Joint/Muscle Pain

Good day all - though this is my first post, it has been somewhere I have done plenty of reading over the last few months.

 

My question pertains to something that although seems to be generally touched on quite a bit, never seems to quite fit (which is clearly the case for many). Nevertheless, I seek your input.

 

I had been on Clonazepam (3x0.5mg's per day) for about 6 years. Originally my doctor had prescribed it to treat what I believed was IBS, which has recently turned to be a sensitivity to Gluten. I recognize that the dosage was low.

 

I am 26 years old, and must plead ignorance, as at the age of 20 I didn't really question what my doc was giving me. What a little reading would have done for me then.

 

Having tapered from 3 doses to 2 doses a day over a period of 6 months.. I stayed at that level for a while.. then managing to go down to 0.75mgs a day.(.25mg x 3 doses). In mid fall last year (2007), I began to taper (at a rate I believed was quite slow) and finished tapering on Jan 31st of this year (about 4 months in total).

 

During the taper I felt a an increasing amount of joint stiffness and muscle tension, but it wasn't until about 3 weeks after having stopped completely that it became more than I could handle.

 

I am now about 14 weeks after completely stopping, and am still having strong "waves" of joint pain/muscle tension (hard to differentiate sometimes) in my ankles, knees, hips, shoulder and wrists (and once in one finger).

 

The pain seems to move from joint to joint, sometimes in many places, sometimes only one or two. At the beginning it appeared much like rheumatoid arthritis, in that it occurred in both wrists at the same time, both shoulders, etc.. but now seems to be without a particular pattern.

 

At my request, my doctor had run a whole panel of blood-tests, which came back showing no signs of arthritis (ie: no rheumatoid factor), and only a slightly elevated indictor of muscle damage (which I can typically attribute to the bruises I get while playing hockey!).

 

 

It is at its worst in the mornings.. and then again in the late evenings. It feels like tension, and is centered around the joints. I stops me from doing some of the more simple things as it will sometimes get to the point that the joint doesn't want to move in one direction (which would indicate muscle involvement).

 

As I said, it comes in waves.. never really leaving, but intensifying from time to time. The timing of these waves is something which I have yet to manage to attribute to anything like weather or diet.

 

 

Anyhow.. I am following up with my doctor, but I wanted to get a sense from folks as to whether these "arthritis" like symptoms seem to fit the bill of a benzo withdrawal. I appreciate muscle tension / joint pain seem to be listed everywhere, but I rarely see people linking it with words like "arthritis" type pain, which I feel most accurately describes my situation.

 

Your thoughts/wisdom is appreciated.

 

Many thanks in advance.

 

Hi thatguy,

 

Welcome to BenzoBuddies! Great to hear that you have gotten youself off the klonopoison. I am currently doing a slow taper since Feb 18 as you  can see from my signature line below. I have had numerous w/d symptoms, including headaches, neck and shoulder tension, IBS problems, and both my knees have been causing me problems since beginning my taper. Are you familar with or have you read the Ashton Manual? If not, I will provide the link below. Although Dr. Ashton does comment on muscle problems, I don't remember reading anything about joint problems, but I agree with you that I have had problems with mostly my knees. Recovery from taking this poison can take 6 months to one year after totally quitting. No one person is the same as far as recovery times or w/d symptoms. I hope this helps and others will be by to express their experiences in recovering from benzos. Hang in there, it will get better!

 

Take care.

 

 

T2

 

 

 

http://www.benzo.org.uk/manual/contents.htm

 

 

 

Hi!

 

I can't really help you on this one...I suffer from a connective tissue disorder totally unrelated to benzo's but I'm sure the tension caused by the withdrawal could easily mimic other illnesses.

 

Take Care,

 

Jen

I wish I could help. Certainly I have heard of people getting body aches from benzos and I am hoping it is so with me in which case some of mine should disappear over time, though I'm sure many of m aches and pains are age related. Stiff muscles caused by benzo withdrawal? Well it makes a lot of sense to me that this could indeed be a protracted withdrawal symptom, as I wouldn't put anything past the benzos, but I can;t see that we can definitively say so as a fact. If everything else is eliminated and the pain decreases over time then would seem to indicate that benzos are the cause, but otherwise I'd have to suggest that only time will tell. Perhaps more diagnostics might be indicated?

 

BTW: Congratulations in getting off!  :thumbsup:

 

Tony

Hi,

 

If you have ruled out other causes, then it would seem reasonable that benzo withdrawal is the cause. Benzos are muscle relaxants, so increased muscle tension as a rebound effect of benzo withdrawal makes sense. I have suffered from muscular spasms ever since quitting benzos. I'm unusual though, in that I a rare underlying neurological disorder involving the GABA system - my very protracted symptoms are not an indicator for the progress of 99.999% of those quitting benzos. You have ruled out other causes, so it is a matter of patience. These symptoms are very likely to disappear over the next few weeks or months. Just try not to worry about it, they will go away. Three months off is still fairly early days, so I'm not surprised that you still suffer some withdrawal symptoms. Try not to worry, it will improve.

The pain seems to move from joint to joint, sometimes in many places, sometimes only one or two. At the beginning it appeared much like rheumatoid arthritis, in that it occurred in both wrists at the same time, both shoulders, etc.. but now seems to be without a particular pattern.

 

At my request, my doctor had run a whole panel of blood-tests, which came back showing no signs of arthritis (ie: no rheumatoid factor), and only a slightly elevated indictor of muscle damage (which I can typically attribute to the bruises I get while playing hockey!).

 

 

It is at its worst in the mornings.. and then again in the late evenings. It feels like tension, and is centered around the joints. I stops me from doing some of the more simple things as it will sometimes get to the point that the joint doesn't want to move in one direction (which would indicate muscle involvement).

 

As I said, it comes in waves.. never really leaving, but intensifying from time to time. The timing of these waves is something which I have yet to manage to attribute to anything like weather or diet.

 

 

Anyhow.. I am following up with my doctor, but I wanted to get a sense from folks as to whether these "arthritis" like symptoms seem to fit the bill of a benzo withdrawal. I appreciate muscle tension / joint pain seem to be listed everywhere, but I rarely see people linking it with words like "arthritis" type pain, which I feel most accurately describes my situation.

 

 

Hi,

 

I can certainly relate to what you are talking about!!!  I, too, have had all the blood test etc. and nothing came back positive but the joint pain is there!  Mine is mostly in my fingers but I have some in my hips.  The hip pain was there during tolerance but has gotten better in the last few months.  The joints of my fingers are inflamed quite often and have had some thickening of the joints.  The rheumatoid dr. said it was "arthritis" and that it could only be inherited from my mother, I traced all my female relatives back to my great-great grandmother and not one had anything like I have!  So again, when it comes to wd what do the drs. really know?  I'm hoping this is wd and eventually will correct itself.

 

I would say what you are experiencing is wd, especially since all your test have come back neg.  Just be gently with your joints to avoid any extra pain.  I haven't found a lot on this subject but I do know of others that have the inflamed joints so we are not alone.

Hi thatguy,

 

If you read the Ashton Manual, or The Accidental Addict, or, for that matter, any book about benzos, you will learn that muscle and joint pain are very common withdrawal symptoms. I am still tapering slowly off Valium, and sometimes I get bad pain in my shoulders and knees and I honestly don't know if it's withdrawal or related to a tick-borne illness I might have, but I suspect it is withdrawal-related because it tends to happen sometimes when I make a cut. Congratulations on getting off the Klonopin. I have a long way to go yet, and this is my second time on these poisons. Was put on them for insomnia due to thyroid problems. If you tested negative for arthritic conditions, then I suspect that you're suffering from withdrawal, especially since you are only 26! Hang in there! It does improve with time.

 

Love,

Genie

Thanks folks - it is always nice to have such a knowledgeable 'sounding board'.

 

We'll see how things go, and I'll be sure to come back and update (regardless of what it turns out to be).

 

FWIW, arthritis does run in my family somewhat (mother and her mother).

 

Though the more and more I experience this, the more and more it seems to be muscle related, rather than simply 'joint' pain.

 

 

 

Hello Thatguy, 

From what I understand, because benzos are muscle relaxers and anticonvulsants, the withdrawal effects will be the mirror image of this.  When I miss a dose, it seems like I get pain from head to toe (but especially in my legs and lower spine and hips).

 

http://www.benzo.org.uk/images/this2.gif

Hey,

 

I can certainly relate as I started getting some bad ankle/calf pain a few days ago that limited my mobility.  It was brought on by some heavy jogging with bad cheap shoes that didn't have arch support.  This might have damaged some tendon tissue as a few days after the jogs, the pain appeared and it's only in my ankles/lower calves.  Benzo withdrawal exacerbates it as the pain peaks and troughs throughout the day.  I hope that doesn't spread, but I assume it won't. 

I've had joint pain off an on since w/d, especially my wrists and knees.

 

R

I have definitely had joint and muscle pain during withdrawal.  And although it moves around, the left shoulder,forearm and wrist pain are pretty constant.

 

Hope you feel better soon.

This is becoming more common as I dose down. I tend to notice I feel more muscular tightness and pain when I exercise more than I ever have before. I didn't think it was a w/d symptom, but it must be, as I've been all over exercise and martial arts for years without this kind of crap. It's annoying, but I'm getting used to it...

Hi thatguy. How are you doing now? I'm experiencing similar problems and I'm hoping it's only withdrawal and not something else. I would love to know how you're doing and if you got some answers.