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Cervical Dystonia


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I'm going out on a desperate limb here. Has anyone had this in W/D or has W/D made it worse? I have stiffness, rigidity and my head turns pretty quickly when I bend over to do something. It has been progressing as I wean and getting to be painful at times. I also have tremors and twitching all over. I know that with this disease, Klonopin/benzos are often prescribed as it's a muscle relaxer. How ironic. I'm facing a possible diagnosis as I wean off of a benzo. Can't wait to tell the neuro that one. I'm sure he'll think I'm crazy.

 

My goal was to wait until I was off of the Valium until I explored why I was having these symptoms, but it's starting to interfere with my life. I'm questioning where the benzo W/D ends and my other symptoms start that aren't related.

 

Thanks,

Jessica

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Jessica,

 

Did you find out about this disorder by looking up your symptoms online?  "Googling" symptoms and thinking you have all kinds of diseases is actually one of the main symptoms of benzo withdrawal.  This is also called hypochondriasis (hypochondria).  I know, I've done it ceaselessly in the past.  I just don't do it anymore. It causes a lot of stress. Most likely you are fine.

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wow, there is a someone by your name in my life with dystonia, but in reading your old posts I guess you're not the same person as she doesn't have children.  She is on the same medication though and also hoping to get off.

 

I hope you don't have dystonia, but there are a lot of treatment options if you do.  There is no question that many of the symptoms of benzo withdrawal are similar to some of the symptoms of dystonia.  Even if you do have dystonia, there is little question that your withdrawal is amplifying your symptoms into something more dramatic than they would be without it.  I'm not sure if that answers your question, but let me know if there is other info I might be able to give that would help.

 

Best wishes.

 

:)

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oh, and just as an aside, I have had plenty of tremors, spasms, and ticks/jerks/twitches and I don't have dystonia, for whatever that is worth.  Unfortunately, just because I wasn't taking it as a muscle relaxer doesn't mean that I don't experience the equal and opposite reaction when the drug is withdrawn.
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I also had tremors, spasms, and ticks/jerks/twitches and I don't have dystonia. I had most symptoms of MS, lupus, and dystonia and many other diseases. that doctors are amazed that my test come back not showing actual disease. Benzo WD mimincs so many dieases.
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Hi Jessica,

 

I agree with everyone else. Benzo w/d mimics so many other diseases. And like Megan, I'm wondering if you had any symptoms of the dystonia pre benzos? I try to tell myself if it wasn't there before benzos, it won't be there after! It's easier said than done, though.

 

I actually have a mild form of cervical dystonia called spasmodic torticollis for which I started klonopin in the first place. I can answer any questions you might have about it, but if you've not experienced any symptoms of it before benzos, it's most likely w/d related and you can be assured it will pass with time. I've had all sorts of muscle twitches, jerks and spasms in the rest of my body totally unrelated to my dystonia that have come and gone in w/d.

 

All the best.

Ally

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Hi Jessica,

 

I agree with everyone else. Benzo w/d mimics so many other diseases. And like Megan, I'm wondering if you had any symptoms of the dystonia pre benzos? I try to tell myself if it wasn't there before benzos, it won't be there after! It's easier said than done, though.

 

I actually have a mild form of cervical dystonia called spasmodic torticollis for which I started klonopin in the first place. I can answer any questions you might have about it, but if you've not experienced any symptoms of it before benzos, it's most likely w/d related and you can be assured it will pass with time. I've had all sorts of muscle twitches, jerks and spasms in the rest of my body totally unrelated to my dystonia that have come and gone in w/d.

 

All the best.

Ally

 

I honestly can't remember before benzos about my neck. I went on more for my shaking and feeling uneasy/anxious. I know I had a weird feeling in my neck before, but nothing like this. My head is really cranking, and even compared to yesterday it's tons worse. And all I did was lay around today. Plus I'm shaking a ton. I've been cutting .01 each day this past week from .8 and went down to .7. I can't believe that's too fast. But maybe it is.

 

Since then, through X-rays and MRI, I do have some issues in my cervical spine, I think from an auto accident 12 years ago.

 

Despite the reassurance, it's still so scary. I have an appointment with a neurologist. Could I get a misdiagnosis? Do you feel a movement disorder specialist will be knowledgeable enough to know if this is withdrawal or the real thing?

 

THank you so much for your reply,

Jessica

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Jessica,

 

Did you find out about this disorder by looking up your symptoms online?  "Googling" symptoms and thinking you have all kinds of diseases is actually one of the main symptoms of benzo withdrawal.  This is also called hypochondriasis (hypochondria).  I know, I've done it ceaselessly in the past.  I just don't do it anymore. It causes a lot of stress. Most likely you are fine.

 

Yes, I did.  :P  And I"m aware that much of my symptoms could be hypochondria related. Thanks for the reminder, though. It's good to know i"m not alone with the worry and wonder.

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W/d causes lots of crazy muscle spasms and uncontrolled movements/jerking. If you're experiencing any type of movement disorder (which I don't think you are), it will be extremely difficult to diagnose right now. And yes, it's also very possible to get a misdiagnosis. I think you're smart to have it checked out to rule out anything serious, but just keep that in mind that any muscle issues and/or movement issues are going to be greatly amplified in w/d. I would personally rule out rule out anything serious with a neurologist for peace of mind and hold off on diagnosing/treating any muscle issues at this point. You will most likely find that all these things disappear with time as you heal.

 

I have Google-itis too! You're not alone!

 

Ally

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W/d causes lots of crazy muscle spasms and uncontrolled movements/jerking. If you're experiencing any type of movement disorder (which I don't think you are), it will be extremely difficult to diagnose right now. And yes, it's also very possible to get a misdiagnosis. I think you're smart to have it checked out to rule out anything serious, but just keep that in mind that any muscle issues and/or movement issues are going to be greatly amplified in w/d. I would personally rule out rule out anything serious with a neurologist for peace of mind and hold off on diagnosing/treating any muscle issues at this point. You will most likely find that all these things disappear with time as you heal.

 

I have Google-itis too! You're not alone!

 

Ally

 

Thanks, Ally! I can't wait to heal! I am a bit fearful of a "diagnosis" and having it be a misdiagnosis. But maybe I can find a treatment to help me get through the withdrawal, and then time will let me know what is really going on. I was just thinking back to some of my earlier s/x and how they just morph from one thing to another, gradually getting worse, then sometimes again turing to something else to worry about. This, though, has been creeping up on me all year, which I can see would be a normal thing as I wean my body.

 

Keeping my sites hi for healing and a smile to the sky.

 

Jess

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