Body Malformation

[[De...]]

Good evening all! 
 

First, I would like to thank you all for sharing your stories. This past year I have read many, and found my own reason and strength through these times. In fact, we’ve started using some vitamin regimes based on y'all's experiences, along with anallergy test and neurotransmitter test. 

 

My mother was on a Valium for 20 plus yearsand stripped off this past November. Y’all know what happens next. We’ve run the gamut. False positives, false negatives. So many stages: seizure, benzo belly, nerve pain, paranoia, akathesia, panic attacks , sky rocket agoraphobia…
 

My particular question today is body malformation. She is no longer able to stand straight, almost as if she is developing a slight hump in the top of her spine, with her head being extended forward. Her arms stay slightly back. 

 

She paces 10 hours a day… but when she paces it more a shuffle step. She has a hard time controlling her movements, but even raising her arms is difficult at times, and she says everything feels as if “she can’t send a signal to move.”

As well, “her insides will fall out if she doesn’t stay braced.”
 

Some moments of the evening, she returns to a semblance of herself, and moves normally, but it’s been more difficult recently. 

Her breathing is short and shallow, and at this point, she is terrified even to take a shower. 

there is something to be said that when she is in the most panicked state, she can’t move as well. The other day I awoke to her sprawled out on the floor, unable to control her limbs, but still shaking.

Has anyone experienced this kind of reaction from WD? 

Has anyone gone to a chiropractor during this awful chapter in their life’s and seen a benefit?

Has anyone been susceptible to Parkinson’s from this? 

I would be interested to hear if someone was placed on a benzo for a panic disorder, and upon detox, developed any of these similar symptoms - especially an extreme body posture.

Current Meds Taken:

Propranolol 10mg 3x daily

Paxil 30mg in morning

trazadone 100mg at night

Buspirone 3.5mg bi-daily 

She dropped her Gabapentin this week. Was on 300mg since the detox. Dropped 200mg a week before, then decided to get off of it four days back… 

the symptoms are worst. 
 

Cold showers do tend to help, so if anyone who has gone through this and hasn’t tried so, it works for my mother. That and fish oil. 

Thanks for any advice/experience that can be given! I wish you stand strong, and take the next step that is within you!

 

[[...]]

Hi, @[De...], and welcome to BenzoBuddies! Thank you for your kind words.

What a hard experience your Mother and you are going through... So really terribly sorry. My admiration to you for being so strong and helpful to her.

It's difficult to say for sure but everything you've described could most probably be because of benzo withdrawal or, if any underline disease, its symptoms must have been made much worse in their sensation. As far as i know, it's often the case.

I personally developed lots of issues, wich i never had before, due to benzo use and its cessation. They include close to unbearable muscle pain&strain, head stiffness and lots of other stuff. I had been prescribed these pills to treat insomnia and anxiety.

The good news is all the symptoms are supposed to subside over time and i do feel it but it can take soo long and tries our strength so much.

Sorry i can't give you much of advice. Hope others will join in and share their support and opinion as well. Good luck to you and your Mother!

[[Li...]]

Hello @[De...]. Welcome to BenzoBuddies.  We’re glad you’ve joined us on behalf of your mother — she is very fortunate to have your support.

Can you tell us a little more about her?  How old is she?  How much Valium was she taking when she entered detox?  How was she detoxed?  Were the other meds she’s currently taking added during detox, before detox, or after detox?

Am I understanding correctly that it’s been about 8 months since her last dose of Valium?

Indications for Valium per its FDA drug label include:

Valium is a useful adjunct for the relief of skeletal muscle spasm due to reflex spasm to local pathology (such as inflammation of the muscles or joints, or secondary to trauma), spasticity caused by upper motor neuron disorders (such as cerebral palsy and paraplegia), athetosis, and stiff-man syndrome.

Your mother’s body/muscles adapted to the presence of drug while she was taking it but now that it has been removed, it has to re-adapt to its absence.  Many members report muscle-related issues during and after withdrawal from Valium and other benzodiazepines.

Have you and your mother consulted with her doctor about this? I’m wondering if an evaluation by a physical therapist might be helpful.

Edited August 11 by [Li...]
Added link to FDA drug label

[[Bu...]]

Hello @[De...],

I am so sorry for everything that your mother is experiencing.  I know it's really hard on our loved ones, too, so my heart goes out to you as well.

You mentioned that your mother discontinued the gabapentin recently.  Can I ask how much she was taking when she stopped?  Gabapentin can have it's own withdrawal issues sometimes.  Perhaps the worsening of her symptoms is relate to that.

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

She is no longer able to stand straight, almost as if she is developing a slight hump in the top of her spine, with her head being extended forward. Her arms stay slightly back. 

I think I might understand this posture.  I came off of my med last August and I spent months hunched over on my couch during the worst of my insomnia and abdominal pain.  I too now have a bit of a bump on the top of my spine and my overall posture has been terrible.  I think it is because my muscles have weakened considerably from lack of use and sitting in the same position for so long has moved my spine a bit.  As my symptoms have improved, I am now able to sit up straighter and work on rebuilding my muscle strength a bit.  I wonder if this is what has happened with your mom as well.

I think @[Li...] has a good suggestion about the physical therapist.  I plan to do this in a few months, when I feel I can handle the exercises that will surely be involved. (I'm still a little too sensitive to do it right now.)

[[PE...]]

On 11/08/2024 at 08:30, [[D...] said:

Good evening all! 
 

First, I would like to thank you all for sharing your stories. This past year I have read many, and found my own reason and strength through these times. In fact, we’ve started using some vitamin regimes based on y'all's experiences, along with anallergy test and neurotransmitter test. 

My mother was on a Valium for 20 plus yearsand stripped off this past November. Y’all know what happens next. We’ve run the gamut. False positives, false negatives. So many stages: seizure, benzo belly, nerve pain, paranoia, akathesia, panic attacks , sky rocket agoraphobia…
 

My particular question today is body malformation. She is no longer able to stand straight, almost as if she is developing a slight hump in the top of her spine, with her head being extended forward. Her arms stay slightly back. 

She paces 10 hours a day… but when she paces it more a shuffle step. She has a hard time controlling her movements, but even raising her arms is difficult at times, and she says everything feels as if “she can’t send a signal to move.”

As well, “her insides will fall out if she doesn’t stay braced.”
 

Some moments of the evening, she returns to a semblance of herself, and moves normally, but it’s been more difficult recently. 

Her breathing is short and shallow, and at this point, she is terrified even to take a shower. 

there is something to be said that when she is in the most panicked state, she can’t move as well. The other day I awoke to her sprawled out on the floor, unable to control her limbs, but still shaking.

Has anyone experienced this kind of reaction from WD? 

Has anyone gone to a chiropractor during this awful chapter in their life’s and seen a benefit?

Has anyone been susceptible to Parkinson’s from this? 

I would be interested to hear if someone was placed on a benzo for a panic disorder, and upon detox, developed any of these similar symptoms - especially an extreme body posture.

Current Meds Taken:

Propranolol 10mg 3x daily

Paxil 30mg in morning

trazadone 100mg at night

Buspirone 3.5mg bi-daily 

She dropped her Gabapentin this week. Was on 300mg since the detox. Dropped 200mg a week before, then decided to get off of it four days back… 

the symptoms are worst. 
 

Cold showers do tend to help, so if anyone who has gone through this and hasn’t tried so, it works for my mother. That and fish oil. 

Thanks for any advice/experience that can be given! I wish you stand strong, and take the next step that is within you!

Oh sorry to hear this about your mother. 

It's called akathisia and can happen on wd or use of AD/benzo. I paced, just like a robot,  hours on end for a few months. This is really tough on both the body and brain. 

[[Ca...]]

This body malformation as you call it could be a rigor or dystonia! Both can happen in withdrawal and/or BIND.  I had it, too in the very thick of acute Klonopin withdrawal. 

 

It's terrible to hear what yozr mother has to go through! No one deserves that! 

 

I hope your mother finds relief soon. Be careful when getting her off other meds! It can absolutely fuel benzo withdrawal and BIND!!!! Everything else needs to be laid off very slowly and carefully and best is just one med at a time until its withdrawal is over or a lot more bearable!

I wish the best for you!

[[jo...]]

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

Oh sorry to hear this about your mother. 

It's called akathisia and can happen on wd or use of AD/benzo. I paced, just like a robot,  hours on end for a few months. This is really tough on both the body and brain. 

Hi Peppe. Did you pace 14 hours a day with no breaks for 3 months? How do you survive that?

[[PE...]]

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

Hi Peppe. Did you pace 14 hours a day with no breaks for 3 months? How do you survive that?

Easy. I'm to scared to die hence didn't kill myself 😅

Honestly i don't know. There wasn't anything else i could do. 

[[jo...]]

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

Easy. I'm to scared to die hence didn't kill myself 😅

Honestly i don't know. There wasn't anything else i could do. 

Did stop suddenly. Or kind of ease off? Mine seems to be going one day bad one day not as bad atm.

[[jo...]]

sorry for hijacking thread

[[PE...]]

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

Did stop suddenly. Or kind of ease off? Mine seems to be going one day bad one day not as bad atm.

I think it got better when i started taking Quetapine. Symptoms overall.

I stopped taking it a month ago and it didn't return. 

I understand you have it.. what helped my leg muscle pain from walking, mainly the back low muscles on my legs, was a chili balsam from china. I also tried to massage my legs as much as i could. I limped badly.

Edited August 12 by [PE...]

[[...]]

@[De...] my back deformed rapidly, neck forward and big hunch, bones sticking out at the surface very visible Not due to being in bed as i cant barely lay or sit. I guess its due to muscle weakness and stiffness this has caused or maybe it directly deforms bones too, i have injury in the neck from it and cant move head. Also neck barely holds head. Never had this kind of problems before, its disgusting to having becoming a monster

Not to mention my face 

Also, legs are like two cement blocks separate from the body and walk very slowly and rigidly, thrwon forward in the air like they're marching, its frightening and i have no control over. Can only stand for seconds as the body cant stand its own weight and it crashes the knree bones and feet to the ground. Feet also losing fat pad on heels 

When i wasnt this bad i went to an osteopath as i was worried with the neck, egret it so much, it all became much worse from there resulting on all described above and much more. It screwed an entire very sensitized nervous system 

 

 

Edited August 12 by [...]

[[Ca...]]

My scoliosis got so damn much worse since BIND times! That's so unbelievable!!!... I bet it's all muscle wastage and weakness and lack of sleep! I am so glad that I can go to physical therapy again! I couldn't have done that in the year on Klonopin (paradoxical reaction) and before the 1 year (off) mark! But my muscles are still so weak. The therapy just doesn't work as well since my muscles can barely hold my body together. I am 80 to 90 % bedridden again since my setback! My muscles are all mush right now and my skin throughout my body looks and feels as if I had Ehlers Danlos syndrome. It's just so unbelievable and straight from hell what these evil meds do to us, our minds, our body, our souls, our well being!

Edited August 12 by [Ca...]

[[Bu...]]

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

My scoliosis got so damn much worse since BIND times! That's so unbelievable!!!... I bet it's all muscle wastage and weakness and lack of sleep! I am so glad that I can go to physical therapy again! I couldn't have done that in the year on Klonopin (paradoxical reaction) and before the 1 year (off) mark! But my muscles are still so weak. The therapy just doesn't work as well since my muscles can barely hold my body together. I am 80 to 90 % bedridden again since my setback! My muscles are all mush right now and my skin throughout my body looks and feels as if I had Ehlers Danlos syndrome. It's just so unbelievable and straight from hell what these evil meds do to us, our minds, our body, our souls, our well being!

I feel you

[[Bu...]]

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

Did stop suddenly. Or kind of ease off? Mine seems to be going one day bad one day not as bad atm.

I’m getting it intermittently also. Twice at nighttime but other times for a few hours in the daytime 

keep praying it won’t return