Need Advice on elevating Post Acute/Protracted withdrawals

Evening My Friends,

 

I'm in search of some advice... Its been 45 days since I have taken any benzos, I'm not gonna lie... I feel pretty crummy  ... I have headaches, depersonalization and just a general hard time just thinking clearly and some depression. I feel like a restless, very uncomfortable zombie and its driving me up the wall. I have some Ativan 1mg, but I would feel terrible after coming this far. By the way I was immediately withdrawn from Xanax using a Phenobarbital protocol. It's been miserable to say the least. From what I understand people who stop abruptly tend to have a bit more trouble bouncing back as well. I went to a new shrink who perscibed me Lexapro and Seraquel as an alternative to Xanax but I'm hesitant to take the Seraquel, it sounds like pretty heavy stuff and the side effect are pretty gnarly. Does anybody know anything I can do or take to elevate all this misery? Supplements, scripts any old thing. I need some guidance, baaaaad.

Evening My Friends,

 

I'm in search of some advice... Its been 45 days since I have taken any benzos, I'm not gonna lie... I feel pretty crummy ... I have headaches, depersonalization and just a general hard time just thinking clearly and some depression. I feel like a restless, very uncomfortable zombie and its driving me up the wall. I have some Ativan 1mg, but I would feel terrible after coming this far. By the way I was immediately withdrawn from Xanax using a Phenobarbital protocol. It's been miserable to say the least. From what I understand people who stop abruptly tend to have a bit more trouble bouncing back as well. I went to a new shrink who perscibed me Lexapro and Seraquel as an alternative to Xanax but I'm hesitant to take the Seraquel, it sounds like pretty heavy stuff and the side effect are pretty gnarly. Does anybody know anything I can do or take to elevate all this misery? Supplements, scripts any old thing. I need some guidance, baaaaad.

 

Hi George!!

 

I'm glad to hear from you but hate to hear you are feeling so bad.  I hate to say it but what you are feeling is very, very common and you are not in protracted wd.  Dr. Ashton says that you really can't consider your withdrawals protracted until you are about 18 months out.  You've only been off for 45 days and I know you feel crummy but you are going to have to ride it out to truly be rid of the drugs.  45 days really isn't a long time to be off and feel the way you do. You have to give it more time and stay away from other drugs, they really do make it worse.

 

You didn't say if you took the lexapro or not but if I were you (and I was you about 10 months ago) I wouldn't take it.  I took 1/2 of the smallest dose, I just wanted to feel good for Christmas, and it made me so sick I thought I was going to have to go to the ER.  Unfortunately there are no meds or supplements that will help wd symptoms. 

 

There are some natural things you can do to help yourself like exercise, eat healthy non processed foods, get as much sleep as possible (that's when your body heals), keep stress at a minimum...

 

Take care...you have come this far and I know the detox was no fun so hang in there, you can do this  :smitten:TS

Oh TS, its always nice to hear from you. 

 

No, I haven't started any of the meds. However, I'm still taking a very tiny dose of phenobarbital for another week or so. Man alive, I don't know how people do it. This is no freaking joke. I'm glad you came this far TS, I hope you are finally starting to feel better. I just want to get off the crazy med train and see if I feel better. In the meantime, I have been excersising but feel a sever restlessness and anxiety almost every second of the day. I have been very withdrawn which has been teribly depressing and only makes my mind worse. I find that I make all sorts of excuses not to go out with friends, since is mainly due to the fact that I feel so weird and extremely tense, uncomfortable and troubl comprehending conversations. Just so disoriented  .  I'm really trying to push myself though. Did you have similiar problems?

 

 

Hi, George,

I saw you stopped in and I wanted to say hi. I often wonder how you are. I'm sorry to hear you are feeling so bad. I have read where others feel as you do and it did pass for them .Ihope you get through it soon. Good Luck Kel

Hey Kel,

 

Its good to hear from you! Yea things are really hard, its even harder not knowing when I might expect to start feeling significantly better. Thinking to far in the future tends to cause a lot of emotional distress, we all just want it to end quickly. Bleh! I'm sure everybody recovering understands. I put all my testosterone aside for a moment and had a really good cry and now I actually feel a little better for now.

 

My biggest thing is just learning better coping mechanisms.

 

I hope your doing well Kel~!

Hey George-

 

I read about your CT and wanted to stop by.  I give you a ton of credit for doing so well    I did a slow taper off of Xanax and it was tough, so I can only imagine what a CT is like. 

 

You have a great outlook and I think you are on the right track staying away from the other medications.  Your system is trying to reset and heal, so the less interference the better, in my opinion.  I like TS's idea of adding in some mild exercise, maybe a couple of walks a day to get started. 

 

More than anything I just wanted to stop by and let you know that you are not alone and that we are all wishing you well.  Please keep us posted on your progress.

 

Take care.

 

Keith

Evening My Friends,

 

I'm in search of some advice... Its been 45 days since I have taken any benzos, I'm not gonna lie... I feel pretty crummy  ... I have headaches, depersonalization and just a general hard time just thinking clearly and some depression. I feel like a restless, very uncomfortable zombie and its driving me up the wall. I have some Ativan 1mg, but I would feel terrible after coming this far. By the way I was immediately withdrawn from Xanax using a Phenobarbital protocol. It's been miserable to say the least. From what I understand people who stop abruptly tend to have a bit more trouble bouncing back as well. I went to a new shrink who perscibed me Lexapro and Seraquel as an alternative to Xanax but I'm hesitant to take the Seraquel, it sounds like pretty heavy stuff and the side effect are pretty gnarly. Does anybody know anything I can do or take to elevate all this misery? Supplements, scripts any old thing. I need some guidance, baaaaad.

 

Hi George, I was Coldturked and I know what you speak of! You have come far and if you can just hang in there, it really does get better! Try and find a healthy diversion to get you through each day. For some people what they eat or don't eat makes a big difference. For me what helped was doing jigsaw puzzles. I  couldn't follow conversation either, so I had a very hard time around people. I have to tell myself that it is o.k. to slow my life down a bit, to take this week by week or month by month, not hour by hour or day by day. What I know is that I can stand a few very uncomfortable months. Compared to an uncomfortable life not a bad exchange.

My biggest thing is just learning better coping mechanisms.

I think that's true for all of us, Geor_hey. 

 

What symptoms are you needing coping skills for? We have boards for Anxiety, Depression and Insomnia where you could ask for suggestions for those or on the General Withdrawal Support Board for everything else.  Everyone who's been at this for a while has had to find a way to cope with many symptoms and it's likely that over time you'll get a lot of suggestions to sift through.

Hi George,

 

I'm sorry you are feeling so bad, but each passing day is one more day your brain is healing. Great news that you are 45 days off! CT are rough!  I cold turkeyed off of Xanax in spring 2007 and thought I was losing my mind after 8 days.  Ended up in ER.  Finally found a doctor who put me on valium for a slow withdrawal, but I was only 8 days off so I could reinstate.

 

I found Lexapro made me nuts, as did any other SSRI.  You might want to search the General Withdrawal section to see if others have had the same s/x you are experiencing and what may have helped them.

 

We are here for you and will support you everyway we can!

 

Missy

 

 

 

 

I was told counseling doesn't stick too well because everything is so intense in this state. I have found coping skills to be very difficult to achieve in this state. I did close to a cold cut and it is one tough ride. My motto is get up. That's all I say some days- get up. My brain is having it's own little party and I just have to get away from it.

I was told counseling doesn't stick too well because everything is so intense in this state. I have found coping skills to be very difficult to achieve in this state. I did close to a cold cut and it is one tough ride. My motto is get up. That's all I say some days- get up. My brain is having it's own little party and I just have to get away from it.

I Love THAT!, D.in D., yeah my brain is having it's own little party too! Love keeping your motto simple. That is the best I can do too.

Hi, I have what I feel is great advise. It worked fantastic for me. I was in the middle of withdrawl, not sleeping,amped out Anxiety,couldn't leave the house or ride my Harley. I decided I had to do something to help. I went to the Pool, walked for an hour, and drove my bike up and down the strip(I live In Vegas). By that night I felt like a new person. I still didn't sleep for a couple more weeks and have had a few set backs. Everytime I have a set back I get walking and exercising and it works. Keeping your mind of yourself and staying busy whatever it may be is great therapy. Also tell yourself your feeling great even if your not. Sounds silly but your sub-conscience does what you tell it, there is a book called (What to say when you talk to yourself). It explains this about your sub-conscience and how negative thoughts bring neg reactions and Visa-versa.You will get there it just takes time, but try the walking. As far as the anti-depressants, I would stay away from them. I've been on several different ones years ago, and lots if side effects.  Hang in There, your not alone. Bye

Hi, I have what I feel is great advise. It worked fantastic for me. I was in the middle of withdrawl, not sleeping,amped out Anxiety,couldn't leave the house or ride my Harley. I decided I had to do something to help. I went to the Pool, walked for an hour, and drove my bike up and down the strip(I live In Vegas). By that night I felt like a new person. I still didn't sleep for a couple more weeks and have had a few set backs. Everytime I have a set back I get walking and exercising and it works. Keeping your mind of yourself and staying busy whatever it may be is great therapy. Also tell yourself your feeling great even if your not. Sounds silly but your sub-conscience does what you tell it, there is a book called (What to say when you talk to yourself). It explains this about your sub-conscience and how negative thoughts bring neg reactions and Visa-versa.You will get there it just takes time, but try the walking. As far as the anti-depressants, I would stay away from them. I've been on several different ones years ago, and lots if side effects.  Hang in There, your not alone. Bye

 

Great advice 51 chevy!!!

Hi, I have what I feel is great advise. It worked fantastic for me. I was in the middle of withdrawl, not sleeping,amped out Anxiety,couldn't leave the house or ride my Harley. I decided I had to do something to help. I went to the Pool, walked for an hour, and drove my bike up and down the strip(I live In Vegas). By that night I felt like a new person. I still didn't sleep for a couple more weeks and have had a few set backs. Everytime I have a set back I get walking and exercising and it works. Keeping your mind of yourself and staying busy whatever it may be is great therapy. Also tell yourself your feeling great even if your not. Sounds silly but your sub-conscience does what you tell it, there is a book called (What to say when you talk to yourself). It explains this about your sub-conscience and how negative thoughts bring neg reactions and Visa-versa.You will get there it just takes time, but try the walking. As far as the anti-depressants, I would stay away from them. I've been on several different ones years ago, and lots if side effects.  Hang in There, your not alone. Bye

That book changed my life, 52chevy.  And you're right; it really does work! 

Need help bad! Hi guys, well I started the Lexapro and I totally regret it. I feel like I have lost my mind. My mind is consumed with obsessive thoughts that I'm going crazy. I have lost a ton of weight in a small period of time and have not slept (what so ever) in almost 9 days and its getting worse. The doctor gave me Seraquel XR for my anxiety and to help with insomnia but its the most god awful medicine I have ever taken. It did knock me out for 14 hours though. Ever since, I have been unable to sleep on my own. I feel like I am starting to have a mental break down. I am mentally exhausted, feel very strange, I have had weird burning sensations on my skin and head and exploding head aches through out the day, my thoughts are all over the place and very random. I can't stop obsessing on how to stop this and get sleep. I want off the Lexapro but I have been taking it for about 9-10 days now at 10MGs. I cut todays dose to 5mgs, do you think I can stop it quickly at this point? I really hope my sleep comes back, this is the worst insomnia I have ever had in my life. I took the medication because I was having one hell of a time dealing with the depersonalization which was also making me go nuts. Please note that I have been taking a small maintenance dose of phenobarbital and actually tapered and stopped right about when I started to get the depersonalization (which led me to the shrink for drugs).

 

ALSO, I ended up taking some Ambien CR for the first time. It kinda worked but I had that burning skin thing the next day and felt really out of it. I guess it was a bad idea. II first stopped xanax 63 days ago but I had a couple hic-ups and took some Clonopin and Ativan which didn't seem to do anything. WOW, that really freaked me out! No panic button now!

 

I should have listened to TS when she told me that Lexapro made her have a mad experience too. I have been on Zoloft in the past for over a year and was dandy and didn't have much trouble, this was before my Xanax problem  emerged. Last november when I first tried to stop xanax, I tried Effexor XR which made me have one of the worst panic attacks only after 6 days. Then I tried Zoloft again which didn't seem to work this time, I was an anxious reck and my mind was all over the place.

 

Since then I gave Lexpro a try but now I feel nuts from both sleep depravation and obsessive thoughts and worries. My shrink prescribed Cmybalta and Zyprexa zydos (dissolvable tab) instead. Still on Lexapro but I'm trying to hold off on the Zyprexa, those meds kinda freak me out but I am DESPERATE for sleep. Please let me know if you have taken this before. I'm scared that I might end up in the hospital soon if I don't sleep. If there is any other alternative meds you think I should look into let me know.

 

Please guys! I need all the help and advice I can get.

Hi again, I wanted to tell you of a sentence that really helped me I read in a book about anxiety once. I have always thought I was on the verge of going crazy. These anxiety feelings can do that , especially panic attacks. The book I read stated that we can all quit worrying about going crazy as people with anxiety related disorders would be the last to go crazy, as we are so in touch with reality hence are problem. The folks that are floating around in between reality and make believe will be the first to go nuts. I will never forget reading this as it has greatly reduced my fear of losing it. Remember it's the people who don't think there crazy that usually are. LOL . This withdrawl your going through will not make you go crazy. Rest assured it will get better as time goes by. Try as I said before to wear yourself out during the day so your body must sleep. Take care bye.

The ativan and Klonopin that you took did not help you either?  That has been my experience too..I also found pheno didn't help much at all either for the withdrawal symptoms...did it help you?  I know the sleep thing is horrid...I haven't slept more than 2-4 hours in a little over 18 months and always wake sick and tired...it's awful..I hope you feel better soon...take care...Pebbles

Hi George,

 

You really haven't been off the Xanax very long, most likely you are still having wd from that.  You are adding a lot of drugs into the mix and that's really not a good idea.  There is not a drug that I know of that help with wd.  I wish I could tell you something, but the only way out of this hell is to go through it.  The feelings are extremely uncomfortable but you won't go crazy from it.

 

Cymbalta is another drug you should stay away from.  For me it was worse that Lexapro, plus it made my hair fall out!  A side effect the dr. didn't mention!!

 

You can get through this George but you have to leave the drugs out of it....they will make you much worse.

 

TS

Hey, George.

 

There are a lot of bad symptoms that go along with healing from benzo use, but I think insomnia is the worst.  It affects everything and does interfere with your ability to think clearly.  No wonder you think you are going crazy! 

 

I've never taken Zyprexa but my nephew, who is schozophrenic, does.  He has gone off it in the past because of the bad side effects.  It is a powerful anti-psychotic and I wouldn't touch it. 

 

I know it is hard at this point to break the cycle of fearing you won't sleep and then not sleeping but you must find a way to break it.  When I have gone through periods like that, I've changed my night time routine entirely, even tried "tricking" my brain by saying I didn't care if I slept or not and then tried to believe it.  Your body is ready to sleep and you need to calm your mind so you can.  I also use melatonin some nights, along with the chamomille or sleepytime tea to relax.  I also listen to calming relaxation or medication CDs.  During the day I make sure to get enough mild exercise that my body really is tired and relaxed. The exercise also helps to wear off any excess adrenaline, I think.

 

Hang in there, George.  Your ability to sleep will return. 

 

 

Hey, Geo,

 

Whoa!  I don't think any meds are going to help you.  You received some good advice, hon.  Gosh, I know how hard this is for you.  You CAN do it. 

 

Patty  xo