Brain damage from benzos is permanent

[Insomniac]

Ever since I stopped regularly taking xanax, I wake up everyday feeling sick, nauseous, distressed, panicked. I have the worst headache and feel paranoid most of the time.

I stopped taking them about 3-4 weeks ago and I have been taking them for 4 years.

I have been taking 8mg of xanax (sometimes way more, 20mg) everyday for 4 years. If you know anything about benzos you know that that's a fucked up amount, a mentally ill amount to take for 4 yeard and that I'm certainly permanently damaged for life.



I really didn't know I was addicted until I ran out. I ran out because approximately 4 weeks ago I tried to melt my brain by taking 300 pills of 1mg alpraz at once. I wanted to be left in a vegetative state because I was suffering that much.

It didn't work. I was in a coma for 2 days, maybe 3. But that's all. My body was too used to this drug for me to be affected by a big amount of it.

I just wanted to warn you regarding addiction to these drugs. Denial is always the first sign of addiction. You think you could stop at any time, when you want it. when you decide it. But then one day, for whatever reason, you're forced to stop. That's when you realise that you've been viciously lying to yourself about being able to stop whenever you want to.

Some days I am in so much pain that I think I'm going to have a stroke. Some days I experience frightening seizures, ever since I stopped taking the drugs. And the withdrawal symptoms only get worse and worse as the weeks pass.

Have a good day.

 

[SuicidallyCurious]

I was prescribed what I think is the lowest benzo dose possible. I took them a few times.

Back when I was working a lot for some reason i had a panic attack. I have had these maybe two or three times in my life and I did not know what they were. You feel like you can't breathe , it's terrifying .

One day I was working and I felt like I was about to pass out due to these symptoms . I went to ER and actually it was in ambulance . I thought I was having a heart attack and dying. The Ambulance woman took my vitals and said yeh I think this is panic attack see all your stuff is normal you need to calm down . When I got there the nurse practitioner or PA or whatever basically said yeh I have this shit too you have anxiety and it's finally got to you. I was out of there in a jiffy .

I took the Xanax a few times and then I quit because I've always feared addiction and this is one of the usual suspects . Now that I know what a panic attack is I never had one again , I understand the symptoms are all mental and you aren't dying yet.

If I had to say what drugs are the most abused this is at the top of the list . So many people on this .

 

[LifeHasNoOptIn]

I'm very sorry you are having to go through this. Addiction is a horrible thing to detox from. I was fortunate in a sense that I could not stay on benzos for very long as my connection was irregular, but even at a small amount daily(about 1 mg) it quickly became obvious it constantly required upping the dosage to ward off the negative effects and when I finally decided I needed to stay away from them completely, it took quite awhile to feel any sense of normal again. They are very insidious by taking away the depression momentarily only to have it come back amplified if you don't keep dosing. I also had a detox problem with hydrocodone that I had been taking for about 4 years at about 40mg daily that took about 2 months to fully get over, but the first week was the absolute worst. The body can be surprisingly resilient when it comes to repairing itself but often takes a long time to reverse long term changes. I hope things begin to improve for you

 

[Niko66]

I've been a few weeks tapering off from benzos as well. Doctors rarely ever warn you of anything they prescribe this way. Thank you for sharing.
I hope some of these symptoms eventually ease off from you.

 

[Red Scare]

I ran out because approximately 4 weeks ago I tried to melt my brain by taking 300 pills of 1mg alpraz at once. I wanted to be left in a vegetative state because I was suffering that much.

It didn't work. I was in a coma for 2 days, maybe 3. But that's all. My body was too used to this drug for me to be affected by a big amount of it.

Benzos are very safe, in that regard. You can take like 2000 mg of Xanax and it won't be lethal, this is why they replaced barbiturates. Overdoses only happens when mixed with opiates, or alcohol and opiates.

But by all other accounts, it is not a safe drug. It really fucks with your brain. Just check this bbc article:

Long-term use of pills for anxiety and sleep problems may be linked to Alzheimer's, research suggests.

According to one study people as much as 51% who took benzos and z-drugs like ambien later had dementia. Now there could be another cause, or maybe they had early onset dementia that went unnoticed for which they were prescribed benzos for related anxiety or sleep problems. But imo that number is just too high. I would be worried about being prescribed these drugs long term.

 

[Insomniac]

According to one study people as much as 51% who took benzos and z-drugs like ambien later had dementia. Now there could be another cause, or maybe they had early onset dementia that went unnoticed for they were prescribed benzos for anxiety or sleep problems.

No. Its absolutely true. I can tell you that. I'm only 25 but due to my benzo intake, I have SEVERE memory issues. It started insignificantly and became a big problem little by little. I didn't even need a scientific article to be convinced that benzos lead to dementia. It's not even a theory, it's fact.

 

[western_heart]

I need to stop, I have plans to taper but every time life gets a little stesssful I go back up on my dose :(

I've been using etizolam to sleep for most of the past decade

 

[Cathy Ames]

Ever since I stopped regularly taking xanax, I wake up everyday feeling sick, nauseous, distressed, panicked. I have the worst headache and feel paranoid most of the time.

I stopped taking them about 3-4 weeks ago and I have been taking them for 4 years.

I have been taking 8mg of xanax (sometimes way more, 20mg) everyday for 4 years. If you know anything about benzos you know that that's a fucked up amount, a mentally ill amount to take for 4 yeard and that I'm certainly permanently damaged for life.

I really didn't know I was addicted until I ran out. I ran out because approximately 4 weeks ago I tried to melt my brain by taking 300 pills of 1mg alpraz at once. I wanted to be left in a vegetative state because I was suffering that much.

It didn't work. I was in a coma for 2 days, maybe 3. But that's all. My body was too used to this drug for me to be affected by a big amount of it.

I just wanted to warn you regarding addiction to these drugs. Denial is always the first sign of addiction. You think you could stop at any time, when you want it. when you decide it. But then one day, for whatever reason, you're forced to stop. That's when you realise that you've been viciously lying to yourself about being able to stop whenever you want to.

Some days I am in so much pain that I think I'm going to have a stroke. Some days I experience frightening seizures, ever since I stopped taking the drugs. And the withdrawal symptoms only get worse and worse as the weeks pass.

Have a good day.

Hi! Based on the complete Wikipedia article (that you quoted) and a different Wikipedia article about benzo withdrawal, I'd say that just 3-4 weeks after discontinuation is very much too soon to conclude that any or all of your symptoms are permanent. You wouldn't know that until about 4 years out. If you have decent healthcare, you can get some workup (like MRIs or CT or EEG) that would show physical changes, and they can monitor to see whether they're resolving. A medical professional also might be willing and able to make this withdrawal go more smoothly for you.

 

[JustSwingingTheD]

Ever since I stopped regularly taking xanax, I wake up everyday feeling sick, nauseous, distressed, panicked. I have the worst headache and feel paranoid most of the time.

I stopped taking them about 3-4 weeks ago and I have been taking them for 4 years.

I have been taking 8mg of xanax (sometimes way more, 20mg) everyday for 4 years. If you know anything about benzos you know that that's a fucked up amount, a mentally ill amount to take for 4 yeard and that I'm certainly permanently damaged for life.

View attachment 90387

I really didn't know I was addicted until I ran out. I ran out because approximately 4 weeks ago I tried to melt my brain by taking 300 pills of 1mg alpraz at once. I wanted to be left in a vegetative state because I was suffering that much.

It didn't work. I was in a coma for 2 days, maybe 3. But that's all. My body was too used to this drug for me to be affected by a big amount of it.

I just wanted to warn you regarding addiction to these drugs. Denial is always the first sign of addiction. You think you could stop at any time, when you want it. when you decide it. But then one day, for whatever reason, you're forced to stop. That's when you realise that you've been viciously lying to yourself about being able to stop whenever you want to.

Some days I am in so much pain that I think I'm going to have a stroke. Some days I experience frightening seizures, ever since I stopped taking the drugs. And the withdrawal symptoms only get worse and worse as the weeks pass.

Have a good day.

I had to take benzos nearly every day for 3 years when i was going to school. 8mg of Xanor a day for 4 years is a huge amount. Why would you take that much? According to the comparison chart it's like 120mg of Oxazepam. I only took perhaps 60mg at the worst days, most days only 30mg. But you did try to kill yourself recently, so if, and that's if, you have brain damage, that could be a result of this.

I'm terribly sorry for your pain.

 

[Judy Garland]

I love watching you drink from your cup while you give a side glance.

 

[Razor67]

Same here. Have been using Valium for last 6 years 20mg a day. Have complete black spots (I call it that) about my past last 4 years I would say. Remember barely any details. Even forgot names of people I had intimate relationships with…

 

[Pain In The Ass]

I don't give a shit. I plan to take them until I CTB. I just bought another £600 worth of Xanax (and some Phenobarbital tablets I haven't tried yet) I take 3 mg of Xanax every other night for insomnia. On the other nights, I take Diphenhydramine. I find that taking things every other night reduces tolerance build-up and keeps sleep medications working more effectively.

 

[Ligottian]

I've been on a light dose of Xanax and Klonopin for thirty years.

 

[Insomniac]

I love watching you drink from your cup while you give a side glance.

thanks bro.

 

[Sunset Limited]

I have sleep disorder for 5-6 years. I never considered benzos an option. It is far from natural sleep. I have tried many drugs. I am currently using mirtazapine and melatonin. Mirtazapine is also a good antidepressant. Of course, this is also about how aggressive the sleep disorder is.

3. Take it slow and look at the supplements recommended by benzo vets. One fellow was on 4 mgs of Klonopin for 20 years. I've seen Kava Kava, baclofen, magnesium, exercise, Gabapentin and proprofol all mentioned as things that help.

Propofol for sleep? That's a very bad idea, man. It is very dangerous. If your airway collapses, you will die. Even an anesthetic induction dose will only put you to sleep for 3-8 minutes.

 

[vapauttaa]

Currently in an amitriptylin spiral. I stopped taking my meds months ago and have a small paper bags worth of bottles. It gives me comfort to know this is it, and I will be free of the pain soon enough. 150mg for sleep, 3mg of Klonopin, etc.

I have SN, it's my first choice. Well, first choice would be under anesthesia, but anyway...

 

[Sunset Limited]

Oh crap I meant PROPANOLOL. Jesus, my bad. It's a beta blocker to bring your heart rate down

Propranolol good idea. Sometimes I use it if I feel nervous.

 

[indigomoon]

Ever since I stopped regularly taking xanax, I wake up everyday feeling sick, nauseous, distressed, panicked. I have the worst headache and feel paranoid most of the time.

I stopped taking them about 3-4 weeks ago and I have been taking them for 4 years.

I have been taking 8mg of xanax (sometimes way more, 20mg) everyday for 4 years. If you know anything about benzos you know that that's a fucked up amount, a mentally ill amount to take for 4 yeard and that I'm certainly permanently damaged for life.

View attachment 90387

I really didn't know I was addicted until I ran out. I ran out because approximately 4 weeks ago I tried to melt my brain by taking 300 pills of 1mg alpraz at once. I wanted to be left in a vegetative state because I was suffering that much.

It didn't work. I was in a coma for 2 days, maybe 3. But that's all. My body was too used to this drug for me to be affected by a big amount of it.

I just wanted to warn you regarding addiction to these drugs. Denial is always the first sign of addiction. You think you could stop at any time, when you want it. when you decide it. But then one day, for whatever reason, you're forced to stop. That's when you realise that you've been viciously lying to yourself about being able to stop whenever you want to.

Some days I am in so much pain that I think I'm going to have a stroke. Some days I experience frightening seizures, ever since I stopped taking the drugs. And the withdrawal symptoms only get worse and worse as the weeks pass.

Have a good day.

I am so sorry you are going through this. I too was on benzos for quite a long time. I think for about 5 years. My not so wonderful doc kept upping my dosage everyone I thought they weren't working. Come to find out that the increasing amounts of Ativan that I was taking was actually making my anxiety worse, not better. I ended up being hospitalized and weaned off of them. But what I really wanted to say is that it sounds like you are going through Post Acute Withdrawal Syndrome or PAWS. I went through this as well. Your brain is damaged but not in the sense that it can't be fixed. It just has to re-wire itself. And that can take time. An article I read about said it could last up to 2 years. In my case it took a little over 2 years before I felt somewhat back to my normal state of mind. I didn't take any meds but I did talk to a counselor for it. I know counselor's get a bad rap but I can say that I couldn't have done it without mine. She helped me learn how to retrain my way of thinking in regards to how I had been responding to situations when my anxiety was a huge problem. I'm not perfect now but I can say that I'm so much better in regards to my anxiety. Now my depression, that's another story.

 

[alwaysdopesick]

I'm currently addicted to benzos and I'm always anxious about withdrawals. Especially with no health insurance I can't go to a Dr for help, one of the many factors that led me to being on this site.

 

[_Seeking]

I was on them for 25 years, went off 8 years ago. They used to be given out like candy in America, then they stopped doing that and it became much harder to get.