How realistic is this survey?

According to these survey results from 2007, 35% of respondents said they recovered by six months, and 98% said they were recovered by 36 months. 

 

http://www.benzosupport.org/recove2.gif

 

What are your experiences here?  Is anyone here in the 6 month category?  It seems most on here are in the 2 year and beyond range.  Is BB a skewed sample since recovered people aren't in forums?

What is the source? This is very old data.

 

Some people here recover in three months, six months, nine months, on up. It just all depends. Then there are people who are guests who don't even post but just read. Or others who barely post but come here. A member made a post in the last couple of months of people on here who he contacted who never wrote success stories. They just stopped posting. Maybe you can find it and read it. Good data. The bulk of people recovered.

What is the source? This is very old data.

 

Some people here recover in three months, six months, nine months, on up. It just all depends. Then there are people who are guests who don't even post but just read. Or others who barely post but come here. A member made a post in the last couple of months of people on here who he contacted who never wrote success stories. They just stopped posting. Maybe you can find it and read it. Good data. The bulk of people recovered.

 

Rebecca,

 

I did read that post and it was encouraging.  But my obsessive brain wants to attack each ray of hope I find.  WD symptom I suppose.  I'm in my first wave this week after 3 months of steady improvement.  Symptoms are harsh. 

 

I found that on this site:  http://benzosupport.org/survey_contents.htm

 

It is old but benzos are benzos.  I don't know how scientific it was.  Really just a survey after all. 

 

How are you doing?  Any improvement to the akathisia?

 

J

Thank you for asking. I don't know if there is any reliable data on withdrawal YET. Unless it is from someone like Dr. Mark Horowitz or Dr. David Healy.

 

I am hesitant to ever report any progress because every time I have in the past I got cast back into an even worse hell than before. I am going to keep things to myself until I have extended time periods of significant change...I hate to even say that but...it is what it is. Again, thank you for asking.

Thank you for asking. I don't know if there is any reliable data on withdrawal YET. Unless it is from someone like Dr. Mark Horowitz or Dr. David Healy.

 

I am hesitant to ever report any progress because every time I have in the past I got cast back into an even worse hell than before. I am going to keep things to myself until I have extended time periods of significant change...I hate to even say that but...it is what it is. Again, thank you for asking.

 

Agree with your take.  As soon as you say its good it turns south.  I'm not familiar with Dr. Mark Horowitz or Dr. David Healy.

This is not reliable at all.

 

It all depends on your time of use, dosage, genetics, lifestyle, and how long you tapered.

 

For instance, when someone cold turkeys off 20 mg Xanax, it's going to take a hell of a lot longer if that same person would have done a very small microtaper over years.

 

And someone who used 1 mg of Diazepam for a month vs the 20 mg Xanax example, that's going to be a hell of lot different too.

 

Total nonsense this table, it's just takes averages to so many different variables. It's highly personal.

I agree with SnelleJelle. I actually don't think we can compare to others, only to ourselves. I know I would have been better off not being cut by 40% before realizing what was going on etc. I cannot rely on others in that sense.I also know I'm better off starting this horrible taper after 12 days of use than after 120.

Think BB is skewed towards the worst. When you think about it, if you just tapered according to your Dr and had some discomfort, you wouldn't feel the need to search out a forum. These are the people that are probably healed within 6 months. Even some that may join to taper, just move on. It's mainly the ones really suffering that tend to hang around IMO, so you u get the worst of the worst here generally

I agree with SnelleJelle. I actually don't think we can compare to others, only to ourselves. I know I would have been better off not being cut by 40% before realizing what was going on etc. I cannot rely on others in that sense.I also know I'm better off starting this horrible taper after 12 days of use than after 120.

 

This brings me to my underlying question.  I'm looking to gauge if there is a certain amount of suffering that has to be endured (lets say based on age, dosage, etc) no matter what.  Does CT or rapid taper just pull all that suffering into a condensed time frame, or is more physical damage done by the CT leading to more overall suffering? 

 

If I do a taper over 2 years and am uncomfortable the whole time and then have a relatively easy time after jumping, is that any different time wise than doing a CT and having an awful time after jumping, but ending up in the same place in 2 years as the slow taper.  It's really a question of "suffering distribution".

 

It is the shape of the curve I am pondering.  Is there a ton of suffering up front for the CT but then eases rapidly as time goes by, vs a steady consistent suffer over the 2 years?  I don't think there is a clear answer as I have analyzed the data and stories in BB for months and don't see an obvious pattern. 

 

I did a very rapid taper after a month's use.  I can't go back and change it.  But it would be good to know that it was suffering well invested as I won't be tapering for the next year or two.  I know the consensus is CT equals more damage.  I just feel it might be that the brain has to work much harder up front in CT to cope with the sudden drop in benzo, but then can get to the same place / outcome as the long taper. 

I agree with SnelleJelle. I actually don't think we can compare to others, only to ourselves. I know I would have been better off not being cut by 40% before realizing what was going on etc. I cannot rely on others in that sense.I also know I'm better off starting this horrible taper after 12 days of use than after 120.

 

This brings me to my underlying question.  I'm looking to gauge if there is a certain amount of suffering that has to be endured (lets say based on age, dosage, etc) no matter what.  Does CT or rapid taper just pull all that suffering into a condensed time frame, or is more physical damage done by the CT leading to more overall suffering? 

 

If I do a taper over 2 years and am uncomfortable the whole time and then have a relatively easy time after jumping, is that any different time wise than doing a CT and having an awful time after jumping, but ending up in the same place in 2 years as the slow taper.  It's really a question of "suffering distribution".

 

It is the shape of the curve I am pondering.  Is there a ton of suffering up front for the CT but then eases rapidly as time goes by, vs a steady consistent suffer over the 2 years?  I don't think there is a clear answer as I have analyzed the data and stories in BB for months and don't see an obvious pattern. 

 

I did a very rapid taper after a month's use.  I can't go back and change it.  But it would be good to know that it was suffering well invested as I won't be tapering for the next year or two.  I know the consensus is CT equals more damage.  I just feel it might be that the brain has to work much harder up front in CT to cope with the sudden drop in benzo, but then can get to the same place / outcome as the long taper.

 

I'm 3 years out from a CT and still not able to work. I wouldn't recommend it. At least with a slow taper you remain somewhat functional and have some control to a degree i.e slow down, hold, even updose. You don't get much of a choice after a CT, although some have successfully reinstated and tapered. It's not always an option and I got much worse after trying it.

 

If you want the best chance of not becoming protracted I'd taper and try to limit glutamate damage.

 

Of course I'm a pretty bad case, others have CT'd and healed in a reasonable timeframe. But it's a gamble IMHO

I agree with SnelleJelle. I actually don't think we can compare to others, only to ourselves. I know I would have been better off not being cut by 40% before realizing what was going on etc. I cannot rely on others in that sense.I also know I'm better off starting this horrible taper after 12 days of use than after 120.

 

This brings me to my underlying question.  I'm looking to gauge if there is a certain amount of suffering that has to be endured (lets say based on age, dosage, etc) no matter what.  Does CT or rapid taper just pull all that suffering into a condensed time frame, or is more physical damage done by the CT leading to more overall suffering? 

 

If I do a taper over 2 years and am uncomfortable the whole time and then have a relatively easy time after jumping, is that any different time wise than doing a CT and having an awful time after jumping, but ending up in the same place in 2 years as the slow taper.  It's really a question of "suffering distribution".

 

It is the shape of the curve I am pondering.  Is there a ton of suffering up front for the CT but then eases rapidly as time goes by, vs a steady consistent suffer over the 2 years?  I don't think there is a clear answer as I have analyzed the data and stories in BB for months and don't see an obvious pattern. 

 

I did a very rapid taper after a month's use.  I can't go back and change it.  But it would be good to know that it was suffering well invested as I won't be tapering for the next year or two.  I know the consensus is CT equals more damage.  I just feel it might be that the brain has to work much harder up front in CT to cope with the sudden drop in benzo, but then can get to the same place / outcome as the long taper.

 

I'm 3 years out from a CT and still not able to work. I wouldn't recommend it. At least with a slow taper you remain somewhat functional and have some control to a degree i.e slow down, hold, even updose. You don't get much of a choice after a CT, although some have successfully reinstated and tapered. It's not always an option and I got much worse after trying it.

 

If you want the best chance of not becoming protracted I'd taper and try to limit glutamate damage.

 

Of course I'm a pretty bad case, others have CT'd and healed in a reasonable timeframe. But it's a gamble IMHO

 

Thank you for the input.  Sorry to hear you are still healing after 3 years.  I'm 3 months out from my rapid taper so I don't think going back is an option.  Your last point is what I focus on.  Lots of CTs have healed and lots of long tapers became protracted.  I can't see an obvious pattern. 

 

Yes, you cannot compare to anyone but yourself basically so other people's symptoms and timelines and uae etc. Only helps so far imo.

Thank you for asking. I don't know if there is any reliable data on withdrawal YET. Unless it is from someone like Dr. Mark Horowitz or Dr. David Healy.

 

I am hesitant to ever report any progress because every time I have in the past I got cast back into an even worse hell than before. I am going to keep things to myself until I have extended time periods of significant change...I hate to even say that but...it is what it is. Again, thank you for asking.

 

Same, I seem to be getting worse at 13 months out. My sleep is worse, tinnitus is worse, i'm getting this pins and needles feeling now.........if i were seeing progress this would be much easier.....I have had times that i felt better but short lived and comes back worse.

The fact you feel better at times seems a good sign though. Tnh as far as I understand from research and applying my tinnitus research and discussions with a neuroscientist (that ruined me by not recofnizing I was sick from cortisone when I asked) to general symptoms because it's all the same just different parts of the brain it seems, the things that change in severity and what they are, are more earily resolved than a symptom that stays constant in symptom severity. Or at least it's my personal hypothesis. Some doctors I spoke to agree that the baseline is the last thing to resolve.

The answer is there is no answer.