lycanlaz

i'm running into day 12 now, had the last librium five days ago, but i'm still experiencing trembling and shaking to varying degrees... getting some pretty extreme anxiety tonight but i never used to get trembling along with my anxiety before when i wasn't in withdrawal. surely i shouldn't still be shaking? like it's worse than it was yesterday. i'm struggling to deal with some of the stuff that has happened recently though. when it plays through my head it's pretty overwhelming and i'm getting really intense nightmares.

happybeingme

Maybe with additional stress you should see your doctor. Maybe a mild sedative or something would help.
Also make sure you are eating well and drinking enough fluids. Try some sports drinks. The first few days of detox are the most dangerous but from my own experience quitting it took several weeks for things to get more stable.

Dee74

I shake all the time but I always did

I've read of folks here who had the shakes for a while tho.

see you Dr if you're concerned lyc.

JeffreyAK

I felt shaky for a week or so, to gradually reducing degrees, after stopping cold with no meds the final time (heh, the worst experience of my life, but I survived). I'm not sure how it goes with librium, I took it a couple times before the final detox but I wasn't as bad off then, but I wouldn't be surprised if it delays the end of those symptoms, in exchange for a less-harsh crash early on.

ScottFromWI

My anxiety was very strong early on, and it caused lots of physical symptoms. To be safe check with the rehab doc that prescribed your meds, you said they have follow ups available, correct?

lycanlaz

yeah i'll get in touch with them and ask. what you said makes sense jeff, about the delayed symptoms. i was given promazine as a short term sedative but since learning it's an antipsychotic i've become a bit wary of it since my experiences with antipsychotics haven't been great. i only have enough for a couple of days anyhow so it's not really appropriate for any adequate treatment of acute anxiety. i've been prescribed 40mg propranolol twice a day but it's not really having a major impact on the anxiety spikes. i have had propranolol in the past and then it didn't really do much either.

been attempting some relaxation techniques and i keep getting slammed with intrusive memories and intense fear. i had a weird thing before where i didn't know where the hell i was for a minute, like no freaking clue what the date or time was either, but that might have been some dissociation.

but yeah i will contact them and get it checked out.

Andante

I had the most persistent case of alcoholic tremor (as opposed to tremor with underlying causes other than alcohol) that I've heard of so far.

It's common for withdrawal symptoms to get worse each time you detox. I know mine did. The first few times I tried to quit drinking, I didn't notice any shakiness at all. Then the next few times, I would be shaky for a few days (which was scary, but did it make me quit drinking for good? No it did not). The more times I detoxed, the worse the shakiness got and the longer it would last.

When I finally quit drinking for good, I thought the shakiness would never go away. Although drugs such as Ativan and Propranolol helped keep it from being exacerbated by spikes in anxiety, there was no drug that helped the "baseline" shakiness. I finally had to accept that the only thing that would help was time. Even when I thought I'd go mad from the shakiness, I stuck with the faint hope that someday it might get better if I continued to stay sober.

At something over 2 years sober, I can finally say that the shakiness is just about gone. It does flare up if I get agitated or anxious, but I'm pleased to say that for the most part it's a non-issue.

So hang in there, lycanlaz! If you stay sober, the shakiness, along with most of the anxiety and the other symptoms you're experiencing, very likely will subside on their own with time. If you go back to drinking, they will likely get worse and take longer to subside next time you detox. I do second other posters who suggest that you check with your doctor to be sure there are no other factors causing the shakiness, though (I did!).

sleepie

Hi lycanlanz, just wishing you well. Stay strong, you have taken big steps. Glad you will be checking with the rehab center. You can do this, it just takes time as everyone says.

MelindaFlowers

I had mild trembles for probably 3 months with very mild pinky trembles until six or seven months. Gone at 10 months.

lycanlaz

thanks, these replies are all reassuring.