Fully On My Way to Health

Greetings, fellow Seekers,

I began tapering off alprazalam in January 2020 and switched to diazepam in March and finally was benzo-free 85 days ago. I have experienced many symptoms throughout this time- physical and mental. I was able to do this by reading the work of a researcher in the UK that I found online. I’m still experiencing tingling in my feet and what I call a “frozen head and face” Intermittently throughout the day. My counselor told me about this site for support so I thought I’d give it a go.

Hello Inna Light, Welcome to BenzuBuddies!

 

It sounds like I don't need to give you a link to the Ashton manual since you've already read her work and have tapered using Valium, congratulations on being benzo free by  the way.  I wish that meant symptom free but as you've discovered, this isn't the case.

 

It sounds like you could benefit from hanging out with people who understand what you're going through so feel free to start a thread on the Post-withdrawal Recovery Support board to get the support you need.

 

I'm happy to hear your counselor knows about us, it's so important to get the validation we need while going through this process.

 

We're glad you're here, please let us know how we can help you.

 

Pamster

Funny to hear about your tingling. .I’m only at the beginning of my taper. And I swear I can feel my right toe buzzing sometimes. It’s like a mini tiny tremble in my right toe. Buzz. Buzz. Buzz. I’ve never experienced that before. Anyways, welcome inna light. Lots of friendly people here with tons of info. Good luck.

Thank you both Pamster and WIP for welcoming me. I’m using my phone to access this forum instead of my computer so I’m a tad slow as everything’s so small! However, having accessed this site I realize that I’ve been googling the wrong terms! Just started with “ benzo” and wow! I have actual names for my symptoms, like aphasia and paresthesia, to name a few. After reading some celebrations of two years and more, I feel grateful that my symptoms aren’t worse, especially since I’ve used alprazalam as a sleep aide on and off since 1992!  Prior to reading some first-hand accounts, I thought my symptoms were intense. At 87 or 88 days benzo-free, I am beginning to feel more comfortable in this process. I know now that my body will miraculously heal itself and in order to help, I need to exercise daily, eat foods that produce a healthy gut and nourish overworked nerves, breathe deeply to bring much needed oxygen to my brain and organs, keep to a healthy sleep hygiene, and keep negative thoughts at bay. I’ve been good at doing reiki almost daily and that entails meditation. Thank you for being here! 

What a great post, I'm so glad you feel reassured by what you've been reading!  When it happened to me I thought I'd been poisoned, I had no idea what was going on but the more we educate ourselves, the less we fear.

 

Good for you for finding the positive in this terrible situation.