Burning Skin Question - Please Help - Neuropathy or Withdrawal?

[[...]]

I have burning skin come and go with severity. It usually is somewhere in my feet, lower legs, arms, and shoulders and changes from place to place. It seems to always be symmetric. I've never felt this before benzo withdrawal but it scares me as this seems to sound like peripheral neuropathy. Did anyone else have it like this and did it go away? I guess neuropathy feelings can be a symptom of withdrawal?

[[mr...]]

My mom has had burning, prickling, electric shocks and stabbing pains in her feet since 2 weeks before benzo free.

She still has it but it has gotten only slightly better and it has been 2.5 months.

The bottoms of her feet feel like she is walking on pillows.

She is going to see a neurologist to see if it is neuropathy or just benzo withdrawals or if it is part of her chronic anemia.

The burning and stabbing always gets worse at night.

[[On...]]

coop,

 

I get the burning skin in the face, back and chest and alternating hot and cold feet and hands. This is likely a benign form of neuropathy caused by the withdrawal effects on the autonomic sympathetic part of the central nervous system. You didn't have this before the benzo withdrawal, so in all likelihood this just as you had surmised, another withdrawal symptom.

 

The hard part, at least for me is convincing myself of it and getting the constant reassurance needed for every issue new an old as they surface over and over again. These symptoms will literally make you go bonkers!

[[...]]

I also feel like my body needs to sweat my can't and this very unpleasant feeling in my body all the time. It feels like it will never ever go away. What am I gonna do? If it's not neuropathy and I take something it could prevent healing and make things worse, but if it and I done do anything about it I'll suffer for no reason forever thinking it's all withdrawal.

[[On...]]

I also feel like my body needs to sweat my can't and this very unpleasant feeling in my body all the time. It feels like it will never ever go away. What am I gonna do? If it's not neuropathy and I take something it could prevent healing and make things worse, but if it and I done do anything about it I'll suffer for no reason forever thinking it's all withdrawal.

 

I have the same kind of "burning skin" or really hot and flush feeling with "no sweating". It feels like when you've been out in the cold wind for along time and come inside to really warm house and your face and exposed parts get really hot, but don't always sweat, sort of a wind burn feeling. Really dry too!

 

We shouldn't worry about this symptom, this is listed in the benzo w/d lists in numerous locations on the internet. It's coming from the temporary dysfunction of the sympathetic side of the central nervous system. This drug during use and especially during withdrawals mess with everything, your endocrines ( hypothalamus, pituitary, adrenals, thyroid, pancreas, testes or ovaries) and all the other natural benzodiazepine receptor sites outside of the brain.

 

I've been using some lotion for the dry sensation on the skin.

[[pa...]]

Coop and On the Mend - I have that same awful sensation of feeling like I'm sweating, but there is no sweat.  Also very hot much of the time.  Sometimes hot and cold together.  All accompanied by burning skin.  Someone on the forum a few months ago described it as feeling mentholated.  Good description.  Sometimes my skin feels as if I were in a bathtub of lightly carbonated water.  Would love to have this go away.  I'm sure it's related to withdrawal - I've been to two neurologists who say my nerves are supersensitive - didn't need tests to find that out!  Hope you're both better soon.

 

Paresthesia

[[Br...]]

Dear paresthesia,

 

Did the neurologist provide any idea of this being temporary or will calm down other than saying they are super sensitive?

[[Ke...]]

I have had burning sensations off and on for a good while. At first, it was mainly at night when in bed. But now it is usually when I overexert myself and when I'm awake. The WD experience has been likened to a really bad acid trip. I've never taken LSD, but people say that you can imagine or feel all sorts of things and believe they are real. The same is true for WD symptoms. The are, in a sense, phantom sensations or experiences. If you get a sunburn and your skin later feels like it is on fire, you will find that it is actually warm or hot when you touch it. When I touch my skin in WD when it is "burning", it feels cold to the touch. Similarly, I just had a feeling of extreme weakness in my right arm. I went and benched a few hundred pounds just to see. I was not "weak", but only really felt that way.

 

That is the really hard part of WD, feeling like things are really wrong when they are not actually.  It's like you're dead tired and trying to get to sleep and the smoke alarm keeps going every 5 minutes - but a different one each time. Pain is supposed to tell us something is wrong. So we are in this constant state of alarm because we are made to react that way with pain. So there can be days and weeks on end when almost all you can think is something is really wrong with me. You go to doctor after doctor and get test after test. Medical science has no answers at this time for what ails you, because drugs manufacturers have "hacked" the human body without really knowing what they were doing. There may in fact be some mitochondrial dysfunction besides your CNS being all out of whack. But  the body is also made to heal itself in an almost miraculous way.

 

When you are in a really bad spot, work diligently on achieving a positive mood and attitude and see how your symptoms abate somewhat and how some even go away for a while. Do this while you are resting, without any other stress. Part of the problem is that we tend to have fear and very negative thoughts and feelings which, in and of themselves, would produce symptoms.

 

Does this all ring true to others or am I alone in thinking such things?

[[On...]]

KevinScott,

 

I would have to agree with you that many of these symptoms are phantom, thus why doctors are unable to see very little of anything even though we feel them and at the very least, our brain thinks we feel them. I also agree that benzodiazepines seem to flirt with some of the areas of the brain and CNS that hallucinagenics seem to. In my late teens, many, many moons ago, I and some friends had experimented with psilocybe mushrooms a couple times, which I soon grew a rapid disgust for due to their hallucinogenic and long-lasting(12-14 hrs) properties. Some of the similar symptoms, are constant yawning, seeing movement where there is none, shadows in ones peripheral vision, cold hands and feet, exaggerated and sensitive hearing as well as ringing in the ears and of course anxiety attacks. It really amounts to a moderate case of mushroom poisoning. I think I can safely say the same for benzodiazepines.

[[Je...]]

I get burning in my ears the most but also in the back of my head.  It's hard to act normal during this symptom, it drives me crazy!!

[[pa...]]

Brooke - They both said it was most likely withdrawal since nothing else could be found.  They were pretty noncommittal.  I have since met someone socially who used to work with benzo withdrawal and he told me that he usually told his patients a year to a year and a half before things settled down.  I'm at 19 months, but I was on a low dose as needed for 17 years and that has made it worse for me.  I could almost live with the burning at this point - it's feeling so hot all the time that is driving me nuts. 

 

Kevin - I think you are right

 

Paresthesia

[[da...]]

I, too, have left sided burning on my buttock. I am almost 18 mos. out from 9 mos. of 1mg xanax. Have to sit on ice packs for this. Mayo clinic calls it pudendal neuropathy. I know it is benzo withdrawal.

[[Be...]]

I have had burning sensations off and on for a good while. At first, it was mainly at night when in bed. But now it is usually when I overexert myself and when I'm awake. The WD experience has been likened to a really bad acid trip. I've never taken LSD, but people say that you can imagine or feel all sorts of things and believe they are real. The same is true for WD symptoms. The are, in a sense, phantom sensations or experiences. If you get a sunburn and your skin later feels like it is on fire, you will find that it is actually warm or hot when you touch it. When I touch my skin in WD when it is "burning", it feels cold to the touch. Similarly, I just had a feeling of extreme weakness in my right arm. I went and benched a few hundred pounds just to see. I was not "weak", but only really felt that way.

 

That is the really hard part of WD, feeling like things are really wrong when they are not actually.  It's like you're dead tired and trying to get to sleep and the smoke alarm keeps going every 5 minutes - but a different one each time. Pain is supposed to tell us something is wrong. So we are in this constant state of alarm because we are made to react that way with pain. So there can be days and weeks on end when almost all you can think is something is really wrong with me. You go to doctor after doctor and get test after test. Medical science has no answers at this time for what ails you, because drugs manufacturers have "hacked" the human body without really knowing what they were doing. There may in fact be some mitochondrial dysfunction besides your CNS being all out of whack. But  the body is also made to heal itself in an almost miraculous way.

 

When you are in a really bad spot, work diligently on achieving a positive mood and attitude and see how your symptoms abate somewhat and how some even go away for a while. Do this while you are resting, without any other stress. Part of the problem is that we tend to have fear and very negative thoughts and feelings which, in and of themselves, would produce symptoms.

 

Does this all ring true to others or am I alone in thinking such things?

 

Kevin, you struck a cord with me.  I couldn't have put my thoughts together about this as well as you have, but I sure do understand what you're saying.   

[[ea...]]

I think some people have taken Neurontin for symptoms like this. Anyone?

east

[[Ja...]]

It is from withdrawal. Mine is finally lessening and somedays feel it sporadically on a very low level. At times I don't feel it at all. Approx. 6 months out.

[[ro...]]

When I was in detox and did a C/T of klonopin. I would have these burning sensations in my arms and chest. I was given Neurontin and this helped very much. I am now doing a slow Taper of valium and so far I have not had these symptoms like I did from a rapid detox of the Klonopin. But if I do get these sxs back I expect Neurontin would help

[[to...]]

When I make a cut around day seven my whole body feels like it is on fire. This will last about a day and a half and I am fine until the next cut. When I was on Clonazepam and making my cut this sensation would come and go all the time.

[[ro...]]

Hi everyone, I want to come off of Valium and I know I had burning sensations like all of you that have posted here. I am afraid if it happens again I may be tempted to take Neurontin because it helped when I did rapid detox from Klonopin. How can I cope and handle this if it happens again? I am doing a slow Taper this time. I hope this helps. I am hoping that just taking magnesium supplements may help. Has anyone tried this? Right now I only get burning sensations in my throat and mouth and face. It could be because now I am tapering off of Valium and not doing a C/T detox. I am nervous now after reading these posts. I wish I knew if Neurontin or magnesium supplements would be hurting my recovery or stopping my healing. Anyone have any opinions or experience to offer?

[[cm...]]

my skin burning is almost gone (hopefully it won't come back like other sx did) but my neuro wants me to have a nerve conduction study to check for neuropathy - will let you know of the outcome, but I'm pretty sue it's w/d ...neuropathy is progressive (to the best of my knowledge), it doesn't come and go.

I used solarcaine (gel for sunburns with aloe and lidocaine) and it helped at least alleviate the feeling when it was really bad. (got mine at Walgreens, but other stores carry it as well).

 

Amy

[[Ja...]]

Tx for the tip cmlppvc re solarcaine. Today, along with my vibrations are burning pains, which have been almost non existent in the last few days. Guess every symptom comes and goes until we heal.

[[da...]]

When my burning first started, I thought it was hemorroids. I experienced this about 2 mos. into 1mg xanax daily. Had colonoscopy, nerve conduction tests, 2 MRIs, 2 gyns, 2 pain clinics and they all showed nothing! I am at 18 mos. off the xanax and am still burning. Saw neurologist in my home town and Mayo Clinic. No one seems to associate this burning with xanax, but I am convinced I was in tolerance withdrawal and now in withdrawal from the 1mg xanax. Hopefullu, this burning will leave with all the other symptoms!

[[pr...]]

i am still having severe burning symptoms at the bottom of both heels of my feet. it keeps me up all night when i am all revved up. it's one of my worst symptoms. i thought it was going away but it came back with a vengeance. the heels of my feet have this big bright tomato red very sore and sensitive spot. it's almost like it's burning right through. i do have peripheral neuropathy sad to say.

 

i was diagnosed with MS a long time ago when i was in tolerance w/d. every other long time healed benzo person doesn't think i have MS and to wait until i am healed from this benzo withdrawal but to also get my Vit B12 levels checked. sometimes the burning and any kind of neuropathy can be from the B 12 levels being very low and using benzo's for any amount of time can do that. so i would say get your B12 levels checked along with Vitamin D, Folic Acid and Magnesium.

[[da...]]

Burning is the most severe symptom I have, other than head problems. It goes on all day, until I take my 300mg gabapentin at night only---relief!

[[ea...]]

Daisy mae,

Perhaps your doctor could change your Neurontin dosage to twice a day, so youd have more consistent relief...? Im glad to read something positive about Neurontin. I was considering taking it. Im still not decided, as Im really scared to add another drug to this already over-worked olsd body.

east

[[da...]]

Has anyone found ANYTHING that helps this burning feeling? My bottom feels like I am sitting on hot coals all the time--that is, when it is not aching. 300mg Gabapentin at night only lets me sleep without this feeling. Does ANYONE know of anything that helps?