Challis' Success

[[Ch...]]

I am now right there with you!!!!

 

Clouded

 

  And you're feeling GOOD!  That's wonderful!

[[cl...]]

Yes no symptoms at all. Even going to the gym . But during my taper I was up and out everyday. Even just food shopping. I never babied myself , just worked through the bumps in the road . The way I see it the symptoms were going to happen whether I sat home and fed into it or went about my day the best I could . I chose to move about. Glad I did. I now have the energy to move and I can. Thank you for your support through this tough time . The fight is over and I won!!

 

Clouded

[[Ch...]]

Yes no symptoms at all. Even going to the gym . But during my taper I was up and out everyday. Even just food shopping. I never babied myself , just worked through the bumps in the road . The way I see it the symptoms were going to happen whether I sat home and fed into it or went about my day the best I could . I chose to move about. Glad I did. I now have the energy to move and I can. Thank you for your support through this tough time . The fight is over and I won!!

 

Clouded

 

Good outlook and approach, Clouded!  And yes, it helps to keep moving so that one doesn't become debilitated by couch lock.  Easy to happen.

 

[[my...]]

Hi Challis and Hi Clouded...and congratulations!!  :thumbsup: So glad I signed in just now to read this heartening news!  Clouded, just curious...reading your signature it appears you went relatively quickly and consistently downward.  I would be interested to hear what your symptoms were during your taper and whether they changed over time or remained sort of constant... 

 

I haven't been nearly as consistent for a variety of reasons and we are all different, as the mantra goes...but I am determined to manage this last stretch and be done by the fall.  There are as many theories of tapering as people doing tapers, it seems.  Many on the site warn against 'pushing through" symptoms while others feel that it's best to just keep going no matter what, unless of course the sxs are just too severe.

 

Any light you can shed on your own experience would be great.

 

Chal -- I am not surprised you were a great support to Clouded as you have been to me and so many others...

 

With thanks and 

 

Mana 

 

P.S.

I too have been up and out every day -- and traveled and done all kinds of things...maybe I hadn't made that clear.  We just returned from a week's vacation...maybe I have been expecting a painless taper and that is the reason I have gone as slowly as I have, holding when I felt it was important to be as close to 100% as possible for others in my life, and for myself.  Unless I have had a physical injury I have exercised almost every day of the taper.  I don't know....

 

Anyhow -- once again -- congratulations Clouded.  And to Challis -- continued thanks.

[[cl...]]

My Mana,

I personally find think I went quickly. I was consistent but it took over A year for 2 mg Xanax. My withdrawal symptoms during the first mg were very minimal. The second mg was depression, fear, some anxiety and just plain tired. The last drop to 0.125 was the worst for anger and depression. My last dose was the 20th of May and as of then I feel wonderful and no symptoms at all. It's been 4 days and I couldn't be happier. Going to the gym everyday now because I have the energy. Sleeping great but I never had a hard time sleeping just going to sleep at a decent time. I was going to sleep at 3 or 4 am but now I  go to sleep about 12am. I feel much calmer, no anxiety at all and I'm ready to live my life. Something I had a hard time doing while on Xanax because of the inter dose withdrawals . Anything more you need to know you can ask. It's s good life 😉

 

Clouded

[[my...]]

Wow...Clouded....that sounds like a walk in the park compared to many on this site.  Many of us have had to endure real physical pain -- not just anxiety, depression and the rest.

 

Many think that Klonopin is a different animal and even one of the doctors I know who is very familiar with benzo withdrawal feels that way.  Important, then, to taper slowly to allow the CNS to heal as we go.  Sigh....wish I had never been prescribed this terribly potent drug.

 

But tapering from 2 mg Xanax and being able to do it in a year is a big accomplishment -- HUGE!!!!  I'm happy for you and wish you continued good health.

 

Mana 

 

 

[[Be...]]

Hello there

 

I just wanted to ask if you are fully healed now?

 

Thanks

 

Shpend

[[on...]]

My Mana,

I personally find think I went quickly. I was consistent but it took over A year for 2 mg Xanax. My withdrawal symptoms during the first mg were very minimal. The second mg was depression, fear, some anxiety and just plain tired. The last drop to 0.125 was the worst for anger and depression. My last dose was the 20th of May and as of then I feel wonderful and no symptoms at all. It's been 4 days and I couldn't be happier. Going to the gym everyday now because I have the energy. Sleeping great but I never had a hard time sleeping just going to sleep at a decent time. I was going to sleep at 3 or 4 am but now I  go to sleep about 12am. I feel much calmer, no anxiety at all and I'm ready to live my life. Something I had a hard time doing while on Xanax because of the inter dose withdrawals . Anything more you need to know you can ask. It's s good life 😉

Clouded- I notice you say the last cut for you on the xanax to .125 caused the worst anger and depression- I am really really struggling with my last cut on the 20th to .125 so it helps  me to hear  you had trouble with that cut as well.  When you jumped had the side effects from the cut to .125 subsided or did you just plow ahead any way?. I am so anxious to be done but feel so weepy ,tired and tingly this week The overall crappy way I am feeling makes me wonder if I should  just make the final cut and get it over with or hold  for another week. . I'd appreciate any input. 

 

[[cl...]]

Hey ontheroad I understand exactly how you feel. It's horrible. I just plowed ahead and dealt with it as I did the other cuts. This may not go away until you jump..everyone is different . I contemplated jumping after 2 weeks of the .125 but glad I didn't . Just plow ahead. The best is yet to be😀. I can only hope it's as easy for you as it wAs for me. Let me know.

 

Clouded

[[Be...]]

Congratulations!!!!!!!!!!!!

After i read your story i started crying ,not because i was sad  but because it gives me hope i can make it the this struggle.

 

Thank you so much for your post

[[Ch...]]

Hello there

 

I just wanted to ask if you are fully healed now?

 

Thanks

 

Shpend

 

I don't know if you're asking me or asking someone else here, but I'll answer the best I can.

And the truth is that I don't know.  I'm completely functional and can do everything I used to do, but stress can bring me down still.  So maybe that means I'm still a little sensitive or maybe that's how everyone feels after stress hits.

[[Ch...]]

Congratulations!!!!!!!!!!!!

After i read your story i started crying ,not because i was sad  but because it gives me hope i can make it the this struggle.

 

Thank you so much for your post

 

Bill, yes you can do this.  It was the hardest physical struggle of my own life and at the time it felt like it would never end, but it did.  Try to keep in mind that you feel much worse than you really are.  You may have temporary elevated blood pressure, most of us do during the process, and perhaps higher heart rate, but those are probably the only measurable issues going on.  The way you feel has everything to do with an overly sensitive central nervous system and that affects every part of your being.  Your body is in fight or flight mode and reacts strongly to every little thing because the benzo has been calming your body artificially and you're waiting for your body to heal so that it will again take over the job of calming your body naturally.

 

Distraction can be a lifesaver, so do what you can do to take your mind off how you feel.  This will pass with time, but how you mark that time can make all the difference in the world for you.

[[Be...]]

Thank you so much, after i read that i made sure i was distracted all day working in the yard and around the house it really does make a huge difference, i have just been to scared that everything going to make me feel worse. It is true though what you said no matter what im doing or where im at i will feel this way so i might as well be doing something and not baby myself. What you said has literally been the most encouraging thing for me soo far in this process my body is going through. I cant thank you enough for giving me some perspective.

 

Thank you , Thank you , Thank you

[[so...]]

Challis,

 

You are such a comfort to me.  Your nonchalant, pragmatic approach to withdrawal eases my fears and soothes me.  I say nonchalant not because you minimize the horrors of withdrawal, but because you put them into perspective with a calm reassurance that eventually the suffering will end for all of us.

 

Thank you, Challis.

 

Love, Sofa

[[...]]

Challis,

 

You are such a comfort to me.  Your nonchalant, pragmatic approach to withdrawal eases my fears and soothes me.  I say nonchalant not because you minimize the horrors of withdrawal, but because you put them into perspective with a calm reassurance that eventually the suffering will end for all of us.

 

Thank you, Challis.

 

Love, Sofa

 

 

I agree Sofa,

 

That last post Challis wrote (to Bill) also helped a great deal. We have to remember that our CNS is in a mess right now. We forget and it makes things more scary (I do).

 

Love you Sofa 

[[Ch...]]

Thank you so much, after i read that i made sure i was distracted all day working in the yard and around the house it really does make a huge difference, i have just been to scared that everything going to make me feel worse. It is true though what you said no matter what im doing or where im at i will feel this way so i might as well be doing something and not baby myself. What you said has literally been the most encouraging thing for me soo far in this process my body is going through. I cant thank you enough for giving me some perspective.

 

Thank you , Thank you , Thank you

 

This is what keeps me here, Bill.  I know other people need to see what's on the other side of this.

I'm so glad you got out and distracted yourself from your symptoms.

[[Ch...]]

Challis,

 

You are such a comfort to me.  Your nonchalant, pragmatic approach to withdrawal eases my fears and soothes me.  I say nonchalant not because you minimize the horrors of withdrawal, but because you put them into perspective with a calm reassurance that eventually the suffering will end for all of us.

 

Thank you, Challis.

 

Love, Sofa

 

That's the beauty of being able to look back on it, Sofa.  Recovery can be glacially slow, but the body knows how to do it given the time and opportunity.

[[Ch...]]

Challis,

 

You are such a comfort to me.  Your nonchalant, pragmatic approach to withdrawal eases my fears and soothes me.  I say nonchalant not because you minimize the horrors of withdrawal, but because you put them into perspective with a calm reassurance that eventually the suffering will end for all of us.

 

Thank you, Challis.

 

Love, Sofa

 

 

I agree Sofa,

 

That last post Challis wrote (to Bill) also helped a great deal. We have to remember that our CNS is in a mess right now. We forget and it makes things more scary (I do).

 

Love you Sofa 

 

When you're in the midst of it, it's so hard to think about anything else. 

[[Fi...]]

Challis-- I relate to what you say about feeling healed except for reactions to stress.  In general I feel calmer than ever, but if something comes up that's too much like some scene I already did with the same person while in acute, my brain doesn't like it.  And if I'm anticipating or fearing such a scene because of having to be with the person, no matter how intellectually calm I remain, my reptilian brain just goes nope, don't like it, gonna make your heart pound.  I wonder how long this can hang on?  The trauma of having gone through this seems a lot different than what people suffer with childhood trauma, so I guess we're each on our own with our own stories to see how long it lasts.

 

It's so great though, to be looking back on the rest of it, isn't it?

[[Ch...]]

Challis-- I relate to what you say about feeling healed except for reactions to stress. In general I feel calmer than ever, but if something comes up that's too much like some scene I already did with the same person while in acute, my brain doesn't like it.  And if I'm anticipating or fearing such a scene because of having to be with the person, no matter how intellectually calm I remain, my reptilian brain just goes nope, don't like it, gonna make your heart pound.  I wonder how long this can hang on?  The trauma of having gone through this seems a lot different than what people suffer with childhood trauma, so I guess we're each on our own with our own stories to see how long it lasts.

 

It's so great though, to be looking back on the rest of it, isn't it?

 

I also feel calmer than ever, in general, but stress can really do me in.  My car broke down on the hot freeway two weeks ago and I'm still struggling to muster up normal energy.  Lots of couching.  I have company this weekend, a retired nurse who has also been on this pill merry-go-round and has very similar symptoms and progression of healing from the meds as my own.  She's now seeing a naturopath and is having luck with a couple of supplements that I'm also going to try.  One is Adrenaplex EuroPharma (Terry Naturally) 120 Caps (Amazon) for adrenal fatigue and the other is (DaVinci Labs) Mito-Fuel with D-Ribose.  Don't think they can hurt, anyway.

[[cl...]]

Challis- There are blood tests to check your adrenal gland. That would give you an idea of how much supplement to take.

[[Mi...]]

My naturopath has saved my life

 

[[Ch...]]

Challis- There are blood tests to check your adrenal gland. That would give you an idea of how much supplement to take.

 

Good idea.  I definitely need to have a full panel done, haven't done this for years now.  Once that trust bond with the medical community is broken, it's hard to put yourself in their hands again.  At least blood tests aren't subjective, right?

[[Ch...]]

My naturopath has saved my life

 

I'm going to search for one nearby.  I live in a small rural community and there are none close by.

[[cl...]]

No it can't hurt to get levels of everything. I totally understand about the trust . I trusted my doctor all this time of the taper. He was great. He checks my blood every 3 months. When I told him I wanted to get off the Vicuprofen he told me that I had to see his brother the phychiatrist to get soboxone? At that point all trust was lost . Still pushing pills at me. Also told me I could take the Xanax as needed now. He honestly does not have a clue. He will give me enough pills and I'll wean myself off of the Vicuprofen as I did the Xanax .

 

Clouded