Muscular pain/rigidity from post withdraw?

Hi all,

I've been struggling with muscular issues, and I'm trying to figure out if protracted benzo withdraw could be a cause. I was on benzodiazepines for 3-4 years. Originally Valium (40mg /day), then transitioned to a very high dose of Xanax (14mg/per day - I was prescribed IR and XR at the same time), then off of Xanax and benzo free for a few months, until I ended up having to go back, this time on Klonopin (4mg/day), and now off entirely for about five months. Since I have been off the meds, I have struggled with panic attacks, insomnia, and really severe muscular issues. I know the panic and insomnia are withdraw related, but I wanted to see if others had experienced severe muscular issues. I began to have issue standing or sitting for any period of time., and now I can't sit for more than a few minutes before discomfort starts and my posture has become increasingly kyphotic and hunched. I've also had issue of feeling very unbalanced (like my torso wasn't siting equally over my pelvis). I am wondering if some kind of severe muscle tension could be doing all of this (pulling me into a rigid hunchback in my upper back, causing arching in the low back, making me feel tilted forward, and making sitting/standing uncomfortable). I've been doing exercises, PT, chiro, and massage, but no luck. They've all told me my muscles are incredibly tight and rigid. They feel like they are completely contracted and won't budge. Even when I try to stretch or foam roll them. My whole body has just become incredibly tense, tight, and very rigid/stiff. I'm wondering if this is a kind of withdraw? Like how my body can't sleep without xanax anymore because it got so used to it, now the muscles can't untense without the drugs. The only other thing that definitely worries me is that being off the drugs is just revealing some other condition (like stiff person syndrome). I have no idea what is going on but it's really taking a toll - my body hurts, my posture is deformed, and it seems like it's just getting worse and worse even after five months off the drugs. Has anyone else experienced this?

Thanks in advance for any info.

What you're dealing with is very common and Professor Ashton describes it in her manual.  Keep doing what you're doing to help make yourself more comfortable and try not to be afraid of it, it's just another symptom which will leave when you recover.

Muscle symptoms. Benzodiazepines are efficient muscle relaxants and are used clinically for spastic conditions ranging from spinal cord disease or injury to the excruciating muscle spasms of tetanus or rabies. It is therefore not surprising that their discontinuation after long-term use is associated with a rebound increase in muscle tension. This rebound accounts for many of the symptoms observed in benzodiazepine withdrawal. Muscle stiffness affecting the limbs, back, neck and jaw are commonly reported, and the constant muscle tension probably accounts for the muscle pains which have a similar distribution. Headaches are usually of the "tension headache" type, due to contraction of muscles at the back of the neck, scalp and forehead - often described as a "tight band around the head". Pain in the jaw and teeth is probably due to involuntary jaw clenching, which often occurs unconsciously during sleep.

At the same time, the nerves to the muscles are hyperexcitable, leading to tremor, tics, jerks, spasm and twitching, and jumping at the smallest stimulus. All this constant activity contributes to a feeling of fatigue and weakness ("jelly-legs"). In addition, the muscles, especially the small muscles of the eye, are not well co-ordinated, which may lead to blurred or double vision or even eyelid spasms (blepharospasm).

None of these symptoms is harmful, and they need not be a cause of worry once they are understood. The muscle pain and stiffness is actually little different from what is regarded as normal after an unaccustomed bout of exercise, and would be positively expected, even by a well-trained athlete, after running a marathon.

There are many measures that will alleviate these symptoms, such as muscle stretching exercises as taught in most gyms, moderate exercise, hot baths, massage and general relaxation exercises. Such measures may give only temporary relief at first, but if practised regularly can speed the recovery of normal muscle tone - which will eventually occur spontaneously.

I have spasms from head to toe. including the face and head. These poisons have given me an extrapyramidal movement disorder called tardive dystonia

Dystonic extrapyramidal reactions are described as side effects with these drugs and you can read the instructions yourself.

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I have this tightness head to toes.

Can’t lie on back because it is arched up and sacrum is agony.

Also all muscles are extreme wasted and weak.

Head pulled down and back etc.

I was on diazepam for muscle stuff after spinal surgery so hard to know what is what.

MRI shows severe degeneration in last year but not sure if that is the main problem.

A lot of ppl do get quite severe muscle probs.

I am aware of a few who had it ease quite suddenly after 2 or 3 years or so.

Hi

You are one of the few who is experiencing this the same as i

Did IT get better?

I am destroyed literally,

5 months off and still progressing