Symptoms

Below is a list of possible withdrawal symptoms that can occur when in tolerance or tapering off a benzodiazepine such as Valium, Ativan, Xanax, or Klonopin. These symptoms can also persist after one has ceased taking the medication.

You may experience one or many, mild or severe, depending on how much damage the benzodiazepine caused. Please do not let this list frighten you. It is shared as education. It is better to know what benzo withdrawal symptoms have been reported than to wonder and worry about what you are experiencing.

Always see a doctor if you are concerned about a symptom. Although the medical community isn’t usually educated about benzo withdrawal symptoms, they can rule out other things which may put your mind at ease.

Remember that “benzo withdrawal” is the term used to discuss symptoms until the drug is out of the body. After that, symptoms are referred to as BIND, benzodiazepine-induced neurological dysfunction. The symptoms are due to the neuroadaptation from the benzodiazepine.

Abdominal pains and cramps
Aching jaw
Aching joints
Aching muscles
Acute hyper-excited state
Aggressive behavior
Agitated sight
Agitation
Agoraphobia
Allergic reactions
Allergic reactions to foods previously tolerated
Allergy & nasal symptoms exacerbated
Anger
Anhedonia- reduced motivation or ability to feel pleasure
Anxiety
Apathy
Appetite – either loss of or voracious appetite with a constant desire to eat
Arms and legs feel detached from the body
Ataxia – can’t coordinate muscle movement
Back pain
Band around the head
Bladder incontinence
Bladder irritation – the feeling of having an infection or cystitis
Bleeding between menstrual cycles
Bleeding from the nose
Blepharospasm – eye twitches
Bloated stomach, distended abdomen (benzo belly)
Bloated belly
Blood pressure fluctuations
Blurred vision
Blurred vision with seeing spots, flashes, vivid vision
Body feels like jelly
Body odor – stinking sweat
Body temperature fluctuations
Body temperature reading higher or lower than 98.6
Bone pain
Brachycardia – slow heartbeat/pulse
Brain moving within the skull
Breasts – heavy, over-sensitive, swollen, enlarged, painful
Breathing difficulties
Breathlessness
Bruxism (teeth grinding)
Buildings appear to be leaning.
Burning along the spine
Burning sensation around the mouth
Buzzing, burning, tingling limbs
Changes in perception (faces distorting and inanimate objects moving)
Changes in skin color, tone, texture
Chemical sensitivities
Chest tightness
Chills – (can feel like the heebie-jeebies you get when viewing a scary movie)
Choking
Claustrophobia
Clumsiness
Cognitive impairment
Confusion
Constipation
Cracked and sore lips
Cramping in the stomach
Craving sweets and sugary foods
Crying jags
Cuts and abrasions take weeks to heal
Dark circles under the eyes
Decaying teeth and gums
Dehydration
Delirium
Demented and murderous thoughts
Dental pain
Depersonalization (a feeling of not knowing who you are)
Depression
Derealization
Diarrhea
Difficulty in writing slowly
Difficulty swallowing
Difficulty writing or holding a fork due to muscle weakness
Difficulty writing
Discharge from the breasts
Disorientation
Distended abdomen
Distortions or hallucinations
Dizziness – in general or a feeling like you are falling off the couch/chair/bed, disequilibrium
Double vision
Dry mouth
Dry throat, sore tongue, and thrush
Dry, itchy skin
Dry, tickly cough
Dyspepsia (indigestion)
Dysphagia (difficulty eating or swallowing)
Dysphoria (inability to feel pleasure or happiness)
Dyspnea (breathing difficulty)
Earache
Earworms, looping music, songs stuck in head
Electric shock feelings
Emotional blunting – can’t receive or give
Encopressia (fecal incontinence)
Esophageal spasms
Excitability
Exercise – exacerbating all benzo symptoms
Exhaustion
Extremely cold
Extreme lethargy
Extreme thirst
Extremely disturbed
Extremely nervous and jumpy
Eyes – sore, tired, seeing floaters, spots, itchy, pain, pressure
Falling hair
Fatigue, leaden heaviness
Fear
Fear of being a burden or unlovable
Fear of being alone (monophobia)
Fear of dying
Fear of insanity
Fear of losing control
Fear of never recovering
Fear of water
Feces – appear abnormal looking
Feeling bloated
Feeling like the ground is moving beneath you, as if on a cruise ship or boat (called Floaty/Boaty in the benzo community.)
Feeling of extreme cold
Feeling of impending doom
Feeling of vulnerability
Feelings of shaking inside and out
Feelings of shame, despite realizing benzo withdrawal was all accidental and not your fault
Feelings of the spirit being out of synchronization with the body
Feelings of unreality
Feelings of worms under the scalp
Female ejaculation or incontinence during orgasm
Fingernail problems – median nail dystrophy (line/ridge down the center)
Flashbacks
Fluctuations in blood pressure
Flu-like symptoms
Flushing
Formication (sensations of bugs crawling on the skin)
Fuzzy feeling in the head
Gait disturbance – hard to walk straight
Gastritis
Glassy eyes
Goosebumps – very visible to the eye
Grinding teeth
Hemorrhoids
Hair – loss, thinning, dullness
Hallucinations (auditory, olfactory, and visual)
Head pressure
Headaches – mild or severe
Heart palpitations, pounding or racing heart
HeartburnHeavy arms, legs, and head
Heavy pounding heart
Holding onto the walls in the shower or while on the toilet
Hostility
Hot flashes
Hurts to wear clothes, a car seatbelt
Hypersensitive (unable to watch the news, see films, read the newspaper)
Hyperactivity
Hyperacusis – profound hearing sensitivity
Hyperosmia (sensitive sense of smell)
Hyperreflexia (“jumpiness”)
Hypersensitivity to being touched
Hypersensitivity to light, sound, and other stimuli
Hypersensitivity to stress
Hyperventilation (over breathing)
Hypnogogic dreams (hallucinations, sleepwalking)
Hysterical and inappropriate laughter
IBS – irritable bowel syndrome
Ice-cold terror in the body/veins
Impacted bowels
Impairment of motor coordination
Impotence
Inability to comprehend the most straightforward things
Inability to concentrate
Inability to cope with a lot of informationInability to draw a satisfying breath
Inability to make a decision
Inability to read or write
Incontinence, frequent or urgent need to urinate, unable to hold or pass urine
Inability to sweat
Increased saliva
Indigestion
Insomnia
Intense fuzzy feeling in the head
Intense jaw pain
Internal vibrations
Intrusive thoughts
Iris in the eyes changes color
Irrational rage
irritability
Jaundice
Jaw, tooth, neck, and shoulder aches and pains
Jaws clamped together
Jerks in arms, legs, fingers
Joint aches and pains
Joylessness
Jumpiness
Jumping toe
Lack of concentration
Lack of coordination
Left/Right-sided symptoms
Legs, arms, and head are very heavy
Leukonychia (whitening of nails)
Libidinal changes – variances in sex drive
Life review
Loneliness
Loss of balance
Loss of concentration
Loss of confidence
Loss of control of movement
Loss of interest in people and/or things
Loss of memory
Loss of self-respect
Loss of taste or metallic taste
Loss or changes in appetite
Lung pain
Memory problems – short-term
Menstrual problems (painful periods, irregular periods, cessation of periods)
Metallic taste
Mild hypertension
Mood swings
Morbid thoughts
Mouth and tongue soreness
Muscle spasms
Muscle tone, wastage
Muscle wastage
Muscle weakness
Muscle locking and rigidity
Muscular aches, pains, cramps, spasms
Muscular rigidity
Nausea, flu-like symptoms
Nervous ticks or twitches
Nervousness
Neuralgia
Neurological problems – topical nerve anesthesia
Neuropia
Night apnea
Night sweats
Nightmares
Nose bleeds
Numbness – around the face, mouth, or any other part of the body
Numbness, pain
Obsessions
Obsessive behavior
Oedema – especially face or ankles
Oesophagitis
Old wounds, scars, surgery site pain
Orgasm changes – significant symptom flare after orgasms
Outbursts of rage or aggression
Over breathing
Painful scalp
Pains in the neck and shoulders
Pains in temple
Pains in the chest
Pains in the lungs
Pains in the neck
Panic attacks
Paraesthesia (numbness, tingling)
Paranoia
Passing gas frequently
Pelvic floor dysfunction
Pelvic pain
Penis and testicle sensitivity
Persistent, unpleasant memories
Perspiring, night sweats
Phobias (hydrophobia, agoraphobia, monophobia)
Pins and needles
Post Traumatic Stress Disorder
Premature menopause
Premature wrinkling around the eyes and face
Problems of decaying teeth
Psychotic symptoms – usually transient and confined to rapid withdrawal
Pupils of eyes become small
Pushing away friends
Racing thoughts
Rage
Rapid blinking of the eyes
Rapid changes in body temperature
Rapid mood changes
Rapid weight loss
Rashes and blotches on the skin
Recurring mild sore throat
Repetitive thoughts
Restless legs in bed at night
Restlessness
Saliva running from the mouth at night
Scalp pain and burning
Screwing up the eyes
Seeing spots before the eyes
Seizures (fits)
Sensation of the brain moving within the skull
Sensitive or painful teethSevere cramping in the stomach
Severe headaches
Severe muscle rigidity
Sexual problems – no sex drive or ultra-high sex drive
Shaking – inside or out or both
Sharp, throbbing pain in the wrists
Shivering – feelings of extremely cold or hot
Short-term memory impairment
Sinus pain
Skin problems – dry, itchy, rashes, slow healing, tickling, burning
Sleepwalking
Smell problems – everything smells bad
Smelling bad, but only to you
Sore and tired eyes
Sore mouth and tongue
Speech difficulties
Stomach cramps
Stuttering
Suicidal feelings/ideation
Swallowing difficulties
Sweating
Swollen breasts
Teeth – pain, throbbing, sensitivity, feel like they are falling out, grinding
Tension between eyes
Terror attacks
Thinking you are dying
Thinking you have some awful disease other than benzo withdrawal
Thirst
Thrush-like symptoms
Thyroid disturbances
Tickling and itching
Tight band around the head
Tight band around the legs and ankles
Tightness in the chest
Tightness in the head
Tinnitus (buzzing or ringing in the ears)
Tiny pupils
Tiredness
Toe and fingernails change color
Tongue – sore, burning
Total loss of confidence
Toxic naps – feeling worse upon awakening
Tremor or feeling of inner vibration
Twitching of the head
Unable to walk
Under-eye puffiness
Unusually sensitive (unable to watch the news on television or read the newspaper)
Urinary problems (continence or incontinence)
Vaginal discharge, or extremely dry or wet vagina
Vertigo
Vibrations
Visual disturbances – waves, sparks, flashes of light, seeing spots, floaters, blurry
Voice quality changes
Vomiting
Vulnerability
Walking side to side like a drunken sailor
Weakness – “jelly legs”
Weight loss or gain (can be rapid)
Yellow coating on the tongue (which can yellow the teeth)

Coping with withdrawal symptoms can be challenging. A good strategy is to practice acceptance, patience, gratitude, and distraction.

Acceptance is a powerful tool for cultivating peace, resilience, and well-being. By accepting what we cannot change, we free ourselves from unnecessary stress and worry. Practicing acceptance involves acknowledging the reality of the present moment, letting go of resistance, and embracing what is.

We can also practice acceptance by cultivating gratitude, focusing on what we can control, and developing a growth mindset. Acceptance takes practice, but the benefits are profound, including improved relationships, greater emotional stability, and increased self-awareness. When we accept ourselves and our circumstances, we can approach life with greater ease and contentment.

Practicing patience can help you reduce stress, improve relationships, and achieve your goals with less frustration. To practice patience, it’s important to focus on the present moment, take deep breaths, and maintain a positive mindset. You can also try techniques like meditation, mindfulness, or visualization to help you cultivate patience. Remember, developing patience is a process, and it takes time and practice, but the benefits are worth the effort.

Distraction can be a useful coping tool for navigating benzo withdrawal/BIND.By focusing on something other than symptoms and negative emotions, you improve your overall well-being.

Some ways to practice distraction may include engaging in hobbies or leisure activities, spending time with loved ones, practicing mindfulness or meditation, listening to music, reading a good book, learning something new, or, my favorite, gardening.

These activities can help shift your focus away from your symptoms and turn down the volume, so to speak, of your suffering.

It’s important to note that distraction should not be used as a substitute for proper medical care. If you are concerned about a symptom, get checked out for peace of mind.