Hormone problems hindering progress - help!

Hi everyone,

 

I am still trying to get off the last bit of Valium.

 

Problem is for four days before ovulation and now for about a week or even ten days on and off  before my period starts, I am plunged back in to heavy unbearable withdrawal symptoms.

 

This is forcing me to hold for about two out of every four weeks a month now and my cuts are already very very small anyway.

 

I see most here say to stay away from introducing birth control and also HRT during tapering.

 

I'm not sure what to do as I can't see how I can get off Valium with these crushingly bad symptoms half the month even while tapering ridiculously slowly and holding during these "storms"..

 

The other two weeks of the month I feel back to how I was before my benzo nightmare began and this has been the case since around 0.7mgs now.

 

If anyone has any ideas how to get around this or at least lessen the benzo w/d terror and desperately bad panic and anxiety symptoms that come crashing down with the hormone fluctuations, please help!

 

love gts

Can you taper off the .34 and then do the hormone thing? Or do you think this will improve after you jump? Did you have problems pre-benzo?

Found this:

 

If there is no reason other than benzo withdrawal for low hormone levels (no tumors of other conditions)…avoid Hormone Replacement Therapies.  Adding hormones can discourage natural production just at the time your body is working on restoring this.  It’s best to let your body restore these levels naturally.

 

Avoid topical, oral, or intravenous steroids.  This includes hydrocortisone creams and ointments and steroid injections for pain.  And also neuroactive steroids like oral DHEA supplements and prescription Progesterone.

 

So that’s it.  It takes the HPA Axis a long time to turn around…but eventually with time everything should straighten out.  We just have to do our best and be patient with the healing process.

First let me say that I don't have a lot of experience with pre-menopausal hormones problems, but from my perspective as a menopausal lady, just let me say that my taper would have been completely impossible had I not been using natural hormone therapy. Natural hormones get a bad rap with no actual proof that they are a problem.

the way i get through the hormonal drops and all of a sudden feeling like i want to die is realizing that is what it is and in benzo withdrawal it's going to be intensified. that is the only thing that helped me even though i am on a very small amount of bioidenticals. just the realization that it will be over soon has helped me a lot. and the more you heal, the better the symptoms are around ovulation and before period.

 

like newmoon, said, it takes a long time for the HPA axix to balance itself. i didn't get my period for 8 months until just last month and now it seems to be regular again. i started to notice that when i my period is regular and the flow is good and healthy, the less symptoms i have then when it wasn't. it will just take time to balance itself out and most other bioidenticals and HRT all act on the GABA receptor so that can possibly interfere with the benzo healing/ but if you need to go on something for a little while like i did, that shouldn't be something to feel ashamed or fearful of. just do your research first and try the very best HRT. i feel like i've made the right choice so far and i was afraid for a long time and didn't know what to do.

Thanks everyone

 

No I didn't have any hormone issues before all this.  Never even had PMS...lol!

 

I am 44 though and I guess I am not certain what is causing what now.  I have had heavy night sweats almost every night (well early morning) for months now - I had blamed it on a really hard time between 2mgs and 1mg with my taper but that is now a while ago and I am stable between hormone fluctuations so I can't blame the sweats on morning anxiety at the moment.

 

The past few months I had only one day of my period, two at most and very light and this month no period at all...and no, I am not pregnant!

 

So just not entirely sure whether to leave it and blame benzo w/d and just keep holding through those times or whether to try birth control (not been on it for a few years since before the benzo mess started)

 

I know my doctor won't have any idea what the risks are in benzo w/d either and hormone tests where I am are very basic so we likely won't be able to get a true picture of what's going on

 

It's just making getting off the last bit of benzo impossible at the moment (just come out of another hold....sigh) - at this rate I'll still be tapering for many months - it makes me feel ridiculous 

 

gts

 

 

Seeing as you are on such a low dose now, I would be inclined to suggest you complete your taper and then see where you are. It is quite likely you are entering peri-meno, because for a lot of women that can start anywhere from the age of 40, and can be ongoing for 10 years before you actually enter menopause.

 

I was someone who had absolutely no hormone issues until I was hit over the head with menopause when I was 51. Prior to that all I experienced was irregular periods for maybe about 5-6 years. When I was 51 though it hit me like a brick, with severe insomnia and hot flushes. This, plus the fact that I was stupid enough to think a naturopath could help me, lead me down the path of a valium dependency.

 

I don't think I would recommend birth control, although some women do use it to help with hormone issues. The problem is that all the progesterone in birth control is synthetic. A natural progesterone and natural estradiol is probably more what you need, but like I said, it's hard to know right now what is hormone related and what is benzo related because the side effects of both can be so similar. I guess all you can do is talk to your doctor, because he/she is going to be the one to prescribe either the natural hormones or the birth control pills.

Just had to get my 2 cents in.  Our female bodies are so vastly different normally.  This is not a "one size fits all," topic by any means.  There is no way I would survive w/o my bio-identical hormones during w/d.  Some women could taper both just fine.  My benzo wise shrink who knows a lot about hormones and mood says it is a 50 50 deal.  Some women do fine emotionally w/o HRT and others do not.  I do not.  I can not imagine putting my body and mind through a benzo and hormone taper. 

 

Does it help to pay attention to what your body is saying?  I know that helped me.  My shrink encouraged me to taper 1 drug at a time. 

 

I don't know if that gives you any comfort.  I know you'll get through this.  I went through hormone hell pre-benzo and had a total hysterectomy which I don't regret one bit.  Our bodies are interesting machines that want to heal.

i think that if anyone goes on birth control while trying to taper it would make things worse off.

Just had to get my 2 cents in.  Our female bodies are so vastly different normally.  This is not a "one size fits all," topic by any means.  There is no way I would survive w/o my bio-identical hormones during w/d.  Some women could taper both just fine.  My benzo wise shrink who knows a lot about hormones and mood says it is a 50 50 deal.  Some women do fine emotionally w/o HRT and others do not.  I do not.  I can not imagine putting my body and mind through a benzo and hormone taper. 

 

Does it help to pay attention to what your body is saying?  I know that helped me.  My shrink encouraged me to taper 1 drug at a time. 

 

I don't know if that gives you any comfort.  I know you'll get through this.  I went through hormone hell pre-benzo and had a total hysterectomy which I don't regret one bit.  Our bodies are interesting machines that want to heal.

 

Bio-identical/natural hormones are the bomb!!! I love mine too. My life would be an absolute hell without them.

i just read this on a link about GABA and thought it was interesting:

 

 

"Premenstrual Syndrome

 

Women who become depressed with hormonal changes during their menstrual cycle have lower plasma GABA levels than women whose moods are unaffected by menstrual changes. Dr. Atkins suggests that GABA supplementation will “lift spirits.” [6]

 

The study Dr Atkins cites in support of his suggestion [7] suggests that it is this same inheritable tendency for low GABA levels that underlie their depressive tendencies and their premenstrual depression. More recent research suggests a more complicated interaction between sex hormones and GABA in the brain. In healthy women, brain GABA activity decreases through the menstrual cycle, especially the luteal phase. In women with premenstrual depression, brain GABA activity actually increases during the luteal phase. [8] Giving GABA to women with premenstrual depression may aggravate their problem and drop their spirits."

Seeing as you are on such a low dose now, I would be inclined to suggest you complete your taper and then see where you are. It is quite likely you are entering peri-meno, because for a lot of women that can start anywhere from the age of 40, and can be ongoing for 10 years before you actually enter menopause.

 

I was someone who had absolutely no hormone issues until I was hit over the head with menopause when I was 51. Prior to that all I experienced was irregular periods for maybe about 5-6 years. When I was 51 though it hit me like a brick, with severe insomnia and hot flushes. This, plus the fact that I was stupid enough to think a naturopath could help me, lead me down the path of a valium dependency.

 

I don't think I would recommend birth control, although some women do use it to help with hormone issues. The problem is that all the progesterone in birth control is synthetic. A natural progesterone and natural estradiol is probably more what you need, but like I said, it's hard to know right now what is hormone related and what is benzo related because the side effects of both can be so similar. I guess all you can do is talk to your doctor, because he/she is going to be the one to prescribe either the natural hormones or the birth control pills.

 

Thanks Diaz, this is very helpful.  Most seem, like you, to think I should avoid birth control and HRT and hang on until my taper is over. I just wish the two things were not so inter-related.  Thanks for pointing out that the bio identical hormones would be better, I'll remember that if and when I need to ask my doctor about my options after this taper is over for a while. 

 

I do think I am now in peri-meno as the sweats can be drenching (often now) and don't seem to be related to the level of benzo w/d symptoms I experience anymore.

 

Hey, you are at 0.8mgs now!...fantastic   I really noticed significant improvements in w/d symptoms  (except for the hormone flares) under 0.7mgs...my sleep is vastly improved now, hope it gets better for you too!

 

love gts

i just read this on a link about GABA and thought it was interesting:

 

 

"Premenstrual Syndrome

 

Women who become depressed with hormonal changes during their menstrual cycle have lower plasma GABA levels than women whose moods are unaffected by menstrual changes. Dr. Atkins suggests that GABA supplementation will “lift spirits.” [6]

 

The study Dr Atkins cites in support of his suggestion [7] suggests that it is this same inheritable tendency for low GABA levels that underlie their depressive tendencies and their premenstrual depression. More recent research suggests a more complicated interaction between sex hormones and GABA in the brain. In healthy women, brain GABA activity decreases through the menstrual cycle, especially the luteal phase. In women with premenstrual depression, brain GABA activity actually increases during the luteal phase. [8] Giving GABA to women with premenstrual depression may aggravate their problem and drop their spirits."

 

Hi prettydaisys,

 

This article is really helpful - it explains why I feel so much better in the first ten days but worse later in my cycle (I read another buddie's post saying the same recently).  I tried GABA once at the beginning of my taper...actually I think it was sun-theanine...and I got rebound w/d symptoms several hours later. It seems there is not much I can do about this hormone stuff causing w/d flare ups except wait until my taper is over for a good six months and maybe then I will know if I am in peri-meno or if it was just w/d.

 

love gts

I've heard some other people say it gets better under 0.7mg - fingers crossed.

 

I guess you could talk to your doctor about trying a low dose HRT, just to see if that does help with the symptoms. If doesn't really matter if it's not a bio-identical type, because it would just be for the short-term until you are finished your taper.

 

If what you are experiencing is peri-meno, and the HRT helps, that will make what's left of your taper a lot easier. Once you're totally benzo free, than you can really concentrate on getting on to a natural/bio-identical HRT.