I've had enough!!!

I am so sick of drs/counselors saying "withdrawal only lasts 4 weeks". Had a phone conversation with a counselor this morning and she informed me I shouldn't be having withdrawal since the 4 week window has been over. Really la dr y??? I can promise you I didn't have anxiety before those stupid evil pills...I have a super sensitivity to medication...and now I'm thinking I'm having some withdrawal from the buspar my dr prescribed for my "GAD" that I don't even have...he will never admit that he was wrong in having me stop the ativan CT...

I don’t know where you are but the British National Formulary which is the drug bible for U.K. Drssays this:

 

“Withdrawal symptoms for long-term users usually resolve within 6–18 months of the last dose. Some patients will recover more quickly, others may take longer. The addition of beta-blockers, antidepressants and antipsychotics should be avoided where possible.”

 

https://bnf.nice.org.uk/treatment-summary/hypnotics-and-anxiolytics.html

 

 

 

 

Well isn't that wonderful...I currently take a beta blocker...I wasn't a long term user. I only took ativan for 1 month...2mg a day.

This makes me question myself...please someone tell me this is still withd5and I haven't developed an anxiety disorder??? :-(

Luv, I SERIOUSLY doubt you now have an anxiety disorder. I do not know why the medical community is still so ignorant. But they are. I ran into the exact same thing early in my wd.

Ajusta, nice information. That source of info is obviously more in touch with reality.  From what I have read over 6.5 years of learning about benzos, it IS only a small percentage of people who have truly AWFUL withdrawals. Just a guess...maybe 2-5 % But it most definitly does happen no matter what you read. Yes, long term benzo users tend to have more awful withdrawals, but after 6 years here on BB and elsewhere, I also know that a few people who took benzos for only a short amount of time c an suffer just as badly.

Luv, you are one of those people. Unlucky, just as I was and so many others.

In my opinion, Beta Bloclkers ARE safe for us to use. I take one and have since I was 25. I am now almost 69. Beta blockers are routinely used in detox centers to lower BP AND anxiety (not that detox people know much about BWD! They dont.) But I have never read or heard thaT Beta Blockers are a no no. Never read that on ANY benzo site, so if someone can tell me where they read that, I would like to read it.

Withdrawal often causes spikes in both BP and heart rate. Beta blockers usually do a good job of lowering both.

 

 

Luv: please just hang in there. Your day of healing is coming, and if you just hang on, you will find it. You have NOT gone crazy or developed psych issues out of the blue. In MOST cases, it all turns out to be getting off benzos. IF you have not read Parkers article "What is Happening in your Brain," do so NOW. A little bit of information will help you cope better.

 

east

 

I was doing better and the dr was lowering my bp med. But, I was taking buspar and stopped that...I'm wondering if I'm having withdrawal symptoms from that now or if they just made my benzo wd worse. Seems I have a very sensitive system to meds. Even the meds I've tried to get this GERD under control have been giving me bad side effects :-(

This makes me question myself...please someone tell me this is still withd5and I haven't developed an anxiety disorder??? :-(

 

As East says some short-term users are just unlucky.

 

I do think tapering or stopping any other drug is likely to cause some issues once CNS is destabilised.

 

Hopefully it will ease very soon.

 

If the Beta Blocker helps take it.

Luv, I SERIOUSLY doubt you now have an anxiety disorder. I do not know why the medical community is still so ignorant. But they are. I ran into the exact same thing early in my wd.

Ajusta, nice information. That source of info is obviously more in touch with reality.  From what I have read over 6.5 years of learning about benzos, it IS only a small percentage of people who have truly AWFUL withdrawals. Just a guess...maybe 2-5 % But it most definitly does happen no matter what you read. Yes, long term benzo users tend to have more awful withdrawals, but after 6 years here on BB and elsewhere, I also know that a few people who took benzos for only a short amount of time c an suffer just as badly.

Luv, you are one of those people. Unlucky, just as I was and so many others.

In my opinion, Beta Bloclkers ARE safe for us to use. I take one and have since I was 25. I am now almost 69. Beta blockers are routinely used in detox centers to lower BP AND anxiety (not that detox people know much about BWD! They dont.) But I have never read or heard thaT Beta Blockers are a no no. Never read that on ANY benzo site, so if someone can tell me where they read that, I would like to read it.

Withdrawal often causes spikes in both BP and heart rate. Beta blockers usually do a good job of lowering both.

 

 

Luv: please just hang in there. Your day of healing is coming, and if you just hang on, you will find it. You have NOT gone crazy or developed psych issues out of the blue. In MOST cases, it all turns out to be getting off benzos. IF you have not read Parkers article "What is Happening in your Brain," do so NOW. A little bit of information will help you cope better.

 

east

Beta-blockers. In a few cases, severe palpitations, muscle tremors or motor jerks develop during benzodiazepine withdrawal and hinder progress. These symptoms can be controlled or ameliorated by beta-blocking drugs such as propranolol (Inderal). Drugs of this type inhibit the effects of excess epinephrine and norepinephrine (adrenaline and noradrenaline) released by an overactive sympathetic nervous system. They slow the heart and prevent excess muscle activity. Although they have little effect on psychological symptoms, they can cut the vicious circle in which palpitations or tremor create anxiety which leads to yet more palpitations. Some people in benzodiazepine withdrawal take small doses of these drugs (10-20mg Inderal three times daily) regularly, while others reserve them to take only if the physical symptoms of a panic attack seem uncontrollable. They are not a cure, but can sometimes help people through a difficult situation. In larger doses, beta-blockers are used for raised blood pressure and angina, but such doses are not advised in benzodiazepine withdrawal. They should not be taken by anyone who has asthma as they can cause constriction of the bronchial tubes. If beta-blockers have been used regularly for any length of time, they should be withdrawn slowly by tapering the dosage, as they too can cause a withdrawal reaction of increased heart rate and palpitations.

https://benzo.org.uk/manual/bzcha03.htm#21

 

I'm so sorry you're going through this. I'm at my wits end as well. **** doctors. I don't ever want to see one again tbh. Most of them are ****.

 

 

 

 

 

 

*edited for language

Diana, exactly how I feel, I couldn't have put it better.

I am so sick of drs/counselors saying "withdrawal only lasts 4 weeks". Had a phone conversation with a counselor this morning and she informed me I shouldn't be having withdrawal since the 4 week window has been over. Really la dr y??? I can promise you I didn't have anxiety before those stupid evil pills...I have a super sensitivity to medication...and now I'm thinking I'm having some withdrawal from the buspar my dr prescribed for my "GAD" that I don't even have...he will never admit that he was wrong in having me stop the ativan CT...

 

I wish I could say I was surprised by all this, but I'm not.    My heart goes out to you in your suffering.   

Doctors are clueless. Absolutely ignorant to the damage that these drugs can do. I have no idea how it could have got to this...the naivety or outright denial about the drugs they are prescribing.

 

You will recover if you stop taking things. There is no doubt that you have been damaged by these drugs. Ignore what the doctors are saying and grit your teeth.

 

You'll turn a corner soon.

I'm so sorry you're going through this. I'm at my wits end as well. **** doctors. I don't ever want to see one again tbh. Most of them are ****.

 

 

 

 

 

 

*edited for language

 

Hello diana23-

 

Many of us have negative opinions on the medical community. I sure do, however, it is against forum rules to bash doctors and use foul language. Please familiarize yourself with  forum Rules & Guidelines.

 

Your cooperation is appreciated.

 

Bella

Luv,

 

Yes it’s tragic what they say isn’t it? My neurologist put me on Clonazepam and would have left me on it forever if I hadn’t wanted to come off. He signed off my taper plan which I now know was way too fast. Ironically my G.P. was the one that wanted me to come off. Have you read the Ashton Manual? It won’t stop your pain but it may help you come to terms with it. Good luck

Yes I read the manual. Very informative. I'm just so flabbergasted at how so many doctors have such a difference in opinion on the matter. My gyno acknowledged it as withdrawl the other week, and my GI dr acknowledged it yesterday. Only medication I'm taking now is metoprolol for high bp (didnt have before these wd symptoms) and the GI dr put me on amitriptyline yesterday for the gi issues I'm having (which I also didnt have until wd).

Just about everyone here on BB has negative feelings about doctors. And it is quite normal to feel a bit angry. But you cannot let this anger drive you, it is a waste of your time. Part of recovering from benzos is learning to deal with your emotions better. Benzos change all of that and while in WD your emotions may be all over the darn places. Ups and Downs and all arounds. Time WILL heal this stuff, if youjust givde your brain enough time.

I have been a fan of the 12 Steps for years. They give one a good guide on how to think and behave. Forgiving yourself and other is key. Making amends is also important.

When I was forced to go cold turkey by my doctor, I was seriously angry at him for months. Then I slowly realized it was a total waste of MY time, because it DID happen and I DID survive a CT WD. I had to let go of anger on this. I ended up writing that doctor a letter letting him know what I went through. I will ever know if he read it. Most likely it was tossed into the trash. It does not matter now. I did heal and what he did was wrong but in ALL truth, I KNOW it was my pnl;y chance to get off benzos. I was THAT addicted.

east (smiles to all of you!)

I was doing better and the dr was lowering my bp med. But, I was taking buspar and stopped that...I'm wondering if I'm having withdrawal symptoms from that now or if they just made my benzo wd worse. Seems I have a very sensitive system to meds. Even the meds I've tried to get this GERD under control have been giving me bad side effects :-(

 

I was on 30mg/day of Buspar and thought that I would lower it down to 20mg/day, as I didn't like being dependent on a whole 30mg of it. It was also giving me some dizziness at the 30mg. So, last year, I went down from 30mg to 25mg, waited a while and went down from 25mg to 20mg. I have to tell you that I definitely felt it.

 

First, I don't think that Buspar is as easy to discontinue as common folklore seems to suggest. Just because something is not deemed habit forming doesn't mean it's easy to stop. Quite the contrary.

 

Second, buspar has anxiolytics qualities that can cover up the benzo withdrawal underneath it. So stopping buspar will expose the benzo withdrawal in its all ugly glory.

 

Finally, lowering the BP med and stopping buspar at the same time will expose the central nervous system sensitivities. Good to keep in mind.

Eastcoast I agree with you up to a point, but what about those of us that didn't take benzos for anxiety etc? I had no emotional issues that I couldn't deal with myself before I was prescribed V for muscle spasm prior to surgery and I am very angry that the Dr was so clueless as to prescribe it, there were many other meds that I could have been given without such deleterious consequences. I am having a hard time dealing with the anger I feel towards the medical profession, not just for the prescribing of V but for the cascade of catastrophic consequences that followed. 18 months of my life in hell due to a clueless and arrogant medico.

Soouthernstar, you have a good point.

In my case, I had some anxiety before going on benzos. But it all got so much worse once I took benzos for sleep.

I think that anger against ones doctors is just a normal stage when someone goes off benzos. You DO feel angry! And rightfully so. Nop one told you it could be this bad. You trusted your doctor and look what happened.

 

But My point remains the same. Let your anger out, and in the future, when you feel ready, ;earn to forgive. AA does have somre good ideas and forgiveness is just one. I am noyt an AA member, just a fan of their philosophy.

 

 

The sad truth is that MOST physicians havent a clue about benzos. They onl;y know what the drug companies tell them and what they read in their medical books. Last time I cleaned the pschciatrists condo, I spent some time reading  parts of his meical library. Onl;y one book out of 4 seemed to know more of the truth about BWD. Ths surprised me.And they were fairly current books.

 

 

Direct your anger at the drug companies, who (many people think-) have supporessed the truth for years. Greed is often a driving force. The Benzo Information Coalition is a good source for informtation on this. Their mission is to educate the public (and doctors) about benzos. They have a really neat newsletter.

 

east

 

Feelings are not bad.  But my former doctor is.

I was extremely angry with my two doctors when I was forced to go CT.

But after a few months of living hell, I began to realize that I had some responsibility in my own disaster and I could not waste time feeling so angry. I wrote my former psych doc a letter, and also my medical doc. I know my medical doc read it but I doubt the psych doc did. His wife screened all his mail. Writing those letters was just my very first step in no longer blaming others for my misfortune.

Once I healed, I decided to never blindly trust a physician again. I am the captain of my ship and no doctor can ever make me do something I do not want to.

east

I bear no responsibility for my former doctor's evil. 

Most doctors are not informed of the truth about benzos. That is just how it is and why? I do not know.

I DO know that  holding onto anger because your doctor was ignorant is a waste of your time. All of us need to focus on positives and learn how to deal with the stuff we live with now. I am an RN of 36 years and I even worked on an acute psych ward and in a Detox Center. Never ONCE did I hear the truth about benzos. None of my patients told me, probably because they were afraid to, just as I felt after I went CT. I wish I knew why the truth has been withheld from medical people. Does Big Pharma pay millions of practitioners to squelch the real truth??? The drug companies, from what I have read, know perfectly well how  dangerous benzos and other psych drugs are, but only make public the "positive" stuff. What a pack of lies this is. In all my years working in medicine I have only met 2 physicians who seem to know the truth about this stuff. That is indeed sad.

My point to you is this: you cannot spend much time on this anger you have. Yes, you have a right to be angry! So did I. But part of healing from benzos means letting go of all of that anger and focussing only on YOU.

 

All patients need to take responsibility for their health and not just trust a doctor to know what you should do  .Do your research before taking yet another drug. Never blindly trust a physician again. And spend some time thinking about your current anger and what it really means to you.

east

Inexcusable evil and inexcusable professional incompetence exist in our world.  It's okay to not be okay with either.  My former doctor, in particular, bears a striking resemblance to .

Most doctors are not informed of the truth about benzos. That is just how it is and why? I do not know.

I DO know that  holding onto anger because your doctor was ignorant is a waste of your time. All of us need to focus on positives and learn how to deal with the stuff we live with now. I am an RN of 36 years and I even worked on an acute psych ward and in a Detox Center. Never ONCE did I hear the truth about benzos. None of my patients told me, probably because they were afraid to, just as I felt after I went CT. I wish I knew why the truth has been withheld from medical people. Does Big Pharma pay millions of practitioners to squelch the real truth??? The drug companies, from what I have read, know perfectly well how  dangerous benzos and other psych drugs are, but only make public the "positive" stuff. What a pack of lies this is. In all my years working in medicine I have only met 2 physicians who seem to know the truth about this stuff. That is indeed sad.

My point to you is this: you cannot spend much time on this anger you have. Yes, you have a right to be angry! So did I. But part of healing from benzos means letting go of all of that anger and focussing only on YOU.

 

All patients need to take responsibility for their health and not just trust a doctor to know what you should do  .Do your research before taking yet another drug. Never blindly trust a physician again. And spend some time thinking about your current anger and what it really means to you.

east

 

 

Compared to benzos, I had very few problems with the antidepressant I was talking. Actually, I most likely would have continued to have very little problems with the antidepressant, but all the negative campaigning out there against the antidepressants had convinced me that they are dangerous for me to keep taking, while I failed to see that it was the benzo that was making me sick.

 

I had seen a few other BB's make the same mistake with getting off of their antidepressant too quickly and unable to get on it again, not realizing it was a benzo that was the culprit and that it was making them much more sensitive to the other medications.

 

There are millions of people out there who take antidepressants and do not take benzos and they live normal, productive lives. Benzodiazepines are one of the most iatrogenic Rx drug classes in the world, and it's important for that to be understood. I guess, people are still afraid to talk about benzos openly, so they normalize it by talking about about dangers of prescription drugs in geneal. It's this normalizing that prevented me from fully appreciating the dangers of benzos at a much younger age.

 

It's much better to let people understand the danger of benzodiazepines very early on (teens, preferably), as that's where so many of the dangers lie. Legal age for drinking alcohol is 18 or 21 (depending what part of the globe one lives at), yet so many younger teens get benzodiazepines prescribed for anxiety. I was given my first benzo prescription when I was 17. Some get them at 15 or even younger.