2Cor.12:19
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@2Cor.12:19 ”...I hope to know once I've completely withdrawn from Xanax and heal - which may take a couple of years. I will post here if any of these improve or disappear after discontinuing... .
My own experience and like that of other PWCs here, witnessed from thousands of postings is that various and unusual symptoms not unlike yours come and go, or linger despite all sorts of uncertai treatments. Then, after running down a plethora of medical tests over the years in many specialties we end up with results ‘normal.’ Very frustrating.
Medicine doesn’t pursue drugs for the purpose of doing harm, though they often get a bad rap for reasons like being mis-prescribEd, extended or unintended uses, or due to side effects or abuse. Even food has side effects and many times unintended consequences...weight gain, tooth decay, etc. What I’m getting at is that if medications can ultimately provide some relief or respite from an invisible illness why give them up just to be in an arbitrarily desired state of being ‘pill free?’ For example, in considering the possible pros agains the likely cons of drug therapy, cancer patients put up with horrendous side effects, hair or teeth loss, and isolation hoping they’ll recover some of their pre illness healthy state and abilities... .
So, while the Ashton Manual is helpful in withdrawal from benzos and the like, it also starts with the question of
a patient’s decision if quitting is really their best option. Sometimes, these and other drugs are useful to help PWCs relieve some of their otherwise misery caused by symptoms not likely to go away. For example my doctor says I’m ‘addicted’ to Ambien or other sleeping meds; further, he says ‘so what, it they help you sleep when otherwise you can’t... .’ We’re talking judicious considerations, here, otherwise less consequential than the progressive affects of MECFS.
I hope you do get some satisfaction in knowing the cause(s) of your symptoms. IMO, from a very long time dealing with CFS I think you’ll come to the conclusion that they remain a manifestations of this illness.
@Stretched I totally understand what you're saying. In my case, I had ME/CFS 13 years prior to starting Xanax - so I've had ME for 33 years and the past 20 have been on Xanax. I never saw a problem being on it for the rest of my life. But my health has declined over the past 10 years and I've acquired conditions I never had before. In fact, prior to starting Xanax my ME/CFS had improved to where I was about 75% back to normal (after being mostly bedbound for several years)
In recent years my general anxiety and muscle tension has gotten worse in addition to serious neurological problems. After learning how many of my symptoms can also be caused by benzos, I've decided to it's time to get off. I have no problem with taking meds but if one of them proves to be causing more harm than good, than I'm ditching it.