Caution! Don't push yourself during withdrawal

[[Da...]]

Hi guys, lately i have been going through a lot of posts, comments, regarding people working out, pushing themselves and causing setbacks etc. It's because i faced something similar recently and now i just wanna let people know about the risk and dangers of pushing themselves, getting impatient. This withdrawal has made me go through hell, i wouldn't wish it on anyone and i want to help people who go through this as much as i can. 

 

I posted this as a reply to someone originally, but thought it would be better to start a post. Exercise is a double edged sword. I and many others have learnt it the hard way. Just because pushing yourself works for some people, doesn't mean it will work for everyone and for most people going through withdrawal its the worst decision. Our cns, brain, body, literally every cell is too sensitive during this withdrawal. Pushing ourselves or hard exercise causes setbacks, makes the symptoms even worse, can make you go through the withdrawal all over or worst case ruin you permanently.

In my case, i had a setback, actually am still going through it rn. I was ten months into the withdrawal. Started feeling 50-60% better, i thought why not start exercising as i have gotten so out of shape. After the first day of workout itself some of the symptoms came back, but they were so mild i thought its a wave and i kept pushing, but i was careful, taking two or three day breaks in between. But, around 15 days later (in a total of 6-7 days of exercise) it felt like i had gone into withdrawal all over again. I couldnt sleep for days, tinnitus as loud as ever, headsplitting headaches, internal vibrations, hot flashes, body getting so hot that it'd feel like its about to implode, i could FEEL everything inflamed in my body all over again. The anxiety, intrusive thoughts, paranoia, panic attacks, phobias everything came back full force.

So, exercising might clear our minds or give us a boost of serotonin tht makes our minds feel better TEMPORARILY, however, the risks and cons are so not worth it. Heat is like poison for our body rn. By exercising, you get ur heart rate up, which pumps the blood which in turn heats our body up and heat is what our body is too sensitive to handle rn. Winter helped me a lot during my early withdrawal and summers feels like hell, heat aggravates my symptoms. Also, i read tht our brain can't handle high levels of dopamine or serotonin or glutamates etc during withdrawal. We need to let our brain, our cns calm down and heal and God knows this process take forever, but it does happen to most of us, some unlucky ones dont make it. but lets not lose hope and pray tht we will heal.

Some person i read about on this forum just a few days ago, permanently ruined themselves by pushing hard again and again despite the setbacks. its been over two decades for tht person now and its become a permanent disability, any exertion causes internal inflammation all over which is what this withdrawal is basically. so that person goes through the symptoms all over again.

So please don't push urself before u are healed or it might be one of the biggest mistakes of ur life. i have sworn off any physical exertion now until i heal completely, am not getting my heart rate up no matter what. its not worth it. its been 10 days since my setback started and am still going through symptoms tht had effing disappeared long ago. sucks going through this all over again.

 

 

[[Le...]]

What are the symptoms that have returned?  there are many that could be muscle tension related. also when in terrible shape you could get some inflammation.  ever consider that it could be more important to push through until it doesnt have such a strong effect so that you could get healthier faster?

I have experienced it and pushed through it. 

[[PE...]]

It's crazy how individual this is.. some get better from it and some gets worse.

The most logical thing might be to start easy.

For me working out is a big part of my healing. In more then one way.. 

[[Le...]]

hey peppe. I went through two cycles of trying it. At one year it was much harder but still an improvement. It just wasnt enough on its own. I gave up and started trying to just wait to recover again. It was a mistake. Get over that initial hump and it makes things better. Not a cure but better. I likely would be further along if I hadnt given up for months. I am doing it again with less difficulty. It takes a lot of willpower but its better than the alternative. 

[[PE...]]

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

hey peppe. I went through two cycles of trying it. At one year it was much harder but still an improvement. It just wasnt enough on its own. I gave up and started trying to just wait to recover again. It was a mistake. Get over that initial hump and it makes things better. Not a cure but better. I likely would be further along if I hadnt given up for months. I am doing it again with less difficulty. It takes a lot of willpower but its better than the alternative. 

You are talking about working out right?

Yes it's no cure but it feels like I'm on some wonderful drug afterwards 😆

For me, and some others here, it's a good tool to heal a bit faster. 

Because of my damn insomnia this us the first day in a month i don't go to the gym 🤨

[[bw...]]

What member had a setback for 2 decades from excercise? Can you post please

[[Da...]]

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

What are the symptoms that have returned?  there are many that could be muscle tension related.

Looks like you skipped through my post or didn't read carefully because it answers all your questions. Symptoms returned: "I couldnt sleep for days, tinnitus as loud as ever, headsplitting headaches, internal vibrations, hot flashes, body getting so hot that it'd feel like its about to implode, i could FEEL everything inflamed in my body all over again. The anxiety, intrusive thoughts, paranoia, panic attacks, phobias everything came back full force."

And no, symptoms aren't muscle related at all, my worst symptoms that returned are all brain related (insomnia, tinnitus, mental symptoms i mentioned above). As i said if you had read properly, working out heated up my body, pumped hot blood and my poor brain couldn't handle the stress, exertion and heat. I have noticed that heat messes everything up for me.

 

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

also when in terrible shape you could get some inflammation.  

"any exertion causes internal inflammation all over which is what this withdrawal is basically. so that person goes through the symptoms all over again. " You are wrong, inflammation isn't caused by being in terrible shape. The withdrawal basically causes the inflammation. When this withdrawal started, i was in shape, but my internals have been inflamed from day one. THAT's what causes tinnitus, because you can feel the ears closed up or swollen inside, breathing/swallowing issues because your throat is closed up, headaches because your brain is swollen etc. You may or may not have gone through these symptoms, if you didn't, consider yourself one of the lucky ones. But as Peppe and myself pointed out that this withdrawal is individual based. The experience, the symptoms, the pain, the duration, the recovery process is different for all.

 

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

ever consider that it could be more important to push through until it doesnt have such a strong effect so that you could get healthier faster?

I have experienced it and pushed through it. 

Yes I did consider but that theory is wrong. It may have worked for you. As i said in the beginning itself, I have read many posts, forums, not just on this website, i have gone on reddit, quora etc read hundreds of articles and only then i came to the conclusion, that in MOST cases, physical exertion is a bad idea, but you and peppe fall into the lucky category where it actually helped you. I also mentioned about the person who kept pushing and permanently got disabled. If i find the post, i will attach it.

Edited July 17 by [Da...]

[[Da...]]

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

What member had a setback for 2 decades from excercise? Can you post please

The last line says the person kept pushing and became unwell permanently.

[[vo...]]

@[Da...] This post is pretty strong about not exercising and all the problems it can cause. I really find it hard to believe this would be true for many people and hope they don't avoid exercising after reading this. For me, going to the gym to work out is not only a distraction, but helping me tremendously! Is it without symptoms? No, but it far outweighs the alternative and I'm getting toned and healthy doing it. I consider it a permanent part of my healing process. 

[[Da...]]

15 minutes ago, [[v...] said:

@[Da...] This post is pretty strong about not exercising and all the problems it can cause. I really find it hard to believe this would be true for many people and hope they don't avoid exercising after reading this. For me, going to the gym to work out is not only a distraction, but helping me tremendously! Is it without symptoms? No, but it far outweighs the alternative and I'm getting toned and healthy doing it. I consider it a permanent part of my healing process. 

You finding it hard to believe doesn't make it untrue. As I have repeatedly said, I have googled the heck out of this certain issue because i am going through this. 

This goes out to everyone reading this post, please google "benzobuddies.org exercise induced setback". And you will see the unending list of topics/posts created on this forum. If u had the time, google reddit, quora etc too. Just because some of you had a different and positive reaction please dont undermine/reject the pain of others.

I even attached a reference above in my last reply to another user. 

[[WU...]]

I am not a fan of pushing through and over exerting while still recovering from a very delicate and fragile CNS, seems counter intuitive.  But movement of some kind is good, just normal everyday non-dramatic movement, fine motor skill type movement, nothing too overstimulating. The CNS has been severely injured, more for some people than others and the last thing it needs is more pressure on the system while it is still trying to heal.

For me anyway the time for hard exercise is much further down the line. I am 16 and a half months CT and even 10 minutes of gardening has me lying down, when before all this I would walk for miles and cycle everywhere. It is very frustrating but I physically cannot do it.

 

 

 

[[Re...]]

I am really sorry that you experience this flare up @[Da...]. Many of us face these temporary flare ups going through withdrawal and  myself have been experiencing this, this was more expressed in the earlier days. There are many factors that can contribute to this, sometimes really not easy to navigate. 

However, people tend to feel better and do better with excersise forms that fits them in this state. I myself went swimming (I was a relatively good swimmer) daily for a few weeks when I felt the power to do so, but as a result, I was unwell for sometime. I bounced back, but had to realize I needed to choose something else as it was still too much for my system then. 

It is worth remembering that withdrawal in itself might have completely random waves without us doing anything wrong, or it could be an infection, emotional stress and physical over exertion indeed, hormones, etc.

There is absolutely nothing to support the idea that the damage is permanent, we have hundreds and hundreds of Success Stories from recovered members stating otherwise, and just imagine how many have not written their success story yet. 

I wish you well @[Da...]

[[vo...]]

@[Da...] When looking for information online, it's important to be cautious about the sources we use. Google searches can sometimes be unreliable and are not always scholarly or peer-reviewed sources. For accurate medical information, it’s best to consult official medical websites or trusted resources.

Regarding the statements made on BenzoBuddies about certain conditions being permanent, the group guidelines advise against using personal expertise to give medical advice. Using the term "permanent" can be quite alarming, and it’s a word we shouldn't be using to make blanket statements in this group. Personally, I aim to share my own experiences without advocating for a specific approach. I hope my journey can offer some perspective, but ultimately, everyone should make their own decision/choice on whether to, or how much exercise they can handle during withdrawal.

 

 

Edited July 17 by [vo...]

[[Le...]]

Exercise wont hurt you. 

I have heard people blame almost anything for their symptoms and use every excuse to do nothing. I have done it to some degree too. You cant just wait for health. Health comes with healthy living. 

[[Da...]]

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

@[Da...] When looking for information online, it's important to be cautious about the sources we use. Google searches can sometimes be unreliable and are not always scholarly or peer-reviewed sources. For accurate medical information, it’s best to consult official medical websites or trusted resources.

Regarding the statements made on BenzoBuddies about certain conditions being permanent, the group guidelines advise against using personal expertise to give medical advice. Using the term "permanent" can be quite alarming, and it’s a word we shouldn't be using to make blanket statements in this group.

Seriously, how did you turn this into a debate/arguement, when all am trying to do is share my experience and help others. 

The sources i quote are the people who have been going through this ordeal, not theories from the so called "medical websites" or "trusted sources" as you say when there are none. And whatever few websites or articles that you will find are the ones created by money hungry rehabilitation centers which also don't know jack about this damn withdrawal. I have read about hundreds if not thousands of cases who only made things worse by going to rehab. I may not be a medical professional, but ever since this damn withdrawal started, its been so severe that i have been bedridden half the time. So what does a person with nothing but time on his hands do ? I looked for answers!! And guess what, there are none! I have searched enough to drive any sane person insane. If there was awareness or actual medical knowledge or scientific facts about benzos, this disease, the doctors wouldn't be so clueless and we all wouldn't be in this situation in the first place!! so please don't talk about "medical or trusted sources". Even companies that makes benzos don't know what kind of poison it is. 

 

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

Personally, I aim to share my own experiences without advocating for a specific approach. I hope my journey can offer some perspective, but ultimately, everyone should make their own decision/choice on whether to, or how much exercise they can handle during withdrawal

Thats my intention with the post as well, share my experiences and tell people what i have learned so far, so i can help them.

And your last sentence, seriously ? am i forcing people, stopping them from deciding for themselves ? am i literally holding them to the ground and saying i wont let you work out ?!

Man, am too sick to even bother trying to get through to you. Am done with this discussion.

Edited July 17 by [Da...]

[[Fa...]]

@[Da...]  Thank you for sharing this experience with us.  I appreciate it.  All we have are the experiences of others to go by, and the more aware we are of what other people have shared, the more informed choices we can make.  I appreciate your efforts.

The only thing I may add is removing the word 'permanent'.  To be blunt, permanent implies a condition that will be there until the end of our life.  Keep that in mind.

I wish you healing and recovery from this setback, @[Da...].

[[Da...]]

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

@[Da...]  Thank you for sharing this experience with us.  I appreciate it.  All we have are the experiences of others to go by, and the more aware we are of what other people have shared, the more informed choices we can make.  I appreciate your efforts.

The only thing I may add is removing the word 'permanent'.  To be blunt, permanent implies a condition that will be there until the end of our life.  Keep that in mind.

I wish you healing and recovery from this setback, @[Da...].

Thank you, and I wish you good health as well. Actually I have given the reference above, its not me who used that word originally. The person i mentioned who's been sick for over two decades has said that he kept pushing despite setbacks and now its become a permanent condition. And I have also read about a few unlucky cases who never healed and were in their old age now. So yes, as much as we hate the word "permanent", it HAS happened to some unlucky ones. But that's the point, the reason i shared my experience and that other person's story was so that people can be aware of the risks of "overexerting" themselves. This withdrawal is cruel, the last thing we would want is to increase our own problems. 

Edited July 17 by [Da...]

[[WU...]]

I agree with you @[Da...] I think pushing or forcing exercise is a terrible idea for many of us. Its great that others are doing well with exercise but they don't seem to understand when others feel so much worse. There is a superior tone to some of these people which is not helpful either e.g saying that people are making excuses which actually made me laugh out loud ! (thanks @[Le...]  )

Before WD I was an incredibly active person, up scaffolding to roof level, doing all my own DIY, long-distance walking and cycling which I really miss, especially in the summer. Absolutely crazy that I  can't do any of these things with my current symptoms. I tried the indoor stationary bike but felt woozy and awful. I tried yoga positions but it made my spine go strange. I did some TMJ stretching which has really ramped up my head symptoms to something way worse than acute levels. All I can do is sway around a bit and do simple movements like they do in Tai chi.

But maybe we need to define exercise. Many here will consider it means going to the gym or hard cardio, running etc. but actually every movement we make is exercise. Cleaning the house, gardening, going up and down the stairs many times a day, hanging the washing out, taking the rubbish out, pretty much everything that is movement is exercise and I do that everyday so it is not as if I am lying on the sofa the whole time.

None of our symptoms are permanent, the body is changing constantly, but we do know we need movement but only at the level that feels comfortable, not based on anything anyone else tells you. Our body is speaking to us all the time, telling us what it wants and what it doesn't want. Mine is telling me to slow down, take it easy and relax but still keep moving in ways that I can. 

[[Fa...]]

@[Da...]  I understand.  And, you are very upset and scared right now, and reading the account of others will add more fear.  I feel terribly that this has happened to another.  But, please do not let this fester in your mind as being a possible outcome for you.  Your passion in this post is evident, I feel that those who read it will sense your urgency in passing along this message, and will take this information into consideration.

You will recover from this setback, and you will move forward differently.  That is your take away.

Warmly,

F 

[[Ho...]]

Anxiety is a huge daily challenge for me. Sometimes putting a baggie of ice or a cold pack on my face, accompanied by focused breathing (inhale to a Count of four, hold for four, then slowly exhale to a count of eight) helps. It calms the vagal nerve. Other times nothing seems to help, and I suffer all day with gripping anxiety. I am five months into a protracted withdrawal state caused by decades of physical dependence on klo, followed by forced cold turkey cessation of the benzo and five SSRIs, all abruptly stopped because my provider refused to prescribe for me anymore. It was inhumane treatment, not to mention irresponsible, and I continue to suffer despite a new doc reinstating the medications. Now I have no idea how to find a doctor who can help me eventually withdraw successfully. Nobody in my area is benzo-aware. Advice welcomed. 

[[Co...]]

Hello @[Ho...]. Welcome to BenzoBuddies.

Which benzodiazepine did you quit cold turkey? And from what dose?

[[Da...]]

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

Anxiety is a huge daily challenge for me. Sometimes putting a baggie of ice or a cold pack on my face, accompanied by focused breathing (inhale to a Count of four, hold for four, then slowly exhale to a count of eight) helps. It calms the vagal nerve. Other times nothing seems to help, and I suffer all day with gripping anxiety. I am five months into a protracted withdrawal state caused by decades of physical dependence on klo, followed by forced cold turkey cessation of the benzo and five SSRIs, all abruptly stopped because my provider refused to prescribe for me anymore. It was inhumane treatment, not to mention irresponsible, and I continue to suffer despite a new doc reinstating the medications. Now I have no idea how to find a doctor who can help me eventually withdraw successfully. Nobody in my area is benzo-aware. Advice welcomed. 

Hi,

I am really sorry to hear what you have been through and only you can understand what you are going through right now. Yes you have been treated very poorly by people you put your trust in. Doctors have no idea what these pills do to us. And since you were a decade old user, you should never have stopped cold turkey, you should consider yourself lucky you can even manage to type this message.

There's a lot of tapering methods but Ashton's is the only legit one I have read of. But you said that it's been 5 months since you quit, that's quite a while into the withdrawal timeline and from what i have read so far, getting back on benzos would be a really bad idea now. Had it been a week or few days since you quit, getting back on them would have helped and you could taper down properly. But as far as i know, you really shouldnt get back on now. As for what helps with the withdrawal, honestly, as far as i know, nothing does. A medication tht may provide relief for one symptom will come with side effects tht are unbearable during benzo withdrawal. i myself went through serotonin poisoning just because of one pill, and it was another type of hell during this withdrawal.  so relying on medications won't really help you in the long run either. I wish i could help you, trust me. But I hope someone who's gone through something similar as you might see your post and reply. 

As for what's helped me so far, is time, rest and patience, nothing else. everything else that i did, whether it was medications or going to gym or whatever just bit me in the ass.

I pray for your recovery. Hang in there. Don't lose hope.

Edited July 17 by [Da...]

[[Da...]]

@[WU...] you are right bro, honestly am surprised to see their arrogantly condescending attitude (@[Le...] @[vo...]). This support forum has been created in the hopes that people here would understand each other when the rest of the world doesn't understand what we are going through and yet these two are doing the same. I repeatedly kept saying just because exercise helped them, it doesn't mean it will help everyone. Most cases I came across have had a bad reaction to workouts.

And yes i NEVER said that we shouldn't move around or not go for walks or stop living our lives and just confine ourselves to beds. I have been very clear with my choice of words, i kept saying "overexert" or get heart rate up or getting blood pumping or body getting heated up etc. Heck, the name of this topic is dont PUSH yourselves. All this happens when we do heavy work, like weight lifting, or intense cardio, or pushing our limits. Thats what i did, i was lifting weights and it turned bad for me.

Anyway, i can't argue with them, thats not me and thats not what this page is for. 

Edited July 17 by [Da...]

[[pi...]]

35 minutes ago, [[D...] said:

@[WU...] you are right bro, honestly am surprised to see their arrogantly condescending attitude (@[Le...] @[vo...]). This support forum has been created in the hopes that people here would understand each other when the rest of the world doesn't understand what we are going through and yet these two are doing the same. I repeatedly kept saying just because exercise helped them, it doesn't mean it will help everyone. Most cases I came across have had a bad reaction to workouts.

And yes i NEVER said that we shouldn't move around or not go for walks or stop living our lives and just confine ourselves to beds. I have been very clear with my choice of words, i kept saying "overexert" or get heart rate up or getting blood pumping or body getting heated up etc. Heck, the name of this topic is dont PUSH yourselves. All this happens when we do heavy work, like weight lifting, or intense cardio, or pushing our limits. Thats what i did, i was lifting weights and it turned bad for me.

Anyway, i can't argue with them, thats not me and thats not what this page is for. 

Everyone is entitled to their opinions and everyone should be treated with respect. This is one of our forum policies. I believe the issue is the negativity, and how it detracts from our mission of support and encouragement. 

I happen to agree and disagree with your statement about pushing oneself. I started cycling again once the acute phase was over. A couple of times I pushed the miles and did pay for it. However, it was short lived. The next time I was able to push again with no repercussions. So I don’t believe it hurt me to push, neither do I believe it set my healing back. I have seen other members through the years that did not react negatively to intense exercise. I’m sorry this was not the case with you, you alone know your own body, just as others know theirs. I would suggest you tell yourself not to push, but avoid making an inclusive statement that implies this is the case for everyone. 

From our guidelines:

Be polite towards, and respectful of, your fellow Buddies.

[[Ma...]]

This is definitely individual.  I have been exercising all taper long and frankly I feel like garbage if I don’t work out.  I do cardio and resistance training.  Your heart rate and BP go up during exercise but the long term effect is lowering of your heart rate and blood pressure.  Even if you can’t do heavy exercise, even light exercise has benefits to your physical and mental health - you just have to start slow and find what works for you. 

Edited July 17 by [Ma...]