Are these Benzo drugs withdrawl symptoms?

Garbo_no wrote: I`ve only since read on the internet that these drugs SHOULD have been gradually tapered off and not so abruptly stopped.

Well, if you read it on the Internet it must be true.

Diazepam http://prescription-drug.addictionblog. ... -symptoms/
Zopiclone http://www.headmeds.org.uk/medications/ ... de_effects
Clonazepam http://americanaddictioncenters.org/wit ... lonazepam/

Sounds like a heavy combination! Nothing about feeling as though your skin's burning, but plenty about insomnia and anxiety.

Richard@DecisionSkills wrote:

Garbo_no wrote: I`ve only since read on the internet that these drugs SHOULD have been gradually tapered off and not so abruptly stopped.

Well, if you read it on the Internet it must be true.

Pleased you find it a joke! I took an overdose in December and ended up in ER as the continuous pain is so bad. Hope you never have to experience it. Or maybe hope you do then you wouldn`t joke about it. Idiot.

Garbo_no wrote:Pleased you find it a joke!

I don't find your situation a joke. It is unfortunate and common.

What I do find a joke is people not wanting to listen to the professional advice of a trained medical doctor and instead seeking the answer they want to hear on the Internet. OF COURSE they will find the opinion they want on the Internet.

Google "withdrawal symptoms benzo" and you will get 336,000 results. OF COURSE a person will find the answer they want to hear, rather than advice provided by persons actually qualified to give such advice.

If you don't like your current doctor and you want advice on Benzo drugs withdrawal symptoms that is reliable, seek opinions from other trained medical professionals. If you do happen to locate a reliable source, i.e. a source authored by a medical doctor saying it should be tapered, then reach out to that specific individual for advice.

I took an overdose in December and ended up in ER as the continuous pain is so bad.

And how did that happen? You are extremely experienced at taking medicine, over 10 years, right? And you were completely off all medications by September, right? And your doctor, the medically trained professional told you to take paracetamol. You overdosed on paracetamol? If you were trying to self-harm, that is unfortunate and you should continue to seek professional treatment from professionals.

Hope you never have to experience it. Or maybe hope you do then you wouldn`t joke about it. Idiot.

Nope. It won't ever happen unless by some odd circumstance I found myself captured by aliens and forced to take medications. But, no worries...I have experienced my share of pain in life and certainly there is more to come. It is not the pain that matters, it is how you handle the pain. At least that is what I have found.

What I recommend is you seek advice from other medical professionals, other doctors. The same as you can shop the Internet for whatever answer you want, you can shop doctors as well. But, get off the Internet seeking medical advice.

And consider giving the cat to a good home if you can't take care of it.

What an unhelpful, condescending attitude that is to take with someone who is clearly in distress, from someone whose supposed to be in a position to offer people advice.

Garbo,

I think you are right to question whether you should have been tapered off benzos, from what I understand they have some of the most severe withdrawal symptoms of all drugs, especially with someone who has been taking them for so long. Although I have never had these medications myself I know people who have and the doctors were reluctant to prescribe benzos for Long term use because they are highly addictive and also because of the withdrawals.

The symptoms you describe definitely sound like withdrawal symptoms to me, but I'm not a doctor.

I would imagine the burning sensation you're feeling is related to anxiety as I experienced something similar during cannabis withdrawals. Mainly my feet, hands burning and tingling but also down my legs, extreme fatigue and pretty much every part of my body ached to the point where I thought I had developed MS or CFS. (Which ive not, I'm feeling ok now) This sent my anxiety into overload.

There is a forum for people who have used benzos called benzobuddies im sure you'll be able to find out more information there first hand from people who have experienced benzo withdrawal. I'd take anything with a pinch of salt though because everybody is different and can react differently. I wouldn't just rely on other peoples experiences I'd get a second opinion from a medical professional If the problems persist.

I can see why your doctor would want you off those tablets for the reasons I mention above but as I say you are right to question whether you should be tapered to manage any withdrawals.

Hopefully you'll be able to see where you're at soon and find an alternative method of treatment to your problems.

Hope that helps.

Blazedout420 wrote: I think you are right to question whether you should have been tapered off benzos,

Yep, ask a medical professional.

The symptoms you describe definitely sound like withdrawal symptoms to me, but I'm not a doctor.

Exactly. Which is why the OP needs to ask a medical professional, not an online forum full of unqualified strangers.

There is a forum for people who have used benzos called benzobuddies im sure you'll be able to find out more information there first hand from people who have experienced benzo withdrawal. I'd take anything with a pinch of salt though because everybody is different and can react differently.

Great, yet another place to get advice from unqualified people. A "pinch of salt"....no....don't take medical advice from strangers on a forum. You will find whatever answer you want to hear. Get your advice or opinions from medical professionals.

I wouldn't just rely on other peoples experiences I'd get a second opinion from a medical professional...

Exactly.

So basically your advice is the same as mine, to seek out a second opinion from an actual qualified medical professional rather than the Internet, but how you provided your opinion is superior.

I agree. Your way of providing advice is so much better. I will try in the future to be more like you. Thanks.

Yes my advice almost the same as yours,
except I didn't put it across in way to belittle or make somebody feel stupid or inferior. Can you see the difference or are you that blind because of your own arrogance?

Isn't that the reason people come here to get advice off strangers who maybe be able to help them? When their anxious brain won't rest and they are looking for answers, I don't know about you but I had to wait for months before I could speak to a medical professional about my problems because of the state of the NHS in the U.K. So I turned to forums like this which helped me get through.

Oh and just to add to that when I did recieve hell from a professional it was a waste of my time because everything they told me was nothing people on forums such as this hadn't already pointed out to me.

So in future before you start to type to people in distress, in your condescending manner maybe you should stop and think for a moment about their plight and how your words may affect them.

Garbo is right, you're an idiot.

Blazedout420 wrote:Yes my advice almost the same as yours,
except...

Like I said, your advice was superior. Your approach was better and I said I would try to be more like you in the future. And for that you call me an idiot.

Hmmm, maybe I should rethink my initial impression. Maybe the way you communicate with people is not so superior after all. Maybe I was wrong when I admitted you had a better approach. Maybe you are being rather arrogant, condescending and a hypocrite as your most recent post seems to demonstrate.

If I felt you were being sincere in your reply I wouldn't have felt the need to call you an idiot but yet again you take the same condescending approach trying to make me look stupid this time for pointing out your arrogance. I'm not being arrogant or speaking down to you like I know better, I'm telling you how you come across to somebody asking for help. I wasn't trying to prove that my response was better than yours, infact I was calling you condescending to your first response on this thread not your actual advice. I'm sure any neutral reading it would feel the same way. My point still stands your first response on this thread was arrogant condescending and unhelpful. If that makes me a hypocrite then so be it. I'd rather be a hypocrite than a stuck up w****r.

Blazedout420 wrote: I'd rather be a hypocrite than a stuck up w****r.

I understand based on my initial post you concluded I was a stuck up w****r. So, in turn you decided to be a stuck up w****r in your initial post. Good job. I'm sure you can rationalize why you being a w****r is perfectly acceptable. It probably is something along the lines of you believing it is okay to be a w****r to a person you judge to be a w****r.

Anyway, thanks for your personal opinion on my advice. I'll keep it in mind. I look forward to any additional helpful pointers you might have in the future.

My psychiatrist recommended tapering lorazepam even though I only took a pretty low dose for 3 weeks. Pretty much all psych-meds should be tapered. People who aren't clinical psychologists obviously don't know that.
I can't help you with the withdrawal-symptoms, I had none with tapering.