Muscle wasting and muscle weakness

[[Du...]]

I saw a post once about people losing a lot of muscle during withdrawal, and as I recall there weren't a lot of stories about that loss of muscle, and strength with it, coming back as we start to heal.  I'm a little over 1 month off of the benzo's.  Not a lot if time I know.  But for me the muscle wasting has been mostly in the last 6 months or so of my taper.  It's really very noticeable.  The thing is, it's not because I've really stopped working out or because My eating habits have gotten worse I don't think, altho it sure has been more difficult to work out.  I mostly just swim laps. And I've done this for many years. I'll also hike and ride my bike on the weekends but my main workout during the week is a swim of about one mile.

 

So I started this taper at age 45. I've now turned 47 this past January.  I look really bad. My body has "dropped" all over, mostly into my waste, and where it hasn't dropped it's just wasted away, e.g. In my butt.  I guess some would say this is just a vanity issue, but really it does make you feel lousy, and even a lot of my clothes don't fit anymore.  I feel very uncomfortable this way.  I'm probably about 10lbs over weight now too.  I wonder, is this just how I'm going to be now or could I possible tone back up.  I know, I'm not a young guy anymore.  But it is hard to feel so old and worn out. 

 

Thanks,

Duesie

[[Er...]]

Duesie,

 

                    I am 39 years old and have been an athlete all my life.  Since withdrawal I have put of 25 lbs. of blubber despite running and lifting daily.  I am at 8.5 months and nothing has seem to come back yet.  I hope at some point it does.  Every muscle and joint in my body aches, it feels like I have arthritis.  It is pretty nasty and you are not alone. 

           

[[Du...]]

The thing is, I don't feel well at all.  It's just turned 80 degrees here today and I normally am an active person who likes the sun and exercise, but I just feel weak, and sweaty and flabby and lethargic.  And I've read where people say that one thing you need to do now that your CNS has been compromised is to avoid the heat. But to me that feels like it's a life sentence of having the flu.  I was like this last summer during my taper, and I can put up with again I guess for another summer, but I can't imagine being an indoor person now who has to stay in the air conditioning and avoid physical exercise outdoors because my CNS is now compromised.  I had hoped if heal and feel healthy and strong again.  I know a lot of the depression I had was because I felt like any day the sun came out I would feel weaker and more flu-like.  I hope it's not a forever thing. Does that make sense?

[[Er...]]

I am quite positive that your issue will not be forever but it may take a couple of years or so to get you right again.

[[Te...]]

Duesie, I feel the same way you do, and I was on a low dose of K and had a pretty slow taper. The loss of muscle and muscle weakness are very noticeable to me. It started becoming apparent during the home stretch of my taper and has continued to this day. I've also gained weight (this started happening the last couple of months of tapering) even though I eat about the same as during tapering. I have benzo belly. I had never had problems in my waist area before. It's so much harder to exercise now because of the muscle weakness and general lethargy I still have. And I don't get out in the sun like I used to, but that's mostly because of DP/DR, dizziness, and a sensitivity to light. Even after I exercise, it doesn't seem to make much of a difference, although mentally I do feel better. So maybe it's doing something. I look 10 years older. I try not to dwell on these things and figure that this is the way it'll be for awhile. I wonder how long this has stayed for others. I'm sure people will chime in here.

[Guest [mu...]]

This happened to me too, towards the end of my taper. Overnight, literally, my muscle tone just disappeared. At that time I was incredibly active, hiking for hours at a time, lifting weights, and doing very strenuous yoga, so it didn't make any sense. Within the first week of jumping I had a sort of clarity window - the world looked brighter and more vivid, I felt calm and clear, and my muscle tone returned completely... just like that. Then, of course, all hell broke loose and I spent a few months in acute withdrawal, during which time my muscle tone disappeared again.

 

I am now almost a year off, and still experiencing the extreme fatigue and muscle weakness that hit me in month 2 and has prevented me from exercising ever since. I've gained a lot of weight and my muscle tone is even worse off - my legs and arms now look like they belong to an old lady, no exaggeration. I'm 34 and before this I had an enviable figure and muscle tone. Totally gone. But I have to say, at the worst I felt during acute and afterwards, I couldn't have cared less how I looked - I just wanted to feel better. I could have gained 200 pounds and gone bald and not cared if it meant the suffering would stop. I feel like it's a luxury to worry about how we look during this process... if you can worry about your appearance, you're doing OK

 

I'm finally learning to accept how I look now and feel much better for it, but it was and still is a hard thing to do. I miss looking like myself, just like I miss feeling like myself. But we definitely don't need another thing to beat ourselves up about or stress over. Our muscle tone will return when our body settles down and we can exercise again and our GABA receptors are repaired (did you know GABA is directly responsible for the regulation of muscle tone?)

 

We are very sick right now, but we'll all be fit and healthy again one day.

 

[[Te...]]

I didn't know that "GABA is directly responsible for the regulation of muscle tone." It makes a lot of sense. No wonder it's messed up.

[[ma...]]

This happened to me too, towards the end of my taper. Overnight, literally, my muscle tone just disappeared. At that time I was incredibly active, hiking for hours at a time, lifting weights, and doing very strenuous yoga, so it didn't make any sense. Within the first week of jumping I had a sort of clarity window - the world looked brighter and more vivid, I felt calm and clear, and my muscle tone returned completely... just like that. Then, of course, all hell broke loose and I spent a few months in acute withdrawal, during which time my muscle tone disappeared again.

 

I am now almost a year off, and still experiencing the extreme fatigue and muscle weakness that hit me in month 2 and has prevented me from exercising ever since. I've gained a lot of weight and my muscle tone is even worse off - my legs and arms now look like they belong to an old lady, no exaggeration. I'm 34 and before this I had an enviable figure and muscle tone. Totally gone. But I have to say, at the worst I felt during acute and afterwards, I couldn't have cared less how I looked - I just wanted to feel better. I could have gained 200 pounds and gone bald and not cared if it meant the suffering would stop. I feel like it's a luxury to worry about how we look during this process... if you can worry about your appearance, you're doing OK

 

I'm finally learning to accept how I look now and feel much better for it, but it was and still is a hard thing to do. I miss looking like myself, just like I miss feeling like myself. But we definitely don't need another thing to beat ourselves up about or stress over. Our muscle tone will return when our body settles down and we can exercise again and our GABA receptors are repaired (did you know GABA is directly responsible for the regulation of muscle tone?)

 

We are very sick right now, but we'll all be fit and healthy again one day.

 

mutuuraia,

 

Could you describe your muscle weakness?  Do you have it in your legs as soon as you wake up?

 

Thanks,

 

Mama

[[er...]]

I saw a post once about people losing a lot of muscle during withdrawal, and as I recall there weren't a lot of stories about that loss of muscle, and strength with it, coming back as we start to heal.  I'm a little over 1 month off of the benzo's.  Not a lot if time I know.  But for me the muscle wasting has been mostly in the last 6 months or so of my taper.  It's really very noticeable.  The thing is, it's not because I've really stopped working out or because My eating habits have gotten worse I don't think, altho it sure has been more difficult to work out.  I mostly just swim laps. And I've done this for many years. I'll also hike and ride my bike on the weekends but my main workout during the week is a swim of about one mile.

 

So I started this taper at age 45. I've now turned 47 this past January.  I look really bad. My body has "dropped" all over, mostly into my waste, and where it hasn't dropped it's just wasted away, e.g. In my butt.  I guess some would say this is just a vanity issue, but really it does make you feel lousy, and even a lot of my clothes don't fit anymore.  I feel very uncomfortable this way.  I'm probably about 10lbs over weight now too.  I wonder, is this just how I'm going to be now or could I possible tone back up.  I know, I'm not a young guy anymore.  But it is hard to feel so old and worn out. 

 

Thanks,

Duesie

 

Duesie

I lost all muscles  around  18 months  , almost over night .

I know what you talking about .

Exercise all my life  and  second month off till 27 months off bike up to 3 hours . Then muscle dropped and gone . My face too , I feel horrible too , [ Iam 47], always healthy diet  and active .

Now  I just hope one day muscles come back .

This is absolutely worst in the end hell we just lived . I look like mother of my granny .

And always look 10 years younger , now 20 years older .

Muscle lost is part of w/d , . I just hope muscles will come back .,

My clothes  don't fit too , because lost  butt muscles and everything just hand on me . horrible .

YOU not alone .

[[Du...]]

Duesie,

 

                    I am 39 years old and have been an athlete all my life.  Since withdrawal I have put of 25 lbs. of blubber despite running and lifting daily.  I am at 8.5 months and nothing has seem to come back yet.  I hope at some point it does.  Every muscle and joint in my body aches, it feels like I have arthritis.  It is pretty nasty and you are not alone. 

         

 

Hi Eric, yes I hope so too.  For both our sakes.  I know what you mean about "every muscle and joint" aching.  I sometimes wonder if that really will go away or if the damage is permanent now, like some injuries where afterwards you are never able to do certain things again.

[[Du...]]

Duesie, I feel the same way you do, and I was on a low dose of K and had a pretty slow taper. The loss of muscle and muscle weakness are very noticeable to me. It started becoming apparent during the home stretch of my taper and has continued to this day. I've also gained weight (this started happening the last couple of months of tapering) even though I eat about the same as during tapering. I have benzo belly. I had never had problems in my waist area before. It's so much harder to exercise now because of the muscle weakness and general lethargy I still have. And I don't get out in the sun like I used to, but that's mostly because of DP/DR, dizziness, and a sensitivity to light. Even after I exercise, it doesn't seem to make much of a difference, although mentally I do feel better. So maybe it's doing something. I look 10 years older. I try not to dwell on these things and figure that this is the way it'll be for awhile. I wonder how long this has stayed for others. I'm sure people will chime in here.

 

Hi Terry,  yes, sounds very similar to what has happened with me. I look 10 years older too, and I feel it too.  I never had a belly before and I can't get rid of it.  My skin is slack and my face is drooping.  And the gray hair!  God. It's all been since I started my taper.  I've been mourning the loss of a decade or so while on benzo's, and now I feel in some ways like I'm losing more with the way my body has aged.

[[Du...]]

This happened to me too, towards the end of my taper. Overnight, literally, my muscle tone just disappeared. At that time I was incredibly active, hiking for hours at a time, lifting weights, and doing very strenuous yoga, so it didn't make any sense. Within the first week of jumping I had a sort of clarity window - the world looked brighter and more vivid, I felt calm and clear, and my muscle tone returned completely... just like that. Then, of course, all hell broke loose and I spent a few months in acute withdrawal, during which time my muscle tone disappeared again.

 

I am now almost a year off, and still experiencing the extreme fatigue and muscle weakness that hit me in month 2 and has prevented me from exercising ever since. I've gained a lot of weight and my muscle tone is even worse off - my legs and arms now look like they belong to an old lady, no exaggeration. I'm 34 and before this I had an enviable figure and muscle tone. Totally gone. But I have to say, at the worst I felt during acute and afterwards, I couldn't have cared less how I looked - I just wanted to feel better. I could have gained 200 pounds and gone bald and not cared if it meant the suffering would stop. I feel like it's a luxury to worry about how we look during this process... if you can worry about your appearance, you're doing OK

 

I'm finally learning to accept how I look now and feel much better for it, but it was and still is a hard thing to do. I miss looking like myself, just like I miss feeling like myself. But we definitely don't need another thing to beat ourselves up about or stress over. Our muscle tone will return when our body settles down and we can exercise again and our GABA receptors are repaired (did you know GABA is directly responsible for the regulation of muscle tone?)

 

We are very sick right now, but we'll all be fit and healthy again one day.

 

Hi.  Yes, I miss looking and feeling like myself too.  I really thought when this taper was done I'd start improving.  Feeling pretty low tonight.  Doesn't seem to be happening that way.

[[El...]]

I know this is a really old tread, but I would really like to know if anyone on this tread recovered from the muscle weakness and all in all just recovered.

I'm 18 months off and the muscle weakness and pain are so debilitating.

Hugs🎈

[[Th...]]

Following.

[[Co...]]

I know this is a really old tread, but I would really like to know if anyone on this tread recovered from the muscle weakness and all in all just recovered.

I'm 18 months off and the muscle weakness and pain are so debilitating.

Hugs🎈

 

Thanks for reviving this thread, Elbette.  I'm 16 months off and the muscle pain and weakness are suddenly debilitating.  I was unable to walk yesterday - my legs couldn't support my own weight. 

 

I've always been fit and slightly underweight.  Now everything in this thread describes my physical state.  I hope someone can chime in and say these issues resolve as we get better. 

[[Ni...]]

Before i went on benzo's 4 years ago i was 30 and looked like a teenager.... People never believed i was older than 19.

4 years later i look older than my age, my hair turned grey, my skin is all droopy, saggy and dry, lots of wrinkles like the collagen melted away and i'm severely underweight. I turned ugly AF. It's not just the benzo's that contributed to my decline but also the constant relentless and terrorizing anxiety and panic attacks, that has really taken a toll on my body.

 

Now i've also become very depressed, the benzo's, generalized anxiety, panic and social anxiety have destroyed my life in the past 4 years, it's fucking hopeless. I've also developed several chronic diseases so i had to move into my parents house for support, business failed so no money and i'm too sick now to take care of it anyway, can't have a regular job, no financial aid from the gov., i'm in a huge debt that will take a lifetime to pay off, can't start a family with my wife because we are both sick. Even if the benzo withdrawal symptoms come to an end i'm still bedridden because of my chronic diseases that have no cure.

Sorry this is turning into a rant, but FUCK MY LIFE! This is never going to get better.

[[tr...]]

Great, that this thread came out, we are probably many who suffer from this. For a long time, I have been very weak, and could hardly go to the bathroom. If you have done surgery at the hospital, they don`t want to be bedridden. The muscles begin to get weak after a short time, and I have been sleeping on the sofa for 2 years!

 

But when I worry, I usually think of my windows. I feel so much stronger, and can suddenly do things. These short moments make me believe in myself, and hope comes back. If our muscles were very weak, should it be the same when we have windows?  Of course, I don`t feel as strong as before the withdrawal, but that's a big difference. So I usually think of these moments when I get worried, everything will be fine!

[[az...]]

Following now, thanks

[[pu...]]

Start doing daily squats.

 

I foresee this problem and I started lifting weights and doing body weight excersizes.

 

I’m twice the size I ever was in muscle mass right now.

 

 

You can fight it.

 

 

[[tr...]]

I found this in Ashton's manual, but I am neutral!

 

There are many measures that will alleviate these symptoms, such as muscle stretching exercises as taught in most gyms, moderate exercise, hot baths, massage and general relaxation exercises. Such measures may give only temporary relief at first, but if practised regularly can speed the recovery of normal muscle tone - which will eventually occur spontaneously.

[[az...]]

Yay, I hope... I think so translator 100

[[...]]

Also following...

 

I have lost muscle tone, skin looks loose, especially around my knees which are just horrible. I know how vain this sounds  I did think it was normal to start looking not so hot at some point lol, and I am somewhat trying to accept "natural aging"... (I'm 35 lol) - but that's pretty bad - and I haven't lost weight I don't think  ... I guess time will tell...!

[[do...]]

Thanks for those encouraging words translator 100. I need to find the right exercises for strengthening my muscles. This symptom is at the forefront for me at 7 mo off.  I will continue to follow this thread, hopefully others can post some encouraging thoughts, or experiences on this subject.

[[Ma...]]

The thing is, I don't feel well at all.  It's just turned 80 degrees here today and I normally am an active person who likes the sun and exercise, but I just feel weak, and sweaty and flabby and lethargic.  And I've read where people say that one thing you need to do now that your CNS has been compromised is to avoid the heat. But to me that feels like it's a life sentence of having the flu.  I was like this last summer during my taper, and I can put up with again I guess for another summer, but I can't imagine being an indoor person now who has to stay in the air conditioning and avoid physical exercise outdoors because my CNS is now compromised.  I had hoped if heal and feel healthy and strong again.  I know a lot of the depression I had was because I felt like any day the sun came out I would feel weaker and more flu-like.  I hope it's not a forever thing. Does that make sense?

[[Ma...]]

Hi, I saw your comments and I had to join bb to respond today! I have severe muscle wasting and I also feel much worse on sunny days. You're the first I heard say this and I was so sure I had some other horrible disease before your comment about this phenomenon. I'm pretty sure it has to do with cortisol. I feel better at night and on cloudy days I feel okay (still pretty bad by most standards) but sunny days make me feel like I'm getting a cold or flu with increased pain and anxiety. I also feel weaker on such days. It's so frustrating. Especially with summer coming. My belly is gigantic from this so its not like I was going to be on the beach but I'd like to at least feel slightly decent. Best to you- you're not alone in this!