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Today is day 32 off the devil benzos but the past few weeks I have been stuck in a scary pain. I have had a progressive nerve pain starting with my right hand, then right arm, then across my chest, now down my left arm.. in the morning I wake up and can’t fall back asleep because my hands hurt and tingle and burn so much.. my arm and hand muscles are weaker day by day.. why does this feel progressive one month out? I wanted to go to the emergency room today but I am holding off.. I have pins and needles all over my upper body. My thumb is swollen on the right hand and the top layer of skin is peeling in patches.. what is going on here? Did anyone else experience a progression  in their parasthesia nerve pain in the first month? Thank you so much!
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Just letting u know u are not alone and if if u look for paresthesia, pins and needles, nerve pain, neuropathy- in the search engine you’ll find countless stories. I’ve been to now 4 different neurologists including research ones at a major hospital who have run a battery of tests on me (emgs, mris, CT’s, blood, etc.. all clean)..for the nerve pain and have been told it’s anxiety, it’s small fiber neuropathy, it’s psychogenic, and one who  said it was possible that it was caused by the drugs— get the standard tests done (emg, mri, blood) - rule out the major stuff to ease your mind— then you’re ledft with benzo wd as most likely cause. Day 32 is so early that I’m guessing it’s benzo wd.  Some have reported their sx disappearing after some time. Mine had gotten better but I still gotta deal with it daily. Keep me posted on how u are doing. Hang in there.
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I had this when I began taper and now again, every time I try to get below 3mg valium. numb cold/hot hands and peeling dry fingertips. very uncomfortable and annoying. it went away before so praying it will again...and soon with any luck. good luck to you. great job being off.
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Thank you for the response. Yes I have been feeling awful. It’s good to hear I’m not alone. My thumb muscle on my right hand hurts and it is swollen. Also my eyes are really dry. I just hate this. I thought it would be better by now but it’s getting worse it feels. I pray you guys have relief soon.
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I still have weird nerve type feelings and I took my last low dose of Ativan in July 2017.  it's a long haul my friend.  most of my physical symptoms dissipated within the first 3-4 months.
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Has anyone tried Gabapentine for nerve pain?  Not saying anyone should.  Trying to find out if anyone has significant nerve pain and needed the aide of Gabapentine for relief.  I’m suffering so badly from head and neck pain,  trying to find something that might help.
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Has anyone tried Gabapentine for nerve pain?  Not saying anyone should.  Trying to find out if anyone has significant nerve pain and needed the aide of Gabapentine for relief.  I’m suffering so badly from head and neck pain,  trying to find something that might help.

I've only heard bad things.  works similar to benzos as in you have to start taking more and more and more and then eventually wean off.  I would NOT suggest it at all. 

 

a good pal on here "RealSlimTaper" posted a lot about it after his benzo use.  I'm pretty sure he said he wish he would have never started taking it to help withdrawals.

 

Unfortunately what everybody who has been through this says is true: only time will help.  not easy to hear when I was going through it but looking back it's 1000000000000% true.

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Has anyone tried Gabapentine for nerve pain?  Not saying anyone should.  Trying to find out if anyone has significant nerve pain and needed the aide of Gabapentine for relief.  I’m suffering so badly from head and neck pain,  trying to find something that might help.

I've only heard bad things.  works similar to benzos as in you have to start taking more and more and more and then eventually wean off.  I would NOT suggest it at all. 

 

a good pal on here "RealSlimTaper" posted a lot about it after his benzo use.  I'm pretty sure he said he wish he would have never started taking it to help withdrawals.

 

Unfortunately what everybody who has been through this says is true: only time will help.  not easy to hear when I was going through it but looking back it's 1000000000000% true.

 

Loopy, thanks for the info.  I’ve been asking about Gabapentine, but no responses.  Thank You for replying.  I don’t need to make matters worse, that’s for sure!

F4M

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Has anyone tried Gabapentine for nerve pain?  Not saying anyone should.  Trying to find out if anyone has significant nerve pain and needed the aide of Gabapentine for relief.  I’m suffering so badly from head and neck pain,  trying to find something that might help.

I've only heard bad things.  works similar to benzos as in you have to start taking more and more and more and then eventually wean off.  I would NOT suggest it at all. 

 

a good pal on here "RealSlimTaper" posted a lot about it after his benzo use.  I'm pretty sure he said he wish he would have never started taking it to help withdrawals.

 

Unfortunately what everybody who has been through this says is true: only time will help.  not easy to hear when I was going through it but looking back it's 1000000000000% true.

 

Loopy, thanks for the info.  I’ve been asking about Gabapentine, but no responses.  Thank You for replying.  I don’t need to make matters worse, that’s for sure!

F4M

you're going to be fine F4M.  I have all the faith in the world in you.  Don't despair.  You don't need to worry about withdrawing from something else!  :thumbsup:

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Has anyone tried Gabapentine for nerve pain?  Not saying anyone should.  Trying to find out if anyone has significant nerve pain and needed the aide of Gabapentine for relief.  I’m suffering so badly from head and neck pain,  trying to find something that might help.

I've only heard bad things.  works similar to benzos as in you have to start taking more and more and more and then eventually wean off.  I would NOT suggest it at all. 

 

a good pal on here "RealSlimTaper" posted a lot about it after his benzo use.  I'm pretty sure he said he wish he would have never started taking it to help withdrawals.

 

Unfortunately what everybody who has been through this says is true: only time will help.  not easy to hear when I was going through it but looking back it's 1000000000000% true.

 

Loopy, thanks for the info.  I’ve been asking about Gabapentine, but no responses.  Thank You for replying.  I don’t need to make matters worse, that’s for sure!

F4M

you're going to be fine F4M.  I have all the faith in the world in you.  Don't despair.  You don't need to worry about withdrawing from something else!  :thumbsup:

 

Loopy.  :hug: :hug: :hug:

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About gabapentin:

 

I started taking it for tingling/nerve pain/burning and it was extremely helpful. That having been said, I did have to taper off it once my benzo taper was over.

 

If I were you, I wouldn't be afraid to try it. It's not the "devil drug" some say it is. The "normal" dose is 300 mg 3 x/day. I took that -- 900 mg/day. Then, once my taper was over, I tapered it.

 

It is a little hard to get used to -- everyone notices sedation (I took most of mine at night -- it's very helpful for sleep) and dizziness. But that passes quickly. And the relief from the maddening burning and tingling was sure worth it. Oh, yes!

 

It's nowhere near as hard a reduction as a benzo taper.

 

So don't be afraid to try it. If you get no relief after a short time (you'll notice relief almost at once), then do a fast taper off it.

 

Just my two cents' worth, based on my experience with it.

 

Katz

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About gabapentin:

 

I started taking it for tingling/nerve pain/burning and it was extremely helpful. That having been said, I did have to taper off it once my benzo taper was over.

 

If I were you, I wouldn't be afraid to try it. It's not the "devil drug" some say it is. The "normal" dose is 300 mg 3 x/day. I took that -- 900 mg/day. Then, once my taper was over, I tapered it.

 

It is a little hard to get used to -- everyone notices sedation (I took most of mine at night -- it's very helpful for sleep) and dizziness. But that passes quickly. And the relief from the maddening burning and tingling was sure worth it. Oh, yes!

 

It's nowhere near as hard a reduction as a benzo taper.

 

So don't be afraid to try it. If you get no relief after a short time (you'll notice relief almost at once), then do a fast taper off it.

 

Just my two cents' worth, based on my experience with it.

 

Katz

 

katz, Did you feel that it impacted your healing?  I’ve heard about the spacey feeling people have experienced.  I just want some relief from the pain.  I can deal with a lot.  Pain at this level is crippling.

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Fighting I felt that it helped my healing. I was so badly off with nerve pain & burning -- I got such awful nerve pain & sensitivity that I had to wear my socks and underwear inside out because I could not stand the seams!! -- that I thought I would go mad.

 

The gabapentin calmed all that down, so I took it until the end of my taper. I wondered what would happen once I stopped taking it -- would the nerve pain and burning come back? But it didn't. That just showed me that it was caused by my benzo w/d, as I had suspected.

 

That spacey feeling goes in about a week. And, for me, so did the nerve pain, tingling & burning. Whew! What a godsend. And I never had to take more than 900 mgs. Any doc will prescribe it at that dose, I'm pretty sure.

 

I realize not everyone may have as good an experience as I did, but I was ready to try almost anything.

 

Good luck if you decide to try it.

 

As they say, "I feel your pain". Brother, do I ever. It's awful.

 

Katz

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Fighting I felt that it helped my healing. I was so badly off with nerve pain & burning -- I got such awful nerve pain & sensitivity that I had to wear my socks and underwear inside out because I could not stand the seams!! -- that I thought I would go mad.

 

The gabapentin calmed all that down, so I took it until the end of my taper. I wondered what would happen once I stopped taking it -- would the nerve pain and burning come back? But it didn't. That just showed me that it was caused by my benzo w/d, as I had suspected.

 

That spacey feeling goes in about a week. And, for me, so did the nerve pain, tingling & burning. Whew! What a godsend. And I never had to take more than 900 mgs. Any doc will prescribe it at that dose, I'm pretty sure.

 

I realize not everyone may have as good an experience as I did, but I was ready to try almost anything.

 

Good luck if you decide to try it.

 

As they say, "I feel your pain". Brother, do I ever. It's awful.

 

Katz

 

Katz, thank you for sharing your experience.  I definitely have to give this some serious consideration. 

 

As you know, it’s an awful experience.

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Fighting I felt that it helped my healing. I was so badly off with nerve pain & burning -- I got such awful nerve pain & sensitivity that I had to wear my socks and underwear inside out because I could not stand the seams!! -- that I thought I would go mad.

 

The gabapentin calmed all that down, so I took it until the end of my taper. I wondered what would happen once I stopped taking it -- would the nerve pain and burning come back? But it didn't. That just showed me that it was caused by my benzo w/d, as I had suspected.

 

That spacey feeling goes in about a week. And, for me, so did the nerve pain, tingling & burning. Whew! What a godsend. And I never had to take more than 900 mgs. Any doc will prescribe it at that dose, I'm pretty sure.

 

I realize not everyone may have as good an experience as I did, but I was ready to try almost anything.

 

Good luck if you decide to try it.

 

As they say, "I feel your pain". Brother, do I ever. It's awful.

 

Katz

 

Katz, thank you for sharing your experience.  I definitely have to give this some serious consideration. 

 

As you know, it’s an awful experience.

Not sure if you've seen this thread but here are some negative experiences on it that I was referencing: http://www.benzobuddies.org/forum/index.php?topic=84267.msg2556912#msg2556912 

 

Nobody can know how you'll react but just proceed with caution and know the risks.  Also note the first post on Page 185 of that thread from scrabblegirl.  I remember reading her story about having a hell-ish time trying to stop taking it.  It was worse than her benzo withdrawal at times.  >:D

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Fighting I felt that it helped my healing. I was so badly off with nerve pain & burning -- I got such awful nerve pain & sensitivity that I had to wear my socks and underwear inside out because I could not stand the seams!! -- that I thought I would go mad.

 

The gabapentin calmed all that down, so I took it until the end of my taper. I wondered what would happen once I stopped taking it -- would the nerve pain and burning come back? But it didn't. That just showed me that it was caused by my benzo w/d, as I had suspected.

 

That spacey feeling goes in about a week. And, for me, so did the nerve pain, tingling & burning. Whew! What a godsend. And I never had to take more than 900 mgs. Any doc will prescribe it at that dose, I'm pretty sure.

 

I realize not everyone may have as good an experience as I did, but I was ready to try almost anything.

 

Good luck if you decide to try it.

 

As they say, "I feel your pain". Brother, do I ever. It's awful.

 

Katz

 

Katz, thank you for sharing your experience.  I definitely have to give this some serious consideration. 

 

As you know, it’s an awful experience.

Not sure if you've seen this thread but here are some negative experiences on it that I was referencing: http://www.benzobuddies.org/forum/index.php?topic=84267.msg2556912#msg2556912 

 

Nobody can know how you'll react but just proceed with caution and know the risks.  Also note the first post on Page 185 of that thread from scrabblegirl.  I remember reading her story about having a hell-ish time trying to stop taking it.  It was worse than her benzo withdrawal at times.  >:D

 

Loopy, Wow!  I just read through them and my word.  Yeah, that’s awful.  Thanks for sharing.  Yeah, WoW. 

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Thank you so much!! Oregonkatz how long did your nerve pain last after you quit? Mine seems to be intensifying daily.. I have a herniated disc l5-s1 and bulging discs c-5-6-7... I think I’ve sort of aggregated the nerves in my neck when my neck muscles were so tight during week 1 and 2.
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Onescared, my nerve pain/burning/tingling was absolutely caused by my benzo w/d. It came on as my w/ds got worse and got better when my taper was over. When my taper ended I then tapered the gabapentin.

 

My nerve pain did not continue once my taper was over.

 

I'm so sorry to hear about your neck pain. I had awful back pain some years ago (pre-benzos) as the result of a herniated dis (L4). I had surgery. I hope you do not have to have that . . . but if you do, you may very well find relief. My surgery fused L4 and L5 and I have had no trouble since then. I am prone to tight back muscles now, and have to be careful to remember to do stretching exercises. As well, I see a PT.

 

I wonder if a PT could help you?

 

In any event, I hope your neck problems clear up.

 

Best,

 

Katz

 

 

 

 

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Thank you so much!! You have very kind words.. I started taking gabapentin a few weeks ago and it sort of helps but I wanted to cut back the past few days and I Experienced full body parasthesia today. I don’t understand because I was on Xanax for such a short time though it was at least my 10th time going on and off of it.. why I would be experiencing such a progressive nerve pain.. the worst symptoms of withdrawal ended around 2 weeks after my cold turkey.. anxiety, head compression, insomnia, psychosis, gone..  then the parasthesia started creeping up slowly on my right hand  only to be getting worse and spreading across my body  on a daily basis.. I was living in Europe until 3 months ago and I spent a lot of time in the forest.. I wonder if I may have contracted Lyme disease.. an ER doctor recommended I see a rheumatologist for autoimmune disorders.. the problem is that I have crap insurance and since my return from Europe I have been working minimally and dealing with these symptoms... I started taking Xanax again when I returned from Europe bc of some traumatic experience but quickly realized I made a mistake...

I guess 5 weeks is enough to absolutely kindle me to hell this time... I wish you guys prayers and success and that you all are blessed more than you can handle.

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Thank you so much!! You have very kind words.. I started taking gabapentin a few weeks ago and it sort of helps but I wanted to cut back the past few days and I Experienced full body parasthesia today. I don’t understand because I was on Xanax for such a short time though it was at least my 10th time going on and off of it.. why I would be experiencing such a progressive nerve pain.. the worst symptoms of withdrawal ended around 2 weeks after my cold turkey.. anxiety, head compression, insomnia, psychosis, gone..  then the parasthesia started creeping up slowly on my right hand  only to be getting worse and spreading across my body  on a daily basis.. I was living in Europe until 3 months ago and I spent a lot of time in the forest.. I wonder if I may have contracted Lyme disease.. an ER doctor recommended I see a rheumatologist for autoimmune disorders.. the problem is that I have crap insurance and since my return from Europe I have been working minimally and dealing with these symptoms... I started taking Xanax again when I returned from Europe bc of some traumatic experience but quickly realized I made a mistake...

I guess 5 weeks is enough to absolutely kindle me to hell this time... I wish you guys prayers and success and that you all are blessed more than you can handle.

 

 

One, I know how you feel.  This nerve stuff just never lets up.  I’m hoping you get some much needed relief soon.  F4M

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[4a...]

I sure as heck dont want anyone to go through this but its slightly comforting to see someone else mention the nerve pain that goes through the chest.

i actually do have my c5 a little out of alignment and pressing on the nerve, but since withdrawal, the sporadic pain in my hand has occasionally gone all the way through my arm and into my chest where it feels like its wrapping around my heart, the first time it hit i was freaked out. i mean, the pain all felt the "same" but it was freaky to feel that in my chest like that. ive been examined over and over, but its disconcerting fosho. the spine guy i saw said nerve pain like that can shoot off anywhere and they still dont really completely understand why.

 

it hadnt even occurred to me at first that the withdrawal has intensified what nerve pain i have, but now im seeing it all over. would make sense as we're all so sensitive now.

 

i hope you guys find relief.

 

i took gaba a ways back when my withdrawla was reeeeally bad, i stopped cause i didnt feel like it was doing much. at my peak, for a short time, i was up to taking 1800mg, but i backed off that after only 2 months or so.

 

the tapering off that wasnt toooo bad, in that the lousy side effects just didnt last long, the way benzo withdrawal did. it was only until i got down to the 600 then to 300 to 0 range that it was unpleasant, and there were a couple weeks where ugh i felt pretty losuy...but, it went away very quickly. this was all before my nerve pain was really acting up with it in my chest and arm sometimes. i still have bottles of gaba but most likely will resist taking any, if i broke down and took any at all, id take 300, no more than 600, as needed, but meh, i doubt i ever will.

 

 

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