To those of you who had digestive problems during/after your taper:

How long did it take for your symptoms to improve? Did anything help such as probiotics, fiber, etc?

 

I'm talking diarrhea, constipation, loose stools, frequent stools, bloating, gas pain, stomach aches, nausea, food intolerances, acid indigestion, etc. (I've had all of the above and haven't had a single day without one of those symptoms.)

 

Today has been 10 days since I finished my taper and took my last benzo. However, I don't feel like I can celebrate yet because these digestive issues are still keeping me from a normal quality of life.

I never had any of these issues before I started taking lorazepam in August 2017. These digestive issues started about a week after taking lorazepam daily. Which really leads me to believe it is from the drug.

 

I am still having some mild symptoms which I believe are due to withdrawal such as heart palpitations, chest pain, insomnia, fatigue, etc. But these are mostly managable.

I actually have felt a little better after these last few cuts in my taper. I've had a better mood, more energy, etc.

But I am so worried that I may have done irreversible damage to my gut! I miss being able to eat what I want without worrying about how it makes me feel. I miss having smooth trips to the bathroom!

 

So I would really appreciate any success stories, timeframes, or any advice on things that may help from those of you who have had similar experiences.

I can handle some anxiety and insomnia, but I am so sick of going to the toilet!!

 

What has helped me: Fennel tea, using a heating pad on my abdomen, and imodium when my stools become too frequent.

 

Thanks so much, I couldn't have made it this far without all of the extremely informative posts on this forum.

Fo me probiotics heleped. In the beginning I took them a lot, maybe 5 times typical recomended dose for one week. Once the gass production/stomach issue was because of candida and doc prescribed me Nysttain which helped and my candida went away.

Hi Thomas, thanks for your response. Do you feel like your bowel issues were from the benzos? And the probiotics helped? How did your doctor know it was from Candida?

Hi Thomas, thanks for your response. Do you feel like your bowel issues were from the benzos? And the probiotics helped? How did your doctor know it was from Candida?

 

Well, it seems that benzos calms also stomach and for example reflux as well. There are several posts and articles about it and it seems when we withdraw those issues pops up so I think benzos do not cause those issues but keeps them away. Probiotics helped me but I could not kill all the problems I had with them. My doc said than candida was one of the probable cause of my isses and we desided try if Nystatin helps me and it did.

I’m awhike out and this is super tricky for me still and probably will be for a long time. I took everything under the sun and then some. Herbal digestion teas are good. Mine has been all about diet, I cut out gluten and dairy and it’s manageable now. Wishing you the best!

Mine started to improve around the 13 month mark.  It has gotten much better since as well(at 15 now).  Probiotics actually made me bloated and miserable and things worse.  Everyone's gut is different so it works for some and not others.

 

Fiber seemed to help me a lot, it may just be coincidental as well.  Alcohol makes it a lot worse, but I think that does regardless of benzo's issues or not.

I think it was stress. Anyway it is much better now at almost two years off.

Thanks for the responses everybody. Scared to hear it could be a year or more until I notice improvement!

 

I've already tried eliminating gluten for 30+ days and dairy for 2 weeks or so and noticed no change in my digestion or bowel movements.

 

My symptoms seem like IBS which doesn't seem to have a good course of treatment in traditional medicine.

 

I am curious Thomas which probiotics you took that seemed to help?

I can not remember brand name but it was good quality probiotics having 4-5 different probiotics capsuled in separate cells in one capsule containing 30 billion items in total in one capsule. It was the one theys asked store in fridge. It was European brand as I live in Europe.  I think if you go to good pharmacy/nutral product store and asked probiotics containing wide variety of different probiotics in one capsule and hugh quantity on them (like 30 billion/million vs, typical 3-5 only) . Well the ones I used were quite expensive, about 1$ each capsule but it did not matter as they helped.