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Benzo Free & Severe Eye Pressure


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During my taper I experienced sharp visual disturbances everytime I would make cuts and then after my body adjusted to the dose reduction, the eye pain would subside.

 

I took my last dose of .5 MG of Valium over a week ago and I've been having some very serious problems with my eyes.  Here is what is happening:

 

Anytime I try to focus on the computer screen or watch TV or look at any bright lights in a dark room I am getting very strong painful pulsations in my eyes, behind my eyes, and this also spreads to the area directly around my eyes.  It feels like there is also strong pressure in my forehead area.  This is causing strong headaches as well.  It almost feels like sinuses as well but I'm ruling that out based on the location being focused 100% on the eyes and the immediate area surrounding them.  Also this eye problem directly correlated with dose reductions during my taper of Valium.  

 

What is strange is that all my other symptoms of hot and cold sweats have seemed to dissipate since being off the Valium.  Hot and Cold Sweats were a major side effect for me all along my taper.

 

I am going to go and see an opthamologist to see if there is anything detectable that has went wrong with my vision and so forth.  I wonder if Valium somehow has damaged my eyes or if it is some kind of neurological side effect of withdrawal caused by Valium that is either permanent or temporary.  Basically I am wondering if this is something that is a final temporary effect of withdrawal.  The timing of this to be unrelated to Valium seems to be impossible because of the common theme of eye problems during every cut during my taper.  I have always had perfect vision with no eye problems and never had an issue with vision until the Valium Taper Process.

 

If anybody has any information I would appreciate it.  I know that Valium can leave people with an extremely broad range of temporary and long term side effects and I also know there are some side effects that leave lasting damage to parts of the body.  Thanks and my best to everybody battling.........

 

Tommy

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Hi Tommy,

 

I get scared reading your post because I went through a valium - soma cold turkey 17 months ago. I'm doing well now.

 

I took me about 7 days as well after stopping to go into withdrawals which didn't really hit their peak for about 3 weeks. I remember  having the flashing blue lights before I would be hit with the worst migraine type headaches, had bad headaches off and on and would see those weird blue lights flashing before the headache would hit for about a month.Hell!! ..........pure HELL!!! Along with all kinds of benzo horrors too numerous to even mention. One thing I will tell you is the eye symptoms were one of the first things that resolved. I see you did a really fast taper so fasten your seatbelt and try and eat a really nutritious diet. Gentle exercise when you feel like it, although I didn't feel like it for about 3 months. Tylenol, gas-x for benzo belly, benadryl if it works for you for sleep issues, lots of fluids including really good juices and just hanging in there. Valium withdrawal has all kinds of the weirdest stuff your ever going to have but they are only temporary......good luck and may God be with you in this journey........ Study the Ashton manual.....Mebooboo :)

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I'm glad you are going to see an opthamologist, Tommy.  Even though the symptoms coincided with valium reductions, you want to make sure there isn't some underlying disfunction as well.  I didn't get pain, just a lot of blurry vision.  I did see my optometrist and got new glasses but still had blurry vision.  It was the benzo afterall.  :crazy:
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Thanks for the replies to both of you.

 

Well that's encouraging to hear that is was benzo withdrawal that was the culprit.  That is my hypothesis as well but better to be safe than sorry.  I really don't want to mess with glasses prematurely because if it is only a withdrawal effect that will eventually subside, then the glasses might start readjusting my vision for the worse.

 

 

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I went to the eye specialist today and he did a full evaluation on my eyes.  I am reporting back in case anybody else is experiencing this and would like to see what the results ended up being.

 

First they checked the pressure in my eyes with a machine and it scored perfect.

Secondly I had a standard distance eye exam and it scored perfect.

 

Then the Doctor put eye drops in my eyes which caused my pupils to dilate (not an experience I would want again) and then he looked into my pupils to see if there was any eye damage or problems that he could see.  He found nothing.

 

He told me that my eyes seemed fine and the results of the tests seemed to conclude that as well.  He told me that they could be caused by headaches - to be more specific I have listed possibilities below:

 

Ocular migraine

retinal migraine

migraine aura

migraine aura without headache

 

For me it seems to fall more under the Migraine Aura Without Headache.  I do get headaches as well sometimes but the Eye Distortions seem to be there alone without the headache most of the time.  I do get a severe neck ache as well.  This would seem to be caused by stress which leads to the next set of questions:

 

1.  Is the Valium Withdrawal Causing Stress Which is Causing the Migraines which are causing the Eye Problems?

 

Or

 

2.  Is the Valium Withdrawal Causing the Eye Problems alone and there is no Migraine per say?

 

Or

 

3.  Is there some sort of Neurological Problem caused by the Valium the will go away over time or is now a permanent damage problem or is the Neurological Problem a separate issue all together from the Valium Tapering Process?

 

My guess is that this is a issue from the Valium Withdrawal.  Is it a Silent Migraine or purely a Neurological Problem is not known.  The Doctor agreed with my reasoning.  So now only time will tell in the forthcoming weeks if this problem is getting better, staying the same, or getting worse.

 

I am going back to the Eye Doctor next week for a Visual Field Study just to make sure I don't have any undiagnosed visual problems which can include Glaucoma and so forth.  I do not think that I have any problems in that department.  I truly believe this is a Side Effect of Valium Withdrawal.

 

Hope this could shed some light on this problem if anybody else is experiencing something similar to this.

 

Tommy

 

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Glad you got your eyes checked out by the eye doctor Tommy.  After a c/t in 2008, it took three weeks for me to develop vertigo.  It seems like 3-4 weeks is where the body processes out the valium and the CNS reacts.  Sorry you're having to go thru this now.  Many people have reported that symptoms improve with time, hope that is the case for you as well.  With a rapid taper, it is not uncommon to have symptoms for a couple months though many likely will dissipate.  Check the "post benzo withdrawal support" thread here under "withdrawal support" if you'd like to read some other people's experiences.

 

Best,

 

Vertigo (no more)

 

 

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Hi Tommy, I went to the eye doctor last year for almost the same reason you did. I was having all kinds of bizarre visual problems: extreme sensitivity to light, blurry/double vision, flashes of light, bright spots, objects seeming to move/vibrate, etc. etc. etc.

 

After an extensive exam, my eye doc, also, confirmed no eye problems whatsoever.

 

Here's the odd thing: I've worn glasses for distance since I was about 12, and I figured I'd get a new pair since I was at the ophthalmologist anyway. So he went through the usual lens selection process of having several different options put in front of my eyes and then I indicated which made the chart clearest. Well, I got my glasses back and they were totally wrong. I mean, the prescription was correct, but they made everything look off balance, like when you put someone else's glasses on. I believe my eyes were playing tricks on me in the doctor's office and that affected my lens selection.

 

Anyway, if the eye doc says you are ok, believe him.

 

By the way, most of the visual problems are gone. I'm still sensitive to light and every once in awhile I see the bright spots. But I now have faith that these will eventually resolve themselves, hopefully for you too!

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