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Is my symptoms benzo related?


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Hello. I was on benzos for about 12 years and im happy to say i have been without any benzo for about 8 months now.

When i was tapering down my usage i remember i started getting some chest tightness (Just were the heart is) and sometimes shortness of breath, and sometimes Even trouble with swallowing, (Like i could not swallow water, i would have to spit it out).

 

because of this i was paranoid about it being something wrong with my heart so i went to my doctor alot to Get this checked. I got multiple times to the hospital for bigger checks aswell, but they never found anything wrong. But the issues i felt didnt go away so because of this i probably spent a year to taper from 2mg valium to 0 as i did not want it to Get worse.

 

After i had succesfully tapered down and was off benzos my symptoms were stil there, maybe Even a little worse in the start, but after a month or so they started to disapear more and more. 2 months after i was off benzos i had none of the symptoms, the chest tightness i had been struggling with for so Long was gone. So i figgured it was as my doctor had told me after my 100th check, that it was probably Just withdrawals/ anxiety related to going off benzos after being on it for so Long. After this i did not have any withdrawals at all.

 

4-5 months later i got an adhd diagnosis and was told to try a medicine for it. I was first put on ritalin, which i tried for like 3 weeks but i didnt have the best effect on it. Plus got headaches etc, which is normal for it i guess. Anyway i was told to try another medicine called vyvanse instead. This gave me alot better effect for the first few days, but suddenly on like day 5 on it i started getting chest tightness again, which i did not have since after quiting benzos. Ive been testing it on and off for a few days and basically every day i take it my symptoms on chest tightness are back, but if i dont take it for like 2 days they are totally gone again. Also if i take it for multiple days in a row it seems to Get worse for everyday. It sucks because i really had Great effect by it.

 

Could this in any way be related to benzos? Or am i just having a bad reaction to this medicine?

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It sounds like it could be related to your adhd meds for two reasons.

 

You already had your body checked out several times for heart/chest issues.

You seem to get these symptoms on cue after several consecutive days of adhd med use.

 

However it could still be withdrawal. Chest tightness and shortness of breath are very common symptoms of anxiety. Anxiety is also a very common withdrawal symptom. Stimulants like caffeine and adhd meds also cause anxiety.

 

If you don't want to stop using the adhd meds you could ask for a lower dose. One thing to consider though. Were the symptoms that led to your Adhd diagnosis symptoms that were present in your life before w/d?  If not just keep in mind you may be treating a condition you don't have. If you do have that condition, it may take awhile to find the right combination and dose. Just work with your doctor.

 

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Thanks for your reply Crono!

 

The symptoms i have to adhd was definetly there before wd. Some of the symptoms was the reason i was put on benzo to start with. So the symptoms i had for my adhd diagnosis is definetly not related to wd.

 

The thing is also that i did not Get tightness in chest from ritalin which was the first one i tried. I did however Get more anxious on it (feeling like i Just drank 10 cups of Coffee in a short amount of time). I Even tried ritalin again after i got the chest tightness from vyvanse, and i did not Get it with ritalin. I do not Get anxious at all on vyvanse, but i do Get the chest tightness.

 

Sadly im allready on the lowest dose on vyvanse, and being capsulses with time release i cant cut them. So i cant go on a lower dose.

 

I also quit caffeine around the time i quit benzos. So i dont have any caffeine at all.

 

The reason i thought it might be related to wd is that i never had issues like this except from when i was in wd. Could this medicine trigger it somehow?

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Well to put things in perspective, over the past 8 years I could easily drink coffee no problem. During my recovery it's negative effects seemed amplified ten fold. There my be a psychosomatic component to the sensitivity as well since during withdrawal we are hyper-aware of every little sensation going on in our body. Sometimes some people come out of withdrawal still overanalyzing symptoms because it is a habit we involuntarily forced ourselves into.

 

In your case at 8 months it is still very possible to be extra sensitive to side effects from medications, especially stimulants. They won't set back your recovery (they utilize different receptors), but their side effects may be more prominent due to your recovery status. It is up to you to weigh the benefits vs the negatives.

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The swallowing issue is from withdrawals. I had the same issues for over a year. Still get it from time to time but not as bad. Chest tightness could be anxiety. Some meds can give you anxiety.
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Well to put things in perspective, over the past 8 years I could easily drink coffee no problem. During my recovery it's negative effects seemed amplified ten fold. There my be a psychosomatic component to the sensitivity as well since during withdrawal we are hyper-aware of every little sensation going on in our body. Sometimes some people come out of withdrawal still overanalyzing symptoms because it is a habit we involuntarily forced ourselves into.

 

In your case at 8 months it is still very possible to be extra sensitive to side effects from medications, especially stimulants. They won't set back your recovery (they utilize different receptors), but their side effects may be more prominent due to your recovery status. It is up to you to weigh the benefits vs the negatives.

 

 

Oh i see, that makes sense!

If this is the reason im getting it, could it then better the more i take the medicine consistently? Or would it more likely keep getting worse?

 

The swallowing issue is from withdrawals. I had the same issues for over a year. Still get it from time to time but not as bad. Chest tightness could be anxiety. Some meds can give you anxiety.

 

The swallowing symptom is probably the rarest of them, but i do remember having it alot while in wd. But usually i only Get this a few times if i have both the chest tightness and shortness of breath.

 

 

Honestly i had such a hard time imagining when i felt it that it could be related to wd, since i had none wd issues ever since about the 2 month mark. Other than that alot of it points to it being related to wd.

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Adhd is not real. They made up a disorder to loophole prescribing amphetamines. Can cause hell in your brain, nervous system and  even your skeletal structure by depleting you from calcium. You don’t have This made up disorder. If you really think you do…you can get a prescription for fast absorbing Omega 3. (Actual medication)  it’s like 150 for fish oil. The human body hasn’t evolved over thousands of years to take speed everyday.
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Adhd is not real. They made up a disorder to loophole prescribing amphetamines. Can cause hell in your brain, nervous system and  even your skeletal structure by depleting you from calcium. You don’t have This made up disorder. If you really think you do…you can get a prescription for fast absorbing Omega 3. (Actual medication)  it’s like 150 for fish oil. The human body hasn’t evolved over thousands of years to take speed everyday.

 

 

How Will fast absorbing fish omega 3 help me?

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Adhd is not real. They made up a disorder to loophole prescribing amphetamines. Can cause hell in your brain, nervous system and  even your skeletal structure by depleting you from calcium. You don’t have This made up disorder. If you really think you do…you can get a prescription for fast absorbing Omega 3. (Actual medication)  it’s like 150 for fish oil. The human body hasn’t evolved over thousands of years to take speed everyday.

 

Zesty76,

 

Please familiarize yourself with our policy about diagnosing other members, we'd also appreciate credible citations or studies to back up your claims.

 

Please adopt a non-prescriptive writing style. Relating your experiences, stating options, or posting suggestions of what other members might do are all welcome. However, advising members of what they should or must do is against the ethos of the BenzoBuddies Community. Nor should you attempt to 'diagnose' medical problems or suggest medical treatments to other members. This policy also applies to members with medical qualifications. A more detailed explanation of this policy can be found in our Guidelines Regarding the Giving of Medical Advice document.

 

Pamster

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All benzo buddies and pamster! I apologize. I got really fired up about this topic. I just hate medicine exploiting us when we are vulnerable. I’m sorry. It is true I am not a doctor lol
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It's OK Zesty. It is understandable that after a horrible experience with benzos one would become disillusioned with pharmaceuticals as a whole. However the focus of this site is helping people get off of benzodiazepines (who have made the choice themselves), not to cause guilt about not living a naturalist lifestyle on other members.

 

Over 1 year into my recovery, I made the difficult choice to get on an AD and although I was told to take caution, the others members were understanding of my situation and I appreciated their support regardless of whether I chose to or not. I improved 4 weeks later, but that does not mean I will advocate for AD use during withdrawal anymore than I will advocate that people must be off, and avoid, all medications.

 

I know you were speaking out of frustration, but denying that a member's medical condition, or symptoms of that condition, exists can be just as frustrating as when doctors or family deny post-acute benzo withdrawal exists.

 

Your intentions are good, so please continue to support those in need.  :thumbsup:

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