hungry in the evenings. This happening after I spent all morning and afternoon having low to no appetite.

It almost felt like my hunger switch was turned off all day but in the evening the body realizes it forgot to turn it on and all the sudden my brain wants me to play catch-up with food. For some reason I became especially hungry for carbs.