Paradoxical effects while in w/d

Hi everyone I thought I may get some encouragement from joining & reading you posts.

I have been on prescription diazepam for over 20 yrs ive also used street benzo’s also.

I started my reduction due to sweats, tremors, tinnitus, brain fog & lack of sleep which really came to the fore after quitting high dose buprenorphine but still on my prescribed diazepam

I have been reducing my dose from 30mg rapidly for the first 8 weeks causing all the horrific effects of benzo withdrawal to 10mg I am currently still at 10mg .

The main problem I am currently having is a seemingly paradoxical effect of my dose .

I’m not sure if this is because I am currently in a state of withdrawal or if it may be that it is relative withdrawal syndrome as it can make me feel worse especially if I take 20mg instead of my usual 10mg . It’s as if I shall be withdrawing no matter the dose until stopping completely.

It’s been 12months I have been having particular difficulties now which seems a overly long time especially with the speed of my reduction which has been my decision I might add and my doctors.

I am also wondering if my illit use may have left me with a very high tolerance which may be something to do with it.

I don’t want to keep experimenting with a higher dose as it always makes me feel worse especially the next day including a flu like feeling,rigidity, panic & the thought of going backwards instead of forward.

Any insights or thoughts appreciated.

Hello MM2, welcome to BenzoBuddies,

I can see you're in a difficult position, the drug you're using to rid yourself of that same drug isn't softening your withdrawal symptoms, it seems to be contributing to their intensity.  I know we automatically leap to the fact we may be paradoxical but that condition is quite rare so we can't be sure this is what's happening.  My suggestion would be to hold off tapering and try to get stable, I know this is just  more experimentation but unfortunately, this is the only tool we have.  Since our plight is pretty much ignored by the scientific community, we're left with limited resources.

Other members may have a different take on your situation, that's the beauty of a peer support forum, you can hear from others and one may have the answers you seek.  I wonder too if your rapid taper is contributing to your distress, we suggest reducing by about 5-10% every couple of weeks or using your symptoms to guide your taper.

I'll provide some links to get you started but please keep talking to us, we want to help.

Pamster

Colorado Consortium Benzodiazepine Deprescribing Guidelines

Planning Your Withdrawal (Taper)

Withdrawal Support (during your taper)

Chapter 3 Ashton manual, list of symptoms

I experience the paradoxical dosing, I have for years. I have yet to find a solution. The dose is irrelevant. When those  hit, I down  dose, if it doesn't work, I up dose by a small percentage. The paradoxes are the worst symptom of tapering. I do know the lower I get, the less they happen. However, I still get them. In a bad bad wave of paradoxing and high wd sxs now.

This episode really seemed to come out of nowhere. Most of the time, in my experience, they are a result of medications which interfere with absorption. And, depending on how sensitive you are, any medication can cause a problem.

I am currently on a medication foe candida, and that is the only thing I can pinpoint as an external cause of this wave. However, i don't know why I am so slammed.

I understand (and it is not well understood) that those paradoxes can be a product of kindling. Or cutting too fast. Or something your body is missing biochemically that prevents absorption. All ideas about why this happens are theoretical.

Try and find a dose that wont paradox at the moment, and go with it, and wait. Keep it close to what your actual dosage is. If you go up or down to much, our brains have to adjust, and it causes stress to your system.

Good Luck, I know what your going through!

-Dove

Thanks for your replies it’s so tricky I’ve read the Ashton manual from start to end over & over but there is no info on withdrawal symptoms at least as severe As what I was experiencing before I started reducing. My practitioner has put me bk on 30mg diazepam but after a week it seems to b having little effect.

I may have to stay here for a period of time & then reduce very slowly. Thanks anyway & hope you guys don’t find yourself in this shocking situation

This organization is very up to date, and includes paradoxical reactions in it's master list of side effects. There is so much data here, I find something new everytime I come in to this site.

https://www.benzoinfo.com/benzodiazepines/#undefined

The Ashton manual is on this site as well.

Hopefully, it can be a resource for you going forward.