The 9 month cycle

[Iggy131313]

So what are peoples opinions on the 9 month cycle...from all the reading I have done and corresponding with people either healed from w/d or going through it there seems to always be the significance of the 9 month cycle

 

a period of worstening from 5-9 months

 

many people see improvement at 18 months

 

I have read COUNTLESS people say they felt a large improvememnt at 27 months, hopeful and areoman both spring to mind, and 27 months is s strange time to pin point, but it IS 9 months after the 18month mark..

 

I know that things are different for everyone but I have noticed this time and time again...alto, others what do you think?

[bruno2016]

So what are peoples opinions on the 9 month cycle...from all the reading I have done and corresponding with people either healed from w/d or going through it there seems to always be the significance of the 9 month cycle

 

a period of worstening from 5-9 months

 

many people see improvement at 18 months

 

I have read COUNTLESS people say they felt a large improvememnt at 27 months, hopeful and areoman both spring to mind, and 27 months is s strange time to pin point, but it IS 9 months after the 18month mark..

 

I know that things are different for everyone but I have noticed this time and time again...alto, others what do you think?

 

 

Maybe we can look to numerology? Seems like 9 is somewhat of a special number: http://www.numerology.com/numerology-numbers/9

[Nikki]

On another site that I was a member of the people there used to use the pattern of 3 months > then 6 months > 9 months and then 15 and 18 months.

 

I suppose if so many people feel this way then there must be some truth to the pattern. Why it exists I don't know. It's sad that it takes so long.

 

Hugs

[Iggy131313]

in my very lowly and humble opinion, its 9 months but that is spilt into 2 sections of 5 months and 4 months

 

Its seems there is a worstening at the 5 months that leads to an improvement 4 months later, I am seeing some people now entering the 14 month bad wave, like you say, of course its not a fact but there does seem to be some kind of pattern.

 

Yes your so right about it being so sad that it takes so long, what a mess we are in eh? pure hell

[GiaK]

I think it's just somehow convenient to break it up that way...people recover whenever they recover...some people never get sick at all...I'm about to hit 3 years off the meds in February...of course it took me six years to come off so I've been sick much longer than that, too...and maybe MAYBE, I'm actually recovering now since I found the histamine issue...and that only happened one month ago...

 

I'm hoping that my three year update on the blog will be one that rightly predicts the end of this nightmare...it's a bit premature to assume that just yet...

[Altostrata]

I haven't seen any such large cycles in recovery.

 

When you look back 6 or 9 months, you can see how far you've come.

[Jemima]

I know it's comforting to think that the ups and downs of withdrawal recovery can be predicted, but I haven't seen anything like a common progression among the many sufferers who come to this forum, and it hasn't been my personal experience either.

 

At five months I was definitely getting over the worst of WD and the improvement continued for about four months. Then I hit a shallow trough, so that's the polar opposite of the nine month cycle described above. Four and a half months later, the trough is beginning to crack in places and I've had a few windows of genuine normalcy. (Many of my previous windows were brief experiences of great improvement, but not quite normal).

 

I'm at thirteen months out now, not altogether well, but vastly improved over last year this time. As GiaK said, recovery happens when it happens.

[starlitegirlx]

I've read a lot of this nonsense of things going awry at these three month cycles as well. I had one person that was on here (nobody I've seen posts from recently that I can remember) put the fear of protracted WD beginning 6 and 9 months out. I wrote that person the riot act as they instilled a dread fear in me which I got over once I realized that for this person to have posted such nonsense, such fear generating garbage, they had to have quite a few issues of their own particularly on a site where people come for comfort not looking for things that have zero basis in fact.

 

If you expect to hit some wall at the magical 3 number then more than likely you will. Self fulfilling prophecies do happen. I'm sure there are people that do hit some kind of wall or wane at those times, but if you did a statistical analyses of all people and charted their windows and wanes you'd find it to not be a predictor of anything.

 

There are things that do still hold true for all people. Look for or expect the worst and odds are you'll get it. Look for the best and expect the best and odds are you'll fare much better than the first group. People recover when they recover. Everyone is different. And there are so many variables to factor into one's recovery that one person cannot compare their recovery to another person's. Too many things to account for like what meds they've taken, how long, what health issues they had, if they had or have any...

 

Don't pay attention to this 3 month cycle. It's probably something people started to give themselves a sense of control over the uncontrollable. Fact is, not knowing is the scariest thing for most, so they will invent patterns or see them when they are not there just to give themselves any sense of control, even if it means they are predicting that some horrible wane cycle or protracted WD is coming for them, they will feel better knowing that rather than to just take it day by day and cope with wanes when they come and enjoy windows when they come. The need for control and the lack of it has caused much damage to individuals over the course of time. Letting go of that need and just trusting things will happen according to when they are meant to happen is difficult but also makes life a lot easier.

[starlitegirlx]

I know it's comforting to think that the ups and downs of withdrawal recovery can be predicted, but I haven't seen anything like a common progression among the many sufferers who come to this forum, and it hasn't been my personal experience either.

At five months I was definitely getting over the worst of WD and the improvement continued for about four months. Then I hit a shallow trough, so that's the polar opposite of the nine month cycle described above. Four and a half months later, the trough is beginning to crack in places and I've had a few windows of genuine normalcy. (Many of my previous windows were brief experiences of great improvement, but not quite normal).

 

I'm at thirteen months out now, not altogether well, but vastly improved over last year this time. As GiaK said, recovery happens when it happens.

 

Sorry for the double post but I had to point out that in the need for control someone, somewhere would take this bolded part from Jemima's post and work it into the magical three month theory. They would probably say that the 5 month mark was essentially 6 months and then that the 4 month mark was essentially 3 months. Then they would have their magical nine. When things don't fit people will make them fit just to make themselves better.

 

At 6 months out I was recovering. No worse. No better. There have been no magical 3 month marks in my course of recovery. Actually, at six months out I was stabilizing on Klonopin. Nothing about it was worse than any other month. I'm at 7 months now and doing far, far better than I have been in perhaps 10 months. Now one could look at the six month mark, see that I'm better at seven and say the cycle of three holds true. But at 6 months I was dealing with K WD, and no worse than any of the month prior to it. The magical factor for me was stabilizing on the K. It had nothing to do with numbers. It had to do with addressing what the actual issue was and adjusting so I would improve. Also, I am vastly improved at 7 months so I do not fit into this worsening during 5-9 months even in the slightest. I feel better than I have in ages.

 

If you put stock in these numbers, you'll make yourself a wreck paying attention to them and possibly creating self fulfilling prophesies. Best off to consider it nonsense and take it day by day, making the best of it as much as possible. That will help your recovery more than some magical three superstition. In fact, the magical three superstition (which it is) will likely make you worse for the amount of fear and dread it instills in you as you approach the time frame or if you are in it now. The fear/dread then will lead to more issues during your recovery because for the best recovery minimal stress and anxiety are desired. But with this magical three number looming over you, you won't have ideal recovery conditions and your stress and anxiety will be increased and create a self fulfilling prophesy. Logic at its best.

 

I also concur wholeheartedly with Jemima's sentiments in the above post.

[Nikki]

It probably is better not to even think about numbers. It is probably anticipating something that may not happen.

 

Do you think we blame alot on WD that may just be normal reactions to upsetting circumstances?

I knew that crying, anxiety, insomnia and the neuro-emotion stuff was due to WD.

 

I remember migratory aches and pains. Imitation flu. Bruxism too. Maybe I have been luckier than alot of others.

 

???

[compsports]

It probably is better not to even think about numbers. It is probably anticipating something that may not happen.

 

Do you think we blame alot on WD that may just be normal reactions to upsetting circumstances?

I knew that crying, anxiety, insomnia and the neuro-emotion stuff was due to WD.

 

I remember migratory aches and pains. Imitation flu. Bruxism too. Maybe I have been luckier than alot of others.

 

???

 

I also wanted to add regarding withdrawal that the danger is you can blame symptoms on it that are due to other medical issues as I learned with sleep apnea. Unfortunately, it hasn't helped me in sleeping better due to difficulties in adjusting to the machine but that is a whole other post.

 

Who knows, maybe if I had gotten diagnosed sooner, I would be in better shape. Would have, could have, you know the drill.

 

Agree that it is pointless to worry about counting months regarding withdrawal.

 

CS

[antoinette]

I agree. It will happen when it happens. I learned it definitely wont help reading stuff and getting it in your head that will happen to you. We are all different.