Shingles anyone?

Hi folks.  I've been a benzo buddy about eight months.  I started taking a relatively low dose of 5-7mg valium initially for a cruise and International travel back in July 2008.  Began my formal taper in January 2009 and stepped off my last dose of valium last November.  Its been two months out and I've been hit with some stressful family situations and at the end of 2009 right before New Years, ended up with Shingles.  

For those of you who are not familiar, Shingles is the dormant chicken pox virus that one carries in the body from when they had it as a kid.  If anxiety and stress get too high, it apparently is possible for the virus to activate, resulting in a rash breaking out on your body or face a few days after the initial pain and flu like symptoms begin, usually the rash is asymmetrical on one side of the body, painful blisters emerge and eventually go away after a couple weeks, but one has very strong nerve pain for weeks and sometimes longer.   Its been about two weeks since I first got the Shingles.  I've read a few others have had a rash break out during their taper, just want others to know that if its on one side of the body or face, it could be Shingles.

Its more common in the over 60 age group and usually occurs in folks who have some compromised immunity, cancer, chemo, HIV... As if I didn't have enough to worry about before with the benzo taper, now the Shingles has got me wondering if my immune system has been compromised by this benzo journey.  My guess is that I got myself run down end of the year and with the family stresses over the holidays combined with the final taper was too much.  Wondering if anyone else has heard of getting Shingles during withdrawal?

I think I've got to get back to meditation and really pay more attention to how I react to everyday stresses.  It seems that I've always got some kind of low level worry beneath the surface in my life.  Maybe thats why the valium poison helped in the beginning and why it was tough getting off of it.  It seemed to numb things for a while but eventually when I found a tolerance building, I did not wish to keep updosing in order to sleep so I finally started the slow taper last January.  Well, here it is a year after my taper started and I'm dealing with nerve pain of Shingles.  Would not have expected it.  I guess we all have some level of anxiety to contend with if we're either taking benzos or struggling to deal with anxiety getting off them or once done with the taper!  Just goes to show, no need for over celebration once you take your last dose.  We still gotta build coping mechanisms for the pre benzo anxiety and rebound anxiety that may still resurface.

Vertigo (no more)

My ex mother in law got shingles about 2 years ago, and she is now 82, and has never used a benzo in her life.

She is still cruising along OK now, and in good health, so it's not something to be too worried about except dealing with it

while you've got it...

David

Vertigo

I've suffered a few outbreaks of cold sores (herpes) since getting down on the dose and eventually being off. Shingles and herpes are a similar virus from what i know - the same medicine treats both. Both can lie dormant for years, which is what happened to me, and then remerge when you are in a particualrly stressful time. I'm also getting canker sores in the mouth, but that has to do apparently with missing sleep and is not related to herpes/ shingles.

When you  think about it, it makes sense - your body / brain is going thru some heavy duty changes when you wd from benzos, not to mention the psychological stress.

Bill

Hi Vertigo,

I SO feel your pain!  I was diagnosed with shingles a year ago today.  I had even heard of benzodiazepine withdrawal at that time...but I probably was in tolerance withdrawal.  I don't know if there is any correlation at all, though.  I just know that the pain I felt in my left leg (which is where my lesions...only 2...eventually showed up) was so bad that I had my husband take me to the emergency room because I was so afraid.  I thought it was a blood clot or something.  The ER could find nothing wrong and dismissed me...but then 2 days later the little rash popped up.  I did the antiviral and also steroids...but I did end up with nerve pain in that leg.  And now I do not know if I STILL have that same pain because the pain from withdrawals has taken front and center!  

I am sorry that you are having to go through this just after you finished your taper.  I have had an odd rash start on that same leg where I had shingles, and I am SO hoping that is not what it is    These bodies....

I hope that you feel better really soon and with no complications!

~Leena

Thanks for the feedback Bill, David and Leena.  Yes, I've read that the virus of chicken pox is in the same family as herpes. However, one does not get genital herpes if you have Shingles or pox.  I sometimes get cold sores when I'm run down too, but have never had genital herpes.  That being said, the anti viral medication they put me on is used to treat both (Acyclovir). They say its most effective to start taking the anti viral medication in the first 48 hours after the first rash appears so its important to get to the doctor pretty quickly if one develops a rash on one side of the face or body during benzo withdrawal!  

Leena, I think there could be a correlation between benzo based anxiety and Shingles.  Perhaps more folks will respond to this thread and we'll see if its not that uncommon in those who have been either taking anti anxiety meds/going off them and got Shingles or in my case once off benzos when pre benzo anxiety comes back.  

As far as the rash returning, I've read two different things on this.  Some internet articles suggest that once you get Shingles (especially if you're under 50 like me), its rare to get it again, the body may build enough antibodies to prevent recurrence.  On the other hand, I've heard some say that people who are predisposed to extreme anxiety or stress may have repeat attacks of Shingles, particularly if the immune system is also compromised, i.e., with cancer, HIV or after recent chemotherapy.  Sounds a bit scary but from my reading, I think it is possible to get Shingles and not have any other serious illness.  That being said, I plan to see my internist for a full physical and blood work in a couple weeks .  For now, I am just taking it easy, trying to rest up.  Nerve pain still bothering me but its been two weeks and hope by the third week that things will settle down.

Best,

Vertigo (no more)

Dear Vertigo NO MORE 

I had not thought at all about the possibility of my shingles being related to my klonopin and tolerance withdrawal, but it makes some sense that it could be a possibility.  I am not as young as you (I am 56) but I was very shocked to come up with shingles at my age.  I, like you, did some research to see if one could get shingles more than once...and saw that there are a few that can. Maybe working on building up our immune systems can help that not happen!

I am so glad to see that once you were off valium, your vertigo went away!

~Leena

Know what you mean Leena.  When I went to urgent care and the doc said it was Shingles, I was in disbelief. My dad had it in his eighties and so did my grandmother.  Never knew it could be had so young, in the forties and fifties. In fact, I was surprised to learn that more and more college students are getting it during finals when stress is very high as well.  If you are worried about getting it again, you could inquire about the vaccine.  I have heard there is a Shingles vaccine that they give people who are about 60.  I read a statistic somewhere that if you make it to 80, greater than 50% will have had Shingles.  So it is pretty common, just not so much at our ages.  Oh well, when you're struggling with anxiety, stress and benzo withdrawal, guess its not all that surprising to come up with something like this.

Cheers,

V (NO MORE :-)