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

[[Ro...]]

I'm trying this for pain...got me out once and I'm going to try it again once I'm off Valium...I'm down to .6 mgs Valium as of midnight tonight.

 

People you might want to try this ...there is some evidence that it really helps for pain if you take it transdermally...also helps everything else as there seems to be some evidence that it works directly on GABAa. I do not endorse the site but I do endorse Magnesium Chloride as a possible relief from sxs associated with PAWS. I do however wonder if it will detox out the meds from your system which is why I'm waiting until I'm off all meds to use it.

 

http://www.swansonvitamins.com/health-library/products/barbara-hendel-magnesium-oil.html

 

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/18799816

 

Robb =)

[[Ti...]]

OMG you are at .6 mg. Valium!  You got down quickly! How are you feeling?  I am at .69 myself However, I know I am tapering a lot slower than you are.  Either way, it looks like the end is in sight for both of us (at least as long as the taper goes).

 

Best,

Tina

[[Al...]]

Hi TinaCA,

 

I am new on BB. I find all of the information on BB very helpful. Here is my vent (I feel absolutely miserable today maybe that is why): 

 

I think it is very likely that fibromyalgia is an illness caused from benzos. The symptoms of fibromyalgia are very similar to benzo dependent and withdrawal symptoms. The irony is pharmaceutical companies make benzos that cause fibromyalgia AND medication for the disease they created. I wonder how the pharmaceutical companies keep getting away with this type of behavior. They know that everyone knows what they are doing. Is it big business, politics, crooked FDA and the like that let this continue? We as patients, consumers can get the word out to NOT use prescribed medications without verifying everything about them first. I was in ER three times during the first 3 months of my withdrawal process and told the ER doctors I was experiencing diazepam withdrawals and they still wanted to put me on Ativan which is also a benzo. I said "no", told them what it was and went home.

 

Thanks for sharing and listening.

 

Alice Alias

[[Ro...]]

I'm trying this for pain...got me out once and I'm going to try it again once I'm off Valium...I'm down to .6 mgs Valium as of midnight tonight.

 

People you might want to try this ...there is some evidence that it really helps for pain if you take it transdermally...also helps everything else as there seems to be some evidence that it works directly on GABAa. I do not endorse the site but I do endorse Magnesium Chloride as a possible relief from sxs associated with PAWS. I do however wonder if it will detox out the meds from your system which is why I'm waiting until I'm off all meds to use it.

 

http://www.swansonvitamins.com/health-library/products/barbara-hendel-magnesium-oil.html

 

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/18799816

 

Robb =)

Only seems to work while in water which indicates that it is maybe the water that helps with the pain as well. Any case it is the best thing I have found for benzo withdrawal is Magnesium CHLORIDE.

 

 

Robb

[[Ti...]]

I spray the Barbara Hendel's mag oil on my feet after I shower. I like it and think it helps.

[[Ro...]]

I spray the Barbara Hendel's mag oil on my feet after I shower. I like it and think it helps.

It helps with pain? Can you explain?

[[ac...]]

Answer me this. What about the thousands of diagnosed fibromyalia cases not involving benzos? Benzos could be just one cause of fibromyalia. I was dianosed with fibromyalgia about 15 yrs ago and never took a benzo in my life until 2012. From my research ( endfatigue.Com /vitality101/articles) anything that effects the regulation of  HPA axis & suppression of the hypothalamus & pituitary,  be it ( viral, fungal & bacterial infections, adrenal fatigue, prolonged stress, etc. Which some of these can occur without benzos. But i have noticed that some of my fibro symptoms are similar to benzo withdrawal. Not saying that i totally disagree with you, but there are different causes of fibromyalgia  other than benzos.

[[Ju...]]

 

Here is a link and I've copied the article below, as well.  Researchers at the University of Albany in New York, have found that the nerve endings in the hands of FMS sufferers who were studied, differ significantly from those who do not suffer from Fibromyalgia.  This may be a breakthrough that will lead to the ability to physically diagnose the illness.   

 

 

www.prohealth.com/library/showarticle.cfm?libid=18169

 

 

Fibromyalgia: It's Not All in Your Head – It's in Your Hands!

 

ProHealth.com • June 24, 2013

 

 

News Release: University at Albany, June 20,2013.

 

University at Albany's East Campus Biotech Company Makes Major Fibromyalgia Discovery

 

Researchers Reveal a Rational Biological Source of Pain in the Skin of Patients with Fibromyalgia

 

RENSSELAER, N.Y. (June 20, 2013) – A major breakthrough in fibromyalgia was discovered by Integrated Tissue Dynamics LLC (INTiDYN), a biotechnology company housed and supported at the University at Albany’s East Campus in Rensselaer, New York.

 

Published in the peer reviewed journal Pain Medicine, the official journal of the American Academy of Pain Medicine, the study details the first physically detectable pathology providing a logical rationale for the debilitating symptoms of fibromyalgia.

 

The unique microscopic analyses were conducted at INTiDYN by former and current Albany Medical College researchers, Frank L. Rice, PhD, and Phillip J. Albrecht, PhD. INTiDYN was founded at the UAlbany's East Campus which is developed and maintained by the University at Albany Foundation.

 

Fibromyalgia is a severely debilitating affliction characterized by widespread deep tissue pain, tenderness in the hands and feet, fatigue, sleep disorders, and cognitive decline. However, routine testing has been largely unable to detect a biological basis for fibromyalgia, and standard diagnosis is based upon subjective patient pain ratings, further raising questions about the true nature of the disease.

 

For many years, the disorder was believed to be psychosomatic and often attributed to patients' imagination. Currently approved therapeutics that provide at least partial relief to some fibromyalgia patients are thought to act solely within the brain where imaging techniques have detected hyperactivity of unknown origin referred to as "central sensitization." However, an underlying cause has not been determined, leaving many physicians still in doubt about the true origins or even the existence of the disorder.

 

The breakthrough discovery by scientists at INTiDYN provides a biological rationale for this enigmatic disease. The study was conducted in collaboration with renowned Albany Medical Center neurologist and pain specialist Dr. Charles E. Argoff, the study primary investigator, and his collaborators Dr. James Wymer also at Albany Medical College and Dr. James Storey of Upstate Clinical Research Associates in Albany, NY.

 

"Instead of being in the brain, the pathology consists of excessive sensory nerve fibers around specialized blood vessel structures located in the palms of the hands," said Dr. Rice, President of Intidyn and the senior researcher on the study. "This discovery provides concrete evidence of a fibromyalgia-specific pathology which can now be used for diagnosing the disease, and as a novel starting point for developing more effective therapeutics."

 

Nerve Endings Come In Many Forms

 

Three years ago, INTiDYN scientists published the discovery of an unknown nervous system function among the blood vessels in the skin in the journal Pain, the official journal of the International Association for the Study of Pain.

 

"We analyzed the skin of a particularly interesting patient who lacked all the numerous varieties of sensory nerve endings in the skin that supposedly accounted for our highly sensitive and richly nuanced sense of touch," Dr. Rice explained. "Interestingly however, this patient had surprisingly normal function in day-to-day tasks, but the only sensory endings we detected in his skin were those around the blood vessels."

 

Dr. Rice added, "We previously thought that these nerve endings were only involved in regulating blood flow at a subconscious level, yet here we had evidence that the blood vessel endings could also contribute to our conscious sense of touch… and also pain."

 

The fibromyalgia study was funded by investigator-initiated research proposals approved by Forest Laboratories and Eli Lilly. Both pharmaceutical companies have developed FDA-approved medications with similar functions (Serotonin/Norepinephrine Reuptake Inhibitors, SNRI) that provide at least some degree of relief for many fibromyalgia patients.

 

"Knowing how these drugs were supposed to work on molecules in the brain," Dr. Albrecht added, "We had evidence that similar molecules were involved in the function of nerve endings on the blood vessels. Therefore, we hypothesized that fibromyalgia might involve a pathology in that location."

 

As the results demonstrate, they were correct.

 

To analyze the nerve endings, Drs. Rice, Albrecht, and postdoctoral researcher Dr. Quanzhi Hou, used INTiDYN’s unique microscopic technology to study small skin biopsies (less than half the size of a pencil eraser) collected from the palms of fibromyalgia patients, who were being diagnosed and treated by Drs. Argoff, Wymer and Storey.

 

Referred to as ChemoMophometric Analysis (CMA), the technology originated from research by Dr. Rice at the Karolinska Institute in Stockholm, Sweden. The study was limited to women, who have over twice the occurrence of fibromyalgia than men. What the team uncovered was an enormous increase in sensory nerve fibers at specific sites within the blood vessels of the skin. These critical sites are tiny muscular valves, called arteriole-venule (AV) shunts, which form a direct connection between arterioles and venules (see diagram).

 

Dr. Rice describes their function, "We are all taught that oxygenated blood flows from arterioles to capillaries, which then convey the deoxygenated blood to the venules. The AV shunts in the hand are unique in that they create a bypass of the capillary bed for the major purpose of regulating body temperature."

 

A Thermostat for the Skin

 

In humans, these types of shunts are unique to the palms of our hands and soles of our feet which work like the radiator in a car. Under warm conditions, the shunts close down to force blood into the capillaries at the surface of the skin in order to radiate heat from the body, and our hands get sweaty. Under cold conditions, the shunts open wide allowing blood to bypass the capillaries in order to conserve heat, and our hands get cold and put on gloves.

 

"The excess sensory innervation may itself explain why fibromyalgia patients typically have especially tender and painful hands," said Dr. Albrecht. "But in addition, since the sensory fibers are responsible for opening the shunts, they would become particularly active under cold conditions, which are generally very bothersome to fibromyalgia patients."

 

A Role in Regulating Blood Flow throughout the Body

 

Although they are mostly limited to the hands and feet, the shunts likely have another important function which could account for the widespread deep pain, achiness, and fatigue that occurs in fibromyalgia patients.

 

"In addition to involvement in temperature regulation, an enormous proportion of our blood flow normally goes to our hands and feet. Far more than is needed for their metabolism," noted Dr. Rice. "As such, the hands and the feet act as a reservoir from which blood flow can be diverted to other tissues of the body, such as muscles when we begin to exercise. Therefore, the pathology discovered among these shunts in the hands could be interfering with blood flow to the muscles throughout the body. This mismanaged blood flow could be the source of muscular pain and achiness, and the sense of fatigue which are thought to be due to a build-up of lactic acid and low levels of inflammation fibromyalgia patients. This, in turn, could contribute to the hyperactivity in the brain."

 

Dr. Albrecht also points out that alterations of normal blood flow may underlie other fibromyalgia symptoms, such as non-restful sleep or cognitive dysfunctions. "The data do appear to fit with other published evidence demonstrating blood flow alterations to higher brain centers and the cerebral cortex of fibromyalgia patients,"he stated.

 

Senior Research Chair of the Alan Edwards Center for Pain Research at McGill University, Dr. Gary Bennett, commented after seeing the results. "It is exciting that something has finally been found," he remarked. "We can hope that this new finding will lead to new treatments for fibromyalgia patients who now receive little or no relief from any medicine."

 

This discovery of a distinct tissue pathology demonstrates that fibromyalgia is not "all in a patient’s head,"which should provide an enormous relief to those suffering with fibromyalgia, while changing the clinical opinion of the disease and guiding future approaches for successful treatments.

 

About Integrated Tissue Dynamics LLC (INTiDYN):  Integrated Tissue Dynamics LLC, located within the Capital Region’s TechValley at the University at Albany’s East Campus in Rensselaer, NY, provides flexible and scalable pre-clinical and clinical research and consulting capabilities on skin and nerve related chronic pain afflictions in collaboration with the pharmaceutical industry, government agencies, academia, and a network of pain specialists throughout the United States. The Intidyn ChemoMorphometric Analysis (CMA) platform can be used to detect chemical and structural changes in the skin and other tissues related to chronic pain, numbness, and itch associated with a wide variety of afflictions, including diabetes, shingles, complex regional pain syndrome, carpal tunnel syndrome, sciatica, fibromyalgia, psoriasis, chemotherapy, unintended side effects of pharmaceuticals, and others.

 

 

[[Ro...]]

Answer me this. What about the thousands of diagnosed fibromyalia cases not involving benzos? Benzos could be just one cause of fibromyalia. I was dianosed with fibromyalgia about 15 yrs ago and never took a benzo in my life until 2012. From my research ( endfatigue.Com /vitality101/articles) anything that effects the regulation of  HPA axis & suppression of the hypothalamus & pituitary,  be it ( viral, fungal & bacterial infections, adrenal fatigue, prolonged stress, etc. Which some of these can occur without benzos. But i have noticed that some of my fibro symptoms are similar to benzo withdrawal. Not saying that i totally disagree with you, but there are different causes of fibromyalgia  other than benzos.

Hence the title of the thread and the question marks afterwards. This thread is pretty old and I have changed a lot of my views since then as well. As you say...it is only 1 possible cause of fibro sxs. It's interesting that an ignored illness for centuries is now an epidemic? Makes you think.

[[Lr...]]

I have been living with what for the past three years I believed to be Chronic Fatigue Syndrome (very closely related to Fibro/sometimes considered to be the same thing).

 

I have talked to a LOT of people at this point with CFS/Fibro and most of them are not on benzos and never have been (I ask because of my history). However, since reading about "benzo flu" I have definitely noticed that the symptoms of it and of CFS/Fibro are identical. I think it's entirely possible that the benzo usage brought about my CFS and I'm hoping to God it's not permanent I'm really scared.

 

I have horrible fatigue, extreme exercise intolerance (like walking up a hill will put me in bed for days), persistent swollen glands, gut malapsorption issues, persistent sore throat, flu-like body aches, all kinds of awful day to day crap. I've lost my whole life and ability to function normally.

 

I tried to hold on to my job and failed. I'm sitting around now waiting for the outcome of disability claim. I just hope that I don't really have CFS and it's all been a bad reaction to the benzos, and I will heal eventually. I'll be done with my taper around the end of this year and I except it to take at least 3-6 months for recovery to start, from what I've been reading.

 

If I heal and manage to figure out that benzos did this to me I would sure love to sue the ever living crap out of everyone involved in making my life a living hell and make sure people are properly warned about this drug in the future. Problem is, how do you ever prove it? They will say I went into spontaneous remission, as some people with CFS/Fibro do.

[[Be...]]

In that Fibromyalgia article they do mention a blood flow problem causing the Fibro s/x's.  I believe my benzo w/d s/x's are caused by blood flow problems, also.  I was diagnosed with myalgia in tolerance w/d and thrombophilia too, with an elevated procoagulant antibody which causes my blood to coagulate in the vessels when under stress.  So, lack of blood flow to areas of the body and brain would explain the w/d s/x's. 

[[Ro...]]

I have been living with what for the past three years I believed to be Chronic Fatigue Syndrome (very closely related to Fibro/sometimes considered to be the same thing).

 

I have talked to a LOT of people at this point with CFS/Fibro and most of them are not on benzos and never have been (I ask because of my history). However, since reading about "benzo flu" I have definitely noticed that the symptoms of it and of CFS/Fibro are identical. I think it's entirely possible that the benzo usage brought about my CFS and I'm hoping to God it's not permanent I'm really scared.

 

I have horrible fatigue, extreme exercise intolerance (like walking up a hill will put me in bed for days), persistent swollen glands, gut malapsorption issues, persistent sore throat, flu-like body aches, all kinds of awful day to day crap. I've lost my whole life and ability to function normally.

 

I tried to hold on to my job and failed. I'm sitting around now waiting for the outcome of disability claim. I just hope that I don't really have CFS and it's all been a bad reaction to the benzos, and I will heal eventually. I'll be done with my taper around the end of this year and I except it to take at least 3-6 months for recovery to start, from what I've been reading.

 

If I heal and manage to figure out that benzos did this to me I would sure love to sue the ever living crap out of everyone involved in making my life a living hell and make sure people are properly warned about this drug in the future. Problem is, how do you ever prove it? They will say I went into spontaneous remission, as some people with CFS/Fibro do.

How is your memory?

[[Lr...]]

My short term memory is terrible, I have pretty intense "brain fog". I have an awful time trying to remember everyday things and learn new things. I am, however, as I taper getting crazy flashbacks of old memories which I understand is pretty common.

[[rh...]]

I have been living with what for the past three years I believed to be Chronic Fatigue Syndrome (very closely related to Fibro/sometimes considered to be the same thing).

 

I have talked to a LOT of people at this point with CFS/Fibro and most of them are not on benzos and never have been (I ask because of my history). However, since reading about "benzo flu" I have definitely noticed that the symptoms of it and of CFS/Fibro are identical. I think it's entirely possible that the benzo usage brought about my CFS and I'm hoping to God it's not permanent I'm really scared.

 

I have horrible fatigue, extreme exercise intolerance (like walking up a hill will put me in bed for days), persistent swollen glands, gut malapsorption issues, persistent sore throat, flu-like body aches, all kinds of awful day to day crap. I've lost my whole life and ability to function normally.

 

I tried to hold on to my job and failed. I'm sitting around now waiting for the outcome of disability claim. I just hope that I don't really have CFS and it's all been a bad reaction to the benzos, and I will heal eventually. I'll be done with my taper around the end of this year and I except it to take at least 3-6 months for recovery to start, from what I've been reading.

 

If I heal and manage to figure out that benzos did this to me I would sure love to sue the ever living crap out of everyone involved in making my life a living hell and make sure people are properly warned about this drug in the future. Problem is, how do you ever prove it? They will say I went into spontaneous remission, as some people with CFS/Fibro do.

 

I have a form of CFS, it's chronic active Epstein Barr Virus, and it does mirror benzo w/d in so many ways. I've had it since the late 80's. It used to go into remission, but as I've gotten older, I get hit more and harder. I applied for Social Security Disability in 2004, I did work enough in the past to qualify for disability, so I hired an attorney and was found fully favorable in 2007. I wish I could work, but there's no way I can, my life is very limited, but I'm learning to pace myself. Being highly sensitive to food and environmental surrounds makes it a challenge, but I manage.

 

I'll someday be done with my taper, can't rush it since the EBV has been making it so much more of a challenge. Thank goodness my physician understands my situation, having to take it REALLY slow with my taper.

 

The EBV is diagnosed through blood test. Those that have compromised immune systems have high titers.

 

RG

[[Pi...]]

Wow rhapsodygirl. U r amazing!!! Well done! U have come so SO far! U should feel so proud of yourself. I just read your sig and I hope u get to feel better eventually. I guess if the ss are same as cfs or f/m or ep/bar as for b w/d  then maybe it will b cut in half your misery when u heal from  benzos. Does that make sense? All the best to u 

[[fr...]]

Both my partner and I have Fibromyalgia. He has never touched a benzo. I had it for decades before taking a benzo and it did not worsen my symptoms for a couple of years. Now that I am in benzo withdrawal it is far worse, I couldn't even walk for ten days. Some believe that the CNS is involved with Fibro and Chronic Fatigue Syndrome as well. I think it's quite possible that a lot of people who have been diagnosed with Fibro actually have a problem with benzos but i can tell you from my years of experience with people with Fibro that the anxiety, insomnia and pain don't compare to benzo withdrawal.

[[sp...]]

My suspicion is that both fibromyalgia and CFS are collections of related symptoms which frequently occur alongside each other because they relate to similar underlaying structures and systems, but are not discrete 'diseases' in the sense of having a single cause. Rhapsody's post implies the same thing -- long-term EBV infection in some people creates symptoms that seem identical to CFS, but some people present with the same symptoms and no evidence of EBV.

 

I suspect viruses or other pathogens may place a significant part in a lot, but not all, cases of both of these conditions. Unfortunately, the only real treatment plan seems to be "eat well, exercise as well as you can, try to sleep well, and hope things improve" -- which helps in some, but far from all, cases.

[[os...]]

My mother was on various meds all her life and rarely was she off benzo's for long, i could not say what she was on and when but she was on a benzo (low dose) in the last years of her life and yes, she had chronic fibromyalgia for many years, i suspect it was the withdrawals over the years that brought the condition on but i could not say for sure, i often wonder had she gotten off everything and stayed off whether that would have disappeared.

 

 

[[rh...]]

Wow rhapsodygirl. U r amazing!!! Well done! U have come so SO far! U should feel so proud of yourself. I just read your sig and I hope u get to feel better eventually. I guess if the ss are same as cfs or f/m or ep/bar as for b w/d  then maybe it will b cut in half your misery when u heal from  benzos. Does that make sense? All the best to u 

 

Thank you for your kind words, it is my hope and prayer that as I get lower in dose and free from benzos, that the bombardment of all these symptoms will lessen. All I know is that I'm so very limited as to what I can do, just have to pace myself.

 

What's difficult is that my family doesn't get it, you'd think after all these years of living with a chronic illness they would cut me some slack. They think I'm "addicted" to a drug, and why can't I just quit and go through the few days of withdrawl and get on with life. I am at a loss for words, it falls on deaf ears. I've written them letters, sent them information on both Chronic EBV, and benzo w/d. It really saddens me and breaks my heart.

 

From the time I wake up to the time my head hits my pillow, every moment I'm struggling with both mental and physical issues, it's even difficult for me to have a normal conversation with my grown kids.

 

Sorry about my rant, it's just heavy on my heart right now.

 

((((Hugs))))

 

RG

[[Al...]]

My apologies to those with fibromyalgia, not benzo related. I will be more careful about making these kinds of statements. I was speaking from frustration but aren't we all. Thankful for everyone's help.

 

 

 

Alice Alias - Diazepam (20 mg daily for 3 years), Off 6+ months, Cold Turkey medical detox center - Feb 15, 2013.

[[Al...]]

Hi RhapsodyGirl,

 

I know the feeling when some family members, friends and coworkers do not understand and/or believe me when I tell them about the time it takes to withdraw from diazepam. Or better yet the ones who seem surprised I did not know about them. I was surprised by a few of my friends who were and are irritated with me. However, since I grew up in my town since an early age I have a lot of friends and coworkers that know me and knew me before this journey. And are very supportive. I am very grateful for them. I think we are all programmed to believe that withdrawals are a 30 to 90 day process and are not aware of the degree and nature of withdrawal symptoms especially to benzos. Until I discovered my plight with diazepam I never knew about benzos and/or that they are addicting. Fortunately, my husband went online with me when I was told by a doctor that I was in tolerance withdrawals, not the prescribing doctor, and suggested I get off of the diazepam. He recommended a medical center to monitor seizures, etc. My husband fully understands the process as much as I do. And believes that I am doing all that I can do. He is very understanding. I honestly don't know how he does it. We ordered the Ashton Manual and read Bliss Johns book Recovery and Renewal. Along with BB'S.  We are very grateful!

 

You can rant all you want.  Whatever works! I will send good thoughts your way. You are not alone.

 

Alice

[[il...]]

I'm  new to benzo buddies.  I've been in c/t klonopin withdrawal (4mgs/day) for 5 months.  The constant anxiety and daily, sometimes day long panic attacks finally were treated with neurontin.  Well, now that the mostly mental/emotional withdrawal effects have been quelled, I notice I'm left with TOO MANY TO LIST neuro problems.  I swear they are the exact same symptoms that are indicative of fibromyalgia.  I drop things all the time.  My coordination is lacking.  I run into things a lot.  I wonder if I appear drunk.  Sometimes I feel like I'm walking in jello.  Sometimes an elephant is sitting on me.  Right now I feel imaginary G-forces pushing on either side of my throat.  Ha, I just had an idea.  We should make a game out of "what symptom will u have next?"  The person with the most random symptom wins.  For instance: I kept4 feeling excruciating pain (not burning) when I would urinate.  I swore it was a UTI coming on.  Two days later it miraculously healed itself.  ( I believe it healed because it was an imaginary problem that my neural circuitry dreamed up due to misfirings/blocked or locked channels, the wrong cocktail of neurotransmitters. Anyhoo, Now the pain has moved to my shins.  Previously, it's been in my neck , my butt, actually in my vagina, mr upper arms, my lower arms, my calves-oh I just remembered the foot-arch pain that I had for 2 days. Arrrrgh it's so annoying!

 

 

 

We could have a daily laugh, together, about the degenerates we've become.  I, personally, have to find some humor in all of thus or I'll go mad! On a lighter note, I do think things are improving.  If. Had to measure it on a linear scale, I'd say I've moved 3 cm out of 10. 

 

 

 

 

[[Ro...]]

I'm  new to benzo buddies.  I've been in c/t klonopin withdrawal (4mgs/day) for 5 months.  The constant anxiety and daily, sometimes day long panic attacks finally were treated with neurontin.  Well, now that the mostly mental/emotional withdrawal effects have been quelled, I notice I'm left with TOO MANY TO LIST neuro problems.  I swear they are the exact same symptoms that are indicative of fibromyalgia.  I drop things all the time.  My coordination is lacking.  I run into things a lot.  I wonder if I appear drunk.  Sometimes I feel like I'm walking in jello.  Sometimes an elephant is sitting on me.  Right now I feel imaginary G-forces pushing on either side of my throat.  Ha, I just had an idea.  We should make a game out of "what symptom will u have next?"  The person with the most random symptom wins.  For instance: I kept4 feeling excruciating pain (not burning) when I would urinate.  I swore it was a UTI coming on.  Two days later it miraculously healed itself.  ( I believe it healed because it was an imaginary problem that my neural circuitry dreamed up due to misfirings/blocked or locked channels, the wrong cocktail of neurotransmitters. Anyhoo, Now the pain has moved to my shins.  Previously, it's been in my neck , my butt, actually in my vagina, mr upper arms, my lower arms, my calves-oh I just remembered the foot-arch pain that I had for 2 days. Arrrrgh it's so annoying!

 

 

 

We could have a daily laugh, together, about the degenerates we've become.  I, personally, have to find some humor in all of thus or I'll go mad! On a lighter note, I do think things are improving.  If. Had to measure it on a linear scale, I'd say I've moved 3 cm out of 10.

You most certainly have benzodiazepine withdrawal syndrome. If you go in to see a doctor he/she will give you the bullshit diagnosis of the new CNS illness child on the block that they cover their asses from lawsuits with called "fibromyalgia". Although it is true that a small percent of the population has pain that can be dropped into the waste bucket diagnosis called fibro, if you did not have it before you almost certainly do not have it now. I know because what happened to you happened to me less the vaginal problem (lol) because I have no vagina. Please ignore any doctor trying to diagnose you with fibro because benzo withdrawal is part of that waste bucket sift since they seem to be clueless of the effects of the benzo withdrawal illness. You have a great attitude and you will make it. it's a hard journey for a while but you have the attitude that'll get you through.

 

Best of luck and very proud of you for finding out the truth.

 

Robb =)

 

PS - I am getting better (wink wink) =)

[[gu...]]

I was looking into this fibromyalgia thing today and found many similarities with what I've felt during w/d it's staggering. Obviously things I never had before.

Interestingly, as in many other new and strangely named medical diagnosis, the cause is "unknown".

 

[[Ro...]]

I was looking into this fibromyalgia thing today and found many similarities with what I've felt during w/d it's staggering. Obviously things I never had before.

Interestingly, as in many other new and strangely named medical diagnosis, the cause is "unknown".

http://beyondmeds.com/2013/07/24/ans-and-interaction/