Water-retention all over the body? (more than benzobelly)

I suffer more than benzo-belly; I suffer from all-over puffiness, from fingers to toes, with weight-gain ofcourse. I know it is water because, when I cut out all carbs, it flushes out within one to two weeks. Unfortunately, when I eat an orange or some pineapple, or any food that contains more than 5 grams of carbs, my body retains water immediately. If I eat ONE PIECE of fruit daily for a week, then I will gain up to 15 pounds of water within 7 days  . I literally have to go on a consistent "no carb" diet just to maintain weight, which is very difficult to do. Lemon juice is my fruit supply. It's too difficult to maintain because I actually enjoy having 6 grams of carbs, or hey, maybe even 7 grams every once in a while  .

 

Is anyone experiencing this? And if so, any resolutions to this symptom?

 

(and I already eat a very low-sodium diet)

HiGeorgy

I have this problem still at 22 months off .120lbs normaly 30lbs water siting on stomach , tights, boobs, knees , enkles .

3 days ago i completely changed my diet , see what happened .

I cook lots of vegetable soup , lots , all veggies you can imagine  and have 5 times , every time i am hungry +  quinea [ i think I spell wrong ].  Snacks almonds , mango, orange , fruit , small , small yougurt [greek], almonds milk cup.

No brad , no pasta , nothing .

I lost  6 lbs in 3 days . Water  from my knees is gone , gone . I can  fit  in  my jeans , no baggy pants  for last 3 days .

Now going to cook soup again  with quinea [protein ] . iI FEEL  SO  MUCH  BETTER then all 22 months . Took out carbs .  My belly is much better  , no so much watter , and my waist is back .

I going to stay on this on month and see if all watter go away . :smitten:

Erika I feel soooooo much better .

Thanks Erika. What is frustrating is that I must remain on such a strict diet until I heal completely, which may be for another 2 years (it has already been over 3 years). You would think that the strictness of my diet would make me trim down further, but it doesn't; it only removes the retained water.

Thanks Erika. What is frustrating is that I must remain on such a strict diet until I heal completely, which may be for another 2 years (it has already been over 3 years). You would think that the strictness of my diet would make me trim down further, but it doesn't; it only removes the retained water.

/quote]

 

 

 

 

Georgy 

Have this  all taper [9 months]and 22 months off . Only this 3 days first time  in 3 years  I feel better .

Is very horrible to live on the same diet , but I dont; even if I can do it  .

Monday when I start this diet , i feel so light and flat all day , by 6 pm I took  one toast and  small  slice of cheese .

Also    tea  and milk  , yougurt  , everything  make me blow like crazy .

Yestarday went to restaurant  and have  homous  , pita and huge greek salat . NO BLOW , NO SICK .In one second I blow to that maximum. All over back , huge all over .

Maybe with time we get better i dont; know . I was never on diet , never water retention . Is very flustrating , I know  What can we do .

me too all together 3 years and have dr,paper  for next minimum 18 months , 100 %

After 12 years on will take me minimum 4 to 5  years recovery  from this garbage .

 

Ive recently had problems with both ankles swelling and I have been getting anxious about it. (I do not have any known heart problems, but I am 63 so.....) I made a short search to find out if benzos and benzo w/d can cause this but didnt find anything.

Does anayone know if benzos can cause fluid retnention and swelling? And where can I read about this?

east

Hello East.

 

Cortisol has an antidiuretic effect leading to fluid retention.

 

My fingers and ankles swell intermittently.

 

If it's cortisol there should be windows when it gets better.

 

spartacus x

Hello East.

 

Cortisol has an antidiuretic effect leading to fluid retention.

 

My fingers and ankles swell intermittently.

 

If it's cortisol there should be windows when it gets better.

 

spartacus x

 

 

 

 

Hi Spartacus

Yes I believe this 100 %. , because some days I am not huge , little stress of diet I am blow

I was just wondering if anyone has found a relief to this. I've tried grapefruit, dandelion root, drinking plenty of water, low sodium, green tea, etc. None have helped AT ALL  .

Tried all that and it didnt help. I saw my doctors NP today and she wants me to take HCTZ (diuretic) for the ankle swelling. I am going to give it a try, but honestly, Im sick of taking medications for things.

In my case, I suspect that inactivity has made it much worse. Im more inactive now because Im fighting agorophobia. Geez, when does the roller-coaster stop!?

east

my feet swell and feel weird. ive seen alot of benzo ppl have same problem so im not too worried.

i get benzo belly BIG TIME.

there must be something in cabbage because if i eat cole slaw it kind of helps

maybe its also the acv i put in it?

 

i make my own cole slaw.

Less I eat better I feel . Every little carbs give me huge belly , knees  enkles retention . 

I know is water too , because  last weel eat nothing only veggie soup  and  my body was like before .    How long we can eat only water and veggies .

Moment I took bread , yougurt , pasta , rice , corn , eny food , water retention  is on .

Less I eat better I feel . Every little carbs give me huge belly , knees  enkles retention . 

I know is water too , because  last weel eat nothing only veggie soup  and  my body was like before .    How long we can eat only water and veggies .

Moment I took bread , yougurt , pasta , rice , corn , eny food , water retention  is on .

 

Similar with me. I need to avoid ALL carbs and ALL salt in order to lose the water weight. It's way to difficult to remain on that type of diet for a long time.

Yes , is  very hard , I last for a  week  , can  wear bikini , then have  toast  and blow like before . I have 20 lbs water retention . from 120 lbs to 140 around stomach , knees , tight , disgusting .

I think I look like a football player..thick everywhere! I know it's water retention and weight...........nothing helps and everytime I try to diet the stress and hunger make me worse...I think my metabolism is so out of whack that even if I ate 1000 caloried a day I still wouldn't lose weight..................my w/d doctor told me to stop focusing on it....but it's just that if I can look like myself than maybe I will feel like myself....it's complete silliness I know but somehow I keep thinking it will signify being healed so I try to force the weight issue to force the healing....one equals the other in my head.....if I look like me I will feel like me............my dr also said that to diet or deny myself calories while my body is fighting for healing and nutrients would be doing myself a disservice....he said one thing at a time...but I still have that mantra in my head.....it is so ingrained and such a phallacy...because the trith is, I know deep down inside that when my brain feels healed it won't matter what weight I am or what I look like I will feel like myself and the weight will just take care of itself..because my metabolism will be repaired......I look a t friends who have dieted and lost weight and I think gosh that would be so easy...exercise, eat less calories....seems like such an easy thing to do and with a normal body it is...and especially after the difficulty of benzo w/d weight loss would be a walk in the park! it would even be welcome, a nice restriction free healthy diet like I used to have and nice exercise and activity! bring it on!but exercise and calorie restriction and even eating normal foods with such bad benzo belly and pain would be impossible at this juncture......if only I could eat beans and fruit ]etc.......instead of this no irritants food diet.....I would lose 10 pounds in a week lol! but alas I still get on the scale and still get angry that I weigh 25 pounds more despite knowing I can't do a thing about it.....torturing myself.........well a rational brain is not broken brain! and I sure got me a malfuctionning brain! onwards and upwards one day we will love those bikinis again! xo

Asparagus is a really good natural diuretic.  When I feel puffy, I eat an entire can of chilled asparagus and it does the trick.  Works like a prescription diuretic for me.  But stay close to the restroom because you will pee like a British race horse.

I blow huge last night , my knees swolen . I eat very little , have no idea why last night again .

I look all food I eat yestarday  and 6 pm have toast with margerine [ never eat margerine , but my butter was frozen .

So margerine , little . Sick all night , shakes , choking , head pressure still now morning .

I look on net ingridients in margerine and here . Sodium phosfate .

Reason am so bloated .

All sodiums Citrate , Benzoate , Phospfate etc will do it  for me .

Very hard to eat any food . Jam , honey = preservatives , everything . Crazy

I am trying to figure out why the tops of my feet are swollen. I had twins 7 months ago, but everyone I talk to says that their swelling went down almost immediately. Could this be the reason they are still swollen? Thanks

I am trying to figure out why the tops of my feet are swollen. I had twins 7 months ago, but everyone I talk to says that their swelling went down almost immediately. Could this be the reason they are still swollen? Thanks

 

Since obviously so many of us are retaining lots of water, then probably so.

Eastcoast- I have read on the internet that swollen ankles was a wd sx of benzos. My ankles are fine but my tops of feet are swollen with nerve tingling in my big toes. So weird.

I hope it IS related to withdrawal...the alternatives arent so good. My doc put me on HCTZ (diuretic). I took it yesterday and the swelling went away of course. I dont want to take it regularly, because of losing potassium.

Ive had some weird tingling in the toes, too. Im so used to weird symptoms I tend to ignore the small ones now.

Oh, when will this get better.....?

east

so my doctor explained that when our bodies are high with cortisol, which is the stress hormone, that we have been programmed for centuries to hold fat because the body thinks a famine is coming...hence the stress....our ancesters did not have the kind of chronic stress we have today. and when our cortisol levels are high we automatically retain a lot of water and our potassium and sodium levels have a hard time balancing. he said that a perfect example of that is when we are giveln hydrocortisone tablets like prednisone, a very common side effect is that we ]can gain twenty to thirty pounds in just a matter of a couple months without changing our diets. our body is trying to protect us from the stress of a potential famine.......and since we do not have gaba to calm our stressed systems down like normal people we are very vulnerable to this and our cortisol tends to get rather high. it also means that as long as our systems are stressed we can forget about losing weight because our bodies want to protect us...and if you try to diet, that in and of itself is a stress s o only makes the situation worse and hence can make you retain even more fat and water.......it explained a lot to me and made me fee l a lot better about I]t. and explained why no matter what I did I could not lose weight and that my diet is healthy and had never changed but my body did...mystery solved!.....I realily have to watch my stress levels and really concentrate on nutrient dense foods so I can get a lot of nuttrients to help healing and keep the stress down.....as taking vitamins and minerals and supplments tends to cause even more stress on my body unfortunately

It's just so frustrating given that I'm still going through this despite having quit the benzo over 3 years and 4 months ago.

What benefits me:

 

B-50 complex - once a day.

Vitamin C - 500-1000mg a day.

Magnesium glycinate - starting slowly 400mg a day - and increasing as you feel benefit - up to 800mg day. Some prominent doctors take over 1000mg a day themselves.  The side effect if any is simply loose stools.

 

Start slow. The B vitamins obliterated benzobelly for me along with the other things I was taking.

 

B vitamins are a natural diuretic - and will also help the adrenals. 

Vitamin C will lessen cortisol all around.

 

 

 

What benefits me:

 

B-50 complex - once a day.

Vitamin C - 500-1000mg a day.

Magnesium glycinate - starting slowly 400mg a day - and increasing as you feel benefit - up to 800mg day. Some prominent doctors take over 1000mg a day themselves.  The side effect if any is simply loose stools.

 

Start slow. The B vitamins obliterated benzobelly for me along with the other things I was taking.

 

B vitamins are a natural diuretic - and will also help the adrenals. 

Vitamin C will lessen cortisol all around.

 

Parker,

Great info, thanks. I have tried them, but not consistently .... or, maybe I used a poor brand of vitamins. Do you have a brand that you have found to be the most effective and that you would suggest? For magnesium glycinate, I use "Doctor's Best".

 

Thanks!

What benefits me:

 

B-50 complex - once a day.

Vitamin C - 500-1000mg a day.

Magnesium glycinate - starting slowly 400mg a day - and increasing as you feel benefit - up to 800mg day. Some prominent doctors take over 1000mg a day themselves.  The side effect if any is simply loose stools.

 

Start slow. The B vitamins obliterated benzobelly for me along with the other things I was taking.

 

B vitamins are a natural diuretic - and will also help the adrenals. 

Vitamin C will lessen cortisol all around.

 

Parker,

Great info, thanks. I have tried them, but not consistently .... or, maybe I used a poor brand of vitamins. Do you have a brand that you have found to be the most effective and that you would suggest? For magnesium glycinate, I use "Doctor's Best".

 

Thanks!

 

That's the same magnesium I use.  Same brand. With B vitamins - it doesn't seem to much matter for me - as long as it's a B-complex.  (not just B6 or B12, but the full range of B's which work synergistically).  I also take a probiotic with 13 strains - high in rhamnosus and bifidum bacterium.  But the bloating really went away with the vitamin B. Mind you - I had taken LOADS of vitamin D months ago - and that is stored in my fat - everytime I take a dose of magnesium (which activates D) I can feel it.  I had to stop the D because I literally got too much. But the magnesium sets off the D energy daily.  Long story short - it's likely a combo. that worked for me -but I didn't notice the bloat leave until vitamin B was added.  But it's hard to say it's one thing or another.  It's likely a combo.  Also - it may be that you have to get to the point where you are starting to lose the cortisol for this to improve. The vitamins help me a ton -but I can't honestly say where my cortisol would be without them - I have no way to test the control for that - and go back and NOT take the vitamins. but I can tell they do a lot for mood and sleep - and that the bloating left with vitamin B.