from a benzo w/d website...

[NicolasG]

just to give some hope : i ve just read this on benzowithdrawal.com, maybe it applies to SSR(N)is.

A number of people are expressing fears that some benzodiazepine withdrawal symptoms last for ever, and that they can never completely recover. 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.

People with such worries can be reassured. All the evidence shows that a steady decline in symptoms almost invariably continues after withdrawal, though it can take a long time - even several years in some cases. Most people experience a definite improvement over time so that symptoms gradually decrease to levels nowhere near as intense as in the early days of withdrawal, and eventually almost entirely disappear. All the studies show steady, if slow, improvement in cognitive ability and physical symptoms. Although most studies have not extended beyond a year after withdrawal, the results suggest that improvement continues beyond this time. There is absolutely no evidence that benzodiazepines cause permanent damage to the brain, nervous system or body.

by Heather Ashton DM, FRCP

In fact, i took some benzos too, but never regularly, though i might be suffering from this too...

[luc]

BOTH Paxil and Xanax withdrawal are equally tortuous. I experienced them both. But there is one thing they have in common-BOTH types of withdrawal eventually end and EVERY of us will HEAL.

[NicolasG]

hi Luc,

i thought of you, when i read this article...yeah, seems like we have a chance to recover!

by the way here is the original link : http://benzowithdrawal.com/forum/index.php?topic=75.0

i think the source is reliable, this Pr. Heather Ashton seems serious...see : http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UsjhqdE7-6A

To what extent are Benzo- and SSRis withdrawal similar? i hope the comparison is relevant.
The mechanisms of action of these drugs are different, but they surely share some common w/d symptoms.

[NicolasG]

i d like to add that i took the infamous Abilify for 4 months last year.
Last year was indeed the climax of my drug nightmare, since i was admitted to a psych ward after taking the equally infamous Remeron...and stayed there one month (pure hell).
So, no wonder that i still feel like crap at 4 months off.
this is a vicious circle : i started reluctantly with Paxil...7 years later i was a poly-drugged wreck. And those f***ers (shrinks) think of course that it is just the unavoidable worsening of the original condition!!
i lost everything (health,gf, university) except life and reasonable sanity, the 2 most important items you would say.
Fortunately i found a human psychiatrist (probably one out of 3 zillions) this year who wants to help me with non-med methods ; it tempers a bit my hate and rage towards psychiatry.

[luc]

Hi, Nicholas. It takes time, but you probably don't realise due to this incredible suffering when withdrawal that in these 4 months that have already passed your brain has done great deal of healing. I clearly remember that 4-5 months off were the worst there. Do you experience any windows of relief, i.e. the suffering abates for some time, be it even for a couple of hours? If not, you will get to that point.

Yes, I know what you mean when you talk about psychiatrists. The Pill. That Magic Pill. Eh...It's great that your present doctor understands it a bit more.

I was at the point you're now. But it's the only way. Go step by step. As debillitating and excrutiatingly painful it is, there's the end to that suffering. I'm experiencing more and more windows, and those are getting more and more intense. This experience teaches EXTREME patience, but the very feeling you have when the fog lifts and you almost feel the way 'a normal' person feels is beyond words.

I assure you, Nicholas. The brain heals. Though not so fast as we would wish, it heals. Damn, why shouldn't it, after all? The whole system is thrown off balance and it just needs some time to self-adjust. We will get there. Hang in there!

[NicolasG]

thx again for the encouragement, Luc. I do feel better sometimes, thank god i m not continuously in excruciating pain. My mind gets clearer sometimes, yeah, i know what u mean with the "windows"...but at the moment they are very short-lived. the body aches problem has not subsided either. i m still on the verge of panic sometimes.
On the other hand, the meditation/mindfulness i ve been practicing for a few months seem to be promising . I m trying EFT, what do u think of it?i m gonna post a new thread on this.
i have difficulties dealing with some specific issues too : i m afraid my eye floaters/astigmatism will prevent me from enjoying life again, i wonder if i ll find a suitable line of work after having dropped out of med school, i hope i m not to old,etc....
But primarily, my main concern is of course the mental and overall physical health.
I m motivated though, not so depressed surprisingly, i m willing to work on my recovery, and stay open to new perspectives in life.i won t freak out!
One thing that w/d and mental issues taught me is humility,compassion and openness.If i have the chance to recover i m pretty sure it will be as a better person.

[stan]

hello

it is a very good website

Chapter 3
the prolonged withdrawal syndrome
Further Reading
Table 3
unfortunately speaks of years of possibility...

i think benzo and AD are similar (nerves chemistry)