Seratonin increases during benzo withdrawal

I came across this article while I was searching for info.about the levels of seratonin during benzo withdrawal. I have always felt my withdrawal symptoms were related to excess seratonin.

This article states that when we are in withdrawal the activity of 5HT is increased which causes the anxiety we are feeling among other symptoms.

https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/7871006/

Interesting. Below is the abstract for the above referenced 1993 animal (rat) study. 

 

According to the abstract, two groups of rats showed opposite behavioral and neurochemical responses 24 hours after diazepam was withdrawn following 3-5 weeks of ‘treatment.’

 

The first group showed an anxiogenic response on withdrawal from the diazepam and hippocampal slices taken from their brains showed an increase in 5-HT release.  In contrast,  the second group did not show a anxiogenic response on withdrawal from the diazepam and their hippocampal slices did not show an increase in 5-HT release.  These findings suggest that rats, like human beings, may have different behavioral and neurochemical responses to benzodiazepine withdrawal.

 

Abstract

This paper reviews the biochemical and behavioural evidence that the increased anxiety that occurs during benzodiazepine withdrawal is caused by increased 5-HT activity.  In hippocampal slices taken from rats withdrawn for 24 h from chronic diazepam treatment (2 mg/kg/day for 21 days) there was a significant increase in K(+)-evoked release of [3H]5-HT and in 45Ca2+ uptake and both of these changes were reversed by the GABAB agonist, baclofen.  Baclofen also reversed the anxiogenic response that is detected on withdrawal from chronic diazepam treatment. Other drugs that reduce 5-HT function (tianeptine which increases 5-HT uptake; buspirone, a 5-HT1A receptor agonist/partial agonist; zacopride, a 5-HT3 receptor antagonist) also reversed this anxiogenic response.  Finally, we present data from a group of rats that did not develop tolerance to the anxiolytic effects of diazepam (2 mg/kg), even after 5 weeks treatment. This group failed to show an anxiogenic response on withdrawal from diazepam, nor was there an increase in hippocampal 5-HT release. We discuss the extent to which increased hippocampal 5-HT release can be causally linked to the increased anxiety during benzodiazepine withdrawal.

 

Citation

Increased 5-HT release mediates the anxiogenic response during benzodiazepine withdrawal: a review of supporting neurochemical and behavioural evidence - 1993

https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/7871006/

I guess that would explain in part why some people can get off of benzos with very little trouble, while others suffer terribly.  Benzos obviously effect many parts of our brains not just the GABA A receptors.  No easy fix. Just have to struggle through. One thing I have noticed. My Dr. gave me a prescription for Buspirone. I took a very small dose 2.5 mg. and within an hour my muscle pain decreased my wired agitation was gone. I did this yesterday and it lasted most of the day until the night. I thought it might have been just a fluke so I took another 2.5 mg this morning and same thing happened. I know they say you are supposed to take it continually and not have results for a couple of weeks but for me it has an instant effect. I think I am just going to used it when my withdrawals are bad and see how that goes.

I came across this article while I was searching for info.about the levels of seratonin during benzo withdrawal. I have always felt my withdrawal symptoms were related to excess seratonin.

This article states that when we are in withdrawal the activity of 5HT is increased which causes the anxiety we are feeling among other symptoms.

https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/7871006/

 

Makes sense to me. I got seratonin syndrome in the first month of withdrawl.

Could someone please explain what that means? Serotonin syndrome?

Seratonin syndrome is a condition that is always always caused by medication. Too much seratonin in the brain. Causes all kinds of problems. I have had it twice.

 

The first time was caused by adding seraqel on top of lexapro. Sent me to the hospital for a week. Thats when they stafted me on benzos ....

 

Then i had it again durring benzo withdrawl when my pysch raised ssri dose and lowered benzo at the same time.

But what symptoms are related to this?

Severe aggitation, confusion, tremors in extremities, extreme anxiety, paranoia, siezures etc.

 

There are some over laps to benzo withdrawls but seratonin sybdrone is pretty rare and can be resolved in a pretty shor tinelime.

Ooh so the same symptoms though.

Would explain why I had to CT my SSRI after my Benzo CT. Sent me through the roof

Yeah apparently they really should not be given together.

Yeah its super common to combine them. The known problems with tbat arent clear. It was only VERY recently that it has been concluded that seratonin levels alone do not corelate to depression relief.

 

https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/how-do-you-know/202207/serotonin-imbalance-found-not-be-linked-depression

Workouts and meditation have been proven to work just as well as ADs for non chemical depression for years. Good providers make you do that, not given out pills like the bad ones. Unfortunately they are hard to find. I went to providers offering meditation and workouts and so on and still got on a benzo.

There is a theory out  there that social anxiety is caused by too much serotonin.  That would explain why some people with social anxiety have a lot of side effects taking ssri’s (serotonin syndrome).

 

 

I used to put a lot of stock in rat studies. Then I did some research and found that only 30% or all compounds studied in rats react in humans the same way. Animal studies are not reliable unfortunately.

4MYDaughter, I just read you are 90% healed!!! Congrats!

4MYDaughter, I just read you are 90% healed!!! Congrats!

 

Thanks.