rehab success stories?

Hey has anyone gone to rehab and had a good experience? I'm about to and scaredddddd. 

Hey has anyone gone to rehab and had a good experience? I'm about to and scaredddddd. 

Do you have more details..??

From your history, -I thought you were off med around New Yrs..??

 

Have you tried getting off fast a couple of times already..?? These are pretty strong meds, so what appear "small cuts" often are NOT.. 

 

I note you had some input from a short term member in Jan who hasnt posted since his "Giant Leap", Just be aware your situation may not reflect his so well... Sorry, I dont even know IF you gave it much relevance, or more, any later posts of his... Water under the bridge now anyway I assume...

 

As to Detox/CT/RT, I know you asked for Success Stories, Sorry that I have deviated from that..  But I didnt want your post to go unanswered on such an important matter.. Pls forgive me, and I hope some here can give you the encouragement you seek...

 

There are usually a couple of threads on the topic each week..  I havnt seen an indepth one for a while, so a "Search" might be advantageous.. I know there are some great ones from a couple of yrs ago, and a good link in a recent one...

But I would be comfortable to sum up with, -That in most cases its something people dearly wish they could take back.. This is not to say that there arent situations where there are advantages, but more when medication intake is hard to control, Ie. Addiction, rather than dependance... Or if there are say strong paradoxical reactions or med interactions and one needs continued medical supervision for the rarer occurences of strokes.. Self harm may be another consideration, but in most cases one is just ripped off their meds and sent home to suffer as things get worse, so perhaps not so much value in that over some at home support..

 

Do you have a Detox place picked, ?? What is their proticols.?? Some will just drug you to the eyeballs, -until you are out of their care, and another Drs (if your lucky) problem... From what I read, a high number reinstate after Detox.. I know I did after I5 months of getting worse, but that was not a benzo..

 

Not attempting to put you off (for that I would have told my detox story), More trying to impress on you to be very sure and fully informed..

Most of us don't heal just because the meds are out, we heal as the body slowly adjusts its receptors and overall chemistry back to normal... The sudden shock of a Rapid or CT taper may not help this any...

 

I remember how relieved I was when they said "Sure, We will have you totally off in 7 days".. They CTd me on admission, and all my other meds until I could intervene... And Im stopping there...

 

Happy to help any way I can, and so will everyone else here...

 

 

Did you reinstate?

From what I read, a high number reinstate after Detox.. I know I did after I5 months of getting worse, but that was not a benzo..

 

Yes, Cant did reinstate.

 

I have to say that having been around this forum for years, I can't recall a rehab/detox that went well. And some went very badly.

 

Don't mean to scare you -- just saying what I've observed. 

 

Katz

Cant - how long did you wait to reinstate?

Cant - how long did you wait to reinstate?

15 months..  -A very long 15 months of bed n bad times..

-just realised my sig and timeline was wrong too..  -Fixed..

Did you reinstate?

This was for the OP wasnt it..?? -we may have cross posted as I did a quick edit..??

 

Did you reinstate?

This was for the OP wasnt it..?? -we may have cross posted as I did a quick edit..??

 

Did reinstatement help at all? Or did you kindle? I’m 12 months out and still suffering. I was only on for 10 days and CT’ed.

Did you reinstate?

This was for the OP wasnt it..?? -we may have cross posted as I did a quick edit..??

 

Did reinstatement help at all? Or did you kindle? I’m 12 months out and still suffering. I was only on for 10 days and CT’ed.

Like I mentioned, It was on another med (opiates), Which like benzos, has its own unique Identifying symptoms.. Combined with my dosage situation, etc. on that med, The whole situation will not translate to you well at all, -im sorry..  I have pondered that in the past...

 

But yes it has helped, in its own way, but I reinstated low dose (relative) and stayed in tolerance with symptoms on top of the nonfunctional GI that I reinstated for.. It was a specific med that I reinstated on, with a blocker that has a high first pass affinity to the GI receptors... Thus the GI healing that I sought.. (all the while tapering Valium which ironicly was my taper aid for opiates..!!)

I have recently crossed back to my original opiate, oxycontin, and once stable will begin a slow taper off... So I cant realy say how much it has helped..?? -Enough to survive, I guess...

 

10 days..   -I realy feel for you..!! -So many questions, -no answers, just speculation and what ifs.. You sure have my respect..! I doubt I could come up with something you havnt thought of 1000 times over..  It sure doesnt seem like "normal" down regulation, thus I wonder if tapering would have ever given upregulation a chance..?? -no matter how slow.. But then who realy knows how it all works, or what can be taken off the table.. -if anything... 

Were it me, and it isnt, -If I truly couldnt go on anymore waiting, I sure would try something, as much as it would be a flip of the coin.. I guess "now", I would exhaust whole food combinations and "modulation", -Even suppliments, but with someone experienced in these things (not a simple thing to find).. If still not bearable, perhaps I would try holding at a sub therapeautic dose for a while, and re-evaluate from there.. Hopefully with view to an extra, extra slow micro taper.. 

But realy thats not more than a wild guess on my behalf, -I might do everything possible to hold on, as 1,2,3, years are not that abnormal as far as benzo timeframes go, and it is med free healing time...

 

Obviously, this isnt advice at all, just me pondering, To pretend I had answers would be rather ummm, -not cool..

 

Wishing you a viable solution..

 

Hey has anyone gone to rehab and had a good experience? I'm about to and scaredddddd. 

 

Have you read the warning at the top of this board?  In case you haven't, here it is:

 

(Rapid) Detox refers to when benzodiazepines are withdrawn in an inpatient setting, over a few days, or a week or two, using adjunctive medications to mitigate against the risks of status epilepticus seizures. Although considered 'medically safe', detox withdrawal of benzodiazepines will not protect patients from the potential risks of experiencing very protracted and debilitating withdrawal symptoms after they leave the detox facility. More about benzodiazepine withdrawal syndrome.

 

 

I went through a hospital "detox" 10 years ago.  It was awful, and the symptoms afterward were so dreadful I eventually reinstated.  So, please beware.

Did you reinstate?

This was for the OP wasnt it..?? -we may have cross posted as I did a quick edit..??

 

Did reinstatement help at all? Or did you kindle? I’m 12 months out and still suffering. I was only on for 10 days and CT’ed.

Like I mentioned, It was on another med (opiates), Which like benzos, has its own unique Identifying symptoms.. Combined with my dosage situation, etc. on that med, The whole situation will not translate to you well at all, -im sorry..  I have pondered that in the past...

 

But yes it has helped, in its own way, but I reinstated low dose (relative) and stayed in tolerance with symptoms on top of the nonfunctional GI that I reinstated for.. It was a specific med that I reinstated on, with a blocker that has a high first pass affinity to the GI receptors... Thus the GI healing that I sought.. (all the while tapering Valium which ironicly was my taper aid for opiates..!!)

I have recently crossed back to my original opiate, oxycontin, and once stable will begin a slow taper off... So I cant realy say how much it has helped..?? -Enough to survive, I guess...

 

10 days..   -I realy feel for you..!! -So many questions, -no answers, just speculation and what ifs.. You sure have my respect..! I doubt I could come up with something you havnt thought of 1000 times over..  It sure doesnt seem like "normal" down regulation, thus I wonder if tapering would have ever given upregulation a chance..?? -no matter how slow.. But then who realy knows how it all works, or what can be taken off the table.. -if anything... 

Were it me, and it isnt, -If I truly couldnt go on anymore waiting, I sure would try something, as much as it would be a flip of the coin.. I guess "now", I would exhaust whole food combinations and "modulation", -Even suppliments, but with someone experienced in these things (not a simple thing to find).. If still not bearable, perhaps I would try holding at a sub therapeautic dose for a while, and re-evaluate from there.. Hopefully with view to an extra, extra slow micro taper.. 

But realy thats not more than a wild guess on my behalf, -I might do everything possible to hold on, as 1,2,3, years are not that abnormal as far as benzo timeframes go, and it is med free healing time...

 

Obviously, this isnt advice at all, just me pondering, To pretend I had answers would be rather ummm, -not cool..

 

Wishing you a viable solution..

 

Thanks cant. I believe I was hooked on day 5 or 6 as I took a quarter of a pill and woke up in the middle of the night with my heart racing and had to take another quarter for it to calm down. I was given no disclosure about this med other than it was addictive and only given 15 tabs with 0 refill, but I must have had a compromised nervous system as I experienced a hellacious episode from Saw Palmetto extract in 2008 (taken for 9 days). I believe it left me vulnerable in hindsight but I was desperate for sleep at the time (went temporarily deaf with tinnitus due to a severe ear infection this time last year and unable to sleep). I also started Medrol the same day I started Klonopin, plus I was already on Augmentin for the ear infection, so I am assuming the polydrugging played some sort of role.

 

My GP's taper was basically a cold turkey as she didn't want to deepen my dependency, but I have come to learn that dependency is binary. You're either dependent or not. I honestly thought WD would be mild and short-lived given my short usage but I was gravely mistaken. I should have reinstaed with the broken remaining tablets I had left but still needed a regular supply of pills to taper from in retrospect.

 

What's worse is that doctors didn't believe and just wanted to script me antidepressants. My quality of life is poor right now.

Did you reinstate?

This was for the OP wasnt it..?? -we may have cross posted as I did a quick edit..??

 

Did reinstatement help at all? Or did you kindle? I’m 12 months out and still suffering. I was only on for 10 days and CT’ed.

Like I mentioned, It was on another med (opiates), Which like benzos, has its own unique Identifying symptoms.. Combined with my dosage situation, etc. on that med, The whole situation will not translate to you well at all, -im sorry..  I have pondered that in the past...

 

But yes it has helped, in its own way, but I reinstated low dose (relative) and stayed in tolerance with symptoms on top of the nonfunctional GI that I reinstated for.. It was a specific med that I reinstated on, with a blocker that has a high first pass affinity to the GI receptors... Thus the GI healing that I sought.. (all the while tapering Valium which ironicly was my taper aid for opiates..!!)

I have recently crossed back to my original opiate, oxycontin, and once stable will begin a slow taper off... So I cant realy say how much it has helped..?? -Enough to survive, I guess...

 

10 days..   -I realy feel for you..!! -So many questions, -no answers, just speculation and what ifs.. You sure have my respect..! I doubt I could come up with something you havnt thought of 1000 times over..  It sure doesnt seem like "normal" down regulation, thus I wonder if tapering would have ever given upregulation a chance..?? -no matter how slow.. But then who realy knows how it all works, or what can be taken off the table.. -if anything... 

Were it me, and it isnt, -If I truly couldnt go on anymore waiting, I sure would try something, as much as it would be a flip of the coin.. I guess "now", I would exhaust whole food combinations and "modulation", -Even suppliments, but with someone experienced in these things (not a simple thing to find).. If still not bearable, perhaps I would try holding at a sub therapeautic dose for a while, and re-evaluate from there.. Hopefully with view to an extra, extra slow micro taper.. 

But realy thats not more than a wild guess on my behalf, -I might do everything possible to hold on, as 1,2,3, years are not that abnormal as far as benzo timeframes go, and it is med free healing time...

 

Obviously, this isnt advice at all, just me pondering, To pretend I had answers would be rather ummm, -not cool..

 

Wishing you a viable solution..

 

Thanks cant. I believe I was hooked on day 5 or 6 as I took a quarter of a pill and woke up in the middle of the night with my heart racing and had to take another quarter for it to calm down. I was given no disclosure about this med other than it was addictive and only given 15 tabs with 0 refill, but I must have had a compromised nervous system as I experienced a hellacious episode from Saw Palmetto extract in 2008 (taken for 9 days). I believe it left me vulnerable in hindsight but I was desperate for sleep at the time (went temporarily deaf with tinnitus due to a severe ear infection this time last year and unable to sleep). I also started Medrol the same day I started Klonopin, plus I was already on Augmentin for the ear infection, so I am assuming the polydrugging played some sort of role.

 

My GP's taper was basically a cold turkey as she didn't want to deepen my dependency, but I have come to learn that dependency is binary. You're either dependent or not. I honestly thought WD would be mild and short-lived given my short usage but I was gravely mistaken. I should have reinstaed with the broken remaining tablets I had left but still needed a regular supply of pills to taper from in retrospect.

 

What's worse is that doctors didn't believe and just wanted to script me antidepressants. My quality of life is poor right now.

I dont mean this casually, -But have faith in your body... It can truly be amazing.. Only a fraction of my med history is in my sig and history.. Its been a long road, but here we are, every milestone in a bit better position...

 

***

I Do hope the OP Pugsandpinapples posts for any support or questions they might have..??

 

 

Hey has anyone gone to rehab and had a good experience? I'm about to and scared. 

 

I'm going to cut right to the point in regards to Rehabs/Detox Centers. Seeing how I went to one of the MOST expensive ones in California. And with that...how much one place costs verse the other doesn't put out different results. Trust me. The end result is the same.

 

The problem with these Rehab centers is that the rapid removal of benzos from your system. They put you on high doses of anti seizure meds when you get there so you dont seize and die. Once the coast is clear from seizures...they take you off those meds. Which isn't a fun feat in itself.

 

The biggest issue here is the rehabs are NOT set up to provide the long term care you will need from the CT they inflict upon you. You will leave there in WAY worse shape than when you arrived. It will take a long time for your body to recover from the rapid removal of the drugs. This process is NOT for the faint of hearts. The symptoms you will experience will be beyond extreme and debilitating.

 

Rehabs are just a waste of money in my opinion. You could use that money to live off of if you get to sick to work while your tapering at home. That money will help give you comfort while healing.

 

I could barely get on a airplane and fly home the day I left rehab. I had to have someone take care of me on the plane while i was hooked to a portable blood pressure monitor. I still have that monitor as a souvenir of the mass amount of  money i wasted and the pain and suffering i went through.

 

The good news with all of this is you WILL heal no matter which path you choose. Some paths are easier than others. But you need to proceed with caution down the path your considering.

Krock, I pretty much agree with you. But over time I have met benzo people who did feel safer being in a detox. Very few of them know much about benzos, but maybe just the notion that you are being "watched" for stuff like seizures makes them feel  safer. I g.uess people need to make this sort of decision by what they feel. There is nothing wrong about being inpatient, and if it makes one feel safer, it will help. That is how I see it, anyway.

Kroc, I pretty much agree with you. But over time I have met Benz people who did feel safer being in a detox. Very few of them know much about banzais, but maybe just the notion that you are being "watched" for stuff like seizures makes them feel  safer. I g.uses people need to make this sort of decision by what they feel. There is nothing wrong about being inpatient, and if it makes one feel safer, it will help. That is how I see it, anyway.

 

I see your point. If you want to CT under medical supervision to avoid seizures i get it. I mean that's what i did. But i was stupid. And I sure the hell didn't feel safe while i was there OR when i got home. And i paid alot of money to be there and i thought i was going to die. NO joke!! All hell breaks loose once they pull you off the benzos. Its just a fact. Theres easier ways to do this. Just my 2 cents.

 

I support anyone coming off benzos in anyway. ...CT....taper....you name it. I'm down if your down. If you choose that path...I'm hear to support you through thick or thin. I'm just giving people a little reality check. The posh bedrooms and gourmet food they feed you in rehab means NOTHING. Because when they pull you off the Benzos CT in rehab.....you dam well wont be eating and sleeping is surely out of the question.

 

The truth is...Everyone is gonna heal in the long run. Its just CT is a very hard road as you know. I dont want anyone to have to suffer more than they need to. As I'm sure you dont either.

 

I guess at the end of the day it just depends on what kind of PAIN threshold you have. I thought mine was pretty high....and I was humbled VERY quickly.

 

I ALWAYS enjoy your posts. You speak the TRUTH and offer GREAT guidance to MANY in need. You have my UTMOST respect on what you have been through and what you do for EVERYONE here!!

I agree with Krock. the exact same thing happened to me in detox and although I felt safer, cold turkey was hell. I forced myself to eat but couldn’t sleep at all due to panic episodes and so much more. I paced the hallways at night! This one in particular made us all detox in saunas and take tons of supplements which added another level of suffering. It was very pricey and don’t  know how I survived and made it on the plane back home.

 

Most of these places don’t just let you chill and suffer peacefully with your  20-50 symptoms, it’s a program and you’re expected to get up early morning and participate in whatever the agenda is for that day, be it counseling, crafts, group meetings, exercise, etc, etc!! They are not equipped to manage benzo withdrawal because your time there is limited and they don’t understand how horrific it really is!