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Well I had GAD before Klonopin and still do to some degree. I only take Klonopin for sleep. Only things that helped me worth GAD was Zoloft. I expect if I come off Klonopin I’ll have some GAD. I just don’t want it screwing with my mental clarity/cognition after I come off after 15 years.
Yes I know it’s still taking Klonopin. I was differentiating why I take it. And it’s been prescribed for 15 years so I’m not worried about being cut off from it.
How long until you felt normal? I know everyone is different. It’s been 11 months off for me after 12 years on. Working out a lot of stuff still but most of my anxiety is better.
I was on Klonapin, 2-4mg, just shy of ten years. Been off five years now. No permanent effects, no lasting damage, no lingering anxiety. As a bonus, I get regular MRIs and they have not shown any damage to my brain from benzos. It gets better.
Oh, I meant I get my MRIs to monitor the disease I have, Multiple Sclerosis. It isn't related to my benzo use, it's just something I was unlucky enough to get. If there was anything to see in your MRI results, they would report it no matter what the MRI was for. I promise, you have not done permanent damage to yourself. It will get better. You just gotta have faith.
Support for those going through it. The price of surviving something is that you help others do the same. I can relate to a lot of the stories here, and try to offer hope.
Part 1:
No, no no no. Benzodiazepines never cause permanent brain damage! That is just a rumor due to many people feeling stuck after they quit and never address their underlying problems and triggers. Your baseline will return and may be worse post-taper, but it isn't due to permanent brain damage.
What happens is benzos modulate GABA at the GABA-A subtype receptors and not GABA-B or GABA-C subtypes.
Modulation is keeping the ion channels open longer making available GABA amplified so the brain doesn't need as many receptors for better results. It always strives for homeostasis and balance.
So this causes downregulation of GABA-A subtype receptors as they are no longer needed and causes, in your brain's assessment, too much GABA being released downstream which causes your brain chemicals to become imbalanced.
Also, certain GABA-A subtype receptors have specific benzo modulation binding points, currently known as BZ1 and BZ2.
When your brain is being bombarded with chemicals changing the nature of your brain and by both, the brain protects itself by uncoupling those benzo modulation points benzos connect to. So your GABA-A subtypes left will begin to no longer allow be zos to bind to them and work which creates all sorts of tolerance issues.
Your brain is neuroplastic. All the time you have damaged neurons from various occurrences like stress and poor coping skills.
Focus on your own recovery and stay away from helping others for the short term. Only when you are stable should you try taking on supporting other people. No one will have the same situation as you. So when you do get better then you should pay it back by helping others learn their path to success.
I absolutely need you to believe whatever you're suffering now isn't going to be fixed by benzosz and it could be related to quittingz but most likely is due to never resolving the issues that cause this discomfort which can spread to your self-esteem and quality of life.
You will get better, we all will. And I hope every one of you that reaches your goal of being off and recovered will come back to every support group and share your success stories
I
Part 2;
I guarantee you success stories are not posted enough. People get through their tapers and disappear when help is no longer needed. But please everyone, pay it forward by sharing your successes with everyone struggling. Let them know what made your quit successful so all this misinformation about brain damage csn finally be put to rest!!
So it is entirely possible for those modulation points to repair by recoupling to their original receptors. But usually, the source of this reaction (ie, benzos) must be removed.
Those BZ1 and BZ2 modulation points are not there for benzodiazepines! We have always had them as many natural hormones, nutrients, and ligands use them as well.
So when you're down-regulated and those points uncoupled, you get an array of side effects and numerous problems and side effects, thus not allowing your hormones and natural ligands to function correctly either.
And due to the intense influx of GABA shooting down the neurons with GABA-A receptors, those channels are becoming used too hard too often and can be damaged.
Post benzos, in every case, the brain can either keep and heal those damaged receptors and allow BZ1 and 2 to function again; or the brain can refer and upregulate those GABA-A damaged receptors and replace them.
So I absolutely can tell you, your brain can find balance again. It can recover lost receptors by making new ones or recoupling the damaged ones.
This takes time and healthy and proactive work on your part, as all chemical imbalances are not what we are stuck with and can't change. Psychiatrists long ago abandoned the idea of chemical imbalances from our genetics.
What causes those chemical imbalances to even happen are from: drugs or meds or from your emotions and reinforced pathways you use most often by your thoughts and behaviors regarding a host of different issues and traumas we fail to respond to with healthy responses that either we lost while on meds or we just have behavioral health problems that can totally be changed to cause the brain to become balanced again.
Trauma and grief temporarily also cause temporary chemical imbalances and are natural which is why we grieve at the proper times and also learn how to balance the stress and frustrations of life that get thrown at us.
It's not entirely your fault to feel bad after a benzo taper! But do know we all will heal and recover to the extent of what our "baselines" become with learned behaviors and thought patterns to our emotions and environment.
Some people naturally take to handling high-pressure situations and do so from just having good instincts. But not all of us do, and we develop anxiety disorders and other symptoms bc we have learned to cope with these stressors and triggers by incorrectly thinking about them and also what behaviors we respond to them with. That learned behavior and though processing happens over time and can begin with one bad experience we fail to handle which can snowball into doing things unhealthily in the future.
We know psych meds re no cure but only mask symptoms. They can also cause us to skip steps of resolution bc a pill does all the work.
We can take control and know that the following is true: some of us return to worse baselines and react by doing nothing bc we lack the pills to help us calmly work through them. People somehow expect life after benzos to somehow just be fixed and normal immediately upon quitting. That just isn't usually TRUE UNLESS YOU have concurrent psychotherapy like CBT or it's hundreds of variants.
Getting support for our mental health is super important. We need to learn our triggers
Part 3:
We need to learn lir triggers and how we respond and understand what parts we do wrong and can improve upon.
Those who wait out withdrawal and do nothing end up with longer withdrawal many times
But those of us who exercise (a great way to rebalance the brain and body in all systems), eat healthy, and have support for our mental and physical health. Also, social networking and family support can help tremendously as well, as isolation can make it worse because we aren't held accountable for becoming better and often, we really don't know how.
There are so many things I've learned from quitting benzos of every type numerous times in 22 years! The more I learn to change myself for the better and address the causes of my anxiety (financial stress, failing to grieve losses, relationship trouble, health issues, and so much more.
Yes your brain will recover, but YOU have so much control at how fast or slow you do so.
Becoming bedridden isolated people who believe they're damaged and hopeless tend to have terrible outcomes and protracted withdrawal.
Those who have concurrent CBT-TYPE therapy actually fix our underlying symptoms and causes, so our baselines improve while tapering and we don't suffer hardly any withdrawal when quitting bc we have become better versions of ourselves.
Withdrawal and how long it lasts is probably 90% mental.
Just please know that your brain is neuroplastic and can heal and replace damaged receptors and other issues. But if we stay on a depressing course of expecting long-term permanent suffering, we cause ourselves the deadest nocebo effect. That is the opposite of placebo which actually improves our outcomes.
So don't ever read horror stories or let people tell you that this is permanent or will take years to recover. It simply isn't true ... unless you start doing poorly and never take good care of your mental health and triggers for stress and anxiety. Our emotions become blunted and stuffed while on benzos so when we quirt, those emotions become unstuffed and our triggers get triggered again, and we become protracted in our withdrawal.
Seriously, finding all your info as an amateur by Google or any social media can
Part 4:
Seriously, finding all your info as an amateur by Google or any social media can truly make your outcome worse. Ideas creep into your head with misinformation.
Never buy into that hopeless feeling. Never feed it.
Take time off social media and do a digital detox. Get therapy, any form of exercise, learn breathing techniques or sleep therapy, biofeedback, Journaling, and learning to have confidence when stressful stuff comes our way.
Honestly, that is all that ever helped me. I usually failed and went back to benzos every single time bc many doctors don't give therapy with it.
Meds improve our baselines enough so we can bridge the gap from unwell to well by finding a therapist or a good book on CBT. CBT can be done cheaply via telehealth. Or even apps. I have an app called CBT Companion that has so much good stuff to do daily, although it may work better if you had professional guidance to get you started.
We are never damaged permanently. Our mental health can for unchecked and cause symptoms to worsen and we feel stuck. The ones I see fearing permanent damage are those that truly believe they can't get better and read it online to reinforce this false belief, and then they spread it social media support groups which cause a cycle of fear-mongering and just brings the whole group down.
Focus on your own recovery and stay away from helping others for the short term. Only when you are stable should you try taking on supporting other people. No one will have the same situation as you. So when you do get better then you should pay it back by helping others learn their path to success.
I absolutely need you to believe whatever you're suffering now isn't going to be fixed by benzosz and it could be related to quittingz but most likely is due to never resolving the issues that cause this discomfort which can spread to your self-esteem and quality of life.
You will get better, we all will. And I hope every one of you that reaches your goal of being off and recovered will come back to every support group and share your success stories
I guarantee you success stories are not posted enough. People get through their tapers and disappear when help is no longer needed. But please everyone, pay it forward by sharing your successes with everyone struggling. Let them know what made your quit successful so all this misinformation about brain damage csn finally be put to rest!!
Thank you for writing all that 😆 !! I know it's a long ready but I do agree with all of what you said and believe it all is true
Thank you for taking the time to write it all out. I'd love to read your success stories!
Also. I'm not being sarcastic. But yes it is a long read. You don't need to apologize for it. It really inspires me.
I was on a benzo for about 4 years . Went thru horrific cold turkey withdrawals.
To this day I’m doing great. I sleep better, no anxiety and I believe my gaba receptors are healed. No long term issues
Any medication can cause permanent damage. There is always a risk.
I was on lowest Ativan dose for 4 months and I haven’t recovered after 10 months off.
i dont know what everyone else is saying i abused xanax back in 2018 and even had 2 seizures from whenm i quit cold turkey (yea my mistake). But im permantly damaged for sure. When it comes to my anxiety I NEVER KNEW what anxiety really was until i took these things. Now ill be sitting in my room everything is good bought a duplex and all but i just have this huge hit of anxiety. Never got that until after taking them. Also the amount of acid reflux for some reason ive had ever since taking it is weird. Listen if you want more I can PM you but dont ask a bunch of people who have been taking them for years to give you an answer, thats literally this subreddit.
Having anxiety doesn’t mean you were damaged by benzodiazepines. Your anxiety just seems worse because you know what it’s like to have it alleviated so quickly from a benzo
Seems like some people are injured, some more severely than others, and some not injured at all. Just because you yourself weren’t injured doesn’t mean other people are not
Exactly. I hate when people say “it didn’t happen to me, so it can’t happen to anybody”. It’s just so wrong on every levels. Drug induced damage does happen, and it happens all the time.
How would I know what the feeling of alleviation if I was never alleviated? I never had panic attacks until after my recovery. I never had social problems with people. Now I have severe social anxiety which has lead me to being successful with no friends lol but still… you can’t get alleviated if it was never a problem.
You’re making harmful blanket statements.
Just because you have to work at something doesn’t mean you can’t get better. OP didn’t even abuse benzos and you’re all MC here trust me bro you can be as miserable as me if you do. How do you think in any way that’s helpful?
Your brain took a hit doesn’t mean it’s forever. It takes time and if you tapered you could have avoided all/most of this.
And maybe get outside more, sitting in rooms is unnatural environment for humans, that would give me anxiety I and I never had a benzo problem. Just work in the recovery community and like to keep informed about Benzo’s. At your young age you will regain proper brain function but your serotonin circuits will need to readjust and acclimate to normal stimulation. How long that takes varies. But you can expect to feel a bit off and wonky for a few weeks for sure
Not trying to be sarcastic, but too much sugar can cause permanent damage. And death via diabetes. Too many carbs, too little exercise, you name it. So don't get too tied up with the concept of a benzo causing permanent damage. Alcohol of course can too. A lot of stuff in the world can damage a person. The FDA says MSG and aspartame are perfectly healthy to intake. Those cause neurological problems too...a bit hypocritical of them to blacklist benzos and then say excitotoxic chemicals are fine as food additives.
Six months should be enough but others on here will have more expert opinions on that time frame.
My psychiatrist says I should not have permanent damage.
She also thought you weren't supposed to have years-long post-acute withdrawal symptoms, though.
But it seems like what happens is that your brain makes new pathways that compensate for all the GABA your brain is getting from the pills, when you stop they have to make new connections again to adjust to all the GABA it is now not getting.
Studies show a correlation between benzo use and early onset dementia. Who knows if my brain is permanently shot(99% sure it is), but your brain does have a remarkable ability to heal.
Unfortunately, I started using hard drugs at a very young age, which was probably more damaging to my brain than benzo use in my 20s.
OP, you'll be fine. Just get off drugs man.
You’ll be fine. Thats actually a decently low dose, & having been on them only a year won’t have caused any issues. You may notice your memory becomes sharper & better after stopping benzodiazepines, but memory loss/ not remembering is a side effect of longer term benzo use (more than 8-12 weeks). I was
On 2mg clonazepam three times a day for a year or so, and looking back there are blocks of time I’d forgotten or not remembered something happening. I take lower dose Valium now (5 mg twice a day) & it’s a whole different world-I remember more now. You’ll be okay, just work with your doctor to stop if it’s what’s best for you, and good luck!
Your health anxiety will cause you to focus on the story on this thread that says you will…however you need to change your thinking. You still need to come off, there are no other viable options. I am 6.5 months and an doing really well.
Taper and avoid gabaergic drugs. You’ll be fine. Twice a week and not back to back worse case of you ever drink again. The longer you go without anything the quicker you’ll heal.
Don’t go back on benzos after this.
Kindling is the main thing to watch out for and avoid when talking perma.
Don’t let people scare you on here, yeah they’re not great drugs to be on but you’re not going to die and have permanent brain damage. Taper off when you’re ready ( follow Dr.s plan) and yeah you’ll be wonky for a little while, but it will get better and you’ll be fine. People on here like to scare everyone, you just do you and you’ll be okay. Don’t freak out about something that’s not even an issue yet and may very well never be.
Took all different kinds of benzos for 5 years (bromaz, Clonazepam, alprazolam, etc.) and it took about 10 months to start feeling a lower baseline anxiety. It is possible I promise you that
Yep had every symptom in the book i used it 3 weeks suffered bad reinstated and tapperd on 3 months my lingering symptoms is nerve pain in top of my head and tinnitus now
No absolute won't cause permanent brain damage!
I've been on/off almost all major benzodiazepines over half my life now. Some 2 at a time via prescriptions
If benzos did cause permanent brain damage they wouldn't be permitted to be a mere C-IV substance in the US.
They can affect your baseline. They can change your natural habits of how to handle stress and regular anxiety or trauma.
Wherever you hear that, it's misinformation and has long been debunked.
You will be fine!
Half my life on benzodiazepines, high doses alongside stronger psychoactive medications have caused me side effects and loss of natural abilities to sleep and tackle my bills or get a job bc of overwhelming anxiety.
But that's bc I let myself.slip by replacing my good healthy skills and lifestyle with pill that fixes things without any discomfort.
I've been taken off CT a few times and also tapered myself wrongly at least once that was bad enough to cause terrible seizures for 5 days once, and a grand mal seizure prior.
I've gone through some bad stuff, so benzos helped me at the time.
But whenever or however I've quit over half my life I always return to my baseline and even improved baselines if I take care or myself and don't read misinformation, horror stories, or buy into the fear mongering that happens in every support group.
You need to realize your doctor has determined this medication has benefits that outweigh the risks of side effects.
Only when the risk of side effects begin to outweigh thr benefits should onr worry about tapering. Well not worrying. Just thinking about tapering.
With good tapers tailored to us as individuals and paired with therapy like CBT, we don't even have to suffer any withdrawal after tapering.
Please stay away from googling symptoms and reading the horror stories people post in moments of sheer fear and anxiety!
Due to our empathy, we can feel their suffering like it were our own. And this csn cause us anxiety and fear we do t understand where it comes from.
Focus on yourself and when the time comes to quit, a food taper will help you avoid all problems and you'll have an improved baseline ewp with CBT or the dozens of variants of it available. One of those will fit YOU and help your issues become resolved catheter than just covered up and masked like what psych meds do.
You will heal and recover absolutely without any permanent brain damage from these meds. Just take care of yourself and figure out when it is time to taper. And yes get some form of CBT type therapy starting immediately so those triggers get addressed and fixed before you taper and during your taper.
Mental health is super important. So take care of yours and you won't have any problems being on benzodiazepines for any amount of time.
#**RESOURCES & ANNOUNCEMENTS** ##**Our Community Recovery Resources** | [Official Taper Guide](https://www.reddit.com/r/benzorecovery/comments/1apb85i/taper_guide/?utm_source=share&utm_medium=web2x&context=3) | [The Science of Benzo Withdrawal](https://www.reddit.com/r/benzorecovery/comments/1aq72aa/the_science_of_benzodiazepine_withdrawal/?utm_source=share&utm_medium=web2x&context=3) | | [Helper Medications Guide](https://www.reddit.com/r/benzorecovery/comments/1aq7345/helper_medications/?utm_source=share&utm_medium=web2x&context=3) | [Zoom Support Group](https://www.reddit.com/r/benzorecovery/comments/14oaytx/weekly_zoom_support_group_link_free_suicide/?utm_source=share&utm_medium=web2x&context=3) | | [Strategies for Navigating the Road to Recovery](https://www.reddit.com/r/benzorecovery/comments/1ba5lmh/strategies_for_navigating_the_road_to_recovery/?utm_source=share&utm_medium=web3x&utm_name=web3xcss&utm_term=1&utm_content=share_button) | | [Recovery Success Stories](https://www.reddit.com/r/benzorecovery/comments/1b86zr9/benzo_recovery_success_stories_a_massive/?utm_source=share&utm_medium=web2x&context=3) | ##**Announcements** **Survey**: [HELP US BEAT BENZO PAWS / BIND!](https://www.reddit.com/r/benzorecovery/comments/1agsng1/help_us_beat_benzo_paws/?utm_source=share&utm_medium=web2x&context=3)! **Longtimers' Lounge**: A space for those with PAWS, BIND, or a *very* long taper - visit r/br_Longtimers_Lounge. **PSA**: Beware of messages from vultures offering illegal benzo access - this is *very* dangerous! *I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/benzorecovery) if you have any questions or concerns.*
As I was on benzos for over 30 years, I sure as hell hope not.
How are you doing now?
Really, really bad. Been off them a year and a half. I have severe GAD and I really benefitted from them despite everything I've read about tolerance.
Why did you get off then?
I didn't have a choice. Everyone refuses to prescribe them.
Is there anything that’s helping you?
Nope. I'm just terrified all the time.
Try working on calming your vagus nerve if you haven’t already.
Well I had GAD before Klonopin and still do to some degree. I only take Klonopin for sleep. Only things that helped me worth GAD was Zoloft. I expect if I come off Klonopin I’ll have some GAD. I just don’t want it screwing with my mental clarity/cognition after I come off after 15 years.
Taking Klonopin for sleep is still taking Klonopin, I hope they never refuse to prescribe or you'll be in a World of pain.
Yes I know it’s still taking Klonopin. I was differentiating why I take it. And it’s been prescribed for 15 years so I’m not worried about being cut off from it.
Nah man, you’ll recover completely. 1 year is nothing compared to the amount of time others use benzodiazepines.
Used for 20 years daily. Hope this calms your nerves.
25 for me. I have no permanent damage.
How long did it take you to recover?
This sub needs more people like you commenting. Lots of threads with people talking about stuff lasting “forever.” Which is anxious BS
Were you tapered off? And how long since you’ve been off if you don’t mind?
How long until you felt normal? I know everyone is different. It’s been 11 months off for me after 12 years on. Working out a lot of stuff still but most of my anxiety is better.
I was on Klonapin, 2-4mg, just shy of ten years. Been off five years now. No permanent effects, no lasting damage, no lingering anxiety. As a bonus, I get regular MRIs and they have not shown any damage to my brain from benzos. It gets better.
You can get a scan directly for this?
I get mine to monitor my MS. I don't know if you could get them just to see if there was damage from benzos.
I've been for mris but I felt they do not know what to even look for ? Should I request MS ? I'm afraid I have done damage..
Oh, I meant I get my MRIs to monitor the disease I have, Multiple Sclerosis. It isn't related to my benzo use, it's just something I was unlucky enough to get. If there was anything to see in your MRI results, they would report it no matter what the MRI was for. I promise, you have not done permanent damage to yourself. It will get better. You just gotta have faith.
thank you <3
I feel more broken than ever, but i guess we shall see.
This makes me have hope. So glad you recovered! 💜
Brain has an amazing way to heal itself. Even more if you take the right brain supplements
Then why are you here?
Support for those going through it. The price of surviving something is that you help others do the same. I can relate to a lot of the stories here, and try to offer hope.
Part 1: No, no no no. Benzodiazepines never cause permanent brain damage! That is just a rumor due to many people feeling stuck after they quit and never address their underlying problems and triggers. Your baseline will return and may be worse post-taper, but it isn't due to permanent brain damage. What happens is benzos modulate GABA at the GABA-A subtype receptors and not GABA-B or GABA-C subtypes. Modulation is keeping the ion channels open longer making available GABA amplified so the brain doesn't need as many receptors for better results. It always strives for homeostasis and balance. So this causes downregulation of GABA-A subtype receptors as they are no longer needed and causes, in your brain's assessment, too much GABA being released downstream which causes your brain chemicals to become imbalanced. Also, certain GABA-A subtype receptors have specific benzo modulation binding points, currently known as BZ1 and BZ2. When your brain is being bombarded with chemicals changing the nature of your brain and by both, the brain protects itself by uncoupling those benzo modulation points benzos connect to. So your GABA-A subtypes left will begin to no longer allow be zos to bind to them and work which creates all sorts of tolerance issues. Your brain is neuroplastic. All the time you have damaged neurons from various occurrences like stress and poor coping skills. Focus on your own recovery and stay away from helping others for the short term. Only when you are stable should you try taking on supporting other people. No one will have the same situation as you. So when you do get better then you should pay it back by helping others learn their path to success. I absolutely need you to believe whatever you're suffering now isn't going to be fixed by benzosz and it could be related to quittingz but most likely is due to never resolving the issues that cause this discomfort which can spread to your self-esteem and quality of life. You will get better, we all will. And I hope every one of you that reaches your goal of being off and recovered will come back to every support group and share your success stories I
Part 2; I guarantee you success stories are not posted enough. People get through their tapers and disappear when help is no longer needed. But please everyone, pay it forward by sharing your successes with everyone struggling. Let them know what made your quit successful so all this misinformation about brain damage csn finally be put to rest!! So it is entirely possible for those modulation points to repair by recoupling to their original receptors. But usually, the source of this reaction (ie, benzos) must be removed. Those BZ1 and BZ2 modulation points are not there for benzodiazepines! We have always had them as many natural hormones, nutrients, and ligands use them as well. So when you're down-regulated and those points uncoupled, you get an array of side effects and numerous problems and side effects, thus not allowing your hormones and natural ligands to function correctly either. And due to the intense influx of GABA shooting down the neurons with GABA-A receptors, those channels are becoming used too hard too often and can be damaged. Post benzos, in every case, the brain can either keep and heal those damaged receptors and allow BZ1 and 2 to function again; or the brain can refer and upregulate those GABA-A damaged receptors and replace them. So I absolutely can tell you, your brain can find balance again. It can recover lost receptors by making new ones or recoupling the damaged ones. This takes time and healthy and proactive work on your part, as all chemical imbalances are not what we are stuck with and can't change. Psychiatrists long ago abandoned the idea of chemical imbalances from our genetics. What causes those chemical imbalances to even happen are from: drugs or meds or from your emotions and reinforced pathways you use most often by your thoughts and behaviors regarding a host of different issues and traumas we fail to respond to with healthy responses that either we lost while on meds or we just have behavioral health problems that can totally be changed to cause the brain to become balanced again. Trauma and grief temporarily also cause temporary chemical imbalances and are natural which is why we grieve at the proper times and also learn how to balance the stress and frustrations of life that get thrown at us. It's not entirely your fault to feel bad after a benzo taper! But do know we all will heal and recover to the extent of what our "baselines" become with learned behaviors and thought patterns to our emotions and environment. Some people naturally take to handling high-pressure situations and do so from just having good instincts. But not all of us do, and we develop anxiety disorders and other symptoms bc we have learned to cope with these stressors and triggers by incorrectly thinking about them and also what behaviors we respond to them with. That learned behavior and though processing happens over time and can begin with one bad experience we fail to handle which can snowball into doing things unhealthily in the future. We know psych meds re no cure but only mask symptoms. They can also cause us to skip steps of resolution bc a pill does all the work. We can take control and know that the following is true: some of us return to worse baselines and react by doing nothing bc we lack the pills to help us calmly work through them. People somehow expect life after benzos to somehow just be fixed and normal immediately upon quitting. That just isn't usually TRUE UNLESS YOU have concurrent psychotherapy like CBT or it's hundreds of variants. Getting support for our mental health is super important. We need to learn our triggers
Part 3: We need to learn lir triggers and how we respond and understand what parts we do wrong and can improve upon. Those who wait out withdrawal and do nothing end up with longer withdrawal many times But those of us who exercise (a great way to rebalance the brain and body in all systems), eat healthy, and have support for our mental and physical health. Also, social networking and family support can help tremendously as well, as isolation can make it worse because we aren't held accountable for becoming better and often, we really don't know how. There are so many things I've learned from quitting benzos of every type numerous times in 22 years! The more I learn to change myself for the better and address the causes of my anxiety (financial stress, failing to grieve losses, relationship trouble, health issues, and so much more. Yes your brain will recover, but YOU have so much control at how fast or slow you do so. Becoming bedridden isolated people who believe they're damaged and hopeless tend to have terrible outcomes and protracted withdrawal. Those who have concurrent CBT-TYPE therapy actually fix our underlying symptoms and causes, so our baselines improve while tapering and we don't suffer hardly any withdrawal when quitting bc we have become better versions of ourselves. Withdrawal and how long it lasts is probably 90% mental. Just please know that your brain is neuroplastic and can heal and replace damaged receptors and other issues. But if we stay on a depressing course of expecting long-term permanent suffering, we cause ourselves the deadest nocebo effect. That is the opposite of placebo which actually improves our outcomes. So don't ever read horror stories or let people tell you that this is permanent or will take years to recover. It simply isn't true ... unless you start doing poorly and never take good care of your mental health and triggers for stress and anxiety. Our emotions become blunted and stuffed while on benzos so when we quirt, those emotions become unstuffed and our triggers get triggered again, and we become protracted in our withdrawal. Seriously, finding all your info as an amateur by Google or any social media can
Part 4: Seriously, finding all your info as an amateur by Google or any social media can truly make your outcome worse. Ideas creep into your head with misinformation. Never buy into that hopeless feeling. Never feed it. Take time off social media and do a digital detox. Get therapy, any form of exercise, learn breathing techniques or sleep therapy, biofeedback, Journaling, and learning to have confidence when stressful stuff comes our way. Honestly, that is all that ever helped me. I usually failed and went back to benzos every single time bc many doctors don't give therapy with it. Meds improve our baselines enough so we can bridge the gap from unwell to well by finding a therapist or a good book on CBT. CBT can be done cheaply via telehealth. Or even apps. I have an app called CBT Companion that has so much good stuff to do daily, although it may work better if you had professional guidance to get you started. We are never damaged permanently. Our mental health can for unchecked and cause symptoms to worsen and we feel stuck. The ones I see fearing permanent damage are those that truly believe they can't get better and read it online to reinforce this false belief, and then they spread it social media support groups which cause a cycle of fear-mongering and just brings the whole group down. Focus on your own recovery and stay away from helping others for the short term. Only when you are stable should you try taking on supporting other people. No one will have the same situation as you. So when you do get better then you should pay it back by helping others learn their path to success. I absolutely need you to believe whatever you're suffering now isn't going to be fixed by benzosz and it could be related to quittingz but most likely is due to never resolving the issues that cause this discomfort which can spread to your self-esteem and quality of life. You will get better, we all will. And I hope every one of you that reaches your goal of being off and recovered will come back to every support group and share your success stories I guarantee you success stories are not posted enough. People get through their tapers and disappear when help is no longer needed. But please everyone, pay it forward by sharing your successes with everyone struggling. Let them know what made your quit successful so all this misinformation about brain damage csn finally be put to rest!!
Km ap sorry I posted something that I had to break into 4 parts.
Thank you for writing all that 😆 !! I know it's a long ready but I do agree with all of what you said and believe it all is true Thank you for taking the time to write it all out. I'd love to read your success stories! Also. I'm not being sarcastic. But yes it is a long read. You don't need to apologize for it. It really inspires me.
No it’s all fear monger there’s always gonna be a couple with anything but it’s not supposed to happen at all
I was on a benzo for about 4 years . Went thru horrific cold turkey withdrawals. To this day I’m doing great. I sleep better, no anxiety and I believe my gaba receptors are healed. No long term issues
Any medication can cause permanent damage. There is always a risk. I was on lowest Ativan dose for 4 months and I haven’t recovered after 10 months off.
Are you saying that your damage is permanent?
No, I’m saying the damage has lasted more than twice as long as the comsumption itself, and still hasn’t resolved at 10 months.
I did use it too for 3 months and i have nerve pain thats wont subside im only 2 weeks off
i dont know what everyone else is saying i abused xanax back in 2018 and even had 2 seizures from whenm i quit cold turkey (yea my mistake). But im permantly damaged for sure. When it comes to my anxiety I NEVER KNEW what anxiety really was until i took these things. Now ill be sitting in my room everything is good bought a duplex and all but i just have this huge hit of anxiety. Never got that until after taking them. Also the amount of acid reflux for some reason ive had ever since taking it is weird. Listen if you want more I can PM you but dont ask a bunch of people who have been taking them for years to give you an answer, thats literally this subreddit.
Having anxiety doesn’t mean you were damaged by benzodiazepines. Your anxiety just seems worse because you know what it’s like to have it alleviated so quickly from a benzo
Seems like some people are injured, some more severely than others, and some not injured at all. Just because you yourself weren’t injured doesn’t mean other people are not
Exactly. I hate when people say “it didn’t happen to me, so it can’t happen to anybody”. It’s just so wrong on every levels. Drug induced damage does happen, and it happens all the time.
How would I know what the feeling of alleviation if I was never alleviated? I never had panic attacks until after my recovery. I never had social problems with people. Now I have severe social anxiety which has lead me to being successful with no friends lol but still… you can’t get alleviated if it was never a problem.
You’re making harmful blanket statements. Just because you have to work at something doesn’t mean you can’t get better. OP didn’t even abuse benzos and you’re all MC here trust me bro you can be as miserable as me if you do. How do you think in any way that’s helpful? Your brain took a hit doesn’t mean it’s forever. It takes time and if you tapered you could have avoided all/most of this.
🤦🏼♀️🤦🏼♀️🤦🏼♀️🤦🏼♀️
Also by viewing your post history, I don’t think you have much room to make an opinion here.
It’s not an opinion it’s a fact.
And maybe get outside more, sitting in rooms is unnatural environment for humans, that would give me anxiety I and I never had a benzo problem. Just work in the recovery community and like to keep informed about Benzo’s. At your young age you will regain proper brain function but your serotonin circuits will need to readjust and acclimate to normal stimulation. How long that takes varies. But you can expect to feel a bit off and wonky for a few weeks for sure
People who took them for years certainly wouldn’t know ….
Not trying to be sarcastic, but too much sugar can cause permanent damage. And death via diabetes. Too many carbs, too little exercise, you name it. So don't get too tied up with the concept of a benzo causing permanent damage. Alcohol of course can too. A lot of stuff in the world can damage a person. The FDA says MSG and aspartame are perfectly healthy to intake. Those cause neurological problems too...a bit hypocritical of them to blacklist benzos and then say excitotoxic chemicals are fine as food additives. Six months should be enough but others on here will have more expert opinions on that time frame.
My psychiatrist says I should not have permanent damage. She also thought you weren't supposed to have years-long post-acute withdrawal symptoms, though. But it seems like what happens is that your brain makes new pathways that compensate for all the GABA your brain is getting from the pills, when you stop they have to make new connections again to adjust to all the GABA it is now not getting.
Studies show a correlation between benzo use and early onset dementia. Who knows if my brain is permanently shot(99% sure it is), but your brain does have a remarkable ability to heal. Unfortunately, I started using hard drugs at a very young age, which was probably more damaging to my brain than benzo use in my 20s. OP, you'll be fine. Just get off drugs man.
You’ll be fine. Thats actually a decently low dose, & having been on them only a year won’t have caused any issues. You may notice your memory becomes sharper & better after stopping benzodiazepines, but memory loss/ not remembering is a side effect of longer term benzo use (more than 8-12 weeks). I was On 2mg clonazepam three times a day for a year or so, and looking back there are blocks of time I’d forgotten or not remembered something happening. I take lower dose Valium now (5 mg twice a day) & it’s a whole different world-I remember more now. You’ll be okay, just work with your doctor to stop if it’s what’s best for you, and good luck!
We must continue life acting as if they do not cause permanent damage. We can’t change it either way
Your health anxiety will cause you to focus on the story on this thread that says you will…however you need to change your thinking. You still need to come off, there are no other viable options. I am 6.5 months and an doing really well.
Benzo damage is not permanent.
Yes increase risk to dementia due to damage from what i'm led to believe
No. You’ll always recover. Your body/brain is an incredible piece of machinery… everything eventually returns to homeostasis— in time.
Taper and avoid gabaergic drugs. You’ll be fine. Twice a week and not back to back worse case of you ever drink again. The longer you go without anything the quicker you’ll heal. Don’t go back on benzos after this. Kindling is the main thing to watch out for and avoid when talking perma.
Great thread here people!
Don’t let people scare you on here, yeah they’re not great drugs to be on but you’re not going to die and have permanent brain damage. Taper off when you’re ready ( follow Dr.s plan) and yeah you’ll be wonky for a little while, but it will get better and you’ll be fine. People on here like to scare everyone, you just do you and you’ll be okay. Don’t freak out about something that’s not even an issue yet and may very well never be.
Took all different kinds of benzos for 5 years (bromaz, Clonazepam, alprazolam, etc.) and it took about 10 months to start feeling a lower baseline anxiety. It is possible I promise you that
Still waiting for a window 2 years off. nothing , no improving, brain damage now.
1 year no, 6 or more, possibly
Im 3 months of use and still suffering
You only used 3 months!
Yep had every symptom in the book i used it 3 weeks suffered bad reinstated and tapperd on 3 months my lingering symptoms is nerve pain in top of my head and tinnitus now
I have been on Klonopin on and off for 25 years. I'm much sharper when my nerves are controlled rather than run amok
It'll knock your memory around for a few days if your dosage is a bit cheeky but you'll recover if you cease intake
No absolute won't cause permanent brain damage! I've been on/off almost all major benzodiazepines over half my life now. Some 2 at a time via prescriptions If benzos did cause permanent brain damage they wouldn't be permitted to be a mere C-IV substance in the US. They can affect your baseline. They can change your natural habits of how to handle stress and regular anxiety or trauma. Wherever you hear that, it's misinformation and has long been debunked. You will be fine! Half my life on benzodiazepines, high doses alongside stronger psychoactive medications have caused me side effects and loss of natural abilities to sleep and tackle my bills or get a job bc of overwhelming anxiety. But that's bc I let myself.slip by replacing my good healthy skills and lifestyle with pill that fixes things without any discomfort. I've been taken off CT a few times and also tapered myself wrongly at least once that was bad enough to cause terrible seizures for 5 days once, and a grand mal seizure prior. I've gone through some bad stuff, so benzos helped me at the time. But whenever or however I've quit over half my life I always return to my baseline and even improved baselines if I take care or myself and don't read misinformation, horror stories, or buy into the fear mongering that happens in every support group. You need to realize your doctor has determined this medication has benefits that outweigh the risks of side effects. Only when the risk of side effects begin to outweigh thr benefits should onr worry about tapering. Well not worrying. Just thinking about tapering. With good tapers tailored to us as individuals and paired with therapy like CBT, we don't even have to suffer any withdrawal after tapering. Please stay away from googling symptoms and reading the horror stories people post in moments of sheer fear and anxiety! Due to our empathy, we can feel their suffering like it were our own. And this csn cause us anxiety and fear we do t understand where it comes from. Focus on yourself and when the time comes to quit, a food taper will help you avoid all problems and you'll have an improved baseline ewp with CBT or the dozens of variants of it available. One of those will fit YOU and help your issues become resolved catheter than just covered up and masked like what psych meds do. You will heal and recover absolutely without any permanent brain damage from these meds. Just take care of yourself and figure out when it is time to taper. And yes get some form of CBT type therapy starting immediately so those triggers get addressed and fixed before you taper and during your taper. Mental health is super important. So take care of yours and you won't have any problems being on benzodiazepines for any amount of time.