Drug Withdrawal Syndrome

Pre-Hyperbaric

My name is Spencer Todd. I am a 32 year old male who has had Protracted Benzodiazepine Withdrawal Syndrome for more than two years now. My condition is not uncommon to many individuals who have been prescribed benzodiazepines and stopped taking them.

 Although there is much speculation as to what benzodiazepines actually do to the nervous system to cause it such trauma, the symptoms are well known (see the Ashton Manual at www.benzo.org.uk). Here are a few that I have had over the past two years:

Insomnia

Panic Attacks

Generalized Anxiety

Sensory Hypersensitivity

Depersonalization

Derealization

Aggression

Hallucinations

Perceptual Distortions

Problems with Balance

Digestive Problems

Severe Muscle Symptoms

When I came to Richmond Hyperbaric one month ago I had been slowly improving over the course of months. I had just started rehabilitating my ultra-tense muscles with a program of weights. I still had much tightness in my abdomen and my neck and was getting little sleep at nights. Often I felt sick to my stomach. I still felt unable to go back to work.

 Post-Hyperbaric

 I have just completed my course of twenty treatments at Richmond Hyperbaric Treatment Center. I have noticed several improvements:  

1)         I am now able to fall asleep at an acceptable time and I am able to wake up early. Before if I tried to get up early I would aggravate my symptoms.

2)         I noticed a decrease in tension in my muscles every time I came out of the hyperbaric chamber that would last for several hours. In general, my muscular tension, which was severe, has decreased about 15-20%. This has enabled me to be much more active.

3)         My rehabilitation program at the gym has gone really well. I had been athletic for years, but I have never seen such a consistent improvement in my performance. Every single workout I was able to increase intensity and weight. Usually this is a gradual process that is not entirely linear. For example, in the past I would often have many mediocre workouts mixed in with my good workouts.

4)         After I have completed my workouts, I feel almost no muscle soreness. This has never happened to me in my life, and previous to my condition, I had done martial arts for six years and lifted weights for fifteen years.

5)         I have definitely noticed an improvement in my general sense of well being. I just feel better, more optimistic and more energetic.

6)         I have noticed a significant increase in the growth of my hair and nails.              

7)         I have lost about an inch of abdominal fat.

8)         Perhaps most importantly, I now feel like I am able to return to work. I cannot express how significant that is to me, both financially and to my self esteem. Previous to my condition I had never taken a sick day in fifteen years of full and part time employment. Once my nervous system was damaged by the benzodiazepines I have been unable to work for over two years.