Benzos and Me...

Also I should mention that once I take my dosage that my anxiety heightens. :-( it goes back down eventually.

This is quite the journey.

Lucky you...so you just dealt with it? I wish I could have done the same. I feel like its all trying to resolve itself but this Benzo might be blocking it. And when I say all I mean the anxiety, spatial issues and arkward balance.

I'm glad I'm listening to my body and spirit...praying I can get off the Lorazepam for good real soon!

Hi Wryter,

So sorry you are dealing with benzo issues.  I took Xanax in 2008 due to fluoroquinolone toxicity that caused extreme anxiety and panic attacks and also a multitude of other symptoms.  Getting off the Xanax was tough but it is doable.  A good site to visit/join is benzobuddies.org.  It has a lot of info and great support very similar to this site.

The issues you speak of are very common.  Some believe in a real slow taper but I happen to go the opposite route in believing to taper every 7 to 14 days.  I believe that I was having a paradoxical reaction (the med was making me feel worse after taking it) so I tapered extremely fast (every 3 to 4 days) which was very difficult.  When I first joined the above mentioned site it was very common to cut .25 mg every 7 to 14 days but it seems they now believe the slower the better but I have noticed that even slow, slow tapers can be quite harrowing.

Make sure you have the lowest prescsribed dose so you can cut your tabs into smaller doses.  During the last 3 weeks of my taper I was able to cut my pills into 1/8ths by using a straight edged razor blade and took the larger pieces first and worked my way down to the smallest ones.  Do take the med the same time every day.  I started off taking it 3 times a day and finally my last doses were in the evening.

Benzo withdrawal has the same symptoms as lyme disease so it can get a little foggy as to what is causing what, so to speak.

Good luck with your taper.

Patty

 

hi wryter, I have been in withdrawal from benzos for 11/2 yr now after a 18 yr addiction to klonipin. Benzos are bad stuff and I did not know how impaired i had become until I started to get off. I have been physically ill for years and was given benzos instead of being properly diagnosed with a medical problem.

The only way I could get off was by a slow titration. I had to cut by 10 to 20 % every 2 weeks and did this by disolving by pill in water and using a 10 cc syringe for doing the cuts. I worked with my primary care physician to do this and lucky I had one I could trust to do this. It is very important you take it slow and easy, take the medication at the same time every day.

it sounds like you have developed tolerance, where your body has become used to the same amount of medication and wants more, thus actually you end up in tolerance withdrawal when this happens.

It takes at least 15 months to 2 years to reset the Gaba receptors in the brain after taking benzos. This is per Dr heather ashton, a pharmacologist that did 10 yr of research in the uk on benzo withdrawal. I recommend you find her site on the internet. you can get it on benzobuddies or by typing in the ashton manual on google on the internet. you can get a free download on the net and also buy the book. I bought the book so I could take it into my md appointments.

I went thru hell on benzos and I went thru hell getting off. You can do it. I am very much improved and still improving. It took me a long time to figure out I had lyme disease because alot of the symptoms of withdrawal are the same of lyme. I am still concerned about this. I was told I have lyme 2 weeks ago and just started treatment. but I am starting to feel better on the antibiotics now so I pretty much am sure I have lyme.

I hope this helps and good luck you will get off ativan. jackie