scorpion91
10-08-16, 01:39
I'm unsure if I'm still experiencing "benzo withdraw" despite returning back to a Benzo.
Back in the Spring, I was taking Klonopin .5(2x/day) for Anxiety. Though I weaned myself it following my PCP/GP's insistence that it should be for short term use. I think my PCP's plan appeared to rushed because I tapered too quickly and had suffered withdraw symptoms: palpitations, blood pressure changes, changes in pulse, tachycardia episodes, mood swings(which later developed to Bi Polar I dx), increased anxiety, hot flashes, sensitivity(emotions, environment, sound, etc), gastro problems(difficulty swallowing, bloating, constipation), then urine retention/low urine output problems.
The "first wave" of withdraw I went through from May 20 to May 28.
May 28-May 30 admitted in an inpatient hospital for "benzo withdraw". The hospital was terrible for me because I was admitted in a bed just sat in a chair with other mental health patients watching tv for 2 1/2 days, checked vitals, given Ativan for "withdraw", and some med to get my blood pressure down. Discharged with Librium(given a dose of that before I left), discharge rx of Effexor 37.5.
Effexor didn't help for me it made my blood pressure elevate. Now my Dad takes effexor at the highest dosage for his PTSD, claims he doesn't experience side effects. I appeared to conclude based on research of Effexor that I'm sensitive to stimulant medications, and stimulants in general.
I went to my psych resident doc I saw at my univ regarding the Effexor "side effects" I experienced on June 1. He gave me a Rx for Prozac low dose. I took a dose of Effexor in the morning, but later took my Effexor that afternoon when I came back from my appt with my psych doc. I experienced a mild serotonin syndrome/anxiety attack: palpitations lasting a few hours, a slight elevation in blood pressure. I was yelling out to my dad that I thought I was having "an allergic reaction" to the medicine a few times. He told me to calm down while he called my mom from work. He thought I was having an anxiety attack.
I called my psych doc that same day, and he concluded it might have been a slight interaction--mild one and just monitor it.
The palpitations went off and on from the afternoon to early evening when my mom took me to a local er near my house. I entered the ER with the underlying complaint as a "Serotonin Syndrome interaction" I thought the two meds caused one. My blood pressure at triage was 150 something/100 and there was a pulse over a 100. I was taken to the back to a room about an hour and a half later. I saw two docs: a resident MD and the attending doc(some old White guy doc). The resident MD saw me first and he ordered an EKG to check my heart out, asked me a few questions, saw my meds I took. The older attending doc said the same thing. The EKG showed a tachycardia but nothing dangerous. They did keep me monitored on the vitals briefly.
No blood work was conducted on this visit which I thought was odd?
I was discharged dx with palpitations, anxiety.
But I still experienced "withdraw symptoms" still throughout early June. Palpitations, adrealine surges, blood pressure changes, sensitivity to sunlight, gastro problems, and eventually urine retention sensation.
I ended up in an ER twice in the weekend of June 4-June 5 for psych and for medical symptoms I complained of to my parents. Blood/urine came back okay those times. My parents thought it was "all in my head" but I kept arguing that it was the "Benzo withdraw." I got discharged on June 4 with Hydroxzine for anxiety but it oversedated me and I barely eat the sandwich my parents got me when I got out of the hospital. June 5 I had a GI cocktail and a Xanax and I "Felt like a million bucks" when I left the hospital and had a good sandwhich dinner and chips at my house. So I felt that part of the symptoms were connected to anxiety somehow.
I tried to brush it off/not worry about it but these "benzo withdraw" kept getting worse. June 6-June8: diminishing loss of appetite, palpitations, fatigue, tightness in chest, difficulty swallowing, low urine output despite hydrating, constipation, adrenaline rushes, mood changes. I felt like I was dying or was having some medical issues. I kept my parents frustrated by my medical and mental health issues.
I was in the hospital again on June 7 for the abdominal constipation/low urine output/urine retention problem I had at the time. This hospital at least did lab work unlike the June 1 visit didn't do. They did a urine analysis of my urine; xrays of abdomen and chest. All came back okay. The DO that was my attending doc at the hospital looked at my blood work from the hospital that saw me the past weekend on a computer. Discharged yet again with a clean bill of health, but the constipation, urine discomfort/retention/low urine flow/palpitations/insomnia/blood pressure changes/mood swings bothered me that night up till the next day.
My mom was just convinced by my behavior that I needed help because it was getting stressful for her and my dad.
So I went back to the hospital: the hospital that saw me on the weekend of June 4-5 to the Emergency Room. My mom told the triage nurse the symptoms I had been displaying and talked to a doctor there, and I had been admitted into the psychiatric emergency department. Blood work again conducted. I managed to urinate a small portion for the UA testing. I complained that I had palpitations/blood pressure changes, adrealine surges, constipation, lower abdominal pain, loss of appetite, swallowing problems to the nurses and doctors that saw me in the psych er that day. EKG showed an incomplete right bundle branch block which has been a part of EKGs for a while now. I didn't know that day it showed that until later on when I was in an other facility.
I was transferred from the psych er to a psychiatric hospital that same night because the hospital didn't have any new beds in their inpatient setting. I was transported via ambulance to a private hospital a few miles away in the medical center of my city.
I was there from late June 8 to June 15. I saw my attending psychiatrist the next day. I was a little shaky the first few days as I had the ailements I brought up. The med consult PA nurse had dx with a UTI due to Ketones in my urine: I had a 3+ Ketones in the urine at the hospital. My glucose was high at the hospital I was at previously. They thought I was diabetic due to that and ordered an A1C but I wasn't within the pre or diabetic range as I learned. Most of my stay I dealt with constipation and urination issues and brought it up with the nurses and dr I saw. I felt some relief of these symptoms gradually which makes me feel to determine part of the cause of these symptoms was psych and half is medical. This stay I was given 25mg Seroquel and .5 Ativan 2x a day.
A returned back to that psych hospital on June 22 due to insomina I experienced from the Seroquel, brief agitation/suicidal-sadness I was experiencing from it, and urination problem still. Note: I wasn't planning to kill myself or had a plan. I just had a brief depressing suicidal thought that had been exacerbated somewhat by my dad, who had PTSD.
So I was back in the psych hospital from June 22 to June 27. My psych doc I saw the first time was my attending psych doc. She switched me from Seroquel to Trileptal 150mg. I started to feel a bit more improvement a bit. Added Remeron 15mg for insomina/weight gain as an additional. Changed Ativan to 1mg/2x a day.
June 27 to July 12:
I'm feeling a bit better. But I'm getting a bit more sensitivity to sunlight, I still have that urine retention/fullness sensation at times. I get sensitivity to sunlight/redness in my arms/shoulders. Allergy to sunlight?
I saw a psych doc for outpatient care in early July who swapped my Trileptal 150 to Resperdial 1mg. Though I experienced some side effects: a somewhat (painful) erection in the morning, sun sensitivity, continued urine retention/fullness problem.
The urination would be its most in the morning.
July 8-barium swallow due to a swallow problem I had. A GI doc ordered this procedure. Showed "significant reflux" nothing serious beside that. GI doc ordered I get on PPIs. Now I have some health anxiety over that. Plus I have worsening swallowing problems following that plus the urination problems still.
July 11-I get to a depressed phase again due to the "medical issues" plus stress from my dad again. I felt briefly suicidal again this time. Some stuff that my dad had said to me had stressed me out and other things at the time were factors. I went back to the hospital again for a third time from July 12-July 16. I went in there with medical issues again: urination retention/low urine output at times, sun sensitivity, difficulty swallowing(had trouble swallowing foods they had given me at the hospital, even foods for my "mechanical diet" they had for me for the swallowing problem I had), I had a stiff neck/pressure in my neck while swallowing as well that bothered me plus the urination problem as well.
My attending doc bumped me to 2mg Resperidal for the time I was there as the only change to my meds. I got discharged with that but quickly went back to Resperdial 1mg because the 2mg was too sedating for me when I got discharged. And I felt the 2mg made or caused the sun sensitivity worse I had for July.
I went to a ENT doc the week after I got discharged from the psych hospital. Did the largnyxscopy and showed signs of reflux; gave me a rx of prilosec. He diagnosed me with silent reflux/LPR plus this on top of the GERD the GI doc dx with. So this is more anxiety I have from that. The Prilosec 40mg I have taken since July 22-August 4. Stopped last Friday, but resumed again on August 6. I thought I was "feeling better" last Friday but I wasn't.
The GERD/lpr symptoms appear to improve somewhat(it took 12-14 days of taking Prilosec to notice something) for more to eat more without having bloating/heart burn sensations that bother me or swallow problems.
I still have some bloating/heartburn/swallowing problems but not as bad as I had in early to mid July.
The other problem I have is that urine flow/urine retention problem that has bothered me since late May.
I'm unsure if all the symptoms I have just shared with you all could be connected to the taper/withdraw from the Klonopin, or switching from different meds I did and side effects I may have and cause some adverse effects. Or could it be an underlying medical issue that's not been screened/diagnosed properly. Or could anxiety be the root cause of the "medical problems" I have talked about? Or could I be having a "benzo withdraw" despite returning back to benzos.
Back in the Spring, I was taking Klonopin .5(2x/day) for Anxiety. Though I weaned myself it following my PCP/GP's insistence that it should be for short term use. I think my PCP's plan appeared to rushed because I tapered too quickly and had suffered withdraw symptoms: palpitations, blood pressure changes, changes in pulse, tachycardia episodes, mood swings(which later developed to Bi Polar I dx), increased anxiety, hot flashes, sensitivity(emotions, environment, sound, etc), gastro problems(difficulty swallowing, bloating, constipation), then urine retention/low urine output problems.
The "first wave" of withdraw I went through from May 20 to May 28.
May 28-May 30 admitted in an inpatient hospital for "benzo withdraw". The hospital was terrible for me because I was admitted in a bed just sat in a chair with other mental health patients watching tv for 2 1/2 days, checked vitals, given Ativan for "withdraw", and some med to get my blood pressure down. Discharged with Librium(given a dose of that before I left), discharge rx of Effexor 37.5.
Effexor didn't help for me it made my blood pressure elevate. Now my Dad takes effexor at the highest dosage for his PTSD, claims he doesn't experience side effects. I appeared to conclude based on research of Effexor that I'm sensitive to stimulant medications, and stimulants in general.
I went to my psych resident doc I saw at my univ regarding the Effexor "side effects" I experienced on June 1. He gave me a Rx for Prozac low dose. I took a dose of Effexor in the morning, but later took my Effexor that afternoon when I came back from my appt with my psych doc. I experienced a mild serotonin syndrome/anxiety attack: palpitations lasting a few hours, a slight elevation in blood pressure. I was yelling out to my dad that I thought I was having "an allergic reaction" to the medicine a few times. He told me to calm down while he called my mom from work. He thought I was having an anxiety attack.
I called my psych doc that same day, and he concluded it might have been a slight interaction--mild one and just monitor it.
The palpitations went off and on from the afternoon to early evening when my mom took me to a local er near my house. I entered the ER with the underlying complaint as a "Serotonin Syndrome interaction" I thought the two meds caused one. My blood pressure at triage was 150 something/100 and there was a pulse over a 100. I was taken to the back to a room about an hour and a half later. I saw two docs: a resident MD and the attending doc(some old White guy doc). The resident MD saw me first and he ordered an EKG to check my heart out, asked me a few questions, saw my meds I took. The older attending doc said the same thing. The EKG showed a tachycardia but nothing dangerous. They did keep me monitored on the vitals briefly.
No blood work was conducted on this visit which I thought was odd?
I was discharged dx with palpitations, anxiety.
But I still experienced "withdraw symptoms" still throughout early June. Palpitations, adrealine surges, blood pressure changes, sensitivity to sunlight, gastro problems, and eventually urine retention sensation.
I ended up in an ER twice in the weekend of June 4-June 5 for psych and for medical symptoms I complained of to my parents. Blood/urine came back okay those times. My parents thought it was "all in my head" but I kept arguing that it was the "Benzo withdraw." I got discharged on June 4 with Hydroxzine for anxiety but it oversedated me and I barely eat the sandwich my parents got me when I got out of the hospital. June 5 I had a GI cocktail and a Xanax and I "Felt like a million bucks" when I left the hospital and had a good sandwhich dinner and chips at my house. So I felt that part of the symptoms were connected to anxiety somehow.
I tried to brush it off/not worry about it but these "benzo withdraw" kept getting worse. June 6-June8: diminishing loss of appetite, palpitations, fatigue, tightness in chest, difficulty swallowing, low urine output despite hydrating, constipation, adrenaline rushes, mood changes. I felt like I was dying or was having some medical issues. I kept my parents frustrated by my medical and mental health issues.
I was in the hospital again on June 7 for the abdominal constipation/low urine output/urine retention problem I had at the time. This hospital at least did lab work unlike the June 1 visit didn't do. They did a urine analysis of my urine; xrays of abdomen and chest. All came back okay. The DO that was my attending doc at the hospital looked at my blood work from the hospital that saw me the past weekend on a computer. Discharged yet again with a clean bill of health, but the constipation, urine discomfort/retention/low urine flow/palpitations/insomnia/blood pressure changes/mood swings bothered me that night up till the next day.
My mom was just convinced by my behavior that I needed help because it was getting stressful for her and my dad.
So I went back to the hospital: the hospital that saw me on the weekend of June 4-5 to the Emergency Room. My mom told the triage nurse the symptoms I had been displaying and talked to a doctor there, and I had been admitted into the psychiatric emergency department. Blood work again conducted. I managed to urinate a small portion for the UA testing. I complained that I had palpitations/blood pressure changes, adrealine surges, constipation, lower abdominal pain, loss of appetite, swallowing problems to the nurses and doctors that saw me in the psych er that day. EKG showed an incomplete right bundle branch block which has been a part of EKGs for a while now. I didn't know that day it showed that until later on when I was in an other facility.
I was transferred from the psych er to a psychiatric hospital that same night because the hospital didn't have any new beds in their inpatient setting. I was transported via ambulance to a private hospital a few miles away in the medical center of my city.
I was there from late June 8 to June 15. I saw my attending psychiatrist the next day. I was a little shaky the first few days as I had the ailements I brought up. The med consult PA nurse had dx with a UTI due to Ketones in my urine: I had a 3+ Ketones in the urine at the hospital. My glucose was high at the hospital I was at previously. They thought I was diabetic due to that and ordered an A1C but I wasn't within the pre or diabetic range as I learned. Most of my stay I dealt with constipation and urination issues and brought it up with the nurses and dr I saw. I felt some relief of these symptoms gradually which makes me feel to determine part of the cause of these symptoms was psych and half is medical. This stay I was given 25mg Seroquel and .5 Ativan 2x a day.
A returned back to that psych hospital on June 22 due to insomina I experienced from the Seroquel, brief agitation/suicidal-sadness I was experiencing from it, and urination problem still. Note: I wasn't planning to kill myself or had a plan. I just had a brief depressing suicidal thought that had been exacerbated somewhat by my dad, who had PTSD.
So I was back in the psych hospital from June 22 to June 27. My psych doc I saw the first time was my attending psych doc. She switched me from Seroquel to Trileptal 150mg. I started to feel a bit more improvement a bit. Added Remeron 15mg for insomina/weight gain as an additional. Changed Ativan to 1mg/2x a day.
June 27 to July 12:
I'm feeling a bit better. But I'm getting a bit more sensitivity to sunlight, I still have that urine retention/fullness sensation at times. I get sensitivity to sunlight/redness in my arms/shoulders. Allergy to sunlight?
I saw a psych doc for outpatient care in early July who swapped my Trileptal 150 to Resperdial 1mg. Though I experienced some side effects: a somewhat (painful) erection in the morning, sun sensitivity, continued urine retention/fullness problem.
The urination would be its most in the morning.
July 8-barium swallow due to a swallow problem I had. A GI doc ordered this procedure. Showed "significant reflux" nothing serious beside that. GI doc ordered I get on PPIs. Now I have some health anxiety over that. Plus I have worsening swallowing problems following that plus the urination problems still.
July 11-I get to a depressed phase again due to the "medical issues" plus stress from my dad again. I felt briefly suicidal again this time. Some stuff that my dad had said to me had stressed me out and other things at the time were factors. I went back to the hospital again for a third time from July 12-July 16. I went in there with medical issues again: urination retention/low urine output at times, sun sensitivity, difficulty swallowing(had trouble swallowing foods they had given me at the hospital, even foods for my "mechanical diet" they had for me for the swallowing problem I had), I had a stiff neck/pressure in my neck while swallowing as well that bothered me plus the urination problem as well.
My attending doc bumped me to 2mg Resperidal for the time I was there as the only change to my meds. I got discharged with that but quickly went back to Resperdial 1mg because the 2mg was too sedating for me when I got discharged. And I felt the 2mg made or caused the sun sensitivity worse I had for July.
I went to a ENT doc the week after I got discharged from the psych hospital. Did the largnyxscopy and showed signs of reflux; gave me a rx of prilosec. He diagnosed me with silent reflux/LPR plus this on top of the GERD the GI doc dx with. So this is more anxiety I have from that. The Prilosec 40mg I have taken since July 22-August 4. Stopped last Friday, but resumed again on August 6. I thought I was "feeling better" last Friday but I wasn't.
The GERD/lpr symptoms appear to improve somewhat(it took 12-14 days of taking Prilosec to notice something) for more to eat more without having bloating/heart burn sensations that bother me or swallow problems.
I still have some bloating/heartburn/swallowing problems but not as bad as I had in early to mid July.
The other problem I have is that urine flow/urine retention problem that has bothered me since late May.
I'm unsure if all the symptoms I have just shared with you all could be connected to the taper/withdraw from the Klonopin, or switching from different meds I did and side effects I may have and cause some adverse effects. Or could it be an underlying medical issue that's not been screened/diagnosed properly. Or could anxiety be the root cause of the "medical problems" I have talked about? Or could I be having a "benzo withdraw" despite returning back to benzos.