Prof.Ashton: " stiffness and anxiety ".

Hi,  prof. Ashton says in her manual, that increasing anxiety and stiffness are the two biggest issues during tapering off benzos. They are I my case. How about you? The smallest cuts give me increased stiffness / tension the very next day. With that comes the muscle pain. Can anyone relate to these two withdrawal symptoms? And if so, what is your best strategy / remedy?  Let us know, please.

My ‘stoffness’ In severe cbtra tire that is before g spine out and yanking joints around but was in benzo for muscle problems.

 

No position is bearable.

 

Can I ask what yours is like.

 

 

Mostly very stiff leg muscles. Making walking increasingly difficult. Arm muscles are starting too,

Muscle stiffness is one of the reasons I had to 'hold' for a year at 5mg Valium... I am carpentering now for many years and i'm used to hard work.  Since beginning my taper - what I found was that if I worked any muscle groups over and over during the day - I would go home and 'seize' literally for hours.  It was as if my muscles had forgotten to relax.  My shoulders would often be up around my neck for hours!

 

Nothing and I mean nothing but several hours of being curled up in a fetal position would get them to relax.... often I would be struggling to breathe normally and be really really anxious.  A hot bath, hot water bottle or massage... nothing worked!  I tried pot and it made it worse!  it was awful. 

I had to work.  No choice.  But I was usually in bed every day around 4:30. 

 

I am a bit better now (recovery??) but I am doing stretching and yoga every morning (religiously) and stopping work, before I am in trouble.  I know GABA is needed by every cell in the body.  Man it seems crazy that the drug companies haven't really done the science on this.  Or maybe they have and then decided their profits were more useful.  All I know is not to over-do it.  Some days that means do nothing except the yoga.

Hi janiceh,  I recognise a lot of what you say. I go for a short walk almost every day, as it is supposed to be good for my Fibromyalgia. But the rest of the day muscles hurt a lot. They stay tight. It's like you say, they don't seem to be able to relax again. My days start by waking up because of the pain in my legs and back. It takes till the evening for my muscles to relax a bit for some odd reason. I saw in your sig you mentioned Lyme's disease. Yesterday I had the result of a blood test for Lyme's. It was positive. So that's another part of the equation. Needs looking into further.  It's very very hard to keep hope. I held for a few weeks, but started tapering again. Things got worse straight away. Maybe I should hold for a long time too.

Trochsetter!  I'm so sorry I missed your post!  OK... you have some new information.  Lyme disease.  That is a whole 'nother ballgame.

 

I won't go into my Lyme journey here, but it was awful.  Many of my symptoms mirrored benzo withdrawal.  Like all of them.  I had also a head trauma at the same time, and guess what?  Head injury symptoms are identical to Benzo withdrawal.  Probably because Benzos damage your brain as well.  The vertigo, tinitus, visual abnormalities etc.  Severe cognitive fog.

I will say this.  My Lyme doctor, one of the best in Canada (where Lyme is dismissed and diagnosis and treatment are unknown), did not want me to get off the Clonazepam while I was on Lyme treatment.  I guess he knew it would be too much.  He did say I was one of the sickest Lyme patients he had.  That said, I did go after it - for years - both herbal and antibiotic.  I am in remission now according to my last blood test. 

 

Coming off Benzos is a triple whammy for me now.  Because it remains to be seen how much brain damage is permanent.  My last MRI show lots of scarring.

 

Can you see a Lyme doctor?  It is essential that you treat it effectively.  The bs 3 week Doxycycline treatment is bogus.  See a Lyme literate professional please!  And ask them about your taper.  Please report in and I will do my best to follow you!

Hi janiceh, I recognise everything you say. It's hard to tell which symptoms are caused by what. I'll be seeing a group of specialist Drs. in a Lyme knowledge center next January / February. The waiting alone almost drives me nuts. Seeing a reumatologist this Wednesday about my Fibromyalgia. Could be something else though. Another thing to worry about...And my taper is on hold because it's getting harder to continue. Let's hope for the best, but it's really hard to stay positive at the moment. Will let you know how it goes.

These are definitely my main symptoms. The fear is horrible but the muscle stiffness is no better. Holding for four months after updose. Anxiety is bad but I must admit it has improved. However I see not much improvement in the pain tbh.

Dear T.... God bless.  I could easily think that your fibro is really a manifestation of Lyme.

Holding at 3.5 is a victory.  I am sorry about your wait.  I'm glad you are seeing a Lyme clinic.  Please keep in touch!

Can I ask which Lyme tests ppl had.

 

I have been bitten loads of times and had circular rash on foot in 1987 and can find no other picture online that looks anything like it other than Lyme.

 

Been ill for years.

 

Recently had negative Elisa but aware that means nothing and think the extreme trauma of last time was off Benzos completely and now continuing May have reactivated what had been low level infection from years of ME/CFS protocol and Dr Wahl diet etc.

 

Also can’t stop compulsively eating sugar now.

 

I' m not sure about the Lyme test, but I think it was Western blot,  which is mostly used in Europe. Even when bloodtests and spinal fluid test are negative, it' s still possible to have Lyme's.  Or so I've read. It's all very mysteriously and slippery.

Ajusta... Here in Canada they offer the C6  Peptide for Lyme.  Its different than the regular Elisa in that it covers more of the different Lyme species.... as you know test results are not definitive.  I was highly positive on the C6 both in Canada and the US.  Many labs in the US do this one.