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Ptsd symptoms or benzo withdrawal?

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Ptsdmiracle

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Need some input from you guys...
I had a trauamatic event related to a health scare back in December, followed by several other anxiety provoking health related fears, which caused severe panic attacks and insomnia. I began taking Ativan 1 mg for sleep to function during the day but still could not concentrate and had emotional dysregulation. I thought I could stop Ativan but would notice the insomnia and anxiety would return on the third day of not taking it, so I slow tapered myself off of it while I quit working. During the taper I noticed worsening obsessive thoughts about sleep (which I alreAdy had after the initial health scare), tingling sensation on my arms and legs. I was on Ativan for almost 2 months including the taper.

After I took my last dose of Ativan 0.25mg I started experiencing a whole slew of symptoms for a month including dereailzation, knot sensation in my body, rage, intrusive thoughts and memories about hurting myself, inability to concentrate, extreme rumination, feeling like I was literally going insane. I thought I would end up in the psych ward on multiple antipsychotics or dead by now or stay that way but somehow things changed a bit and I'm still here and writing this. At the time I didn't think those symptoms were acute benzo withdrawal since I wasn't a "long term user" but looking back that's the only thing I can attribute them to since the timing matched and the majority of the psychosis symptoms have resolved.

I have since been diagnosed with a PTSD and am currently experiencing mostly mind fog, inability to concentrate, short term memory loss, fear of not being with family, fatigue and sleepiness. I'm still not functioning well independently due to these symptoms and insomnia. It has been 2 months since my last dose of Ativan. I am on mirtazapine at night to help with sleep and Zoloft. I'm undergoing trauma therapy currently too, but since my history has been complicated by benzo withdrawal I am wondering if my current symptoms could still be from protracted benzo withdrawal since there are overlapping symptoms lol. I guess only time will tell but wondering what your thoughts are? Thank you!
 
I've got PTSD and have been through benzo withdrawal. As you say, they have some overlapping symptoms.

I honestly can't remember how long my withdrawal symptoms lasted as it was an awful awful experience; a lot of which has been blocked from memory.

Have you been to see a pdoc about this? They're probably the best person to answer your question.
I guess only time will tell
I'd suggest that any time you are dealing with meds and a potential withdrawal, the safest approach is to consult a medical professional, rather than running the risk of just 'waiting it out'.
 
I agree with @bellbird - ask your psydoc or prescriber.

My opinion... having been on that type of drug a few times is.... never underestimate how much and for how long the withdrawals may last in any individual... because we are all very different.

For me.. it took many months for all of the withdrawals to dissipate. I think ppl forget that the acute stage of withdrawal is very obvious but relatively short lived. But our brains really do play up when they get drugs like that and then those drugs are denied...

Well done you for deciding to stop taking them.

There are many good strategies for working with your ptsd symptoms that do not require medications. Often these strategies take a very long time to work and sticking with them and applying them is hard. But for me, I feel like I have no other choice. I'm not anti-meds btw... I'm just wary of them and I'd rather go the long way round and avoid them if possible.
 
Hey guys, just an update.
No pdoc seems to believe that withdrawal can last this long, but I disagree. I believe I'm still suffering from majority withdrawal at five months out now, especially the agoraphobi and monophobia, intrusive thoughts and nightmare UNRELATED to the traumatic event, cog fog, inability to function, insomnia. I've decided to come off the remeron slowly and work with whatever I have left without drugs. I'm now on 1.5mg. I think it's still doing something at this point, but my dreams and nightmares are ever so vivid. I think I have to mentally prepare myself to have a bout of insomnia after coming off of remeron completely.
 
I been on and off benzos. It's a doozy, no doubt, to get off them. I've also been on and off other meds. I've ended up with life-threatening side effects of meds more than once. I'm also on a med now that if I don't take, I'm a mess. I can understand your hesitation to take meds.

For the insomnia, you may have fallen into the trap of "learned insomnia." I ended up there for a bit. I got insomnia because I couldn't sleep. It's like panicking about panic. You are worried you won't sleep so...you won't sleep because you are worried and associate night with no sleep. There are ways to unlearn learned insomnia... but to sort out the sleep issues, a sleep med doctor that gets trauma might be helpful.

I think I have to mentally prepare myself to have a bout of insomnia
This makes sense, but I'd suggest doing the opposite. Get good exercise, have a regular bedtime routine, and mentally prepare to sleep well. Otherwise, you are conditioning your brain to expect a struggle. Instead, I'd suggest giving it all the healthy tools you can to sleep well. If it turns out you can't sleep, those tools will still be helpful to get through that reality too.
 
I like your idea about the insomnia issue, I will give it a try! Yes, now I'm weary of all meds, including OTC meds. I just wish I could speed up time and just feel better. I am starting to wonder if this is my new normal.
 
I can relate to being spooked about all meds. For a time, I got really nervous even with 1 tiny dose of Advil. That being said, I tend to think your docs are right that your symptoms are not likely from the Ativan, but more related to the trauma that lead to the need to take Ativan. Ex: I have nightmares that are not about trauma but still a PTSD thing. I had dreams that bugs were chasing me. Comes up years later when dealing with fears of a stalker.

PTSD tends to change over time. The vast majority of people recover fully. Many who have used Ativan at far higher amounts much longer still improve. It’s way too early to determine if this is your new normal. It is life right now and you are taking good steps to get through the trial and error process to find the right tools and solutions for you.

There is a good book called Dead Link Removed. Instead of searching or focusing on med side effects try finding success stories. That book has quite a few stories of people whose of brains were affected by this or that and they got remarkably better over time.

Don’t lose hope!
 
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Benzo withdrawals can last a long time. It all depends on your system. Everyone is different. I know there are lots of stories out there about people struggling to get off benzos and the symptoms lasting a bit longer than expected. It seems like most docs don't know the true dangers of benzos, nor do they know how long the withdrawals can last.
 
I can relate to being spooked about all meds. For a time, I got really nervous even with 1 tiny dose of Advil. That being said, I tend to think your docs are right that your symptoms are not likely from the Ativan, but more related to the trauma that lead to the need to take Ativan. Ex: I have nightmares that are not about trauma but still a PTSD thing. I had dreams that bugs were chasing me. Comes up years later when dealing with fears of a stalker.

PTSD tends to change over time. The vast majority of people recover fully. Many who have used Ativan at far higher amounts much longer still improve. It’s way too early to determine if this is your new normal. It is life right now and you are taking good steps to get through the trial and error process to find the right tools and solutions for you.

There is a good book called Dead Link Removed. Instead of searching or focusing on med side effects try finding success stories. That book has quite a few stories of people whose of brains were affected by this or that and they got remarkably better over time.

Don’t lose hope!

Justmehere, thanks so much for the input and encouraging words! I will check that book out. I am fortunate to have family to take care of me and support me through this tough time, as I cannot work, and old relationships become a trigger point reminding me how life used to be amazing, and now I cannot even go to a grocery store alone. It is definitely going to take time and I've come to accept that. I've learned also not to freak out about every little thing (that I'm SURE is a ptsd thing, since it started before I even took benzos), and try to react in a gentler and calm way to situations not going my way or small accidents.

Benzo withdrawals can last a long time. It all depends on your system. Everyone is different. I know there are lots of stories out there about people struggling to get off benzos and the symptoms lasting a bit longer than expected. It seems like most docs don't know the true dangers of benzos, nor do they know how long the withdrawals can last.

Eve, I completely agree. I was in the medical field before this happened, was surrounded by pharmacists, different kinds of doctors and specialists, none of them seemed be alarmed that I was prescribed a benzo for insomnia. A pharmacists friend said I definitely wouldnt get addicted to half of xanax a day for six months. WTH. Only one said that she wasn't a big fan, but since nobody gave me a reason that I would get addicted in such a short amount of time, I took it ignorantly, yet I suppose my body is the sensitive type and got hooked within ten days. There is lacking significant education in the medical community and general public. People hear about opioids and immediately understand the danger surrounding the drug. People hear about benzos and it's like just another candy in the store.
 
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