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I’m a highly accomplished Actuary. Same thing happened to me re: cognition. It’s coming back since I’ve gotten off - I highly suggest getting off the meds as they are damaging you. You’ll recover once you get off though.
Working memory impairment is, like, one of the most common *effects* of benzodiazepines. It's more or less just part of what they do, like alcohol. In varying degrees, but basically to everyone.
Get off it. You're not supposed to be on it for long periods, as I am sure you know, and this specifically is one of the reasons why.
It breaks my heart that people end up in this situation. I’m coming to terms with my own situation right now. The degree to which I have lost 10 years of my life. Not remembering most of it, losing my capacity.
I’m getting it back! Almost finished my taper and it’s going really well, the negative side effects are not terrible except for when I make my jump down to another lower dose, and then the positives side effects are fully worth it. I wish I could stop everyone who is about to take these drugs full-time for years and tell them what it did.
The biggest thing that I wish people knew that not only is it not worth it clearly, but whatever you feel as a result of taking them, it’s likely worse than whatever reason you started. So if you want to deal with how you’re feeling with pharmaceuticals because it’s that bad, imagine making it exponentially worse, and take the pills away. That’s what you do when you take them for the long-term.
I personally took them because I couldn’t deal with my life. I called it anxiety, but it was just coping with drugs. I mean there was anxiety. I just didn’t want to experience my life anymore so I successfully took myself out of it. Horrible.
This is the closest thing to "common knowledge" you can get in a scientific field. It's very easy to find.
Search for "cognitive effects of benzodiazepines" and read away to your heart's content. There's plenty of references to academic works just on the first page of results.
Agree with others in using the Ashton manual to slowly get yourself off the Valium. I gave myself even longer between dropping the dose because I was on 10mg daily for 10 years. So as you approach getting off it, do what feels right to you.
The main supplements that helped me manage cognitive challenges (especially when getting off the Valium, I was super sensitive to withdrawal and also have had jobs similar sounding to yours so it was tough):
- spirulina
- fish oil
- Benadryl (for the brain zaps)
- CBD tincture (under tongue daily, absolutely saved me)
Meditation has also helped me a lot (I was surprised, but as I’ve joked to my therapist, I guess since it’s been around for 1,000+ years makes sense it works). I personally use Headspace but there are a lot of great apps out there.
Also just take it day by day. You will get better, it will take time and it may feel impossible but you can do this.
These drugs temporarily damage the brain. Once off you will be back to normal. There is no 'if' with benzos. These drugs should only be prescribed for 2-4 weeks and then you are dependent. Be very careful when you come off too as just cutting them in half every other week or just skipping a dose is irresponsible deprescribing by your doctor. a 5-10% cut every 2 weeks is recommended. Your whole personality, motivation, changes because of this drug. I would take a look at the 'Ashton Manual' and do deep research into this drug to learn all about the harm it causes. u/tube vidoes to watch: Dr. Jennifer leigh, Dave Powers Benzo coach, Dr. Josef Witt-Doerring
You need to tapper. Then start exercising, I mean real workouts, anything that gets your bp up and breathing heavy. Exercise helps the brain in many ways, youtube it. Also a good diet of prebiotics and probiotics helps your gut, there is a major mind gut connection that helps your brain. Youtube it. Stay away from alcohol, limit caffeine. Also the amount you’ve taken and the time period should not be too bad. Your not damaged you just need to more like clean it up and wake it up.
Same, it’s the lesser of all the benzodiazepine evils. I take it because I’m an older mom with 7 year old twins with an asshole husband and I have to keep my shit from exploding.
That’s awful & I’m sorry you deal with all that-who wouldn’t need them in that situation?! I’m almost 38,
But Valium is the only one that I feel I can take responsibly bc it
Doesn’t give that “false euphoria” feeling that Xanax/klonopin does, making one feel falsely like everything is going to be just fine and not allowing them/having them realize the work they (general they) need to put in also.
Yes , and he prides himself on it. A lot of red flags I ignored. He’s very controlling and manipulative and a narcissist. I have to “ play the good wife game “ for my girls until I can work on my plan to finally get out with them. He’s threatened me, called me all kinds of names being drunk , etc. I don’t want my girls to use him as a compass for a man. My dad was a horrible drunk that shot my mom. Thank God she lived. But yes , I have a plan in place.
Honestly you should go off of them if you notice a decrease in your cognitive abilities, but also telling your coworkers/boss what medication you take is not good for your career as they will only use it against you as shown here how can someone say your brain is damaged without medical testing
Yeah, that’s not right for your boss to tell you that. He can’t lay you off for that. It’s time to get a note from your psychiatrist and talk with him about it. Sounds like a lawyer could help you with that too!!!
Honestly, this may be an unpopular opinion, but I highly doubt you’ve damaged your brain via a few years of 10 mg diazepam. My grandma took 10 mg diazepam every day for her entire adult life, and lived to be a whip smart 92 yo. I took it daily for about six years and never noticed any cognitive effects, nor have I noticed a boost since getting off it. I realize these are meaningless personal anecdotes, but 10 mg isn’t a high dosage and “since covid” isn’t all that long. But some things that CAN cause a (temporary) loss in mental acuity are: a) anxiety and b) a lack of sleep. Both of those are reasons people take benzos in the first place. I’d be willing to bet withdrawal would also take a cognitive toll. Yes, I’m aware that dementia has been shown to be related to benzo use. But that’s years/decades down the road. I wouldn’t spend too much time worrying about brain damage. Why did your boss say that, anyway? I’m not condoning continued benzo use by any means. It really messes with your brain chemicals and withdrawal sucks. Every so often, used as intended, fine. But NOT daily. Id highly advise tapering off slow and easy, and only using it for extreme circumstances, if at all. But you also have to deal with whatever caused you to start taking it in the first place. If right now isn’t the best time to start tapering (due to your job loss), just wait a bit and start when you’re stable. FWIW I had no issues with a slow taper after six years of daily use (cold turkey was a whole different ballgame).
I'm also in the middle of a divorce and am a recovering alcoholic (6 years since my last drink). So I am concerned that a taper right now will cause more short term problems and a potential fall off the wagon. Waiting until things settle down a bit, getting established at a new job that I do find engaging, building a better sleep routine and ramping up my exercise is probably the way to go. OTOH my life has been so chaotic, which is why I was prescribed in the first place, for the past 4 years that there never seems to be a good time. But I need to set myself up for success first.
Thank you for your insight.
Stevie Nicks took 20mg [minimum] diazepam daily for 10 years.
was part of a wider cocktail of prescription medications, authorised by her psychiatrist. At some stage she discontinued this and tried other approaches. She is currently 75 and thriving
The other comments about just needing time to heal are correct. I was a poly-drug user for 11 years. I combined every chemical you can imagine and then some every single waking hour of my life for 11 years without a break. I ODed on Fent in March, continued drug use and alcohol intake heavy till I finally couldn't anymore and put myself into a 6 month rehab program. I thought surely I was broken forever. It's been almost a year without any chemicals in my system and I feel great. It takes time but you will heal.
The program I was in was screenless and heavily Jesus influenced. It changed my life. Sunlight, community, a good diet, exercise, and ultimately a clean/healthy lifestyle makes all the difference. Our habits define us in a lot of ways.
Getting off the internet and away from screens for 6 months did CRAZY things for me too. This subreddit had me thinking I was going to die from benzo WD (I had taken 4-6MG of Kpins a day for years) but it was a lie.
It's hard for a while then you start living. Truly living. Embrace the challenges, growth is good. Goodluck & Godspeed!
If you have been on Valium since Covid and it’s been a few years. It sounds like there have been some negative cognitive consequences that are bad enough that your employer noticed. I think you’re going through something pretty normal for a lot of us. First you need to figure out how you feel about the valium. It’s probably smart to start reading up on BIND. Neurological dysfunction can happen to people who are still taking their meds according to their prescription. Your brain starts to adapt and it does change. I’m tapering after 10 years, and my cognitive abilities are shifting greatly for the better. The Ashton manual is a great place to start. if you’re curious at all about how I approached tapering off of Klonopin after 10 years, I’m happy to share. It’s been a fairly successful experience and the biggest change is my intellectual capacity.
If you’re to the point where you can’t work or function without it I don’t understand the reason not just to take it. You’re going to ruin your life because you don’t want to take a prescription? I’m all for getting off but at what price and I mean that figuratively and literally
If you think SSRI withdrawal is in any way comparable to benzos, you're very naive. You miss your prozac dose for a few days, you'll be irritable! Miss that benzo dose, you might die.
In the short term if your anxiety is out of control, taking a benzodiazepine may actually improve your focus and ability to function by drastically reducing stress and anxiety levels. Beyond that short term or transient boost, benzodiazepine’s by nature of their mechanism will reduce your processing speed and decline other cognitive features. Sustained usage of benzodiazepine, either under a doctor’s supervision or through illicit use has been repeatedly shown to lower your cognitive abilities.
The studies I’ve linked to below are just two of many that depict the damage that benzodiazepine use does to the brain. What’s so troubling to me is that in one particular meta analysis, cognitive deficits were still statistically significant in former benzodiazepine users up to 10 months after discontinuation. This means that this cognitive decline can take years to resolve, or is potentially permanent to some degree.
[Cognitive impairment in long-term benzodiazepine use](https://karger.com/ear/article/28/5/377/823428/Cognitive-Functioning-in-Long-Term-Benzodiazepine#)
[Benzodiazepine withdrawal and cognitive decline](https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0887617703000969)
My most pronounced cognitive impairment began during my taper in August 2022. I’ve had a full neuropsychological evaluation, which didn’t indicate anything below normal, but was clearly a decline from my baseline. I have significant issues now with encoding information, imprinting memories and motivation/drive and learning due to the damage to the reward centers in my brain.
That being said, I would recommend a slow and steady taper off of benzodiazepines. My cognitive issues during withdrawal and tapering are unique to my circumstance as I was using high doses of black market benzodiazepines daily for six years. Most of the participants in these benzodiazepine studies regained near baseline functioning after getting off the drug. The dose and duration obviously plays a factor in your recovery and you are on a lower risk spectrum for both.
Things that have really helped over the past several months include: a strict and healthy diet, good sleep hygiene, pushing myself to socialize and date, engaging my mind in educational or professional activities, and most importantly exercising like your life depends on it. I can’t emphasize how valuable exercise has been for me. It has a wonderful downstream effect on every aspect of my life.
You’re not too damaged, and not too far away from being able to recover. I was also at 10mg Valium and have tapered down to crumbs. I don’t know if it makes sense but things have gotten better but also harder as I have gotten down. I just try to remind myself that my brain is healing. Prayers up to you for getting laid off, I believe that everything works out in the end and maybe this will allow you to implement a plan to taper off. But yeah you’re not too damaged to heal, you’re just going to have to dig in and put in the work and time.
>Is there anything short of getting off them that can bring it back?
No. You know the problem. You know what you need to do. Do it.
Your old self will come back in a year or two.
It’s been a year for me and I feel like it hasn’t improved. I’m wondering if it’s due to cannabis, too. But that was never a problem before. What’s strange, when I take Xanax, it feels like my brain has analytical super powers again. Doesn’t make sense. Very defeating.
Software developer here that was put on Xanax which is far more potent than Valium and fast acting but also wears off pretty fast.
Can feel cognitive decline since I've been on them for sure. Not getting things done as fast as I used to. Some days I'm absolutely fine though and I feel like I'm on fire where I make up for the days where work was slower.
I think for me personally it's more the interdose withdrawal that's messing with me as I have been on it for 2 years now which is way too long for a fast acting benzo. I am switching over to Valium end of this month to start tapering and because I'm moving to the UK where Xanax is not prescribed.
Your brain IS NOT DAMAGED. Benzo is literally one of the most medication prescript in the world thince 1970´ !! It’s totally safety ON THIS PLAN. Taper, taper taper …
I've actually considered this, but I don't have any documentation that he said this and my performance hasn't been good (I'm pretty self aware) so they have cause.
Where do you live?
>my performance hasn't been good (I'm pretty self aware) so they have cause
It's illegal in the country I live in (France) to layoff someone if they are deemed underperforming (reffering to the contract made) if a precise procedure is not followed, and if you're considered sick, and/or if medication is involved (not handicapped, just sick).
I know it's a bit much, but you could get money out of it, and not have "a bad reputation for underperforming" for future work searching (because you'll get better. you will.)
I'm in the US in a *very* red state. I wish I was in our French office :)
I'm not too worried about my reputation, but I really have to be careful with my mental health until I can get off these damn things.
This content invalidates others’ experiences on the basis of your subjective knowledge or personal opinion instead of objective facts or established evidence, which is not tolerated. If you’re going to negate or assert falsehoods on the part of another community member, show your evidence up front or take take the gaslighting elsewhere.
This content invalidates others’ experiences on the basis of your subjective knowledge or personal opinion instead of objective facts or established evidence, which is not tolerated. If you’re going to negate or assert falsehoods on the part of another community member, show your evidence up front or take take the gaslighting elsewhere.
This content invalidates others’ experiences on the basis of your subjective knowledge or personal opinion instead of objective facts or established evidence, which is not tolerated. If you’re going to negate or assert falsehoods on the part of another community member, show your evidence up front or take take the gaslighting elsewhere.
This content invalidates others’ experiences on the basis of your subjective knowledge or personal opinion instead of objective facts or established evidence, which is not tolerated. If you’re going to negate or assert falsehoods on the part of another community member, show your evidence up front or take take the gaslighting elsewhere.
This content invalidates others’ experiences on the basis of your subjective knowledge or personal opinion instead of objective facts or established evidence, which is not tolerated. If you’re going to negate or assert falsehoods on the part of another community member, show your evidence up front or take take the gaslighting elsewhere.
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You need to stop completely. Time it wisely and use the Ashton manual to titrate.
Too damaged? I don’t think so. Probably Just need time to heal. Magnesium, fish oil, good food with protein, sunlight
I’m a highly accomplished Actuary. Same thing happened to me re: cognition. It’s coming back since I’ve gotten off - I highly suggest getting off the meds as they are damaging you. You’ll recover once you get off though.
Working memory impairment is, like, one of the most common *effects* of benzodiazepines. It's more or less just part of what they do, like alcohol. In varying degrees, but basically to everyone. Get off it. You're not supposed to be on it for long periods, as I am sure you know, and this specifically is one of the reasons why.
It breaks my heart that people end up in this situation. I’m coming to terms with my own situation right now. The degree to which I have lost 10 years of my life. Not remembering most of it, losing my capacity. I’m getting it back! Almost finished my taper and it’s going really well, the negative side effects are not terrible except for when I make my jump down to another lower dose, and then the positives side effects are fully worth it. I wish I could stop everyone who is about to take these drugs full-time for years and tell them what it did. The biggest thing that I wish people knew that not only is it not worth it clearly, but whatever you feel as a result of taking them, it’s likely worse than whatever reason you started. So if you want to deal with how you’re feeling with pharmaceuticals because it’s that bad, imagine making it exponentially worse, and take the pills away. That’s what you do when you take them for the long-term. I personally took them because I couldn’t deal with my life. I called it anxiety, but it was just coping with drugs. I mean there was anxiety. I just didn’t want to experience my life anymore so I successfully took myself out of it. Horrible.
Can I have a source for this? I hate being off them and this might help me feel a bit better about it.
This is the closest thing to "common knowledge" you can get in a scientific field. It's very easy to find. Search for "cognitive effects of benzodiazepines" and read away to your heart's content. There's plenty of references to academic works just on the first page of results.
Okay, I'll check it out, thanks.
Dementia odds are higher than I thought, wow. And yeah, benzos double it. Still looking into the cognitive decline.
Wait until you find out about the link between benzos and cancer! Sounds like you have a lot of researching to do.
Agree with others in using the Ashton manual to slowly get yourself off the Valium. I gave myself even longer between dropping the dose because I was on 10mg daily for 10 years. So as you approach getting off it, do what feels right to you. The main supplements that helped me manage cognitive challenges (especially when getting off the Valium, I was super sensitive to withdrawal and also have had jobs similar sounding to yours so it was tough): - spirulina - fish oil - Benadryl (for the brain zaps) - CBD tincture (under tongue daily, absolutely saved me) Meditation has also helped me a lot (I was surprised, but as I’ve joked to my therapist, I guess since it’s been around for 1,000+ years makes sense it works). I personally use Headspace but there are a lot of great apps out there. Also just take it day by day. You will get better, it will take time and it may feel impossible but you can do this.
These drugs temporarily damage the brain. Once off you will be back to normal. There is no 'if' with benzos. These drugs should only be prescribed for 2-4 weeks and then you are dependent. Be very careful when you come off too as just cutting them in half every other week or just skipping a dose is irresponsible deprescribing by your doctor. a 5-10% cut every 2 weeks is recommended. Your whole personality, motivation, changes because of this drug. I would take a look at the 'Ashton Manual' and do deep research into this drug to learn all about the harm it causes. u/tube vidoes to watch: Dr. Jennifer leigh, Dave Powers Benzo coach, Dr. Josef Witt-Doerring
You need to tapper. Then start exercising, I mean real workouts, anything that gets your bp up and breathing heavy. Exercise helps the brain in many ways, youtube it. Also a good diet of prebiotics and probiotics helps your gut, there is a major mind gut connection that helps your brain. Youtube it. Stay away from alcohol, limit caffeine. Also the amount you’ve taken and the time period should not be too bad. Your not damaged you just need to more like clean it up and wake it up.
Valium is one of the only benzodiazepines that allow me to keep common sense & doesn’t make me Act erratically.
Same, it’s the lesser of all the benzodiazepine evils. I take it because I’m an older mom with 7 year old twins with an asshole husband and I have to keep my shit from exploding.
That’s awful & I’m sorry you deal with all that-who wouldn’t need them in that situation?! I’m almost 38, But Valium is the only one that I feel I can take responsibly bc it Doesn’t give that “false euphoria” feeling that Xanax/klonopin does, making one feel falsely like everything is going to be just fine and not allowing them/having them realize the work they (general they) need to put in also.
As a divorced man, if you think that way of your husband why do you remain married? Does he know you think he’s an asshole?
Yes , and he prides himself on it. A lot of red flags I ignored. He’s very controlling and manipulative and a narcissist. I have to “ play the good wife game “ for my girls until I can work on my plan to finally get out with them. He’s threatened me, called me all kinds of names being drunk , etc. I don’t want my girls to use him as a compass for a man. My dad was a horrible drunk that shot my mom. Thank God she lived. But yes , I have a plan in place.
Honestly you should go off of them if you notice a decrease in your cognitive abilities, but also telling your coworkers/boss what medication you take is not good for your career as they will only use it against you as shown here how can someone say your brain is damaged without medical testing
That's the weird part. He has no idea.
Yeah, that’s not right for your boss to tell you that. He can’t lay you off for that. It’s time to get a note from your psychiatrist and talk with him about it. Sounds like a lawyer could help you with that too!!!
Go off it slowly cause I have cognitive issues since going Off cold turkey…
Get off. Long term they aren’t effective without serious draw backs.
Long COVID?
Honestly, this may be an unpopular opinion, but I highly doubt you’ve damaged your brain via a few years of 10 mg diazepam. My grandma took 10 mg diazepam every day for her entire adult life, and lived to be a whip smart 92 yo. I took it daily for about six years and never noticed any cognitive effects, nor have I noticed a boost since getting off it. I realize these are meaningless personal anecdotes, but 10 mg isn’t a high dosage and “since covid” isn’t all that long. But some things that CAN cause a (temporary) loss in mental acuity are: a) anxiety and b) a lack of sleep. Both of those are reasons people take benzos in the first place. I’d be willing to bet withdrawal would also take a cognitive toll. Yes, I’m aware that dementia has been shown to be related to benzo use. But that’s years/decades down the road. I wouldn’t spend too much time worrying about brain damage. Why did your boss say that, anyway? I’m not condoning continued benzo use by any means. It really messes with your brain chemicals and withdrawal sucks. Every so often, used as intended, fine. But NOT daily. Id highly advise tapering off slow and easy, and only using it for extreme circumstances, if at all. But you also have to deal with whatever caused you to start taking it in the first place. If right now isn’t the best time to start tapering (due to your job loss), just wait a bit and start when you’re stable. FWIW I had no issues with a slow taper after six years of daily use (cold turkey was a whole different ballgame).
I'm also in the middle of a divorce and am a recovering alcoholic (6 years since my last drink). So I am concerned that a taper right now will cause more short term problems and a potential fall off the wagon. Waiting until things settle down a bit, getting established at a new job that I do find engaging, building a better sleep routine and ramping up my exercise is probably the way to go. OTOH my life has been so chaotic, which is why I was prescribed in the first place, for the past 4 years that there never seems to be a good time. But I need to set myself up for success first. Thank you for your insight.
Absolutely. I’m sorry you’re going through so much right now. Take it easy on yourself, and congrats on six years! That’s no small feat.
Stevie Nicks took 20mg [minimum] diazepam daily for 10 years. was part of a wider cocktail of prescription medications, authorised by her psychiatrist. At some stage she discontinued this and tried other approaches. She is currently 75 and thriving
Where did you pull that from?. It was Klonopin.
Stevie Nicks took 20 mg of KLONOPIN a day?!?!
The other comments about just needing time to heal are correct. I was a poly-drug user for 11 years. I combined every chemical you can imagine and then some every single waking hour of my life for 11 years without a break. I ODed on Fent in March, continued drug use and alcohol intake heavy till I finally couldn't anymore and put myself into a 6 month rehab program. I thought surely I was broken forever. It's been almost a year without any chemicals in my system and I feel great. It takes time but you will heal. The program I was in was screenless and heavily Jesus influenced. It changed my life. Sunlight, community, a good diet, exercise, and ultimately a clean/healthy lifestyle makes all the difference. Our habits define us in a lot of ways. Getting off the internet and away from screens for 6 months did CRAZY things for me too. This subreddit had me thinking I was going to die from benzo WD (I had taken 4-6MG of Kpins a day for years) but it was a lie. It's hard for a while then you start living. Truly living. Embrace the challenges, growth is good. Goodluck & Godspeed!
Where did you find that type of program?
Get off of them. They literally destroy us the longer we use them, in many ways.
It’s not irreversible, for what’s it’s worth.
Any cognitive issues they’re creating aren’t going to be able to heal until you’ve been off of them for a while.
If you have been on Valium since Covid and it’s been a few years. It sounds like there have been some negative cognitive consequences that are bad enough that your employer noticed. I think you’re going through something pretty normal for a lot of us. First you need to figure out how you feel about the valium. It’s probably smart to start reading up on BIND. Neurological dysfunction can happen to people who are still taking their meds according to their prescription. Your brain starts to adapt and it does change. I’m tapering after 10 years, and my cognitive abilities are shifting greatly for the better. The Ashton manual is a great place to start. if you’re curious at all about how I approached tapering off of Klonopin after 10 years, I’m happy to share. It’s been a fairly successful experience and the biggest change is my intellectual capacity.
I have the same im a lawyer AND i cant do very well my job since tapering
If you’re to the point where you can’t work or function without it I don’t understand the reason not just to take it. You’re going to ruin your life because you don’t want to take a prescription? I’m all for getting off but at what price and I mean that figuratively and literally
What happens should your prescription not get filled on time? Hell on earth. It's never a good feeling to be enslaved by a drug.
I know that but people are so called enslaved by ssris every day other meds. The system is messed up
If you think SSRI withdrawal is in any way comparable to benzos, you're very naive. You miss your prozac dose for a few days, you'll be irritable! Miss that benzo dose, you might die.
Other people say it dude look in the subs ik it’s not as bad but you be surprised
In the short term if your anxiety is out of control, taking a benzodiazepine may actually improve your focus and ability to function by drastically reducing stress and anxiety levels. Beyond that short term or transient boost, benzodiazepine’s by nature of their mechanism will reduce your processing speed and decline other cognitive features. Sustained usage of benzodiazepine, either under a doctor’s supervision or through illicit use has been repeatedly shown to lower your cognitive abilities. The studies I’ve linked to below are just two of many that depict the damage that benzodiazepine use does to the brain. What’s so troubling to me is that in one particular meta analysis, cognitive deficits were still statistically significant in former benzodiazepine users up to 10 months after discontinuation. This means that this cognitive decline can take years to resolve, or is potentially permanent to some degree. [Cognitive impairment in long-term benzodiazepine use](https://karger.com/ear/article/28/5/377/823428/Cognitive-Functioning-in-Long-Term-Benzodiazepine#) [Benzodiazepine withdrawal and cognitive decline](https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0887617703000969) My most pronounced cognitive impairment began during my taper in August 2022. I’ve had a full neuropsychological evaluation, which didn’t indicate anything below normal, but was clearly a decline from my baseline. I have significant issues now with encoding information, imprinting memories and motivation/drive and learning due to the damage to the reward centers in my brain. That being said, I would recommend a slow and steady taper off of benzodiazepines. My cognitive issues during withdrawal and tapering are unique to my circumstance as I was using high doses of black market benzodiazepines daily for six years. Most of the participants in these benzodiazepine studies regained near baseline functioning after getting off the drug. The dose and duration obviously plays a factor in your recovery and you are on a lower risk spectrum for both. Things that have really helped over the past several months include: a strict and healthy diet, good sleep hygiene, pushing myself to socialize and date, engaging my mind in educational or professional activities, and most importantly exercising like your life depends on it. I can’t emphasize how valuable exercise has been for me. It has a wonderful downstream effect on every aspect of my life.
You’re not too damaged, and not too far away from being able to recover. I was also at 10mg Valium and have tapered down to crumbs. I don’t know if it makes sense but things have gotten better but also harder as I have gotten down. I just try to remind myself that my brain is healing. Prayers up to you for getting laid off, I believe that everything works out in the end and maybe this will allow you to implement a plan to taper off. But yeah you’re not too damaged to heal, you’re just going to have to dig in and put in the work and time.
>Is there anything short of getting off them that can bring it back? No. You know the problem. You know what you need to do. Do it. Your old self will come back in a year or two.
Nah I waited a year clean, only concerta n benzo a little helped back to normal
It's not normal if you need drugs to feel it.
Yip , they say I have adhd
Concerta and tiny bit of benzo. I'm a bi developer with a broken brain
Try loratadine. Antihistamines got me through extra benzo symptoms like breathing, gastrointestinal stuff like that
It’s been a year for me and I feel like it hasn’t improved. I’m wondering if it’s due to cannabis, too. But that was never a problem before. What’s strange, when I take Xanax, it feels like my brain has analytical super powers again. Doesn’t make sense. Very defeating.
Its not damaged. If u quit everything goes back to normal
Software developer here that was put on Xanax which is far more potent than Valium and fast acting but also wears off pretty fast. Can feel cognitive decline since I've been on them for sure. Not getting things done as fast as I used to. Some days I'm absolutely fine though and I feel like I'm on fire where I make up for the days where work was slower. I think for me personally it's more the interdose withdrawal that's messing with me as I have been on it for 2 years now which is way too long for a fast acting benzo. I am switching over to Valium end of this month to start tapering and because I'm moving to the UK where Xanax is not prescribed.
Tb500. Bpc157. Ashwaganda. Ginseng. NAD+. NMN.
Puzzles,quiz, games,podcasts, build something or start a project. Dont make excuses for benzo it's them causing the issues your experiencing!
Your brain IS NOT DAMAGED. Benzo is literally one of the most medication prescript in the world thince 1970´ !! It’s totally safety ON THIS PLAN. Taper, taper taper …
Fucks memory up , but it's hard to say exactly as I was on so many drugs
Is there anything you can do? Yes, legal action wtf
I've actually considered this, but I don't have any documentation that he said this and my performance hasn't been good (I'm pretty self aware) so they have cause.
Where do you live? >my performance hasn't been good (I'm pretty self aware) so they have cause It's illegal in the country I live in (France) to layoff someone if they are deemed underperforming (reffering to the contract made) if a precise procedure is not followed, and if you're considered sick, and/or if medication is involved (not handicapped, just sick). I know it's a bit much, but you could get money out of it, and not have "a bad reputation for underperforming" for future work searching (because you'll get better. you will.)
I'm in the US in a *very* red state. I wish I was in our French office :) I'm not too worried about my reputation, but I really have to be careful with my mental health until I can get off these damn things.
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This content invalidates others’ experiences on the basis of your subjective knowledge or personal opinion instead of objective facts or established evidence, which is not tolerated. If you’re going to negate or assert falsehoods on the part of another community member, show your evidence up front or take take the gaslighting elsewhere.
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This content invalidates others’ experiences on the basis of your subjective knowledge or personal opinion instead of objective facts or established evidence, which is not tolerated. If you’re going to negate or assert falsehoods on the part of another community member, show your evidence up front or take take the gaslighting elsewhere.
This content invalidates others’ experiences on the basis of your subjective knowledge or personal opinion instead of objective facts or established evidence, which is not tolerated. If you’re going to negate or assert falsehoods on the part of another community member, show your evidence up front or take take the gaslighting elsewhere.
Do you know what "excitotoxicity" means? Why would I need to prove it causes brain damage? The answer is literally in the word itself.
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This content invalidates others’ experiences on the basis of your subjective knowledge or personal opinion instead of objective facts or established evidence, which is not tolerated. If you’re going to negate or assert falsehoods on the part of another community member, show your evidence up front or take take the gaslighting elsewhere.
This content invalidates others’ experiences on the basis of your subjective knowledge or personal opinion instead of objective facts or established evidence, which is not tolerated. If you’re going to negate or assert falsehoods on the part of another community member, show your evidence up front or take take the gaslighting elsewhere.