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There and back again: multiple drugs, multiple tapers, multiple years to success


[Ju...]

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Wanted to clarify something- you do still need to take care of other aspects of your health while waiting to recover from benzos. If I hadn’t dealt with my low iron/ferritin it would not have been good! So yes wait for healing, but watch for other things you might need along the way.  :smitten:
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  • 3 months later...
On 1/11/2023 at 8:39 AM, [[J...] said:

Things that definitely helped:

- Believing in my own intrinsic wellness. I didn’t have a chronic illness before these medications, I wont have one afterwards. Unfortunately in my case I had to try almost every medication before accepting that they were not a solution, but I got there eventually.

- Having real life people who knew what was going on and believed in my intrinsic wellness. One of these was eventually my prescribing physician which was a huge help. My parents, some friends… a few key people who I could always count on to remind me that it will get better.

- Recording voice memos to myself on my phone when I am feeling better to listen to during the waves. My own voice sounding like a sane and happy person was a powerful defense against the “it has always been like this and it will always be like this” thoughts.

- Tangible little things that kept me grounded. A bracelet my daughter made, a t-shirt my sister gave me, a spot on the couch where I could curl up and see the framed pictures on the wall. Mementos that told me “It has been this bad before and it got better. Even though it is another worst day, it will end.”

Things that might have helped:

- Acupuncture. I had a great practitioner who knew that I was withdrawing from benzodiazepines and could encourage me along the way. Plus I always got a great nap with the needles in.

- Exercise. Enough to get sweaty, three or four times a week (this was only during the taper, afterwards once a week was an accomplishment). Sometimes even when I didn’t think I could do it I would start by seeing if I could put on my shoes, then could I leave the house and getting there one baby step at a time.

- EFT. There are some videos online specifically for EFT and benzo withdrawal. At the very least it was something to do with my mind and body for a few minutes.

Things that didn’t help:

- Tryptophan, melatonin, GABA, theanine, seriphos, fish oil, magnesium and any other vitamin that wasn’t clinically indicated. I did take vitamin D and iron which my bloodwork said I needed.

- Lexapro, trazodone, remeron, gabapentin. The lexapro and remeron each caused months of withdrawal in their own right, I only took a few doses of the others so didn’t have a chance to get hooked on them.

- Eliminating gluten or dairy. I experimented with these several times hoping for some relief, but it just made life more stressful and had no impact on my symptoms.

These are great and deserve a bump!

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Wow, what a well-written, compelling, and inspirational account of the bleak darkness of benzo insanity you trudged through and survived. This was just what I needed to read today. I'm so glad you made it and could share your story with us and the world. I too have had many days where I wanted to run out to the tracks rather than endure one more minute... This should be published somewhere to warn others of the harm contained in a tiny pill.

I also tried Zoloft for one day for some situational depression and felt absolutely insane. I stopped it after one day. It was the craziest I'd ever felt until the benzo injury.

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  • 6 months later...

I just figured out how to get back into the forum :) A friend of a friend needed some benzo guidance and I came back to see what’s happening.

I’m impressed by how the team is still working hard to make this the place everyone needs it to be. 

Sending healing thoughts to everyone!
 

 

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How are you doing now JKS? Any new improvements, waves? Hope all is well. 

Edited by [lo...]
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All is well! So much so that I passed eight years free and didn’t even think about it. It feels like forever when you are in it, but it’s not!

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