Ugh benzo withdarwal
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Join Date: Oct 2013
Location: Canada
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Originally Posted by MemphisBlues 
Just know it does get better, Sleep.
I can attest that there is life after benzo withdrawal.
I wonder, however, if tapering creates it own kind of hell. I mean, you will experience symptoms with each dose reduction, and I wonder since you are on such a low dose now that jumping off and feeling sick for a week or two might be a shorter hell than spreading the misery out over a few more weeks.
But the purpose of tapering is to hopefully avoid post acute withdrawal symptoms. I just wonder if you aren't at that point now?
But do know that it all passes. After total cessation, the anxiety, sweating, palpitations, panic, all goes away.
It did for me, and I went cold turkey from an elephantine dose of Klonopin.
You're doing great. All the pain now will be worth the peace at the end.
I can attest that there is life after benzo withdrawal.
I wonder, however, if tapering creates it own kind of hell. I mean, you will experience symptoms with each dose reduction, and I wonder since you are on such a low dose now that jumping off and feeling sick for a week or two might be a shorter hell than spreading the misery out over a few more weeks.
But the purpose of tapering is to hopefully avoid post acute withdrawal symptoms. I just wonder if you aren't at that point now?
But do know that it all passes. After total cessation, the anxiety, sweating, palpitations, panic, all goes away.
It did for me, and I went cold turkey from an elephantine dose of Klonopin.
You're doing great. All the pain now will be worth the peace at the end.
I also went c/t, but medically supervised, and although it was tough I am through it and made it out the other end!
Keep at it!
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Join Date: Apr 2010
Posts: 8,614
Sigh.
Well the Dr called back and was about as disinterested as usual in hearing anything I was actually saying. He just kept saying everyone is irritable in the heat, and I'm like, "No, I was sweating, like a panic sweat and dizzy and felt as if I couldn't breathe". Then he said even his wife gets irritable in the summer.
Then he told me to drink Gatorade.
Sigh. Looks like I'm on my own.
Drink Gatorade. Ok. Right. Got it.
Typical.
Well the Dr called back and was about as disinterested as usual in hearing anything I was actually saying. He just kept saying everyone is irritable in the heat, and I'm like, "No, I was sweating, like a panic sweat and dizzy and felt as if I couldn't breathe". Then he said even his wife gets irritable in the summer.
Then he told me to drink Gatorade.
Sigh. Looks like I'm on my own.
Drink Gatorade. Ok. Right. Got it.
Typical.
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Posts: 8,614
In my experience? Doctors are pretty overrated. I've yet to meet one that was worth my (out of pocket) money.
If I do it's a good thing I'll be in their presence, because I will have a heart attack from sheer shock.
If I do it's a good thing I'll be in their presence, because I will have a heart attack from sheer shock.
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Ok guys, I'll ask you- did heat or humidity worsen your symptoms? I felt as if I was in full fledged panic attack but for about 5 hours. And so dizzy when I stood up and as if I couldn't take a full breathe, and panic sweat, like where your armpits get sopping wet but nothing else. And that anxiety that feels just like alcohol withdrawal, where you can't sit still or lie down and you feel like you are going to have a seizure or heart attack?
I know Memphis you had a seizure and all the other stuff you went through, but did you find heat to make it worse or bring out withdrawal symptoms?
I know Memphis you had a seizure and all the other stuff you went through, but did you find heat to make it worse or bring out withdrawal symptoms?
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Originally Posted by sleepie
Ok guys, I'll ask you- did heat or humidity worsen your symptoms? I felt as if I was in full fledged panic attack but for about 5 hours.
I don't have much luck with doctors either especially therapists so far. Therapist wanted to go back in my past to figure this out. My last doctor wanted to throw me in the psych, what did my therapist say? Yeah it'll be good for him. Thank you very much for that experience!!
I had an okay doctor before but she left and so now I find myself not too trusting of doctors in my area.
I will say though that the psychiatrist I did see while in the psych (although she kept pushing meds) did understand me somewhat. Although its going to take months to make an appointment with anyone in that area.
Like I said, wish we could see the light at the end of the tunnel already!
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Hi guys, I started at 10 mg valium back in mid May. I go to a monthly support group at the doctor's office too. I'm doing everything by the book here and still feeling and looking awful. It scares me to think it's all here to stay.
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Yeah, mini seizures, complete psychotic states, shaking so bad I couldn't hold a cigarette, sweat dripping off of face, whole body sweat -- my couch would be soaked. I remember during acute withdrawal peeling off my clothes and being able to wring sweat out of them.
Heat always exasperated my panic prior to detox. I lived in the steamy swamp temperatures of New Orleans, and sweating during panic attacks became a phobia for me. I was a in a profession with daily deadlines and high-pressure meetings and even when the chips of power were in my hand, in situations where those I was meeting should be anxious, should sweat, I was the one who would sweat proceeding a panic attack.
It got so bad that normal sweating fed the phobia of a panic attack and in turn caused a panic attack.
I can't tell you how many times I came home and peeled off my soaked dress shirt and slacks, droped into bed, and wake up in the morning to have to clean the salt stains from my dress shoes.
Of course, my solution was to pop 10 milligrams of Klonopin, drink 10 beers and smoke three to four joints.
It's all relative.
You know, I think what your doctor is trying to do is not be dismissive of your symptoms, but to drive home that the symptoms are relative. That his wife gets whack-like in the heat, that a lot of people have emotional reactions to the heat, and that you are feeling the discomfort from your reduced dosage compounded by a normal stress reaction to heat.
And with all things being relative, sopping pits and shortness of breathe is uncomfortable, but it's not something to die from. And if will end once you are finally benzo free.
Any chance you can take a week or two off, jump off your dosage, lay in bed in front of a fan with Netflix, drink tons of liquids, eat ice cream, and accept being sick . Try it for five days, If you don't get better, you could always reinstate.
That reminds me of a peculiar things during my cold turkey. Even though I was taking 20 milligrams of Klonopin a day when I stopped, during one of four trips to the ER, they would monitor my heart rate (120 bpm), blood pressure (140 over 100), and hear about my hallucinations (blank stares) and shoot me up with five milligrams of Valium IV. All the symptoms would recede. They would send me home with five, five-milligrams hits of Valium. I would be relatively OK for a couple of days, then back to the ER. That is until the final ambulance ride a week or so later in a complete psychotic state.
My point is, even though I was used to a Valium equivalent of 400 milligrams day, five milligrams was enough to quell the severity of symptoms. So if you can't make it five days, reinstating a couple of milligrams of Valium might quell yours.
I'm not trying to give medical advice, just pondering if my experience might equate to an option for you that you could bounce off of your Gatorade prescribing doctor.
Heat always exasperated my panic prior to detox. I lived in the steamy swamp temperatures of New Orleans, and sweating during panic attacks became a phobia for me. I was a in a profession with daily deadlines and high-pressure meetings and even when the chips of power were in my hand, in situations where those I was meeting should be anxious, should sweat, I was the one who would sweat proceeding a panic attack.
It got so bad that normal sweating fed the phobia of a panic attack and in turn caused a panic attack.
I can't tell you how many times I came home and peeled off my soaked dress shirt and slacks, droped into bed, and wake up in the morning to have to clean the salt stains from my dress shoes.
Of course, my solution was to pop 10 milligrams of Klonopin, drink 10 beers and smoke three to four joints.
It's all relative.
You know, I think what your doctor is trying to do is not be dismissive of your symptoms, but to drive home that the symptoms are relative. That his wife gets whack-like in the heat, that a lot of people have emotional reactions to the heat, and that you are feeling the discomfort from your reduced dosage compounded by a normal stress reaction to heat.
And with all things being relative, sopping pits and shortness of breathe is uncomfortable, but it's not something to die from. And if will end once you are finally benzo free.
Any chance you can take a week or two off, jump off your dosage, lay in bed in front of a fan with Netflix, drink tons of liquids, eat ice cream, and accept being sick . Try it for five days, If you don't get better, you could always reinstate.
That reminds me of a peculiar things during my cold turkey. Even though I was taking 20 milligrams of Klonopin a day when I stopped, during one of four trips to the ER, they would monitor my heart rate (120 bpm), blood pressure (140 over 100), and hear about my hallucinations (blank stares) and shoot me up with five milligrams of Valium IV. All the symptoms would recede. They would send me home with five, five-milligrams hits of Valium. I would be relatively OK for a couple of days, then back to the ER. That is until the final ambulance ride a week or so later in a complete psychotic state.
My point is, even though I was used to a Valium equivalent of 400 milligrams day, five milligrams was enough to quell the severity of symptoms. So if you can't make it five days, reinstating a couple of milligrams of Valium might quell yours.
I'm not trying to give medical advice, just pondering if my experience might equate to an option for you that you could bounce off of your Gatorade prescribing doctor.
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I would love to just take a week or 2 off, but that isn't possible. People are relying on me and I would have zero income. I have no savings or anything.
After I took extra valium that night I didn't feel great or anything, I was still a mess for awhile.
I hope I didn't just eff myself up for good with alcohol. I still feel like I quit too late.
If I am brief tonight it's because I am tired from running errands and I attempted light exercise today. Didn't get much sleep last night either. I always have to get up in the morning for some work. I really wish that I could just sleep when I was able to but oh well.
After I took extra valium that night I didn't feel great or anything, I was still a mess for awhile.
I hope I didn't just eff myself up for good with alcohol. I still feel like I quit too late.
If I am brief tonight it's because I am tired from running errands and I attempted light exercise today. Didn't get much sleep last night either. I always have to get up in the morning for some work. I really wish that I could just sleep when I was able to but oh well.
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