Ativan taper

[[co...]]

Was prescribed Ativan on a as-needed basis 2 months ago for some anxiety issues.  I believe I used it too frequently and have developed a dependency.  I never used more than 1.25 mg in one day, but over the last month I used between 0.75/1.0 mg per day in 2 or 3 doses.

I decided a week ago to start a taper.  During this week I have established a baseline of 0.25mg/ 3x day.  As a short-term user, I'm hoping

to do a quick taper over 3-4 weeks.       

[Guest [Mi...]]

Hi, cooltaper.

 

Welcome to benzobuddies. Glad you found us. 

 

You will find a lot of information and support here.  It's great you started researching Ativan and are ready to come off it.

 

A good resource about benzodiazepines is the Ashton Manual. Here is a link to the manual: Professor Ashtons Manual  It’s great for learning about these meds and for taper plans. Ashton recommends reducing between 5 - 10% every 10/14 days.

 

You'll find a great community of people here who will support and encourage you. Feel free to check out the forum and to post to any of the dedicated boards.

 

In addition to the Ashton Manual, here are some other resources:

 

For tapering advice, post here: General Taper Plans

 

For support with any symptoms you may have, post here: Withdrawal Support

 

Please add a signature (history of medication/doses etc). It will help members give you relevant advice. This link will show you how to Create a signature

 

Please let us know if you have any questions.

 

~ Mind

[[co...]]

Thanks!  What I've seen thus far from BenzoBuddies gives me encouragement.

[Guest [Mi...]]

Hi, cooltaper. Yes, when I found this site, I felt encouraged and very relieved! So many people knew exactly what I was going through.

 

There's also an Anxiety forum where you can learn non-drug ways of coping. You may find useful information here.

 

Good luck. You're going to do great! 

[[be...]]

Welcome  this is an awesome place for resources as well as support. Let us know how we can help!

[[Lo...]]

This is exactly what happened to me - prescribed to use "as needed", ended up needing it enough to get dependent on it (Ativan/lorazepam). And half the symptoms I was medicating was probably from tolerance withdrawal!

 

I'm now about 9 days off from cold turkeying and actually feel quite a bit better than I did when still on it. Go figure.

 

The first week really sucked but after about 6 days got a lot better.

 

I was on about the same amount and same duration as you.

 

 

Hugs and good look to you,

Lorezza