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What's happening in the brain to cause depression during WD?


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Hello,

 

Someone could explain what's happening in the brain during benzo wd to have depression?

 

I never ever been depressed in my life, now i can feel the pain!

 

How is it explained in a chemical way...?

 

 

Why some people got symptoms that other dont?

 

Or why certain benzo can cause depression ( wondering if it is since i switched)

 

 

Thank you

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Not sure about the chemical side of it, but Dr Claire Weekes says that it's all part of having a sensitized nervous system. Her work is geared towards anxiety and nervous illness, which is remarkably close in symptoms to WD. She says the constant stress on your nerves causes your system to be depleted and depression is depletion.

 

Obviously there's chemical imbalance at work in WD too, but I related to that description. I'm not sure about you, but my depression is worse when really tired or struggling in a wave and my body is obviously depleted of energy.

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What’s happening inside your brain

Why the depression and anxiety? It's so complicated, but this WHOLE system is interdependent. At that SAME time as ALL this stuff is going on, the entire body is trying to heal in every place GABA and Glutamate naturally act (uh - and that would be - EVERYWHERE).

The intestines, stomach, eye balls, skin, toenails - seriously - where do we NOT have nerves?

Anything we didn't have as a pre-existing condition is fair game for being affected by the recovery that takes place.

This includes the body's own ability to make serotonin that is required to feel "balanced" and "happy". And you guessed it. This is not being made very efficiently in a building that is under major construction. So - you may get a day or so of feeling good - and then - boom - that's gone until you can make enough serotonin.

Oh - and by the way - serotonin HELPS TELL THE NERVES WHEN TO RELEASE GABA AND GLUTAMATE! Ha!

So on top of needing GABA to make serotonin, you need serotonin to regulate the release of GABA into the system!

How much more interconnected can you get?  God - it's a wonder it knows how to heal at all!  But it does!  Amazing to me, really.

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Thank you for your answers...!

 

That’s crazy how certain people will only have to deal with physical symptoms and others with mental ones...

 

It’s truly hard to keep hope because I’m not even in a tapering process and trying to stabilize from the damaged of those drugs

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  • 4 months later...

I always get a depressed period after a peak on stress, anxiety and panic.

Probably due the fact that so much stress and anxiety blocks normal thinking and thoughts you get a trauma from it

 

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Depression and anxiety have been the real killers for me during this process. All of the physical stuff- the sensitivity to temperature, the muscle twitching, the constant desire to be walking, yeah they're annoying but I could ABSOLUTELY cope with them without the anxiety and depression. Though don't get me wrong I know people get much worse physical symptoms than me.

 

It's all mental for me. I'll have a run of good days then boom a bad day. Then a good day, then a few bad. It's weird, no real pattern to it. I'd say no rhyme or reason, but of course there is a reason. It's just not a reason we yet understand.

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  • 3 weeks later...
I was curious about this as well as I had never experienced depression until jumping. Not even while tapering. Anxiety is what I struggle with but depression is a whole other beast. What does everyone do to cope? Has anyone had this and recovered?
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My inpatient psychiatrist at Hopkins told me that that the sympathetic nervous system surges from tolerance and cutting surpress serotonin, dopamine and norepinephrin leading to depression and full body (including GI) effects. His view was that AD's can help with WD (Ashton said the same) and he loaded me up on them and they helped a bunch.
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  • 3 weeks later...

Depression and anxiety have been the real killers for me during this process. All of the physical stuff- the sensitivity to temperature, the muscle twitching, the constant desire to be walking, yeah they're annoying but I could ABSOLUTELY cope with them without the anxiety and depression. Though don't get me wrong I know people get much worse physical symptoms than me.

 

It's all mental for me. I'll have a run of good days then boom a bad day. Then a good day, then a few bad. It's weird, no real pattern to it. I'd say no rhyme or reason, but of course there is a reason. It's just not a reason we yet understand.

 

ME, TOO!! We are in the same boat..Depression is the MOFO for me....NO more physical...that was done months ago..Hope we get better!!

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  • 3 weeks later...
  • 3 weeks later...

Include me in the depression boat.  Some days are never ending with mild-severe depression, which then cause anxiety for me ruminating on how to get out of the depression or blaming myself that I should be able to talk myself out of it.

When your mind is running like a slow moving out of control obsessive motor, it's hard to handle.

I'm not keen on trying any AD's right now..so sick of pills and what it takes to come off them once your brain becomes dependent.  Maybe the time will come when I change my mind.

Hey, anyone deal with that horrid terror and fear that comes and goes? I've read of people afraid of their cats, or terrified to answer the door, or check the mail. I definitely relate to that symptom. Thank god it comes and goes and is not permanent.  I haven't been out of the house much..things like traffic and stimulation bring on fear.  I can definitely see how agoraphobia can develop during this taper hell.  Send out my best to all of you!

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I've just kind of accepted I will be on AD's if not for the rest of my life, at least for a looong time.

 

And yes I get that. Or rather, I had it during acute. I couldn't have any knives out, they had to be hidden. Not cause I was worried I would self harm, but I had this fear that I would wake up in the middle of the night and sleepwalk and hurt someone close to me. That went though.

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  • 2 weeks later...

I've just kind of accepted I will be on AD's if not for the rest of my life, at least for a looong time.

 

And yes I get that. Or rather, I had it during acute. I couldn't have any knives out, they had to be hidden. Not cause I was worried I would self harm, but I had this fear that I would wake up in the middle of the night and sleepwalk and hurt someone close to me. That went though.

 

Thank you for being so honest about this, Hurricane. 

I'm so depressed right now. Facing another night alone with insomnia is dreadful. My body is exhausted but my mind and insides are vibrating. Today all my initial symptoms I had at the start of my taper returned.  It seems so cruel of this process to grant me one small window and then slam me in the face.  It is torture.  Another buddy, boombox has messaged me his story, I know he went through hell for 2.5 years.  I know so many people here have and are suffering so profoundly.  I wish I could put my arms around everyone and just grieve with them over time lost to this detox and w/d from  such harmful drugs. We suffer as the pharmaceutical companies make billions.  I ended up going on a rant here, didn't mean for that to happen.  I just want to make it through the night.  Right this second all of this seems impossible. I will press on.

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I understand mate. For me it is the days that are the struggle. Especially the first half of them. It's so tempting to try and take a quick fix out of this.

 

Yeah I talk with boombox regularly. His story keeps me motivated in that I feel that if he could heal, through the immense suffering he experienced, then surely so can i. Thinking of you brother

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Thanks Hurricane,

 

I hope you had a good day at uni. If that's where you had to be.  I slept until 2pm today which I deplore.  Fighting all learned judgements that I'm just lazy. I miss felling normal.  Want to CT so bad. I hate this drug.

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  • 3 weeks later...
I have fallen into depression, and I'm still tapering.  I do have problems falling asleep, but it once I do, I could stay in bed & sleep 9+ hours for the past several weeks and that's NOT normal for me.  I also just lie around the house.  I have had depression before but do not want to go back on ADs ever again, & there does seem to be a seasonal pattern (the past week has been grey & drizzling, and short winter days) so I may have to get an indoor lamp to help.
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I'm in acute depression..So awful.  It's a beast-all the mental symptoms are hard on me, but this one is like death at your doorstep. No where to hide from it, either. This too shall pass.

 

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Having my occaisional depression time again.

It indeed feels like total depletion after a period pf extreme stress and anxiety.

 

It's awfull, no energy, motivation etc.

Luckily it always went away in the past, so I hope it does again soon.

 

Keep strong people.

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  • 3 weeks later...
So the benzos (while taking them, while tapering, and after stopping) also throw off serotonin, dopamine, and norepinephrine?  That's a really big package to deal with.
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I'm in acute depression..So awful.  It's a beast-all the mental symptoms are hard on me, but this one is like death at your doorstep. No where to hide from it, either. This too shall pass.

 

I feel for you widesky. I am normally not depressed. My problem is mostly constant severe anxiety. That depression you speak about did hit me hard when I jumped too soon from the 2.5 mgs of Valium. It set in about a month after I jumped. It does feel like death. You feel dead and empty inside. It was a very scary feeling, something I had never felt before. I ended up reinstating and I am at 1.5 mgs now (still feeling sick daily but functional). I plan to try stopping again but get as low as I can bf my next attempt, but I am scared to death what stopping will bring the next time.

 

How are you feeling this morning widesky? That black hole is hard to crawl out of I know. Try to enjoy your weekend everyone.

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  • 2 weeks later...
  • 1 month later...
My nightly dose of .30 clonazepam seems to give me just enough relief to somewhat sleep and have dreams only to wake up totally disinterested in life and having no real feeling at all. I feel trapped in my mind with little place to go. Workouts are a joke, I barely make it through 45 minutes before I just stop caring and leave. Depression is my worst enemy by far. The lens I’m looking through is just a burning brain full of pain. Hope seems to have went out the window once I got below .5 on my taper.
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I hear you loud and clear.  I see you were on Xanax, I am too, 26 stinking years.  Feels hopeless, and I'm also tapering gabapentin and lamictal (very slowly).  They are both horrendous as well, especially the gabapentin.  Oh, these f--ing drugs!  They steal your life in a serious way.

 

Working out, yeah right!  Getting out for a walk around the block is sometimes impossible.  Feel free to connect with me anytime. Peace.

 

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I hear you loud and clear.  I see you were on Xanax, I am too, 26 stinking years.  Feels hopeless, and I'm also tapering gabapentin and lamictal (very slowly).  They are both horrendous as well, especially the gabapentin.  Oh, these f--ing drugs!  They steal your life in a serious way.

 

 

You said it perfectly, widesky. These drugs rob you of so much once they stop working after the brain becomes tolerant. I don't know if I will ever feel normal again. Hang in there my friend!

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