Benzo & Antidepressant Withdrawal: Head & Brain Symptoms

[@brendamalone3880]

Thank you! Extremely helpful, reassurance that I’am not loosing my mind. I’am 29 months off now. In the beginning I felt like one side of the hair on my head weighed 10lbs!! To this day I have problems with my scalp and hair painful to the touch. All is so insane what these drugs have done to us.

[@eumilafajardo7924]

28months off same experience 🥺

[@jolenekindiak8849]

Thanks for making these videos. Brain Zaps when I was withdrawing in a psychiatric ward which was complete torture! Your awesome for being real! Your so informative! ❤

[@IslaDelCaribe1234]

Wow, Melissa! Your videos are so eye-openers and informative ! Thank you for providing them!

[@CorneliusSpivey]

It took 8 years for my Limbec system to become 80 percent healed 💜

[@regineheine5707]

Thank you for sharing. Especially the symptoms which vary in intensity and how often they show up was helpful to me.Showed me the healing process doesn’t follow neither a certain time line nor one referring to the intensity of the symptoms. I am on my tapering timeline which isn’t steady. For instance if I don’t take Sertraline at a certain time but one hour or one and a half an hour later I wake up the next morning with a migraine- like headache which intensifies over time. If I forget to adjust the correct timeline the next day once more I deal with this pain for several days. I try not to focus on mean symptoms so I can overcome this easier. I lowered my dose very slowly 10% - 20% at a time and took the next step after feeling good .My last reduction has been from 50 mg a day to 37,5 mg four months ago. I’ll try hard to stay on track to find out whether I can reduce the liquid formula ( this one is very expensive in Germany and only available in some internet pharmacies). I haven’t had headache for three days now. It helps me a lot Not ruling out every other reason for the headache( new pillow, wrong position of this, falling asleep too late etc.) My hearing improved as well as my sense of touch. It was important to me to have the permission to make my own pace. I don’t explain/ discuss with others who are unexperienced on this why I go so slowly. I know now I am not a “ failure” because of this ( I learned a lot from Anders Sorensen, a danish psychologist( the “o” in his name has a slash in it, like a strike, changes the spoken sound). Sometimes you need the encouragement of someone who knows better . The psychiatrist I wanted to win over to help me through my withdrawal journey didn’t believe me, the symptoms I told her weren’t typical for this drug. Although I am a physician myself you cannot assess yourself on this matter. The symptoms I had were imbalance( couldn’t climb on a two-step-ladder because I might fall down). I still have this sometimes, can’t take a bike ride. I am confidant this will improve.I take my time.

[@Eliokd]

95 % of my symptoms are brain and head related. I'm kind of envious of those who "only" have mental symptoms

[@maryanderson4170]

Hi Melissa, Has anyone mentioned ear pressure? Not being able to equalize? Have you ever heard about TMJ? Can it be associated with Benzo withdrawal? All your videos are so informative! Thank you for helping all of us going through this nightmare.

[@RachH-healing]

I have horrible ear pressure, fullness, pain and just weird whooshing etc…I also have to use a mouth guard now because of grinding and clenching (which I didn’t have before these meds).

[@maryanderson4170]

@rachaelhernandez7264 Do you know if it will go away on its own eventually? My friend was diagnosed with TMJ She also has to wear a mouth guard also. They say she may need surgery but I think she needs to give it time she's only been off benzos for 8 months and surgery to me is very scary considering it's not even guaranteed it will help. It's insane! And this is coming from a dentist.

[@RachH-healing]

@@maryanderson4170. I defiantly would give it more time! The “normal” withdrawal healing timeline is anywhere from 1 year to 18 months or 24 months…and longer for some. So i would defiantly wait to do surgery until at least 18 months, but I’m not a doctor or dentist and that is just my personal opinion. Also, benzos are muscle relaxers so when you go off all our muscles tense and clench and are just all messed up and it will take time for that to adjust too. But no matter how long, or what symptoms she has, she will heal with time. ❤

[@brendamalone3880]

Hi I wanted to reply about the ear and tmj, I was on benzos for years I’am off two years now. I’ve had ear pressure really bad, and the intense pain in my jaws. It’s normal in benzo withdrawal. Hope this helped you.

[@maryanderson4170]

@brendamalone3880 Thankyou.

[@The_critical_psychiatric_nurse]

Been on SSRIs over a decade. I’m a Psych clinician. Tried to get off them a few times. Withdrawal is tough to say the least. This time I’m doing it over 2-3 years. Wish I’d know about withdrawal risks when I first started. Always pro informed consent.

[@anthonyd9426]

23 months off and brain pressure still extreme. I saw some progress and am back to square one after doing an endoscopy

[@RachH-healing]

THANK YOU!!!! Needed this SO bad! ❤

[@TheAjmos]

Yup I got the head pressure and band feeling. and headaches and heavy body and feeling like I'm being pulled back.

[@tamihenderson4500]

Mines feels like a wheel turning in my head

[@celineludena]

hello Melissa! thank you for making these vids. i remember my eyes burning for months but thankfully thats gone now (or very mild at least.) as for the burning in the face, have you experienced burning sinuses? because i've been experiencing that for 4 months now nonstop. i'm 1 year off by the way. never touched a benzo or ssri since. when my sinuses burn, my tinnitus gets so loud and its hard to sleep because i feel like it gets hard to breathe because it feels like i'm holding my breath. i dont know if all of these is normal. please let me know your thoughts on this. thank you so much again!

[@DavidB.Fischer]

Been off for months. But the shaking is definitely not as easy to get past

[@CorneliusSpivey]

God work Melissa 💜

[@jaimemelendez8029]

Thank you Melissa for all the info. When are you gonna start meeting again?

[@melissadawncoaching]

@@jaimemelendez8029 do you mean coaching or something else?

[@jaimemelendez8029]

Coaching

[@melissadawncoaching]

@@jaimemelendez8029 I’m back at it

[@Aqzcwghk]

Very thorough description. I had all the symptoms mentioned in this video. 15 months off and still having some of these symptoms. So 24 months is the most common for recovery from these?

[@isaacm159]

What we're u on?

[@Aqzcwghk]

@@isaacm159 lexapro, klonopin, and ambien

[@Aqzcwghk]

​@@isaacm159 lexapro, klonopin, and ambien

[@Aqzcwghk]

Lexapro, klonopin, and ambien​@@isaacm159

[@Aqzcwghk]

​@@isaacm159escitalopram, clonazepam, and zolpidem

[@Thomas-j2g6x]

I have a lot more then just that stomach spine neck issues fatigue severe body aches and pains this is no way to live

[@Snowflake1374]

This is what I suffer the most. Head and brain pain symptoms. Horrible. No brain zaps. Its PAIN extreme PRESSURE 24/7, BURNING pulsating vibrating movements squeez and grip, jerks and pulls. Sometimes pressure like it's going to explode. 11 months off sertraline. THANKS for bringing this up. Will the brain things disappear/be better?

[@RachH-healing]

Yep!!! Me too! I’m almost 14 months off and have all of this…we’ve chatted before and seem to have a lot of the same symptoms!

[@Snowflake1374]

Hi again, so no improvments with brain sensations? Do you also have it in your neck/upper body and muscle ache/stiff?

[@RachH-healing]

⁠@@Snowflake1374 Some things have changed or lessened, but then I’ll have new symptoms start. As for neck and upper body pain, yes, I have neck and upper shoulder pain SO bad! My neck literally kills me and keeps me awake sometimes. My whole body also goes through times where it hurts and aches.

[@Snowflake1374]

@@RachH-healing Thanks! Terrible. Sometimes feels like the brain shuts down. I did fast taper almost c/t, how was it for you?

[@virgieden]

WD tapering off benzo valium. Went off lexapro in a couple months, Didn't know I was in benzo tolerance. Dr. Wants to put me on seroquel to ease my WD? I know he just guessing. Is it better to try to ride it out without adding more meds? I just want to go back on which my dr will not put me back on.😢😢😢😢😢

[@marlenecracknell2085]

I w been taking clonazepam for over 17 years and my doctor wants me to come off this, I'm so afraid 😭

[@cgilmore02]

Is it possible that ones only symptoms are extreme anxiety and apathy/depression, early morning waking with intense anxiety, and no motivation? Or would you tend to think something different is happening with just those?

[@susanmorgan4151]

Same with me-16 months out.

[@yetinssonl1885]

@melissadawncoaching this thing about going back to acute after several years for a long time, like a year, how common is that really?

[@RachH-healing]

I went unto acute around the six month mark off and I’ve heard and read stories of others who also experienced acute WD long after stopping their psych meds…so it’s defiantly not unheard of.

[@yetinssonl1885]

@@RachH-healing yeah allright, but how long did that wave last?

[@RachH-healing]

@@yetinssonl1885it is different for everyone. That’s the problem with psych med WD, there is no linear healing pattern and no “rules” when it comes to the healing timeline.

[@yetinssonl1885]

@@RachH-healing for how long?

[@RachH-healing]

@@yetinssonl1885 I’m still in it but it’s gotten somewhat better.