The Anxiety/Panic Attack Journal

A while back I posted a blog about my experience with Ativan withdrawal, and the hell I went through trying to get off of those evil little pills. I never imagined how many responses I would get! Emails poured in from people all over the world dealing with withdrawal from Ativan, Xanax and other benzodiazepines. Some of their stories sounded eerily similar to mine, but others had it even worse.

 The most common question I got after publishing that benzo withdrawal article was, “Is their anything I can do make withdrawal easier?”

 Obviously, everyone’s experience will be a little different when it comes to withdrawal from Ativan or Xanax. I can only tell you what helped me get through it. Hopefully these tips will help some of you too:

1. My first mistake was quitting Ativan cold turkey. NEVER do that. Cold Turkey benzodiazepine withdrawal is much worse, and can potentially be dangerous (seizures, etc are possible). Drugs like Ativan and Xanax need to be tapered slowly over time (several months usually). Talk to your doctor about helping you taper off gradually.

Also, read ‘The Ashton Manual.’ Dr. Ashton ran a benzodiazepine withdrawal clinic in the UK for years, and is an authority on safely withdrawing from Ativan, Xanax and all benzos. You can download The Ashton Manual benzo withdrawal guide in PDF format here:

http://lonelylinks.com/ashton.htm

2. During benzodiazepine withdrawal I COULD NOT tolerate any supplements! Even fish oil or multivitamins would make my symptoms worse. For 2-3 months I stopped taking any supplements at all, with the exception of an occasional ibuprofin for pain. 

However, I did discover that Noni Juice seemed to slightly improve the Ativan withdrawal symptoms at times. It was actually the only supplement that didn’t make things worse. I don’t normally promote Noni juice, and I’m not affiliated with it in any way. But in my experience, it did seem to help slightly (don’t expect miracles). NOTE:  I took it only 2-3 times weekly, NOT every day.

I also took an occasional Benadryl to help me sleep, but NOT very often. I even cut them in half most times because my system was so sensitive to any outside influence. FYI: some experts advise against taking benadryl during benzo withdrawal, but occasional use didn’t seem to have a negative effect on my recovery from Ativan. As always, your results may vary.

3. On bad withdrawal days I stayed on the sofa and watched mindless comedies. Nothing heavy or dramatic, just unchallenging films or shows to distract me. I also kept the room fairly dark and cool as the withdrawal made me extremely sensitive to bright light and heat. I drank lots of water and avoided spicy, exotic or unusual foods–I lived off soup and crackers some days–tried and true “bland foods” were tolerated the best.

4. After being off of Ativan about one month I began to develop an extreme intolerance to heat. Even being in sun for 20 minutes could cause my withdrawal symptoms to flair up. I also noticed the same problem whenever I showered. Hot water would irritate my skin and cause me to feel itchy and “tingly” all over, leaving me feeling fatigued. I began to reduce the heat in the shower, eventually almost taking cold showers (something I normally hate). It took some getting used to but it did help.

5. I used guided relaxation sessions to help calm down when the anxiety got unbearable. This was back before I was producing anti-anxiety visualization sessions myself, so these days I would recommend the kinds of sessions we include in the EasyCalm series (there are three different types included).

This may sound like self promotion (which I am certainly not above ,-), but I’m keeping it real here. These kind of visualization sessions did help me when I was struggling with Ativan withdrawal, and I’ve heard from lots of EasyCalm users who’ve said the same thing.

When you’re dealing with severe benzodiazepine withdrawal, very few things can offer any real relief. The “usual” anxiety remedies tend to fall flat because your central nervous system is just too fried during the recovery process. But guided visualization is one thing that DOES help many people, to one degree or another. To try some of these sessions free, check out the Easycalm homepage here.

6. I also could not tolerate vigorous exercise while withdrawing. My symptoms would go nuts! Some people say they can exercise normally during ativan withdrawal, but it just wasn’t in the cards for me. I could walk around the block or do moderate (not heavy) weights, but that was about it. Whether you can tolerate working out during withdrawal or not will be obvious after a few attempts. The symptoms will either flare up of they won’t…

 Getting off of Ativan or Xanax can really test your patience, but it DOES get better over time. Keep telling yourself that and do everything you can to keep a positive state of mind–it does help! Try visualization, and beware of too much sun or heat. Otherwise, benzo withdrawal is a waiting game. It will eventually fade and you WILL return to your old self, even if it doesn’t always seem like it when you’re in the middle of heavy withdrawal symptoms.

Wishing all the benzo sufferers out there increasing peace and all the very best!

Jon
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www.easycalm.com

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Sometimes I am truly shocked how many good people become accidentally addicted to benzodiazepine medications such as Ativan (Lorazepam).  I seem to get many emails about this subject, and unfortunately, I’ve also been through it myself.  Even though Ativan and it’s sister benzodiazepine meds are known to be dependency causing, doctors in the US continue to routinely prescribe them to unsuspecting anxiety sufferers.

I remember well the extreme anxiety and physical pain of Ativan withdrawal; and in my case, my doctor never even instructed me to taper off of the drug gradually (like all the experts say you should), so I just quit cold turkey. Bad Idea.

My physical suffering, panic and anxiety after quitting Ativan was like nothing I had ever known (and this from a guy with anxiety problems from age 13!). The sad fact is that most doctors are simply ignorant of the tremendous damage that benzodiazepine dependency can cause. And if you quit using them cold turkey, as I foolishly did, there is a risk of suffering life-threatening seizures.

 There are message boards all over the Internet where former Ativan users discuss the nightmare of benzodiazepine withdrawal. Symptoms such as severe panic, agoraphobia, extreme fatigue, blurry vision, heart palpitations, muscle spasms, trouble breathing, extreme insomnia, nausea, upset stomach, depression and painful cramps are not uncommon. And the most debilitating thing of all: benzodiazepine withdrawal can easily last six to 12 months, with a smaller percentage of users experiencing extended post withdrawal symptoms that can last up to five years! Talk about living through hell!

I wanted to point out the extreme risks involved in “popping” Ativan or other benzodiazepines as a way to reduce anxiety and panic attacks. Yes, you may get some immediate relief from your symptoms, but it’s a fools paradise, and the down side is potentially devastating.

More than once, I’ve had e-mails from former Ativan users who became dependent on the pills in as little as two weeks of regular use. Pharmaceutical companies are only now beginning to admit that benzodiazepines can cause dependency in such short periods of time. But unfortunately, most doctors are STILL not aware of this fact.

While it is true that Ativan can be helpful in certain very specific situations to control anxiety, a certain percentage of people seem to become addicted to this drug very quickly. Other individuals may better tolerate benzodiazepines, and be less likely to become dependent on the drug with short-term use. But who wants to take that chance?

Personally, I believe it is wise to be very skeptical of about taking any benzodiazepine. If you or any of your loved ones are considering taking Ativan or another Benzo drug, PLEASE have them visit some of the benzodiazepine withdrawal forums online (I can recommend http://benzowithdrawal.com/) and read a few of the personal accounts of former benzo users, and particularly those who became addicted very quickly to Ativan. And then run, don’t walk, away from these pills.

TIP: The ‘Instant Tranquility’ guided visualization session from www.easycalm.com has proven effective in helping benzodiazepine withdrawal sufferers to relax. You can try the “Instant Tranquility” guided visualization here.