Not gone away, but I notice it less... stop drinking all alcohol, exercise and sleep.. oh and also, don’t play on your phone before bed.. all of that will HELP!
Isn’t it funny in all the anti drug ads and PSAs there’s never EVER a warning of DPDR...20 some odd years ago when I had it there wasn’t even a name for it or an internet to look it up on...people need to know what can happen but it’s almost impossible to explain...
Paul Chomiak I take a the lowest dose of Xanax in the morning at times. Seems to help keep me relaxed a bit since mornings are bad. I tonight that it could be the benzo perpetuating it long term?
When benzo tolerance is reached, or inter-dose withdrawal , benzos will start to cause the problems, not solve them.. Glutamate and GABA are the brain’s major “workhorse” neurotransmitters. Over half of all brain synapses release Glutamate, and 30-40% of all brain synapses release GABA. GABA and Glutamate regulate action potential traffic. GABA, an inhibitory neurotransmitter, stops action potentials. Glutamate, an excitatory neurotransmitter, starts action potentials or keeps them going. Since GABA is inhibitory and Glutamate is excitatory, both neurotransmitters work together to control many processes, including the brain’s overall level of excitation. Tranquilizers (Benzodiazepines) increase GABA activity. (Calming the CNS and PNS) Alcohol increases GABA activity (Just like benzos). Alcohol decreases Glutamate activity but it spikes back higher when the alcohol wears off (hangover, anxiety and tremors the next day). Caffeine increases Glutamate activity. Caffeine inhibits GABA release. ---> (You feel anxious, wired) Benzodiazepines effect GABA by unnaturally boosting it's intake and keeping it elevated (alcohol has the same effect) resulting in sedative, hypnotic, anxiolytic (anti-anxiety), anticonvulsant, and muscle relaxant properties. Conversely, the body produces more Glutamate (taking in higher amounts of Glutamate) to compensate for the now elevated levels of GABA being absorbed. (the body likes to stay in balance.) Here is where is all goes wrong.. Over a long period of time (4 weeks or more) Benzodiazepines slowly down-regulate your GABA receptors since they don't need to work as hard to utilize large amounts of GABA. (They become lazy, weaken and unnecessary GABA receptors are absorbed back into the body.) At this point Inter-dose withdrawal might start occurring or worse, tolerance of the medication. When Benzodiazepine Tolerance hits (the medication starts to fail) your GABA intake slows down and it’s like you’re slowly letting off the brakes on the now elevated Glutamate system. This causes Inter-dose Withdrawal symptoms i.e. anxiety, panic attacks, anger, rage, insomnia, phobias, depression, memory issues, etc. (even though you are taking your medication as prescribed). Doctors will prescribe more of the Benzodiazepine to compensate for this event (Up-Dosing) and some relief may be experienced but your body will adjust and withdrawal symptoms come roaring back. This is an endless cycle which must be avoided. When all else fails your doctor will prescribe an SSRI, Anti-Depressant or SNRI to try to put a band-aid on the symptoms, but it's too late and you must now come off of the medication. Your GABA receptors, now damaged, weak and under-performing due to benzo use (unnaturally forcing high levels of GABA through them), must "Up-Regulate" (heal) back to their original, natural, non-medicated state before they can once again function properly balancing out GABA and Glutamate levels, however your Glutamate receptors are now Up-Regulated (taking in more Glutamate than normal) and these Glutamate receptors must adjust back down (Down-Regulate) for your body and mind to once again perform normally. This imbalance of high glutamate levels and low GABA levels is what causes Inter-dose Withdrawal and the horror of tapering off. Only time and patience can heal GABA receptors once the medication is completely out of your system. Slowly tapering off of your Benzodiazepine over a long period of time is the only safe, logical and bearable method to rid yourself of Benzodiazepines and restore your health. Your GABA receptors must Up-Regulate back to normal and your Glutamate receptors must Down-Regulate back to normal to balance out. Tapering allows this very slow process to begin while slowly reducing benzo levels forcing the body starts healing your remaining GABA receptors and growing new ones. If you Cold Turkey (abruptly quit taking) your Benzodiazepine, Glutamate levels spike (no brakes) and the excitatory neurotransmitters go nuts causing insomnia, anxiety, panic, muscle tightness, elevated heart rate, muscle twitches. seizures, psychosis, and many other horrible side effects. Do Not Do This!! For most of us it took years to get into this mess (GABA receptor down regulation) and it's going to take years to get out of it. Try not to fear what side effects might occur as you taper off. Everybody is different therefore the experience of withdrawal, for you, will be different as well. Just take it a day at a time. P.S. .5mgs of Klonopin, or .5mgs of Xanax, or 1mg of Ativan are not low doses.. they all equate to 10mgs of Valium.. If you have been taking any of these medications for more then 3 weeks you are already physically dependent and cannot just stop. The record for physical dependency is 9 days. Additionally, some people take years to reach tolerance, some overa decade, while others can hit tolerance in a matter of weeks or less. If you require more and more of the medication to experience a therapeutic effect, you are already in tolerance. Slowly tapering off is your only option. Look up Liquid Titration of Benzo, or Dry Cutting Benzo to start your education. Do not taper faster than 5 - 10% per month. Above all, look up and read the Ashton Manual for more information and safe tapering instructions. DO NOT drink alcohol during your taper or for 18-24 months after it has ended!! Benzos also heavily impact the Limbic System of the brain causing horrendous depression, OCD like compulsions, overblown states of fight or flight responses, (i.e. over exaggerated startle response) and incredibly wild depressive, hopeless states while experiencing Inter-Dose withdrawal, tolerance of the medication, while tapering off and in recovery.. This brain system also needs to heal back to it's original, non-benzo state. Some people have compared what benzos do to the Limbic System to a chemical stroke from which it needs to recover.
Chronic Benzodiazepine use down-regulates the GABA (GABAergic Endocytosis) system of the body, up-regulates the Glutamate system of the body and damages the Limbic System of the brain. This chronic use causes a neurotoxic response which includes central nervous system and brain damage. The GABAergic system (GABA receptors) is an inhibitory system, counteracting the Glutamate system (Glutamate receptors), which is excitatory. GABA and Glutamate regulate action potential traffic. GABA, an inhibitory neurotransmitter, stops action potentials. (Rest and Digest) Glutamate, an excitatory neurotransmitter, starts action potentials or keeps them going. (Fight or Flight) Since GABA is inhibitory and Glutamate is excitatory, both neurotransmitters work together to control many processes, including the brain’s overall level of excitation. Under normal conditions these two system are in balance. Benzodiazepines down-regulate GABA receptors (Endocytosis) leaving them under functioning and malfunctioning. This allows the Glutamate system to dominate the two systems. As a result the body and mind stay in a exaggerated and constant state of excitation with an inability to calm itself correctly or rest. At the same time the damaged Limbic System is malfunctioning and misfiring. The Limbic System is the area in the brain that is associated with memory, emotions, and motivation. Most notably those emotions related to survival. Survival functions - Fear, Anger, Hunger and Sexual Behavior. Also known as the five F's; Feeding, Fighting, Fleeing, Feeling and Sexual drive. Higher social functions controlled by the Limbic system - Memory and Learning. Overall, the Limbic System controls all emotional aspects of behavior. The major components of the Limbic system are as follows: Amygdala - The Aggression/Emotional Center. Responsible for detecting fear and preparing for emergency events. Fight or flight. Stimulated, it produces feeling of anger, violence, fear, anxiety. Damaged, or medicated, can result in a very mellow state of being, hyperorality, hyper sexuality, disinhibited behavior - ignoring social conventions and engaging in dangerous, reckless behavior. Responsible for fear conditioning, the "associative learning process" where we learn to fear some thing, some place, someone, and/or a social circumstance. Hippocampus - Memory and spatial navigation. Forming new and storing memories. Coverts short term memory to long term memory. Responsible for emotional reactions to past memories and events. If damaged, or medicated, past memories are intact but new memories formed while damaged, or medicated, will fade. Thalamus - Regulates the body's voluntary motor control, consciousness and its sleep/wake cycle. It also regulates the senses of sight, sound, taste, touch and the sense of where the person's body is in space. Hypothalamus - Produces hormones which control the production of hormones in the pituitary gland. Hypothalamus function is directly related to overall hormone health. Fight or Flight/Rest and Digest plus body temperature regulation. Responsible for the release of adrenaline via the autonomic nervous system. Hunger, thirst, sleep, sex. Cingulate Gyrus - processing emotions and behavior regulation. It also helps to regulate autonomic motor function. Emotional Memory. Regulates pain and emotion. Is particularly involved in driving the body's conscious response to unpleasant experiences, therefore the avoidance of negative consequences. Damage to the Limbic System results in, but is not limited to: Olfactory (smell/taste) impairment Neuropathy Agitation Uncontrolled Emotions Paranoia Uncontrolled Fear Abnormal Biological Rhythms Abnormal Sexual Behavior Emotional Blunting Memory Impairment Phobias Avoidance Behavior plus dozens of other physical and psychological conditions. Benzodiazepine Withdrawal (Discontinuation) Syndrome can result in many, if not all, of these conditions being active at the same time. For Benzodiazepine Withdrawal (Discontinuation) Syndrome to heal: Dysregulated Voltage-Gated Calcium Channels must clear and re-regulate to homeostasis. Down-Regulated GABA receptors must up-regulate to homeostasis. Up-Regulated Glutamate receptors must down-regulate to homeostasis. Damaged Limbic system must be allowed to heal back to homeostasis. There is no known medical/medication (pill) solution to Benzodiazepine Withdrawal (Discontinuation) Syndrome as the Down-regulated GABA system, Dysregulated VGCC system and Limbic System brain damage cannot be repaired via chemical(s). Symptoms of Benzodiazepine Withdrawal (Discontinuation) Syndrome are treatment resistant and often times the introduction of additional medication(s) worsen the symptoms, in some cases, delay healing. Time, a healthy diet, avoiding stress and rest are the only known solutions. A person's own genetic makeup dictate the expediency of recovery, the time frame of which cannot presently be estimated. See: -The Ashton Manual -The Benzodiazepine Medical Disaster documentary - www.benzoinfo.com -As Prescribed documentary TABLE 1: BENZODIAZEPINE WITHDRAWAL SYMPTOMS - Professor C Heather Ashton DM, FRCP - Revised August 2002 PSYCHOLOGICAL SYMPTOMS Excitability (jumpiness, restlessness) Insomnia, nightmares, other sleep disturbances Increased anxiety, panic attacks Agoraphobia, social phobia Perceptual distortions Depersonalisation, derealisation Hallucinations, misperceptions Depression Obsessions Paranoid thoughts Rage, aggression, irritability Poor memory and concentration Intrusive memories Craving (rare) PHYSICAL SYMPTOMS Headache Pain/stiffness - (limbs, back, neck, teeth, jaw) Tingling, numbness, altered sensation - (limbs, face, trunk) Weakness ("jelly-legs") Fatigue, influenza-like symptoms Muscle twitches, jerks, tics, "electric shocks" Tremor Dizziness, light-headedness, poor balance Blurred/double vision, sore or dry eyes Tinnitus Hypersensitivity - (light, sound, touch, taste, smell) Gastrointestinal symptoms - (nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, constipation, pain, distension, difficulty swallowing) Appetite/weight change Dry mouth, metallic taste, unusual smell Flushing/sweating/palpitations Overbreathing Urinary difficulties/menstrual difficulties Skin rashes, itching Fits (rare) www.benzo.org.uk/manual/bzcha03.htm
Paul Chomiak great info... I’ve stopped all benzos and significantly reduced alcohol consumption... I feel better. Still get migraine auras though... ughhh
Hey just found your video I have all these symptoms I have been diagnosed with vestibular migraine .
Did it went away?
Not gone away, but I notice it less... stop drinking all alcohol, exercise and sleep.. oh and also, don’t play on your phone before bed.. all of that will HELP!
Isn’t it funny in all the anti drug ads and PSAs there’s never EVER a warning of DPDR...20 some odd years ago when I had it there wasn’t even a name for it or an internet to look it up on...people need to know what can happen but it’s almost impossible to explain...
Are you taking a benzo? Ativan, Xanax, Klonopin, Valium?
Paul Chomiak I take a the lowest dose of Xanax in the morning at times. Seems to help keep me relaxed a bit since mornings are bad. I tonight that it could be the benzo perpetuating it long term?
When benzo tolerance is reached, or inter-dose withdrawal , benzos will start to cause the problems, not solve them..
Glutamate and GABA are the brain’s major “workhorse” neurotransmitters. Over half of all brain synapses release Glutamate, and 30-40% of all brain synapses release GABA.
GABA and Glutamate regulate action potential traffic.
GABA, an inhibitory neurotransmitter, stops action potentials.
Glutamate, an excitatory neurotransmitter, starts action potentials or keeps them going.
Since GABA is inhibitory and Glutamate is excitatory, both neurotransmitters work together to control many processes, including the brain’s overall level of excitation.
Tranquilizers (Benzodiazepines) increase GABA activity. (Calming the CNS and PNS)
Alcohol increases GABA activity (Just like benzos).
Alcohol decreases Glutamate activity but it spikes back higher when the alcohol wears off (hangover, anxiety and tremors the next day).
Caffeine increases Glutamate activity.
Caffeine inhibits GABA release. ---> (You feel anxious, wired)
Benzodiazepines effect GABA by unnaturally boosting it's intake and keeping it elevated (alcohol has the same effect) resulting in sedative, hypnotic, anxiolytic (anti-anxiety), anticonvulsant, and muscle relaxant properties. Conversely, the body produces more Glutamate (taking in higher amounts of Glutamate) to compensate for the now elevated levels of GABA being absorbed. (the body likes to stay in balance.)
Here is where is all goes wrong..
Over a long period of time (4 weeks or more) Benzodiazepines slowly down-regulate your GABA receptors since they don't need to work as hard to utilize large amounts of GABA. (They become lazy, weaken and unnecessary GABA receptors are absorbed back into the body.) At this point Inter-dose withdrawal might start occurring or worse, tolerance of the
medication.
When Benzodiazepine Tolerance hits (the medication starts to fail) your GABA intake slows down and it’s like you’re slowly letting off the brakes on the now elevated Glutamate system. This causes Inter-dose Withdrawal symptoms i.e. anxiety, panic attacks, anger, rage, insomnia, phobias, depression, memory issues, etc. (even though you are taking your medication as prescribed). Doctors will prescribe more of the Benzodiazepine to compensate for this event (Up-Dosing) and some relief may be experienced but your body will adjust and withdrawal symptoms come roaring back. This is an endless cycle which must be avoided. When all else fails your doctor will prescribe an SSRI, Anti-Depressant or SNRI to try to put a band-aid on the symptoms, but it's too late and you must now come off of the medication.
Your GABA receptors, now damaged, weak and under-performing due to benzo use (unnaturally forcing high levels of GABA through them), must "Up-Regulate" (heal) back to their original, natural, non-medicated state before they can once again function properly balancing out GABA and Glutamate levels, however your Glutamate receptors are now Up-Regulated (taking in more Glutamate than normal) and these Glutamate receptors must adjust back down (Down-Regulate) for your body and mind to once again perform normally. This imbalance of high glutamate levels and low GABA levels is what causes Inter-dose Withdrawal and the horror of tapering off. Only time and patience can heal GABA receptors once the medication is completely out of your system. Slowly tapering off of your Benzodiazepine over a long period of time is the only safe, logical and bearable method to rid yourself of Benzodiazepines and restore your health. Your GABA receptors must Up-Regulate back to normal and your Glutamate receptors must Down-Regulate back to normal to balance out. Tapering allows this very slow process to begin while slowly reducing benzo levels forcing the body starts healing your remaining GABA receptors and growing new ones.
If you Cold Turkey (abruptly quit taking) your Benzodiazepine, Glutamate levels spike (no brakes) and the excitatory neurotransmitters go nuts causing insomnia, anxiety, panic, muscle tightness, elevated heart rate, muscle twitches. seizures, psychosis, and many other horrible side effects. Do Not Do This!!
For most of us it took years to get into this mess (GABA receptor down regulation) and it's going to take years to get out of it. Try not to fear what side effects might occur as you taper off. Everybody is different therefore the experience of withdrawal, for you, will be different as well. Just take it a day at a time.
P.S. .5mgs of Klonopin, or .5mgs of Xanax, or 1mg of Ativan are not low doses.. they all equate to 10mgs of Valium.. If you have been taking any of these medications for more then 3 weeks you are already physically dependent and cannot just stop. The record for physical dependency is 9 days. Additionally, some people take years to reach tolerance, some overa decade, while others can hit tolerance in a matter of weeks or less. If you require more and more of the medication to experience a therapeutic effect, you are already in tolerance. Slowly tapering off is your only option. Look up Liquid Titration of Benzo, or Dry Cutting Benzo to start your education. Do not taper faster than 5 - 10% per month. Above all, look up and read the Ashton Manual for more information and safe tapering instructions.
DO NOT drink alcohol during your taper or for 18-24 months after it has ended!!
Benzos also heavily impact the Limbic System of the brain causing horrendous depression, OCD like compulsions, overblown states of fight or flight responses, (i.e. over exaggerated startle response) and incredibly wild depressive, hopeless states while experiencing Inter-Dose withdrawal, tolerance of the medication, while tapering off and in recovery.. This brain system also needs to heal back to it's original, non-benzo state. Some people have compared what benzos do to the Limbic System to a chemical stroke from which it needs to recover.
Chronic Benzodiazepine use down-regulates the GABA (GABAergic Endocytosis) system of the body, up-regulates the Glutamate system of the body and damages the Limbic System of the brain. This chronic use causes a neurotoxic response which includes central nervous system and brain damage.
The GABAergic system (GABA receptors) is an inhibitory system, counteracting the Glutamate system (Glutamate receptors), which is excitatory.
GABA and Glutamate regulate action potential traffic.
GABA, an inhibitory neurotransmitter, stops action potentials. (Rest and Digest)
Glutamate, an excitatory neurotransmitter, starts action potentials or keeps them going. (Fight or Flight)
Since GABA is inhibitory and Glutamate is excitatory, both neurotransmitters work together to control many processes, including the brain’s overall level of excitation. Under normal conditions these two system are in balance.
Benzodiazepines down-regulate GABA receptors (Endocytosis) leaving them under functioning and malfunctioning. This allows the Glutamate system to dominate the two systems. As a result the body and mind stay in a exaggerated and constant state of excitation with an inability to calm itself correctly or rest.
At the same time the damaged Limbic System is malfunctioning and misfiring.
The Limbic System is the area in the brain that is associated with memory, emotions, and motivation. Most notably those emotions related to survival. Survival functions - Fear, Anger, Hunger and Sexual Behavior. Also known as the five F's; Feeding, Fighting, Fleeing, Feeling and Sexual drive. Higher social functions controlled by the Limbic system - Memory and Learning. Overall, the Limbic System controls all emotional aspects of behavior. The major components of the Limbic system are as follows:
Amygdala - The Aggression/Emotional Center. Responsible for detecting fear and preparing for emergency events. Fight or flight. Stimulated, it produces feeling of anger, violence, fear, anxiety. Damaged, or medicated, can result in a very mellow state of being, hyperorality, hyper sexuality, disinhibited behavior - ignoring social conventions and engaging in dangerous, reckless behavior. Responsible for fear conditioning, the "associative learning process" where we learn to fear some thing, some place, someone, and/or a social circumstance.
Hippocampus - Memory and spatial navigation. Forming new and storing memories. Coverts short term memory to long term memory. Responsible for emotional reactions to past memories and events. If damaged, or medicated, past memories are intact but new memories formed while damaged, or medicated, will fade.
Thalamus - Regulates the body's voluntary motor control, consciousness and its sleep/wake cycle. It also regulates the senses of sight, sound, taste, touch and the sense of where the person's body is in space.
Hypothalamus - Produces hormones which control the production of hormones in the pituitary gland. Hypothalamus function is directly related to overall hormone health. Fight or Flight/Rest and Digest plus body temperature regulation. Responsible for the release of adrenaline via the autonomic nervous system. Hunger, thirst, sleep, sex.
Cingulate Gyrus - processing emotions and behavior regulation. It also helps to regulate autonomic motor function. Emotional Memory. Regulates pain and emotion. Is particularly involved in driving the body's conscious response to unpleasant experiences, therefore the avoidance of negative consequences.
Damage to the Limbic System results in, but is not limited to:
Olfactory (smell/taste) impairment
Neuropathy
Agitation
Uncontrolled Emotions
Paranoia
Uncontrolled Fear
Abnormal Biological Rhythms
Abnormal Sexual Behavior
Emotional Blunting
Memory Impairment
Phobias
Avoidance Behavior
plus dozens of other physical and psychological conditions.
Benzodiazepine Withdrawal (Discontinuation) Syndrome can result in many, if not all, of these conditions being active at the same time.
For Benzodiazepine Withdrawal (Discontinuation) Syndrome to heal:
Dysregulated Voltage-Gated Calcium Channels must clear and re-regulate to homeostasis.
Down-Regulated GABA receptors must up-regulate to homeostasis.
Up-Regulated Glutamate receptors must down-regulate to homeostasis.
Damaged Limbic system must be allowed to heal back to homeostasis.
There is no known medical/medication (pill) solution to Benzodiazepine Withdrawal (Discontinuation) Syndrome as the Down-regulated GABA system, Dysregulated VGCC system and Limbic System brain damage cannot be repaired via chemical(s). Symptoms of Benzodiazepine Withdrawal (Discontinuation) Syndrome are treatment resistant and often times the introduction of additional medication(s) worsen the symptoms, in some cases, delay healing. Time, a healthy diet, avoiding stress and rest are the only known solutions. A person's own genetic makeup dictate the expediency of recovery, the time frame of which cannot presently be estimated.
See:
-The Ashton Manual
-The Benzodiazepine Medical Disaster documentary
- www.benzoinfo.com
-As Prescribed documentary
TABLE 1: BENZODIAZEPINE WITHDRAWAL SYMPTOMS - Professor C Heather Ashton DM, FRCP - Revised August 2002
PSYCHOLOGICAL SYMPTOMS
Excitability (jumpiness, restlessness)
Insomnia, nightmares, other sleep disturbances
Increased anxiety, panic attacks
Agoraphobia, social phobia
Perceptual distortions
Depersonalisation, derealisation
Hallucinations, misperceptions
Depression
Obsessions
Paranoid thoughts
Rage, aggression, irritability
Poor memory and concentration
Intrusive memories
Craving (rare)
PHYSICAL SYMPTOMS
Headache
Pain/stiffness - (limbs, back, neck, teeth, jaw)
Tingling, numbness, altered sensation - (limbs, face, trunk)
Weakness ("jelly-legs")
Fatigue, influenza-like symptoms
Muscle twitches, jerks, tics, "electric shocks"
Tremor
Dizziness, light-headedness, poor balance
Blurred/double vision, sore or dry eyes
Tinnitus
Hypersensitivity - (light, sound, touch, taste, smell)
Gastrointestinal symptoms - (nausea, vomiting, diarrhea,
constipation, pain, distension, difficulty swallowing)
Appetite/weight change
Dry mouth, metallic taste, unusual smell
Flushing/sweating/palpitations
Overbreathing
Urinary difficulties/menstrual difficulties
Skin rashes, itching
Fits (rare)
www.benzo.org.uk/manual/bzcha03.htm
Paul Chomiak great info... I’ve stopped all benzos and significantly reduced alcohol consumption... I feel better. Still get migraine auras though... ughhh
same here
Raksmey Wat we'll get through it somehow my friend!