Benzo withdrawal: Timeline and symptoms

I like to gently rock side to side, hands on opposite shoulders, Drug rehabilitation stroking my arms, while I say, “I am safe.” It’s good to look around, ground yourself, and remind yourself that you are safe. Even with all the unpleasant benzo withdrawal symptoms happening in your body, you are safe. Do not say, “I am not in danger,” but instead say, “I am safe.” The brain will glom onto the word danger, overlooking the word not.

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All sorts of strange tinglings, pins and needles, patches of numbness, feelings of electric shocks, sensations of hot and cold, itching, and deep burning pain are not uncommon during benzodiazepine withdrawal. It is difficult to give an exact explanation for these sensations but, like motor nerves, the sensory nerves, along with their connections in the spinal cord and brain, become hyperexcitable during withdrawal. It is possible that sensory receptors in skin and muscle, and in the tissue sheaths around https://ecosoberhouse.com/ bones, may fire off impulses chaotically in response to stimuli that do not normally affect them.

Benzodiazepine Withdrawal Syndrome (BWS)

• This will prevent you from altering the taper, but it might mean frequent trips to the pharmacy.
• In severe cases, benzodiazepine withdrawal can lead to seizures, a medical emergency that requires immediate attention.
• Such people may develop apparent intolerance to certain foods, although reliable tests for true food allergy (e.g. antibodies against specific food constituents) are nearly always negative.
• With short-acting benzos, withdrawal symptoms can appear within 24 hours and last from a few days to a week.
• If you experience unpleasant withdrawal symptoms during your taper, your care team can help you explore options to address those symptoms and get relief.

In most cases of benzo withdrawal, suddenly stopping the medication is not recommended, as it can be dangerous. Withdrawal symptoms may vary from person to person, although there are some common symptoms. Additionally, support from family, friends, or a therapist can be helpful during this time.

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In the first week of tapering off, your doctor may reduce your dose as much as 30% to get you to a safe amount. After that first leap, the steps become smaller, usually 5% to 10% of the original dose. Depending on your situation, your doctor may reduce your dose on a monthly, weekly, or even daily basis.

• Emerging research also suggests acceptance and commitment therapy (ACT) could also have benefits during benzodiazepine withdrawal.
• Some benzos, such as Valium (diazepam), have a long-acting formulation, making them suitable for treating conditions like generalized anxiety disorder.
• If you or a loved one is suffering from benzo dependency or addiction and are looking for a way to safely withdraw from the drug, contact us today.
• It’s incredibly important to follow your doctor’s guidance when you stop taking benzodiazepines.
• Dependence appears to occur in a similar way to how it does with other addictive drugs.

Depending on your situation, your doctor may think it best to prescribe very small amounts of medication at a time. This will prevent you from altering the taper, but it might mean frequent trips to the pharmacy. Protracted withdrawal is a long-term withdrawal syndrome that may come and go for several months. If you or a loved one is suffering from benzo dependency or addiction and are looking for a way to safely withdraw from the drug, contact us today.

If you go into withdrawal without tapering, you also risk experiencing delirium and hallucinations that cause you to lose touch with reality—a terrifying and dangerous experience. The best way to quit benzodiazepines is to avoid withdrawal by asking your doctor to taper down your dose. Tapering means taking progressively smaller doses over the course of a few weeks or months. Withdrawing from benzodiazepines can be a difficult, even dangerous process. During the first week, you can also expect physical symptoms like headaches and hand tremors. The primary difference between these drugs is the length of time they stay active in the body.

• Remeron is often prescribed for benzo withdrawal-induced insomnia; however, some people experience a withdrawal syndrome.
• The need for sleep is so powerful that normal sleep will eventually reassert itself.
• Many people complain of a metallic taste in the mouth and several notice strange, unpleasant, smells which seem to emanate from the body.
• Particular concerns have been raised about impairment of cognitive functions (such as memory and reasoning) and other lingering problems such as muscle pains and gastrointestinal disturbances.
• It is also unknown to what extent the risk of physiological dependence is dependent upon a minimum duration of exposure or dosage of these drugs.

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Most digestive symptoms get better after withdrawal but in a few people they persist and become a protracted symptom, raising fears of food allergy or candida infection. These questions are discussed further in the section on protracted symptoms. Thus these sensory symptoms, though disconcerting, are usually nothing to worry about. Meanwhile, the same measures suggested under muscle symptoms (above) can do much to alleviate them, and they usually disappear after withdrawal. One particular patient who was confined to a wheelchair with a spastic paralysis and who was also blind, was able to come off all his benzodiazepines with the help of a meditation technique. However, not everyone is able to devote the mental and physical concentration required for these techniques.

People who have been through acute withdrawal often say that this phase is the most difficult. As is the case with any substance or activity that the brain and body become dependent on, withdrawals occur when the brain stops getting something that it deems it needs to function properly. During benzodiazepine withdrawal, individuals may experience memory and concentration issues. They may find it difficult to focus on tasks, recall information, or multitask. Benzodiazepines work by enhancing the activity of a neurotransmitter in the brain called GABA.

Psychosis is a less common symptom of benzodiazepine withdrawal compared to other symptoms. Detoxing can be done at a local medical facility, a dedicated detox center, or a treatment center that benzodiazepine withdrawal syndrome also offers medical detox services. As part of a medical detox program, you will have access to around-the-clock medical care and monitoring as well as access to medications designed to help alleviate or even treat some of the more severe withdrawal symptoms.