ChrisClark

Background: I binge drank 5-7 nights a week for about 6 years. I finally landed myself in the hospital In October 2007 due to a particular heavy bender one week in which i was not sleeping much. I continued to binge drink heavily and since October 2007 I have been getting the following symptoms:
-severe anxiety
-lightning feeling running through my body...almost like energy coursing through it..pretty uncomfortable
-tingling through face/arms/legs
-shakiness
-dizziness
-vertigo
-wake up multiple times through the night
-paranoid (about nothing in particular..just an intense paranoia sometimes when in groups of people..like at the mall for instance)
-heightened sensory awareness (i'll jump at certain sounds or sights)

I finally gave up drinking on January 1st, 2009, hoping that all these symptoms would go away. I stayed completely sober all through the month of January, not even having one beer. However, my symptoms continued. I became frustrated and hopeless thinking that my symptoms would never go away.

I finally drank again on February 7th, 2009, due to being hopeless about ever feeling better. Then I drank again on February 10th and February 13th. I figured that if I was going to be feeling symptoms either way, I may as well enjoy myself with drinks now and then. However, I would like to begin my abstinence again if there is hope of these things going away. I know people have said on these forums that sometimes it can take months for symptoms to go away...but I was getting pretty frustrated after 6.5 weeks with them still continuing.

Has anyone ever gotten most of these symptoms for 6.5 weeks after stopping drinking? I had bloodwork done at the doc and it came back fine (liver panel was fine too). The doc doesn't know what to do and I worry that these symptoms will plague me and make my life hell for the rest of my life.

Someone please help...

ANGELINA243

Has your Dr. spoken with you/dicussed PAWS (Post Acute Withdrawal Syndrome)? I went throught it. You might be experiencing this too. For me, the first 90 days was a mess--physically, mentally, etc. It did get better though. I had to remind myself that I didn't into this situation overnight--I drank heavily for many years and was told that it would take some time to get better.
Post Acute Withdrawl - Relapse Prevention Specialists - TLC The Living Center

Eva1

Hi Chris
I am sure this will go away but you must hang in there and believe you will feel much better, but it might take a while. Part of our addictive personalities is impatience and low frustration tolerance, which means we want a stop to our discomfort NOW rather than wait.
At least as far as I am concerned. Type on google PAWS, Post-acute withdrawal symptome and you will see that your symptoms are quite normal and can last a while.
I am nearly 6 months sober and still struggling with rollercoaster feelings.
If you have seen a doctor, your tests are fine so don't be scared it will pass I promise.Woul be worth to consult an addiction specialist (doctors, I find, are usually not very experienced in alcoholism and the lot) or try an AA meeting in the meantime but don't give up
all the best Eva

Dee74

Don't self medicate Chris - it really does nothing to help.
I suffer from most of these things and live with them fine enough, but I did before I drank, so I'm not much help.

I'd find another Dr - deal with this responsibly

D

CarolD

This is the same thing you have shared on here before.
Please look at your earlier posts for our suggestions.

There is no point in a new thread on the same deal.
I'm sorry you are not feeling better.

ChrisClark

The difference now, Carol, is that I have tried being sober for almost 7 weeks and the symptoms continue. I am ready to go back to my drinking ways and need some assurance that if I keep abstaining, that these symptoms will all go away...

It would also be helpful if anyone could relate to a one-time heavy drinking experience starting all these symptoms off and changing the body completely...

CarolD

Here is a thread of yours...

http://www.soberrecovery.com/forums/...-symptoms.html

and another...

http://www.soberrecovery.com/forums/...toms-help.html

I do hope you will not drink...
You have had many replies ..no on wants you to drink.
Sorry to know you did....

Dee74

Chris

Any responsible adult faced with these symptoms for as long as you've had them would go to a doctor - a series of doctors if need be. By your own admission drinking will not make them go away.

Multiple threads on the issue here are unlikely to give you any new answers. You've been given good advice - I hope you take it.

Angelinas advice on PAWs is also good - for many of us it's 3 months or so before we start to feel right.

D

CarolD

Eva....
Welcome to SR and thanks for sharing.

rebelTex

Hey Chris, sorry to hear that your symptoms didn't fade away during your weeks of sobriety. I'm happy to see that you're up for another go at it.

I read your post of today and a few from weeks earlier as well as some of the replies. I have no medical qualifications, my perspective comes only from my life experiences. First a question. Did your symptoms disappear after you started drinking again? Completely? All of them?

Some of the respondents to your posts where you listed symptoms brought up anxiety. That was my thought also, if all other medical issues could be ruled out. I first experienced exogenous anxiety (anxiety from outside the body or external anxiety) during my late teens and early 20's, prime time for this type of anxiety to develop. I can develop out of the blue! Having multiple symptoms at once could be a panic attack. I worked with my primary doc without successful management and eventually turned to self medication with alcohol. I was only comfortable when drinking and my anxiety would return when sober. I'll stop with my history here...

Have you researched anxiety? I'm newly sober after many, many years of drinking and with out-patient detox help from my GP, I didn't have any withdrawal symptoms and my anxiety has been minimal. I know that my hunch doesn't fit totally in with all your sensations but perhaps it could help some.

Just guessing here, I hope that you find some help soon.

gmaklay

Chris good to see you back. I often wondered how you were doing since we were within a day apart.

Well, I'm still in the PAWS. I have good days and bad days. Since day to day is hard to tell better or worse I usually judge week to week. I can say I'm still getting better as each week goes by. The 2 things that bother me the most are the frequent nausea and anxiety. The rest is at a dull roar. I like yourself have had everything checked out by a doctor and all is looking good. Out of the symptoms you listed these are the ones I'm still dealing with...

severe anxiety
-lightning feeling running through my body...almost like energy coursing through it.. (This usually happens with an anxiety attack)
-tingling through face/arms/legs
-shakiness
-dizziness
-wake up multiple times through the night (sleep disturbances are tough)

It was frustrating to go to the doctor and find nothing wrong. I was feeling so bad I wanted her to find SOMETHING. In my mind there was no way to feel this sick and nothing be wrong. The mind is a powerful thing and we've really shook it up with our drinking. It will take a while for it to reset itself.

Like my signature says... I'm dying inside and nobody knows it but me. Don't you feel the same way? We look totally fine on the outside. A doctor can't even find anything wrong yet we are suffering terribly.

Good to have you back. Stick with it....

MissPlanet

I have all your symptoms! I actually came here upset about them. I have been on and off sobriety for years. I never could really commit to it, or am unsure if I really need to. I get them sober or drinking, although drinking they seem worse. I am actually getting better, but I have had panic attacks for 6 months, and I had them every single day for a month. I am kind of agoraphobic too, and I was never like this before 6 months ago. Fortunately, I have learned alcohol doesn't work so I stopped drinking it. But, I too, am stuck in this hell. I just really believe it will pass.

24hrsAday

i got real.. real sick from my heavy drinking. it took me many,many months sober before i started to feel a real positive change. i did it one day at a time..

CarolD

MissPlanet....Welcome!


Good to know you have quit drinking
Checking with your doctor is always a wise move.

flutter

This has been said to you several times, but your 'symptoms' may have absolutely nothing to do with alcohol or alcoholism. So now you want to drink if you can't get to a point where you think your symptoms will go away if you quit. May as well add on to that list 'liver disease', 'diabetes', 'eventual alcoholic death'. Why compound your already complicated medical problems with a substance that will KILL you?

Go to another doc, be a self advocate. If you're drinking, you're certainly not trying to be healthy anyways..

I hope you go read your old posts, same advice.. read again please.

Bard

9 weeks sober and I still have alot of those symptoms you listed. They come and go. Somedays are pretty minor with only the most mild of bad feelings. Other days I feel edgy all day long. What can we say? If drinking for years brought on these feelings gradualy we can't expect them to vanish with just a few days on the wagon and everyhting be just fine again. If that was the case I think there would be alot less people on these forums and in recovery if just putting the bottle down for a few days fixed everything.

It takes time and patience. Research everything you can on recovering the mind and body from years of abuse and just realize while it's unpleasent as hell if we really want sobriety this is the nessary road we have to take. Some people go about it diffrently but otherwise it's the same.

No matter how rough it may be I know that at even at my worse day that drinkng will only make it even worse!

BackToSquareOne

It took me about 2 months just to get back to some semblance of normal. See a doctor, anxiety is very common and also very treatable. Why suffer through it if it's going to make you keep returning to alcohol. In my opinion going on meds is a lot better option than drinking.

sfgirl

I'm not a doctor but all those symptoms sound to me like an anxiety problem— I used to have horrible panic attacks and ever single symptom you mention I would have. I also used alcohol to medicate for anxiety which would make it disappear while I was drunk (so if you didn't have those symptoms while intoxicated that would be a good indication that it was anxiety) but the anxiety/panic would come back with a vengeance, much, much worse when I was hung over and was actually probably a major part of the viscous cycle of why I would keep drinking the next day. Drinking will greatly exacerbate anxiety, even one night, even one drink if your body is sensitive, but stopping won't make it magically disappear. You should see a psychiatrist as well as your primary care doctor if for no other reason to rule it out. Medicine really saved me from daily panic attacks that I thought would never go away. I can imagine that it must be really difficult to deal with anxious symptoms to if you don't know what they are and you don't have alcohol to medicate like you did before. But it really is an issue you have to deal with sober. Alcohol is such a temporary fix and just makes it so much worse. I would get back on the wagon and see a psychiatrist.