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Is depression from benzos permanent?


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Is depression from benzos permanent? i've never had depression but now im 2 months off benzos and i cant tell if its me or im going through withdrawal.

i'm doing everything i can to get better but i think about life and death alot and i never have before. when do you think it will ease up for me? 

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Well, I do not know the answer but I'm on the same boat. I'm wondering if it is depression or fatigue because I can not analyse what is the difference. Well, no matter what it is but I'm keen of knowing if it ease up one day. In my case I'm almost 5 months off and it is still here.
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  • 2 weeks later...

My depression during withdrawal vanished completely back in mid-October until late November.  That depression was horrible.  No hope whatsoever with no let up until it did let up.  However, it vanished coincidentally immediately after I cut a GERD med (Protonix) dosage I was on in half too.  My depression reappeared immediately after an epidural cortisone shot and was compounded by a family death.  So anyhow, I have seen the light (at least for about a month and a half) to give you hope.

 

If you are on any meds now, a med may be to blame as well as withdrawal.  I know I'm highly sensitive to meds that have depression as a potential side effect.  It's astounding how many meds can potentially make one depressed or more depressed that you would not consider would.  I had no idea my GERD med could before I cut back and later got off it.  I've also been on an antibiotic that made me incredibly anxious and depressed too.  The epidural cortisone shot.  The list goes on... 

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Mine was temporary. It let up about 6 months after I jumped. It just got gradually better. I don't now if it was valium itself (don't think so) or the depressing nature of the taper, or what . . . but it went away.

 

Katz

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Mine was temporary. It let up about 6 months after I jumped. It just got gradually better. I don't now if it was valium itself (don't think so) or the depressing nature of the taper, or what . . . but it went away.

 

Katz

 

I've read benzos are prime suspects in re to depression.  That's not to say it was the case with you.

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[5f...]

Is depression from benzos permanent? i've never had depression but now im 2 months off benzos and i cant tell if its me or im going through withdrawal.

i'm doing everything i can to get better but i think about life and death alot and i never have before. when do you think it will ease up for me?

 

It wasn't permanent for me. When I withdrew from benzos in 1990s, I had chronic fatigue and mild depression, but since I knew nothing of benzos, I thought it is just me and pushed through the low mood and fatigue. In time the symptoms left. 

 

This time too I am having fatigue and crazy philosophical thoughts and it again took me a long time to realize that I was in withdrawal. It's because the symptoms crept up so slowly that I did not notice when my personality changed. That does not mean that I haven't experienced sudden acute symptoms of withdrawal-- I have had two failed CTs before. It is just that recovery from a complete withdrawal is so slow that we are tempted to blame it on factors other than benzos. And this applies in reverse too when we do a slow taper (like I am doing). So I have had several depressions of different intensities, all attributable to benzos, but no matter how long each lasted, they did eventually leave. Hang in there!

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I tend to doubt it but cannot say - not knowing you etc. But I would say, having gone through it 18 mo. thus far, that those (speaking for myself) intrusive thoughts can drive one's self esteem into serious doubt and are so insidious that it's usually hard to tell the difference. I do have a history of depression but this withdrawal thing is on a different level. I would say also, that I've noticed that stress can really bring on certain symptoms such as in my case, depression. Has been an abject nightmare - but that's just in my particular case - everyone is different.
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My depression lasted more than a year.  Though I was taking seroquel during the whole time.  I also went through emotional hell during the time.  I jumped fro seroquel in July last year.  Started to feel better in August, by December I could say I really didn't have depression any more.  So either seroquel depressed me mostly or I finally recovered from ativan cold turkey.  Anyway it went away for me without taking anti-depressant.  Hopefully yours will go away soon, too.
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Is depression from benzos permanent? i've never had depression but now im 2 months off benzos and i cant tell if its me or im going through withdrawal.

i'm doing everything i can to get better but i think about life and death alot and i never have before. when do you think it will ease up for me?

 

Well, if you're thinking about death a lot, that is a benzo symptom. It is COMMON. The body is going through so many things that a person thinks they're dying. What happens to the body has repercussions with the mind. I had never gone through so many odd and absolutely terrifying symptoms. Be assured that it is part of the process of withdrawal. You won't have this forever. There will come a time when you start getting windows, which give a glimpse into the healthier you.

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Nah, it will probably fade. My depression and agression lifted after being clean for 1+ year.

 

Now i'm back on diazepam and it's making me so damn depressed, i've never felt so low in my life.

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  • 3 weeks later...
I searched this out because I too am feeling severely down, hopeless, useless and extremely tired.  I am off 2 mos.  At first I was on a real high from my head clearing.  Now I am wondering why I bothered.  UGH!!
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I have had depression since i started tapering almost 3 years ago. it causes fatigue and flu like symptoms that are unreal. I hope each day that it will lift but still it has not. trudge on!!!slow and painful!!!
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  • 2 weeks later...

So you still have the same depression for three years? I can't go on with mine anymore what will help this?

 

the only help. I have found is anti depressants.I take 10mg Lexapro in the am and 45mg mirtazipine in the pm

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  • 4 weeks later...
Considering you did not experience depression before and are very early in withdrawal, try not to worry! I am three months out and my depression is lifting although I'm still feeling very disconnected. I haven't had any of the death and dying thoughts over the past month but they were heavy and scary earlier on. I'm sending you my best- remember that they are just thoughts and they cannot hurt you and it's okay not to be able to control your thoughts right now and just let them pass. Try to stay distracted and find things to do with your hands.
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Is depression from benzos permanent? i've never had depression but now im 2 months off benzos and i cant tell if its me or im going through withdrawal.

i'm doing everything i can to get better but i think about life and death alot and i never have before. when do you think it will ease up for me?

 

This is my life right now. I am on an AD and it obviously isn't helping to stop it. I'm actually worried it's making it worse but then I dmwonder if I continue to taper the AD is it going to get worse??  I don't know how to get out of this nightmare.  I think and hope time is our only medicine.

 

Are your intrusive thoughts worse in the morning?

 

Just know you are not alone.

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  • 1 month later...
  • 2 weeks later...
I had crippling dangerous depression when I jumped. Then eased up and just a few hours in the am. Now it greets me when I wake then usually gets less. I’m now having windows with enthusiasm.  It can last a long time but I think it’s a just a cross to bear and should fade. Push on
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