MemphisBlues

Does this sound like protracted benzo withdrawal to anyone?

Seven months clean and I’m struggling with a few things. The good news: After seizures, 10 days in the hospital, lapses into pure psychosis, I function a tad normally. Cognition has somewhat returned, but after a ten-year ride on Klonopin, up to 20 milligrams a day as prescribed by a shrink for the last five years of use, I’m just not certain how much brain damage there is.

The booze is gone, too. Eight months clean from that.

Here’s a list of the symptoms that remain: slight tinnitus in the left year that has subsided a lot; pins and needles holding the skin of my head to the skull; flu-like symptoms; electrical current and weakness in shoulders and legs.

Gum recession!

I was darn sick for two months, but doing better. I went to three different doctors. I’m an American who has been the Philippines for the past nine months. I was slammed by body aches and exhaustion after feeling somewhat
OK about four months clean. I was walking a few miles a day from AA and NA meetings. The first doctor I went to said, Ah…an American in the Philippines? Probably tuberculosis! Had a chest X-ray and was cleared of that. But blood tests showed my body was responding to a systemic viral infection. Two weeks of antibiotics later, I still felt sick as a dog.

Then I had an infected molar yanked! A darn-good dentist said it was bad and could have been dumping bacteria into my system, making me sick. I get to have one more tooth yanked in the next few weeks, too infected for a root canal, but she said it was asymptomatic and probably was not making me sick.

I have been slowly getting better, but with my history of benzos and booze, it’s just hard to figure out whether it’s PAWS, benzo withdrawal, or something else?

Not looking for medical advice, just thoughts of from any brothers and sisters out there that may have had the same experience.

Dee74

I don't know anything about benzos but I do know from personal experience that teeth can really make you sick...

I hope you get to the bottom of it. My advice is to keep looking for professional opinions.

D

SoberinHburg

I'm in the same boat. Drank for 40 years and took 1 mg Klonopin daily for the last 13 of those years. I'm 19 months sober and over 9 months off the K. I'm struggling with brain fog, depression, anxiety, sleep trouble, tinnitus, and so on. It hasn't really gotten a whole lot better through this time. I suspect it's a combination of PAWS and protracted symptoms from benzos. Most people who have gotten through this seem to start doing better and feeling better well into the second year - some earlier and some later. It takes a long time for the nervous system to heal - for the GABA receptors to upregulate. All we can do is let time pass - very difficult. I've been told over and over that 9 months off is not very long when it comes to benzo withdrawal. At least we are clean and not still stuck in the trap. Just need to let time pass and heal.

There are many people suffering through this for over a year who never drank and took benzos for only a few short months. Go figure. Lots of stories in the benzodiazepine forums. Hope we all heal soon.

SoberinHburg

Lots of information and encouragement at benzowithdrawal.com

newby1961

Hope you feel better soon. I hesitate to comment because whenever I try to just comment about me I tend to sound like I am giving medical advice? Go figure..

So I will just urge you to see a proffesional and be completely honest w/how & what you are feeling.

Congrats though we have all been through a war and its about time we feel a little victory.

SoberinHburg

An amazing fact is that most (not all) health care professionals don't believe in withdrawals lasting beyond 30 days. Most don't believe that withdrawal from benzos can be so horrible for so long and that it is only time that heals. There is nothing that can be taken to make it better. Many people try all kinds of things to alleviate the pain, but it's usually completely unsuccessful. To really understand what benzo withdrawal is like one must actually go through it. What's really strange is that even people who have gone through it don't remember the feelings of going through it, but they do remember that it was horrendous. I hope to get to that point. It's been a long road so far.

Froglet

What does one do if benzos really help them? Small dosages really help, but to say I didn't feel any disorientation over the months-years w/ the decade long drinking is a lie.