C/T and or kindle do I qualify!?

I took Diazepam for a vestibular issue as a vestibular suppressant on the following schedule:

 

2mg 3X a day 5 days

2mg 2X a day 6 days

2mg 1X a day 5 days

Stopped

13 days later bad consequences

Reinstated 17 days after last dose

2mg 3X a day 7 days

No relief so stopped

Worse consequences.

 

I have no prior experience with benzodiazepines or any drug for that matter including tobacco and alcohol.

 

I’ve been extensively tested and don’t have any major medical issues (ALS, brain tumor, MS). I just have my original inner ear issue (vestbulopathy).

 

My number one symptom is dizziness. I’m being pushed and pulled constantly whenever I stand or walk. It’s 20 times worse than the slight dizziness I’d been working on with my vestibular issues. To make matters worse my eyes (now relied upon more than ever for balance) got dry, my glasses prescription fluctuates, they seem slow to change focus, and I lost my ability to see at night (my ophthalmology research tells me night vision is the rods and cones at the edge of the retina and they are loaded with Gabba receptors).  I got neuropathy in my feet and my leg muscles have virtually no strength. Extreme fatigue,  Heart palpitations etc.

 

My question is all the drs tell me I was on a low dose for a short time and I even sort of tapered (albeit rapidly). So it can’t be withdrawal from diazepam. The proof they say is I reinstated for a week and found no relief.

 

I’m two months since my last dose and my symptoms are so bad I am still practically debilitated. The symptoms are clearly there and they’ve found no other medical cause.  So I keep thinking it’s either withdrawal or damage caused by excitotoxicity and ototoxicity when I stopped.

 

Does anyone have experience with such limited use yet such bad consequences? 

 

 

 

Lost, my hunch is that your original problem was never diagnosed correctly or treated appropriately. I am an RN of many years.

 

Yes, your symptoms could be from short term benzo use. But for some reason, I kind of doubt this. I think you need to see a new ENT doctor and get properly diagnosed and treated. Let me know what happens, please,.

east

I took Diazepam for a vestibular issue as a vestibular suppressant on the following schedule:

 

2mg 3X a day 5 days

2mg 2X a day 6 days

2mg 1X a day 5 days

Stopped

13 days later bad consequences

Reinstated 17 days after last dose

2mg 3X a day 7 days

No relief so stopped

Worse consequences.

 

I have no prior experience with benzodiazepines or any drug for that matter including tobacco and alcohol.

 

I’ve been extensively tested and don’t have any major medical issues (ALS, brain tumor, MS). I just have my original inner ear issue (vestbulopathy).

 

My number one symptom is dizziness. I’m being pushed and pulled constantly whenever I stand or walk. It’s 20 times worse than the slight dizziness I’d been working on with my vestibular issues. To make matters worse my eyes (now relied upon more than ever for balance) got dry, my glasses prescription fluctuates, they seem slow to change focus, and I lost my ability to see at night (my ophthalmology research tells me night vision is the rods and cones at the edge of the retina and they are loaded with Gabba receptors).  I got neuropathy in my feet and my leg muscles have virtually no strength. Extreme fatigue,  Heart palpitations etc.

 

My question is all the drs tell me I was on a low dose for a short time and I even sort of tapered (albeit rapidly). So it can’t be withdrawal from diazepam. The proof they say is I reinstated for a week and found no relief.

 

I’m two months since my last dose and my symptoms are so bad I am still practically debilitated. The symptoms are clearly there and they’ve found no other medical cause.  So I keep thinking it’s either withdrawal or damage caused by excitotoxicity and ototoxicity when I stopped.

 

Does anyone have experience with such limited use yet such bad consequences?

 

Have you ever taken fluoroquinolone antibiotic?

No such antibiotics luckily.

 

East

 

My original condition was bppv which I fixed with the epley maneuver. I was left with some imbalance that was aggravated by exercise and difficulty in busy environments like grocery stores. Had vestibular testing which showed some mild vestibulopathy. I was making some progress with vestibular rehabilitation exercises. I suspect a damaged utricle and otoliths.

 

Clearly my original issue is amplified or worsened. The issue is all these other symptoms are unrelated to vestibular issues in general. So I saw original condition coming back way worse than before being treated by Benzo and a host of other neurological symptoms...and that started to sound an awful lot like what people on the site were saying. Granted most people’s original condition is anxiety but rebound worsened anxiety in my case would be worsened balance.

 

Admittedly I’m confounded and the drs can’t find anything wrong.

 

 

Sorry you’re having this terrible symptom. I’ve had boatiness for years and it’s awful....but I believe mine is related to long term benzos. Yours probably isn’t.

 

Ask your doctor about persistent perceptual postural dizziness.

Sorry to hear you’ve had that feeling for so long. It’s incapacitating. PPPD is a definite suspect. I had researched that before taking diazepam. The only thing that keeps bringing me back to something Benzo related is the other symptoms that don’t seem to get reported with inner ear issuesor PPPD like dry eyes, jelly legs, heart palpitations, numb feet, burning toes. These seem to be common Benzo symptoms. It might even be both.

I took valium for muscle/leg issues following surgery (relatively short term).  I CT'd out of ignorance.  I also, some years previous had issues with vertigo/dizziness (mostly when lying down - especially when first getting up).  Mostly improved with Epley.  After w/d from valium I was slammed with magnified vestibular issues for months.  90% resolved now, but still comes and goes at times (im a more minor fashion) nearly 11 months out.  I too had other symptoms such as muscle pain, neuralgia, leg tingling and burning, heart palpitations, dry eyes etc. 

The problem, as I see it, is complicated. You didnt take benzos for long but for some reason some people just have an awful time when they stop taking them. And benzo WD can cause all the stuff you mentioned. But then again, you do have an officially diagnosed inner ear problem. That makes this a bit trickier. I would suggest considering seeing a new ENT and get yet another opinion, if you can adford to do this. And if they say the exact same things, I guess you are left with Benzo WD causing some of your symptoms. If so, welcome to a vast club of people! People DO heal from benzos, and I am a prime example. Shoot, if I can heal, anyone can.

Keep me up to date, please.

east

TN2451,

It does seem like you had the same experience as me. A relatively minor interaction with Valium and consequences beyond what most would expect. Also a vestibular problem.

 

Since our experiences seem to be quite similar might I ask you what your exposure to Valium was and which of your symptoms got better over how much time?

 

East,

I did have further confirmation of my inner ear issue but my guess is it’s compounded and added to by the Valium withdrawal. Amplification of the original issue with a host of traditional Benzo w/d symptoms thrown in for good measure. Of course drs will simply say the other issues are due to anxiety over being dizzy but I know that’s not the case.

 

Thanks so much for the help and info.