Guidance appreciated.

[[Em...]]

Hey everyone, 

So I'll try to give a good background to my situation and how I've found myself here. 

So for 5+ years I was on a particular antidepressant and in 2022, I became sick with PPPD and vestibular migraines. Now during this time I became so anxious and depressed that I checked myself into a mental health facility for support. 

I was switched onto sertraline and given lorazapam to take when needed as the start of taking sertraline can be very rough. Now I was always cautious on benzos and would only take it when needed. 

Now after I came out of the clinic, I went back to my stressful job and over the past year or so have found myself taking 0.25 loraz when needed. Sometimes this would be once a week or 3 times a week. 

Now recently I came off sertraline (bad idea) and have just (this fortnight) gone back onto it. Now I'm going through the increased anxiety and stress of starting it again but am also now really worried about my loraz use as I've been taking 0.25mg most days to try and get through. 

I feel like I need to stabilise on both the sertraline and loraz before I can look at tapering the loraz. Basically, I'm terrified. My anxiety is already through the roof with the sertraline and I'm not sure what to do. 

I hope this makes sense but I'm terrified. I had to take 0.5mg today as my anxiety is so high. 

[[...]]

Hi, @[Em...], and welcome to BenzoBuddies! So glad you've found us and posting here.

I think there is nothing to be terrified of., although i understand you to the full because of my own experience.   We can feel this way due to these medications but it should pass as soon as you are stabilised. In my opinion, it's a good idea of yours to stabilise on sertraline and benzo first and taper off of benzo afterwards. It's usually recommended to come off benzo before dealing with an antidepressant even if you need to come off both of them.

Really hope other members will join in and share their thoughts too. Good luck to you!

[[Em...]]

Thankyou @[...]. Your response means so much to me. 

I think I've really freaked myself out by reading up on withdrawals and given that I'm feeling so anxious right now, feeling that I'm always going to feel this way. 

I was advised to start taking 0.25mg consistently/daily to stablise and go from there. Would you think that this sounds right and a good idea?? 

[[Em...]]

Also, because I'm so stressed right now, my vestibular migraine symptoms have started to make appearances. It's difficult because I feel like I'm needing the lorazepam to get through this reinstatement of sertraline but I also don't want to take it. 

[[...]]

3 hours ago, [[E...] said:

Thankyou @[...]. Your response means so much to me. 

I think I've really freaked myself out by reading up on withdrawals and given that I'm feeling so anxious right now, feeling that I'm always going to feel this way. 

I was advised to start taking 0.25mg consistently/daily to stablise and go from there. Would you think that this sounds right and a good idea?? 

Thank you, @[Em...], for your thank you)

I, personally, don't like the idea of taking benzo, especially for more than 2-3 weeks because this medication can be treacherous and, actually, doesn't treat anything but is pretty good for muffling symptoms for a while. And that's why i think it sounds reasonable to take lorazepam as you were prescribed while stabilizing on sertraline. Just don't keep it long. As far as i know, if sertraline works well, you shouldn't need additional sedation. I hope it will be the case for you.

As for readding all the awful stories on the internet, when i do it i try to remember they have mostly been written by those who had it hard and those who don't have much of complications hardly spend time writing about it. For me, it always helps. 🙂

[[vo...]]

Hi @[Em...] 

It sounds like you're experiencing a similar situation with lorazepam as I did with xanax. I initially took a low dose occasionally, but over time, I ended up on a higher dose, taking it daily to manage my anxiety without ever missing a dose. Eventually, I too landed in the hospital, and upon reflection, I realized that xanax probably had everything to my hospitalization. I really believe it was affecting my mind. I made a wise decision it was time to stop using it. Unfortunately, I wasn't aware of the potential risks and tapered off within just two weeks. I only found Benzo Buddies in June of this year and the people here are very helpful, more so than I feel any doctor could be.

Soon after, I started experiencing symptoms—first akathisia, followed by a range of benzo withdrawal symptoms that are all listed in the Ashton Manual. I'm not going to tell you my symptoms because everyone’s experience is different, and I don't want to influence your expectations. Instead, I encourage you not to be afraid, or at least to try not to be. Also, try to avoid reading too many negative comments about other people's symptoms unless you really want to, as it may cause your anxiety to heighten, as it does to my own anxiety. When you weigh the potential long-term risks of benzo use against the withdrawal symptoms, the latter is ultimately better for your mental as well as physical health. You CAN do this!!