doctors dont believe in WD

[[be...]]

after seeing several docs and talking to pharmacist they all tell me "youre past having WD the ativan is out of your system."

then I get bloodwork done which comes back normal and they say im depressed and offer a AD and ambien.

im 8 weeks off ativan C/t and i feel like #%@*.

so tired and depressed i cant leave the bed or couch. no interest in life period. what am i supposed to do..i keep looking at these prozac but havent bothered taking it. im not sure how to taper those being its a 10mg.capsule. I dont recall getting bad WD last time i took prozac ..did any of you have issues with prozac?

[[be...]]

Benzo,

 

Go to the pharmacist and ask for the full insert for the meds.  It has a term called "Discontinuation Syndrome"    A "nice" way to say protracted wd or PAWS as they call it in the detox and addiction professions.

 

The meds ARE out of your system, but what you are experiencing is damage to your GABA receptors.  This is not withdrawal per se but the "recovery" part that most addicts talk about.

 

When you go back to you doc take the insert with the "discontinuation syndrome" part highlighted.  This will get your doc attention.  Take any other material that seems credible such as research papers that help your case.  They always have to see it in black and white.

[[be...]]

thanks 

well does it ever get better?

[[be...]]

YES!  But it takes a long time.  Sorry.

[[cz...]]

benzohelllp, how long were you on Ativan, and how much were you taking?

[[re...]]

First off, it absolutely gets better. I went through hell both on and off of ativan (I cold turkeyed) but I 100% healed. You will too. Second, I saw so many doctors when I was sick it was insane. I had tests run for EVERYTHING. Nobody mentioned the ativan causing my problems. I figured it out myself, and then a therapist I'd started seeing confirmed it. She was the first person to mention benzo withdrawal to me and see said it could last for months.

 

Here's the irony. Now that I'm off the drugs and better, every doctor I've seen or talked to has asked why the hell I was on those drugs to begin with. While most don't understand the withdrawal syndrome, if they don't immediately right you off as crazy a good doctor DOES realize these drugs are bad. Also ironically, it seems those in the health community that aren't doctors actually have a more thorough understanding of benzos. I've been seeing midwives for a pregnancy and they all know about it. My therapist (phd, not md) also knew about it as do a few others.

 

It's the drugs.

[[be...]]

i was taking .5-1mg at night for a year or two off and on.

 

and thanks for sharing that similar experience.

how long until you healed??

yea its funny the dr that said my depressed mood couldnt be from ativan WD also said she was not a fan of ativan at all. go figure. And another dr told me actually the one.who gave me.this crap said oh people think ativan is addictive but its because it works so well.

[[fi...]]

I hope things being to improve for you, benzohelpp.

 

Sincerely,

 

fg

[[be...]]

thanks fg

im trying but its hard.

sometimes i wonder am i just crazy? or maybe i need medication for life

[[fi...]]

Well, withdrawal can be extremely hard on an individual and some of the doctors I've met just don't understand benzo w/d.  Some think that once it's out of your system then you should have no w/d symptoms.  Unfortunately, nothing could be further from the truth.

 

You could also print out the Ashton Manual and hand it to them and see if they are receptive to the information in that:

 

http://www.benzo.org.uk/manual/index.htm

 

I hope you have some windows soon.

 

Sincerely,

 

fg

[[an...]]

Hi believe,even though my sleep has gotten better,is it still normal to still be having sx at 34 months out??? I still feel quite shitty and also nearing menopause,I feel like I pms all the time and this has made my sx 10 times worse,I hardly even have windows now,what does all this mean??? I am confused. Thanks angel