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I am benzo free!!! (well z-class drug free technically) :-)


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Hello all,

 

Background info can be found in my signature.

 

A big celebration for me  :D  :thumbsup: I am officially free of zopiclone since last week, my last dose was on Thursday  16th January after a rapid 6 week taper. I am also free of diazepam since 2019-12-03 after my evil GP cold-turkeyed me on both zopiclone and diazepam (zopiclone was reinstated).

 

Now start my (likely very long) post-withdrawal recovery and I will be posting in the post-withdrawal recovery forum.

 

To all of you still in the withdrawal phase, please have faith: you're not alone, you will make it through (if not on the first attempt, then on the second, third or fourth, etc...) and you will *heal*. Stick to your objective but be smart to adjust your taper speed as required.

 

Wishing health, peace and love to all my fellow benzobuddies.

 

SG

 

 

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What a positive post SurreyGuy1976, thanks for letting us know, congratulations on being benzo and z drug free!  I'll be following your progress.  :thumbsup:

 

Pamster

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Pamster, Challis,

 

Thank you for your kind words. You are shining lights on this forum.

 

See you on the post-withdrawal sub-forum!

 

SG

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Thank you Blacklablady and many congratulations for your jump. Yay, you're now free of benzo!! You can start your proper healing.
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  • 2 weeks later...

Hello Pamster,

 

Thank you for your kind message. I have just updated my signature to reflect the evolution of my symptoms.  ;)

 

Since jumping mid-January, I have noticed:

 

a) the first week was better than my last taper week.

b) Week 2, however, was a lot worse. My symptoms are (were) tinnitus, muscle cramps (I call it muscle spasticity but I I am not 100% it's the right term), insomnia (relatively mild compared to what some of my fellow BB are going through), some mild anxiety and mild depression.

The depression symptoms was a striking example of this wax and wane thing that Prof Ashton mentioned in her manual... I felt depressed at the end of one day, with no apparent reason, and remained very depressed until noon the next day. After lunch I was happier than even. Really weird indeed.

c) On week 3, my tinnitus went down a notch further. So did the insomnia, the anxiety and the depression.

d) Week 4 so far is great. 4 good nights in a row, functioning pretty much as per baseline and my tinnitus is really down (I barely notice it during the day and I sleep with earplugs at night).

 

I am aware it's too early to declare victory, especially as some fellow BBs have reported how things were fine in the first month post-withdrawal and then got worse after, but I would say my case seems to be aligned with a 2 to 8 week acute withdrawal phase (maybe even shorter?).

 

I went back to work on week 3 post jump (albeit on a part time basis) and I agree with you that work is a great source of motivation and distractions.

 

I do not seem to have any cognitive issues, at least, none that I could identify. Touch wood.

 

If everything continues that way, I may well post a success story in 2 months' time.  ;D

 

SG

 

PS: I am genuinely happier than I was before benzo (in terms of mood, I did not go back to baseline, I went to an even better place)! Then again, maybe I just needed a rest?

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Best post I've read today, thanks so much for letting us know how you're doing!  Wow, I think you're well on your way to that success story, I can't wait to read it because I know a few members on Ambien who are suffering greatly, they'll take great comfort in your words.  :smitten:
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Well, not quite out of the wood yet. Tinnitus is louder today and I did not sleep well last night. I probably should not have had that coffee. Oh well... now I know.
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