Benzos What are Brain Zaps and Moderately-Strong Muscle Contractions Indicative of?

[Ventrusii]

Today in my 2nd block class around 9-10AM, I was on two cups of coffee and continuing my benzo withdrawal. I started to have pretty frequent brain zaps and got really anxious as to what they meant, and then right after the brain zaps started the muscle contractions. It started just as a restless leg, but turned into full out forced-flexing of my arms and leg muscles, frightening me to the point of almost taking the emergency-dose I had with me.

Is what I experienced enough to conclude that a seizure was possible and that I need to be tapering, rather than CT'ing from my benzo usage? I'm thinking of getting Diclazepam to taper with and just using enough to allow me to sleep and none more, anxiety and tremors are fine with me as long as I can sleep at the end of the day.

 

[tacodude]

That means your on the verge of a seizure. Go to the ER benzo WD cold turkey can literally kill

 

[Speed King]

^^ Thanks tacodude. You didn't mention what dosages of benzodiazepines you were using OP. They can easily fix your situation at the ER. This is no joke. Go to the ER if you can handle it or call 911. When stuff like zaps and the like start happening, you need attention now. Go to the ER.

 

[jamesBrown]

I have experienced similar symptoms when stopping benzo use....or tapering it down.

It would help if you(OP) could tell us what dosages of what benzo's you were taking and how often and for how long....but whether or not you tell us what benzo you were taking, tacodude and Speed King were right when they said to go to the ER. You could literally be minutes away from a seizure. And like they said, hospitals can easily take care of you...they have procedures for situations like this(benzo/alcohol WD). They have procedures in place for a good reason....people die from benzo WD, often when they think they aren't at risk.

But if you decide that you insist you will not seek medical help at a hospital, in the spirit of HR, I believe it's best to give you advice on how to stay as safe as possible.

If you decide to deal with quitting benzo's on your own, make sure you TAPER. Never go cold turkey when it comes to drugs that have deadly WD symptoms( benzo's, alcohol, barbiturates etc.) . ALWAYS TAPER. So my advice is to make sure you have a supply of whatever benzo you prefer and have a taper plan set up that you follow in order to safely get off benzos. It really shouldn't be that hard or cause much WD. Of course there is usually the "mental WD" to deal with for weeks after cessation.

**I also find it very helpful(and important) to have at least one person who knows that you have been using "X" benzo for "X" amount of time and are in the process of tapering off so you are at risk for seizures and other serious Benzo WD symptoms.**

 

[sm0kestack]

Do you guys think I would have to worry about benzo WD after running out of them after taking 1mg/day, sometimes 2mg. One in morning, than 1 at night, for about 10 days straight? Most of the days I had only took 1mg. Thanks

 

[billthepill987]

i highly doubt it

Do you guys think I would have to worry about benzo WD after running out of them after taking 1mg/day, sometimes 2mg. One in morning, than 1 at night, for about 10 days straight? Most of the days I had only took 1mg. Thanks

Currently i am taking 10 mg of pzizer xanax a month....(thanks for insurance and working with computers but anyways, you have taken hardly anything. They say it could take up from 2-8 weeks if you are taking a .5 or a blue football 1 mg. You wlil be fine....i stopped for 3 months cold turkey with the help of phenobartial.....but still hell. But I couldnt work or fuction, they are a great drug in the begginning but you dont what to be up to a legal prescription of 5 2mg bars a day for less than a candy bar. But everybody is different I drank which also helped with the GABA receptors. But I was a wreck. Im back on adderall and the xanax and life is good. Hope everything works out. If anything take a long acting benzo like valium for 2 weeks while weening. I got off xanax cold turkey once in detox....by taking the first benzo made,,,...........librium.......that made me lose all withdrawls in 6 days, good luck

 

[Ventrusii]

Thank you, guys. I've devcided to start a taper and am going to get in the diclazepam soon to have a longer-acting benzo.

I have more than enough benzos to use recreationally, let alone for a taper, for months, so I'm going to be fine.

 

[kleinerkiffer]

Check out the Ashton manual for a taper if you haven't already

 

[Jabberwocky]

Check out the Ashton manual for a taper if you haven't already

^
+1

 

[sm0kestack]

As in my previous post above, I was taking KLONOPIN/CLONAZEPAM 1mg/day, SOMETIMES 2mg for 10 days. I too get K-pins with adderall for obvious reasons.

Today has been day 1 without taking a k-pin and I haven't noticed any benzo WD symptoms. I do think I didn't use them long enough and the quantity of use will not cause me to WD.

I also take anywhere from 800-2400mg of GABAPENTIN when I wake up, but don't GABAERGIC substances just bond to the GABA B receptors. So, since BENZOS bind to GABA A receptors, would GABAERGIC drugs like GABAPENTIN not really do too much to help if WD'ing from BENZOS?

 

[kleinerkiffer]

So is ONE SINGLE brain zap an issue or mean a seizure is imminent, or only extreme stuff the OP described with muscle contractions?

I still don't know what a brain zap is indicative of.

Please don't derail and bump this thread
Edit: I unapproved your posts and the replies and moved them to your thread