Stomach healing place

Hi,

 

I have been battered left right and center with stomach issues through out my journey, I'm now off Benzo's and have been for almost 6 months, my progress is good but slow, I would say my stomach is 20-25% healed right now, compared to what I went through whilst on that poison 6 months back. Its good to talk about this, because I think this will be the last symptom to go. All you folks that have suffered with stomach problems tell us your progress and we'll tell you ours.

 

I cant find a section on here so I thought I would start this thread.

 

A place to post your progress and success stories surrounding any stomach issues you have had through out your taper and withdrawal.

 

 

I found out that medicines that suppress stomach acid should only be taken short term, not long term. In that way they are like benzos which should only be taked short term.

 

I was an abuser of prilosec, zantac, dexilant, and nexium. The more I took the worse my stomach problems became. Finally I stopped all of these. My stomach settled down (it took a few months) and feels better than it has in years. I feel better off the drugs than on them.

 

I also tapered my Valium of course, and now that I'm down to 0.5mg per day my stomach feels OK. When I first started to taper stomach was one of my biggest issues. Once I got the courage to stop the stomach meds I began to get better. Your stomach needs acid to work right. It is wrong to take acid suppressors long term. Like benzos, stomach meds should only be taken short term.

I agree Nathan, I desperately want to get off a 30mg daily dose of Lanzoprozole which is a PPI (proton pump inhibitor)

My predicament with being in protracted w/d means it would be unwise to try and come off the PPI's right now.

The plan is to get my stomach issues almost healed then get off the PPI's. I dont want to try just yet, its to much stress on my stomach. I tried once to get off them whilst in my taper and that didnt end well but this time it will be easier. I too was on Valium.

 

The plan is to get my stomach issues almost healed then get off the PPI's.

 

bring it on,

 

My experience was that I was only able to fix my stomach by stopping the PPI Dexilant. I did that at tthe same time as I was cutting back the Valium. I am still tapering the Valium but my stomach is OK now. I believe that my problem was not benzo belly, it was years of PPI abuse all along.

 

The way I stopped was to first switch from the PPI to an alpha blocker Zantac. Then I stopped even the Zantac. Just like anybody withdrawing from benzos I was often in hell and unsure exactly what my problem was. After I had a GI and the GI doctor said my stomach was fine, I decided to come off the stomach meds. He said I had gerd of course. I'm afraid that may be a crap diagnosis just like all the others they make when they don't really know how to help you. He said my stomach was fine but I had gerd.

 

it's not easy to ignore what the doc says and strike out on your own, but that's what I did. I spent as much time researching gerd on the internet as I spent on benzos. In my case it was not really a withdrawal symptom, it was abuse of PPIs.

Nausea was one of my most debilitating w/d issues. Now that I am at 2 mg of valium, it's gone. It plagued me from 5 mg on down. It was awful. On the worst days, I was totally non-functional for hours. I wanted someone to come in and shoot me.

 

I had a GI bleed in April (while I was at 5 mg) and I think the medication afterwards (omaprazole) didn't help matters any, either. I had to be taken off it and put on carafate to heal my ulcer.

 

But as I say, the nausea is gone. Completely.

 

So, some w/d f/x go, and some linger, I've found. And of course, some new ones come.

 

Nausea was a bummer.

 

Hope it remits for all you guys.

 

Okats

 

 

 

 

hi,

 

Yeah nausea is bad for me too. I have been treating it with homemade ginger tea. It also helps prevent and stop migraines/headaches as it reduces inflammation.

 

For me the nausea comes in windows like a lot of other symptoms, for example I may be nauseous daily for a week than it's gone for a week. I find eating helps it sometimes, specifically single ingredient REAL foods. Taking the benzo's on an empty stomach is no good either.

 

Don't forget to filter your water, consuming chlorine in municipal water is horrible for any living being.

 

 

Feel better

 

 

Fonz

Bring

 

What exactly were your symptoms?  Did you have any bloating? 

 

Thanks for starting this. 

 

The plan is to get my stomach issues almost healed then get off the PPI's.

 

bring it on,

 

My experience was that I was only able to fix my stomach by stopping the PPI Dexilant. I did that at tthe same time as I was cutting back the Valium. I am still tapering the Valium but my stomach is OK now. I believe that my problem was not benzo belly, it was years of PPI abuse all along.

 

The way I stopped was to first switch from the PPI to an alpha blocker Zantac. Then I stopped even the Zantac. Just like anybody withdrawing from benzos I was often in hell and unsure exactly what my problem was. After I had a GI and the GI doctor said my stomach was fine, I decided to come off the stomach meds. He said I had gerd of course. I'm afraid that may be a crap diagnosis just like all the others they make when they don't really know how to help you. He said my stomach was fine but I had gerd.

 

it's not easy to ignore what the doc says and strike out on your own, but that's what I did. I spent as much time researching gerd on the internet as I spent on benzos. In my case it was not really a withdrawal symptom, it was abuse of PPIs.

 

 

What were your symptoms when you quit the PPI's and how long before your stomach settled down after getting off the PPI's?

 

 

Bring

 

What exactly were your symptoms?  Did you have any bloating? 

 

Thanks for starting this.

 

Hi, yes I have/had a lot of bloating, particularity at night. I am hoping its all going to recover, I dont think it will ever be quite the same though, but I can deal with 80% healed.

What were your symptoms when you quit the PPI's and how long before your stomach settled down after getting off the PPI's?

 

Bring,

 

I had bloating, diarrhea, stomach pain, pressure, and occasional burning. I had trouble wearing a belt and had a lot of gas. I got some pains that was position dependent. Even though I was on PPI's I had the urge to eat antacids all the time. I ate extremely bland food and no coke or coffee. . Eating always made me feel worse.

 

The GI doubled my dose of Prilosec to 20 mg twice a day, and then out me on Dexilant which was expensive. He was very annoyed with me because the pills never made me feel better and the tests showed nothing. In the beginning the PPIS did help, but not after taking them for a year. I believe that reducing my stomach acid was exactly the wrong thing to do. My problem was that I didn't have enough acid to digest my food. I'm amazed that GI docs don't understand this and do exactly the wrong thing. It was unthinkable to me at first, but apple cider vinegar actually made me feel better.

 

When I C/T the Dexilant the improvement was not immediate, but was very rapid. I was able to start a valium taper because stopping the PPI's made me feel better not worse. At one time the stomach symptoms were my worst ones, but that is a distant memory. I still have symptoms but not stomach. If I have any problem now (not very often) I take an OTC Zantac.

 

If you read about Prilosec it can deplete minerals, and there is a warning about taking Prilosec and Valium at the same time. I think the body gets used to the Prilosec and compensates so it no longer works even at higher doses. The GI doc put me on Valium thank you very much.

What were your symptoms when you quit the PPI's and how long before your stomach settled down after getting off the PPI's?

 

Bring,

 

I had bloating, diarrhea, stomach pain, pressure, and occasional burning. I had trouble wearing a belt and had a lot of gas. I got some pains that was position dependent. Even though I was on PPI's I had the urge to eat antacids all the time. I ate extremely bland food and no coke or coffee. . Eating always made me feel worse.

 

The GI doubled my dose of Prilosec to 20 mg twice a day, and then out me on Dexilant which was expensive. He was very annoyed with me because the pills never made me feel better and the tests showed nothing. In the beginning the PPIS did help, but not after taking them for a year. I believe that reducing my stomach acid was exactly the wrong thing to do. My problem was that I didn't have enough acid to digest my food. I'm amazed that GI docs don't understand this and do exactly the wrong thing. It was unthinkable to me at first, but apple cider vinegar actually made me feel better.

 

When I C/T the Dexilant the improvement was not immediate, but was very rapid. I was able to start a valium taper because stopping the PPI's made me feel better not worse. At one time the stomach symptoms were my worst ones, but that is a distant memory. I still have symptoms but not stomach. If I have any problem now (not very often) I take an OTC Zantac.

 

If you read about Prilosec it can deplete minerals, and there is a warning about taking Prilosec and Valium at the same time. I think the body gets used to the Prilosec and compensates so it no longer works even at higher doses. The GI doc put me on Valium thank you very much.

 

Thanks for that, my story is very similar, I do feel burning still though, even at 6 months valium free, I want to get rid of most of my protracted w/d s/x first then get off the PPIs. I tried once before when I was on valium and all hell broke loose and that was just dropping from 30mg a day to 15mg. To be honest I fear coming off the PPIs more then I ever feared getting off the valium. The last time my stomach went crazy, this time I am hoping it wont be as bad, maybe in 6 months I will try to get off PPIs, do you think I should just jump clean, I am on 30mg a day Lanzoprazole and have been for almost 18 months.

do you think I should just jump clean, I am on 30mg a day Lanzoprazole and have been for almost 18 months.

 

I was on various PPIs for years. When I decided to stop I switched to Zantac which is an H2 blocker not a PPI. You can also get Prevacid OTC which has both an antacid and an H2 blocker. After a few weeks on Zantac I stopped taking it every day and only took it when my stomach acted up. I also used Gaviscon which is just an antacid. I tapered off on an ad-hoc basis without a firm schedule - that is I stopped but took it when my stomach acted up. It wasn't long before I was not taking it at all.

 

Probably the scariest and most confusing treatment is to take a teaspoon of apple cider vinegar diluted in water. This works if the problem is too little acid rather than too much acid. Not everyone has too little acid, but it can mimic too much acid.

 

Just like benzos, our bodies adjust to acid blockers. PPIs were never meant to be taken for a long time - just like benzos.

 

One other thing worth mentioning on a stomach thread is H Pilori which is a bacteria. There is a simple test for H Pilori and you probably had it because it is normal to test for it with anyone having stomach problems. When someone gets an ulcer, PPIs are used for a short time along with an antibiotic and the ulcer is quickly healed. The problem comes when a person keeps taking the PPIs long term - just like with benzos.

 

I don;t believe I had any withdrawal symptoms from stopping PPIs but I was tapering Valium at the same time so I can;t be sure. I do know that my stomach symptoms went away while the other benzo withdrawal symptoms did not. (Muscle pain, headache, etc.)

I am still plagued by stomach problems at 2 months out.  I have very intense nausea and pain. The PPI's never worked for me, they made it worse.  I am not sure if it is due to low stomach acid.  I have ordered some strips to check my ph level in my stomach. I feel like if I can determine whether it is too much stomach acid or too little may give me some answers,  or maybe it is all just withdrawals.  I have enjoyed getting some information on this because it seems to not be as common as all the anxiety issues.  I am hoping this will let up soon as it has me non functional. I feel like if I could just get my stomach healed I would be so much better.

 

~mama

I'm in my 11th month off of ativan and my stomach bloating and burning is my worst symptom.  It really does not let up and does a number on my appetite as well as the fear of eating.

 

I just don't understand why I have not really had any windows yet.  I never was plagued with stomach issues before other than slow mobility (constipation), but never ever any pain.  Now the pain is relentless. 

 

I pray for all of us that we soon get some relief.  Sorry so negative, but this is ridiculous. 

 

 

 

 

I have got more burning, so defiantly more acid rather than not enough or maybe the to much acid is a by product of the PPIs?

 

I will let my sx settle more in regards to my stomach then switch over to zantac and hope for the best. Nathan how many mg of zantac were you taking when you switched?

 

 

Char, that must be awful, at least we are used to this bs, you got sucker punched 11 months later. I am going through extra sx right now, they started at 5.5 months free, I get leg, nerve, all over intense pain that feels like bone pain but I'm sure its something to do with my stomach not working right. Keep on fighting, your doing really well, 11 months, thats a big achievement, I hear 14 months is where things start to really improve, that may be wrong.

Nathan how many mg of zantac were you taking when you switched?

 

You can buy Zantac OTC at the pharmacy in both 75mg and 150mg. I took the 75mg,

 

You can also get prescription generic Ranitidine. If you have coverage they are cheaper than Zantac name brand which is off patent and sold OTC now.

Hello,

 

I've been off Lorazepam for approximately 19 months.  Unfortunately,  I'm still not out of the woods but my stomach issues have pretty much cleared up.  Terrible bloating, gas, constipation and stomach cramps were what put me on the lorazepam to begin with.  When the lorazepam helped somewhat they told me that my stomach problems were caused by anxiety.  I didn't hurt as much but still couldn't tighten my belt.  I had to cut big V's in my underwear so that there would be less pressure on my stomach.  The pills got me to sleep at night and I didn't have to lay there in pain.  Well after a year I started going through tolerance withdrawals and didn't know what was wrong and here I sit today still in recovery from the pills.

 

Maybe a year into the recovery I decided to start green smoothies and stop eating all gluten.  I improved somewhat but some days I still suffered with the stomach problems.  I then cut out all dairy.  This helped tremendously.  But because the gluten damaged my digestive tract there were things that I couldn't eat.  Annatto in margarine is a big one that took some time to figure out.  To think I was eating this stuff for years that my body reacted to as if it were poison astounds me to this day.  Then other things like gluten free corn chips.  I ate those and it felt like I swallowed a bag of razor blades.  Some supposed gluten free rice cakes which after eating I lay in bed at night curled in a ball. 

 

As long as I watch what I eat my stomach is good.  No problems.  So unlike others, it wasn't the benzos that caused my stomach problems.  The benzos caused every other problem under the sun but not that. The thing is the restricted diet was not an overnight cure.  I had to stick with it for about 6 months before I really started improving.  I had tried a restricted diet before but after a few weeks I wasn't better so I figured that wasn't the problem.  Of course I was still using the margarine containing the annatto. 

 

If I had to do it all over again I wouldn't wait 5 years before trying to figure out what was causing the problem.  I'd give up the gluten, the lactose and the annatto until I got better and then try incorporating other things.  Everybody is different so who know what may be causing another person's problems.  Now when I look at a food label and see a list of things I can't pronounce I just put it back on the shelf whether it says gluten free or not. 

 

My stomach improved but I lost a lot of weight to begin with.  I was down to 115 and started to look like I was starving so I started eating a lot of potatoes.  I'm now up to 126 and I'm back to being within range of my normal weight of around 132. 

 

Here's what I can eat:  Eggs, potatoes, white rice and some rice noodles, nuts, olive and corn oil, cornbread made with gluten free flour and cornmeal.  All vegetables, fruits and most meats, coconut ice cream which unfortunately is expensive, and some desert mixes which I make only on occasion.  I make sandwiches with brown rice wraps and Hellman's mayo and gluten free ham, or tuna fish. 

 

The main problem is going out to eat.  It's almost impossible.  I get real sick of eating salads (with my own dressing)and feel like a rabbit.  I drink green smoothies made of kale chard or spinach plus other vegetables and fruit so I don't need to spend a half a day munching on a bed of spinach with a few tomatoes thrown on top. 

 

Although the diet was a pain at first, I'm used to it now.  It's great not to have the stomach pain any longer.  I can't believe the doctors just want to do procedures and hardly even talked to me about diet.  Then the pills for 3 years on top of the antidepressants. 

 

One last note.  They tested me for celiac disease and told me I didn't have it.  I asked them if it mattered that I hadn't eaten gluten for 3 weeks and they told me that it didn't matter.  I later found out that you are supposed to eat at least 3 slices of whole wheat bread everyday for weeks before the test or the test is no good.  Also that if they take a biopsy of your small intestine looking for the damage caused by gluten that the damage may be in patches here and there and they may miss it, especially if they only take a couple samples.   

 

I'm not saying everyone with stomach troubles has celiac disease but I thought I would add my 2 cents since I suffered with extreme stomach problems for years.  Somebody might be in the same boat as me. 

 

 

 

Bring it on,

 

I would not discontinue the PPI abruptly. We had my daughter on Prilosec for GI erosion (poor kid was 6 years old) and when we stopped it, she complained that day about pain and had to be picked up from camp. She was taking 30 mg (prescription dose that was compounded and tasted nasty). I dropped her down to 20 mg (OTC) dose (and could be taken with applesauce or yogurt so it did not taste bad). I did that for about 2 or 3 weeks and then went down to every other day for a couple of weeks until I got tired of getting up 15 minutes early to give it to her before breakfast.

 

Since then she is fine and only takes a tums or calcium chew every now and then.

 

My personal GI issues are mostly diarrhea and excess motility. I am taking Bentyl which helps some and Imodium when needed. I have been playing with cortisol management and getting the cortisol levels down seems to help the GI system a lot for me.

 

Cortisol manager has been very helpful, but I am a little edgy about it since it may have some effects on the GABA receptors. Amazing what these drugs do to your brain and body.

Just an update to my post of Nov 6.

 

I started liquid titration -- daily microtapering -- and obviously went too fast. My very worst symptom -- nausea -- came roaring back with a vengeance. I was sick as a dog for so many days, despite holding, that I have reinstated to 2 mg which is the place where I last felt really well. I am going to stay here until my nausea goes again (I sure hope it will ) and then re-start my liquid titration taper.

 

Brother, what a setback.

 

I posted about this somewhere else. There 's a prescription drug called Zofran that stops nausea in its tracks. If you're interested, ask your dr. You can google it to learn about it. Might be useful to some of you.

 

Good luck to all of our stomachs.

 

Okatz

Oregonkatz,

 

What dosage of the Zofran do you take?  I have the 4mg.  One doesn't cut it.  I hate to take two , because it is so constipating.

 

~Mama2

Mama & Okatz, Hi 

 

I had the awful nausea for months during my taper. Nausea may not kill you, but it sure seems as if it will!

 

My Dr. prescribed Zofran(ondansetron). At first the insurance co. balked, saying it was only for cancer patients. So, my dr. prescribed the generic & insurance allowed it. It truly was a God-send.

 

I, too, had to take 2 tablets for complete relief. The side effects for me were headaches & constipation. It was easier to deal with those, rather than the killer nausea. I took fiber capsules, & advil for the side effects. & lots n lots of purified water.

My stomach pain went away for a while and now at 6 months out, it is back worse than ever. I have severe pain on the left side of my upper abdomen.

 

Does anyone get attacks of severe weakness in the legs and arms, and or body aching sometimes after eating?  This has happened to me a couple of times this week after eating only a boiled egg and a piece of toast. I almost felt like I would pass out.  I'm thinking my stomach just can't handle the digestion.

 

Mama2

im almost 6 months out, and stomach issues are my worst sx. I hope this goes away. The gas and bloating are miserable!!

Dear jenny 21

Just a thought for you. And others.  I just finished reading a book called Wheat Belly and it really opened my eyes to the dangers of our hybrid wheat.  I say this because you seemed confused because you only ate an egg and a piece of toast. Remember, they say our Tummys are our second brain, we really are what we eat.  I know our Tummys are sensitive because of the serotonin that can be messed up in w/d, but it can also be the wheat.  Not gluten but the whole grain itself.  This is not gluten only.  It messes with us big time, in our brain, in the whole body.  Try cutting it out for a couple of weeks.  There may be cravings and some other signs but maybe this will help with pain, bloating, gas, cramps, diarrhea.  Anyway, it has helped me.  But read the book if nothing else, and there is a recipe book full of wheat less recipes.  Hope this helps if you wish to try it.  Good luck and best wishes.

Galea

Thanks galea, yes I have tried that any it helps a lot, but I haven't been consistent with it.

Hi there.

 

I have been on ativan since October 2013 and want off this stuff.  Both times that I have started to taper I have had bad stomach issues.  I want off the Tecta too.  I am currently on .25 mg of ativan a day.  Not sure if I should continue as one dose or divide it up to two or three.  I use hot packs on my stomach to soothe it and have been stictly on lean protein and steamed veggies.  But why still the pain.  Any help or advice would be appreciated. 

 

-------------

Ativan .5 3x day October 2013

.25 3x day December 2013.  Then stomach issues started.

.25, .125, .25 mid Feb 2014

.25, .0625, . 25 late Feb 2014

.25, .0625., .0625 end Feb 2014

.25, 0, .0625 early March 2014

.25, 0, 0 March 11. 2014. More stomach pain now.

 

Help!