In this section you will find an A to Z list of symptoms. Before you read through, I must ask you to please do not anticipate that you are going to have most or all of these symptoms. It is highly unlikely that you will.
If you are yet to taper or if you are just starting your taper, I would recommend that you wait until a symptom surfaces and then check the list, and only for the purpose of normalizing what is happening and to get tips on coping.
Also, it would be best to not visit this section often and again, to not go through the whole list. Just go directly to the section with the first letter of your symptom and check to see if yours is listed.
I often find that people spend so much time analysing symptoms, comparing notes and getting sucked into the “What if..?” downward catastrophic spiral, when trying to make sense of their withdrawal reactions. This does not help with coping. Withdrawal is too complex and so whatever you conclude will only be speculation. It does not accelerate the recovery process and all it does instead is increase anxiety and cause unnecessary worry.
The information in this section will be useful for anyone discontinuing opioids, antidepressants, benzodiazepines and Z-drugs, as anecdotal evidence suggests they can result in very similar symptoms.
Again, as you read, please remember that the recovery process is unique and you are not likely to have many or most of these symptoms. If you do, they may appear in ‘clusters’ and last for very short periods.
