Thousands of people could not possibly invent the bizarre, yet similarly reported, symptoms caused by the therapeutic use of benzodiazepines and reactions to their withdrawal. The following list of symptoms was compiled from existing symptom lists and also with contributions from the individuals who have suffered and endured benzodiazepine withdrawal syndromes themselves. These symptoms can present in tolerance and interdose withdrawal (while still taking the drug), during a taper and/or post-cessation. The most severe symptoms (like seizures, hallucinations, suicide) typically result from over-rapid tapering or cold-turkey withdrawals.
The below is a Comprehensive Benzodiazepine Withdrawal Symptoms List (alphabetized):
A
Abdominal pains and cramp
Aching jaw
Aching joints
Aching muscles
Acute hyper-excited state
Aggressive behaviour
Agitated sight
Agitation
Agoraphobia
Allergic reactions
Allergic reactions to/Intolerance of foods previously tolerated
Allergy & nasal symptoms exacerbated
Anger
Anxiety
Apathy
Appetite – either loss of, or voracious appetite with constant desire to eat
Arms and legs feel detached from body Ataxia – can’t coordinate muscle movement
B
Back pain
Band around head
Bladder incontinence
Bladder irritation – feeling of having an infection or cystitis
Bleeding between menstrual cycles (or other menstrual irregularities)
Bleeding from the nose
Blepharospasm – eye twitches
Bloated stomach, distended abdomen (“Benzo belly”)
Bloated, diarrhea, constipation
Blood pressure fluctuations
Blurred vision, 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
Bradycardia – slow heartbeat/pulse
Brain moving within the skull sensation
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
C
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 of the muscles
Cramping in stomach
Craving for sweets and sugary foods
Crying jags
Cuts and abrasions take weeks to heal
D
Dark circles under the eyes
Decaying teeth and gums
Dehydration (loss of perception of thirst)
Delirium
Demented and murderous thoughts
Dental pain
Depersonalisation (a feeling of not knowing who you are)
Depression
Derealization (a feeling that your surroundings are not real)
Diarrhea
Difficulty in writing slowly
Difficulty swallowing (choking sensation, a feeling of pressure on Adam’s apple, retching)
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 or being sucked out of the couch/chair/bed
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)
Dystonia
E
Earache, and sinus problems
Edema – especially face or ankles Electric shock feelings
Electric shock feelings
Emotional blunting – can’t receive or give, having no emotions
Encopresis (fecal incontinence)
Esophageal spasms
Esophagitis
Excitability
Exercise – exacerbating all benzo symptoms
Exhaustion
Extreme cold (“cold to the bone” and can’t get warm, feeling like “internal thermometer” is broken)
Extreme lethargy
Extreme thirst (or no thirst at all, to where the person becomes severely dehydrated)
Extremely disturbed
Extremely nervous and jumpy
Eyes – sore, tired, seeing “floaters”, spots, itchy, red
F
Falling hair
Fatigue, leaden heaviness
Fear (terror)
Fear of being a burden or unlovable
Fear of being alone (monophobia)
Fear of dying or health anxiety
Fear of insanity
Fear of losing control
Fear of never recovering
Fear of water
Feces – appears abnormal looking
Feeling bloated
Feeling like the ground is moving beneath you, as if on a cruise ship or boat (Mal de Debarquement)
Feeling of extreme cold
Feeling of impending doom
Feeling of vulnerability
Feelings of shaking inside and out (or vibrating, “as if I swallowed a purring cat”)
Feelings of shame, despite realizing this 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 scalp or skin
Female ejaculation or incontinence during orgasm
Fingernail problems – median nail dystrophy (line/ridge down the center), ridges
Flashbacks
Flatulence
Fluctuations in blood pressure
Flu-like symptoms (“Benzo flu”)
Flushing
Formication (sensations of bugs crawling on skin)
Fuzzy feeling in head
G
Gait disturbance – hard to walk straight
Gastritis
Glassy eyes
Goosebumps – very visible to the eye
Grinding teeth (bruxism)
H
Hemorrhoids
Hair – loss, thinning, dullness
Hallucinations (auditory and visual)
Headaches – mild or severe
Heart palpitations, pounding or racing heart
Heartburn
Heavy arms, legs, and head
Heavy pounding heart
Holding onto the walls in the shower
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, hurts to talk on the phone, music, etc.
Hyperosmia (sensitive sense of smell)
Hyperreflexia (‘jumpiness’)
Hypersensitivity to being touched
Hypersensitivity to light, sound, and other stimuli
Hypersensitivity to stress
Hypertension (elevated blood pressure)
Hyperventilation (over breathing)
Hypnologic (hallucinations, sleepwalking)
Hysterical and inappropriate laughter
I
IBS – irritable bowel syndrome
Impacted bowels
Impairment of motor coordination
Impotence
Inability to comprehend the simplest things
Inability to concentrate
Inability to cope with a lot of information (inability to multi-task)
Inability 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
Increased saliva (or dry mouth)
Indigestion
Insomnia
Intense fuzzy feeling in the head
Intense jaw pain
Intrusive thoughts
Iris in eyes changes color
Irrational rage
Irrationality (in general)
Irritability
J
Jaundice
Jaw, tooth, neck and shoulder aches and pains
Jaw tension, clenching, teeth grinding
“Jelly Legs” – weakness in the legs
Jerks in arms, legs fingers
Joint aches and pains
Joylessness
Jumpiness
Jumping toe
L
Lack of concentration
Lack of coordination
Left/Right-sided symptoms
Legs arms and head very heavy
Leukonychia (whitening of nails)
Libidinal changes – variances in sex drive
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 (short and/or long-term)
Loss of self-respect
Loss of taste or metallic taste (or other strange tastes)
Loss or changes in appetite
Lung pain
M
Memory problems – short-term or long-term
Menstrual problems (painful periods, irregular periods, cessation of periods, worsening w/d symptoms w/ periods)
Mild hypertension
Mood swings
Morbid thoughts
Mouth and tongue soreness
Muscle spasms
Muscle tone (Loss of)
Muscle wastage
Muscle weakness
Muscles locking and rigidity/spasticity
Muscular aches, pains, cramps, spasms
Muscular rigidity
N
Nausea, flu-like symptoms
Nervous ticks or twitches
Nervousness
Neuralgia (nerve pain)
Neurological problems
Neuropathy
Night apnea (or sleep apnea)
Night sweats
Nightmares
Nose bleeds
Numbness – around the face, mouth or any other part of the body
O
Obsessions
Obsessive behaviour
Orgasm changes – anorgasmia (cannot orgasm) or setbacks/worsening withdrawal symptoms after orgasm
Outbursts of rage or aggression
Over breathing
P
Painful scalp (hair hurts)
Pains in neck and shoulders and back
Pains in temple
Pains in the chest
Pains in the lungs Pains in the neck
Pains in the neck
Panic attacks
Paraesthesia (numbness, tingling)
Paranoia
Passing gas continually
Penis and testicle sensitivity
Persistent, unpleasant memories (intrusive thoughts)
Perspiring, night sweats
Phobias (hydrophobia, agoraphobia, monophobia)
Pins and needles
Post Traumatic Stress symptoms
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 minute or dilated
Pushing away friends/family/people (Isolating)
R
Racing thoughts
Rage
Rapid blinking of the eyes
Rapid changes in body temperature
Rapid mood changes
Rapid weight loss (or gain)
Rashes and blotches on skin
Recurring mild sore throat
Repetitive or looping thoughts (songs stuck in head)
Restless legs in bed at night
Restlessness
Rigidity of muscles
S
Saliva running from the mouth at night
Scalp pain and burning
Screwing up of the eyes
Seeing spots or “floaters” before the eyes
Seizures (fits)
Sensation of brain moving within the skull
Sensitive or painful teeth/Sensation of teeth shifting or moving
Severe 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 extreme cold or hot
Short-term memory impairment
Sinus pain
Skin problems – dry, itchy, rashes, slow healing, tickling, burning, “molting” or peeling
Sleepwalking
Smell problems – everything smells bad, or “smellucinations”- smelling things that are not there
Smelling bad, but only to you
Snorting like a pig which jolts you awake (like apnea in sleep)
Sore and tired eyes
Sore mouth and tongue
Spasticity
Speech difficulties
Stomach cramps
Stuttering
Suicidal feelings/thoughts/urges
Swallowing difficulties
Sweating
Swollen (or sore/painful) breasts
T
Tachycardia (increased pulse, skipped beats)
Teeth – pain, throbbing, sensitivity, feel like they are falling out, grinding
Tension between eyes
Terror
Thinking you are dying
Thinking you have some awful disease other than benzo withdrawal
Thirst (or no thirst at all, to where you become dehydrated)
Thrush-like symptoms
Thyroid disturbances (or abnormal thyroid tests)
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 (or very dilated)
Tiredness
Toe and finger nails change colour
Tongue – sore, burning
Total loss of confidence
Toxic naps – feeling worse upon wakening/short bursts of sleep where you’re “jolted” from sleep into worsening withdrawal symptoms
Tremor or feeling of inner vibration
Twitching of the head
U
Unable to walk
Under-eye puffiness, dark circles or lines
Unusually sensitive (unable to watch the news on television or read the newspaper)
Urinary problems (continence or incontinence)
V
Vaginal discharge, or extremely dry or wet vagina
Vertigo
Visual disturbances – waves, sparks, flashes of light, seeing spots, “floaters”, blurry
Voice quality changes
Vomiting
Vulnerability
W
Walking side to side, like a drunken sailor/loss of balance
Weakness
Weight loss or gain (can be rapid)
Y
Yellow coating on the tongue (which can yellow the teeth)
Sources:
http://www.benzosupport.org/symptoms.htm