Coping with anxiety during withdrawal Many people are prescribed benzodiazepines as a treatment for anxiety. Unfortunately, anxiety is also a common withdrawal symptom. It is often difficult to distinguish between the anxiety that is produced by withdrawal and pre-existing anxiety. Anxiety may be more indicative of withdrawal if it tends to occur right before you are required to take the next dose or, if you feel more anxious for a period of time after reducing the dose. The following suggestions are suggested for management of anxiety that is related to withdrawal. 1. If you are cutting down your dose of benzodiazepine, try to take your medication at regular intervals. Evenly spacing your intake will help stabilise the level of benzodiazepine in the bloodstream, reducing the risk of having withdrawal symptoms in between doses. 2. Try to take your attention off the anxiety and focus on something positive. You might like to try walking, reading, or talking to a friend. 3. Have a warm aromatherapy bath. Ask someone to massage your neck and shoulders or your feet with aromatherapy oils. 4. If you haven’t eaten for a while, you can start to feel jittery, which reminds you of the symptoms of anxiety. Try to eat regular meals, plenty of fresh fruit and vegetables and juices during withdrawal in order to ensure adequate nutrition and that you do not get too hungry during withdrawal. 5. Some people find exercise an efficient way of lowering anxiety. Brisk walking, running or swimming if you feel well enough. 7. Don’t “personalise” the anxiety symptoms. Try to see them as just another withdrawal symptom rather than as something wrong with you, or that there must be a reason why you are feeling anxious. 8. Practice some deep (abdominal) breathing. Deep (abdominal) breathing: Breathe in deeply for a count of four starting from low in the abdomen and breathe out for a count of four as your abdominal muscles tuck in. Once you are comfortable with counting to four, extend it to five. You might like to close your eyes and imagine breathing out tension and stress. 9. Practice meditation or relaxation at least once a day. Don’t be discouraged if you find this difficult; as many people in withdrawal find relaxation too demanding. 10. Relaxing the body: Once you are in a comfortable lying position, focus on relaxing individual parts of your body. Begin with relaxing your toes, relax your ankle, relax your foot and so on through your whole body. It might help if you imagine warmth and heaviness on each body part. Remain resting and focus on the relaxed feeling. 11. Visualisation: Once you are in a comfortable position, close your eyes. Visualise yourself in a peaceful and safe place, perhaps a beach, walking through a forest, or lying down in a beautiful garden. Notice the details of the scene. Notice the sun, the breeze, the movement in the water or trees. Feel the warmth of the sun, listen to the soft sound of the waves. Notice how you feel in this place. Remain resting and enjoy the calm feeling. Emotions and memories Sometimes people have been prescribed benzodiazepines to help them get through a difficult period in their lives. For some people, memories begin to surface for the first time during benzodiazepine reduction. This may be due in part to the memory suppressing effects of the drug. The surfacing of memories or emotions from a past event may cause additional anxiety. It is important that you talk to a counsellor about these issues. Source: reconnexion.org.au/
Posted on: Tue, 15 Apr 2014 09:00:00 +0000
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