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50 and over club- withdrawal and recovery issues for the aged :-)


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Anyone 50 or over and either still tapering or post taper? I started my benzo journey in my late forties and a few years later have made much progress. Now at approximately two years off valium and just a few lingering issues. I suspect there are others who may have been on a benzo for longer than my journey. I took my first valium pill in 2008 but was done by end of 2009. The rest has been an interesting ride. Anyone else out there either about to turn 50 or reached the milestone and what have been some of your experiences? Vertigo
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startedmy benzo nightmare at 50

didn'yt know what they where and i was put on them in er

despite me explaining an addiction personality

what was blamed on anxiety was thyrodisim due to an infection

now turnecd 53 have lost 3 yrs of life as i made 2 previous attempts following bad advice 1 jumped at 1mg clonazapam, then .25 mg spent days in er 40 visits and specalist,test,bloodwork

xrays,mri,i am now 25 days off in agony

extreme weight loss,head pressure,weakness dizzyness,food intolerances,

nerve pain,temp changes,muscle weakness and sensations

can;t stand without getting dizzy

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I'm in the over 50 club.  I was first put on benzos in 1998 so for me it has been a long time.  I just started tapering in Jan. of this year as I was clueless.  I have to go stupid slow due to other underlying health issues and a very bad experience trying to get off once a couple years ago. 
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Count me in too!  Even though I was on benzos a short time, I think withdrawal is a little more difficult for those of us over 50.

 

 

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Yep, us old fogies must stick together :pokey::laugh:.  I was one who came to the benzo later, just a few years ago.  I imagine if you're 50 or older, there's a chance that some may have been on them for a decade or more.  And yes, we might be prone to other health issues by the time you've reached your fifth decade.  I was kind of shocked when I got Shingles just five weeks after my taper ended and not even 50.  Yet my doctor told me it's no longer an illness of the older crowd, that it's about stress and even many college students are getting it now, burning the candle at both ends I suppose.

 

Vertigo

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I am 49 John, 50 this year, do I get to join the club?  :yippee:

 

Ok H, we'll let you in early but you have to promise you'll be off your benzo by 50 :pokey::)

 

V

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[02...]

I'm 54 years old and have an appt tomorrow with a Xanax tapering psych for possible crossover to Valium. If he and I agree with one another on how it's to be carried out then I'll be starting the long road asap.

 

Can I still join if I'm not "in the midst" of it yet? Being older and tapering is a very big concern of mine so it would be wonderful to connect with others my age or close to it anyway.

 

thrive

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Can I still join if I'm not "in the midst" of it yet? Being older and tapering is a very big concern of mine so it would be wonderful to connect with others my age or close to it anyway. thrive

 

I think you just did! Welcome to our little club, Thrive :). Who knows how many will show up if we can remember to come back :laugh:

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Count me in too!  Even though I was on benzos a short time, I think withdrawal is a little more difficult for those of us over 50.

 

How long were you on the benzo Flowers?  I was only on for 20 days before my c/t back in 2008.

 

Vertigo

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Hi, maybe I qualify :D I am over 60 and yes have been on this poison for over a decade now, geesh times flies, here's hoping we can all prove them wrong and heal just as fast as the yougnuns, I am in the middle of my liquid taper, down to almost a quarter of my original does :yippee:
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[02...]

Im 53 and have been on xanax 20 years. I guess that makes me an old timer.  :crazy:

 

jackie...don't feel lonely. I've been on it for 29 years. gack!

 

How is your c/o going?

 

T

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I'm 58 so that makes me one of the senior members, right?  :yippee:  :laugh:

Taz

 

Maybe we can get some group AARP discounts to Disneyworld when everyone is off :laugh:

 

V

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Count me in too!  Even though I was on benzos a short time, I think withdrawal is a little more difficult for those of us over 50.

 

How long were you on the benzo Flowers?  I was only on for 20 days before my c/t back in 2008.

 

Vertigo

Wow vertigo!  On for just 20 days?!?!?!? You must be hypersensitive like me.

So glad that you're almost healed!

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Count me in too! Even though I was on benzos a short time, I think withdrawal is a little more difficult for those of us over 50.
How long were you on the benzo Flowers? I was only on for 20 days before my c/t back in 2008. Vertigo
Wow vertigo! On for just 20 days?!?!?!? You must be hypersensitive like me. So glad that you're almost healed!

 

I was on for 20 days but I reinstated three weeks after a c/t, stayed on for a few months, then tapered off over about 10 months in 2009. How about you mmr?

 

Vertigo

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Sign me up for Disneyland!  I'm 58, been on Ativan(1mg) for 8 years, started taper in January of this year!  Wish I were 30, I could whip this in a couple months instead of this 6-12 month deal!!  Gettin old is not for sissys!! ;)
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Gettin old is not for sissys!! ;)

 

You ain't kidding DesertWoman.  Had my first colonoscopy last month.  Went with the Propofol rather than the Versed (which I heard can impact the GABA site).  Despite some GI issues over the last couple years, all was clear.  Don't procrastinate on this too long felow seniors :)

 

Vertigo

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A woman never tells.  Oh, wait.  Did someone say Disneyworld?????

 

OK, I'm in.  I have a birthday next week and I'll be...well, ummmm, old enough to go to Disneyworld on the AARP pass. 

 

With my anxiety and dizziness, I figure you could just strap me in on the Rock 'n' Roller Coaster and put an end to this crap.  :)

 

I just had a wild memory...I'd forgotten all about it.  When I was in my late 20's good old doc put me on Librium for job stress.  Back then they were handing them out like candy.  I quit taking them and started drinking like a fish instead.  Then in my mid 30's I was having some anxiety and a different doc put me on Xanax.  I recognized withdrawal symptoms and eventually went to a psychiatrist who helped me taper off.  It was successful...no bad withdrawal. And, by the grace of God, I was able to get sober....

 

But my most recent experience was just a bad case of Labyrinthitis in 2010, and I was given Ativan..and the rest is pretty much all over these boards now. 

 

I'm honored if I can join the club!

 

 

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