Over-stimulation and return of symptoms

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Hi all!  I am wondering if anyone here finds that if they get over-stimulated some of their symptoms return...

 

I had a 'relatively intense' weekend (by w/d standards) with visitors and my children and on both weekend nights brain fog came back followed by racing thoughts while falling asleep and what I call racing dreams (fast-paced dreams like when a movie is playing in fast-forward mode). Today (Monday) I still feel a little 'hyper', but I only have minimal brain fog.  Did anyone get a return of symptoms with overstimulation? I'm frustrated about this because it shows me how fragile our brains are when even some symptoms that had disappeared can come back so easily with minor stress

 

As a side note...I've found it interesting that I have terrible agitation/anger for no reason most of the time, but yesterday when my kids misbehaved I dealt with it (reprimanded them) in a very calm way. This confirms that all that I'm feeling is the f'ing withdrawal and not me!

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I'm still tapering but have found on several occasions that when I try to do too much it does tend to rev up my symptoms.

Too much noise from being around people or TV or radio can be very agitating.

 

Hang in there.  As you said, it's the withdrawal not you.

 

 

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When I try to do normal stuff  just like walking to long over stimulates me even taking a shower

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Hello mmir,

 

Congratulations on being benzo free. I saw your question and put together some information that might be helpful. I am the type of person who seeks to know what is happening and why, it brings comfort to me. I hope it does the same for you.

 

 

How stress affects recovery.

 

“The Ashton Manual” by Heather Ashton, 2002

 

"Vulnerability to extra stress may last somewhat longer and a severe stress may-temporarily-bring back some symptoms. Whatever your symptoms, it is best not to dwell on them. Symptoms are just symptoms after all and most of them in withdrawal are not signs of illness but signals of recovery. Furthermore, as your mind clears, you can work out more and more effective ways to deal with them so that they become less significant"

 

One of the things you can do to help yourself as Ashton says, "Calm your emotions. Above all, stop worrying. Worry, fear and anxiety increase all withdrawal symptoms. Many of these symptoms are actually due to anxiety and not signs of brain or nervous system damage. People who fear withdrawal have more intense symptoms than those who just take it as it comes and think positively and confidently about recovery."

 

 

 

Why do benzos have to be out of the system to feel better?

 

“The Ashton Manual” by Heather Ashton, 2002

Mechanisms of withdrawal reactions. …. “Nearly all the excitatory mechanisms in the nervous system go into overdrive and, until new adaptations to the drug – free state develop, the brain and peripheral nervous system are in a hyper-excitable state, and extremely vulnerable to stress.”

 

 

I hope this is helpful,

 

Summer

 

 

[Guest [de...]]

My wife keeps telling me to take my son to laser tag. Experience suggests otherwise.

 

Anything that stirs adrenaline has the potential to exacerbate w/d. I stopped my K taper during whitetail season last fall for that reason.

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I had a big day Saturday. It was the best day I have had in a very long time but I also pushed myself waaaaaay beyond what I have grown accustomed to. A two hour motorcycle ride, huge crowds, loud noise, heat, miles and miles of walking, leading social interactions....it was a long and intense day.

 

The next day I woke up feeling good but after the two hour bike ride back home I started to feel iffy. I am pretty far along in my recovery so it wasn't severe, but I could feel it nonetheless, and I am pretty sure it was a rebound of symptoms from having exerted myself the day before. Had I tried to do something like this a few months ago I'm pretty sure that the day after would have been a lot worse.

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Thanks all!  "Glad" to hear it's "normal" for w/d!  I'm just not ready to have a normal life yet, even when I really want to try to be as normal as possible...ugghhhh....frustrating!

 

Thanks summer for the book excerpts!!!

[[Ho...]]

Without a doubt, yes. There's no question. I am naturally a very sensitive person anyway, so to add all this brain sensitivity from wd into the mix is horrible. If there are too many things going on, I get incredibly flustered and before I know it my brain has shut down and I'm in a huge fog and can't even think. Come to think of it, this might be what's been keeping my brain fog so bad for all these months.