Need a plan for lorazepam taper - desperate

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Still gathering info from this forum ... Been on lorazepam since the end of March at 1 mg, going up to 1.5 - 2 mg in May, and ranging from 1 - 1.5 mg until the end of August like this:

8/1 1.5 mg

8/3 1.5

8/12 1.25

8/15 1

8/20 1

8/24 1

(then a gap in record keeping - around 1mg I think though I might have taken more on a very bad day)

9/3 0.6 (about)

9/4 0.88 about

9/5 0.75

9/6 0.75

9/7 0.75

Last three days feeling very dizzy and nausea. Losing sleep last couple of weeks. Does that seem like I went too fast? Should I go back up? I'm taking 0.25 mg 3x/day - should I try cutting the pills further to spread out during the day? I'm not getting any supervision from doctor although he did tell me to leave it at 1 mg and then we'd drop it to 0.5 mg next month (which sounds way too rapid; he tells me gets people off "a low dose like 1mg" in the hospital in a couple of days).

 

I'm also newly on prozac and lamictal (as an AD adjunct), which may be giving other side effects. Hard to tell what's from what but I suspect the ativan is making me feel crazier now, physically, and dizzy. I've gotten obsessed with the whole thing and worried about the withdrawal I seem to be experiencing. I don't want to end up in the ER and be given more meds.

Is anyone experienced with liquid Ativan? A pharmacy told me it comes in 1 ounce bottles at a concentration of 2mg/ml. How would I titrate down from my current 0.75 or 1 mg dose??? Anyone know? Doc probably doesn't know how to prescribe this.

 

I'm obsessed and really worried about the whole thing. It's interfering in a huge way with my life, at very bad time (unemployed, other stuff). Maybe I should just go back to the 1 - 1.5 mg - which was just drugging me to sleep - but I don't want to be dependent on this crazy thing and am really upset with myself that I let it happen. Not to mention feeling sick sick sick half of the day.

 

So many questions and desperate for help. Thank you all for listening. I need to try to relax around this but my body is rebelling.

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The measure for "too fast" is your symptoms, but it sounds like you went too fast by the way you describe things.

 

You can get liquid A or you can also make your own with the pills.  It's easy and many do it.

 

Three a day dosing is low for Ativan, but not unheard of.  It seems most do four, but if three works it works.

 

As for updosing back to 1mg, if you had just dropped and felt terrible I'd definitely say go back, but there is a time limit and the longer you wait the more likely it is that updosing may not work.  If you want to take the chance to get relief you may want to do it.  It is something I wish I had done more.  Looks like it was only about two weeks ago?  Those are good odds from what I have seen.  But it is up to you.  It is a risk.

 

Many people are doing successful daily titration tapers from Ativan.

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As for updosing back to 1mg, if you had just dropped and felt terrible I'd definitely say go back, but there is a time limit and the longer you wait the more likely it is that updosing may not work.  If you want to take the chance to get relief you may want to do it.  It is something I wish I had done more.  Looks like it was only about two weeks ago?  Those are good odds from what I have seen.  But it is up to you.  It is a risk.

 

Many people are doing successful daily titration tapers from Ativan.

 

What is the risk of going back up? I'm not sure I understand... Getting stuck there again?

And are there insructions on these boards for the making-your-own liquid idea?

thank you for your help again!

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Hi NyC4: I left a response to your other question on this thread as well. Just wanted to mention that you may still be having some "start-up" anxiety from starting the Prozac , which is quite common with SSRI's . Usually the start up anxiety goes away after a couple weeks for most people so you may want to consider not cutting your Ativan again until this stabilizes.

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The risk is you could go up, but not get any relief.  Yet you would still have to re-taper it.

 

As for making your own, there are several ways.  Probably the best way is to find others who are doing it successfully and copy them.  I could point you to some people if you wanted.

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Hi NyC4: I left a response to your other question on this thread as well. Just wanted to mention that you may still be having some "start-up" anxiety from starting the Prozac , which is quite common with SSRI's . Usually the start up anxiety goes away after a couple weeks for most people so you may want to consider not cutting your Ativan again until this stabilizes.

 

This is what I was going to write as well...it'll be tough to tell which is which.  If it were me I'd continue to hold on the Ativan.  Once I began tapering Xanax it no longer helped to updose when things got dicey.