Acute Pharmacological Withdrawal only 5-28 days? Per Ashton...

[[Ju...]]

From Ashton:

The acute "pharmacological" benzodiazepine withdrawal syndrome is classically described as lasting 5 to 28 days, with a peak in severity around 2 weeks post-withdrawal, after which most symptoms return to pre-withdrawal levels. The symptom constellation includes symptoms common to all anxiety states, but some features are unusual and considered to be relatively specific to benzodiazepine withdrawal.

 

I realize everyone's withdrawal is going to be different, but I was hoping that here on day 29 of my withdrawal I'd be better.

 

Just curious as to others' thoughts on this.  I don't think I've seen anyone on these boards that got through w/d in 5-28 days. Am I misinterpreting?

[[St...]]

I think she's talking about just the "acute phase" that lasts for the first month, after that I believe it's considered prolonged (protracted) withdrawal syndrome which can last for months. I could be wrong but that's what I believe it to read.

[[...]]

Yes it's confusing.

 

I remember Dr. Spock's book on child rearing. He said when a colicky baby reached 11 pounds, the colick would subside. Great in theory. My kid was colicky for two years.

 

Ashton defines the withdrawal period as lasting from 6 to 18 months. Acute withdrawal is related to getting the drug out of the body. Beyond that, withdrawal reflects the body's attempts to restore GABA receptors to their pre-benzo state. Our benzo use causes GABA receptors to adapt to the exogenous benzos; once that happens, they do not bind with the benzo-like neurotransmitters that our bodies make that are so essential to a calm state, sleep, etc.

 

Protracted withdrawal seems to be linked to long term benzo use and is withdrawal beyond the 6-18 month time frame.

 

This is my best attempt to address your question based on my own research. Not guaranteeing the accuracy however. There seems to be a lot of misinformation etc. about benzo withdrawal.

[[Co...]]

yram - from your sig I see you seem to have had a great turn around since getting of NSAIDs -  curious if you attribute all of your improvement to this. 

 

Also - what are you doing for pain management now?

[[Ju...]]

Thanks for the info - makes perfect sense.  It sucks, but makes sense.

[[ju...]]

"Five-twenty-eight days" is yet another statement on addiction issues that can be taken a number of ways.

 

I was acute for about four months, and wound up returning to Klonopin, at the first a smaller dose than that to which I was accustomed, after six months. A bad point, a bad time. I simply could not be around other ppl, and was being forced to work.

 

Ashton,  not unlike a couple of cult celebs elevated to subdeity by more than a couple of fanatics I know of, has her good points. She's a lot more useful than ol' Bob and Bill. I am not able to physically do her program,--no liquid K--so I cannot make any kind of final judgement on her ways and means based entirely on my own experience--yet. I'm not dismissing her out of hand, but rather commenting on her being all that there is right now.

 

Like you, I'm an entirely accidental addict. Think I'm bugged about how a person cannot be expected to twelve-step what has become an almost-entirely physiological deal (there are those who would try, fe real).

 

IF you can, lay low, draw the shades and up the A/C, and find some puppies to love if you don't have any at the moment.

 

Peace to you,

 

julie