Have you healed from CT long term benzos?

Please send me your healing story?  Being forced to CT ... I was not informed of my future.  In my fourth month, I’m not thinking I have much of a future at 60.  Feel free to pm rather than post.

 

Thank you.  SaraSue

Hi Sara...I c/t Dec. 2018.  Am 57yrs and have healed a lot since acute.  I am driving some but it takes everything out of me when I try to re-enter my life.  We have a lot of healing left to do but it's happening everyday.  I am so damn grateful that I can function again....even though some days or hours seem hopeless.  Not exactly a success story but I didn't think I would be doing as well as I am 4 months out.  My husband doesn't get it and thinks I am 100%....or at least should be.  This seems to be one of my biggest hurdles.  Maybe he has the brain injury...jeeeezzz!!!!  You hang tough.

Thank you Doveluv,

 

I love hearing CT (long term older users) healing stories.  60 years young.  I’m in my fourth month since CT and not as healed as you (I will get there).  No driving for me, numb body and cog fog.  I appreciate you posting here! 

 

May we heal quicker.

 

SaraSue 

 

 

Sarah, I'm sending you support!!! I personally know many people who were healed after years of use! You are a great support for me!

Thank you, Bazil.

 

We are healing.

 

SaraSue 

Bump.

Please send me your healing story?  Being forced to CT ... I was not informed of my future.  In my fourth month, I’m not thinking I have much of a future at 60.  Feel free to pm rather than post.

 

SaraSue here is an another successful story about CT/ing.

I quit/forced to quit over a year ago, clonazepam 8mg per day.

That was my starting point with some days taking up to an additional 16mg  per day.

Took me six weeks and I've never looked back.

BTW I was 63 when I ct/ed.

Hang in there because it can be done.

 

 

 

Lucky,

 

Fabulous healing story!  Lucky, a perfect word.  So happy to hear you healed quick from CT.  Thank you for posting!

 

SaraSue 

Many thanks to those of you that sent me pm’s!

 

4 months is very early, considering how long and how much you took of the xanax.

 

I remember my first real sign of getting better was at around 6 months. I felt a noticable bump in wellbeing. Still bad, of course. But not as bad.

 

 

I'm at 18 months at the moment. Took ~10mg diazepam for a short few months almost daily. Before that I only ever took it sporadically, meaning at most once a week, maybe once every other week. Sometimes two or three months would go by without a single dose of it.

I cold turkeyed off it, because I had no idea I was dependent on the drug and when I found out, I was so shocked and angry that I simply wanted off then and there. Reckless decision, but hey it is what it is.

 

I'm dealing mostly with cardiovascular symptoms (intense/fast heart rate, meaning not only is it often too fast for my liking, but also very hard/intense, like even at lower heart rates my heart pounds very hard), anxiety/panic, and terrible monophobia (fear of being alone). If the cardiovascular stuff and the monophobia went away... my God. I would be so happy.

Never,

 

I know it’s early, I’m just so frustrated!!  I was told by my docs I was taking a low dose.   

 

I will be so glad when this year is over (I think). 

 

We are healing, slowly.

 

SaraSue

My prescription was for 6 mg day!  Thankfully, I never took that much!!  I hope that fact helps my healing!!

Please send me your healing story?  Being forced to CT ... I was not informed of my future.  In my fourth month, I’m not thinking I have much of a future at 60.  Feel free to pm rather than post.

 

Thank you.  SaraSue

 

SaraSue, please don’t worry – four months is still the ‘early days,’ as sad as that sounds. I was horribly polydrugged, and floxxed to boot, then cold-turkeyed from Ativan on top of it, and oh my, how different things are now!

 

Slowly but surely I’ve recovered from almost every symptom, except for burning nerve pain and a few other smaller things, such as a total lack of motivation (which is the exact opposite of my positively-driven nature). For all I know, the nerve damage could be a residual problem from having two rounds of Levaquin for pneumonia, but who knows for sure – it was quite a while ago.

 

After my rapid taper/cold turkey, I had every horrifying symptom imaginable, and all at once – it was truly a descent into hell. During tolerance, withdrawal and early recovery, I had became bed bound, and could barely walk from my bedroom to the bathroom or kitchen, it was so bad.

 

In any case, every other symptom is GONE. My seemingly-incurable insomnia, during which I never slept for more than two hours a night for two solid years, has been replaced by sleeping almost obsessively (by choice) for 12 hours at a time, because it’s so delicious to be able to do that again. And the dreams are sheer delight most of the time – no more of the screaming nightmares and toxic, cortisol-y wake-ups.

 

Also, don’t give your age a second thought – I jumped at 65, and I feel as though I’ve been reborn.

 

Omg yes, the screaming nightmares! What a hellish experience they were. I still remember some nightmares vividly, because they were so "real" and horrific. Amazing what our minds can come up with.

Leslie Ash,

 

Thank you so much!  I’m sorry you were tormented by a multitude of sxs, so thankful to here you healed!!  Being older, I get concerned these 40+ sxs are never going to go away ... SS are few and far between for CT/RT.  My peripheral nueropathy is from being Floxed.

 

When I get a slight break for an hour, I get hope.

 

SaraSue 

Leslie,

 

I needed your reassurance today!  I feel horrid ...  withdrawal is so tough!

 

Thank you!

 

SaraSue

Very few responses frightening!

Hey Sara...checking in.  Any better today?  I read you made a week long trip.  amazing!  I am doing ok but don't think I could stand being trapped that long.  My brain still has a lot of healing to do.  Way to get thru it!  Today I am celebrating Spring.  It's been a hellish long winter.  Trying to shake it off.  Hang in there.

Dove,

 

Trip was a nightmare, I hid in our room.  Third day home sxs are wiping me out.  More physical sxs for me ... I think I prefer physical as bad as they are.... my brain can’t take much more.

 

Spring has been wonderful, the severe cold was tougher this year.  Happy spring is there for you. 🌸🌺💐

 

We are healing.

 

SaraSue 

Hi, Congratulations on quitting these awful drugs! I'm a success story @ 8 months Benzo free after 7 years & Antidepressant Free after 11 years, I was floxed after a bout of double Pneumonia and was in Tolerance Withdrawal for about 6 years. I CT & I feel better everyday, I have some setback, but nothing like what I was feeling before I jumped-  If you'd like to read my story you can find it under Benzo-free section of this forum- 8 months Benzo Free - Laydefish  Take care & Hang in there- it does get better!

I'm in month 5 and I cold turked and I'm honestly functioning well. I'm still having some issues and some days are better than other's but over all I'm OK. I even had a job interview during the week and I sparkled. My old personality was back. I'm laughing a lot lately and I even cried at something the other day, which is good because I haven't been able to cry at a lot. I lost both my sisters with in nine weeks of each other at the beginning of the year and I couldn't feel anything. I am having some issues with anxiety which I didn't have before but I'm figuring out my triggers and I'm mediating which really does help.

I've been listening to a guy called Dr Joe Dispenza on you tube a lot. He's a neuroscientist who teaches people to heal using meditation. Check him out.

 

I was so sick when I was in tolerance w/d and looking back I was even sicker in acute but I just refuse to give in and everytime I have a wave, I just tell myself I'm healing, because I am and so will you.

 

Kam,

 

I’m happy for you!  I’m in month 5 and not functioning well (thankful for today’s few hours).  Hearing you are doing so well is great!  It gives me more hope!

 

SaraSue 

I’m asking again??

 

SaraSue 

SaraSue,

You already know my story, but it is good to remind you. I did heal, from a THIRTY year stupid love affair with various benzos. I truly thought they helped me go to sleep. Little did I know!

Over the years here and elsewhere, I have MANY people who CT'd off benzos and healed. I have yet to read a CREDITABLE report of someone who did not heal, even if they went cold turkey.

On the internet, you always have to understand that NOT everything you read is true. All of us bring our personalities and faults when we go online. And most of us don't want to be TOTALLY honest, as it might embarrass us. This was something I learned in BWD, and I try not to lie at all now, unless its a little white lie to make someone feel better.

I know you can get through this, dear lady that I so care about.

Remember that Beatles song, ":With a Little Help from My Friends?" Well, that is BB. BB will always be here to help you get through and that includes me.

If Bear could kiss you, he would. And I am giving you a virtual hug right now.

east

Hi Sara...It's Dove again.  No I am not healed but well on my way.  I can't believe I lived through acute.  It was barbaric as you well know.  That's all I have to do is remember just how fricking bad it was.  Am just coming out of a killer wave full of sxs.  But nothing like acute.  The hell is usually followed by a nice reprieve.  The worse the wave, the better the reprieve.  I don't call them windows.  I haven't felt "normal" yet and don't expect to.  There is a "new normal" coming for us.  I was screwed up any way with accepting a pill to address panic/anxiety.  It worked for awhile and then I hit tolerance and felt awful.  We are going to feel better than we can imagine right now.  I believe it and this pulls me through.  You have made a lot of progress.  You are strong and hell bent on getting to the other side!  You are closer than you think.