Benzo Withdrawal & Covid 19 treatments: Zinc, Zithromax & the antimalarial drug.

Hi, I was thinking about taking Zinc just as a precautionary to prevent getting Covid 19. I am 10 months off of Ativan and a Reglan reaction that caused Akathasia and many other awful withdrawal symptoms. I am almost 100% healed now. Just some fatigue and tinnitus, slight vertigo here & there. The Akathisia itself has been gone for about 3 months. Early on I tried to take vitamin D and it flaired up my symptoms. So, since then I am taking zero supplements & zero vitamins. I'm afraid to. I try to drink fresh squeezed lemonade or orange juice to get vit C, and I get my vitamins from food & the sun. However, there's news of Zinc helping to fend off the coronavirus. Apparently Zicam NASAL SPRAYS are a "No No" because it has caused permanent loss of smell or taste. So those should be avoided. I am looking into oral supplement Zinc, lozenges or whatever. There are many forms of Zinc available. First of all had anyone had experience taking Zinc during or after withdrawal? Any issues? And also, if Zinc is okay to take. What's the best Zinc to take? Of course now I'm reading too that the Malaria drug they use, and even the Zithromax they use to treat Covid 19, may cause benzo withdrawal folks like us issues. Geeze. Do we ever get a break?

While I don't take these things for COVID prevention, I have taken zinc and z-pak (zithromax).  I keep some Zicam lozenges around for when I feel a cold coming on, and I've taken z-pak for bronchitis.  Neither gave me any problems. 

 

Be careful with ideas of taking these things continuously as a prophylactic.  Small amounts of zinc each day are probably OK as zinc is in many multi-vitamins.  But large amounts can be toxic.  Be smart.  Taking z-pak for weeks/months might not be a good thing.  It's just for secondary infections anyway as I understand it.  And the jury is fully out on the malarial drug. 

 

There's a lot of incomplete (or downright bad) information out there.  Don't act on it.  Best to just avoid the contagion.  Limit interactions, wash hands, be smart.

I would highly recommend to take supplements only if you blood shows a real lack of it. And I am talking about a huge lack, otherwise you can just adjust your diet and will be fine.

Zinc itself will not prevent you from getting covid. It is just one of the typical supplements recommended to prevent infections of any kind and I think it is helfou - if you have a lack of it. If not, you do not know the right dosage to take and you can also overdose it. One has to keep in mind also, that when you supplement one mineral, you might need another one as well, because they work together like in a chain, and if one becomes stronger, the others can become more weakened. Same for vitamins, amino acids and so on.

In withdrawal, you have to know that your body is already under high pressure and in recovery. Taking a supplement which you do not need (again- blood test!) does not make any sense and might cause more damage, - and even if you lack a mineral or a vitamin, your body will show you the right time to start a supplement AND you might not start with the dosage a normal healthy person would take. For your body could overreact because liver and other organs are still under recovery. Another point is the question which form and which brand to take - to find your personal correct dosage, brand, combination, time to take it... this takes time and you have to slowly test out what you can take - - so, again, this is not a quick help against covid.

The big goal for everyone is to hold the current situation - to stay as stable as you can, wether if you are tapering or if you are in withdrawal or already recovered.

 

This is not the time to make changes in your supplement or medication regime, because if something goes wrong, you react paradoxical or get hit by more symptoms, - this might weaken your system even more. So - stay calm, do what you already do to live a healthy life, and follow the rules like social distancing and so on...

 

#Hug

Marigold

Using chloroquine and hydrochloroquine really hasn't been proved by any high-quality, double-blind studies and is not used to treat Covid patients where I'm from.

 

I've seen a lot of studies about having good Vitamin D levels as protection from catching respiratory infections or minimising their severity. I really think there is something in that as people from Asian and African backgrounds living in Northern countries seem to be being disproportionately affected by Covid and they are most likely to be very low in Vitamin D, I've also seen some preliminary reports suggesting that many of the Covid victims had low levels.

 

But you've got to weigh that up against your own situation and potential bad reactions. If you're somewhere where you can get outside and get a decent amount of sun exposure, that's the best course of action.

Thank you for all of your detailed replies. Extremely helpful. I do get in the sun more. In fact we're having a home built and we specifically put a front porch to the south to soak in the sun for the purpose of our health (my husband & I). We plan to use an outdoor heater there too on those sunny "but in winter month" days to still get a dose of Vit D during Nov - March. We live in Ohio.

I think in WD we all get scared to take something for fear of adverse reactions - thus triggering anxiety needlessly:)

 

for example, acute gave me a viral flareup for which I had to take an antiviral - I was so anxious about it but I had to take it. guess what - no problem at all with it! Everyone is different. theres a few things I tolerate taking and other things I cannot. Marigold gave great advice on this in her post.

 

Let food be your medicine, and if you HAVE TO take a med don't freak out...just see how it goes.

 

stay healthy!

Thank you so much for posting this! I have been tapering 1.5 K. I am down to .5 but not very stable. I also tried D and and Multi vitamin, apple cider vinegar, lemon water etc. All produced some bad effect. One shot of apple cider sent me straight into withdrawal, 3 glasses of warm lemon water a day (maybe too much in one day) made me itch, etc. You get the point. When I was at my max does of 1.5 I didn't have any of these and took multi, C and B everyday. So I keep thinking is it psycho-semantic or is it really a part of withdrawal? 

I just bought zinc for COVID and got a z pack for a sinus infection (I hope) They have been on the kitchen table for 1 week now.. LOL Paranoid, anyone?

I went c/t first with the K and within 10 days thought I was having a stroke.  Dont know where you are but in America there is very little sympathy for legal or illegal drug addicts or those physically dependent on drugs. They really dont make a distinction here. One nurse said she thought it was hilarious watching a heroin addict get Narcon (SP?) as they just start shrieking and shaking. NIIIICCEEEE.

Anyway, pardon my tangent. I took an aspirin and my head felt lighter and my eyes got blurry but who know it might have been close to the time for my dose?

Like Trina 75 commented. We cant live in fear of taking other drugs that will help us. So here goes, I'm taking a Zicam Zinc nasal swab.

Good luck to you and everyone suffering through this nightmare. Fortunately, there are many success stories that it will end and we can laugh and be happy again.

I’ve seen over the years that introducing anything false can give an increase of symptoms in withdrawal and can delay recovery but everyone’s journey and experience is different. When first off I needed an antibiotic. It reved me up for a short period then I was back to baseline symptoms. Also antihistamines and vitamins temporarily reve me. But I took lactose for a period of a few months and it took me eight months to come out of some debilitating horrific symptoms with setbacks. We are all different and will react differently neurologically depending on our own individual body and recovery journey. The longer you stay away from anything false the quicker you’ll improve and heal without setbacks. Ive seen this a lot over the years.

Thank you everyone for your thorough replies. I tried zinc lozenges one a day for 3 days. I did not have any issues. I had a minor sore throat and it went away. That is the only supplement I have tried since withdrawal. I am THAT cautious. Ugh.