Progesterone benzo withdrawals bed ridden

[c0wl0ve]

Hi everyone. I wanted to see if anyone could help me. I am suffering immensely. I was on bio identical 100 mg progesterone for 2 years for anxiety and pms. I have also been on klonopin for 4 years and been tapering super slow over the course of years. I was on antidepressants as well and cold Turkey off those a year ago. Hell broke loose after ct of antidepressants. Got severe depression I never had before etc.. the depression wouldn’t go away so I thought progesterone was causing it. I tried to cold Turkey off progesterone multiple times this year and got the most horrific withdrawals you could ever imagine including akathisia as a result. I didn’t realize progesterone could cause such horrible withdrawals even more so then the benzo I was tapering. I’m not sure if it has to do with having a benzo brain or what. But it seemed after I come off my mood would lift and I felt happiness then I go back on and feel flat and depressed…. I used to feel amazing after taking progesterone then next day super depressed so also not sure if it was some sort of withdrawal the next day from short half life. Anyways I’ve been tapering both progesterone and benzo very slowly. (I know dumb) I just feel the need to get off progesterone since it caused me such horrific issues and left me bed ridden with horrible symptoms… the withdrawals anyway. I ordered ray peat progest e and wanted to try but I’m so scared as I’m very severe and can’t risk anything getting worse. What do I do? Do I try going back on progesterone and pray to god it helps and then get off the benzo? I worry If I go on progesterone I will be back at square one tapering it again and be in longer hell.

My symptoms- akathisia, agitation, terror, severe depression, SI, panic attacks, body pains, weakness, rage…. I cannot function at all. I cannot cook a meal or do anything. And it all started from trying to come off progesterone… I’m at loss.

I want to go back on but so scared of what happened to me… someone please help? Do I get horrible withdrawals from progesterone since I have a benzo brain?

 

[CoconutEffect]

Imidazenil helped me tremendously

 

[c0wl0ve]

Imidazenil helped me tremendously

I’ll have to look that up. I never heard of it before. Does it have any withdrawals or dependence issues?

 

[ThazMYchocolate]

how much klonopin?

 

[ThazMYchocolate]

it sounds like the progesterone was masking the benzo withdrawal and slowing it down. it doesn't help long term to get off benzos. It sounds like your symptoms are just benzo withdrawal. Progesterone acts on the same receptors. Maybe you need to taper that carefully too.

edit: Are you cycling the progesterone with your menstrual cycle? I never heard of people taking progesterone every day but I certainly don't know enough about it

maybe you can make sure the last day of your last progesterone dose is the day before your period? don't know if that will help but it makes the most sense to me

 

[ThazMYchocolate]

I used to feel amazing after taking progesterone then next day super depressed so also not sure if it was some sort of withdrawal the next day from short half life.

this happens to me. You have to keep the dose steady enough so this doesn't happen, until right before your period starts.

 

[c0wl0ve]

how much klonopin?

I’m on .095 mg klonopin now, about 3 more months till I jump

 

[c0wl0ve]

it sounds like the progesterone was masking the benzo withdrawal and slowing it down. it doesn't help long term to get off benzos. It sounds like your symptoms are just benzo withdrawal. Progesterone acts on the same receptors. Maybe you need to taper that carefully too.

edit: Are you cycling the progesterone with your menstrual cycle? I never heard of people taking progesterone every day unless they were pregnant

Yeah I’m wondering the same thing, it was just crazy how whenever I stopped progesterone I got the most horrific symptoms even was losing ability to talk, walk, and move my limbs then the akathisia came. I’ve been tapering both slow now but thinking of going back up on the progesterone

I was told to take it everyday by my functional dr

 

[c0wl0ve]

this happens to me. You have to keep the dose steady enough so this doesn't happen, until right before your period starts.

So you change the dose before period starts? I’ve only ever taken the same dose everyday

 

[ThazMYchocolate]

So you change the dose before period starts? I’ve only ever taken the same dose everyday

menstruating-age women taking progesterone are (usually) supposed to take it during the luteal phase (last 2 weeks before period), when the corpus luteum would normally make the hormone. Do you find it messes with your cycle? Maybe ask that doc if you can cycle it??? I wouldn't stop randomly in the cycle

 

[ThazMYchocolate]

maybe you could try some vitamin-e instead of progesterone. It can help calm

 

[gunther]

I did a stint with akathisia from AD withdrawal. Diphenhydramine (benadryl) helped.

I recently have been taking pregesterone and it seems to help with my anxiety. After reading this I'm wondering about dependency issues. Can anybody chime in?

 

[c0wl0ve]

Thank you for the information. I’m 27 years old so I’m lost. I think I’m e dominant

 

[ThazMYchocolate]

benzo withdrawal will take over your life for a time. I just watched someone do that for almost half a year. It isn't something you can just medicate away and pretend it's not happening. Your brain has to feel the yuck in order to replace the chemicals it needs naturally and it takes a long time. You will get better but you might not function well -at least not every day-- until a little while after you take your last tapering dose. You will have good days and bad days. I am so sorry you are going through this, my heart really goes out to you dear

 

[Izzybelle]

I went through a Xanax withdrawal over a decade ago, and was discussing Dr. Peat's work on a forum. One member e-mailed him and he suggested thyroid.

From the link below: "...progesterone promotes thyroid production...." I would look at supplementing thyroid as perhaps progesterone has just been a filler for a low thyroid issue. I wish I had done it then, but my labs looked ok. Now I'm taking thyroid due to low temps and pulse. I'm sure it was an issue back then I just didn't know it yet.

https://ia802902.us.archive.org/11/items/ProgesteroneInOrthomolecularMedicine/Progesterone%20in%20Orthomolecular%20Medicine%20.pdf

 

[c0wl0ve]

I did a stint with akathisia from AD withdrawal. Diphenhydramine (benadryl) helped.

I recently have been taking pregesterone and it seems to help with my anxiety. After reading this I'm wondering about dependency issues. Can anybody chime in?

benzo withdrawal will take over your life for a time. I just watched someone do that for almost half a year. It isn't something you can just medicate away and pretend it's not happening. Your brain has to feel the yuck in order to replace the chemicals it needs naturally and it takes a long time. You will get better but you might not function well -at least not every day-- until a little while after you take your last tapering dose. You will have good days and bad days. I am so sorry you are going through this, my heart really goes out to you dear

Yes ive been in hell for a year now and tapering the benzo for almost 3… it’s so hard. Thank you very much for your help and words I appreciate it

 

[c0wl0ve]

I went through a Xanax withdrawal over a decade ago, and was discussing Dr. Peat's work on a forum. One member e-mailed him and he suggested thyroid.

From the link below: "...progesterone promotes thyroid production...." I would look at supplementing thyroid as perhaps progesterone has just been a filler for a low thyroid issue. I wish I had done it then, but my labs looked ok. Now I'm taking thyroid due to low temps and pulse. I'm sure it was an issue back then I just didn't know it yet.

https://ia802902.us.archive.org/11/items/ProgesteroneInOrthomolecularMedicine/Progesterone%20in%20Orthomolecular%20Medicine%20.pdf

Wow very interesting. Thank you for sharing this. Do you still take the thyroid & progesterone? Was your benzo withdrawals bad

 

[Izzybelle]

Yes, the withdrawal was pretty bad, but I had some other things going on, like being perimenopausal, and it's hard in retrospect to differentiate the symptoms. It mainly affected me physically -- my muscles especially -- and extreme fatigue. Doctors were of absolutely no help, and I was newish to Dr. Peat's work and didn't know enough to jump into the the thyroid stuff straight-away. I spent years changing my eating habits and doing all of the things that Dr. Peat recommends to improve thyroid function -- avoiding PUFA, getting plently of carbs and protein, sunlight, and so on -- and everything helped to a degree, but I still suffered muscle issues. I do take progesterone, sometimes all the time, sometimes cyclically (I don't have a cycle to worry about messing up now, but he even suggests that menopausal women could cycle the progesterone because the brain still cycles). If I'm under a lot of stress I take it all the time. I'm still working on getting my temps up with the thyroid. The bloods tests can be misleading so if you read Peat's work you'll see how he suggests using it and then charting your temps and pulse, and you'll need more in winter.

I wouldn't give up the progesterone. It's a good thing. If I were young like you, I'd take it cyclically like Dr. Peat recommends. I don't know how familiar you are with his work, but you could get blood work for thyroid just to see, but also read read read what he has to say about it, and the foods he recommends and other recommendations to support good thyroid function. From him I have come to understand that just having a healthy metabolic rate heals a lot of things. At your age, you may not need thyroid, only to improve your diet and so on. But it's something to consider. For me, I wish I would have been able to realize and start the thyroid much sooner. I think it would have helped a lot.

 

[Elie]

When I help female clients wean off antidepressants I put them on progesterone / E, high dose B1, niacinamide and B6 p5p, mag, thyroid support and a Peatish diet.
I think the same could apply for anti-anxiety meds.

 

[gunther]

When I help female clients wean off antidepressants I put them on progesterone / E, high dose B1, niacinamide and B6 p5p, mag, thyroid support and a Peatish diet.
I think the same could apply for anti-anxiety meds.

I've been tapering off of Effexor for a few years and this is real close to what I settled on. Mostly by pure trial and error.