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Red Flags that Your Benzo is causing your Symptoms


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Patients taking benzodiazepines (BZs) often dismiss the dangers and physical dependence issues by rationalizing that they do not abuse or misuse their prescription and have no intention of ever coming off the drug or facing withdrawal.  Compounding these false conceptions, most doctors are not fully educated on the depth of problems surrounding this class of drug.

 

Unfortunately, the reality is that a percentage of patients run into serious problems while taking their prescription exactly as prescribed by their doctor. Adverse effects, interdose withdrawal, and tolerance are a few of the issues that may begin to surface. These issues can present relatively quickly after starting the drug, or it can take months or even years for obvious problems to manifest.  The symptoms may hit suddenly like a “ton of bricks” or may start to gradually build over time. The patient may find themselves deteriorating, feeling worse and worse, leading to more difficulty in functioning and sometimes even eventual disability.

 

Most often the doctor and patient will not connect the problems back to the benzodiazepine. This critical oversight can easily lead to a myriad of independent diagnoses, and all too frequently, an increase in dosage and/or additional prescriptions being added to the mix.

 

If you or a loved one are taking a benzodiazepine, it is crucially important that you familiarize yourself with the potential signs, symptoms and red-flag warnings. Because of the “spellbinding” and sedating nature of these drugs, and the fact the individual’s situation may slowly worsen over a longer period of time, it can be difficult to fully recognize the escalating problems and make the connection. This, combined with the lack of benzodiazepine education among medical professionals, may cause the patient to truly believe their health is declining for “no apparent reason” or that they are “going crazy.” For many, it took years of suffering and a downward spiral of health before putting the pieces together that it was the drug causing damage and increasing cognitive/mental and/or physical health deterioration.

 

Below is a list of symptoms that benzodiazepine patients reported experiencing while still on their prescription, as well as the ultimate reasons people decided to come off the BZs.

 

(NOTE:  These patient-reported signs and symptoms were either nonexistent prior to the benzodiazepine prescription, or exponentially worsened while taking the drug.  For instance, those put on these drugs for anxiety may begin experiencing intensifying anxiety and panic attacks like they’ve never before experienced.  Often, this is incorrectly attributed to the original, pre-existing condition worsening.)

 

THESE ARE JUST SOME OF THE MANY REPORTED SIGNS AND SYMPTOMS INDICATING YOU OR SOMEONE YOU CARE ABOUT MAY BE HAVING PROBLEMS WITH A BENZODIAZEPINE PRESCRIPTION:

MENTAL/COGNITIVE/BEHAVIORAL SIGNS.  You may or may not experience these symptoms.

 

    Aggressive Behavior

    Agitation/Irritability/Short Tempered/Rage Outbursts

    Agoraphobia

    Anhedonia

    Anxiety/Panic/Terror Attacks/Development of Various Fears and Phobias

    Apathy

    Cognitive Impairment/Fog

    Confusion

    Crying

    Depression

    Depersonalization

    Derealization

    Dysphoria

    Emotional Lability

    Feeling numb or like a “zombie on autopilot”/Feeling over-sedated

    Hallucinations

    Hearing Voices

    Impaired Judgment

    Intrusive thoughts/Excessive negative thinking and feelings of doom

    Irrational Thoughts and Behavior

    Loss of Creativity

    Mania

    Memory & Concentration Issues

    Monophobia

    Mood Swings

    Neurocognitive problems

    Obsessive compulsive or other “odd” behavior

    Paranoia

    Personality Changes

    Reckless Behavior

    Self-Harming Thoughts and Behavior

    Stress Intolerance

    Suicidal Ideation

 

PHYSICAL SIGNS

 

    Adrenaline Rushes

    Akathisia/Restlessness

    Allergies & Sensitivities increasing or developing

    Appetite changes

    Aura

    Blood Pressure Issues, fluctuations

    Cardiac Symptoms – Bradycardia (slow heart rate), Tachycardia (rapid heart rate), Heart Palpitations, Pounding heart

    Clenching jaw, especially during sleep (TMJ)

    Chills

    Increased susceptibility to illness, stress on the immune system

    Diminished Motor Skills – Clumsiness, Coordination Problems, Difficulty walking, Dropping things, Falling down

    Dizziness/Vertigo/Balance Issues (General vestibular disturbances)

    Drooling

    Dysautonomia Symptoms

    Dysphagia (swallowing difficulty)

    Earache

    Exhaustion

    Fainting

    Fasciculations (benign)

    Fatigue/Lethargy/Weakness

    Flu-Like Symptoms

    Frequent Urination

    Gastrointestinal Symptoms

    Grinding Teeth / TMJ problms

    Hair Loss

    Headaches

    Hearing loss or changes

    Hormonal Issues

    Hyperacusis (sensitivity to sound frequency)

    Inner Vibrating or Buzzing

    Intolerance to cold and heat

    Itching/Skin Rashes/Hives

    Joint Pain (And other joint issues)

    Lightheaded

    Loss of Coordination

    Malaise

    Menstrual Issues

    Migraine with or without aura

    Motion sickness susceptibility

    Muscle Symptoms – Clenching, Cramping, Loss of muscle tone, Over-or under-active muscle reflexes, Pain, Spasms, Squeezing, Stiffness, Tension, Twitching

    Nerve Pain

    Paresthesia – Tingling, tickling, prickling, numbness, burning of skin

    Perceptual disturbance (feeling of being on a boat, feelings of unreality, deja vu, etc.)

    Peripheral Neuropathy

    Photophobia

    Phonophobia

    Respiratory – Shortness of breath, Can’t get deep breath, Labored breathing, Over-breathing

    Sensitivity to light and sound

    Sensitivity to smells, including naturally occurring smells or chemicals such as fragrance

    Sensitivity to temperature, weather and pressure changes

    Shaking/Rigors/Tremors

  Sleep Issues – Excessive sleeping, Insomnia, Myoclonic jerks, Sleep paralysis, No dreaming, Vivid dreaming, Nightmares

    Slurred Speech

    Sweats

    Tachycardia between doses or in the morning, or generalized

    Tight Throat/Ball-in-throat sensation

    Tinnitus (Ringing or pulsatile effects in ears)

    Tremors

    Vision Issues – blurred vision, seeing spots, grainy visions, after-images, sensitivities

    Weight Loss

    Withdrawal symptoms that will intensify between doses or near dosing times

 

Source:  w-bad.org

 

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Patients taking benzodiazepines (BZs) often dismiss the dangers and physical dependence issues by rationalizing that they do not abuse or misuse their prescription and have no intention of ever coming off the drug or facing withdrawal.  Compounding these false conceptions, most doctors are not fully educated on the depth of problems surrounding this class of drug.

 

Unfortunately, the reality is that a percentage of patients run into serious problems while taking their prescription exactly as prescribed by their doctor. Adverse effects, interdose withdrawal, and tolerance are a few of the issues that may begin to surface. These issues can present relatively quickly after starting the drug, or it can take months or even years for obvious problems to manifest.  The symptoms may hit suddenly like a “ton of bricks” or may start to gradually build over time. The patient may find themselves deteriorating, feeling worse and worse, leading to more difficulty in functioning and sometimes even eventual disability.

 

Most often the doctor and patient will not connect the problems back to the benzodiazepine. This critical oversight can easily lead to a myriad of independent diagnoses, and all too frequently, an increase in dosage and/or additional prescriptions being added to the mix.

 

If you or a loved one are taking a benzodiazepine, it is crucially important that you familiarize yourself with the potential signs, symptoms and red-flag warnings. Because of the “spellbinding” and sedating nature of these drugs, and the fact the individual’s situation may slowly worsen over a longer period of time, it can be difficult to fully recognize the escalating problems and make the connection. This, combined with the lack of benzodiazepine education among medical professionals, may cause the patient to truly believe their health is declining for “no apparent reason” or that they are “going crazy.” For many, it took years of suffering and a downward spiral of health before putting the pieces together that it was the drug causing damage and increasing cognitive/mental and/or physical health deterioration.

 

Below is a list of symptoms that benzodiazepine patients reported experiencing while still on their prescription, as well as the ultimate reasons people decided to come off the BZs.

 

(NOTE:  These patient-reported signs and symptoms were either nonexistent prior to the benzodiazepine prescription, or exponentially worsened while taking the drug.  For instance, those put on these drugs for anxiety may begin experiencing intensifying anxiety and panic attacks like they’ve never before experienced.  Often, this is incorrectly attributed to the original, pre-existing condition worsening.)

 

THESE ARE JUST SOME OF THE MANY REPORTED SIGNS AND SYMPTOMS INDICATING YOU OR SOMEONE YOU CARE ABOUT MAY BE HAVING PROBLEMS WITH A BENZODIAZEPINE PRESCRIPTION:

MENTAL/COGNITIVE/BEHAVIORAL SIGNS.  You may or may not experience these symptoms.

 

    Aggressive Behavior

    Agitation/Irritability/Short Tempered/Rage Outbursts

    Agoraphobia

    Anhedonia

    Anxiety/Panic/Terror Attacks/Development of Various Fears and Phobias

    Apathy

    Cognitive Impairment/Fog

    Confusion

    Crying

    Depression

    Depersonalization

    Derealization

    Dysphoria

    Emotional Lability

    Feeling numb or like a “zombie on autopilot”/Feeling over-sedated

    Hallucinations

    Hearing Voices

    Impaired Judgment

    Intrusive thoughts/Excessive negative thinking and feelings of doom

    Irrational Thoughts and Behavior

    Loss of Creativity

    Mania

    Memory & Concentration Issues

    Monophobia

    Mood Swings

    Neurocognitive problems

    Obsessive compulsive or other “odd” behavior

    Paranoia

    Personality Changes

    Reckless Behavior

    Self-Harming Thoughts and Behavior

    Stress Intolerance

    Suicidal Ideation

 

PHYSICAL SIGNS

 

    Adrenaline Rushes

    Akathisia/Restlessness

    Allergies & Sensitivities increasing or developing

    Appetite changes

    Aura

    Blood Pressure Issues, fluctuations

    Cardiac Symptoms – Bradycardia (slow heart rate), Tachycardia (rapid heart rate), Heart Palpitations, Pounding heart

    Clenching jaw, especially during sleep (TMJ)

    Chills

    Increased susceptibility to illness, stress on the immune system

    Diminished Motor Skills – Clumsiness, Coordination Problems, Difficulty walking, Dropping things, Falling down

    Dizziness/Vertigo/Balance Issues (General vestibular disturbances)

    Drooling

    Dysautonomia Symptoms

    Dysphagia (swallowing difficulty)

    Earache

    Exhaustion

    Fainting

    Fasciculations (benign)

    Fatigue/Lethargy/Weakness

    Flu-Like Symptoms

    Frequent Urination

    Gastrointestinal Symptoms

    Grinding Teeth / TMJ problms

    Hair Loss

    Headaches

    Hearing loss or changes

    Hormonal Issues

    Hyperacusis (sensitivity to sound frequency)

    Inner Vibrating or Buzzing

    Intolerance to cold and heat

    Itching/Skin Rashes/Hives

    Joint Pain (And other joint issues)

    Lightheaded

    Loss of Coordination

    Malaise

    Menstrual Issues

    Migraine with or without aura

    Motion sickness susceptibility

    Muscle Symptoms – Clenching, Cramping, Loss of muscle tone, Over-or under-active muscle reflexes, Pain, Spasms, Squeezing, Stiffness, Tension, Twitching

    Nerve Pain

    Paresthesia – Tingling, tickling, prickling, numbness, burning of skin

    Perceptual disturbance (feeling of being on a boat, feelings of unreality, deja vu, etc.)

    Peripheral Neuropathy

    Photophobia

    Phonophobia

    Respiratory – Shortness of breath, Can’t get deep breath, Labored breathing, Over-breathing

    Sensitivity to light and sound

    Sensitivity to smells, including naturally occurring smells or chemicals such as fragrance

    Sensitivity to temperature, weather and pressure changes

    Shaking/Rigors/Tremors

  Sleep Issues – Excessive sleeping, Insomnia, Myoclonic jerks, Sleep paralysis, No dreaming, Vivid dreaming, Nightmares

    Slurred Speech

    Sweats

    Tachycardia between doses or in the morning, or generalized

    Tight Throat/Ball-in-throat sensation

    Tinnitus (Ringing or pulsatile effects in ears)

    Tremors

    Vision Issues – blurred vision, seeing spots, grainy visions, after-images, sensitivities

    Weight Loss

    Withdrawal symptoms that will intensify between doses or near dosing times

 

Source:  w-bad.org

As a retired physician I find your posts spot on especially those on insomnia. You time, effort, knowledge, and experience is very valued and appreciated.
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The problem is that people who take benzos are very often also on other drugs like ADs or whatever. They dont know which med caused the problem - or are told "its the underlying issue" means they are mentally ill and now suffer from new symptoms of that.

 

I told several doctors ALL of my red flags to each med I took and I was always told

1) to wait until the symptom is gone  :idiot:

2) that I was dreaming the symptom  :idiot:

3) that not the med was the problem but my health anxiety / personality  :idiot:

4) that ALL OTHER PATIENTS do not have those problems with the meds

5) to stop bringing up new problems again and again

 

So - for now - that I am med free - doctors are my new red flags.

 

Marigold

PS Thank you for that topic! good one!

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Needsomehelp

 

Thanks for the kind words.  That is my goal, to provide insight and knowledge into withdrawal and how insomnia fits into withdrawal.  I just didn't feel like I got all of the answers I was looking for early on in my withdrawal.

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How does one differentiate between these issues, especially tolerance while being on the medication and those of simply tapering and withdrawal?
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You really don't need to differentiate as symptoms are all being caused by the Benzo being removed from your system and your body beginning to repair the damage that was done.  As you get closer to ending your taper, symptoms may spike?  They may not?  It might take a month or two or longer after you are Benzo free for symptoms to kick in.  You may do well for days, weeks or months, only to get hit hard by symptoms.  Withdrawal is a real roller coaster ride for most.  There is no rhyme or reason to anything.  Expect the unexpected. 

 

Healing is nonlinear...very UP and DOWN for quite some time for most.  But it is TEMPORARY and the symptoms will eventually fade and completely end one day.  There is hope!  You are not broken.  You will heal.  Just be patient and let Time do its healing magic.

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You really don't need to differentiate as symptoms are all being caused by the Benzo being removed from your system and your body beginning to repair the damage that was done.  As you get closer to ending your taper, symptoms may spike?  They may not?  It might take a month or two or longer after you are Benzo free for symptoms to kick in.  You may do well for days, weeks or months, only to get hit hard by symptoms.  Withdrawal is a real roller coaster ride for most.  There is no rhyme or reason to anything.  Expect the unexpected. 

 

Healing is nonlinear...very UP and DOWN for quite some time for most.  But it is TEMPORARY and the symptoms will eventually fade and completely end one day.  There is hope!  You are not broken.  You will heal.  Just be patient and let Time do its healing magic.

 

Thanks for the encouragement TheWay2. I’m holding and slowing down and wonder if I’m doing more harm than good (tolerance setting in) or if my new pace will help. No way to really know since I’ve been unstable much of my taper.

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I didn't taper, but from what I read if people make a cut and their symptoms amp up, they hold at the previous level for another week or two until things even out.  You seem to be on a lower dose so I am not sure if that will help.  I know Ashton says no more that 10% of your previous dose every 2 weeks.

 

Good luck.

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Hi ThEwAy2,

 

I read all your posts - all are so encouraging, thank you. I wish very much to be at the end of my reduction. I have a year after the end of Klonopin. I'm starting to rebuild Remeron again. I am on a dose of Remeron 7.0 mg. I have 2 years of crazy insomnia, really insane sleep. I'm going to reduce Remeron for two years. I can not imagine that for two more years I will have insomnia. When I drop Remeron, even worse times will come - it's a terrible idea. I reduce Remeron every fifth day. In a month I will reduce by 0.3 mg Remeron. If I reduced every 14 days, I would have to reduce it for more than 3 years. There is a lot here in the forum that it is supposed to decrease and wait for a person to stabilize. I have never stabilized yet, even though I was on a three-month dose.

Do you have any advice?

 

Thank you.

M.

 

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Hi Margarita25,

 

Unfortunately I don't have any experience with tapering.  Hopefully others that have will chime in.  That seems like a really long taper?  Maybe the math is off?  Slow and steady wins the race for most.  Maybe visit the section on tapering?  I am sure there are lots of good posts and advice waiting to be had there?

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WOW! Hats off to you for researching this so well and writing something so profoundly true. I hope many people read your post.

 

Benzos are innsidious. They somehow invade your very brain, and change how you feel and act. Over time, they will affect your health as well.

 

Benzos should be outlawed unless someone is near death, ot going through some terrible temporary crisis. They should never be taken for more than about 2 weeks. But most of us here took them far longer. And we are paying the price for that.

 

Thank you for writing such a nice informative piece. I hope many people read it.

east :thumbsup:

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Thanks Theway2 for such an in depth write up of what benzos do to us. I didn't count, but probably had 50% on your list. I also woke up one morning with transient global amnesia. I recovered from it, but completely lost that day forever.

I agree with eastcoast62 that these drugs should not be given except when a person is near death, etc. My take is not outside of a hospital setting and never, ever should a patient be sent home with a script for benzos.

Mine was given to me for insomnia, when I  went in for marriage counseling. Certainly I was having trouble sleeping, but HAD  I been told that this drug would: become completely addictive and nearly impossible to get off of, would eventually stop working while taking the prescribed dose, and change my life, I would have never started taking the pills.

A few years ago, I started feeling like I was dying. I went to my pcp, and his only response was, "that must feel terrible." He could give me no explanation, as my blood work was all normal. The feeling lasted for at least a year before it went away.

I have been free of benzos for a little over a year, which I can thank BB for. This site probably saved my life or at least is giving me my life back one day at a time.

 

 

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Congrats on being a year Benzo free. 

 

Agree that Benzos should never be prescribed for anything unless they can save your life!

 

Almost all western doctors are clueless about Benzos and related withdrawal.  My GP said it didn't exist, then said even if it did it would not last longer than 2-3 weeks.  As soon as you rattle off symptoms, they say you have another mental issue/illness.  Then they go on to say you need another Rx drug to address your "mental illness."

 

They put a piece of black electrical tape or "smash out" your body's "check engine" light.  They never treat any underlying causes and only "mask" symptoms with Rx drugs.  It is a vicious circle.

 

 

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Congrats on being a year Benzo free. 

 

Agree that Benzos should never be prescribed for anything unless they can save your life!

 

Almost all western doctors are clueless about Benzos and related withdrawal.  My GP said it didn't exist, then said even if it did it would not last longer than 2-3 weeks.  As soon as you rattle off symptoms, they say you have another mental issue/illness.  Then they go on to say you need another Rx drug to address your "mental illness."

 

They put a piece of black electrical tape or "smash out" your body's "check engine" light.  They never treat any underlying causes and only "mask" symptoms with Rx drugs.  It is a vicious circle.

 

Amen. That’s when you drop the mic.

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Needsomehelp

 

Thanks for the kind words.  That is my goal, to provide insight and knowledge into withdrawal and how insomnia fits into withdrawal.  I just didn't feel like I got all of the answers I was looking for early on in my withdrawal.

 

Yes thank you. I havnt been here that long but this place is filled with information.  I wished i would have stumbled on it before i started my tapers.

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  • 4 weeks later...

Great information. knowledge is one of our greatest resources. In the post "what is happening to your brain, "

 

http://www.benzobuddies.org/forum/index.php?action=post;quote=886973;topic=66397.0

 

The damaging affects of benzo's are listed, and how our body tries to compensate. So, while on a benzo on a regular basis, our body is trying to eliminate it, it is slowing down vital systems we need to survive. Not to mention the hell we experience do to the damage down by a benzo once we quit or taper,

 

exerpt:

What does a benzo do?  If a person is anxious - they may be so stressed that they cannot overcome a very traumatic event or anxious situation.  If a doctor prescribes a benzo - the benzo comes in and sorta "holds the door open" for ALL the GABA in the system to FLOOD into the nerves - even when that is not what the nerves would actually want to occur. The immediate effect is that EVERYTHING ni the body SLOWS DOWN and is inhibited. This might be helpful during surgery, for anesthesia, for a seizure disorder.  Yes - the benzo - by definition - will act on GABA and "slow everything down".  And yes - the net effect of this is that a person may feel drowsy, calm, less anxious... everything is being inhibited.    And in general, taking a benzo for "one day"  is okay. When the benzo is gone, the body just reverts back to regular operation.

HOWEVER, if a person takes a benzo day after day,  while indeed the person feels less anxious, the body begins to realize that it cannot DO the things it needs to do in this very slowed-down neuron state. It cannot make hormones. It cannot create enzymes. It cannot digest correctly. It cannot keep a heart going efficiently. It cannot get enough oxygen- and on and on. The body NEEDS to run at "normal" speed - not this "inhibited speed" all slowed down. 

But what can the body do? It cannot "remove the benzo" from the system. The only choice the body has to maintain a regular speed is to do two things ..  It can TURN OFF it's own GABA receptors - thereby rendering those benzos unable to affect the GABA in the system. And it can grow MORE excitatory Glutamate receptors to counteract the slow-down.  And that's kinda exactly what happens....

 

Only - this isn't true balance either.  The body does the best it can - but over time, things begin to suffer.  The body cannot make enough serotonin in this state. Or dopamine. Some things get made in excess - and other things do not get made enough!  During this time, a person may not be aware this is all going on. He may not be able to perceive any difference. But ONE day - the person may wake up sad - or not sleeping well - or unable to remember things fully - or his vision doesn't look right....and it becomes apparent the person has "hit tolerance".  The body is taking the same amount of drug -but try as it might, it just cannot overcome what has occured. It can take weeks, months or years to hit tolerance. Some people do and some don't before trying to get off benzos.  (I did. - it took me 9 months to hit tolerance.  But it was fast.  Once I hit it, I could notsleep more than 6 hours on all that klonopin AND Ambien! I couldn't remember things last week. I was crying all the time... something was wrong.)

 

The process to reverse this takes a while.  GABA receptors have to UPregulate and effectively "reopen" or "grow back".  Glutamate receptors must DOWNregulate, or effectively "turn off" or "prune back".  And IN this mix, all the smaller monoamines (neurotransmitters like serotonin, dopamine, norepinephrine) must somehow find a way to synthesize in the mix.  Through weeks and months the body is rebuildling millions of neurons, and changing pathways, rebuilding GABA, downregulating Glutamate, rebuilding serotonin, rebuilding dopamine, rebuilding norepinephrine.  And ALL the enzymes and hormones that need to be made are attempting to be made while this is going on.  Basically- you have a building where the MAJOR streel structures are trying to be rebuilt at different times - ALL while people are coming and going in the building and attempting to work.

This is why we get this large range of paradoxical symptoms while on a benzo, at some point. Our CNS can't balance as long as the drug is continued.

 

The only way to heal, is to get off of them, which is a whole nother ordeal, but it's the only way we can recover from the sometimes extensive damage done by a benzo. We will continue experiencing these symptoms while tapering, at last I sure do. The body is always trying to find wholeness and health, but these drugs make it very difficult due to all of their side affects, and of course, the withdraw experience can be so intense.

 

Knowing that the benzo has and continues to cause damage, is very helpful when tapering gets overwhelming. We wont recover until we finish our tapers, and then the brain needs time to heal.

 

What a drug from hell.

 

 

 

 

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Great post, I thought these were all withdrawal symptoms, but you’re saying these symptoms can all be there from the drug, even prior to taper/withdrawal?? I have a twisty rd but have about 90% of these symptoms and haven’t started my temazapam taper. If I’m reading it correctly, I’m glad, it could be the drug wreaking this havoc?
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  • 1 month later...
You can have inter-dose withdrawal symptoms...I started having this way before I went cold turkey.  I thought I was going insane and was going to die until I found this site and started researching Benzos. 
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Thank you for the excellent post.

 

I have been on Xanex for years and had no idea that it was a/the problem. It just seemed that I was a messed up person who got sick a lot. The taper is very painful, but I look forward to looking at the world through brnzo free glasses.

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I just read this for the first time. It took me quite a while to get the concept of interdose withdrawal. But once I "got it" I knew it was true. While I was on benzos I slowly began to have some truly weird and awful symptoms. I saw various specialists. I was told I could have fibromyalgia, CFS, Lupus, M.S., Parkinsons and other bizarre stuff. No could could be sure, so. I just kept on taking my precious benzos and ADs.

Once I got off all those drugs, all my old symptoms disappeared, including my depression. And anxiety.

Over time I began to understand interdose withdrawal. I now realize that it most definitely happens.

YES. You can have withdrawal symptoms while still on the drug. Think of this in another way: An alcoholic drank too much the night before. He gets up, feels kind of nauseous and groggy (hungover) and his hands start to shake. He instinctively knows a bit of alcohol will fix this so he takes a shot. He feels better for a while but eventually needs another shot of bourbon to feel okay. THAT is tolerance withdrawal in a nutshell.

east

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