Misc The drugs don't work any more ... advice needed

[FionaFayruz]

So here I am in week three of benzo withdrawal, having to accept that I can no longer take any meds that cross the blood-brain barrier because, when they do, I drool. After 20+ years on benzos and antidepressants I am having to (a) come off everything and (b) find alternatives to help me with my severe anxiety and phobias.

Luckily I work from home so I don't even need to leave the house to do my job - which is the only reason I haven't lost it, because I'm a neurological basket-case at the moment. Everything in my system on high alert and I'm still exhausted, dizzy, tense, a little itchy, hypersensitive to noise and just feeling like hell, generally (though low-grade, compared to week one, when I wanted to die).

So ... here's my question ... are they *any* meds one can take for anxiety/phobia that *do not* cross the blood-brain barrier readily? After eight months of drooling all the time I couldn't take it any more and quit all meds. Even propanalol makes me drool and that's just a damn beta blocker. I am a runner but obviously in no condition to run right now. Am actually trying yoga from a book, that's how keen I am to manage my stress in withdrawal.

I was wondering about L-theanine ... though I believe that also crosses the blood-brain barrier? *sigh*

Any advice gratefully received!

 

[Cane2theLeft]

To treat anxiety with any kind of drug or substance, you have to take something that crosses the BBB. Ruling out more natural ways to address this on the arbitrary distinction that they cross the BBB won't benefit you.

There are a number of natural substances such as L-theanine, chelated magnesium, certain vitamins and others that can truly help (although no where NEAR the extent of stopping the anxiety in its tracks like benzos do).

There are SO many therapeutic tools besides psychoactive substances that can benefit you though - therapeutic interventions such as Cognitive Behavioral Therapy can produce more effective and most importantly, sustainable means of addressing the anxiety than simply masking the symptoms with drugs. You can either keep looking for easy ways out with pills (Rx or natural) or you can commit to doing the work to get at the root of the problem and finding sustainable ways of addressing the issue. The latter will probably require outside help.

Very basically it comes down to what you are willing to put into it to get something tangible out of it.

 

[i are spectre]

l-theanine, chelated magnesium, valerian root, and kava kava come to mind.

you will build tolerance to these, too.

youre going to have to find a way to deal with your problems without anything but yourself. stop fighting anything and start accepting.

 

[FionaFayruz]

As soon as I'm over withdrawal I'm going to try CBT. A decade of therapy didn't actually bring anything to light, except for some reason my nervous system is hyper-responsive. So I'm not going to bother with therapy as such ... I even tried hypnotherapy for my phobia (vomiting), to no avail. Though CBT does seem more practical and helpful, from what I've heard. I have never abused a drug in my life and I'm not exactly running away from anything - I'm pretty well adjusted.

I took medication my psychiatrist prescribed, and now I wish he had told me about the long-term effects of benzos. I think I would have sought an alternative back in my 20s when I most needed it. I wish I had discovered running sooner because it does make a difference. Except I can't run right now! But yoga is helping.

Anyway, thanks for the encouragement ...

 

[Dang 'Ol Stoner]

Here's an idea..... eat five whole nutmeg seeds.....you'll never want to do drugs ever again!

 

[Kid Amine]

You didnt say what benzo you were taking, but ride it out another 3-4 weeks. I had to detox from diazepam cold turkey from 20mg a day, and it took about six weeks before I felt decent again. Did you taper off at all, or jump cold turkey?

jmho, but drooling is about the #56,349 reason I would quit taking benzos. If it is that much a problem, you could take less and less, yes?

 

[RobotRipping]

i don't really find benzos make me drool or why that is a big issue. I think it's quite possible some people are wired up a bit different and have some sort of biological difference that only benzos can fix. Therapy can only do so much, sometimes there isn't a root to a problem, it's just a person's neurochemistry.

i'm not trying to say go back to taking benzos but after 20 years i imagine the withdrawals would be terrible, usually after a month you start feeling more human, then better from there on out, sometimes lasting more than 6 months but it's not impossible to get through medication free.

anything worthwhile will cross the BBB, that's not the issue really. Maybe try valerian root, cat nip, hops extract, l-theanine. Meditation and therapy helped with some of my anxiety. Remember all supplements are drugs too, there isn't much of a distinction other than not being able to get high from supplements.

i hope you did a taper on both your benzo meds and your AD meds because both usually have an awful withdrawal on their own and benzo withdrawal cold turkey, especially after 20 years of use can kill you. Sometimes people seize even after the first couple weeks of horror, so it may be a better idea to go back and taper than to quit cold turkey, if that is the case.

 

[adamaddison]

I dont know about banzos but if your doctor said so then you should carry on it. It will work slowly.

 

[FionaFayruz]

Much better

After a month of withdrawal hell, I am slowly getting better. Can now go out and even drove locally last week. I have a good feeling about my recovery now. I am starting to feel alive in little ways and have long episodes without any trembling or anxiety. I am going to do this without any meds. I have started painting again and I am relaxed about work...if certain jobs don't work for me there will be others that do. I guess I'm pretty cheerful...considering I went through utter hell, I can probably handle anything from here on, I reckon.

 

[blight12]

^^ Yeah ma, the other recommendations above are the best. You might find as i did that having a drug free brain can work out to be the best anti anxiety drug. Thats how it worked for me except for the issue of sleep, which can easily be dealt with via natural safe means...