Guest guest Posted July 4, 2006 Report Share Posted July 4, 2006 Francis, the symptoms you are describing are the same as those you describe after stopping the antidepressants. I don't think it is the bromazepam that did this. The reactions you had were not " weird " ; this is what happens when these drugs are abruptly discontinued. I would not suggest reinstating bromazepam, but instead, would suggest diazepam (no more than 10 mg a day). It would help with some of the symptoms but not all. It will not be difficult to get off the diazepam at that dose. I suggest reading Eating for Recovery in our files. I also suggest reading Overstimulation and Nervous System Overload. http://health.groups.yahoo.com/group/Withdrawal_and_Recovery/files Supplements -- magnesium (taurate, malate, or citrate) -- 300 mg 4x a day. , Calcium citrate -- 200 mg 4x a day (for anxiety, not nourishment), Vit C -- 500 mg every 2 hours until 8 pm, GUARDIAN GREENS powder or capsules (http://www.naturalways.com/guardian-greens.htm), colloidal trace minerals, Ashwagandha, and CHI ENERGY (http://www.herbalhealer.com/drchi.html). Alternate taking mag and cal (don't take at same time). These are suggestions based upon what you told me and considering the short period of time you took these drugs. Don't underestimate the power of proper diet. With a proper diet you eliminate all anti-nutrients (chemicals, sugar, etc) and take in the nutrients your body used to function). Regards, (moderator) tapering bromazepam this is my story. my name is francis. in oct 05, i suffered from chronic insomnia and my doc referred me to a psychiatrist who prescribed me ssri/sleeping tablet combination. i was put on trazodone/faverin/prozac/remeron (for about 1 week each) for altogether 6 weeks. i was finally taken off the ssri in mid nov 05 becos my doc felt i was much too sensitive to the ssri which elevated my anxiety. but i got some very very weird reactions after stopping which included itch, brain shivers, painful pins, heavy arms etc. the psychiatrist just said i had anxiety and little did i know then that i was suffering with withdrawal. anyway i was asked to take bromazepam 0.75 mg/day as needed but that did not quite help. i probably took about 10-15 x 0.75 mg from mid nov 05 when i stopped the ssri till edn dec 05. in jan 06 i went to a neurologist who asked me to take the bromazepam regularly. but by then i have read about the addictiveness of benzos. i reluctantly went on 3 weeks of 0.75-1.5 mg/day of bromazepam but decided that i did not want to be dependent on the benzo so quickly cut that out in a week. i was on such a low dose and also for such a short period that i could not see myself prolonging taking the benzo by doing a slow taper. it's been 5 months since i'm off the bromazepam and 7.5 months off ssri. i'm still feeling anxious, jittery, nervous, have speech and hearing difficulty (my ear fills up with pressure and pops even at the same altitude). i know time will heal me but i just wonder if i should have done a slow taper on the benzo as most of my current symptoms developed after stoppong the benzo. i'm not suffering terribly (no pain but the anxiety and speech/hearing difficulty is a real pain. i have stopped working since mid mar 06 as i was unable to hold onto my job. so i'm not sure if i should reinstate and maybe go through the whole process again which may or may not help me. appreciate any thoughts and advise. many thanks. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted July 4, 2006 Report Share Posted July 4, 2006 hi catherine, i also do not think the bromazepam is the sole cause of my problem but probably is a combination of abrupt ssri discontinuation/bromazepam use too. i would not like to go back on benzo as that is probably not the reason why i'm feeling like this and i don't want to trade one problem for another. agree that diazepam is best but 1.5 mg bromazapam is just 2.5 mg diazapam equivalent. would it make sense to reinstate some prozac and taper that ? would try the supplements you recommend. thanks, francis > > Francis, the symptoms you are describing are the same as those you > describe after stopping the antidepressants. I don't think it is the > bromazepam that did this. The reactions you had were not " weird " ; this is > what happens when these drugs are abruptly discontinued. I would not > suggest reinstating bromazepam, but instead, would suggest diazepam (no more > than 10 mg a day). It would help with some of the symptoms but not all. It > will not be difficult to get off the diazepam at that dose. > > > I suggest reading Eating for Recovery in our files. I also suggest > reading Overstimulation and Nervous System Overload. > > http://health.groups.yahoo.com/group/Withdrawal_and_Recovery/files > > > Supplements -- magnesium (taurate, malate, or citrate) -- 300 mg 4x a > day. , Calcium citrate -- 200 mg 4x a day (for anxiety, not nourishment), > Vit C -- 500 mg every 2 hours until 8 pm, GUARDIAN GREENS powder or capsules > (http://www.naturalways.com/guardian-greens.htm), > > colloidal trace minerals, Ashwagandha, and CHI ENERGY > (http://www.herbalhealer.com/drchi.html). > > > > Alternate taking mag and cal (don't take at same time). > > > These are suggestions based upon what you told me and considering the > short period of time you took these drugs. Don't underestimate the power of > proper diet. With a proper diet you eliminate all anti-nutrients > (chemicals, sugar, etc) and take in the nutrients your body used to > function). > > Regards, > > (moderator) > > > > > > tapering bromazepam > > > this is my story. my name is francis. in oct 05, i suffered from > chronic insomnia and my doc referred me to a psychiatrist who > prescribed me ssri/sleeping tablet combination. i was put on > trazodone/faverin/prozac/remeron (for about 1 week each) for > altogether 6 weeks. i was finally taken off the ssri in mid nov 05 > becos my doc felt i was much too sensitive to the ssri which > elevated my anxiety. but i got some very very weird reactions after > stopping which included itch, brain shivers, painful pins, heavy > arms etc. the psychiatrist just said i had anxiety and little did i > know then that i was suffering with withdrawal. anyway i was asked > to take bromazepam 0.75 mg/day as needed but that did not quite > help. i probably took about 10-15 x 0.75 mg from mid nov 05 when i > stopped the ssri till edn dec 05. > > in jan 06 i went to a neurologist who asked me to take the > bromazepam regularly. but by then i have read about the > addictiveness of benzos. i reluctantly went on 3 weeks of 0.75-1.5 > mg/day of bromazepam but decided that i did not want to be dependent > on the benzo so quickly cut that out in a week. i was on such a low > dose and also for such a short period that i could not see myself > prolonging taking the benzo by doing a slow taper. > > it's been 5 months since i'm off the bromazepam and 7.5 months off > ssri. i'm still feeling anxious, jittery, nervous, have speech and > hearing difficulty (my ear fills up with pressure and pops even at > the same altitude). > > i know time will heal me but i just wonder if i should have done a > slow taper on the benzo as most of my current symptoms developed > after stoppong the benzo. i'm not suffering terribly (no pain but > the anxiety and speech/hearing difficulty is a real pain. i have > stopped working since mid mar 06 as i was unable to hold onto my > job. so i'm not sure if i should reinstate and maybe go through the > whole process again which may or may not help me. > > appreciate any thoughts and advise. many thanks. > Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted July 4, 2006 Report Share Posted July 4, 2006 Dear Francis, You said: <i also do not think the bromazepam is the sole cause > of my problem but probably is a combination of abrupt ssri > discontinuation/bromazepam use too. i would not like to go back on > benzo as that is probably not the reason why i'm feeling like this > and i don't want to trade one problem for another. agree that > diazepam is best but 1.5 mg bromazapam is just 2.5 mg diazapam > equivalent. would it make sense to reinstate some prozac and taper > that ? would try the supplements you recommend. >> ** It's too late to go back on the SSRI. Also, didn't you say you had problems with it from the beginning? I wasn't suggesting 15 mg of diazepam. I said not to take more than 15 mg and it will be fairly simple to discontinue. My reason for recommending this is because your system is stuck in this anxiety mode and that needs to be broken. This is the fastest way. You could do it for just a week -- enough time to slow your system down a little. Regards, Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted July 4, 2006 Report Share Posted July 4, 2006 hi catherine, yes i had problems with the ssri as that allevated my anxiety too much so agree that going back is not the solution. i have tried slowing down my nervous system with small amount of bromazepam (took 1.5 mg/day bromazepam equivalent to 2.5 mg diazepam) but that actually made me feel worse as i developed intense psychological anxiety and nervousness after stopping the benzo. agree that diazepam could help me becos of long half life but it probably will take more than a few weeks and this short time may not help to stabilise my nervous system as it is hyped up due to ssri discontinuation. when i was taking bromazepam regularly, i took 1.5 mg/day for a week then 0.75 mg/day for the next and then went back on 1.5 mg/day for the next and then quickly tapered that off. maybe it was too much up and down for my nervous system to handle. like i explained i am not suffering terribly... my anxiety and nervousness though intense is managable but i still hate it as i was a very confident person and this problem has caused me my job (and a very good one # & #!@*). i'm hesitant to take benzo becos of potential to develop tolerance and since these psycotropic drugs have taken away a good portion of my life, i am not willing to give up what is remaining. would you recommend taking valerian root or is that also like a mild benzo ? i will definitely try the supplements you recomended. thanks, francis > > Dear Francis, > > > > You said: > > > > <i also do not think the bromazepam is the sole cause > > of my problem but probably is a combination of abrupt ssri > > discontinuation/bromazepam use too. i would not like to go back on > > benzo as that is probably not the reason why i'm feeling like this > > and i don't want to trade one problem for another. agree that > > diazepam is best but 1.5 mg bromazapam is just 2.5 mg diazapam > > equivalent. would it make sense to reinstate some prozac and taper > > that ? would try the supplements you recommend. >> > > > ** It's too late to go back on the SSRI. Also, didn't you say > you had problems with it from the beginning? > > I wasn't suggesting 15 mg of diazepam. I said not to take more > than 15 mg and it will be fairly simple to discontinue. My reason > for recommending this is because your system is stuck in this > anxiety mode and that needs to be broken. This is the fastest way. > You could do it for just a week -- enough time to slow your system > down a little. > > Regards, > > Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted July 4, 2006 Report Share Posted July 4, 2006 hi catherine again. i had problems with trazodone and remeron but not with prozac but that was taken for 1 week only. when i took remeron i developed gastrointestinal sensitivities, my arms had pins and needles and i finally had a panic attack. that was why i was taken off the ssri. that was why i asked if going back on prozac was a viable option ? thanks, francis > > Dear Francis, > > > > You said: > > > > <i also do not think the bromazepam is the sole cause > > of my problem but probably is a combination of abrupt ssri > > discontinuation/bromazepam use too. i would not like to go back on > > benzo as that is probably not the reason why i'm feeling like this > > and i don't want to trade one problem for another. agree that > > diazepam is best but 1.5 mg bromazapam is just 2.5 mg diazapam > > equivalent. would it make sense to reinstate some prozac and taper > > that ? would try the supplements you recommend. >> > > > ** It's too late to go back on the SSRI. Also, didn't you say > you had problems with it from the beginning? > > I wasn't suggesting 15 mg of diazepam. I said not to take more > than 15 mg and it will be fairly simple to discontinue. My reason > for recommending this is because your system is stuck in this > anxiety mode and that needs to be broken. This is the fastest way. > You could do it for just a week -- enough time to slow your system > down a little. > > Regards, > > Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted July 6, 2006 Report Share Posted July 6, 2006 hi catherine, the main additional symptom after taking bromazepam was nervousness and also speech stuttering. the stuttering is not becos i am nervous but somehow my tongue seems to run faster than my thoughts. do you think going on diazepam would help as i have already tried bromazepam earlier for about 3 weeks on low dose? thanks so much and regards, francis Withdrawal_and_Recovery , " fchoy8 " wrote: > > hi catherine, yes i had problems with the ssri as that allevated my > anxiety too much so agree that going back is not the solution. i > have tried slowing down my nervous system with small amount of > bromazepam (took 1.5 mg/day bromazepam equivalent to 2.5 mg > diazepam) but that actually made me feel worse as i developed > intense psychological anxiety and nervousness after stopping the > benzo. agree that diazepam could help me becos of long half life but > it probably will take more than a few weeks and this short time may > not help to stabilise my nervous system as it is hyped up due to > ssri discontinuation. when i was taking bromazepam regularly, i took > 1.5 mg/day for a week then 0.75 mg/day for the next and then went > back on 1.5 mg/day for the next and then quickly tapered that off. > maybe it was too much up and down for my nervous system to handle. > like i explained i am not suffering terribly... my anxiety and > nervousness though intense is managable but i still hate it as i was > a very confident person and this problem has caused me my job (and a > very good one # & #!@*). i'm hesitant to take benzo becos of potential > to develop tolerance and since these psycotropic drugs have taken > away a good portion of my life, i am not willing to give up what is > remaining. would you recommend taking valerian root or is that also > like a mild benzo ? i will definitely try the supplements you > recomended. thanks, francis > > > > > > Dear Francis, > > > > > > > > You said: > > > > > > > > <i also do not think the bromazepam is the sole cause > > > of my problem but probably is a combination of abrupt ssri > > > discontinuation/bromazepam use too. i would not like to go back > on > > > benzo as that is probably not the reason why i'm feeling like > this > > > and i don't want to trade one problem for another. agree that > > > diazepam is best but 1.5 mg bromazapam is just 2.5 mg diazapam > > > equivalent. would it make sense to reinstate some prozac and > taper > > > that ? would try the supplements you recommend. >> > > > > > > ** It's too late to go back on the SSRI. Also, didn't you say > > you had problems with it from the beginning? > > > > I wasn't suggesting 15 mg of diazepam. I said not to take more > > than 15 mg and it will be fairly simple to discontinue. My reason > > for recommending this is because your system is stuck in this > > anxiety mode and that needs to be broken. This is the fastest > way. > > You could do it for just a week -- enough time to slow your system > > down a little. > > > > Regards, > > > > > Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted July 8, 2006 Report Share Posted July 8, 2006 Yes, Francis, I do think the diazepam would help. It is a much 'gentler' drug than bromazepam (which is a sedative hypnotic). C > > > > > > Dear Francis, > > > > > > > > > > > > You said: > > > > > > > > > > > > <i also do not think the bromazepam is the sole cause > > > > of my problem but probably is a combination of abrupt ssri > > > > discontinuation/bromazepam use too. i would not like to go > back > > on > > > > benzo as that is probably not the reason why i'm feeling like > > this > > > > and i don't want to trade one problem for another. agree that > > > > diazepam is best but 1.5 mg bromazapam is just 2.5 mg diazapam > > > > equivalent. would it make sense to reinstate some prozac and > > taper > > > > that ? would try the supplements you recommend. >> > > > > > > > > > ** It's too late to go back on the SSRI. Also, didn't you > say > > > you had problems with it from the beginning? > > > > > > I wasn't suggesting 15 mg of diazepam. I said not to take > more > > > than 15 mg and it will be fairly simple to discontinue. My > reason > > > for recommending this is because your system is stuck in this > > > anxiety mode and that needs to be broken. This is the fastest > > way. > > > You could do it for just a week -- enough time to slow your > system > > > down a little. > > > > > > Regards, > > > > > > > > > Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted July 14, 2006 Report Share Posted July 14, 2006 dear catherine, can you please advise what is the best way to taper off the valium after taking it for a week or so? i tried 3 weeks of bromazepam earlier and i had some benefits but i went off the bromazepam very quickly and now feel much worse than before taking the benzo. many thanks for your help. > > > > > > > > Dear Francis, > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > You said: > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > <i also do not think the bromazepam is the sole cause > > > > > of my problem but probably is a combination of abrupt ssri > > > > > discontinuation/bromazepam use too. i would not like to go > > back > > > on > > > > > benzo as that is probably not the reason why i'm feeling > like > > > this > > > > > and i don't want to trade one problem for another. agree > that > > > > > diazepam is best but 1.5 mg bromazapam is just 2.5 mg > diazapam > > > > > equivalent. would it make sense to reinstate some prozac and > > > taper > > > > > that ? would try the supplements you recommend. >> > > > > > > > > > > > > ** It's too late to go back on the SSRI. Also, didn't you > > say > > > > you had problems with it from the beginning? > > > > > > > > I wasn't suggesting 15 mg of diazepam. I said not to take > > more > > > > than 15 mg and it will be fairly simple to discontinue. My > > reason > > > > for recommending this is because your system is stuck in this > > > > anxiety mode and that needs to be broken. This is the fastest > > > way. > > > > You could do it for just a week -- enough time to slow your > > system > > > > down a little. > > > > > > > > Regards, > > > > > > > > > > > > > > Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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