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Discussion: Four Phases of Withdrawal-Where Are You?


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Acute phase. for 3 weeks now almost. this shit hard as f

Hang in there! Acute will be over soon. We know how you feel. We’ve been there and lived to tell the tale. You will too! Congrats on being off! Well done.

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Looking at this thread I don't fit into any of these categories or I fit into all of them. I don't know if I heal differently but this seems more like linear healing. I've had some things completely heal up and go away for good. But right now I'm suffering horribly with the remaining symptoms that have magnified and some old ones that have come back that were gone for over a year. Wish I could figure out where I fit in. One thing this might not account for is the getting worse before you get better theory. Because it can make you feel like you're back in acute, and suffering tremendously I'm pretty much at my Wit's End right now.. Hugs to everyone!

 

LiveLife

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Looking at this thread I don't fit into any of these categories or I fit into all of them. I don't know if I heal differently but this seems more like linear healing. I've had some things completely heal up and go away for good. But right now I'm suffering horribly with the remaining symptoms that have magnified and some old ones that have come back that were gone for over a year. Wish I could figure out where I fit in. One thing this might not account for is the getting worse before you get better theory. Because it can make you feel like you're back in acute, and suffering tremendously I'm pretty much at my Wit's End right now.. Hugs to everyone!

 

LiveLife

 

I quit cold turkey too and this post wasn't around when I first joined the forum in 2007 but I've read it since I came back and didn't feel like I fit it either. 

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Pamster,

 

Thank you so much for your reply it doesn't make me feel like such an odd person out. Hugs!

 

LiveLife

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I don’t fit either, Not like acute but not really got past phase 1, Had 1 window in 39 months now feel worse after it. Plenty of waves but no relief in between. Was made to CT against my will, such caring medics here!
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  • 2 weeks later...

I wouldn't know if these phases are relevant to me because I've had ME/CFS most of my adult life and it shares many of the symptoms of benzo damage.  I don't expect to ever recover from it, unless they find a cause and cure.    My illness predates my former xanax use by more than a decade, but then I also acquired a number of conditions after starting xanax.  eg; idopathic poynneuropathy, chronic tinnitus, POTS.  If those conditions ever resolve, or even improve,  I might be able to attribute them to benzo damage and put myself into one of these phases.   

 

One thing that has definitely improved is my memory and cognition and that began about mid way through my taper.  I guess I'll have to wait a year and look back to see if anything changed. 

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I feel like I’m in two at one time. Like they’re overlapping. Phase 2 and 3 combined….weird. Sometimes I feel like I’m in one or the other depending on the week. It’s hard to pinpoint. According to the descriptions I’m definitely STILL in phase 2 and I’m 23 months and 1 1/2 weeks off……

:-\???:o

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Today I feel like I'm on the border of two and three. 

I'm definitely not suffering All The Time.  But close.  What is happening lately, is that I'll read someone's post, and I'll think, "hey!  I haven't had that (much) for awhile".  Dizziness comes to mind.

 

This last week or so, I've had 3 or 4 experiences where I realize I'm fully present.  It's so beautiful.  It's almost exquisite.   

 

It's as if the holy host of terrors (my symptoms), are quietly leaving the room.

I still have a long way to go.  But I've seen the light on the horizon.

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  • 1 month later...

With world upside down and everything being hyper emotional, this is the only damn near perfect  analytical point to point description I’ve read, anywhere. Short form and to the point. Thank you for breaking this down.

 

You know how you are getting ready to speak to somebody about what you’re going through, perhaps a doctor and have it all made up in your head? Eg so then I threw up, car flipped over, ran out of pills, got fired and family won’t talk to me. Doctor say something like welp you didn’t die did you. Then explains what happened during your emotional rant that took half the time and much better explained in human.

 

^^^ this is my brain rn at 6 months

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  • 4 weeks later...
Is it possible to be in Phase two even though I’m still tapering? Currently at 0.027mg Klonopin. When I read the four stages, I feel like I can currently identify with Phase two. I am tapering very slowly at this point.
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Absolutely, what if by reducing slowly, you're managing to go through the worst of it while using the drug to mitigate your symptoms and when you step off the drug, you'll be in the latter stages of recovery.  In a perfect world this would be the case, I hope its so in yours.  :smitten:
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  • 3 weeks later...

At 26 months tomorrow I’m feeling like I’m still in the in between phase of 2 & 3. I’m noticing more sensitivity but still have a definite pattern of waves and windows everyday. I can set my watch to when I’ll get a wave. After a few months then my pattern shifts to different times. For example I used to get waves until 4 then have a long window until my bedtime ( around 9). Since turning 2 years now I get a wave at 4 then 7 then 10. My waves are milder and shorter than last year. As well as I get morning dread and night waves now. I’m realizing that shifts are a good thing but can be misleading making us think we are getting worse. I have to keep in mind that once something is healed, it’s healed.  :thumbsup:  The shifts doesn’t mean we’ve lost the healing that’s occurred. I believe it simply has shifted to other areas that need more repairs. We are healing everyday. Thank God!

Our brains are hard at work doing all those repairs. That’s a BIG job for our brains. So I thank my brain that it knows how to fix it. ❤️

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Still haven’t really past go yet. Sh***y stage. Not acute but don’t improve or have windows more like Groundhog Day every day. Don’t think these phases apply to everyone definitely not me.
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I’m definitely not in stage 3 yet … hopefully I’m in 2😳😳😳… but it feels like 1 way too much. 

Keep going Leann ❤️

🔥

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Just think there’s lot more variation than this. I’m not constantly in acute, but never get windows, get short periods where it feels like acute again. The physical symptoms eased, but no variation in mental, if anything felt worse this year. But read Covid can cause psychological problems so may have added to it.  Being made CT after 12 years was medical negligence.
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  • 4 weeks later...

How long does acute phase last? It’s been 3.5 months with no relief. Very sick and very anxious can anyone offer suggestions? Please?

 

Are you recording your symptoms and their severity, sometimes this can help us see better what's really going on.  I didn't do this so my poor sick brain had me thinking I wasn't improving but I actually was, I just couldn't see or feel it.  I don't know if this is the same for you but I thought I'd pass it along.

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I don't know if this is accurate ... It's a nice idea sure but there's too many moving parts for this to be accurate, I would swear I'm in stage two however I have elements of stage 3, but I K. Ow for a fact that I can't move past stage two. Like everything I eat and I mean EVERYTHING sends me into a wave.
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How long does acute phase last? It’s been 3.5 months with no relief. Very sick and very anxious can anyone offer suggestions? Please?

For me it was 5-6 months. Then I slowly felt better
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How long does acute phase last? It’s been 3.5 months with no relief. Very sick and very anxious can anyone offer suggestions? Please?

For me it was 5-6 months. Then I slowly felt better

For me it was about the same. 5-6 months

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  • 1 month later...

I can't tell what phase I'm in—probably not objective enough. It might be two. I've been off completely for 2.5 months, almost. Many days are sort of bearable; I've worked—and still work—at not assuming negative thoughts are originating from some inner ickiness of my own. It gives me more peace and strength to realize it's a false message due to benzo healing. I try to get out in front of bad thoughts before they lodge in my gut.  I don't always succeed.  But when I can, it helps me.  It's a whole lot of attending to my own emotional needs, which isn't something I learned when growing up (no slam on my parents though!) I think because of this 'training' I'll eventually be better at minding my thoughts and keeping them sound.

 

But now, every single day the afternoons are really hard. Sometimes there just isn't enough to do, this week especially, so my anxiety gets tenacious and cruelly acute, with no way to get my mind otherwise engaged. I HATE that!! This afternoon a friend called to say hi, and in ten minutes I had to get off the phone. My anxiety ramped up really high (she brought up a stressful situation with one of my beloved grandsons) so I got off. I've been pushing myself to go out, to work on projects and stay engaged, and theoretically it would have been good to see her. But I couldn't even do the phone!

 

What I don't get about myself is that before jumping off Clonazepam, I didn't have burning skin unless I was trying yet another antidepressant. Most caused such angst, physically and emotionally, that I couldn't get past the first day. (I'm on 25 mg. Lamectal and 3.75 mg. Mirtazepine now; tapering off Mirtazepine but on hold for the moment.) So this constant burning seemed to happen at the wrong time. Now I'm thinking that burning skin is, for me, due to stressors in my CNS. IDK. I'm looking forward to feeling better. I do believe I'm on the way.

 

The other morning I sat and had breakfast and had that warm-all-over feeling and realized, wow, I feel good! I started to think that was the new me. Then I had lunch and got hit with a wave. Why it took me by surprise, I do not know! I honestly think once you start feeling a little better, the bad days and hours are less tolerable. I think that's what's going on. 

 

At least I'm noticing patterns. Eating causes me problems, and the less I eat the better I feel. Caffeine, alcohol, almost all white bread are no and no way for me. I've been eating chocolate because it's such a comfort food for me, but am beginning to think it might not be great for me. Afternoons, no bueno. Mornings, occasionally not bad at all. I sit under a light per a sleep hygienist. Hate the light but hey, it helps to give my day structure and maybe it's working.

 

There are a lot of good people on these strings. Amazingly patient encouragers. I'm so impressed and touched by the kindness. You're doing good work! It's God's work when you help those in distress. I'm humbled by the generosity I see. Thank God for you!

 

 

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  • 1 month later...

I’m happy to report that I’m now with one foot definitely in phase 3.

Wow phase 2 lasted a long time! Although I’m still having the windows/waves…they’re in a define predictable pattern, waves are milder and windows clearer and longer…most joyfully they’re lasting for consecutive days now!

It’s awesome! So im looking forward to when I turn 30 months in a couple of days, I’ll go ahead and leave phase 2 behind for good!

 

It is true that this gets better in time.

 

Happy healing to everyone!

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[19...]

In my experience-I was banking on those, just banking they would be a sooth teller about ‘progress’. Anything, I just needed ANYTHING to show me I was close, just this close…..man, I held onto those!!!

Nope. It severely fails in gauging any sort of said progress.

For me, everything just got worse-okay the extreme panic attacks subsided-Progress!

Yet, remember, REMEMBER, this is a non-linear, messy experience. So, to put it in specific phases? That goes completely against logic.

And the Logical Mind Rules the Day!

I mean, hold on to anything you can, everything! Just realize there is no system, no predictability. Rise every morning, keep going and do exactly what is best for YOU! You, you alone!! ❤️‍🩹🙏

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