dadto4boys: Hello, struggling with withdrawal and would love some help

[nz11]

Dt4B just wanted to say someone at the bottom of the world is wishing you strength.

I know its hard to believe that this will one day end and it wont go on forever and its very hard to believe this when in the midst of it...if you dont believe it then don't worry we will do the believing for you...

You can do this.

[dadto4boys]

I'm really struggling to believe I am going to get through this and get better.

 

The nausea is worse than ever today. I went to bed nauseous which isn't normal for me - usually the nausea goes away as the day goes on but last night it was still there and this morning it's just horrible. I'm curled up on the couch meaning.

 

My wife keeps trying to explain the acceptance idea but my brain won't stop worrying. I just know I have stomach cancer with all this nausea. And my heart has to be bad with all the palpitations and chest pressure. My weight seems to keep increasing and I know that's unhealthy. I just can't imagine my body can make it through all this for much longer.

[Altostrata]

Does the nausea occur at any particular time of day?

 

Do you have any other symptoms?

[dadto4boys]

The nausea is typically the worst very first thing in the AM. I'm pretty anxious, ruminating thoughts a lot over health issues, some irritability but definitely better than it was....

 

Im taking chelated magnesium and Epsom salt baths. I workout when I can. Try to keep calm.

[LexAnger]

Hi Dadto4boys,

 

I am so sorry you are still experiencing bad symptoms!

I just read through your entire thread. I want to congratulate you to be completely off celexa!!

 

It seems after you completely quit in end of March, you got lots better with Nausea (the main symptom you had from reinstating celexa) while dealing with other symptoms (from WD).

 

is that true Nausea has been quite less until recently?

 

How do you feel overall now as compared to the time during the reinstate celexa?

 

I hope and believe you will get more and bigger windows as time goes by.

 

Lex

[dadto4boys]

Lex- the njausea has been on and off since.

[dadto4boys]

I've been on what seems like every med in the book but my therapist thinks I should try something different from klonopin. It doesn't seem to help at all with my anxiety and she thinks if I can take something to calm me better that I won't have the withdrawal as long bc I'll be able to heal better.

 

 

I've tried Xanax and Ativan. And neurontin. Obviously SSRIs are out as an option. Any suggestions?

[dadto4boys]

Also has anyone had a lot of acid reflux during withdrawal? The

[Altostrata]

dadto4, when your nervous system is upset by adverse drug reactions, no drug is a good option. Klonopin and other benzos come with their own severe drawbacks.

 

From the notes you've been keeping about your daily symptom pattern, does your nausea occur before or after you eat? What times of day? Same with reflux.

 

Quite a few people get digestive problems as side effects from drugs and withdrawal. We have many topics in our Symptoms and Self-care forum  http://survivingantidepressants.org/index.php?/forum/8-symptoms-and-self-care/about this. It could be that specific foods, such as coffee or dairy, are causing your reflux. Or it could be you have developed a sensitivity to a certain kind of food or additive, such as cured meats or food coloring.

[dadto4boys]

The nausea is always worse in the morning immediately upon wake up.

 

Reflux is on and off. We had chili last night and for lunch so it may be tomato sauce. We've recently switched to vegetarian diet so it's all plant based.

[dadto4boys]

I know that no drug is a good option but I'm beyond anxious. I've been trying to practice calming techniques when im calm but i have a hard time with them regardless.

 

I had some hope again that I might have a brief glimpse of relief with a PRN med since my body doesn't seem to respond to the klonopin.

[Altostrata]

People with digestive problems usually keep a food diary to pin down the cause of their symptoms.

 

How often are you taking Klonopin? You realize the Klonopin could be causing anxiety, right? You've reached tolerance -- it doesn't seem to be doing anything for you -- but you could still be getting a paradoxical reaction or rebound anxiety when it wears off.

 

Please discuss this in http://survivingantidepressants.org/index.php?/forum/29-members-only-benzo-tapering-discussion/
 

[nz11]

dt4b How are you holding up.

Wishing you strength form the bottom of the world. 

 

nz11

[dadto4boys]

We slowed down on the klonopin withdrawal and I'm currently holding at 3.75mg. I felt pretty good the last week or so until we had a stomach bug go through our house. I never felt like i got sick but more like my body was run down and fighting it.

 

But then my withdrawal was back in full force.... Nausea really bad, agitation, irritability. Everything that had calmed down was back and horrible.

 

My wife thinks the virus set off and destabilized my CNS. Is that possible? Could getting sick make withdrawals worse?

[nz11]

Good to hear from you dt4b. That was my experience ie getting sick was a catalyst for wdl symptoms or the amplification of them.

It will pass.

[dadto4boys]

Thanks NZ. I'm thankful for this board!

 

Slowly but surely I'll get off this stuff!!!

[ChessieCat]

Hi dt4b,

 

Yes, it is good to hear from you.  Pleased that you seem to be doing well, apart from the bug.  Hopefully things will settle down soon.  You may need to hold longer than you normally would before you drop again.

 

Could you please update your signature so that it shows an accurate, at a glance, history?  Thank you.

[dadto4boys]

Ok, so we're trucking along with klonopin withdrawals and I'm pretty proud to say I'm down to 2.75mg per day. My new pdoc really believes the klonopin is causing me to be anxious, agitated and sick. He was explaining how it can cause all of these problems and that the sooner I'm off, the sooner I'll feel better. He's not sure much of what I'm feeling is withdrawal.

 

Last weekend I went to urgent care with what I thought was bronchitis. Turns out I have pneumonia. Enter an antibiotic - levoquin. Oh man I wish we would have researched it before I took it!! FDA mandated black box warning because of the psychiatric side effects..... anxiety through the roof, nauseous, prickling all over my body.... I stopped taking it two days ago and I'm still experiencing all of this to some extent. Anyone have any experience with it, particularly during withdrawal? I'm hoping it's just a matter of letting my CNS settle back down.

[dowdaller]

I hear you barking, had a chest infection, and was self medicating with solpahdene and other over the counter and throw 10pints of lager in. And I havnt been right since. My sleep has been awful since wishing you good luck.

[Colonial]

Anyone with any history of your issues should never be prescribed Levaquin, Cipro or any thing in that family.  You are really going to have to be sure if you end up in the E.R. or anywhere that they CANNOT prescribe you ANY medication that has a history of causing not only psychiatric but now, neurological symptoms as well, as your withdrawals have weakened your neurological system as well.  Your also going to have to tell then about your WD problem history.  There are more people who know about these issues then you may realize but you have to make sure they know these are problems for you.

 

I had bad reactions to both Cipro and Levaquin,  even before withdrawing.  Dark thoughts, difficulty thinking, difficulty breathing, skin crawling, strange thoughts like, " Take off your boots and put them in the freezer", etc.   I had neurological issues for months after stopping.  It made a nephew of mine suicidal until they realised He was on the antibiotic.  

 

A move is being made to have these taken off the market in all but the most extreme cases where imminent death could be possible if the infection can't be controlled quickly but in those cases you would already be in the hospital.

 

But your really going to have to stop taking any but the most basic meds.

[nz11]

Thanks for taking the time to update dt4b. I was wondering how you were doing. Sorry to hear of the latest glitch.

Id be wary if the  pdoc wants you to speed up the taper...

[Altostrata]

Very sorry to hear you've been ill, d24b. Levoquin is notorious for side effects.

 

I hope the pneumonia, at least, is wiped out.

 

If I were you, I'd hold on any drug changes until your nervous system settles down from the antibiotic.

 

Benzos can cause a lot of problems, it's true, I believe we've investigated rebound anxiety, etc. with you? Jumping off them is fraught with problems, too, as you know very well -- and your pdoc apparently does not.

[dadto4boys]

Hey guys I asked this over in the benzo board but it's not as active as here.

 

I've been having a lot of muscle aches that almost feel like a pulled muscle and it lasts for weeks. I know muscle aches are pretty common in withdrawal, but for weeks? Also, I've noticed swollen lymph nodes in both my chest and throat area. I'm still fighting off thrush and I had some issues with my lung alveoli being collapsed after the pneumonia, but I'm kinda freaking out thinking they're swollen because of something else that I don't know about - like cancer that's undetected as of yet.

 

One of my main anxiety symptoms has always been a tightness in my throat, but the past few days it's on a totally different level - it feels like my entire throat is closed off and I can't breathe or swallow. My wife is telling me it's worse because of the withdrawals, but I'm not convinced.

 

Has anyone dealt with any of these?

 

I know I need to update my signature but I need to get on the PC... currently taking 1.75mg klonopin, 1200mg gabapentin (400mg x 3), propranolol 10mg, chelated magnesium 700mg, vit d3 5000mg, vit b 12 5000mg, vit c 500 mg as needed

[Altostrata]

How are you taking the magnesium?

 

Have you had a doctor look at the lymph nodes? This usually indicates an infection somewhere.

 

You might want to look at natural remedies for thrush. That can be a systemic infection.

[dadto4boys]

I've been taking chelated magnesium 250mg three times a day and Epsom salt baths every couple days.

 

The lymph nodes - doctor said it was probably related to the collapsed lung area and not to worry. But I am.

 

Thrush - started right after antibiotics for pneumonia. I have been drinking apple cider vinegar and water twice a day and painting my mouth with coconut oil. We are waiting for gentian violet to arrive in the mail - couldn't find it locally anywhere.

[apace41]

I've been having a lot of muscle aches that almost feel like a pulled muscle and it lasts for weeks. I know muscle aches are pretty common in withdrawal, but for weeks?

 

DT4B,

 

Very, very common in withdrawal but especially in benzo withdrawal. One of the many uses of benzo is their use as a muscle relaxant.  if increasing dose creates relaxation of muscles logic would dictate that getting off would result in the reverse -- tension and pain in the muscles. 

 

Unfortunately, those muscle aches and pains can last for weeks, months, etc.  It can wax and wane so that you feel better for awhile but then have a recurrence. 

 

Nothing is ever absolute and it is always possible something else is going on, but my thought is that this is very likely withdrawal.

 

Best,

 

Andy

[nz11]

dt4b i have been following your progress and wish so much for you to be free and healed from this.

I seemed to have missed something ..which often happens but i thought the only drug you were on was now propranolol but now i see you are taking 1200mg of gabapentin ..when was that added?

I'm am so sorry you have now(?) added this.

[dadto4boys]

Nz my pdoc added it to help while going through the klonopin withdrawal but I honestly don't see any changes at all with it. I've been tempted to stop that as well. I'll be happy when I'm free from all these meds.

[dadto4boys]

Anyone have info on diflucan? I'm so nervous about taking anything but I've had thrush for so long and feel it's time to take something a bit more powerful.

[Altostrata]

I was going to suggest a more aggressive approach with integrative techniques, for example 9 Candida Symptoms & 3 Steps to Treat Them - Dr. Axe

[dadto4boys]

Do you think diflucan would bother my system at all?

[Altostrata]

Please read up thoroughly on diflucan and its side effects. The antifungal drugs are very hard on the liver.

 

Use the Drug Interactions Checker http://www.drugs.com/drug_interactions.html
to see if it conflicts with anything you're taking now.
 

[Chicago77]

dadto4boys, 

 

You have a lot of the same symptoms I do, so now I'm even more convinced they are withdrawal. They are just soon strange sometimes that it's hard to believe it's not something more serious. I have had muscle tension and pain for several months now. Also, burning skin, tightness in throat and chest. Sometimes it feels like there is a lump in my throat or an elephant sitting on my back or chest. I also have pain in my lymph nodes in my groin area and armpits. They aren't swollen, but they hurt. If you haven't already, I would just see a doctor about the swollen lymph nodes just to make sure it's not something else. Hope you improve soon! 

[ladybug]

I always like to check out the reviews on Askapatient.com when I'm prescribed something. Of course the results will be a little skewed as people who have no issues with a med are unlikely to write a review, but I like to read the problems people tend to have when they DO have an issue.

 

I was prescribed a 6 month course of Diflucan for stubborn, recurrent yeast problems myself and of course the doctor mentioned nothing about periodic liver function tests. This is why it's so important to be your own advocate and do as much research you can. When I looked up Diflucan on the site I saw some people had no issues and others had allergic reactions to it, some so bad it landed them in the ER. That was enough to convince me to try all alternatives first. I've heard really good things about Gentian Violet so you should definitely try that first before resorting to Diflucan.

[dadto4boys]

Thanks for the replies. I saw the dr yesterday and he didn't prescribe anything. He said he didn't see thrush but I wake up with new spots every morning. It's not as bad as it was in the beginning for sure. Will try the gentian violet when it comes in the mail. Couldn't find it anywhere locally.

[dadto4boys]

Long time no update.

 

I'm at 1.125mg of klonopin and decreasing weekly but I'm struggling hardcore with anxiety. My pdoc suggested a low dose of lexapro (10mg) to help me get through the withdrawals.

 

I struggled tapering from celexa, but looking back I think it was more a klonopin issue than a taper issue. Would you dance with the devil again if it would help you and taper after you were stable?