Tolerance and withdrawal symptoms

It´s very important to know that you DON`T need to have all the withdrawal symptoms (or tolerance symptoms during using). Definitely you DON`T get all at the same time. Still it´s important to KNOW that it IS withdrawal symptoms if they show up.


List of symptoms according to KILEN




Changes in perception

Derealisation - a sense of unreality
Depersonalization - insecurity about one's identity, one cannot recognize oneself in the mirror and so on.
Tinnitus - ringing ears, buzzing,
Déjà vu's - appear occasionally due to dreams, and sometimes as strong, sudden experiences in the middle of the day.
Uncomfortableness in the face and around the mouth - a sense of loss of control over face muscles, sometimes appearing as unwanted faces. The cramps spread occasionally to the whole body.
Formications - A sense of that insects crawl on the body.
Disturbances of sight of different kinds - may turn out as if one believes one is becoming blind.
Tensed head, neck, shoulders. A marked, sometimes hard back ache may be experienced while one is eating pills, and during abstinence. This pain might disappear when abstinence period is over, and should sometimes in the same pace as one lightens dose of pills.
Difficulties of co-ordination - slurred speach, stammering, the mixing up of words when speaking.
"A thousand needles" - the same experience as when the capability to feel- returns to the body part which fell a sleep.
Shiverings / Heating experiences
Dizziness
Fatigue - a feel of exhaustion
Tension-Headache The feeling of that one has a piece of string around the head, a constant pressure on the top of the head.
Numbness, abatement
A sense of instability - the ground moves below one's feet, one walks in the air, a common and very disturbing experience which may last for a long period o time.
Illusions and hallucinations
Paranoia - "people are looking at me, talking about me". This is also common for those who have eaten pills during a few years without a lowered dose during that time.



Changes in emotions

Phobias - appear to many without a lowered dose, but goes away during abstinence.
Fear, anguish, indignation, panic. Observe that anguish often appears as a direct consequence of these pills which are used to decrease the feelings of anguish.
Resignation - "what is the point of quitting?
Melancholic triad (?) - an abnormal state of depression, guilt, feelings of hopelessness.
Suicidal behaviour - everything ranging from suicidal thoughts should be taken seriously
Fear of, or a feeling of, that someone is becoming mentally ill.
Lack of confidence
Irritation, bursts of fury
Restlessness
Quick mood swings
Lack of control of impulses
Lack of sense of humour
Contact seeking, difficult to get rid of in social situations
Demanding, whining
Morbid thoughts - thoughts about tearing down and breaking things, killing



Bodily and vegetative symptoms

Difficulties to sleep - difficult to fall a sleep, an irregular pattern of sleep
Loss of appetite
Thirst
Weight loss
Feelings of sickness and vomiting
A taste of metal in the mouth
Stomach cramps
Periods of diarrhoea and periods of constipation
Difficulties to breathe
Uneven inhalation
Hyperventilation
Dry coughs
Uneven pulse
Blood pressure changes, upwards and downwards
Palpitations
A feeling of swallowness, sometimes very swollen hands, feet and face.
Soar tongue
Difficulties to swallow
Tremor (?) - shaking body parts, may go on for months
Itches
Hair loss
Cracks in lips and in the corner of the mouth
Sexual desire - usually reduced, but sometimes intensified
Changes in menstrual pattern
Incontinence - alternatively difficulties to urinate
Swollen vulva
Increased secretion in the vagina



Changes in the will and cognitive ability

Deterioration of the memory, the short-term memory is most affected.
Paralexi (?) - the mixing up of words in the texts
Difficulties to concentrate
Problem with speed and precision in work
Loss of ability to take initiatives.
Difficulties to make plans or decisions
Difficulties to learn - it is not unusual that things learnt during the time period when one ate benzodiazepines will be lost and have to be relearned



Drug related behaviour

A subjective need for drugs - " the body cries out for pills"
A secret, continued drug use, if necessary with help of lies and fraud
Stock of pills
Frauds, theft, falsified recepies to get pills
The searching of replacement drugs - alcohol, pain killers, codeine etc.



Social changes

Social isolation
Loss of contact with others
Loss of financial judgement
Kleptomania

The power acting the strongest for one to continue using pills, regardless of what consequences it has, is FEAR. It is not dangerous to be afraid, but it can be paralyzing, especially when one don’t have the courage to even admit to oneself what one is afraid of.

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