(07-13-2018, 08:21 AM)I-carus8045 Wrote: My seizures.

Awhile back now I had an experience with seizures due to withdrawals, this is one of the few times I have shared this apart from with close family and doctors who helped me, so sorry for its long windedness but its how I express .

My background that led to it:
When i was very very young (11) I was diagnosed with adhd and aspergers disorder, due to behavioural issues in school and difficulty communicating with people. This led to me prescribed a stupidly high dose of ritalin and later concerta, along with a nighttime dose of catapres(clonidine). As I was prescribed these from such a young age I never developed the sleep hygiene habits that most people do, And I still struggle with my sleeping.

After spending my whole childhood and young adulthood dealing with my sleeping problems unsuccessfully I went to a doctor around 5 years ago for help. He diagnosed me with severe chronic insomnia and Restless Leg Syndrome.

From this I was prescribed diazepam, but wasnt informed about its addictive nature, and i didnt have much experience with benzos and the troubles that come from them.

After a year of being prescribed this I had developed a physical and mental addiction and was taking huge doses and repeated doses frequently, I realised what had happened and decided to quit. Beinh very ignorant I went cold turkey. I moved back into my mother's house as she is a highly trained nurse and said she would keep an eye on me.

After a week I started experiencing extreme rebound insomnia, and after about 4 nights and days without sleeping I started to have severe paranoia and started to experience a form of delirium, which for me were extremely realistic hallucinations that I was unable to see for what they were at the time.

The night I started having the delirium my muscles and body were feeling extremely tight and tense, and I was having intense headaches and couldnt calm myself down at all.

When I had the first seizure I had no idea what was happening, and luckily my mother did, she had the foresight of expecting this might happen, and had retrieved the diazepam I had thrown away without telling me. She gave me a few 5s sublingual and within 10minutes my body had started to calm down.

I was stubborn and insisted on continuing the cold turkey, but after the second seizure a day and a half later I gave in and went to the doctor and began a tapering regime.

Nowadays I have been through so many different meds to combat The insomnia, and have made incredible progress in changing my sleep hygiene.

I have made an effort to become highly educated on benzos, sedatives, tranquilisers, pharmacology metabolites, pharmacodynamics etc etc. And although I am prescribed benzos again, i make sure to only take very short acting ones, with no active metabolites to prevent build up, and I only take them when absolutely necessary to make sure I dont become dependant, and I only have them when I have reached my second or third night of sleeplessness, mainly because the side effects of lack of sleep scare the crappers out of me. Such as: disembodied whispering and voices, shadow people, random bursts of smoke with a hissing sound etc.

So thats my story, I was uneducated and ignorant. I went through hell. But the silver lining was ending up dedicated to understanding everything about the nature of addiction, insomnia, sleep hygiene and all things related.

(09-13-2018, 11:46 PM)Charon Wrote: I am sorry to hear this.  i had seizures and a stroke. bitching.  have not experienced those symptoms in quite a few yrs.

Disability doctors chose two types of specialists to send me to:  My diagnoses have been MS, Lupus,  and reason unknown, well, its cuz most doctors still do not know autoimmines illnesses any better than a hole in the ground, i got sent to a doctor to see if i have pain.   almost for seizures and i saw my driving, as minute as it is now, would be over.  and for ptsd.  because life can be very very difficult and certainly not what i had planned.

and the brain trauma is why i write so strangely.  i lost a huge portion of brain at base of rite ganglia.

i can see and hear during episodes, but i am not processing information till way later.  


I am glad ur support group helps you.  But there are quite a few whom visit here and other forums whom are totally homebound.

Treasure being able to get out while u can.  My houseshare just was given an old walker with brakes and a seat and a basket.  If people with my illnesses need support, we use shopping carts.  baby strollers.  so cool cuz i may make two days of a music festival with this new walking device.  Its the festival where one very legally protests for a certain medicine in my state.

I am glad I  got to know u better pickles.  Hoping you are getting some friendship with ur group.  May u have peace tonite.

Yeah, living through nine one one did not help either of us did it?  Those darn selfie smilers need to understand the terror and the horror and the fear. You unequivocally get it.  We are changed forever.