Head pressure / Cognitive decline

Hey everybody,

 

i quit benzo's around three years ago and paxil around two and a half years ago. both cold turkey.

A lot of the symptoms have gotten better the dp/dr , allergies, anxiety. and other mental symptoms have really improved. my main and most debilitating symptom is head pressure (i feel like i have a rubber band around my brain) and cognitive decline. i can't recall stuff, my short term memory is horrible and i can't imagine and process complex information.

 

i am so desperate, i have lost my job and my academic career because of these symptoms. i know these symptoms are common, but i just need to ask if somebody found out how to make it better. did a specific diet work for any of you , maybe i need to eliminate something from my diet ? or maybe there is a supplement that can help cognitive function that i'm not aware of  ? or an kind of alternative treatments ? i am willing to try anything

 

i tried to search the forum for information, but i am so frustrated that i just needed to ask directly if any one has some advice.

 

and of course i would love to hear if any body had these symptoms as far as me, and eventually healed.

 

love and healing to all

thanks

Hello aii,

 

I can understand your frustration, 3 years is too long!  I read a couple of your other posts and see you've really paid attention to your diet, so I don't see how changing it would be that helpful.  I'm not familiar with any supplements which might help, but we do have a board where you might be able to get some suggestions, its Alternative Therapies & Supplements

 

Have you discussed your issues with a Dr, I wonder if there might be something else going on not related to your cold turkey from the Xanax and Paxil?  While they symptoms you describe can be attributable to benzo withdrawal there might be other conditions which could cause the same symptoms. 

 

I see that you DJ and your symptoms seem to be exacerbated by your job, it's terrible that your employment makes your symptoms worse.  I hope you wear adequate ear protection, I know when I was in withdrawal, I was extremely sensitive to noise.  I swore I could hear a cricket chirping 3 blocks away, I couldn't go to a movie, a restaurant or even the symphony without panic and pain.   

 

I'm sorry you're suffering, but please have hope and keep looking around, hopefully you'll find a post or a fellow buddie who has been where you are and healed in time.

 

Pamster

I agree with Pamster (and her adorable kitten picture!)

Yes, it CAN be a common withdrawal symptom, but its wise to get another opinion, just to make sure. I had this symptom for quite a while, it finally let up and some other dreadful symptom took its place. A real parade of horrors!

Diet probably wont fix this, but TIME might. An enormous part of benzo withdrawal is waiting it out. We modern people have been taught that if something does not feel right, we should reach for another pill. So, when suffering through the mess of benzo withdrawal, we always try to find something that might make us feel better - NOW. There is no such thing. Benzo wd turns out to be a waiting game, always waiting on some small sign you ARE healing. And you are, but it just isn't fast enough.

I personally have met a whole LOT of people with similar symptoms. I cannot name them and wouldn't anyway out of consideration, but YES, many people have had this one and got through it.

Losing your job because of this must make you terribly afraid. I know I was. I finally realized that for a couple years I had to just exists and wait for some healing. Fiet, supplements, etc., did not help a bit, but TIME sure did. My case is extreme due to how MUCH benzos I took and for SO long (30 years!). A nd I went CT off it all. Hell ensued, but I DID heal, and I feel simply wonderful now. My health got better, I am no longer anxious or depressed. Turned out that benzos had CAUSED all of that stuff in me.

You might want to drop by my Blog, where we can chat a BIT more privately.

east (eastcoast's blog)

i appreciate both of your replies  .

yes i guess checking other factors and going to the doctor can be useful...

it's just that i have received very negative treatment from doctors... they just dismiss what i am saying and try to give me antidepressants...(even though i don't suffer from anxiety any more) nobody until now has been helpful..

and i am pretty sure that my symptoms are related to benzo/ads withdrawal because i am also experiencing tinnitus , and cortisol / toxic mornings. and all of the symptoms come and go in waves and windows.  I have never experienced anything like this before the withdrawal and i read that people here and on other forums experience similar symptoms.

On the other hand, i've had enough of just waiting for it to pass... maybe i have a chronic condition which was caused by the drugs originally and can be treated regardless of what started it...

i'm just so frustrated at this point.. i have had really good windows of cognitive clarity and now after three years it is just worse than ever.. i can't think any complex thoughts... and my head feels like it's burning from the inside.

I hope there is a solution/ cure for my state. Even if the solution is just to wait it out a couple more years. The uncertainty around all of this is so hard.

On top of that , i am just super confused from all  the theories floating in the different forums about what could be the medical explanation to what is happening to me... histamine intolerance ?  thyroid  / adrenal dysregulation ? damage to gaba or serotonin receptors ? autoimmune diseases ? all of the above ?

so i really need some guidance ... i'm suffering for such a long time and there just must be a way out.

any advice would be welcome

thanks

love and healing to all

If you decide to visit the alt. Section, be cautious about what you might want to take. There are plenty of supplements that are cross tolerant to benzos. Sometimes they talk even talk about illegal drugs. East is right, the ever tiring word time might be your best choice. Personally I would never listen to anything on that section.

Ali,

Time is your best friend now. Time is the only thing that will make you feel better. Your brain need time to heal itself, and it will.

Most of us have met resistance talking with doctors. I know I did. I finally just gave up on that and just depended on BB for information. I have yet to meet a doctor who really gets this stuff.

I doubt you have any condition causing this except benzo withdrawal.  What you described IS just like benzo wd.

During my recovery,  I finally got it that I had to distract myself from my awful symptoms. Distraction  turned out to be my best weapon. It kept my mind OFF how bad I felt. I did not allow myself to lie in bed, focusing only on my miserable symptoms. I made my self get UP and do whatever I COULD do, given the fact that back then I was using a walker to move. I just forced myself to get up and move and do stuff.

You are going to be just fine.

You might want to visit my 2 Success Stories which were turned in BuddieBlogs. "Eastcoasts Trip" is there names. You can read how this little old lady got through a simply brutal cold turkey withdrawal and managed to heal.

east

Greetings aii,

 

May I ask, for how long did you take add and benzos?  And is there any other history with any substance? Alcohol?  I'm no doctor but I can tell you that thiamine 100mg helps significantly with cognition. Recommended dosage for benzo and alcohol withdrawal is 250mg 2 - 3 weeks. Thiamine is known to treat and resolve beriberi and wernicke's korsakoff

with symptoms that greatly resemble those of benzo withdrawal.  Speak with a medical professional about it.

It's water soluble having no side effects or adverse reactions, none reported. Considered an essential for the brain.

I think CT , especially off Xanax may cause some damage. I CTd off it as well. Super unpleasant and experienced the same issues. After eight months I reinstated klonopin and have been slow tapering, but not pressing the issue too hard so I have a decent quality of life, as opposed to feeling like shit all of the time.

 

There really isn't any advice anyone can give. It's a tough situation and it sucks. My academic career is down the shitter and I will not even attempt to get a job in my field ever again. Thas life though. Could be worse.