Erratic, arrythmic breathing

So I'm 11 weeks off clonaz-e-poison, and my most frightening chronic/constant symptom by far is severe difficulty breathing. It's erratic, arrythmic, so out of sync that it's like my body has forgotten how to coordinate breathing with talking,  eating, drinking, exercise, etc. None of it is fluid, but rather ragged and haphazard. It randomly veers from hyperventilation to hypoventilation, often includes a very tight chest and abdomen, and often causes gasping breaths. Sometimes it's scary slow, and often heavy and labored, as if those muscles were struggling to expand my lungs, and often there is a lot of chest pressure/weight. Sometimes it seems that I forget to breathe, or that my brain forgets to send the "breathe" signal to my lungs. Yeah, it's beyond horrible. Anyone experience anything like this??? My oxygen saturation has been normal thus far; I'm currently waiting on further tests.

Hi

 

You are describing exactly what is happening to me,,,,I am 6mo off,,,,I took a rescue dose and it triggered this,,,,I have had it to some extent, but the last mo has been horrid

 

Aparrently this is very common in benzo withdrawal and many people go through this

 

Let me know if you want to chat more

 

Thedaydreamer

Same. And I am still tapering. Dr had me up dose to get it under control. It is a symptom of withdraw, not much helps, from deep breathing to yoga. Cardio would give me a break for a while, but with everything closed, I can't get to the now closed gym.

 

It's a combination of torso muscles tightening up (sore torso) and the part of brain that controls respiration being out of whack.

 

I really don't have a solution, have been suffering with this a long time. Cardio did help, at least for a while, but that's not an option with everything shut down.

 

I have noticed that if I have evening reflux, I will have air hunger the next day.

Baddove: Does it also interfere with talking, eating, etc., such that you have to inhale, speak, exhale, inhale, repeat? And do you also experience the episodes of too slow, heavy, labored breathing, like your body can't figure out the correct respiration rate? It started shortly after I CT'd, and hasn't let up since!

Yes to all. Also, my entire torso gets really tight and is painful. Have seen doc twice, therapist quite a few times. They agree it's air hunger from withdraw. My physical therapist even said she couldn't help much, because she would work on the tight muscles, and I would be better, but the next day it came back.

Baddove: One more for you. Do you sometimes inhale/exhale with a shudder/stutter instead of a smooth, even "stroke"? It's like the diaphragm is spasming. And I also often have a painfully tight torso.

I have not noticed a shudder. However, our symptoms are essentially the same. I do have a lump in my throat when it's at it's worst. Air Hunger is the worst of all sxs for me, especially when it drags on for weeks, and my coping abilities suffer. My panic and other symptoms rev up because I am so distressed.

 

Was advised to really rely on coping mechanisms, do them even if I don't feel they work. The objective is to decrease the focus on air hunger. It is not easy, but we don't have many options to deal with this except time. That includes yoga, exercise, even a walk, anything distracting.

 

Peoples opinions on which methods of breathing really vary. I find the simple 4.7.8 helps some. also 10-10. My therapist told me to breathe down to my diaphram, not my abdomen, hold, repeat. Other people propose diaphramatic breathing.

 

 

This is the best Yin yoga meditation I have found for calming down the central nervous system, For an hour I get a break from my anziety:

 

 

Hi, yes this same kind of thing happened to me and eventually went away. It takes time. 11 months out youre still in the thick of it. Stay strong and just find things to do that help you relax and kill time.

Baddove,

 

Is your torso really tight in back all along spine and around ribs in back as well as as front. Like all thoracic vertebrae and ribs being forced forward?

Yes to the tightness in both front and back.I don't experience it as ribs being forced forward.  It feels like my torso is being squeezed, and the area around my breastbone is caving in.

SEVERE panic in reference to this, my worst symptom. Trying to distract, but terrified I won't survive this. I'll take all the help I can get!

You will survive this. Many of us have it for weeks, even months. As horrible as it is, it is a symptom of withdraw. I have been checked by my pdoc on February 4, and again a week ago to be sure it’s nothing else. You could do the same, it’s good for peace of mind.

 

Work on your thinking, see it as another symptom of withdraw, not death. Accept it. Let’s slow down and be rational, not fear driven for a while.

 

Air hunger is very common with anxiety. People who are not on benzo’s is get it. Those of us in withdraw get it even if we don’t feel anxious, because our body is under distress which causes all kinds of bizarre and inexplicable symptoms.

 

It’s really hard, but looking at it as another symptom, which is what it is, and not letting fear freak us out makes living with this possible.

Definitely a horrible symptom. It does go away, though. Mine went from constant for months, to only ever really returning during waves.

LiveAboveIt: Did you also experience the scary slow, heavy, labored, and was it also so out of sync that you had to inhale, speak a few words, exhale, repeat, and consciously time your inhaling and exhaling when you ate and drank? It's beyond bizarre, and makes me think the clonazepam did some serious damage to not only my central but also my autonomic nervous system.

Yes, that exactly. Along with feeling like breathing was no longer automatic and I had to force myself to breathe. Almost felt as though my lungs were too heavy or weak to properly inhale. I'm a firm believer that it's all just severe chemical anxiety in the body, causing everything to go wonky. I thought mine was physical damage and permanent too, but it got better for me. It's honestly a more common symptom than you would think.

Yes, it feels like my lungs are too heavy and weak. It's persisted for 12 weeks, since I CT'd, and actually is worse now than it was the first 2 or 3 weeks. How many months did it take to subside in your experience?

This symptom has become so debilitating and frightening that I can't sleep for more than a few minutes at a time. I wake up struggling to breathe through the weight, constriction, and pain. I don't know what to do, or how to tell if/when I need emergency medical attention. And how can one be sure the respiratory center in the brain hasn't been irreparably damaged?

I should add that the breathing is further complicated by difficulty swallowing (feels like the muscles in my throat aren't coordinating in the right direction, and swallowing is always accompanied by a gurgling sound), and stomach distension and constriction. My whole core is a war zone. At 12 weeks off clonazepam, shouldn't things be regularizing a bit? And how do I know if/when I am truly in danger of death from all of this (because it certainly feels life threatening)?

I can see how frightened and overwhelmed you are, I seriously feel for you. I want to assure you, as someone who has dealt with this, and the accompanying waves of panic that you can't seem to control, and no sleep, that I have been there.

 

I propose you get a full physical with blood work (I did after 6 weeks of unrelenting hard air hunger) Labs were fine. My pdoc is knowledgeable about benzo wd, and assured me it was air hunger, as did my physical therapist.

 

Also, with such extreme symptoms, it is really time to get some medical help. They may propose some kind of treatment to help, but if your labs are good, and your lungs are clear, it is air hunger caused by anxiety. As I said earlier, even people who have never been on a benzo get this. This is  a COMMON manifestation of Anxiety.

 

The next step may seem harder, but it is vital. You are stuck in a panic loop, which only increases your anxiety, and makes it worse.

 

You need to learn to calm down your anxiety.  Also, you need to distract yourself so your not thinking about it 24/7, which is also allowing it to continue running rampant.

 

To get ease, you have to start practicing coping techniques. I strongly propose a therapist, I firmly believe they could help you with managing your anxiety, and teaching you how to manage it. You are in acute distress with anxiety and this particular manifestation of it.

 

These are the things that will help. Seriously and really. You have done nothing wrong, and don't deserve this. However , you are so overwhelmed and freaked out by it that you can't function, it's time to get some help.

 

Once I accepted my air huger and did not take it so seriously, it diminished quite a bit. First, I had to accept it and stop fighting it. Then doing things to distract, including cardio and yoga, which I have been doing for years. I had several freak out crying spells, but with all I have learned through therapy, and by continuing to get guidance through my therapist, it is down to a place where I barely notice it.

 

We deeply care about what your going through, but other than validating and encouraging you, we have reached the limit on what help we can provide.

 

Please get a physical with labs

Next, find a therapist who works with anxiety patients to learn  how to manage your withdraw.

 

At this point, these 2 things are completely appropriate, and the two can give you the support  and help from a professional perspective. As lay persons, we can't do those things.

 

This will be your way to get on top of this. Please take my suggestions seriously, and start reaching out to the experts.

Thank you, baddove (and others), for your encouragement and support. Yes, I'm in a panick loop, no doubt about it. I had a comprehensive metabolic panel, magnesium, and thyroid checked on March 16th: all results were within normal limits. My pdoc is NOT knowledgeable about benzo withdrawal, and I was supposed to see someone else, and have a pulmonary function test, walk test, and arterial blood gas test, but thanks to COVID those were all postponed. I am also on a wait list to see a therapist. So right now my only option is the ER if it becomes unbearable. Such is the state of the world at present.

 

I greatly appreciate your patience and sympathy. Knowing I'm not as alone as I currently feel does help a little. And I know I'm rather necesitous of advice and reassurance, but I imagine a good many of us going through this are. Thanks again!

We are here for you. This is a safe place. If venting helps, go for it. Many therapists (including mine) are working from home. Either via Skype or phone sessions. I propose you research finding a therapist who treats anxiety online.

 

As to the delay in tests, be encouraged that you at least got the lab work in, and it was good. Good lab work ususally indicates no cardio pulmonary issues, as a rule of thumb. Please feel comforted. Generally, the cardiopulmonary test are ordered when red flags show up in your blood lab.When you can get those tests done, you will know for sure, and that is a relief.

 

Your going to get through this.

Bump for another Buddie who wants to read it.

If I were sure it would help, I'd take a small dose of some benzo to get relief from this miserable and terrifying symptom. At 99 days off clonazepam, I'm thinking my brain has permanently forgotten how to breathe rhythmically and fluidly, instead of being all disrythm and jagged gasping. I can only hope I can have pulmonary tests done soon.

Do you feel like you are aware and have to control each and every breath? Like your body just doesn't do it automatically anymore and your breathing is just all messed up? I get that too, but only in waves nowadays. It was near constant after I cold turkeyed for awhile. It does get better. It's interesting to me that we were both on Clonazepam. I don't want you to worry that I still have this symptom as far out as I am. I absolutely know it's all withdrawal and there is a normal. Because I go months without having it, until I fall into another wave. It's definitely not permanent.

I had an in-person appointment with my doctor, who examined me, talked to me (and my mom) about my symptoms, and said she's never seen anyone react so severely to a benzo. She ordered an MRI of my brain and a CT of my chest/lungs. Also waiting on a pulmonary function test, arterial blood gas test, and 5-minute walk test. I can't believe the fallout, and it just keeps crashing down.