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Let's Talk Benzo Belly! - GIVE ME YOUR BEST IDEAS


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Hi Winter,

 

Have you heard of Smidge probiotic?

 

https://www.getsmidge.com/products/sensitive-probiotic-powder

 

It is what I tried that set me into a wave.  I tried to introduce it by only taking it every other day...by second dose, I was in acute symptoms.  This was not inexpensive.  It was to be for sensitive stomachs.  However, it was to last a long time...like 1000 doses.

 

My stomach gets distended now and again.  I awaken with constant burping...sometimes straight for a couple hours.  Not every day, though.  And, diarrhea has been present since the beginning directly upon awakening.  It's been like this for years and started when I was in tolerance.

 

I know there are many products out there.  It just seemed as though this one was so recommended, but I never checked the strains.  Didn't even know to.

 

Warmly,

F

 

Hi Faith

 

Yes, if we’re going to take probiotics (people like us) we’re better off choosing a singular probiotic Genus, Species, and Strain that isn’t histamine producing. So for me, the probiotic Genus is ‘Lactobacillus’, and the species of Lactobacillus is ‘rhamnosus’ and the Strain is LGG. This is a particularly targeted probiotic for my SIBO and intestinal permeability. If you were going to look for non-histamine producing probiotics, just do a search for probiotic studies or a list of proven histamine producing probiotic bacteria strains and avoid them. Avoiding them is very difficult when buying off the shelf probiotic combinations, as there will almost always be a histamine producing strain in the “cocktail.” So it’s much better to seek out a singular non-histamine producing strain that performs the specific function that meets your needs, in terms of your health issues.

 

Faith, just n case you weren’t aware, the constant burping, diarrhea and distension are all the classic no.1 symptoms of SIBO, so keep that in mind.

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Hi Winter,

 

Have you heard of Smidge probiotic?

 

https://www.getsmidge.com/products/sensitive-probiotic-powder

 

It is what I tried that set me into a wave.  I tried to introduce it by only taking it every other day...by second dose, I was in acute symptoms.  This was not inexpensive.  It was to be for sensitive stomachs.  However, it was to last a long time...like 1000 doses.

 

My stomach gets distended now and again.  I awaken with constant burping...sometimes straight for a couple hours.  Not every day, though.  And, diarrhea has been present since the beginning directly upon awakening.  It's been like this for years and started when I was in tolerance.

 

I know there are many products out there.  It just seemed as though this one was so recommended, but I never checked the strains.  Didn't even know to.

 

Warmly,

F

 

Hi Faith

 

Yes, if we’re going to take probiotics (people like us) we’re better off choosing a singular probiotic Genus, Species, and Strain that isn’t histamine producing. So for me, the probiotic Genus is ‘Lactobacillus’, and the species of Lactobacillus is ‘rhamnosus’ and the Strain is LGG. This is a particularly targeted probiotic for my SIBO and intestinal permeability. If you were going to look for non-histamine producing probiotics, just do a search for probiotic studies or a list of proven histamine producing probiotic bacteria strains and avoid them. Avoiding them is very difficult when buying off the shelf probiotic combinations, as there will almost always be a histamine producing strain in the “cocktail.” So it’s much better to seek out a singular non-histamine producing strain that performs the specific function that meets your needs, in terms of your health issues.

 

Faith, just n case you weren’t aware, the constant burping, diarrhea and distension are all the classic no.1 symptoms of SIBO, so keep that in mind.

 

You're kidding me?  I was just learning to accept that I had benzo belly.  I will look this up.

 

Thank you.

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I’m not kidding.

 

What the hell to do now?  Or, as we talked about before...to deal with all this after this process is done?

 

Taking away onions, garlic, brocolli...I'm running out of foods.  I know you live this.  As I stated, this all just started for me several months ago.   

 

Deeeeeep breath.

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Deal with it afterwards. You don’t need more on your plate right now, and you would probably only cause more reactions trying to treat it with the antimicrobials or antibiotics. I’ll provide you with some tips for keeping it at bay through this process.  :thumbsup:
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If you wanted to test for Sibo, that’s another story, and something you can do at home with a home breath test kit, but you just wouldn’t treat it right now if it came up positive, no matter what the practitioner urges you to do. I’ll discuss the breath testing with you over the next couple of days, and provide you with some links and information about foods which won’t overly feed the overgrowth of bacteria.
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If you wanted to test for Sibo, that’s another story, and something you can do at home with a home breath test kit, but you just wouldn’t treat it right now if it came up positive, no matter what the practitioner urges you to do. I’ll discuss the breath testing with you over the next couple of days, and provide you with some links and information about foods which won’t overly feed the overgrowth of bacteria.

 

And, to balance this with a low histamine diet?  As you said...it's a balancing thing.

 

Feel like I've high-jacked this thread.

 

Thanks so much.

 

 

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You’re welcome, Faith.

 

I don’t think agenthall will mind too much, we’ve still been sticking to topic

 

I’ll pick this up first thing tomorrow when I’m feeling refreshed, as I’ve lost all energy and clarity of thought now.  :)

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You’re welcome, Faith.

 

I don’t think agenthall will mind too much, we’ve still been sticking to topic

 

I’ll pick this up first thing tomorrow when I’m feeling refreshed, as I’ve lost all energy and clarity of thought now.  :)

 

You're welcome to PM me more info if you like.  I've not done that before...but, if it frees up this thread more, that's good with me.

 

Rest up and regenerate.

 

Thanks for your time.

 

Warmly,

F

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No worries at all, this is all good discussion for this thread as well. I've been meaning to update my progress as well, which I hope to soon (I'm meeting with a nutritionist that specializes in MCAS and histamine intolerance today in fact). I've actually felt better if I stick to the diet and take a ton of DAO supplements... they're just expensive. But there's hope. Will update more, but feel free to carry on the conversation in this thread. its good stuff, and I agree with Winter, I've often assumed there's SIBO lurking underneath my symptoms as well.
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Thanks, AgentHall.  Just didn't want to monopolize your inquiry.

 

The best I will be able to do is maybe modify a couple of things in my diet...but, I kind of have my hands tied behind my back at this point. 

 

Thanks for starting this topic.

 

Warmly,

F

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[83...]

No worries at all, this is all good discussion for this thread as well. I've been meaning to update my progress as well, which I hope to soon (I'm meeting with a nutritionist that specializes in MCAS and histamine intolerance today in fact). I've actually felt better if I stick to the diet and take a ton of DAO supplements... they're just expensive. But there's hope. Will update more, but feel free to carry on the conversation in this thread. its good stuff, and I agree with Winter, I've often assumed there's SIBO lurking underneath my symptoms as well.

 

Hi agenthall

 

There are two major overgrowths that occur in the small intestines, SIBO and SIFO, the first obviously a bacterial overgrowth, the second is a fungal (candida) overgrowth. Both of these cause many of the same symptoms, too many to list, but the SIBO can be clearly distinguished from the candida because of one symptom less common to candida - the constant burping. So if you don’t have a strangely increased level of burping, I wouldn’t be too concerned about SIBO being an issue. The reason I mention candida, is not because it would be a potential concern for you, but because it leads me into another point. When we are eating restricted diets, for whatever reason, histamine, salicylate, MCAS…etc, many of the healthy bacteria may not be getting enough of certain foods to keep their numbers up, which means that as bacteria dies off, it leaves spaces for unwanted nasties, like candida to colonise. Not that candida is really a nasty, just like no bacteria is really a nasty, it’s about balance of numbers. Everyone has a certain amount of candida which performs a function in the body. If there isn’t enough of a certain type of bacteria remaining to perform it’s intended function, that area of health suffers, just as when there’s an over-abundance of another type of bacteria which is otherwise healthy in small numbers (still performing a function), which in large numbers can then become problematic. I might have mentioned the following earlier - probiotics are transient bacteria, as in, they don’t colonise in your gut. If you stop taking a probiotic, within two or three weeks there will be no sign of that bacteria left to detect in the body. It just fills spaces, each performing different specific functions in the body depending on the strain, but also just fills spaces to stop colonisation by other nasties. As I mentioned to Faith, I take Lactobacillus rhamnosus LGG constantly because of my restricted diet, and it serves me well without causing reactions, and would possibly perform well for others with similar multiple issues, although, we can never be completely sure it will suit everyone, in terms of reactivity. From this, you can also see why we should be supplementing with a suitable probiotic whenever we take a course of antibiotics (which indiscriminately wipes out gut bacteria), because it fills the spaces until we increase and balance the numbers of bacteria again through a healthy wholesome diet.

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[83...]

Just while I’m thinking of it…

 

There are a number of medications that compromise the intestinal wall and cause permeability in the gut, and the latest word from the highly trained gut professionals is that Antidepressant medications will be the next to hit that list of gut damaging medications.

 

 

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Both of these cause many of the same symptoms, too many to list, but the SIBO can be clearly distinguished from the candida because of one symptom less common to candida - the constant burping. So if you don’t have a strangely increased level of burping, I wouldn’t be too concerned about SIBO being an issue.

 

Well burping is still a huge issue for me! So that's why I'm thinking SIBO... I still burp a lot and can go on "belching binges" for up to 10min at a time when things are particularly annoying. The low histamine diet, coupled with the lifted probiotics (which are low histamine and contain rhamnosus), and coupled with lots of acacia fiber have minimized most of my GI symptoms FOR SURE, but I still get that burping occasionally.

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[83...]

Both of these cause many of the same symptoms, too many to list, but the SIBO can be clearly distinguished from the candida because of one symptom less common to candida - the constant burping. So if you don’t have a strangely increased level of burping, I wouldn’t be too concerned about SIBO being an issue.

 

Well burping is still a huge issue for me! So that's why I'm thinking SIBO... I still burp a lot and can go on "belching binges" for up to 10min at a time when things are particularly annoying. The low histamine diet, coupled with the lifted probiotics (which are low histamine and contain rhamnosus), and coupled with lots of acacia fiber have minimized most of my GI symptoms FOR SURE, but I still get that burping occasionally.

 

Hi AH

 

Have you thought about ordering a breath test through a practitioner?

 

The other option is to significantly lower the fermentable sugars and carbs in your diet (if you haven’t already) to see if the burping decreases?

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Both of these cause many of the same symptoms, too many to list, but the SIBO can be clearly distinguished from the candida because of one symptom less common to candida - the constant burping. So if you don’t have a strangely increased level of burping, I wouldn’t be too concerned about SIBO being an issue.

 

Well burping is still a huge issue for me! So that's why I'm thinking SIBO... I still burp a lot and can go on "belching binges" for up to 10min at a time when things are particularly annoying. The low histamine diet, coupled with the lifted probiotics (which are low histamine and contain rhamnosus), and coupled with lots of acacia fiber have minimized most of my GI symptoms FOR SURE, but I still get that burping occasionally.

 

Yes and yes. currently seeing a functional health nutritionist who is referring me to a functional MD in the area. So yes to both. Just can't imagine limiting what I'm already eating even more, but I've gotten this far, definitely willing to keep going!

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[83...]

 

Have you thought about ordering a breath test through a practitioner?

The other option is to significantly lower the fermentable sugars and carbs in your diet (if you haven’t already) to see if the burping decreases?

 

Yes and yes. currently seeing a functional health nutritionist who is referring me to a functional MD in the area. So yes to both. Just can't imagine limiting what I'm already eating even more, but I've gotten this far, definitely willing to keep going!

 

If the test comes back positive, I probably wouldn’t treat the sibo at this point as you don’t know how you will tolerate the antimicrobial or antibiotic treatment. So I wouldn’t change my diet too much, I would just tinker with it to remove the very high fermentable foods. We can talk about that once you’ve had the test. The idea will be to just decrease the overgrowth, keep it at bay, and this will help lower inflammation and improve your gut function. Just keep posting here as you move forward, and we’ll talk.  :thumbsup:

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If it weren't for this thread, I would not have caught on to what is going on with me.

 

Thank you AgentHall and Winters Sun.  For me, there has been a small but measurable degree of 'relief' that has come from feeling a certain degree of agency now.  Having information allows a sense of feeling some more control over things which most importantly has lessoned my sense of panic which is helping my NS.  Again...it's a small amount, but every small amount means a lot.

 

I have noticed a lessening of my AKA symptoms.  I don't want to boast too soon, but I have not had long episodes of pacing for 1.5 days.  Not sure if you know just how much of a break that has given me.  As I make these changes to my diet...yet again...I am hopeful that I will see small improvements as the days go by.  The marathon burping...well, would like to see that go by the way side too.  The garlic and onion...well, that part really sucks.  But, I have learned that I can have green onion tops.  So, I will use those instead.

 

Wish you much healing as we go along...

 

Warmly,

F

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[83...]

Hi Faith

 

I’m so glad the AKA has decreased and you feel you’ve regained some sense of control through information. I was hoping you’d experience exactly that. Notice how the fear beneath that lack of control further destabilises you?! Please always remember that your mental and emotional bodies are intricately connected to your physical body. They all have a profound affect on each other, and we tend to underestimate just how profound that affect is. Working on all 3 bodies is always the best way forward. I know it’s only a small amount of relief, but it’s enough for you to make that connection, even if that connection is still lost at times.

 

As we go through this process, we gradually discover all the areas of our lives that need to change in order to heal, or at least, heal with the least amount of suffering, and it seems impossible, so we approach that change kicking and screaming, falling flat on our faces (at least, I did), thinking that we can cheat, or take shortcuts, but that usually only results in losing our footing and making our healing experience more prolonged and painful. Even when we have all the pieces of the puzzle, we still have to move forward understanding that all 3 bodies are connected,  and that compromising one, any one, will also compromise the 2 other bodies.

 

Example

 

If someone verbally attacks you and brings to the surface painful emotions, and then you spend a period of time stuck in painful thought patterns, running that attack over and over again in your head, it only feeds the negative emotions which surfaced through the attack that actually triggered the negative thought patterns (anger, resentment, fear) in the beginning, and as this all happens, there’s a release of stress hormones throughout the body, which in large amounts (over an extended period of time) causes an inflammatory response in the body which then leads to the emergence of physical symptoms. We can’t affect one body without affecting the others, so we must avoid prolonged, painful, negative thought patterns, by continually practicing severing the thought patterns as they emerge (distraction), soothe our emotions with love and gentleness (acceptance), and then, this will keep much of the inflammation at bay and physical symptoms from flaring.

 

It also works in reverse… If we eat poorly (inflammatory foods), we inflame the gut, and that inflammation can extend throughout the body, crossing the blood brain barrier, which then brings to the surface difficult emotions which then trigger the negative thought

patterns associated with the emotions, then triggering more stress hormones which further inflame the body, and it becomes a whole endless cycle.

 

I do understand the loss of garlic and onion from your diet, I’ve been there, but I don’t really miss them anymore. We do adapt. I also use the green parts of the spring onion and garlic infused oil.  :thumbsup:

 

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  • 1 month later...

Wanted to bump and update this thread as I've learned a lot over the last few months with benzo belly during this 2nd taper. Here's the gist:

 

1) Mast Cell Activation during a benzo taper is real and if you're prone to being histamine sensitive, you're gonna have benzo belly symptoms. Its real. I've noticed the more I cut, the more I feel the symptoms until I ease off the cutting percentage. I've also noticed if I stick to a low histamine diet, I have FAR FEWER benzo belly symptoms or episodes. Period.

 

2) I'm working with a nutritionist that specializes in Histamine Intolerance. Its been extremely helpful and I've expanded my diet and I can eat more. Still doing no sugar, no gluten, no high histamine foods, blah blah blah. But i'm eating a better variety of things... its helped, and I would recommend.

 

3) I've definitely got some gut dysbiosis going on (ie bad bacteria in the gut) as well as the histamine intolerance issues. As Winter has alluded to before, correcting this during a taper may be too much to handle, so I'm trying just to deal with it using herbs and other natural antimicrobials at the moment. Going to try some stronger stuff if I feel up to it (but no drugs), but so far my symptoms are fine if I eat right. Would recommend the Organic Acids Test (OAT) if you're working with a functional medicine doctor (it tells you a lot especially about your gut microbiome).

 

4) I'm starting to suspect that people in benzo withdrawal may be prone to gut microbiome dysbiosis. I've heard so many stories of people saying that probiotics helped them with benzo belly and it was a non issue. For me, I've found the histamine free probiotics do help, but if I take regular probiotic strains it makes things worst (as it fills you full of histamines obviously). Their must be a serotonin connection to the microbiome... just hypothesizing.

 

5) If anyone wants a good low histamine zucchini bread recipe, or a blueberry chia compote recipe that tastes great, let me know and I'll send it your way. These have become my desserts when I crave something sweet. And monk fruit is the best. Trying a homemade coconut cream parfait with dark cherries this weekend (fingers crossed it won't upset things).

 

That's all I've got for now. Hoping everyone is soldiering on with their tapers. I'm down to .35mg... still a long way to go, but its going faster than my first taper so that's encouraging. Cheers.

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[83...]

Wanted to bump and update this thread as I've learned a lot over the last few months with benzo belly during this 2nd taper. Here's the gist:

 

1) Mast Cell Activation during a benzo taper is real and if you're prone to being histamine sensitive, you're gonna have benzo belly symptoms. Its real. I've noticed the more I cut, the more I feel the symptoms until I ease off the cutting percentage. I've also noticed if I stick to a low histamine diet, I have FAR FEWER benzo belly symptoms or episodes. Period.

 

2) I'm working with a nutritionist that specializes in Histamine Intolerance. Its been extremely helpful and I've expanded my diet and I can eat more. Still doing no sugar, no gluten, no high histamine foods, blah blah blah. But i'm eating a better variety of things... its helped, and I would recommend.

 

3) I've definitely got some gut dysbiosis going on (ie bad bacteria in the gut) as well as the histamine intolerance issues. As Winter has alluded to before, correcting this during a taper may be too much to handle, so I'm trying just to deal with it using herbs and other natural antimicrobials at the moment. Going to try some stronger stuff if I feel up to it (but no drugs), but so far my symptoms are fine if I eat right. Would recommend the Organic Acids Test (OAT) if you're working with a functional medicine doctor (it tells you a lot especially about your gut microbiome).

 

4) I'm starting to suspect that people in benzo withdrawal may be prone to gut microbiome dysbiosis. I've heard so many stories of people saying that probiotics helped them with benzo belly and it was a non issue. For me, I've found the histamine free probiotics do help, but if I take regular probiotic strains it makes things worst (as it fills you full of histamines obviously). Their must be a serotonin connection to the microbiome... just hypothesizing.

 

5) If anyone wants a good low histamine zucchini bread recipe, or a blueberry chia compote recipe that tastes great, let me know and I'll send it your way. These have become my desserts when I crave something sweet. And monk fruit is the best. Trying a homemade coconut cream parfait with dark cherries this weekend (fingers crossed it won't upset things).

 

That's all I've got for now. Hoping everyone is soldiering on with their tapers. I'm down to .35mg... still a long way to go, but its going faster than my first taper so that's encouraging. Cheers.

 

Hi agenthall

 

Thanks so much for the update!  :thumbsup:

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  • 4 weeks later...

Well time for the monthly bump and update on all things benzo belly and mast cell related. I am happy to report...

 

I've gone two weeks entirely symptom free of benzo belly. That's right, no symptoms!  :yippee:

 

After talking with my nutritionist at the end of last month, we realized that I might still be taking too many probiotics (even though they are histamine free strains). Sure enough, I cut back, and voila, the burping and the bloating disappeared. So the moral to this story is: you can overdue it even with histamine free strains... Currently I'm alternating a soil based strain, and a histamine free strain every other day and it seems to do the trick!

 

Now all this goes without saying, I'm still following a strict low histamine diet so I'm not mucking around with that. But hey, I'll take it! You can indeed help out these benzo belly symptoms with a little elbow grease.

 

(and as an added bonus, because I'm not fretting about my stomach, its also helped me up my taper rate, yay!). Onwards and upwards.

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[83...]

Hi agenthall

 

That’s awesome news!

 

Soil based strains most definitely have their place in all of this… so glad you have found that happy medium with your probiotics, and what a bonus being able to up your taper rate. Excellent work!!

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Hi agenthall

 

That’s awesome news!

 

Soil based strains most definitely have their place in all of this… so glad you have found that happy medium with your probiotics, and what a bonus being able to up your taper rate. Excellent work!!

 

Thanks Winter, you started all of this with your initial comment regarding histamines. So grateful you mentioned it. Its been a huge REVELATION to me during this process. Can't say thank you enough for starting me on this journey!

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[83...]

Hi agenthall

 

That’s awesome news!

 

Soil based strains most definitely have their place in all of this… so glad you have found that happy medium with your probiotics, and what a bonus being able to up your taper rate. Excellent work!!

 

Thanks Winter, you started all of this with your initial comment regarding histamines. So grateful you mentioned it. Its been a huge REVELATION to me during this process. Can't say thank you enough for starting me on this journey!

 

You’re very welcome, AH.

 

“Onwards and upwards”  :thumbsup:

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