H2 blocker withdrawal?

HI. I finished my benzo taper at least 6 years ago. I was taking zantac 150 twice a day for the last four years. I had to stop when zantac was recently recalled. I am now having extreme anxiety and heart palpitations. Haven't felt this bad since tapering. I was always careful as to what I take since the benzo withdrawal, especially with antibiotics and sedation for procedures. But I never thought about H2 blockers as anything to worry about. I did research and discovered that medications like zantac when stopped, have a withdrawal syndrome. Symptoms are anxiety, insomnia, tachycardia, nausea. It can last for months. I'm so upset because I never wanted to go through anything like I did six years ago but here I am again. It has something to do with causing a drop in prolactin levels in the brain when discontinued. I don't know what to expect since there are no forums for this. Benzobuddies saved my life when going through the benzo withdrawal.

It seems that all pills come with wd. And the longer it's taken (at least in my case), the more awful wd a person can have.

 

Just try to hang in there. Gradually the symptoms will lessen. Anxiety is one of the hallmarks of drugs when they wear off or are discontinued. I haven't had experience with zantac, only with bp drugs. And those have been very hard for me to even taper from due to the awful anxiety.

thanks so much for your response. I still feel awful. Just like benzo withdrawal. Well, maybe not as severe but pretty close. You mentioned BP meds. I take toprol xl for irregular heartbeats for so many years I doubt that I'll ever be able to stop it. Again thanks so much for your response. By the way...I see you're 67 years old. Me too. lol

A Stevie Nicks fan?

 

I wonder if I'll be able to get off my bp pills, but I'll keep trying. And don't forget, the bp pills may have something to do with the wd of the zantac. This is what I've found out (and it may not be true, but it sure seems like it): BP pills seem to release sympathetic nervous system anxiety when they wear off, and that may cause wd from other pills to be worse. Does that make sense to you or do you think it's only the zantac?

so seems that nobody else is having this issue. I found this info on it..."The withdrawal syndrome that can follow a patient trying to quit ranitidine encompass more serious and distressing side effects. [2-3] One medical journal describes it as "a complex neurobehavioral and gastroenteric syndrome, including anxiety, insomnia, anorexia, growing thin, irritability, tachycardia, diarrhoea, nausea, vomiting, abdominal pain, headache, vertigo."  Woe is me.

A Stevie Nicks fan?

 

I wonder if I'll be able to get off my bp pills, but I'll keep trying. And don't forget, the bp pills may have something to do with the wd of the zantac. This is what I've found out (and it may not be true, but it sure seems like it): BP pills seem to release sympathetic nervous system anxiety when they wear off, and that may cause wd from other pills to be worse. Does that make sense to you or do you think it's only the zantac?

    Yep...I big Stevie Nicks fan. lol And I was thinking the same thing about the BP pills making this worse from stopping the zantac. I'm still feeling horrible. And what I'm reading says that doctors don't acknowledge withdrawal from zantac. Just like they didn't believe in a slow taper from benzos.  I'm sick of them looking at me like I have two heads. I just wish I could find something online about how long this will last or at least a forum where other people are experiencing this. It has me so discouraged after finally getting through benzo withdrawal. It sucks.

Someday we'll all have to realize that with drugs there are withdrawals. Something that makes you feel better is going to have the opposite effect when it wears off - at least that's what I've found out. 

 

Doctors act cagey when it comes to pills. They pretend that all is well when it really isn't. They can't foresee the problems individual people will have, and their hands are tied. What else do they have in their arsenal? Nothing. So we have to make the decisions about what will go in our bodies and deal with the consequences if we choose to take a pill.

 

I, unfortunately, found this out too late...

 

Have you ever looked up askapatient.com? There you have people who have dealt with all kinds of problems with drugs. It's something I look up often. GOOD LUCK!!

I was about to take this drug for about 2 weeks to heal esophagitis because i had a bad experience with a PPI. I don't know what to do, natural methods aren't working. I don't know what to do my chest is in pain and discomfort. Any suggestions?