ccgirl

It sounds like he loves you whether you're doing well, or doing poorly. My parents wouldn't have noticed if I ran through the room naked with my hair on fire. Be glad for him. He wants to help. The more he understands, the more he can.

Barto

I have to wonder if the difference isn’t really the underlying condition; and that it is the underlying condition that is causing all the so called PAWS. I mean, if a person goes to the doctor because that person is anxious or having panic attacks; and the doctor diagnoses that person with some anxiety or panic disorder and prescribes that person benzos; then that person decides to quit the medication without having done anything about the underlying condition; why wouldn’t things be worse for that person while that person is coming off the medication? The medication is presumably treating a disease, right?

I mean, things probably would have gotten worse if that person hadn’t gone on the medicine to begin with. I know my condition started and progressively got worse before I finally went to the doctor. I was almost to the point of being hospitalized due to panic disorder when I finally went – I hate going to the doctor – and I had fully, physically manifested symptoms.

Of course, this would not apply to a pure recreational user / abuser who has no underlying anxiety or panic disorder. Maybe that’s why they are just able quit without a hitch. Just a thought.

emmer

My ears never did stop ringing very loudly after stopping benzos. Never had it before benzos ...have it now big time. I pisses me off.

windysan

Emmer. Does the ring change pitch or is it the same pitch all the time? That's gotta be aggravating as hell.

emmer

For the most part it is the same pitch, however sometimes it will change to a higher ringing and then back to the way it was to begin with.

thanks for asking Windy ................Joe

Barto

I hear you Emmer (no pun intended). My damn ears ring, too – especially when I drink caffeine – and it didn’t start until I quit the Klonopin. Of course the doctor says I should quit the caffeine. I tell him "I’m trying." What else can I say. Two ENT’s say I would have gotten tinnitus anyway, or that I already had it and that the Klonopin was masking it.

From what I’ve read, tinnitus and anxiety and/or depression go hand in hand. Whether there is a causal relationship, and, if so, which causes the other, I don’t know. That may be another explanation (Klonopin = anxiety), at this point in my life anyway.

I had another doctor tell me that alcohol will get rid of tinnitus, too. I laughed and told him I bet it would; but if I drink alcohol, that’s not all my drinking would get rid of.

2ala2

Hi Ms Timmy,
I definately do not advise you to go the CT route..Please scroll back on this thread. You'll find some useful info..

windysan

if you do go cold turkey make darned sure it is in a hospital

ccgirl

OK, I called my sister in law yesterday to see how my 17 year old nephew is. Unfortunately, he's in jail (long story)

This poor kid from the get go has had a horrible problem with mental illness and substance abuse. I asked her what was going on with him psychiatrially speaking and she said that because he's bipolar, the doctors took him off his Risperdal (anti-psychotic), but because of his anxiety disorder, drum roll here..... they prescribed him klonopin! I'm surprised my phone didn't melt when she told me that. I asked her if she knew it was addictive and she said no, the psychiatrist never mentioned that. You know, sometimes I could just throw my hands up in the air with a large part of the medical profession.

I did convince her to at least hold the bottle for him and give them to him as necessary, as the dose is .5- 1 mg prn. I can only hope she listens.

Thanks for letting me vent.

EricPaul

Your doctors are very ignorant when it comes to benzos. Benzo withdrawal causes tinnitus and is common to many people who took crap benzos. I have horrible tinnitus and it is over 4 years benzo free for me. I did not have tinnitus until I took the **** klonopin and then went into withdrawal. Tinnitus is a protracted withdrawal symptom for me and i doubt that it will ever go away. The longer you take the crap klonopin then the worse damage to your brain can happen and you can have very loud horrible tinnitus like I have. It is a loud hissing in my brain and is horrible to live with. Plus, I have other horrible damage from the klonopin garbage that is very hard to live with. THANKS TO THE GARBAGE POISON KLONOPIN FOR DAMAGING MY BRAIN!

This is from the Ashton Manual!

Sensory and motor disturbances. There is no doubt that benzodiazepine withdrawal leaves in its wake a nervous system that is exquisitely sensitive to all sensory and motor stimuli. Usually this state settles in a few weeks but occasionally disturbing sensations persist.

One of the most distressing sensory symptoms is tinnitus, a constant ringing or hissing in the ears which has been noted in several studies of benzodiazepine withdrawal. One lady described her tinnitus as a "needle of sound" piercing deep inside her head. Tinnitus is often associated with a degree of hearing loss and is not uncommon in people with partial nerve deafness who have never taken benzodiazepines. Nevertheless, it often makes its first appearance during benzodiazepine withdrawal in people who have had hearing loss for years. Also, it may be unilateral or precisely localised, even in those with symmetrical bilateral hearing loss. Whether people who have taken long-term benzodiazepines are particularly prone to tinnitus and if so why, is not known. It can persist for years and does not always respond to the usual treatments for tinnitus (maskers, etc); nor is it always relieved by restarting benzodiazepines. However, people with persisting tinnitus after withdrawal should seek the advice of a hearing specialist and may be lucky enough to find a clinic which specialises in this symptom.

http://www.benzo.org.uk/manual/bzcha03.htm#tinn

2ala2

I hear ya CC. I also believe that many doctors are too liberal in their prescription of Klonopin, and I do believe, that many don't really know what they're doing.
Good idea for her to hold on to the demon.
I hope that we're wrong and that he gets better.

windysan

I know several doctors who are VERY knowledgeable when it comes to benzodiazepines. I am thankful to them for helping me. Not all doctors are part of the rightwinghaliburtonmegapharmaceuticalindustrialmil itaryblackwateralienstepford coalition. LOL

tanyapmc

I have been off benzos almost 9 months and have the ringing in the ears too. I also think my hearing is ultra-sensitive. I can literally hear a pin drop. Hopefully it will get better in time.

Great thread yall have here.

ccgirl

Hey Windy, I actually agree with you. I am a supporter of benzos for the people who need them and will not abuse them. My nephew isn't one of those people and I guess instead of ranting at the whole medical profession (esp. because my psychiatrist is phenomonal) I was just really pissed off that his doctor, knowing about his addiction history would have prescribed them to him!

ccgirl

OH, I'm not part of that thousand word coalition either, LOL

windysan

I tell all my docs up front not to give me any doggie bags to take home. If they gotta knock me out for a procedure then that's okay.....no goodies for home though. I'd rather suffer and take ibuprofen.

2ala2

I just realized I haven't had the 'twiches' or 'jolts' in over a week!
I thought the Benzos left their mark for life..

windysan

I think most people eventually become 100% well. Glad to hear you are on your way.

Barto

Eric,

I am not going to argue with you about benzos. However, I will say this: These ENT doctors you say are ignorant are at the top of their field (more qualified than Ashton from their respective CV’s); and one of these ENT’s is not only a brilliant teaching doctor but also a friend of mine. And you know what, his business partner has tinnitus and I don’t believe he ever took a benzo. Do you know that about 40 to 50 million Americans have tinnitus? My point is that it is not so uncommon a condition, and certainly exists in people who have never taken benzos.

I really doubt that benzo withdrawal is causing your tinnitus four years post cessation. I am sorry you have it so bad. Believe me, I understand tinnitus sucks. I have it. But just because two things happen at the same time doesn’t mean there is a causal relationship. And just because it happens to more than one person doesn’t make it more than anecdotal. Your tinnitus could just be caused by exposure to loud noise or a variety of other things suspected to cause this condition.

I hope it quiets down for you. What seems to help me when mine flares up more than usual is listening to ocean waves and thunderstorm type CD’s when I go to sleep. Some of these have white noise backgrounds specifically designed to mask tinnitus, some don’t. Neither seems to work better than the other in my case.

Barto

Not even Heather Ashton believes they leave their mark for life. Glad you’re feeling better.