Abdominal and back pain, cramps

I'm 6 months off but beginning to get sharp, severe abdominal cramps like I had sometimes during w/d.  Sometimes the pain radiates to my back and it's nasty.  Have tried mylanta, gas-X, benytl, etc. and nothing helps.  Has anyone found a remedy?

Hi Mickey,

 

I had a lot of IBS stuff during my w/d and developed something called a diverticulitis, or a small pocket in the lining of my lower colon.  The pain started out like that and got worse.

 

The pain was sharp and low in my belly and got progressively worse.  I hope that's not it, but I wanted to let you know.

 

Feel better!

China

This was one of the main reasons I quit benzos.  Constant lower back pain that would alternate between stabbing and dull/achy, then morphing into the most terrible menstrual cramps I've ever experienced (and they've always been debilitating).  And the constipation...OH, the constipation :\

 

If constipation is an issue, Miralax works wonders.  Candied ginger is my go-to for all things GI-related, especially gas and nausea. 

 

 

Thanks Chinadoll and BDP!!  How was your diverticulitis diagnosed, China?  And how is it treated?  My cramps alternate from the right to the left side tho.......radiating to my back.  At least it sounds like it's a w/d symptom, and that means to me that it will subside.  In the meantime I'm up for any remedy anyone has!

Thanks,

Mickey 

The good thing is if its moving around it is prolly not the diverticulitis.

 

I wound up in the ER the pain was so bad and they did a cat scan.  It was treated with antibiotics.  I had to argue for augmetin cause they gave me leviquin at first which set my w/d off the charts.

 

I am sure it was the alternating constipation/diarrhea that caused it in the first place.

I have terrible abdominal pain and pain radiating through my back. It is so constant. I need a break. I have had a lot of tests not much feedback. I don't want bad feedback either who does. But I am so worn. I don't have a good answer. I am frustrated and wonder what else is wrong.

Anybody else have any thoughts on this?  I have this same thing, how long until it starts getting better for a person, I have the same symptoms, and I even thought to myself "I don't remember posting this thread?" but then I realized, I did not post it, somebody else did.  I keep telling myself this pain must be withdrawl, but its unrelenting and severe.  Hard to function.  I'm sorry if you have read my other posts and are tired of me saying it

I've had back, side, lower abdominal pain off and on very bad for months. Sometimes it will last for several weeks at a time. I finally went to the walk in clinic for it a couple months ago. They found nothing, said it was muscle.

 

The more I read the more I believe it is my psoas muscle causing the problem. It's flaring up again today. Read the links below and you might find this to describe some of what is going on with you. Remember, benzos are muscle relaxers so our muscles have been affected and forget how to relax properly. Take care!

 

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"This muscle has become known as the ‘fight or flight muscle’ because of how it is deeply effected by emotions sometimes causing very problematic outcomes.  When the body is under stress, anxiety or trauma the psoas muscle contracts. It’s immediate reaction is to pull in, shorten, tighten, all because of the very primal and basic instinct to protect.  The more we look into body-mind connection the more understanding modern day medicine can see the relationship between storing emotional memories and physical pain."

 

http://www.hushyoga.com/blog/why-the-psoas-is-the-fight-or-flight-muscle/

 

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http://www.somahappy.com/2012/10/psoas-magic/

 

"Why do we have to “not do” to get the psoas to release?  Can you talk some about how it responds?

 

Let’s see how to put it.  I think mentally we are trained that doing accomplishes things.  And the psoas is doing all the time.  These core muscles are so busy because they never really shut off.  For example, your pelvic floor never really shuts off because you’ve got to keep from peeing.  And your psoas is holding you.  If you’re upright, your psoas is working. So I talk a lot about ideal resting linked to muscles, and that your bones should hold you up.  I try not to confuse people, but in truth your bones hold you up, but your psoas never stops working.  Your psoas is acting as the thing that is holding your spine on top of your pelvis, so it never gets to shut off.  Just like your pelvic floor never gets to shut off because of going to the bathroom.

 

For me, there is this idea that the psoas gets traumatized.  And I really believe we’re all traumatized.  That’s a fine, healthy thing.  I go to cross the street, a car almost hits me, I jump.  That’s traumatizing and it’s beautiful, because I let go and I move on.  It’s the people that can’t let go and can’t move on. Those are the people who get stuck in the sympathetic nervous system, they get stuck in a place of heightened response. The simplest way to describe it is they’re walking on eggshells all the time.  They have to figure out what it means to shut their body off.  And so many people I work with, these Type A people, they can’t.  Their brain, their body is not programmed to do nothing. I say, “Do constructive rest.”  And they say, “Can I read?”  And I say, “No. For fifteen minutes I don’t want you to read.”  And they can’t handle it. So I say, “Then don’t do it. Do it when you’re ready to do it.”

 

It is literally about relaxation.  It is about taking your body that is living in a heightened state, and figuring out how to help it relax. "

Mine spasmed so bad last night that it actually strained it all over again. I don't feel like this will EVER heal! There's no way to give it adequate rest.

Thanks for your responses everyone, esp. Innadaze:  that muscle thing makes sense, I read the article you posted.  My pains got so bad it drove me to Urgent Care where they checked me over, found nothing, said it was IBS and gave me pain meds.  Now I know pain meds are not the answer, but it put me to sleep for 10 hours, which was heavenly!  Pain was back the next morning but seemed less, and prob. easier to tolerate knowing I had that Rx (which I haven't used since).  But doing things that help me relax is helpful, so I'm going to try those yoga poses.  And just knowing I have those pain meds if it gets unbearable is really beneficial. 

Good luck to everyone.....we'll get thru this!!!

Mickey

Anybody else have any thoughts on this?  I have this same thing, how long until it starts getting better for a person, I have the same symptoms, and I even thought to myself "I don't remember posting this thread?" but then I realized, I did not post it, somebody else did.  I keep telling myself this pain must be withdrawl, but its unrelenting and severe.  Hard to function.  I'm sorry if you have read my other posts and are tired of me saying it

 

md40, you are suffering, I wanted to see what could be the cause, I looked back on your posts, you tapered 30 mg Librium in 6 WEEKS.

 

I started tapering 30 mg Librium and I am in month 30 and not even at 7 mg yet.

 

My taper may be excessively slow but yours was crazy fast.

 

Damn.

 

I hope you get some relief soon.

 

PS: I was on 22 years+ but even so, 6 weeks was fast to lose that much...

 

 

Yea, I was able to get down to .5mg of Klonopin in 2011, from around 2mg.  Then just stalled, tried to get off and failed, ended up on .5-1mg of Klonopin through 2012 and into part of 2013.  So a big chunk of my taper was in 2011 to get down to .5mg Klonopin.  Then to .25mg Klonopin, and failed again.  Tried Valium and had trouble transitioning.  Went to an addictions dr who put me on Librium 30mg to try to get off the last .25mg of Klonopin and he drew me down over 5 or 6 weeks, probably right.  The 30mg was probably a little high for the .25 mg I was on, but I think the dr was thinking it might help the symptoms and then taper from that.  It did not.

 

So, it was fast from the 30 mg of Librium, but if I look at the whole screwed up process for me, I starte back in 2011, and then got stuck on a lower dose.  Then went off the rest. 

 

The thingn is, when a little more Librium did not help me, I figured I am in tolerance withdrawl and this is dragging out.  From my last dose, the pain has become a litttle bit worse probably, but its been so bad for so long, I am not sure how much worse it really is, but it probably is right now.  I am getting close to 6 weeks in, so I am not reinstating at this point you know.

 

But I still question in my head, is this benzo withdrawl/tolerance withdrawl, or not.  Because the gut pain started before I ever tried to taper the benzo, figured out finally the benzo may be the problem, even though drs tell me probably not, but too many things out there that say otherwise.  But being patient through this tourment, wondering and waiting, is awful.  I am truly worn out.  I wish I would have made it off in 2011, then I would be 2 years down the road, but I can't change the past I guess. 

 

If this is not benzo related, I am scared about my future.  This my be the benzo withdrawl talking in my head as well.  I am focusing right now on getting to work, and making it through each day, and focusing some of my thoughts on what I CAN and AM doing, and realize the pain is there, but there is hope that it can get better, or that God will have mercy on a sinner like me, I pray it is so.

 

Thank you for responding.  It is really bad.  I read a lot of the success stories and hope to be there some day, and almost hang on to those stories to give my brain positive hope.

md40, don't sweat the taper thing. I get a lot of comments about that as well, but I did this before basically c/t (with some reinstatements but really just c/t from 2 mg klonopin) and it's not that different. It was very different at first, having gotten much lower, but at 4 mos. it's no different at all. I hit tolerance and kindled during my taper this time, and had so much more relief from jumping. I know that tapers are recommended, but when your symptoms are worse during the taper than off and everything seems really fuzzy and panicked, it makes more sense sometimes to jump. I wouldn't regret it too much. Like I said, both ways it still ended me up in the same place at 4 mos. Worse this time, actually, because I injured early on and wasn't this physically sick the other time. No one has entirely the same experience here, and slow tapers that work for some are unbearable for others.

 

Maybe your system just has to calm down completely? If they can't find anything wrong, it is probably benzo related and will likely go away eventually. That doesn't help now, I realize, but knowing that the future is going to be OK sometimes makes it at least a little better to stand. Take care of yourself.