What can I take, & is my eye blinking reversible?

[Deb1023]

I was on prescription Lorazepam (Ativan) for 6 months and was very ill from it. I became dependent on it & had to "detox" off it because the withdrawals were so intense. That was 7 weeks ago. I was given 50 mg. of Vistaril to take every 4-6 hrs. as needed, and it really helped me. I was doing okay aside from being very drowsy and dried out.
Then I began having severe blinking problems & mild muscle twitches and dry eye. I am terrified that I now have benign essential blepharospasm or tardive dyskinesia. If so, are they reversible & not permanent? I am 59 and have always had more than normal blinking, however not with pain around the eyes. I have since read that antihistamines can trigger BEB, and that antidepressants & anti-pyschotics can cause tardive dyskinesia. I also take 50 mg. of Trazadone at bedtime for sleep. I stopped the Vistaril 2 nights ago, and tonight I am having severe anxiety with trembling, tremors, heart palps, and shortness of breath & hyper feelings.Could this be a withdrawal from the Vistaril?
Should I also stop the Trazadone? I am really scared, but I also have no idea what I can take for my anxiety now.
No benzos, no antidepressants or anti-pyschotics, & no antihistamines...Are any herbals good? Like Valerian? Passionflower? etc...I am taking sun l-theanine, but it doesn't help much at all. Please help me !  I need "something" to calm me down. Thank you so much!!  Deb1023

[Julie359]

Hi...the one thing that you should never do is come off these drugs suddenly, you need to go and talk to your doc about this and discuss an action plan.  Coming off suddenly can cause withdrawl and this is the last thing you want or need.  God bless x

[jakegorzen]

Your still withdrawing from the Ativan.

The "surges" of hyper feelings are from your Adrenal Glands producing more then needed Cortisol, thats a pretty common withdraw, youll probably feel those more in the morning.
Twitching, Palps, shortness of breath, etc.. are all very common withdraw symptoms also.
Visteral  is not addicting.
Look up "Benzo withdraw" on youtube, and see if you can relate to any of those people.
I bet a dollar to a donut though thats what it is.
But....you always wanna rule out other problems too.

[Paxiled]

The only one who can diagnose this is a physician, I think that's where iladvocate was going here.  It can't be diagnosed on the web.  As to your question about natural remedies, my area of expertise, if you suffer from anxiety, I wouldn't personally recommend rhodiola.  It can be very stimulating and cause anxiety in people prone to anxiety.  There are better adrenal supports out there, including eleuthero and ashwagandha for anxiety sufferers.  As to valerian, passionflower, and such, yes, they can help, but don't expect them to be as strong as benzos.  Natural remedies are usually used in combination, not singly, for that reason, to balance the body and treat it holistically, not one symptom at a time.  But you have to be careful about natural remedies if you're on certain meds; if you're on benzos, for example, you have to be careful about taurine or passionflower or valerian, since they all activate GABA.  You don't want to overdo anything.  So it's best to see a good naturopath or holistic nutritionist or herbalist or homeopathic physician if you want to try a natural route.  For a map of that world, Hyla Cass, a psychiatrist at UCLA, has written a good book called Natural Highs.  But first, you need to see somebody to see what's going on now, as iladvocate recommended.  Good luck whatever modality you choose to pursue.

[Deb1023]

Thank you so much for your response & sharing, and the information you provided.
Is it possible that I don't have it? Is it possible to reverse it if I do? I am really scared.
I read somewhere that you would need to be on a medication for about 3 months for it to trigger TD. I wasn't on the Vistaril that long -- 7 weeks, but the Trazadone I have been for about 3 months.
How are you doing? I would like to talk more with you about it.
Deb1023

[ILADVOCATE]

I have advanced tardive dyskinesia. Ativan can't cause it. In fact Klonopin which is related is one medication I take to treat it. Vistaril and Tradazone can cause tardive dyskinesia. Any medication that causes it can continue to worsen it while masking it. The first step is to see a neurologist who is a movement disorders specialist. Then have your psychiatrist prescribe you medications that can't cause it (a sleep aide that won't cause it for example is Rozerem). Standard medications for tardive dyskinesia include Mirapex, Aricept, Bachlophen, Namenda and Requip. Zofran is experimental in usage. Clonidine is helpful as well. Botox shots can be used for focal dystonia. I have found mitigation from the new anti-convulsant Vimpat but as I am literally a first responder I can't say whether it will work for other people or not. Rhodiola under a neurologist's supervision can be used. Speak all of this over with a neurologist first and the first step is to see a neurologist who is a movement disorders specialist and perhaps this question could be reposted in the neurology forum or post there as well. Thanks.