Benzos Xanax withdrawal complications. In need of help please!

Hi all. I was on 4mg of xanax daily for about 6 months, in which time i was stupidly abusing them whenever i could. it got to the point that i was taking upwards of 20mg in one sitting (i know thats fucking retarded, trust me i'm definitely paying for it now). My doc cut me off and red flagged me so I cant get any benzos anywhere in the VERY small town i live in anymore. I had to go cold turkey off of the 4mg per day, and I stopped on 3-17-16. During the first week i had 2 seizures which were terrifying, but after that I just had the usual symptoms like insomnia, slight dizziness, memory loss, and headaches. Its been a little over 3 weeks now, and i thought i was doing fairly well, but the symptoms are getting progressivly worse and I fear i'm going to have a heart attack or stroke. I've been having VERY sharp pains in my left chest, left shoulder, left arm, and left hand and occasionally my left arm goes completely numb. This is usually accompanied by shortness of breath, and I am extremely dizzy all day every day. I've been to the emergency room 5 times in the past 3 weeks and the docs seem to brush me off everytime and say that its anxiety. I fucking know anxiety, I've had panic attacks and anxiety my entire life and i've never had chest and arm pains like this. lately i've been having jaw and neck pain as well, and all of these symptoms strongly point to heart attack or stroke. I just dont know what to do anymore. Last week i even had to call 911 and the ambulance came and picked me up, and they said my blood pressure and heart rate were through the roof, but they didnt do shit for me, and once again brushed it off as anxiety. I've had blood work, a ct scan, an EKG, and chest x-rays done and the docs have been unable to find anything. However that being said I also went to the ER when i first got off the xanax because i was afraid of having a seizure, and the doc was an asshole and said "you wont have a seizure. you are fine." so i went home and an hour later i had a fucking seizure and woke up on the floor bleeding from my tongue and head. im at the end of my rope, as i said i cant get any benzos to taper, and i tried calling several rehab and detox facilities in Michigan, the state i live in, and they all basically said they cant help with benzo withdrawal unless i taper. so wtf am i supposed to do?

Hi, pahn, i know what your going through. I've done benzodiazepine rattle from diazepam, when i used to eat them like candy 300mg plus a day. I white knuckled it and the seizures/fits are the worst. Benzo rattle is the worst I've done, they Fuck with your body mentally and physically so bad. You need to taper or be under some kind of medical supervision. What's wrong with the fucking docs over there ? I'd like to see them rattle it out, they might learn something ! Anyway, if you need to know anything specific, ask. Stay strong. It will end. Take it ez, always. Fuck benzos.

I'm kinda between a rock and a hard place because I found a rehab/detox place that i could possibly travel to, but my biggest problem is I am also on suboxone for opiate withdrawl, and have been for years. i started on 16mg and over the past couple months I drastically cut down my dose to 4mg a day and havent had any issues. My problem is i wont be able to take my subs in the rehab either, and i fear that the combo withdrawal of the benzo and subs are going to be too much to handle. i feel like i'm knocking on deaths door with just the benzo wd. that being said, I'm also running out of my subs and i havent been able to work with the withdrawals, and its costing me upwards of $500 a month to get my subs. So I guess either way I'm pretty much being forced into quitting. Im fucking terrified. I dont even fear seizures anymore, Its the sharp pains in my left chest and left arm that are constantly scaring the shit out of me. I swear it feels like i'm going to have a heart attack or stroke. this is NOT anxiety. my heart can be at a resting pace and i'll be calm as hell and my left chest will still hurt like a motherfucker. The pain seems to stay right under my left nipple and under my armpit on my side. Then it will travel through my shoulder and underneath my bicep, and sometimes to my wrist and thumb. It's been happening for about two weeks, and has been getting progressivly worse. I've also noticed that it seems to happen most often when i sit or lay down.

you don't want to white knuckle serious benzodiazepine withdrawal. I would go to the ER, tell them you're in acute benzodiazepine withdrawal, make up an excuse, say your doctor died, WHATEVER, just make sure you leave with some diazepam to taper off with until you can find a rehab/detox.

^^^^
ZNegative is right.

The doctors may have been jerks, but from what you posted they did work you up for a heart attack/stroke. Blood work for elevated enzymes and ekgs are the standard. You also had x-rays and a CT. Did you tell them you were in acute benzo withdrawal? Go back and tell them!

Like I said before, I've been to the ER 5 times in the past 3 weeks and said that i was in benzo withdrawal. I CANNOT GET ANY BENZOS. I've told them every single time and they wont give me anything, my doc was a fucking asshole and he red flagged me for benzos so NO doc will give me anything. It's been 3 weeks now, what else can I do? I dont even know if i can get into a rehab or detox. The only one in town is a VERY poor excuse for one, mainly dealing with alcohol so they barely know how to handle opiate wd let alone benzo. The longest they usually admit ppl is 3-5 days and they cut you loose, which would be fucking pointless. The best one i could find is about a 5 hour drive away and I dont have a car, not to mention my lack of money and insurance, so im kinda fucked. any suggestions?
/

No American hospital willl refuse treatment of benzo w/d because it is potentially fatal. Go your ER and say you have had 2 seizures and are afraid you might die or kill someone while driving, ect. You can't find one street benzo to pull your mind/body together for a few hrs? I'm having to taper soon too. If that will not work go to the next town over and say it. Or go to the hospital and said you have been pounding liqour for weeks/months/years straight and are having DTs - youll get librium or ativan

If you are running out of subs, I would highly suggest tapering more.

I would write a letter of complaint to the person in charge of the hospital. Sounds like denial of treatment to me.

In the meantime I would suggest asking around for people that have illicit benzos, or a benzo script that they have extra from. It won't be hard they are rpescribed like candy.

I would do all you can to get to the rehab, ring them tell your in benzo wd's having seizures and heart attack symptoms. They must have a duty of care ? I've just tapered from 8mg buprenorphine/subutex to 0.4mg in 3 weeks and I'm now 11 days clean. I've still got wd's and i suppose it will go on for awhile yet because of how subutex accumulates in your system over time. You need to get help to taper both. I do not recommend using my tactics of white knuckling benzo or methadone wd. it's so intense and so long, I must of been crazy to do it, but it taught me a valuable lesson. Never again. I hope you get the help you deserve. Stay strong.

ok i'll try saying this again...the hospital red flagged me. this means that they will NOT give me ANY addictive medications under ANY circumstances. I have been there 5 times in 3 weeks, and they REFUSE to give me anything.

^^^ you sound more worried than you should be -- understandable considering the WD. If you really need to, go to ER or urgent care and say you are having seizure after discontinuing meds

mike.vick as i've stated several times now...i have been to the ER 5 times in 3 weeks and have mentioned A: that i am going through benzo withdrawal. and B: that i have had 2 seizures. I am red flagged, and they will NOT give me anything.

Can a doctor actually cut you off suddenly like that? It seems totally illogical that he wouldn't taper you off first. If you fucked up the taper, then that'd be your own fault, but I'd definitely expect him to not cut you off like that.

Also how can an ER refuse to give you anything if you tell them you're having seizures from benzo w/d... it doesn't sound like we have the full story.

pahn said:

mike.vick as i've stated several times now...i have been to the ER 5 times in 3 weeks and have mentioned A: that i am going through benzo withdrawal. and B: that i have had 2 seizures. I am red flagged, and they will NOT give me anything.

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There isn't only 1 ER in your area is there? If so, Go back and tell them you tried to self-medicate your symptoms by using heavy alcohol since you stopped your meds- and that the booze caused you to have more seizures. Tell them the booze caused you to have multiple seizures.

Go to a different ER.
Go to a pharmacy and ask people who are living w/ prescriptions ~10% could be benzos..
Ask your neighbors if they have anxiety pills...

The full story is that I went to the ER twice for running out of my xanax, once was because I legit wasnt prescribed enough and the second time my script was stolen. So the second time the doc was a fucking asshole and he red flagged me.

OKAY, does not matter. They have to treat you - tell them you were abusing heavy alcohol after the doctor cut you off and you have had multiple seizures and need to detox.

Mike.vick-yes there is only 1 ER here, the nearest one other than that is a LONG way away. secondly i highly doubt that if hardcore benzo wd wouldnt convince them to give me anything, i doubt alcohol would, and finally, even if the alcohol excuse does work its not like they're going to give me a months prescription or anything id be lucky to get a weeks supply and wtf am i supposed to do when it runs out? also i've tried asking everyone i know for anxiety meds to no avail...and did you seriously just say that i should go hang out at a pharmacy asking random ppl for meds? are you fucking nuts? i dunno what crazy town you live in, but here i guarantee my ass would be arrested in 15 mins flat.

mike-as i said before, i'm red flagged and the only rehab/detox here is a VERY well known place that mainly deals with alcohol detox. My town is FULL of drunks. there is a fuckin bar and liquor store on every corner. If i went to the ER asking for alcohol detox they would just send me there. I've seen it happen several times.

Okay. Yeah, hanging by a pharmacy is nuts, but so is benzo WD. If it has been 3 weeks since you quit, I assume you are feeling atleast a lil better? AND any ER in the US knows that serious-benzo and alcohol-wd can be fatal - and yeah, you'll only get a weeks worth, but that is a lifetime when you are WD, plenty of time to score.

You don't have any aquantinces with anxiety meds? Go to the bars and try to score. I get my anxiety meds from the mail..

dude i live in a VERY small town. I have one friend who gets xanax, but shes been avoiding me like the plague. and in the extremely small town i live in if i go around asking strangers for drugs id get arrested in a heartbeat.