Caution! Don't push yourself during withdrawal

[[in...]]

I go swimming 3-4 times/week and it makes me feel so much better! I feel calm afterwards, and my sleep has improved in a major way! Please people: If you can exercise, please do so! It's good for you!

[[vo...]]

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

I go swimming 3-4 times/week and it makes me feel so much better! I feel calm afterwards, and my sleep has improved in a major way! Please people: If you can exercise, please do so! It's good for you!

Me too and I notice my body isn't itchy in the water. I think it's the distraction too because it's an aqua zumba class so I'm focused on the instructor. 

[[El...]]

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

I have heard people blame almost anything for their symptoms and use every excuse to do nothing.

This is some seriously judgmental statement this, doesn't help anyone and also makes me feel judged for simply being unwell because of medication withdrawal. 

I agree with the caution of saying permanent but I also understand that this person's account includes that word, so it's their truth. I agree with all the symptoms described by @[Da...]. Heat is a major enemy to me and it's really frustrating and alienating because it's mostly sunny here in Portugal in the middle of summer and it feels like I have to live like a vampire to minimise my overall symptoms (which include many, many, physical and mental). I agree that every time I've pushed myself to go out and ended up running / walking long distances, exerting mysefy, I always regretted it. I felt really like a hangover with aggravated symptoms afterward. So nowadays, I enjoy a bit of sun when I feel I can, I stay a bit outside or in the shade, I gently stretch when I've got the energy and I sometimes dance very gently (like tai chi I guess, just to keep myself moving). But most days man... It's heroic to get out of bed and do all the things I do in my days. Like most people here.

Again, I don't like this sentence honestly about making excuses. This is supposed to be a place of non judgmental support, not a pissing contest of who handles this nightmare the best and gets the trophy. We all get the trophy from being alive and getting on with our lives the best we can and however we can help each other with it. 

Thanks for sharing @[Da...] I could relate to many of your struggles and symptoms and it helps me to know someone else feels that heat is like a kryptonite

 

All that said, I do agree that it's all kind of negativity oriented and maybe we should just understand that we have all such different experiences that nothing is final and everyone is gonna feel differently about exercising. I just also wanted to let that person know that what they said made me feel crappy and felt unsupportive, that's also a good thing to let people do I believe, say when they feel wronged or hurt by something. 

Now that's done, I'm just gonna move on with my day like a boss. Like every day. Like probably everyone here 😘

Edited July 17 by [El...]

[[Cr...]]

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

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

That person said their problems are mostly from Chronice Fatigue Syndrome and myalgic encephalomyelitis (ME). When they said they were dealing with "this" for 22 years, they were referring to how long they have been dealing with exercise intolerance due to pre-existing health issues. The exercise issues, and ME, started in 1996 and this person did not start Valium until 1998. As of 2017 (when they joined) they were still on benzos and had yet to come off.

So this was not decades-long setback they gave themselves from exercise while recovering from benzo withdrawal. In short, they claim excessive exercise gave them ME in 1996, 2 years before they started benzos, and over 20 years before attempting to come off.

This is an excerpt of the last paragraph from their post

Quote

Hopefully your brain will recover completely but you can actually get ME by continually pushing yourself when your body is not able to recover from it. That is what happened to me back in 1996 - kept trying to push on and ended up too unwell to work ever since.

Again, this is not related to benzo withdrawal but just this person relating what they believed caused their ME (brain inflammation) before ever getting on benzos. We do not know if other circumstances besides excercise contributed to his ME.

I personally do not think it is wise to constantly push bodies with sensitized nervous systems to the absolute brink too soon, if ever. Even with normal nervous systems I can't imagine that is healthy to constantly overdo it. Excess is rarely ever healthy.

However, this is not an example of someone that permanently damaged themselves from exercise during benzo use or withdrawal.

[[vo...]]

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

That person said their problems are mostly from Chronice Fatigue Syndrome and myalgic encephalomyelitis. When they said they were dealing with "this" for 22 years, they were referring to how long they have been dealing with exercise intolerance due to pre-existing health issues. The exercise issues started in 1996 and this person did not start Valium until 1998. As of 2017 (when they joined) they were still on benzos and had yet to come off.

So this was not decades-long setback they gave themselves from exercise while recovering from benzo withdrawal. In short, they claim excessive exercise gave them ME in 1996, 2 years before they started benzos, and over 20 years before attempting to come off.

Again, this is not related to benzo withdrawal but just this person relating what they believed caused their ME (brain inflammation) before ever getting on benzos. We do not know if other circumstances besides excercise contributed to his ME.

I personally do not think it is wise to constantly push bodies with sensitized nervous systems to the absolute brink too soon. Even with normal nervous systems I can't imagine that is healthy to overdo it. Excess is rarely ever healthy.

However, this is not an example of someone that permanently damaged themselves from exercise during benzo use or withdrawal.

Thanks for clearing this up @[Cr...]. To be quite honest, this entire thread is becoming very toxic with people taking one side or another. It seems to be becoming too personal to some people and I wish we could end this post. You have brought to our attention the inaccurate information extracted from the original post about exercise and isn't benefiting any of us in a positive way.

Edited July 17 by [vo...]

[[WU...]]

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

I have to live like a vampire

Its not just the heat, though we don't get much in the UK, but the brightness of the sun that still really affects me.

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

I sometimes dance very gently

Yes, that's what I do too, just enough to move energy around the body and not feel stagnant. 

 

[[Fa...]]

@[vo...]  This is the trend in threads when the underlying information is presented from a place of fear.  Triggering happens, and neuro-emotions take hold and the energy spreads like wild fire.  It's hard to shake for many...sticks to us like white on rice.

Thanks for taking the time from a grounded space to investigate and present to all in a clear manner, @[Cr...].  For myself, if I had read this 6 months ago, it would have sent me into a state.   

[[vo...]]

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

@[vo...]  This is the trend in threads when the underlying information is presented from a place of fear.  Triggering happens, and neuro-emotions take hold and the energy spreads like wild fire.  It's hard to shake for many...sticks to us like white on rice.

Thanks for taking the time from a grounded space to investigate and present to all in a clear manner, @[Cr...].  For myself, if I had read this 6 months ago, it would have sent me into a state.   

@[Fa...] I can see would definitely trigger emotions and you explained it VERY well! My anxiety has been increasingly getting worse this afternoon because of this type of post. I can't breath right, my heart is pounding through my chest, my skin is crawling and I'm getting itchy. It seems I have to avoid anything like this, whether it's in this group or in my daily life or my symptoms start to go crazy. My BenzoBuddies coach talked to me about this and told me to avoid anything like this that triggers my symptoms. It's such a shame because I really do enjoy interacting with like-minded people here.

[[Fa...]]

@[vo...]  I understand what you are expressing completely.  I have taken extended breaks from coming on when my nervous system could not tolerate anything.  And, I could very well find myself in that place again at some point on this tapering journey.  I am mindful of that.  It's difficult because threads can take a turn suddenly.  The energy can shift, and when you are really in a sensitized state, by the time you read even one post, the 'damage' is done, so-to-speak.  It's up to us to recognize when it's time to take a step back and honour our sensitivity.

When I feel more on an even keel, things do not penetrate, and I find the exchanges very helpful...the energy exchange feels positive even within the challenges shared on the site.  It's a delicate balance, and a lot of self-awareness is needed which is not the easiest when we are going through this.

Here's to protecting our nervous systems.

 

 

[[mo...]]

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

When looking for information online, it's important to be cautious about the sources we use.

I agree with this sentiment. Typically the people who seek online support are those who are struggling rather than those who have gotten through taper/withdrawal without severe symptoms. For that reason, I have been reminded by multiple doctors that online forums do not necessarily represent a balanced picture of user experiences.

Getting setback 2 decades by exercise is awful, but sounds like an extreme experience and likely an outlier of what most people will go through. I have read so many stories on these forums with positive outcomes from exercising that it’s motivated me to exercise everyday while tapering. 

Everyone is different, but it seems that living a healthy lifestyle is key to healing. Of course, over exertion isn’t healthy for anyone, withdrawing or not. But there’s nothing wrong with encouraging reasonable exercise.