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ANXIETY SO HIGH AND SWEATY PALMS TOO?????? HELP


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Good afternoon:

 

 

Husband is saying that his anxiety is soo bad when he goes out he has sweaty palms with the extremely bad tension headaches he wants to kill himself and that I his wife is like Hitler b/c I am keeping him from getting an MRI/CAT scan on the brain. I am not keeping him I just know him and he entered the ER 2xs for "stomach cancer" and magically there was nothing wrong with him felt better after the Ativan drip (magically) ....can these withdrawals make you this insane? You feel like you are losing your mind?????? :( :( :(

 

PS on and off A/D for 18 years of his life and now off everything except trazadone to sleep at night...do w/d from all these a/d's that were given back 2 back with out breaks and detox of benzos bug you out this bad??

 

 

He was treated at 17 yrs old for "depression" and has been given a/d all sorts until now, currently 34 yrs old...

 

 

 

sorry rambling...please just help me understand :'( :'( :'( :'( :'( :'(

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Hi teacher,

 

Yes, these drugs make you feel like you are absolutely crazy.  You think everything in the world is wrong with you, why else you feel so horrible?  And horrible doesn't even begin to describe it.

 

I think it's impossible for anyone to understand all this.  Even the people going through it don't really understand it.  It's different for everyone but yet the same.  Now, does that makes sense?  :) 

 

I've been where your husband is but without the help of a forum.  I thought I was dying and no one knew why.  Deep down I knew it was the drugs so that's why I ct.

 

One thing that is worst through all this is that there's really nothing that can help except time.  It's a slow walk through hell.  But, in the end, it's worth it to be free from the grip of these drugs.

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He sure can feel like that and worse. I've been there for six months and let me tell you, it's no picnic for you, but it's like being pushed through the door to oblivion and thrust into HELL for him.

 

Why do you put depression in quotes? It can be a clinical disorder and was part of my original diagnosis. I was diagnosed at 14 year old and am 35 now, so I can tell you that it is very real and very horrible when left untreated. Depression and anxiety go hand in hand, as well, so it's a double whammy of suckiness. Add in the w/d and it's going to be pure Hell. You need to understand that he is going through what is easily one of the worst things a human being is forced to endure - pure mental torture.

 

The only thing that will work here is time. If his disorder is coming out, then he needs something to get him through and then he will want to consider CBT or some other form of therapy, but it's all going to take time and lots of it.

 

-Pete

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Good afternoon:

 

 

Husband is saying that his anxiety is soo bad when he goes out he has sweaty palms with the extremely bad tension headaches he wants to kill himself and that I his wife is like Hitler b/c I am keeping him from getting an MRI/CAT scan on the brain. I am not keeping him I just know him and he entered the ER 2xs for "stomach cancer" and magically there was nothing wrong with him felt better after the Ativan drip (magically) ....can these withdrawals make you this insane? You feel like you are losing your mind?????? :( :( :(

 

PS on and off A/D for 18 years of his life and now off everything except trazadone to sleep at night...do w/d from all these a/d's that were given back 2 back with out breaks and detox of benzos bug you out this bad??

 

 

He was treated at 17 yrs old for "depression" and has been given a/d all sorts until now, currently 34 yrs old...

 

 

 

sorry rambling...please just help me understand :'( :'( :'( :'( :'( :'(

 

Hi Teacher!  :)

 

I tapered off of Klonopin. My reply is YES, you can feel this bad. You DO feel like you are losing your mind. It is agony both with physical symptoms, and mental symptoms. Your thoughts are affected, your very thinking patterns, even your dreams. Feelings will be ultra magnified for him, as well. Any fears, anxiety, anger, depression, sadness...you name it, can be "through the roof" for the person going through this. Mine were. It is without a doubt the very worst thing I have ever been through in my entire life. I went through a bad divorce, and that divorce was like a vacation, compared to what I went through getting off the benzos.

 

I know it is very, very hard for you, as well, and frightening. All you can do is what you are doing, reading up on it, and then of course be there for him, even if he says things that don't seem to make sense, or that hurt you. Try to remember that he will also feel alienated in a way he's probably never felt in his life. I know that I felt more alone than I ever have. He may feel that others not only do not understand, but that they don't care. I know you DO care, but when you are feeling what he is...it can truly feel like others do not really care about you or what you are going through. Remember, his feelings and thoughts are all over the place right now. To me, I just called it "off kilter". My thoughts and feelings seemed "out of whack". It was very frightening.

 

Time will heal this, though. It's horrible, yes, but he will get through it. It just takes time to heal.  :thumbsup:

 

 

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Hi Teacher,

 

I too am the wife of someone going thru benzo w/d.  While he does not have all the systems your husband has and absolutely hates hospitals, he has felt like killing himself, wishing he didnt exist, telling me I'm doing something wrong, etc...I am also a nurse and the line between healthcare prof and wife often blur and drive me crazy.  It makes me feel inadequate as both. My husband has agoraphobia so bad he hasn't left the house in months.

 

Most of these type of meds  your husband may have been on need to be tapered. Most MD's just put you on and then just take you off and say that it will be OK.  Was he tapered off the medications?

 

Make sure you make time for you because  you will be no help to him if you get sick or burnt out :smitten:

 

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Hi Teacher,

 

I've been off benzo's for a couple of years and what your husband is experiencing is normal for someone going through withdrawals. IMO about all he can do is talk himself down and reassure himself that what he's experiencing is being brought on by extremely high levels of anxiety and that his heath will improve in time. While it's important for him to have moral support from you I feel he needs to dig way down deep and find the strength from within himself to over come this.

 

Also, tell him he needs to be on a strict diet staying away from foods that can increase his withdrawal symptoms, everyone reacts differently so if he notices that he feels worst after eating/drinking a certain food or beverage it would be best if he stayed away from it. If I eat spicy foods or drink diet sodas (aspartame) it's guaranteed I'm going to feel worst.

 

Best of luck

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Hi Teacher,

 

All I can say is that what has just been written is what many members have/are going through.  I, too, went to hell and back but I am here to tell you that my life is back on track after tapering from Xanax 4 1/2 months ago.  Time and positive thinking will get your hubby through this.

 

Patty  xo

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Hi everyone:

 

 

Thank you for being so supportive with your kind words. I feel like I can connect to this board better than the doctors who think we are both crazy. Him for feeling and me for believing.  Anyway, my husband has not been tapered off a/d properly. He has been given them back 2 back in at least the 5 years I have been around. I have a feeling that one brings a side effect, they provide a new pill, another side effect, and a vicious cycle. He just doesn't know if its him not reacting well or if its a the side effect.

 

Tomorrow we go back to the Dr. She is on the fence of whether or not its benzo withdrawal. He was on cymbalta, which made him speedy, like cocaine.  Tapered cymbalta by 40mg, 20mg, could not do less b/c it was a capsule.

 

 

But what makes it harder is that my husband has always had an underlying condition years and years before benzos, so this experience is even more horrific. We are just trying figure out if its depression and/or anxiety!!

 

 

Thanks ...any advice, criticism, commens would be greatly appreciated!! ;) ;)

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Thank you for being so supportive with your kind words. I feel like I can connect to this board better than the doctors who think we are both crazy. Him for feeling and me for believing.  Anyway, my husband has not been tapered off a/d properly. He has been given them back 2 back in at least the 5 years I have been around. I have a feeling that one brings a side effect, they provide a new pill, another side effect, and a vicious cycle. He just doesn't know if its him not reacting well or if its a the side effect.

 

Tomorrow we go back to the Dr. She is on the fence of whether or not its benzo withdrawal. He was on cymbalta, which made him speedy, like cocaine.  Tapered cymbalta by 40mg, 20mg, could not do less b/c it was a capsule.

 

 

But what makes it harder is that my husband has always had an underlying condition years and years before benzos, so this experience is even more horrific. We are just trying figure out if its depression and/or anxiety!!

 

 

Thanks ...any advice, criticism, commens would be greatly appreciated!! wink wink

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Yes it can be hard to decypher what's your husband and what are the med s/e.  Unfortuneatley sometimes it takes a drug "holiday" to determine.  That means tapering off and starting anew.   There are pros and cons.    As an RN i always try to blend east with west.   Things like acupunture and shiatsu are aimed at the underlying reason (sometimes not even known to you) instead of the straight up bandaid approach.   And becuz they do go after the underlying cause, they can take longer to work than a med but you got to think of the bigger picture.   I am in so way saying stop all meds but rather work with the MD and add in other modalities.

 

I was abused as a child and it shaped who I was in my adult life - ever the wall flower.  But I worked hard tried everything - thre out what didn't work and stuck with what I did like and finally uncovered some truths and the other truths?  I simply massaged, acupunctured my way out.  I believe it was the combo and my willingness to work hard that finally brought me FREEDOM..    Now I am watching my husband go thru it.   Its slow progress but its worth it.  

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  • 4 weeks later...

Hi Teacher,

 

I did a cold turkey from Ativan in January last year.  I put up with the misery for 9 months and couldn't stand it anymore.  I have an 89 year old father with dementia that I couldn't look after anymore so I felt I had no choice. I reinstated and I'm  doing a long slow taper.  I also get the sweaty thing too - especially my feet in the morning.  The taper is no fun but I believe all of my issues now (and I was diagnosed with depression and anxiety as a teen and did very well for years on ADs in my 30's until I went through a bad divorce and got addicted to both pain killers (for a year) and benzos.  My depression became so bad 2 years ago I ended up with 4 psychiatric hospitalizations (before this I had a very full life, married, helped raise two step sons, worked and went to grad school - an MSW I was a therapist).  I received ECT over 30 times and all the while I believe I was going through benzo tolerance/withdrawal.  There is no doubt in my mind that what your husband is going is benzo related and the only cure is time and learning how to deal with our sx.  There are very wise people on the board here that will do the best they can to help your husband try to manage this painful period. MY heart goes out to you both.

 

Sincerely,

 

Laura

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  • 1 month later...

 

  Hi Teacher16

 

    I have been reading your posts about your hubby for some time and felt inspired to say a few things..

I don't know if your hubby is taking any vitamins or anything but I wanted to mention that without my time released b vitamins I would not feel like a normal human being .. I was able to drop off of 1.25mg of valium with no probs whatsoever as long as I take the b's ..

  I had a lot of sx's that wear almost unbearable at times too.. I thought I was going crazy..

you see when our bodies are under a lot of stress be it whatever the cause it depletes a lot of vitamins.. esp the b's

I really feel sorry for you and hubby and what you are having to go through as it stresses out the caregiver just as much when they feel helpless as you must feel at times.. my condolences to you..

  It is worth it to have some blood work done to determine which deficiencies he might have that could be causing or contributing to his probs..

here are some videos on the b-vits and a couple on vit-d ..I hope you watch them ..they just might help ..

 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zmmQ9fIwvQ0

 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=C_iS8fHJrJk

 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=o1OJ87eA0Lg

 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=f5Wf7qS1koo

 

vit d

 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vpifXPOmjis

 

 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Chy1003Xf1Y&feature=related

 

 

blessings    :smitten:      WS

 

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another thing.. benzos can do a lot of harm to the brain but niacin or vit-b3 binds to the same receptors as benzos and therefore helps with wd.. a magic vitamin ? well it just might be who knows  :)..its cheaper than drugs thats for sure..  ;)

 

                                                                                                                                    WS

 

 

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Hi Teacher,

 

Has your husband been evaluated for bipolar disorder?  He might find that a lot of his symptoms are manic depression. There's a type of bipolar disorder that's simultaneous mania & depression.  I'm bipolar, and when it's in simultaneous mode I just want to take a carving knife to my temporal lobe and start digging. Seriously. 

 

I was prescribed K for anxiety and it did nothing for bipolar, btw. That's a whole other condition.

 

I wake up drenched in sweat; it's part of anxiety.

 

Good luck to you. I can only imagine how helpless my husband feels.

 

Keep us posted.

 

ginger1222

 

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