Heart Symptoms Are Common In Benzo Withdrawal
Does your heart flutter? Skip beats? Race? Pound? Does it feel as if something is pinching it, or constricting it? Do you feel that your chest is heavy or sore and painful? These are the common complaints people have about heart symptoms in benzo withdrawal. It goes without saying that you should always get heart symptoms checked out by a doctor, but if you’re told that your ticker is fine, you can rest easy knowing that your symptoms are probably benzo related.
My own heart symptoms were pretty scary. It’s one thing to have burning skin and tingles, but its quite another to have your heart act up. It’s a primal reaction to feel anxious when our hearts aren’t doing what they should be doing—beating rhythmically with ease and at a normal pace. I experienced a handful of heart symptoms in benzo withdrawal. The two most disturbing were the feeling of something pinching my heart (man, the pain was bad!) and the crazy skipped beats. My heart stumbled around at times ao much that I got lightheaded. It often felt as if a caged gorilla was trying to get out of my chest. I didn’t like the tachycardia I often got, but I personally wasn’t as concerned about it as I was the pain and weird, wild arrhythmias. For a long time, I couldn’t sleep on my left side—too much pain and pressure in my chest. I also had a squeezing sensation around my chest, as well as pain in my ribs and sternum.
How Can We Cope With Heart Symptoms In Benzo Withdrawal?
If your doctor has told you that your heart is fine, the best way to cope with heart symptoms is to reassure yourself that you’re okay, change any activity or thoughts that are possibly fueling the symptoms, and distract, just as we do for our other benzo withdrawal symptoms. We don’t want to add more fear on top of the benzo fear we already feel, so it is important that we do our best to keep calm when we feel heart symptoms.
Medication may be needed for certain symptoms. Some of us needed to take a beta-blocker for a little while. (I had to take Inderal for a few weeks during my setback.) Some people worry that there may be a cessation issue with beta-blockers, so ask your doctor and do your research about any medication so that you feel comfortable taking it. Please be careful with any vitamins or supplement that you take for your symptoms. Some can make us feel worse. Of course, avoid caffeine, alcohol, MSG, stimulants, and anything that works on GABA receptors. Only a doctor can diagnose and prescribe medication for heart issues during withdrawal, so please don’t attempt to self-diagnosis.
Attitude Is Important
How we respond to our symptoms can make the difference between us being miserable or feeling as if we can tolerate what is going on in our bodies and minds. Having an attitude of acceptance is far better than a victim attitude. When I stopped feeling as if my symptoms were “out to get me” and I stopped feeling so sorry for myself, life became so much more enjoyable. Granted, it took me some time to arrive at that place, but I worked hard at it. The less I thought of myself as “poor me,” and thought of myself as strong, healing, and blessed (yes, blessed, even in benzo withdrawal!) the better I felt and the less my heart symptoms bothered me. Over time, my withdrawal symptoms lessened and then vanished. I didn’t have to do anything other than wait for my central nervous system to heal.
The Body Is A Miraculous Thing
Instead of fearing my body, worried that it would give out on me in withdrawal, I began to realize just how strong, powerful, self-healing, and miraculous it is! I gained a new perspective and appreciation for my body. I don’t worry about every little ache and pain, twitch, pull, or skipped a heartbeat (I was diagnosed with benign skipped beats pre-benzos). I trust that my body knows what it needs to do and what it needs to heal. My job is to nourish it with healthy foods, keep it hydrated, gently exercise it every day, and rest it well every night. I don’t have to micro-manage its every function, nor do I have to worry about strange sensations in my body.
You Will Recover And Your Heart Will Calm Down
If your cardiac symptoms are driven by benzodiazepine withdrawal, they will lessen and fade away as your GABA receptors heal and your central nervous system calms down. In benzo withdrawal, our central nervous system is hyper-aroused, causing all sorts of whacky things in our bodies.
What We Can Do
- See a doctor to rule out anything other than benzo withdrawal
- Take medication as needed if needed
- Minimize activity that activates or increases symptoms
- Avoid stress
- Rest
- Drink plenty of water
- Avoid medication, supplements, vitamins that can make us feel worse
- Avoid alcohol, sugar, caffeine, and processed foods
- Learn to self-soothe with positive self-talk
- Avoid fearing the symptoms
- Practice acceptance
- Distract from the symptoms
Year and a half after jumping off last dose clonazapem…heart palp and eregular heartbeat have been happaning for about 8 months now doc dosnt seem concerned…is this time frame common?
Glad to hear your doc isn’t concerned. Yes, symptoms can last for sometime as the nervous system heals.
Thank you for this informative sharing Jennifer. Me,yes to all plus breathing is off. Will go back to PCP just in case… 11 months since my last check up. 31 months out CT, 14 yrs on Xanax. Thanks to you, I am informed and do follow your advise. Thank you again for the healing, helping hand. Sending ❤&☀ Jerry
I take Propanolol, which is the generic name for Inderal, but only when needed – not on a regular basis. It stops the pounding heart which can bring on anxiety attacks. Perhaps it helps all the other stuff you describe as I’ve not suffered from them (yet!) After 3 mg Ativan/day (the equivalent of 30 mg Valium) preceded by Xanax, for 30 years, I am only 30% down after almost a year and a half of tapering so still have a long way to go. I stopped the concomitant antidepressants, opiates and alcohol on my own prior to finding out how harmful all this stuff was to my brain and nervous system. Fortunately for me, my doctor retired and my new one was much more informative! The benzo withdrawal is doctor-assisted but self-directed and has been complicated by sleep apnea – I was so weak I could barely walk due to overnight oxygen deprivation (finally self-diagnosed, checked for and being treated) and the trauma of my building burning down in late summer – I lost everything.
I find that a really helpful approach to withdrawal symptoms is to think ‘Okay, I am suffering from (insert symptom) because that part of my body is undergoing a healing process right now’.
I’m in my 70s – if I can get through this, you younger folk certainly will! Don’t give up!
But Jen if we see a doctor that knows nothing about benzos and doesn’t believe me that scares me..I have pts from doctors and I’m afraid to go so when I do go my blood pressure goes crazy and I get dizzy and supper anxiousness but I do have static vision and double vision which sure makes it 100 percent worse 🙁..I feel so crazy sometimes but it has been years so ..maybe one day I pray I can overcome this fear…maybe when I can see better I’ll go back to who I used to be..going to doctors and not being afraid…does anyone else have vision problems here? It’s been six years for me..thx
I hear you. Loud and clear. I don’t see a doctor very often. They don’t have anything that I want; that is, pills. BUT, if someone is struggling with heart symptoms or any other symptom that feels life-threating, it is a good idea to suck up our fears and get checked out. It would be wrong for anyone to say that every odd or scary thing that we experience is benzo related. Most are. But it’s good to get checked out. \
Vision problems usually clear up on their own. Many of us saw double, had blurry vision, ocular migraines, floaters, problems with light, etc. I hope that yours gets better very soon.
Thanks Jen. This is the one I needed. Always had an excitable heart (MVP) before GABA issues and ended up with POTS after cold turkey. But only POTS on certain days or in the morning? Which is why I don’t think it’s actual POTS and more like “brain injury”. Been to the ER 11x in the past 3 years for heart symptoms. I just cannot seem to stop the fear. I was even afraid to shower at one point. Anywhere I dont have “an escape” if my heart acts up – I can’t go. Trying to rewire my brain – fear is a hard one to get rid of maybe?
Your right I will go get this heart stuff checked out..its just the anziety that makes me more afraid and I have no idea why..was never like this before..I’m praying I find a good doctor..thx for all your help…and the vision will get better too…hope soon makes the anziety even worse.!!!..visiouse cycle..thx so much Jen your the best🙂
Thanks for another wonderful post. I’m 26 mts out cold turkey from Xanax and my heart still doing all this crazy stuff, however not nearly as intense as say a year ago. Was wondering if you ever thought about addressing a symptom I continue to have that bothers me that I haven’t heard much about or you have written about. Every time I wake up I feel anxiety, depression, feel like my body is in a straight jacket and doesn’t want to wake up. This happens every time I wake up throughout the night not just in the morning. Think I have read somewhere that it has to do with cortisol levels. Wonder if any other people have this problem. If you ever did would appreciate you’re touching on it one day. Thanks Jenn
I’m not sure what you mean exactly by being in a straight jacket, however, I do Understand the anxiety/depression. I’m not sure what causes it. Like you, I’ve heard cortisol kicked around as an answer. But not sure exactly what’s happening. I had It for a very long time. I’d cry myself to sleep some nights because I knew When I woke Up I’d be back in the snakepit. I had physical symptomsas well— burning spine. Tingles. Burning skin. Pain. Stiffness. Head pressure. Etc. It would all start back in the morning. The good news is that it does get better. I wake Up now happy to start my day. No anxiety. No depression. Eventually our nervous system calms down. Hope you turn a corner soon. Drop me an email if you’d like and explain in detail what you mean by straight jacket. I’ll try to help.
Great post Jennifer. Madison, I was also just diagnosed with P.O.T.S. but I only get the symptoms on certain days;I agree with you that it feels more like brain injury from benzo withdrawals since its not a daily event. My heart rate went to 148 beat/per minute and wouldnt slow on day so I went to the e.r. and spent 2 days in the hospital. They want me on a beta-blocker now, Metoprolol but dont want to take it since its not a daily event. Perhaps Propanolal could be taken only as needed? my CNS has been in chaos for over 2 years during tapering. I’ll ask my M.D.
Hi, I’m so happy to discover this site! Long story short, was on .75 mg for almost 6 years to help with a strange dizziness I was getting (easiest way to describe it). Changed doctors and she took me off. I did a wean from Feb to June. A week after I took my last pill all heck broke loose and I have not been the same since. I’ve developed POTS and they say IST too, I had a feeling the pots was caused by the withdrawal. Docs don’t really think so I don’t think but everything happened around this time. I do already have a history of heat intolerance especially in showers, my heart would always race for years. Also I get higher heart rates with little moment. But I know for a fact I didn’t have pots then as I’ve had several 30 day holters, stress tests and echo’s through the years and never had these high heart rates. My question is, if this is caused by the Klonopin withdrawal,is there a good chance it could eventually go away? Did yours ever go away? One of my worst symptoms is feeling like I’m suffocating. Been to ER so many times and thankfully nothing bad found. Still need a lung function test but keep cancelling because I’m too exhausted. Go figure huh. I appreciate any help you can give regarding this. Thank you
I am Sorry to hear that you are suffering with POTS. It isn’t fun, I know. I had a severe case. My HR went to 160 upon standing and my BP dropped so low my doctor couldn’t measure it. I was very sick. It is all gone now. I still can get a higher heart rate with exertion, but even that is getting better. (I was prone to this pre-benzo.) The smothering feeling that you describe is a classic anxiety symptom that is part of the withdrawal syndrome. It goes away when your nervous system settles down. Of course, get it checked out, but if nothing is found, which is usually the case, you can rest assured that the feeling is triggered by withdrawal, and it will, in time, get better.
Thank you so much for your reply!! It gives me hope. I Know our cases are different but how long did it take for the pots symptoms to go away? I too had episodes of higher heart rate prior to this plus many other mysterious symptoms, I’m 44 and have not worked in 6 years due to something no one can figure out. Then this hit so I’m wondering if I had a mild case of this for years then this just set it off. If that’s the case I’m a tad nervous this might not ever go away. I actually came across your interview from 2015 a couple months ago when searching for a Klonopin/Pots connection and it sounded so much like me. It’s hard because I don’t have emotional support from family and friends and the anxiety and depression this has caused is horrible. Plus the financial burden.
Thanks again and I’m so glad your symptoms went away 🙂 were there any blood tests or tests you did to show that this was caused by withdrawal?
Kel
God Bless you Jen. You are a light for so many.