Hello

[[Tm...]]

Hi,

 

    I have been taking Ativan .5 mg inconsistently for about a year and a half. I did not realize I had any type of dependence or problem with the medication until I began experiencing major dizziness/vertigo with increased anxiety. Keep in mind that I was originally prescribed this medication for anxiety. After a visit to the ER without help of finding out what was really going on, I realized that with the past two months I had been taking the Ativan more often than usual and that the Ativan was the reason for my symptoms. I have switched over to Valium- my dizziness has subsided but I'm definitely having a hard time with w/ds. I often experience panic & anxiety with increased heart rate, sensitive to sound and my surroundings, lightheaded, fatigue, shortness of breath... I'm here for support to offer support, thank you   

[[Ri...]]

Hi,

 

    I have been taking Ativan .5 mg inconsistently for about a year and a half. I did not realize I had any type of dependence or problem with the medication until I began experiencing major dizziness/vertigo with increased anxiety. Keep in mind that I was originally prescribed this medication for anxiety. After a visit to the ER without help of finding out what was really going on, I realized that with the past two months I had been taking the Ativan more often than usual and that the Ativan was the reason for my symptoms. I have switched over to Valium- my dizziness has subsided but I'm definitely having a hard time with w/ds. I often experience panic & anxiety with increased heart rate, sensitive to sound and my surroundings, lightheaded, fatigue, shortness of breath... I'm here for support to offer support, thank you 

 

 

Welcome Marie - somebody will be along soon to help you.   

 

 

 

River

[[Ri...]]

Hello Marie  - there will be others who will go into detail with you about your situation and I wanted to give you some links.

 

There are many of us here who are in various stages of benzo use and withdrawal, and together, we have a collective understanding of real-world benzodiazepine recovery. I know that it can be intimidating and difficult to post here about your benzo situation. If you keep posting, it will get easier as you learn your way around and make friends here. The more you post, the more we can help you.

 

 

As soon as you can, please add a signature with your history of benzo meds/doses etc. so that we can reply to your posts with more relevant responses. This link will show you how  Create a signature

 

 

Here are some links to get you started –

 

The Ashton Manual is an authoritative source on benzo withdrawal and recovery.

 

Here is a link to the  General Taper Plans 

 

Here also is a link to the  Withdrawal & Recovery Support  board where you can post questions relating to your symptoms.

 

The usual recommendation is to taper 5-10% every 10-14 days.  This is just a basic guide; you can adjust the percentage and length of days between cuts to make this as easy on your nervous system as possible. The optimal rate of withdrawal is the fastest one that can be reasonably achieved without causing intolerable withdrawal symptoms. There will be great variability in this, but most people can taper off as per Ashton's protocols or faster. Some find they have to go slower.  You can learn more about tapering on our General Taper Plans Board.  The second pink-highlighted post explains the three accepted taper methods.

 

I highly recommend reading  What Is Happening In Your Brain  by parker

 

I hope you keep posting so we can help.

[[De...]]

Hello Tmarie88,

 

Welcome to the forum from me too 

 

I'm sorry to hear you've been poorly, how long ago did you crossover to the valium and did you do a gradual crossover? It takes a little while for the valium to build up in the bloodstream so if your crossover was recently you may well still be experiencing withdrawal effects from the Ativan. However the symptoms should settle down once your body has adapted to the new drug. Are you thinking about tapering off the diazepam (valium) if so you'll be given plenty of suupport and tapering assistance here. River has given you the recommended guidelines for tapering, tapering slowly and carefullly is advised to ensure that the withdrawal effects will be kept to a minimum.

 

It might be an idea to now make a point of taking stable doses of the valium consistently as taking varying amounts or inconsistent dosing will confuse your brain and can contribute to interdose withdrawal symptoms (between dose withdrawals) This will ensure that you keep the blood benzo level as smooth as possible which makes for a smoother taper.

 

I'm glad you found us and I wish you success with the taper.

 

Debbie