Day 3 of w/d. As expected , insomnia, but BURNING FEET?!?

Hi, I'm new to this forum... I would like to be a contributing member, but at the same time, I do not want to spend all day here dwelling on anxious thought.

 

Ill try to be brief...

 

I stated xanax in feb at .5/ day, upped to .75/day , sometimes more on my own... Started to abuse and feel numb feet and knee.  I wanted to come off because I felt worse on them than when I started.... Initially I just needed them for sleep, but then started to actually become anxious during the day if not taking them. Went to pc and told her I wanted to stop taking them, so she reduced my script.

 

I've been taking .5-.75 daily for 9 months.... And I stopped taking xanax completely with no taper down.... This was 3 days ago. My feet have been burning the last two days... I'm having sleep issues and I'm pretty unmotivated to do much of anything.  I have a ill guy I have full custody of.... And I'm still able to give him attention and get the basics done... I feel like I'm sick or dying in my head...

 

I've had blood tests done by my doc and I have nothing organically wrong with my body as far as I know.

 

Is there a possibility that exists that the burning feet are from stopping what I consider a low dose cold turkey?

 

I used to be more happy , ambitious and fit. I feel like xanax has compromised my life or I'm just crumbling and it is coincidental.  I'm not looking for a diagnosis... I'm just wondering if anyone knows of anyone or has had w/ similar to mine and if the dosage would cause w/d even being as low as it is.

 

Any help would be greatly appreciated.

 

Thank you!

And at first I thought it was athletes foot perhaps, but it's not. It feels like someone give me a terrible sun burn on the bottom of my feet. It is incessant. I've come this far... I'm wondering if I should continue off the meds or take .25 and see if it helps.

 

I just wanna be me again,

I have burning feet a lot. It is a very common side effect of nerve issues. It comes and goes. I use a lot of thick creams, sometimes cooling gels, gabapentin cream and ice packs.

 

Sometimes I don;t have it for weeks and then it comes back. It's definitely annoying. My uncle who had diabetes had it, it is very common in diabetes. It is neuro related, so no worries. I am sure it just w/d. AS you have had the blood tests done and had a clean bill of health.

 

Alabama.

 

 

I have burning feet a lot. It is a very common side effect of nerve issues. It comes and goes. I use a lot of thick creams, sometimes cooling gels, gabapentin cream and ice packs.

 

Sometimes I don;t have it for weeks and then it comes back. It's definitely annoying. My uncle who had diabetes had it, it is very common in diabetes. It is neuro related, so no worries. I am sure it just w/d. AS you have had the blood tests done and had a clean bill of health.

 

Alabama.

 

Yeah other than something like HIV, which I highly doubt, I'm fairly sure I am well due to recent blood test results.

 

It is just weird how it recently pops up and gets worse these days after quitting.

 

God it hurts, and it's a distraction.

 

So far I'm having some mild anxiety and foggy headed feelings.  Ill keep posting here and there to let people know how it's going and ill try to help others with my experiences.

 

Thanks for the suggestions... I think I'll go get some kinda cream... I've improved my diet... Idk I just hope it's some nerve issue from the xanax that goes away with time..... Even if gradual.

Mine comes and goes, that's how I know it is w/d. Ice packs, cold cream..the kind that athletes use but not the heating kind, the cooling kind. And I find that good ol' vaseline helps a lot as well.....

Thanks for your responses!

 

Can w/d really start that quickly , to your knowledge? And can odd neurological symptomology manifest while taking the meds, seeing that it is can physiologically alter your nervous system?

 

Anyone?

 

It is just temporary. It is your nervous system trying to balance itself. Can I ask why you chose to cold turkey instead of taper? This is not a judgement, just a question...As after 9 months it would be advisable to do a taper instead of c/t. Even if the amount had been minimal, it was still in your system for 9 months.

Probably because I am fed up with being tired and feeling blah... And I didn't know about tapering or how bad w/d can be so I just stopped.... I didn't think I was taking much.

 

I'm glad you're responding, it helps ease my mind... I got out of the house and got the kiddo dinner and cleaned up so we can have movie night....

 

This is weird.... And mildly frightening.., had I known any of this, I'd have never started taking xanax.... And I don't think drinking alcohol or doing other stuff I shouldn't do is going to do anything but compound the problem... Ill just suck it up and keep going... Hopefully wake up one day and kiss the ground.

Please monitor your symptoms. If they become very bothersome and debilitating within the next week or so, and you find you cannot function properly, you might want to reconsider going back on them and doing a slow taper of a month or two. It is quite easy to do and generally eases the withdrawal symptoms and the POST ACCUTE WITHDRAWAL PHASE, which is where you find yourself. This is called PAWS for short. Most people who quit addictive substances get PAWS, however the Paws from benzo withdrawal is a bit different in nature.

 

As you are withdrawing slowly during a taper you would be allowing your brain to heal and up regulate it's gaba receptors and give them a chance to adapt slowly and in computer tech language...'start to come back online'. Because they have been offline while you were on benzos. So all the discomfort you will be experiencing is due to them trying to turn back on. This can take anywhere from a few months to a year and a half.

 

Most people heal quickly and are able to function with mild to moderate discomfort while the minority  are debilitated  . It does not seem to matter whether the person was on them for a few months or 25 years, everyone seems to respond differently to benzo w/d and their receptors coming back online.

 

Just monitor it, and plan for a speedy and great recovery!.  And if you notice it going the opposite way, as I said, you might want to reinstate and then taper off. Just to make sure those receptors get a fair chance to heal slowly without causing you too much discomfort.

 

Alabama.

 

 

Feet stopped burning after two days... Skin has a slight sunburn/tingle feel.... Fog is lifted (for now).... It's a good morning thus far.... Ill try to keep on livin and not really think about it

 

How is everybody today?

That sounds very very promising. I am hoping that in a few weeks or months this will all be a distant memory for you! Great news! And just keep checking in with us so we can help you to  monitor your symptoms so that if you are confused about anything we can point you in the right direction or explain it to you. But I have a feeling you might be just fine! Lucky duck!

I'm hoping but regardless of whatever happens.... Ill be back to help other people with the scary stuff... I think I was getting some nerve/neuro abnormalities/ side effects long before stopping.... I'm still having slight tingling/sunburn feeling and my right forearm keeps firing like I have the shakes.

 

But much better physically and mood today... I feel like I'm real again.... And I hope this lasts... If its only a window, I won't be discouraged....

 

Hope everybody has a great day!

it was a window.... but pretty good , it lasted through the morning.... i feel a bit detatched and im having some slight burning/tingling in my palms and foot soles.... but not like it was

 

Im guessing this will come and go, wax and wane.... at least this morning provided me a glimpse of what i hope to expect full time

ok as the day went on , this sucked more.... i know i have some type of peripheral neuropathy going on.... how common is this? now my brain is scrambling thinking the worst... is it just the xanax w/d? ive convinced myself i have everything from ALS to HIV....

 

this is miserable.... i know its gonna come and go.... this morning was so nice.... the day sucked as it went on...

 

ugh...

Think about it rationally. I know it's hard when weird symptoms come up but you have to really learn to do this in w/d.

 

What is the common denominator here? You all of a sudden developed weird symptoms 3 days after you quit a medication that affects your brain chemistry which in turn effects your whole nervous system. Do you think it is a coincidence? do you really think that all of a sudden you developed a rare disease?

 

This is not a coincidence. Have you read through the ASHTON manual? and looked at all the weird symptoms that can happen? Especially neurological? Listen your brain is totally out of whack right now so you are going to have some weird symptoms that you cannot explain.  It is going to have days when it works well and days when it is out of balance so that is why things will come and go. It is trying to reach homeostasis.

 

I have a rule in w/d. If a symptom is not life threatening...which I have not had...this would be a seizure or something like that, Then I wait for a few weeks. If it becomes really scary or troublesome and I can't function or I am just really worried about it all the time, I book an appointment with my doctor.

 

She knows that weird symptoms happen in w/d and that the fear they cause is a symptom in and of itself, so she always takes me seriously and tests me for things. If nothing comes back wrong, I trust her and go home and stop worrying and just accept the symptom and know that it will go away eventually, and it does. A few times I went and benzo's were not to blame for my symptoms . One time I had tinitus pretty badly and convinced it was w/d because it is such a common symptom. I dealt with it for weeks and finally gave up and went to see her. It turned out it was an ear infection.

 

So you have to find the balance of when you will check things out, when you will ignore them and when you need to do something about them. It takes  practice but you will get there. Try not to get too overwhelmed with worry. Try some self talk and calm yourself down when they flare and try to reduce the symptom to a tolerable level as only time will truly make it go away. Patience and symptom management. ANd most of all stress reduction because it flares symptoms and distraction because it is the best gift you can give yourself.

 

Keep monitoring it and know that you still can reinstate and do a taper if you need to. But we tend to suggest that a reinstatement happen sooner than later. After a certain time it sometimes does not help but if you do it early enough after a cold turkey it can really be effective. We do not recommend reinstatement after a proper taper only after cold turkeys. And then only soon afterwards. Some people can cold turkey just fine, others can;t. Just keep monitoring your symptoms.

 

Alabama.

You are so awesome for listening to me vent and I appreciate the time you have taken to respond to my irrational thoughts.

 

I'm trying... This is hard.... But I will not reinstate...

 

You are so right... Worrying about the symptoms makes it even worse.... I just don't see many posts about peripheral neuropathy symptoms and while the burning improved it moved to my hands and now I've got a minor tremor/uncoordination/Parkinson's like thing goin on in my hands.... Also neurological....

 

I'd rather go thru months of crazy or a year even than spending one more day needing to take 3 pills to feel halfway normal when I already felt normal before I took them.... Hey truly only made me feel worse.

 

 

I'm using this thread as a journal both for myself and people to read in the future. While my feet stopped burning... I've been OCD on the iPad trying to "figure out what's wrong"

 

I'm withdrawing from this shitty medication, is what's happening....

 

Mentally I'm ok... Mood is fair... I get sad because I feel like its me me me etc and I want to focus more on my life with my child.

 

Physically I feel like crud. My skin burns... Though less than yesterday... I'm wondering if I should try to taper or just keep the locomotive Rollin and steamroll thru this crap. Headaches, insomnia.... Oh and I have a full time job.... Tomorrow should be interesting.

 

Any words or encouragement, advice, questions for me.... Would be great.  I'm gonna keep on keepin on

From my understanding the Parkinson's type symptoms are coming from the lack of dopamine you are experiencing at the moment.It is partly  responsible for the tremors and burning,  Gaba, which is what is not working properly right now, is like the motherboard of your brain. (this is how I explained it to my family and friends) And thus Gaba controls all the other neurochemicals in your brain like serotonin, dopamine, norephidrine etc.... So sometimes you will  have those chemicals in abundance and sometimes there will be a deficit.

 

That is coupled with the lack of GABA which pretty much regulates your nervous system. Many people here have had burning, numbness and pain in their limbs. I know one girl who had a numb hand for months. It eventually went away. It's ok to check the internet for symtoms as we have all gone through that phase. Just try not to saty in that phase because it can scare you something awful, because in the end nothing is wrong with you that will not get better eventually.It is just w/d.

 

I am going to give you some links I think might help you.

 

http://www.benzobuddies.org/forum/index.php?topic=79098.0  WHAT IS HAPPENING INSIDE YOUR BRAIN, a great post , very scientific and yet very easy to read.

 

http://www.benzo.org.uk/manual/  This is the ashton manual with all the symptoms of w/d. I had some that were not on that list and I know for sure they were withdrawal.

 

This is about cold turkey  http://www.benzobuddies.org/forum/index.php?topic=53153.0

 

And if you want to talk to buddies or read about their cold taper experiences or are t hinking about reinstating this is the board to post in. Cold turkey is a much different beast than tapering and we generally do not recommend it. It can be dangerous in terms of seizures.  I felt awful when taking benzos too, they made me so sick, depressed, extreme exhaustion, barely functional, I was a shell of a human...... but I am still very glad I tapered and did not cold turkey. I cold turkeyed antidepressants a few times throughout the years,  and it was not problem , it was uncomfortable for a month or so , but I functioned. Anti depressants only affect 1 neurochemical  most of the time, whereas benzos affects them all. plus your nervous system. it's the motherboard as I said, it sends the messages to the other guys. Benzo cold turkey is not the same animal. But in the end it is up to you, you may have a fairly easy cold turkey, some people do not . Here is the section that can help you decide that. .....

http://www.benzobuddies.org/forum/index.php?board=133.0

 

Take care, Alabama.

Im on break at work... makin it ok.... i have weird moments and feel in a bit of unreality.... but i can feel the imbalance, literally.... i have energy... im alert... im even in an ok mood... but i can also tell somethings not perfect or right... ive been OCD on a thought and felt guilt or internal repitition of songs ... normally this stuff would just fly by with little thought... im hopeful and stayin strong tho

 

I appreciate the time and effort youve given to help ease my mind... im absolutelu going to read up later.... thanks so much

 

Im sure in due time ill be myself again.

Im on break at work... makin it ok.... i have weird moments and feel in a bit of unreality.... but i can feel the imbalance, literally.... i have energy... im alert... im even in an ok mood... but i can also tell somethings not perfect or right... ive been OCD on a thought and felt guilt or internal repitition of songs ... normally this stuff would just fly by with little thought... im hopeful and stayin strong tho

 

I appreciate the time and effort youve given to help ease my mind... im absolutelu going to read up later.... thanks so much

 

Im sure in due time ill be myself again.

I've had extreme burning of my palms and foot soles over the past two days. Just chalk it up to benzo wd and move on psychologically. Its uncomfortable for sure, but not nearly as miserable as the mind blowing anxiety, panic, and fear that accompanies this benzo road from hell. I'd gladly trade some anxiety for paresthesia!

I have had burning of the feet and hands with numbness and tingling. It was so bad at one point it was painful and kept me awake at night. I discovered taking a biotin vitamin reduced this significantly for me. If I kiss a couple of doses it comes back.

Hahahahaha, "miss" not "kiss" . 

I've had extreme burning of my palms and foot soles over the past two days. Just chalk it up to benzo wd and move on psychologically. Its uncomfortable for sure, but not nearly as miserable as the mind blowing anxiety, panic, and fear that accompanies this benzo road from hell. I'd gladly trade some anxiety for paresthesia!

 

The only anxiety I'm having is trying to figure out if I have MS or its just the stupid medicine... It's improved over a cpl days time.... But burning feet and neuropathy like symptoms as I have read thru numerous board and articles seem like on 98% of people never fully go away.... I have yet to see one peson say.... "Oh I had that, it was terrible and scary, but it went away"... That and minor depression are what is buggin me right now...

 

I'm making it through life just fine I guess, all things considered.... I guess it's never perfect for anyone... Never touching a benzo again... And I know if I did I'd feel fine for a few hours.... Then BAM... Back to confusion and fear and panic... That's my motivation to stay clear of those things.

These windows are wavy... Mornings are tough... Afternoons are better, I have some mental clarity with the occasional blip every couple of minutes... It gives me hope shit will straighten out...

 

My feet don't burn maybe briefly here and there....

 

My right arm and hand feel weak but less so than yesterday.....

 

The anxiety comes and goes, but my mood is good, I am pretty functional.... Still don't feel like working out

 

I hate xanax...I feel like if anyone knew what the side effects are like, they'd never prescribe it. I don't do drugs but I'd rather smoke pot if given the choice again.

 

It's not all about me, my hell seems minor compared to the torment I see some people living in...  I wish for all to be well and try to be as strong as you can.... It feels like I'm about 25% of the way up the mountain, ill be here to help anyone who needs me.

 

I'm telling everyone.... 90% of this b.s. is this medicine it's a painful sacrifice but you'll see light... Things will improve, the sun will shine, you'll want to sing again one day, you'll want to see your old friends.... You are human, and you are better and stronger than a stupid pill.

 

If you fake it long enough, it will become your reality eventually once your brain adapts back to being unmedicated