Benzo (and GABA) drug withdrawal is fibromyalgia in most cases??

[[pe...]]

It is my opinion that most people diagnosed with fibromyalgia are just having a reaction to GABA acting drugs. The treatment I got after a fibro diagnosis was Neurontin, Cymbalta, Ambien and ativan and I got much worse after taking these drugs (all gaba acting drugs). The Fibro symptoms are the same as benzo "protracted" withdrawal - they both involve the CNS and neither can be detected with any reliable test so...the drug companies and the FDA have a perfect "cover their ass diagnosis" as they just label all these people having body pains and mental/cognitive issues from these CNS and GABA acting drugs as Fibro.

 

Could anyone imagine the amount of lawsuits that would come out of this worldwide if this fibro thing was just long term AD and benzo WD/tolerance issues??

 

Anyone agree with this possibility?

 

I've always wondered this, I started my journey of drugs after having a pro-lapsed disc and over the years I've been on numerous A/D's like amitripyline, cymbalta, gaba acting drugs like gabapentin and lyrica, painkillers like tramadol, co-codamol, diclofenac many many more to mention, and of course z-drug zopliclone.

 

All the above never worked the only one that helped with pain is tramadol, but its such a high dependency drug that is a nightmare to come off.

 

I have to say that I did have glandular fever when I were 16 and suffered ME after that and you usually find that a lot of fibro sufferers have had this or some other viral illness or traumatic accident.

[[La...]]

I deveoped muscle aches amd heaviness especially in my thighs  during withdrawal. I have always been very physically active during benzo use amd never had this until I started to taper, I agree with you, if a research study was done that would be the finding I do believe. Did you read what I posted about the rrsearch study carried out over 11 years on nearly million Canadian children and the % misdiagnosed with ADHD and medicated just because they were born in dec and not as mature as their classmates!!! that is really upsetting to me, little kids wrongly put on horrible drugs!!! then they will continue taling a coctail of  drugs probably for life because they are sick and just given more damn drugs, then  next thing you know they will be diagnosed with  fibro or chronic fatique, where oh where will it end? Also in the paper the other day, do you suffer from  shyness, shun  social situations, we would like you to participate in a drug study!!!! lets just medicate shyness now too!!

[[sp...]]

the original hypothesis in this thread does not explain the number of people who have been diagnosed with fibromyalgia or CFS without any history of consumption of drugs that exert action on GABA. Benzo withdrawal can often present with fibro-like symptoms, and may even be misdiagnosed as fibro resulting in more drugs and complications, but I don't think it's reasonable to assume the two conditions are one and the same.

 

if we start blaming every condition that shares symptoms with benzo withdrawal on benzos, we may quickly come to the conclusion that there are no other diseases besides benzo withdrawal, which is clearly incorrect. That said, there is definitely a reason that the symptoms of benzo w/d and fibro are similar, and it's definitely safe to assume that fibro is disruptive to GABA function (here is a study showing a correlation: http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/21913179). A big difference is that people in benzo w/d recover when they are off benzos for long enough; fibro is a chronic condition.

[[rs...]]

the original hypothesis in this thread does not explain the number of people who have been diagnosed with fibromyalgia or CFS without any history of consumption of drugs that exert action on GABA. Benzo withdrawal can often present with fibro-like symptoms, and may even be misdiagnosed as fibro resulting in more drugs and complications, but I don't think it's reasonable to assume the two conditions are one and the same.

 

if we start blaming every condition that shares symptoms with benzo withdrawal on benzos, we may quickly come to the conclusion that there are no other diseases besides benzo withdrawal, which is clearly incorrect. That said, there is definitely a reason that the symptoms of benzo w/d and fibro are similar, and it's definitely safe to assume that fibro is disruptive to GABA function (here is a study showing a correlation: http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/21913179). A big difference is that people in benzo w/d recover when they are off benzos for long enough; fibro is a chronic condition.

 

it would be interesting to see this study for people rx fluoroquinolones and benzodiazepines  since they all play a roll in gaba function. many of the veterans of the iraq war have a similiar condition as well. some believe their condition was  caused by vaccines because many that were never deployed have fibromyalgia symptoms. rstud

[[sp...]]

not disputing that cipro et al affect GABA function and should be avoided during benzo w/d if at all possible, but the action they exert is as GABA antagonists so the mechanism is the reverse of benzos, and the overall scope of action is less than alcohol's GABA(A)/GABA(B) action (which has never been correlated with fibro as far as I can tell).

 

Interestingly, some gaba antagonists are shown to temporarily reverse the symptoms of protracted benzo withdrawal. The pharmacology here is extremely complex and poorly understood even by people who have invested a lot in trying to understand it clinically.

 

Because cipro is a GABA antagonist, it's logical and reasonable to expect that it would temporarily worsen existing cases of fibro, benzo w/d, etc. However, there's a lot of scaremongering that goes on over this. There is a correlation between cipro and tendon rupture which was demonstrable enough to get an FDA warning on the box, but the actual incidence of these side effects is extremely low (1 in 10,000 or less, IIRC). I've seen it claimed that this also explains the prevalence of fibro in women because they get more UTIs, which is also illogical because cipro is not a typical first-line defense drug for UTIs, and it is a typical first line drug for prostatitis which obviously women are not medicated for. The bottom line for me is that I would not take cipro again unless I had a demonstrable bacterial infection of a serious nature that was unresponsive (or unlikely to respond) to traditional antibiotics, but if I ended up in that situation I would definitely take it.

[[Ti...]]

Bumping up this old thread.  I haven't read through the entire thing, but find it a very interesting proposition.  Many good posts.  Every day I feel so achy and fatigued, and so very foggy headed--seems to go hand-in-hand with a "fibromyalgia" diagnosis.  I never had ANY of these symptoms before benzo w/d.  The muscles aches, weakness, fatigue, cog fog.  UGH!!!  I feel 90!! 

[[jo...]]

Im very interested.

[[Ro...]]

Check out the criteria, sound familiar?? The treatment for Fibro? Well, I got Neurontin, Ativan, Ambien and Cybalta - 3 are directed at GABA and as we all know...you don't heal on a GABA drug since it's those receptors that are out of whack. I'm not saying the drugs are the only way to have this diagnosis - I am saying "It happened to me and this is not recognized". How many people have to suffer because they believe they have a chronic condition??" Sad that I nearly took those things for the rest of my life!!! I never had pain like this before.

 

http://www.nfra.net/Diagnost.htm

 

Robb

[[gr...]]

Whole foods plant based diet, people. TRY IT

[[ih...]]

I think it is most likely that some of the same neurochemistry is involved in both conditions. GABA is a critical component in muscle relaxation & if you develop defects in GABA transmission from whatever cause, muscle ache is a potential consequence.

 

I was diagnosed with fibro in my first cold turkey withdrawal but it had completely resolved after 18 months. This time round, I had some of the same symptoms but this time they resolved within weeks.

 

Not saying that some unfortunates do not have a co-existing fibro condition but until there are more precise diagnostics available, I don't think it's possible to tell which is which until enough time has elapsed for bz wdwl to be ruled out.

 

I did end up in a situation of antibiotic resistance where Cipro was required & it undoubtedly at the very least resulted in serious kindling of my original withdrawal that I had recovered from at the time.  I have a structural weakness which predisposes me to UTIs that are prone to spread to my kidneys so have to be conservative with treatment but don't know what I will do if I am every in a position where the only solution is Cipro.  That drug took another year of my life with side effects then withdrawal from the valium prescribed as an antidote to the Cipro.

 

I am back on other antibiotics at present & can only hope that I don't get the dreaded call from pathology.

[[go...]]

I agree with greengirl about the whole foods diet-trying to get going with it.

 

I have not read the whole post.

 

I got diagnosed at 28 with FMS and I am 46 now! I was sick before that. I was told I would not get worse. But I did. I have gotten worse on a whole list of meds which I am tapering off. Have tapered off some meds. I know of 3 ppl myself that felt better(they have fms) getting of their meds. Interesting to me.

 

C

 

 

[[sa...]]

Benzo withdrawal mimics what happens during and after a severe nervous breakdown.  Both withdrawal and severe stress can cause CNS, endocrine, and immune system disregulation, which in turn can cause the laundry list of symptoms we endure during withdrawal. 

 

I think that some people can develop the symptoms of FMS after undergoing severe stress, either emotional or physical (as in exposure to certain toxins or pathogens).  I also think it's true that many, many people are misdiagnosed with FMS or CFS because of having experienced drug withdrawal.  And some (like my father) develop CFS for non-drug reasons, and then have the syndrome perpetuated by chronic use of psych meds. 

[[Ge...]]

Sagemom, that's pretty much what I've learned recently, as I've been doing a lot of reading and research on behalf of my 15-y-o daughter.  I just read a really good book on FM, published last year, that postulates (with good science backing the theory) that FM patients' CNSs somehow get triggered into a permanent state of fight-or-flight, often by a trauma of some sort.  This causes a whole host of problems ranging from inability to enter deep sleep (where the brain is repairing the body), to fascial inflammation (the probable cause of the pain element), to leaky gut and blood-level chronic inflammation.  And of course cortisol issues, adrenal exhaustion, and everything else goes haywire.

 

That's a simplified explanation, but it's easy to see how benzo withdrawal can look very similar.  My daughter has never been on any GABA targeting medications or supplements, so she couldn't have gotten FM that way. But they do use some of those drugs people have mentioned to treat FM symptoms.  We won't be going there.  There are other ways that aren't invasive or dangerous, and are backed by good research.

 

I can't imagine that it would be in the best interest of a FM patient to be on klonopin, neurontin, or some of those other drugs.

[[my...]]

so glad I found this thread, I was told I had fibromyalgia 1 year after being on a benzo.  I am very suspicous now that I never had fibro just starting having the problems the benzos cause.  I was in great health prior to starting benzos, and I have slowly deterioated until 2007 I got to where I could not work anymore and now going thru the hell of withdrawal I can't do anything but sit at home and barely get out of bed.  I was active, a RN, world champion horse rider, on the go all the time, was planning on getting my master's degree and becoming a nurse practitioner, but benzos ruined all that.  they have ruined my life and robbed me of joy and happiness.  I am so angry with doctors I wish I get slap the hell out of the one that put me on this and I wish I had never been so naive and trusting. 

 

the doctors had me believing I had an anxiety disorder, then I was depressed, then I was bipolar, on and on, there is nothing wrong with me.  My mind is healing and I am remembering and learning again at lightning speed.  I feel so sorry for so many of us going thru this hell  it is not right. 

[[go...]]

Hi, I feel for everyone. I understand. I could not read all the posts here but read as many as I can.

 

I have posted above too. I just have gotten so much worse on meds not better! Now I am stuck on some I am getting off of.

 

I am almost off lyrica and zanaflex now and can allready tell a difference in some things. Neurontin was another I took in the past before lyrica- it kept me awake at night! I have gotten off others.

 

I hope to get off ambien next. I have gotten off ambien before.  Then the klonopin. I am wondering if I will be able to get off the 100mg of seroquel I take at night to sleep for the past few years.

 

I have finally turned a corner it seems now getting off the lyrica. I think I am through the worst getting of that. And I did it slow. The headaches where my brain felt swelled are better. I need to post that in another post. My pharmacist said I could taper off lyrica in a week or 2. No, I could not. I am down to a very very low amount. Think I can go off that now.

 

I know what I have been through and would not wish it on anyone. The lyrica was making so many things worse in my body! At first it helped more it seemed. And the bone doc I went to kept pushing it on me literally. He is the only doc like that here so not many choices. I quit going to him! I just go to my shrink now.

 

I ended up with more health issues and problems then before I started the meds. It seems now that I look back I kept getting another med to deal with the problems of another med and so on. It is crazy if you ask me. I know all this now. I wish I knew a lot of the stuff I know now way back many years ago. But I am 46 and I can get better. I am glad I know now.

 

Best of luck to everyone! You can heal. It will take time. I am learning this! A while back I thought I was never gonna be able to get off lyrica again but just about off and it is getting better(the withdrawal etc.). It was rough though. I have gotten off lyrica before but each time got worse. So it is not a med I will be taking again! I am learning of other things that help me!

 

And my depression is getting better since I am almost off lyrica. It was making me more down. I think the ambien and klonopin make me more down too.

 

C

[[Ri...]]

Fibro is caused by cell metabolic waste buildup. Dr Robert Morse ND has extensive success curing firbro. He can be found on Youtube.

[[Ti...]]

Can benzo w/d actually trigger fibro, or does it only mimic it?

 

[[Ro...]]

Though many will disagree with me...fibro is not a real disease - it's also a syndrome with unknown origin. Though I'm sure ppl feel pain without drugs involved. No - it will not cause anything but wd sxs which mimic fibro and can cause a diagnosis of fibro as it often fits the criteria. It's damn pathetic. If you did not have pain previous to the drugs...you will heal in due time.

 

Robb

[[Ge...]]

Fibro is an actual disease (not a syndrome) with scientifically identifiable markers.  Good site here: http://www.fridacenter.com/

 

One thing I've learned researching FM on behalf of my daughter is that klonopin is one of the drugs used to treat symptoms: restless legs, stiff muscles.  Ironically for me, this most recent cut I made in my klonopin (which I started taking for anxiety - I don't have FM) is giving me stiff, painful muscles.  It's mimicking FM symptoms!

[[Ti...]]

Though many will disagree with me...fibro is not a real disease - it's also a syndrome with unknown origin. Though I'm sure ppl feel pain without drugs involved. No - it will not cause anything but wd sxs which mimic fibro and can cause a diagnosis of fibro as it often fits the criteria. It's damn pathetic. If you did not have pain previous to the drugs...you will heal in due time.

 

Robb

 

I guess it depends on the definition of "disease".  FMS is not a "disease" (like measles or chickenpox, etc).  But it is an indication that the body is not functioning properly.  If you look at it that way though, cancer and lupus are not real "diseases" either--they are instead dysfuntions of the body.

 

Benzo w/d definitely causes our brain/body to malfunction.  I really hope nothing more serious was triggered and that that it will all go away when healing occurs and the brain/body return to homeostasis. 

 

How are you doing these days?  Your signature was a little confusing to me.  Are you off benzos?  Have any of your symptoms improved?

 

Hugs,

Tina

[[Ro...]]

Fibro is an actual disease (not a syndrome) with scientifically identifiable markers.  Good site here: http://www.fridacenter.com/

 

One thing I've learned researching FM on behalf of my daughter is that klonopin is one of the drugs used to treat symptoms: restless legs, stiff muscles.  Ironically for me, this most recent cut I made in my klonopin (which I started taking for anxiety - I don't have FM) is giving me stiff, painful muscles.  It's mimicking FM symptoms!

 

Sorry Genoa ...but what is the "S" in FMS? I was diagnosed with this falsely. It's not a disease.

 

Best intentions - Robb

[[Ro...]]

Though many will disagree with me...fibro is not a real disease - it's also a syndrome with unknown origin. Though I'm sure ppl feel pain without drugs involved. No - it will not cause anything but wd sxs which mimic fibro and can cause a diagnosis of fibro as it often fits the criteria. It's damn pathetic. If you did not have pain previous to the drugs...you will heal in due time.

 

Robb

 

I guess it depends on the definition of "disease".  FMS is not a "disease" (like measles or chickenpox, etc).  But it is an indication that the body is not functioning properly.  If you look at it that way though, cancer and lupus are not real "diseases" either--they are instead dysfuntions of the body.

 

Benzo w/d definitely causes our brain/body to malfunction.  I really hope nothing more serious was triggered and that that it will all go away when healing occurs and the brain/body return to homeostasis. 

 

How are you doing these days?  Your signature was a little confusing to me.  Are you off benzos?  Have any of your symptoms improved?

 

Hugs,

Tina

no , my mother called the cops to get me in a psych unit...I resisted and they threw me in jail instead. Then she pretty much insisted I go back on ...so I'm reinstated and struggling for my life. 

 

Hugs

[[Ti...]]

So sorry to hear that!

[[Ro...]]

So sorry to hear that!

 

Thanks Tina - I hope this thread brings some awareness. xo

[Guest [...]]

I've only read the first page of this thread which contained anecdotal evidence and wild speculation. Until medical research provides answers this question it will remain as that.

 

I wouldn't be floating this sort of speculation at a Fibromyalgia Support Group meeting in the near future (especially before our Christmas party) because I see first hand what this illness is and does to people's lives. I have suffered for over 19 years but am not as bad as most of the people in the group.

 

I became sick. I suffered for 18 months BEFORE touching a mind drug (except a few days on Prozac in one wild bout of misery - bad reaction to it). I took Xanax BECAUSE I was sick. It did not make me sick. It allowed me to live a half normal life. I wish I had taken larger doses as I took such a small amount it didn't help as much as it could have. I was encouraged to take higher doses but was stubborn.

 

I knew it was addictive (in my opinion its major concern) but in my innocence I thought 'addiction' was something like being addicted to cigarettes which I had dumped after smoking for 10 years. Quick taper from a pack a day, 10 year addiction. No probs. No suffering. Not much craving. No one offered help for quitting in those days. No medical sympathy. No special patches. Nothing. So THAT was my perception of addiction.

 

If I had known? I would still have taken it. And I am glad I waited until all my children had left home before I was put in the misery of withdrawal for a year. I almost made it -down to 1mg Valium from 4-5mg Xanax, before I decided enough was enough. Too much to do and too little time to do it. Now I take 1mg X per day.

 

I think one has to be wary about blaming benzos for every illness and odd thing happening in our bodies. People not taking them have stuff happen too. It's called living in a body that is aging from the moment we are born (or before). Being alive is the biggest risk factor. Even newborn babies get hideous illnesses. We are human and we have malfunctions no matter what we take or don't take. Luck of the draw.

 

I have borrowed  the latest edition of  'Fibromyalgia for Dummies' from my support group. I have heard it is good. It is large and I have become a screen reader. I need to read it quickly. Perhaps I will be more wise about this chronic disease/illness/syndrome I have. I don't care what you call it. It is real. There is NO CURE.

 

I have it and I will be glad if someone finds a way to fix it, no matter what they call it.