Benzo withdrawal and inflammation

I easily uncovered a mass of science on how GABA affects or mitigates cytokine production,  by googling GABA and immune function.

 

A science based explanation about why we may have more inflammation in our bodies during withdrawal:

 

"GABA has a number of effects on the immune cells such as activation or suppression of cytokine secretion, modification of cell proliferation and GABA can even affect migration of the cells. The immune cells encounter GABA when released by the immune cells themselves or when the immune cells enter the brain.Dec 13, 2011

 

"In addition to its well-known CNS roles, GABA also modulates inflammation. GABA receptor transcripts are present in immune cells (5 –7). GABA treatment decreases inflammatory cytokine production in peripheral macrophages (5).Feb 9, 2010"

 

GABA is an effective immunomodulatory molecule - NCBI - NIH"

 

And so on........

 

It makes sense to me why I would be having so much continuous pain and inflammation in my back and inner ears.  Also muscle pain when I exercise.  I did notice when I was dosing regularly with Clonazepam, that herpes outbreaks could be stopped by the upping my C dose temporarily.  I remember telling my doctor this. 

 

It hugely underscores why we need benzo savvy doctors to guide us through the withdrawal process. 

 

I've been having all these fears that I am getting a strange new neurological disorder, when really it is just one of my many body systems responding to much lower GABA level of function. 

 

Why doesn't my doctor know this?  And would he get angry if I told him?

 

I just heard from a doc on TV that all pain is caused by inflammation.  I'm always in pain and I'll bet I have alot of inflammation in my body.

I too have speculated that our symptoms are the result of some time of inflammation.  And I do believe that there is a pathway to symptom reduction by reducing inflammation in our bodies.  One example of this is the multitude of people who report a positive effect from the keto diet, which is known to reduce inflammation.  There are more ways to reduce inflammation in the body and I feel that that is important for us to experiment with. 

 

If you're concerned about systemic inflammation in your body, you might want to get your C-Reactive Protein level checked.

 

https://www.mayoclinic.org/tests-procedures/c-reactive-protein-test/about/pac-20385228 

And that drives mitochondrial dysfunction and glial cell activation.

That is why benzos helped my ME/CFS amongst other things.

https://www.chicagotribune.com/marijuana/sns-tft-cannabis-inflammation-why-it-works-20200909-jqblqhblavbwxhxfkju6oycrfm-story.html

 

There are just too many scientific studies written and anecdotal accounts to list them all so I won't even try.

Why doesn't my doctor know this?  And would he get angry if I told him?

Your doctor doesn't know this because pharmaceutical companies consider it against their interests for graduates of the schools they sponsor to know too much about how the human body works.

 

He might get angry. It's a power thing. It's the same with some schoolteachers. They do not like to be contradicted.

It would make sense to get your C-Reactive Protein levels checked if you're concerned about systemic inflammation. If it's high, then your doctor might be able to help you understand how to lower it. Or you can do your own research.

 

Inflammation is a normal part of certain things, e.g. an injury, and trying to curb all inflammation doesn't make sense. It's how your body heals.

By the way, the C-Reactive Protein test is a simple blood test. I've had mine tested regularly, and there's no systemic inflammation in my case. There never was.

 

 

Thanks so much all.....  Yes I have had the c-reactive done throughout my Lyme treatment.  It was only raised once when I had meningitis....  other than that I have never had a positive.  I had neuro Lyme.  Not the strain that causes joint pain. 

 

I did have a Covid flu scenario in the early spring.  It seems since then I have had inflammatory events almost daily which ramp in late afternoon.  I have heard from other buddies about the burning sinus.  I think I will ask for a c-reactive again.  It is very hard to get in to the lab or clinic right now.

 

Thanks for the cannabis link.  I will check it out.  I have departed from my cannabis experiments because my last one was a disaster...  If only I could find the right strain.  CBD alone was working for me before my taper, but once I got to the low end it seemed to be causing the smaller amounts of benzo to exit my body faster causing acute w/d.  I haven't given up on it yet.

Thanks so much all.....  Yes I have had the c-reactive done throughout my Lyme treatment.  It was only raised once when I had meningitis....  other than that I have never had a positive.  I had neuro Lyme.  Not the strain that causes joint pain. 

 

I did have a Covid flu scenario in the early spring.  It seems since then I have had inflammatory events almost daily which ramp in late afternoon.  I have heard from other buddies about the burning sinus.  I think I will ask for a c-reactive again.  It is very hard to get in to the lab or clinic right now.

 

Thanks for the cannabis link.  I will check it out.  I have departed from my cannabis experiments because my last one was a disaster...  If only I could find the right strain.  CBD alone was working for me before my taper, but once I got to the low end it seemed to be causing the smaller amounts of benzo to exit my body faster causing acute w/d.  I haven't given up on it yet.

 

It's interesting that you mention COVID and inflammatory events. Early in the pandemic, I was having a follow-up phoner with my doctor after having had a blood test. I asked him if he could tell anything about my risk of getting COVID based on my blood test results, and he noted that my low C-Reactive Protein level was a good sign, and that I was perhaps at lower risk than others with higher levels of that particular marker.

 

It's definitely good to get it checked and then to consult with your doctor on what your result means. There could be multiple things going on. Assuming something is caused by the benzo isn't a good idea. There may be other health issues that need to be addressed.

By the way, I just posted this study called "Perioperative cannabis use: a longitudinal study of associated clinical characteristics and surgical outcomes" in the Benzos in the News section, so you might want to have a look. In this particular study, cannabis wasn't a very positive factor for those who used it. It's just one study, but it might be worth reading if you're interested in this topic.

 

https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/33208521/ 

 

 

Thank you so much for the info! I knew there was a link between coming off benzos and inflammation in my body. When I tried CT I had so many injuries it was ridiculous. I'm a construction contractor, I often do very physical work, and I injured to an almost comic/tragic degree. I still have some of that going on, but it's much, much better.

Check out fellow BB, Hope4us and her posts.  Doc diagnosed her with brain inflammation.  She hasn't been on the forum since 2016, but her posts are interesting since docs found alot of autoantibodies in her system causing her symptoms.

But there's no way of knowing whether it had anything to do with the medications she took. Let's hope that she got the help that she needed, since that sounds like a serious issue.

I'm pretty sure that I have inflammation.  My shoulder muscles are basically too tight, causing me pain and even migraine headaches at times.  My massage therapist has said that it is inflamed, she can feel that it is.  This is an injury from benzos.  I think that my muscles just are having a hard time relaxing themselves in any normal way.  It's basically like they forgot how to do it. 

 

There's a big difference between systemic inflammation and localized inflammation. Localized inflammation usually has to do with injury or infection at a particular site, e.g. muscle/ligament/tendon/bone injury or infected wound. It's an important part of healing, and it's absolutely necessary. You don't want to eliminate all of it.

 

When you say "it's an injury from benzos", can you please clarify?

 

 

I believe Hope4us is mostly convinced it was from the pills she ingested from what I read on her post.  I have similar symptoms as she had and I know my problems are drug damage to my body.

I believe Hope4us is mostly convinced it was from the pills she ingested from what I read on her post.  I have similar symptoms as she had and I know my problems are drug damage to my body.

 

But, to your knowledge, is she the one and only person who had this particular test result on BB? Thousands have come through here over many years now, and it seems to be only one person who has had such a diagnosis. It may or it may not be caused by benzos. Was it encephalitis? If so, it seems that the cause is often a virus.

 

https://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/encephalitis/symptoms-causes/syc-20356136 

 

I'm just looking for more solid info about this possible connection between benzos and inflammation. Is is localized inflammation, or systemic inflammation? Are people getting their C-Reactive Protein levels checked? What are their doctors saying about those CRP results with regards to possible causes of elevated numbers?

 

And some inflammation is good when it's a necessary part of healing, e.g. soft tissue, bone, wounds, etc. The inflammatory response is how the body heals. I recently asked a registered physiotherapist about this. If you try to suppress all of the inflammation, will something heal? How much is enough? How much is too much? Good questions. Talk to some medical experts about it.

 

This Harvard Health article speaks to that issue, as well as dietary factors that can contribute to chronic inflammation:

 

https://www.health.harvard.edu/staying-healthy/playing-with-the-fire-of-inflammation 

I had the HS C-reactive protein test done. The test came back that I had a high level of inflammation:(

 

I think this might be a bit different than the plain C-reactive protein test as this one is high sensitivity for a marker of heart disease.

 

My doctor called to make an appointment to talk about it in 2 weeks. I’m feeling quite nervous

About it. I’m only in my 40’s.

 

 

 

 

If you're concerned about systemic inflammation in your body, you might want to get your C-Reactive Protein level checked.

 

https://www.mayoclinic.org/tests-procedures/c-reactive-protein-test/about/pac-20385228

Did you have ANA autoantibody screening test done too?  Mine was positive.  Autoantibodies in your body can cause inflammation too.

I had the HS C-reactive protein test done. The test came back that I had a high level of inflammation:(

 

I think this might be a bit different than the plain C-reactive protein test as this one is high sensitivity for a marker of heart disease.

 

My doctor called to make an appointment to talk about it in 2 weeks. I’m feeling quite nervous

About it. I’m only in my 40’s.

 

 

 

 

If you're concerned about systemic inflammation in your body, you might want to get your C-Reactive Protein level checked.

 

https://www.mayoclinic.org/tests-procedures/c-reactive-protein-test/about/pac-20385228

 

Well, it's really good that you got the test done and that you're booked to get further info with your doctor. With any test result, it's really important to follow up and discuss the results with someone who can look at the whole picture and see what might be going on. Try not to jump to any conclusions until you see your doctor. I know that I've done that before and it backfired. I went down the wrong path in terms of what I thought might be happening when I looked something up online. My doctor was able to clarify things, and in the end, it was fine. I didn't have any strange diseases or anything!

 

Take good care, and I hope the appointment goes well.

 

 

Did you have ANA autoantibody screening test done too?  Mine was positive.  Autoantibodies in your body can cause inflammation too.

 

No I didn’t. I had just switched doctors and the first thing my doctor did is give me a blood test when she learned of my anxiety and past benzo use. I had never heard of the C-reactive test until now.

 

Do you know what the significance of your positive ANA autoantibody test is? I read it’s to test for possible inflammatory diseases and such, ie Lupus.

Yes I agree, I am can be a bit of a hypochondriac sometimes and I have barked up the wrong tree before too. I attribute it to my wild imagination.

 

I know I’m damned tired a lot and seem to have little stamina and VERY bloated. I look 7 months pregnant. Though I have much improved 2 years off, I still have low stress tolerance and anxiety.

 

 

Well, it's really good that you got the test done and that you're booked to get further info with your doctor. With any test result, it's really important to follow up and discuss the results with someone who can look at the whole picture and see what might be going on. Try not to jump to any conclusions until you see your doctor. I know that I've done that before and it backfired. I went down the wrong path in terms of what I thought might be happening when I looked something up online. My doctor was able to clarify things, and in the end, it was fine. I didn't have any strange diseases or anything!

 

Take good care, and I hope the appointment goes well.

My ANA was positive and then I went to a Rheumatologist and she found a procoagulant antibody in my blood and diagnosed me with Lupus.  I have the type of Lupus that affects your blood vessels and I'm prone to having blood clots.  Also was diagnosed with Thrombophilia-at risk of stroke or heart attack- then too by a Hematologist.  Also diagnosed with Memory Impairment, Amnesia and Stuttering a few years ago.  On Jan. 22 an MD doc diagnosed me with Lupus Encephalitis. I'm in serious trouble with my health.  Totally housebound too and have been for years now.  Haven't worked since 2012 and never will again.