Benzodiazepine Withdrawal Symptoms

Benzodiazepine withdrawal symptoms can vary widely, with the most severe associated with quitting cold turkey or over-tapering. It’s unlikely that you will experience all of the symptoms (or even a majority) at one time, but if you do have any dangerous or alarming reactions, get evaluated at your nearest emergency room right away.

From the Wikipedia:

“Benzodiazepine withdrawal is characterized by sleep disturbance, irritability, increased tension and anxiety, panic attacks, hand tremor, shaking, sweating, difficulty with concentration, confusion and cognitive difficulty, memory problems, dry retching and nausea, weight loss, palpitations, headache, muscular pain and stiffness, a host of perceptual changes, hallucinations, seizures, psychosis, and increased risk of suicide.”

These withdrawal symptoms are known for the manner in which they wax and wane and vary in severity from day to day or week by week instead of steadily decreasing in a straightforward monotonic manner. This has led to the ‘windows and waves’ metaphor that many benzo injured people use to refer to periods of time when symptoms are elevated and severe; or they have reduced for a period.

For your convenience, we’ve divided the following benzodiazepine withdrawal symptoms into easy-to-find categories.

Neurological

  • Acute hyper-excited state

  • Aphasia - hard to speak and find the right words

  • Ataxia – loss of coordination

  • Akathisia

  • Burning Skin

  • Dizziness

  • Dystonia

  • Gait disturbance

  • Inner vibrations (often in the legs but can be in the whole body for some)

  • Jerking

  • Hypersensitivity - light, noise, smell, movement etc

  • Loss of balance

  • Neuralgia – nerve pain

  • Neurological problems

  • Neuropathy

  • Pins and needles

  • Seizures

  • Tinnitus

  • Tremors

Cognitive

  • Changes in perception - faces distorting, building appearing to lean, and inanimate objects moving

  • Clumsiness

  • Cognitive impairment

  • Confusion

  • Disorientation

  • Fuzzy feeling in head

  • Hard to learn and concentrate

  • Heightened sensitivity to stimuli (light, smell, touch, sound)

  • Loss of balance

  • Loss of concentration

  • Loss of control of movement

  • Loss of memory - short and/or long-term

  • Loss of taste or metallic taste in mouth

  • Memory issues

  • Vision changes - blurred vision, seeing spots and flashes

Emotional

  • Aggressive behavior

  • Anger

  • Despair

  • Dysphoria - inability to feel pleasure or happiness

  • Emotional blunting

  • Excitability

  • Fear

  • Heightened sensitivity

  • Hostility

  • Irrational rage

  • Loss of confidence

  • Loss of interest

  • Loss of self-respect

  • Terror

Psychological

  • Agitation

  • Agoraphobia

  • Akathisia

  • Anxiety

  • Apathy

  • Claustrophobia

  • Delirium

  • Demented or murderous thoughts

  • Depersonalization – a feeling like you don’t know who you are

  • Depression

  • Derealization – feeling that things around you aren’t real

  • Distortions or hallucinations

  • Fear of being alone

  • Fear of dying

  • Fear of insanity

  • Flashbacks

  • Hallucinations - auditory or visual

  • Hyperactivity

  • Hysterical and inappropriate laughter

  • Insomnia

  • Intrusive thoughts

  • Mood swings

  • Morbid thoughts

  • Nightmares

  • Obsessive behaviors

  • OCD

  • Panic attacks

  • Paranoia

  • Phobias e.g TV or the computer

  • Psychosis

  • Repetitive thoughts

  • Suicidal ideation

Eyes

  • Burning eyes

  • Double vision

  • Eyeball ‘pulling’

  • Seeing spots or “floaters”

  • Sore, tired eyes

  • Twitches

Heart

  • Blood pressure fluctuations

  • Bradycardia – slow heartbeat/pulse

  • Heart palpitations, pounding or racing heart

  • Mild hypertension

  • Tachycardia

Stomach/Digestion

  • Abdominal pains and cramps

  • Anorexic state

  • Bloated stomach - “Benzo belly”

  • Diarrhea and constipation

  • Dry retching

  • Indigestion/Heartburn

  • Fecal incontinence

  • Flatulence

  • Gastritis

  • Intolerances and sensitivities

  • Loss of appetite and weight loss

  • Nausea

  • Vomiting

Lungs/Esophagus

  • Breathing difficulties (e.g ‘air hunger’)

  • Chest tightness

  • Choking

  • Difficulty eating or swallowing

  • Esophageal spasms

  • Esophagitis

  • Hyperventilation - over breathing

Muscles and Joints

  • Back pain

  • Difficulty writing or holding a fork, due to muscle weakness

  • Jaw aches

  • Loss of muscle tone

  • Muscle and joint aches and pains

  • Muscle cramps

  • Muscle wasting

  • Muscle weakness

  • Muscles spasms or rigidity

  • Neck pain

Women

  • Breasts – swelling, sensitivity or pain

  • Menstrual problems and irregularities

  • Premature menopause

  • Vaginal discharge

Other Physical

  • Allergic reactions

  • Allergy and nasal symptoms

  • Bladder incontinence or irritation

  • Body odor

  • Body temperature fluctuations/high or low body temp.

  • Burning sensation around the mouth

  • Changes in skin color, tone, texture

  • Chemical sensitivities

  • Chills

  • Cough

  • Cracked and sore lips or dry mouth

  • Craving sugar

  • Cuts and abrasions take longer to heal

  • Dark circles under the eyes

  • Dehydration or excessive thirst

  • Dry, itchy skin

  • Earache

  • Edema

  • Fatigue and exhaustion

  • Flu-like symptoms - Benzo flu

  • Flushing

  • Hair loss or thinning

  • Headaches

  • Impotence or problems with orgasm

  • Jaundice

  • Night sweats

  • Nose bleeds

  • Ringing in ears

  • Speech difficulties

  • Teeth grinding

  • Thyroid problems

  • Voice changes

  • Weight loss or gain

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