First Time User!!!

[[Re...]]

My story is short:  Doctor prescribed Ativan and gave me 30 days worth of 1 mg tablets.  I took it for eleven days and stopped.  Then all hell broke loose over the next 24-36 hours.  The worst was on a Saturday night and I finally took more thinking I had a "reaction".  Hahaha, what a fool.  Went to my doc on Monday and he said it couldn't be the Ativan and had to be psychological so up the dosage to two as needed.  I thought about it and decided not to but still had what I've come to understand as withdrawal.  Now, still at 1 mg I can barely keep full withdrawal at bay.  I asked him to taper me off at week 3 and he said to do it over 2 weeks.  I had learned a little by then and asked for a diazepam taper which I started 4 days ago.  I switched to diazepam over 24 hours with no problem so far.  I spent 1 full day at 10 mg and have now been three days at 7.5 mg.  I'm hoping all hell doesn't break loose in the next three or four days.  Any advice?  This taper is the longest he said he's ever done and I'm scared it might be tough on me as I have rebound insomnia, night sweats.  Further, my appetite and digestion have suffered.  What a nightmare.  Anyway, I know many of you have suffered much much more than I have so far.  Does anyone have any thoughts on how long at 7.5 I should expect to go before I feel the full effects of the taper from 10 given I was on it for only 1.5 full days?

[[pi...]]

Hello Realslimtaper,

 

Welcome to Benzo Buddies! 

 

Yes, you are a very short term user, well within the two to three weeks recommended usage.  Stopping can bring on some withdrawal effects, I'm sorry yours were so severe.

 

The longer you stay on benzos, the stronger the risk of dependency. I don't believe you were dependent after 11 days taking Ativan.  For people who have taken just a short time, usually, a fairly rapid taper can be implemented.  Perhaps cutting the ativan in half every 5 days until are are off. Yes, this is going to cause withdrawal symptoms but it's far better to feel badly now, rather than risk tolerance withdrawal and potentially go through months or years of symptoms.

 

I'll give you a link to the Ashton Manual.  While it discussing tapering in detail, it also gives good information about how these drugs affect the human system. It was written by Dr. Heather Ashton, an expert in the field.

 

I'll also give you a link to the General Taper Plans where you can post and receive feedback from members. As I said earlier I don't believe you need a long, drawn out taper but do listen to your body and made adjustments if necessary.

 

You short time use is in your favor. I'm glad you decided to discontinue the use of Ativan, these drugs often create more problems than they solve in the long run. Please do ask questions, we're here to help.

 

General Taper Plans 

 

The Ashton Manual

 

pianogirl 

 

[[Re...]]

Thank you so much.  The time and care you put into your response is very kind.  Best wishes to you.