Question about anxiety

Hello Fellow Benzo Buddies,

 

I hope that everyone on here is doing well during this crazy world we're living in. I hope that you're all healing and recovering despite these difficult times. This coming December I will be benzo free for 3 years now, yay! I braved the unrelenting torment of paws from a cold turkey jump for a solid year or more. During that time, my anxiety was worse than it ever was, panic attacks, dp/dr, heart fluttering, mental breakdowns, kindling. Prior to that the worst my anxiety was at it's worst, mild. Jumping off benzos more than once, pushed it into the stratosphere. I know for the most part my withdrawal is over. My question is this, Does anxiety calcify in the body and/or mind? As in could withdrawing rapidly from benzos have caused this more heightened and permanent anxiety? Would "sweating it out" bring it back down to a more stable and tolerable level? Any answers would help. Thank you BenzoBuddies

Good question. Before I started using lorazepam, my anxiety grew worse. To the point where last December I collapsed at work, everyone thought I was stroking out or having a heart attack. I hyperventilated so bad, my arms locked into a t-rex pose across my chest and my jaw locked up. I was carried to the ER on a stretcher (I work in a hospital) only to find out it was a panic attack.

 

Getting off lorazepam, I haven’t had panic attacks like that, but the number and length of time they’re with me has increased, which might be part of the withdrawals. I recently had one that woke me up at 12:30 am and I couldn’t calm down enough to go back to bed until 5:30 am.

 

I know this doesn’t answer your question, but this has been my experience so far.

I find that my anxiety amplifies at work as well. Being under pressure, lots of human interaction, stress, etc. Some days are better than others. Today was very stressful. I also feel depression setting in. I'm always very tired and fatigued, to the point where I can barely even stay awake sometimes. It;s not fun.