Body pressure

Anybody have crushing body pressure? It is so frustrating. I have it in my torso neck and head. So constricting and sometimes it's hard to breathe. It doesn't help I am obsessed with it because I have never felt a sensation like this before. So afraid it will last forever. It's like my whole being can't relax. I am constantly revved up because of this feeling. Also feels like there's a fist pushing out of my middle back.

This is so classic and so normal.... Believe me I know exactly what you have.... and yes I still have it.... It's so scary but I don't believe it will harm you it just feels like it.... I feel like I'm in a pressure chamber...

Pleasebehere...This feeling makes it feel like I can't relax. My body feels like it's tightened and somebody is plucking it with a guitar pic. The fact it goes into my neck and squeezes my throat scares me also. I was just crying because of this symptom trying to explain it to my wife and she just looks at me like I'm crazy. How far off are you since your last benzo?

Hi,

I have it also. Sometimes my head feels very heavy and this tightness of my neck and shoulders. At first it was a constant thing, now it's increasing when I'm anxious. Very often also my chest is very tight,it's like having a fist where my ribs are that is holding my muscles. For me very helpful is massage and anything that distracts me or helps me relax a bit, like meditation. I hope you will feel better soon.

It's been 10 months..... I know... If you hadn't experienced it people don't understand..... I have this feeling very strongly in my torso and head too.... and it is hard to breathe.... Please don't get scared by it.... If you've been checked..... It's just a feeling but a horrible one....I know.... I don't know how long it will last.....  But its something that just comes and goes....but please believe you'll be ok.... I think it's just a combination of nerves muscles and sensory distortions in the body...

 

You are never alone.....xxxxx

Pleasebehere do you get muscle pinches in your chest?? They scare me as well. I'm worried about heart disease. I've had a lot of cardio tests but nothing is 100 percent

Thanks FiFi. I hope you feel better as well

I haven't gotten muscle pinches but I've literally had feelings where my heart feels like its on fire and literally being squeezed and like there is blood coming out of it... Talk about weird strange feelings!!!! and that's usually with the torso tightness but the heart sensation has decreased quite a bit over the months .... I still get once in awhile not like it was....

 

I also have a pulse oximeter when I felt out of breath and it was always normal so was my blood pressure everytime..... I just can't figure it out.... It has to be some sort of  muscular nerve sensory distortion that is tricking us into feeling something that isn't real..... if I knew the science behind this to prove all this crap I would feel so much better... But it's hard I know because its so unbelievable anyone can even feel these sensations.....and no one can explain it.... so you think there has to be something wrong.... I know how you feel.... They are not catching something....but I don't think that's the case....but it's always in my mind too

I have both of those feelings. Like somebody had their hands around my lungs and heart. Sometimes it feels like my heart is pumping lava. The fact that a lot of the symptoms seem to be heart related for me is unnerving

I have this too, it's very upsetting 😩

Anybody have crushing body pressure? It is so frustrating. I have it in my torso neck and head. So constricting and sometimes it's hard to breathe. It doesn't help I am obsessed with it because I have never felt a sensation like this before. So afraid it will last forever. It's like my whole being can't relax. I am constantly revved up because of this feeling. Also feels like there's a fist pushing out of my middle back.

 

Hello AfraidOfNight!

 

Please know that you aren't alone! I too had this sx in early wd/recovery, and it still comes and goes. Hopefully it will leave very soon!

 

Stay strong BB!!

My torso constantly feels squeezed, i have pressure in my neck , it makes my head feel full, awful feeling! Does this make anybody feel exhausted?

I am so sorry that you are going through this.  Sadly, I do relate.  I've been saying it feels like someone took my upper torso and are using a huge vice grip on my body.  It feels so stiff and is painful.  Most of mine appears to be in my upper chest, upper back, shoulders and neck.  There are times I honestly can't even turn my head which has restricted me from driving.  Has anyone here found any tools to try to loosen up the grip?  I've been feeling ok while taking an epsom salt bath, but sadly you have to get out of there and then the feeling will start to creep back in.  Hang in there.  With so many of us experiencing the same thing, it does appear to be part of the process.  I had read someone saying that benzos were forcing our bodies and muscles to relax and when you get off the med, they don't know how to relax themselves any more, so it is a normal process while the healing takes place.  Good luck to all that are dealing with this one. 

 

Just wondering if all this body pressure causes nerve pain for everyone, I'm in severe nerve body muscle pain

Just sending my sympathies ... Every time I get severe panic attacks I feel this exact thing. Crushing pressure that usually causes me to shake all over. It is like someone puts your whole body in a vice and you can't feel anything but wave after wave of clenching tightness. Sucks.

 

One thing that seriously might help you unlock in those moments is some kind of guided meditation. Or just a relaxation video on youtube of some sort. Something that forces you to flatten out on your back and puts your mind on something else temporarily. I sometimes lay flat on my back on the floor when this happens.

 

Another helpful tip I just learned ... If you have a spouse or a willing person in the house ...Have them sit on your back. Or lay on your back with their full weight. It forces you to breathe and makes you so weirdly uncomfortable that it can actually regulate you and put you back to normal for awhile.

Thank you everyone for all the replies. I was discouraged at first because I didn't get many replies. I find meditation hard because of my high anxiety. This feeling makes me feel manic. I'm having trouble breathing like I cant finish a breath. The pressure and twisting is unreal. I've never felt anything like this before. My psych put me back on a low dose .5 of klonopin twice a day to try and alleviate it. It helps very little. I'm scared I have heart disease or something. I've had over 100,000 dollars worth of cardio tests done all were negative.I'm working again part time after being off for 3 months waiting for this to go away. I'm only working part time and I struggle to make it through a shift. My primary doesn't know what to do because she can't find a problem. I'm at a loss for words. This has been the hardest thing I've ever gone through. I have a family and this is burning through my resources. God bless. Sorry this was so long just wanted to update everyone

Blessed I too have head pressure. Feels like my heads about to burst through my ears. Charlotte I definitely have a lot of nerve pain and joint pain. I feel achey all over. It's a hellish feeling and i sympathize with all of you. We get trapped in this constant cycle of trying to feel normal and being drug free. I want this pressure off me so I can relax and take a deep happy breath.

Just sending my sympathies ... Every time I get severe panic attacks I feel this exact thing. Crushing pressure that usually causes me to shake all over. It is like someone puts your whole body in a vice and you can't feel anything but wave after wave of clenching tightness. Sucks.

 

One thing that seriously might help you unlock in those moments is some kind of guided meditation. Or just a relaxation video on youtube of some sort. Something that forces you to flatten out on your back and puts your mind on something else temporarily. I sometimes lay flat on my back on the floor when this happens.

 

Another helpful tip I just learned ... If you have a spouse or a willing person in the house ...Have them sit on your back. Or lay on your back with their full weight. It forces you to breathe and makes you so weirdly uncomfortable that it can actually regulate you and put you back to normal for awhile.

Thanks for your sympathy Dave

AfraidofNight, I'm glad that you got the heart issues ruled out.  I know that I too had to go through that while I was actually on Xanax.  I was taking it "as needed" and at the time, I had no clue that I was causing myself even more problems doing that.  But they ended up doing stress tests and even an heart cauterization.  But when all the heart stuff was ruled out, they decided it must be anxiety and they upped my dosage of xanax.  Now...here I am, 13 months after stopping the darn drug cold turkey and although I don't the pressure is quite the same as back in those days, I do still struggle with that gripping pressure that I do understand why someone could think it might be heart related. 

 

I really think we would all like to hear from someone that has gotten through all of this that has had this symptom.  I mean REALLY had this symptom.  It's the one that has been hanging on the longest and you reach a point that you wonder if it will ever subside and go away or is this for life?  I don't know how to do it for life.  :-(

AfraidofNight, I'm glad that you got the heart issues ruled out.  I know that I too had to go through that while I was actually on Xanax.  I was taking it "as needed" and at the time, I had no clue that I was causing myself even more problems doing that.  But they ended up doing stress tests and even an heart cauterization.  But when all the heart stuff was ruled out, they decided it must be anxiety and they upped my dosage of xanax.  Now...here I am, 13 months after stopping the darn drug cold turkey and although I don't the pressure is quite the same as back in those days, I do still struggle with that gripping pressure that I do understand why someone could think it might be heart related. 

 

I really think we would all like to hear from someone that has gotten through all of this that has had this symptom.  I mean REALLY had this symptom.  It's the one that has been hanging on the longest and you reach a point that you wonder if it will ever subside and go away or is this for life?  I don't know how to do it for life.  :-(

SuchaMess I've literally had every test besides the cath and I desperately want it but they won't give it to me because I'm only 35 and all my tests were negative. It just won't go away but there's times I hardly notice it. It's messing with my head. I've even had some of the tests repeated. It's made me depressed but I try to push on. I've read that none of the tests are a hundred percent besides the cath. It's always in the back of my mind. Thanks for listening

I too wonder if it will last forever. I don't know if I can live with this forever. It changes you and your personality that's how bad it is. I pray it will lift off of us one day

I had extreme tightness in my chest, high blood pressure and a high pulse rate (with many other symptoms) when I was in acute wd.  I always had low blood pressure and a great heart rate prior to wd.  I felt like I couldn't breathe.  It was awful.  All of those symptoms went away after a few months.  I am left with extreme dizziness, inner vibration and intense head pressure.  Just wanted to let you know that some of my symptoms similar to yours did go away.  My head feels like it is being squeezed in a vice.  Hoping it goes away soon.  Stay strong!

I had extreme tightness in my chest, high blood pressure and a high pulse rate (with many other symptoms) when I was in acute wd.  I always had low blood pressure and a great heart rate prior to wd.  I felt like I couldn't breathe.  It was awful.  All of those symptoms went away after a few months.  I am left with extreme dizziness, inner vibration and intense head pressure.  Just wanted to let you know that some of my symptoms similar to yours did go away.  My head feels like it is being squeezed in a vice.  Hoping it goes away soon.  Stay strong!

Thanks Stephanie. I had to reinstate on a low dose of klonopin. While it eases my symptoms a little bit, it's not fully gone. I started back on it because I had to work and the symptoms were so bad i couldn't. I want to be free of this burden and can't wait till I'm strong enough to get off benzos. The 6months to 2 years timeline is scary. I don't know if I could handle it. I have the exact same symptoms you mentioned

AfraidofNight, how long were you off the klonopin?

AfraidofNight, how long were you off the klonopin?

About a month and a half Charlotte. I know you shouldn't reinstate after 2 weeks but my first responsibility is to bring in an income for my family and I was having trouble doing that off of klonopin. I realize the next time I quit wd could be worse. Some of my symptoms have let up and I'm stuck with different symptoms. The body pressure is mostly gone but I'm having trouble breathing now