☼ Cymbaltawithdrawal5600: Introduction

[Altostrata]

Good to hear. Make sure and get the preservative-free drops, some people are allergic to the preservative.

[Petunia]

I woke up at about my usual time (around 6 AM) and just lay awake consumed by fear. Fear of everything, not just dying in particular. I'm still alive and I am afraid of doing anything. Mystified by what has happened, what I have done wrong and afraid of trying anything because I don't know what has happened. It is of little comfort for me to keep telling myself that this is a normal part of withdrawal. I think meditation (and now EFT) has stirred up all these feelings and thoughts and I am trapped inside them and I don't know how to handle them or what to do to make them go away. Am I supposed to try to distract myself and try to make them go away or just feel them? Is this what it is like to feel myself without thinking I need medication to feel better?

 

 

I'm going through the same thing, wake up every morning like this, some mornings worse, some better.  It used to be much worse all the time, I would be shaking, sweating, going hot and cold, terror and dread, sometimes for several hours.  When it finally stopped for the day, I would be exhausted.

 

Yes, is this withdrawal?  Is this part of a spiritual process?  For months, before I found this site I was convinced I'd had a kundalini awakening.

 

I used to regularly read a blog called Beyond Karma, its not very active any more, but the main theory was that the basic problem in every person's life was an underlying fear of life, not death as is commonly thought.  At first that didn't make sense to me, but its starting to become true.

 

I also keep asking myself "What did I do wrong?"  I sometimes play a game with myself and try and pinpoint a place in my life where I would go back to and not make the one major mistake.  But I can't find any obvious place, apart from the moment I took that first Zoloft, but even then I'm not sure, it kept me numbed out and calmed down, enough so that I could endure my marriage, keep quiet and raise my daughter without passing all my dysfunction on to her.

 

Are we waking up now?  I don't just mean you and me personally, but humanity in general.  If you believe a lot of internet sources, humanity in general is becoming more conscious, more aware and I ask myself, if this is true, then is this why so many more people struggle with anxiety, depression and other 'disorders' and look for ways to take the edge off life, because its becoming too intense.

 

I don't know, I'm just thinking out loud in your thread, and I don't have any answers, but you are certainly not alone and I also think that a lot more people than we know about, are also struggling with the same issues, trying to cope with life, keep up an image for the outside world and use whatever they can, including medication to take the edge off the fear and pain in a world which no longer makes much sense.

 

The one thing which keeps me going, day after day, is the belief that this is a process and I just have to go through it.  I'm not certain what 'this' is, but I do know that there's no going back.  But that's just me, for other people, perhaps it its possible to go back to a previous happy state where life was mostly manageable and pleasant.

 

Sometimes I distract and sometimes I feel.  Distracting feels better, but feeling seems to heal something, when its over and I've survived (again), there is a subtle sense of freedom and lightness.

 

If meditation is causing too much fear, then maybe you should stop, or do a different kind of meditation, there is one called 'metta' or loving kindness which is supposed to be gentle and calming.

 

Like you, I'm also feeling like I need other people more than I ever have, which for me is strange because I've always been very independent and mostly preferred my own company over that of a lot of people, but now, the idea of being alone terrifies me, but  the reality of it isn't any different from it how ever was, when I can calm down enough and stop thinking.  I'm less able to handle being around people, but a fear of being alone has surfaced

 

I watched a new batgap interview yesterday, I can't remember who it was, but this guy had an unexpected, major awakening experience after not much practice, he knew what had happened, but then he spent about 7 years being quite messed up as he tried to balance his new awareness with the rest of his life.  I was thinking, if this withdrawal has triggered an awakening of sorts, then I've done 2 years and I've got 5 to go.  I hope this is just withdrawal.

 

There might be something in what your Mom said about oranges, they can be too acidic for some people, they give me me headaches.

 

I'm going to stop rambling about myself in your thread now

 

Wish I had some answers.

[btdt]

I am not saying this is right or wrong I don't know we all have our own way to go...but if you think the meditation has started making you feel not so hot then why not give it a rest for awhile.  If it is just a coincidence that a wave of withdrawal hit at the same time you started to meditate you can check it later when you feel better by starting again.  When I read how your going over your past and looking at things I think of my own first year of withdrawal where I did that too... I wonder if the backward looking is part of this.  

 

I am not sure where I was in the process when I found a book called the power of now that really helped me get out of the history and the searching somewhat.. and live at least in part in the present... it was a gift to me... maybe it would help you.  It is just a thought.  wishing you well...peace.

[cymbaltawithdrawal5600]

Btdt,

 

I have already stopped the meditation and reading buddhist thought for now. We shall see what happens, if I feel comfortable enough in the future to try it again.

 

Right now I just feel all riled up inside, swirling questioning thoughts. I read power of now earlier in the summer and found that it did help quite a bit letting go of anxious thoughts about the future. I don't know what is the matter right now after having those talks with my mom about my dad. I just don't know what to do and I feel stuck. Is the reason I keep having all of these emotional outbursts because I haven't healed my past or is it wd and I should leave it alone?

 

I'm lost.

[cymbaltawithdrawal5600]

Feeling trapped, anxious and confused today. Having lots of childhood memories of my dad's anger. Have done some reading about TRE and there are no practitioners in my area and there are cautions for people attempting it if they have emotional issues. Now I know what unbearable inner tension feels like. The top of my head feels like it is burning and I do not know what to do. Not even worried about my eye so much, just this tension.

[Jemima]

You seem to be going through a very bad wave, so please keep in mind that that's all it is.  It will pass. I know it feels awful and like it will never end while it's happening, but please try to hang onto the knowledge that it's temporary.  Being in pain always seems to make time nearly stop for most people.

[cymbaltawithdrawal5600]

Jemima,

 

I'm so grateful you made a comment for me today. I've been here a long time (writing nonsense a lot of the time) but this is the first time I'm having the sort of symptoms I read about others having and it has thrown me for a loop how intense they are. I am beginning to think that alternative therapies like meditation, eft and tre (that one is in a thread by Petu) are not a really good idea in early recovery. When they might be attempted by anyone is a point to consider since none of us knows what is really going on in our physiology.

 

I took a couple of hydroxy (25mg) earlier today because it got so intense. They've just now worn off because I can feel the anxiety in my gut again, my head is buzzing too. I am sipping at some magnesium hoping that will help. And a warm bath maybe too.

 

I am doing the best I can to keep the scary thoughts out of my mind too. This truly is he11.

[cymbaltawithdrawal5600]

Thank goodness I was able to sleep but the inner shaking, scary thoughts and head buzzing continues.

[mammaP]

Sorry you are feeling so bad CW, hope you feel better very soon.  X

[cymbaltawithdrawal5600]

Thanks mammaP,

 

I am feeling a bit better, seems like the afternoons are always better. giak posted the yoga exercises again and i was so shaky this morning so I decided to try the legs against the wall and I believe that it helped. It was much better when I did it on my bed instead of the floor, I have been lounging on my bed a lot and somehow I feel safer there. It actually relaxed me to the point of drowsyness but I had an appt this pm so I had to stay awake.

 

I have to find some emotional strength somehow. I don't think I've ever had it or maybe I just can't see it right now. I can keep up a good attitude when I am around people for the most part but with some friends and with myself, not so much. I hope you are feeling a bit better today....

[cymbaltawithdrawal5600]

Somehow managing to sleep but woke early to the inner vibration and very bleak thoughts. I am sipping my magnesium drink and alternating periods of feeling hot then cold. I now understand how bad this has been for the ones going through it because I am now experiencing it myself. My ignorance was bliss compared to this.

[mammaP]

'This too shall pass' I love that quote and tell myself that when I feel bad. Reading your post earlier 

about drinking your magnesium sent me off on a search, then out to the chemist where I bought some 

Andrews liver salts. I remembered my mum buying it when we were kids and I would sneak some because

I loved the taste and the fizz. I actually went looking for milk of magnesia but they didn't have it, then saw

the Andrews. I take magnesium baths but feel I'd benefit from taking some too so just reading your post

helped me today  . 

[Petunia]

I am feeling a bit better, seems like the afternoons are always better. giak posted the yoga exercises again and i was so shaky this morning so I decided to try the legs against the wall and I believe that it helped.

 

How are you today CW?

 

I read something giak posted yesterday too.  It lead me to beyond meds and I ended up spending almost the whole day reading through various blog posts from links she has on the site.  I kept reading stuff and thinking about you, wondering if what I was reading would help or give you some ideas.  I was reading things about how meditation can cause adverse effects and increases in anxiety at times, and that its a normal part of the process, which is rarely talked about.

[cymbaltawithdrawal5600]

Glad you got an inspiration from my post, I am sure not able to inspire myself much right now.

 

What in the world is this that I am experiencing???? I am reacting with horror and dread to all of my thoughts and occasionally experience gut clenching anxiety (but not 'dread' as I would define it). My body feels like it is vibrating inside, the muscles of my face seem all bunched up and tense, especially over my right eye. My left eyebrow is arched up at the side nearest my ear. The feeling is massive inner tension.

 

Is this what is called 'akasthisia'? From my reading it is sometimes an effect of ssri withdrawal. I don't remember ever having it during my acute phase nor when I had a setback during the summer. Or is it massively surging cortisol/adrenalin? I looked up akasthisia and it is related to dopamine depletion. I will have to research that next. I just finished the entire thread on magnesium/cortisol and got some good insights.

 

I was extremely agitated starting from when I woke up and lasting till late afternoon. (Agitation meaning gut waves of anxiety and inner shaking). I sipped some calm (mag citrate). I had taken some over the last week but stopped it because I was getting the runs and still not able to eat. Did one of the yoga poses with difficulty but nothing helped. I had skipped coffee this morning but got a coke on the way to my volunteer job. While drinking it I realized it was probably making me worse so I dumped it. Couldn't stay there so I came home.

 

Bought some milk and a frozen veggie pizza and had warm milk before eating a few slices. Found my half eaten bar of very dark chocolate and had a square. Sipping a little mag (using a smaller amt this time). I feel much calmer though my foot is nervously shaking. I don't have nearly the usual (from the last few days) amount of fear and dread looking around this house that I have not managed to clean up yet so that's a good sign.

 

I am pretty sure that the meditation class did not precipitate all of this. As I think back on the events of the summer I can see where I did some very bad things. First of which was my gradually increasing soda consumption and stopping the water drinking. No regular exercise and definitely not eating right. I was thrown for a loop when I lost my appetite completely and just let it go. That is a bad idea altogether. How I will solve that one I am not sure. I just don't have much interest in fixing and eating food, haven't had for YEARS. No wonder I ended up on ADs. Things were marginally better when my mom cooked me one meal a day but when I went through wd I told her to stop because I was unable to eat what she had been customarily making me.

 

My reading led me to believe that I have the high cortisol in the morning and it's possible the akathisia coinciding. What a terrible mess. If I had not been a member of this board and read so much about these states, I would surely have done something drastic. I kept reading the descriptions but they did not sink in because I seemed so WELL for the most part and thought I did not belong here. All that chasing after airy fairy spiritual stuff blinded me to basic self care that I was neglecting.

 

I am going to have a bit of a challenge getting it straightened up because I know me and the snap judgements I make - I stopped the wrong things and I can feel my reluctance to start them up again because I fear they are what caused all this. Nope, I didn't build a better self care regimen and all my seeming good healt was not a reality. I just hadn't hit wd. This is a huge wave and I hope I can cope.

[cymbaltawithdrawal5600]

Hi Petu,

 

Your post got posted while I was replying to mammaP's note. When you come back to my thread you'll see what my day has been like.

 

I am not sure what to do about meditation yet. I am not clear thinking enough (and have not kept a journal, i'll have to go back in my thread) to see if the anxiety increase coincided with lengthening my meditation period and spending too much time reading about buddhism. Something about it scares me for some reason, I may have to do 'meditation lite' and 'secular buddhism' and stay away from the deep stuff. And stop reading the weird stuff..... I spent far too many days just sitting on my bed and reading instead of tending to myself. I get overly involved in my head and forget there is a 'real' world out there.

 

If you find stuff you think would be helpful, feel free to post it here in my thread. I think a big problem with me is that I believe everything I read without question and forget that what is written is a 'snapshot in time' and may not still be applicable in the present. One of the things that bothered me was something that Buddha said about not praying to a 'god'. I have lost any sense of a higher power and I feel lost and alone and without comfort. I am not able to give myself any hope because things aren't going very well right now.

 

I'm going to check your thread for an update - I hope you are doing well!

[Petunia]

As I think back on the events of the summer I can see where I did some very bad things. First of which was my gradually increasing soda consumption and stopping the water drinking. No regular exercise and definitely not eating right.- I stopped the wrong things and I can feel my reluctance to start them up again because I fear they are what caused all this. Nope, I didn't build a better self care regimen and all my seeming good healt was not a reality. I just hadn't hit wd.

 

I think its good you have been able to recognize this, and thank you for sharing it, I've been quite confused about why you were doing so well for so long, and now suddenly have started having classic withdrawal symptoms.

 

My situation was similar in that I was completely off Lexapro for about a year, before my significant crash, but in all that time, I would say I only had 2 really good months after the initial withdrawal period, then things started going down hill, for me it was increasing situational stress and irregular use of ADD meds, St Johns Wort, Xanax and Inderal.

 

Did you read Matt Samet's recent blog post on MIA about his setbacks?  Its here if you didn't:

http://www.madinamerica.com/2013/10/setbacks/

 

I don't think I wrote on my thread for a day or two, not sure, but I haven't been doing well, bad wave starting Monday morning, may have been caused by icecream, chocolate and too much sugar.

[cymbaltawithdrawal5600]

Hi Petu,

 

Yes, I did read of Matt's setback, harrowing reading. I only just today made the connection to my own behavior. I have no idea why my appetite is depressed, I am forcing myself to eat but I don't have any real hunger. I can't eat a lot of ice cream, something I used to love (in fact had to dump some out of my bowl last night, couldn't eat it). I'll have to do some more thinking and see if I can get an idea what caused my setback earlier in summer. That's when I stopped everything, the water, the few supplements, the exercise. I know it had something to do with the enormity of the painting job I had started and my wish to have it over and done with as soon as possible. I was browsing DIY lighting ideas and remembered wanting to just stop and do some of the ideas but I wouldn't let myself. I overexercised on my bike one night, was very sore next day and then gave it up altogether. Shortly after that I remember waking up with the awful gut anxiety one morning and I stopped everything. I don't remember it lasting very long (I'll have to check my posts) but I've been hibernating ever since, telling myself I needed to rest.

 

So my symptoms are 'classic withdrawal'? I guess they are. My acute withdrawal last year is a too dim memory I think because cymbalta sedated me very much and it lasted for a long time, at least till after the first of the year. I feel ok right now but I am really nervous about lying down to sleep. I was able to fall asleep last night ok because the agitation abated in the afternoon like it has now. About a week or so ago I bought some cheap omega that didn't have any vit D and started taking one of those a day. Somehow I don't think they did it but you said you were having a reaction to yours. After reading the magnesium thread in its entirety I think that might be the key, I really do. My heart thudding all of the time, poor diet, not drinking enough liquid, I can't get away with not taking care of my basic needs like I have been doing. I will have to get some supplements that work for me while I work on my eating.

 

I don't like to hear that you are unwell too. It seems from your gentle and helpful responses on this board that you are better able to handle your upsets but that may not be true. I am totally terrified at the way I feel, the awful thoughts are the worst. EVERY thought brings immense anxiety and I start to feel very frantic. I hope tomorrow is better for both of us!

[cymbaltawithdrawal5600]

Did not sleep well last night. The worst is lying there with intrusive negative thoughts. The vibration started up again so I sipped some magnesium and it quieted. I had the sleep mask on for awhile and my eye is swollen up again. Things look pretty bleak right now, it's rainy outside. I hope I feel better soon.

[Altostrata]

If your eye is irritated, you might not want to put something as confining as a sleep mask over it. Try a soft towel instead.

[Rhiannon]

CW, I can't tell you how many times I have overreached myself, or let go of my self-care discipline, only to be sorry later. We have to learn our limits as we go. I know it feels terrible, but this wave will pass and you will have learned how far you can push yourself and how important it is to take care of yourself, and that will help you in the future.

 

Ice cream! I just threw the remainder of two pints of Ben and Jerry's in the trash this morning because I'm feeling so terrible today after eating ice cream the past two nights, on top of making some recent cuts after a long hold that gave me a nice "honeymoon" period. Apparently the honeymoon is over and it's time to get back to being more careful about my diet and all those self care regimen things.

 

Thanks for sharing your journey. Hang in there. It will get better.

[mammaP]

Me too, my failing was biscuits. How crazy is that? A packet of biscuits! My neighbour came in for coffee and I bought a pack of gluten free biscuits because she has coeliacs. She brought chocolate digestives. I had 2 digestives gave the rest to my daughter to take home and was left with the gluten free ones which I stupidly ate all to myself followed by a cup of soya ice cream. Far too much sugar for me and I'm paying for it. Why do we do it when we know the consequences?  

[cymbaltawithdrawal5600]

Alto, Rhi and mammaP,

 

Thanks for giving me some much needed support. I do not remember my earlier setback being as bad as this. The very  worst is the thoughts - they are devastating! Not one shred of hope anywhere! Convinced I will get a horrible disease, all those bad things.

 

I won't try the sleep mask tonight. I have no idea what is the matter with my eye and I am terrified to go to the doctor. My face muscles feel uncoordinated all over, even had some difficulty talking yesterday. Scalp feels like it is moving and have a high pitched whistle in my ears. Since I have never felt like this ever I might be right in thinking (and you all are confirming) it is wd and not the aforementioned horrible disease.

 

I don't remember reading why the symptoms seem to get better later in the day but I see a lot of people reporting that they do. Today I felt better a little earlier but I really shoved the mag citrate in as well as some food and about 40 oz. water. I bought the stuff to make the Waller water mentioned in the magnesium thread. My honeymoon is definitely over and I have to make myself take better care of myself. I have not done so up to this time and I see how I was so quick to think that I had escaped ongoing wd symptoms like some have had just because they went away early on. This is terrible.

 

Just to be safe I am not going to eat anymore ice cream. I have a half a can of whipped cream I am just going to toss out. I never felt I reacted to sugar but many report that they do so I better not take any chances.

 

Everyone says it gets better. I'll have to hang my hat on that...

[Petunia]

I don't like to hear that you are unwell too. It seems from your gentle and helpful responses on this board that you are better able to handle your upsets but that may not be true. I am totally terrified at the way I feel, the awful thoughts are the worst. EVERY thought brings immense anxiety and I start to feel very frantic. I hope tomorrow is better for both of us!

 

....no, its not true, I get terrified, lay on my bed shaking, living from second to second, focusing on each breath like as if my life depends on it, just to stop the thoughts and images from tormenting me.  Every morning its like this to some extent, some days much worse than others.

 

On some days, my brain is back working, enough so I can write some things here by about 10am, other days it takes until the afternoon and some days it never works properly at all.  I just don't write anything here if I'm not up to it, goodness knows what would come out if I tried

 

Not feeling as bad today as earlier in the week, just shocked at how bad it got again.  I hope you are feeling better now.

[cymbaltawithdrawal5600]

Oh god, Petu. I understand now what this suffering is like for you because that's what is happening with me. It is truly awful. I'm sorry we have to go through this. Mine is slightly better today, I woke up several times last night but I made some preparations to get me through the night and this morning I do not feel as awful as the last 2 mornings.

 

I found some Indian style lentil soup at the store yesterday (kinda spicy and has turmeric in it). I made myself eat the whole can about 2 hours before bed. I drank some warm whole milk about 10 pm and started to yawn before I finished it. Lay down and fell asleep but awoke 1 1/2 hrs later. I mixed up some magnesium water in a big glass and had it by my bed so I could drink it off and on through the night. I awoke more times to use the bathroom and drank the water each time. About 4 am I decided that I would eat so I had some bread butter and jam and lay back down. I managed to lie there awake without freaking out, telling myself I was getting 'rest' if not more sleep. I did drift off for a bit more and at 7:30 decided to get up. Finished my water and had a dish of probiotic yogurt.

 

I still feel the vibrations and odd sensations, especially in my head and the eye swelling. I have noticed (as I look back on it) that I have been sweating during the night too, just like I remember after I CT the meds. I have a dull ache over my left eye too. I have managed not to take any pills whatsoever - no hydroxy, no ibuprofen. I have a few klonopin left and that whole bottle of inderal and I was really tempted but I didn't. I was afraid they would make me worse instead of giving relief.

 

So this morning I do not feel that 'wanting to jump out of my skin' feeling and I think that's a good sign. I am supposed to go to an art show with a friend and I hope I can do it. I'm optimistic that forcing myself to eat, taking magnesium and drinking water helped somehow so I am going to keep trying.

[mammaP]

I'm glad you are feeling a little better today, sorry you are suffering so much, you too Petu. x

[cymbaltawithdrawal5600]

Thanks mammaP, I sure hope you are feeling better too. This wd sickness is so much worse than I ever remember. Like I am so much more awake to everything. All the odd sensations in my body are so scary but it's the 'insides' I feel. My skin feels numb and my temperature sensing is not right. I keep looking at the temperature inside the house and can't figure out if I should be cold or hot. It is very strange. I hope my afternoon at the art show goes well. I can't even think past the activities of just today or my mind starts to worry.

[cymbaltawithdrawal5600]

The art show was nice but I did get tired from the walking and had to sit down for a bit. My friend was so caring, she made sure I got some nuts to eat as a snack and we got sandwiches on the way home. I actually felt ok most of the day although I was tired from poor sleep. Kept waking up during the night to pee and kept sipping the mag water.

 

Last night was very bad. Slept only an hour or so and my brain was awake all night. I stayed in bed though. Somehow I managed to get to the store and get the good quality omega caps and some more milk. The milk makes me a little drowsy but I cannot get back to sleep though I have tried. My head hurts all over and there's nothing I can do about it. This is truly awful.

[cymbaltawithdrawal5600]

another night without sleep. when I lay down, my breathing gets very shallow, dreadful thoughts come and I have to sit up. nothing is helping yet. i can't even write a proper post i am so numb

[mammaP]

I really feel for you CW, withdrawal insomnia is the worst, I wish I could do something to help

and hope you can get some sleep soon. X

[cymbaltawithdrawal5600]

thanks mammaP, there's nothing I can do is there? I feel numb all over. I have been taking the magnesium and even bought some in a spray. I am going to try some Seriphos today if I can drive to the health food store. i don't have enough energy to cry and it's hard to write.

[cymbaltawithdrawal5600]

I made it to the health food store but bought the wrong phosphatidylserine so I'll have to make do with it.

 

I have the oddest symptom which I haven't ever seen anyone mention. When I lay down and try to fall asleep my breathing gets very shallow and starts to slow. I start to get anxious, have weird thoughts or 'colors' behind my eyes and I have to sit up or I feel I will jump out of my skin. I can get some cat naps if I recline against my bedrest and I have also fallen asleep with my laptop on my lap. The only person I have heard mention breathing problems like these is theelt. Anyone else?

[Petunia]

 

I have the oddest symptom which I haven't ever seen anyone mention. When I lay down and try to fall asleep my breathing gets very shallow and starts to slow. I start to get anxious, have weird thoughts or 'colors' behind my eyes and I have to sit up or I feel I will jump out of my skin. I can get some cat naps if I recline against my bedrest and I have also fallen asleep with my laptop on my lap. The only person I have heard mention breathing problems like these is theelt. Anyone else?

 

I get the anxiety, weird thoughts/images etc if I try and nap during the day, I also suddenly sit up because I feel like I'm about to jump out of my skin, or something..explode maybe.

 

The way I've been going to sleep at night, ever since this withdrawal started is by watching or listening to interesting, but not stimulating youtube videos and then I find myself falling asleep.  At some point I will feel sleepy, then I stop watching, just listen and let myself fall asleep.  So, at night, I never actually try to go to sleep.  Occasionally, I listen to sleep hypnosis vids.  I think, just having something to occupy the mind at a low level is enough to stop it spiraling out of control. Finding things which last longer than an hour helps, I usually end up listening to coast to coast am radio shows on youtube, but have to be careful because I find some of the conspiracy stuff can be too stimulating.

 

I think the reason I've been able to avoid getting into a long, drawn out insomnia cycle is that I've never let myself worry about not sleeping, even during the first few months when I was only getting 1 - 2 hours a night.  I made sure that my room was comfortable and felt 'safe'.  I kept pleasant, distracting material on hand like books, audio books, meditation music, online lectures, so that I always had something to occupy myself with during the night if I couldn't sleep.  I have a very low level bedside light in a warm tone, it feels comforting at night.

 

I don't have breathing problems but I found this:

 

"Shortness of breath, hard to breathe, feeling smothered, feeling that you have to force yourself to breathe, gasping for air, frequent yawning"

 

"Feeling like you can’t breathe or catch your breath is a common consequence of hyper arousal. When experiencing episodes of this symptom, it’s best to remain calm, do your best to regulate your breathing without over breathing (you can do that by using a controlled relaxed breathing pattern), and passively accepting this symptom for now.

As we mentioned earlier, there is no risk of suffocating or not breathing. So this symptom is just an annoyance, isn’t harmful or dangerous, and is NOT life threatening. Doing the above mentioned strategies and giving your body ample time to eliminate its hyper stressed state will eliminate this symptom for good.

So again, this symptom isn’t worth being concerned about or fretting over. It’s temporary and will disappear when your body recovers."

 

That came from an anxiety recovery site and lists that particular breathing problem as being a common anxiety symptom.  Its a paid site, so there is no point in me sending you the link.

 

I hope the PS works for you, it does seem to help some people.  It helped me when I was waking up a lot during the night from temperature fluctuations, but it didn't turn out to be a long term solution, so I stopped taking it.

 

I hope this wave passes soon, and your sleep improves.

 

(hugs)

[cymbaltawithdrawal5600]

Hi Petu,

 

Thanks for the informative post. It jives with something Alto wrote that is posted on beyondmeds:

 

 

Sleep disorders are very, very common in withdrawal syndrome. Excessive alerting activity and inappropriately raised cortisol at night causes the awful withdrawal insomnia.

 

The brain wants to keep us alert to respond to (non-existent) threats, and wakes us up when we become too inattentive. Tragically, the alerting response is triggered by the relaxation of sleep. This is not a circadian rhythm disorder. It is entirely iatrogenic.

 

Too strong an intervention, even deep relaxation, will cause the meta-homeostasis to increase alerting activity. The paradoxical nature of the condition is particularly hard to understand.

 

I think this is possibly what triggered mine, the deep relaxation I was getting from meditation. There is no accompanying citation for the info, I wonder if Alto remembers where she found it.

 

I was able to sleep about 4 hours initially last night, awoke briefly to pee then clanged awake at 4:30 am and stayed that way. I lay in bed till about 7 then gave up. I am very fearful, I have a sleep over dog sit starting tonight and hoping I will be able to cope. My stool was clay/tan colored this morning, from the magnesium? I did the best I could at the health food store but all I was able to get was the wrong phosphatidylserine and mag glycinate tablets, have to take 4 of them to get 400mg and I was only able to get 2 in before bed last night. Don't know if I should persist with them or just keep drinking the mag citrate. I also got some omega with out D3 so I can take more of it. I have no idea if I am doing myself any good and I'm scared. Info on magnesium says not to worry about an overdose unless kidney function is bad.

 

Thanks for keeping an eye on me.

[Altostrata]

That's from my own personal experience, plus hundreds of case histories.

[cymbaltawithdrawal5600]

now i know what pain really feels like, have begun moaning and trying to cry, anything to release this horrible tension. this has not abated since this morning and I wonder if I shouldn't have taken something, like the phosphatidylserine. i am in agony and don't know what to do.

 

i see Alto just posted a reply to my query about deep relaxation. I am so stupid about everything, I read it and don't apply it to myself. I don't think I would have heeded the warning had anyone told me deep relaxation could bring this on. it was a combination of a lot of things anyway.

 

now i understand when people say they want to die when this happens. my mom says it's not my time yet

[Altostrata]

Taking magnesium in small divided doses is more effective. You can take it when you wake up at night. This may help.

 

Try to see this as a phase. It's a wave that will pass.