How can you taper without damaging your health?

This is going to be a stupid post, I understand. But for somebody with health anxiety like me, I think it makes perfect sense!  haha

So how do we taper off our benzo, go through months (or longer) of increased anxiety and stress, and not damage our health? Given all the evidence of what stress and anxiety can do to the body (e.g., lowered immune system, increased blood sugar leading to insulin resistance, an increase in inflammation, etc.),  do we risk our health in that period we're tapering by increasing our stress and anxiety? Or are the benefits of getting off the benzo better than staying on and being less stressed (at least that's how it works for me).

I'd appreciate some advice on this. I tapered down pretty successfully last summer until obsession with my skin and multiple visits to the dermatologist (I've had a previous skin cancer) helped my dermatologist AND my psychiatrist convince me to updose again. Not where I was before, but on a steady regimen again.

Please keep in mind that I'm certainly not trying to convince anybody to NOT taper, I'm trying to get reassurance that I won't do serious harm to my own health. Have you found your coping techniques adequate for preventing just continual anxiety on your taper?

There are a lot of different factors.  For me now that I am 8 months out and only have a nagging symptom I would never take another benzo if it meant having a leg cut off.  Having been through this once it is more than enough for a lifetime.  I also don't want to have and rely on medication in my body constantly.  I hated the way it altered my brain.  I hated the brain fog, I hated the anxiety, etc.  If I get anxiety again I'll do ANY alternative method I can.  if I can't stop it, I'll live with it no matter HOW bad it is. 

I quickly learnt that living medicated is not living.

I can't describe to you the feeling now of not having benzos circulating through my body compared to how it was last year.  It was a quick fix that the doctors got me into and I got screwed.  I learnt my lesson and it was pure torture.  Still is today until I can shake my last symptom.

I'm not a doctor but I am pretty sure you're doing more damage to your health staying on the medication than tapering and getting the hell off!

Have a great weekend!

I wonder on the same thing.

ive been incredibly stressed for over 2 years now with this, feeling like or scared youre gonna die everyday, how can this not adversely affect the health?

thats one of my biggies as a lot of my symptoms have finally started to relent a bit, whats left. my heart rate is up, i get palpitations occasionally, and i must be the most tense person on the planet. not very healthy as ive barely exercised in all this time

Both responses are valid, I think. But what if you're a pre-diabetic? Or what if you have developing CVD. Both of which can be exacerbated greatly by stress/anxiety? I don't have either of those conditions. I don't want them either. But what if your immune system gets suppressed for a year, say. Is that enough to allow some cancer cell to take hold and off and running? Will you develop glucose intolerance during that period?

Again, ramblings of a health-anxious mind.

Life is full of risks Garty it's the nature of life, and fear only keeps us trapped. 

I find that if I sit in indecision it makes things so much worse.  Not knowing, being undecided is really anxiety provoking for me, that is. 

At some point we've just got to decide Garty and given your health anxiety (I've got it too) a really, really slow taper is the best I can recommend. 

I wish you all of the very best because I know the fear of health anxiety.  Goodness me, with all of the symptoms that WD dishes up we'd be remiss in not thinking how it could be health related.  Sensible thinking in my view. 

I'm learning to understand that my fears fears are unfounded and I am suffering health anxiety.  At least more than I did at the beginning. 

Dee