need help Ativan tapper , losing my mind

[[Sa...]]

Hi everyone i am new here , ( sorry for this long post I didn't know where to start . I am having a lot of problems with anxiety , weight loss etc)  if someone can please reply back . .I  took Ativan and & ambien years ago I don't remember having withdrawals? looking back I remember the sadness & crying off and on but nothing compared to this hell I am experiencing. Last year my gi doctor gave me 1mg of Ativan for 30 days Which I only took half @night . Before that I would take ambien 10mg on & off  for serveral months.Then in April I started taking 1 mg of Ativan within two months 2 mg .. then 2mg and 1 mg during the day&maybe a little more. A friend of mine was dying from pancreatic cancer and I was really stressed watching her fade away.  I also lost 3 friends last year from 911 Related illnesses (just last year ). I Also Have some ptsd. Plus  i was visiting my dad in a nursing home and making all decisions on my own regarding his heath care . I am divorced my daughter is 26 years old .  I felt that I needed the Ativan to sleep ( ambien was no longer working .. it started having an opposite effect where I would be wide awake ) I didn't realize that 2 mg of Ativan was = to 20 mg of vallium and so on .  When my friend passed away I was going back and forth to her family's house for several days (I had wine and food I wouldn't normally eat ) I didn't take the Ativan for for 5  days .. (because of the wine ). At the end of the week I was freezing cold ! Had diarrhea , burning pain in my stomach ( my gallbladder was removed  7 years ago) I thought it was from the wine .. then I would wake up sweating started having panic attacks . I went to urgent care, I  felt like I was dying .. ( I never mentioned that I took Ativan since I hadn't had any and thinking it was only 2mg) And I didn't  want to take the Ativan because I thought it would bother my burning stomach more .. then I kept having the chills .. finially I started to take maybe 1 mg at night because I couldn't sleep. In the interim I was still experiencing chills . Sweating , anxiety..food intolerances. Then in the middle of December I completely ran out of Ativan c/t  ( I thought ok no big deal ... I started to have really bad chills,again .. shaking .. then sweating .. brain zaps  digestion problems still not realizing I was going thru withdrawals..I went to urgent care because of the chills never mention the Ativan because I thought oh it's just 2 mg. Went the gi doctor I had an endoscopy & colonoscopy ( endoscopy...I had some irritation) went to the ER..they only did blood work and abdominal X-ray , they  Wouldn't do a sonogram or Ct scan.  ( my cousin gave me a few more Ativan & I calmed down a bit ) Finally one day my daughter said I think it's the Ativan and I realized I was having withdrawals.. I googled Ativan a realized the 2plus mgs I was taking was equivalent to a lot of vallium 😬 I went to a psychiatrist and he said I need to go on .05 of Ativan again ( I have been going thru withdrawals on and off for the last two months now that i was off Ativan for three weeks felt like hell went crazy etc..I didnt want to start all over again ,but I gave in ..and started taking the.05 bid. I still had digestion issues i was afraid to eat .. yellow burning poop.  Lost 20 lbs my OCD kicked in big time . I was obsessing  that I had something wrong with my pancreas ,feeling like  I was dying .  everytime  I go to the bathroom if I see piece of poop that breaks off and floats I obsess about it for weeks .  I had felt like I was going through  withdrawals again (I  never really got over the first couple of weeks went c/t) but now either I am tolerant to the .05 mg that I was on for the last 8 weeks ( or I am crazy.. losing my mind or really sick?) I started to tapper the Ativan ..now I take a quarter 3 times a day ( total .375).  Having insomnia ,lost ten lbs in a week .. not digesting my food .. which now I can no longer eat pasta .. anything fatty .. no bread ? Or I have yellow stools. I went to the psychiatrist today I asked him to give me liquid Ativan so I can tapper .( last month I asked for vallium he wouldn't give it to me) I told him that I was either going thru withdrawals or tolerance .. I said I am getting the chills again , can't sleep .. OCD , gi problems . He said he didn't think it was withdrawals maybe the Ativan was masking something?( & now I'm obsessing again)  he wants me to take lexapro & wants me to start 1 mg of klonipin @ night every night and half of 1 mg during the day prn.I asked if it's the same equivalent to Ativan he said Ativan is stronger , but klonipin would have 50 hours in my system? I just looked it up & 1 mg of Ativan is =10 mg of vallium ,I mg of klonipin is =to 20 mg if vallum .. I think this is a bad idea for me to take  klonipin? If someone can reply back I can't figure the math to tapper from the 3 quarters of .05 of the Ativan which I am now taking three times a day? Can I be going through withdrawals again or maybe never got  past the first wave of withdrawals when I went c/t in December is that possible ?.. or am I in tollerance now on this small dose . Can I still be having Gi problems from all this ?? 😰 Please help me. Really sorry fir the rambling long story .

[[Ch...]]

Hi everyone i am new here , ( sorry for this long post I didn't know where to start . I am having a lot of problems with anxiety , weight loss etc)  if someone can please reply back . .I  took Ativan and & ambien years ago I don't remember having withdrawals? looking back I remember the sadness & crying off and on but nothing compared to this hell I am experiencing.

 

 

Many of us find that our first withdrawal from a benzodiazepine is fairly easy, maybe even with no symptoms.  Many of us also find that the second or third withdrawals are completely different and very difficult.  It's a good reason to never take another benzodiazepine again, since subsequent withdrawals tend to be more symptomatic.

 

Last year my gi doctor gave me 1mg of Ativan for 30 days Which I only took half @night . Before that I would take ambien 10mg on & off  for serveral months.Then in April I started taking 1 mg of Ativan within two months 2 mg .. then 2mg and 1 mg during the day&maybe a little more. A friend of mine was dying from pancreatic cancer and I was really stressed watching her fade away.  I also lost 3 friends last year from 911 Related illnesses (just last year ). I Also Have some ptsd. Plus  i was visiting my dad in a nursing home and making all decisions on my own regarding his heath care . I am divorced my daughter is 26 years old .  I felt that I needed the Ativan to sleep ( ambien was no longer working .. it started having an opposite effect where I would be wide awake )

 

 

Ambien isn't a benzodiazepine, it's a z-drug.  Z-drugs, however, act on the body almost exactly like benzodiazepines do.  It likely 'stopped working' because if the dose isn't upped periodically it stops working for most people.  It not only stops working, but then needs to be tapered, just like a benzodiazepine.

 

 

I didn't realize that 2 mg of Ativan was = to 20 mg of vallium and so on .  When my friend passed away I was going back and forth to her family's house for several days (I had wine and food I wouldn't normally eat ) I didn't take the Ativan for for 5  days .. (because of the wine ). At the end of the week I was freezing cold ! Had diarrhea , burning pain in my stomach ( my gallbladder was removed  7 years ago) I thought it was from the wine .. then I would wake up sweating started having panic attacks . I went to urgent care, I  felt like I was dying .. ( I never mentioned that I took Ativan since I hadn't had any and thinking it was only 2mg) And I didn't  want to take the Ativan because I thought it would bother my burning stomach more .. then I kept having the chills .. finially I started to take maybe 1 mg at night because I couldn't sleep. In the interim I was still experiencing chills . Sweating , anxiety..food intolerances. Then in the middle of December I completely ran out of Ativan c/t  ( I thought ok no big deal ... I started to have really bad chills,again .. shaking .. then sweating .. brain zaps  digestion problems still not realizing I was going thru withdrawals..I went to urgent care because of the chills never mention the Ativan because I thought oh it's just 2 mg. Went the gi doctor I had an endoscopy & colonoscopy ( endoscopy...I had some irritation) went to the ER..they only did blood work and abdominal X-ray , they  Wouldn't do a sonogram or Ct scan.  ( my cousin gave me a few more Ativan & I calmed down a bit ) Finally one day my daughter said I think it's the Ativan and I realized I was having withdrawals.. I googled Ativan a realized the 2plus mgs I was taking was equivalent to a lot of vallium 😬 I went to a psychiatrist and he said I need to go on .05 of Ativan again ( I have been going thru withdrawals on and off for the last two months now that i was off Ativan for three weeks felt like hell went crazy etc..I didnt want to start all over again ,but I gave in ..and started taking the.05 bid. I still had digestion issues i was afraid to eat .. yellow burning poop.  Lost 20 lbs my OCD kicked in big time . I was obsessing  that I had something wrong with my pancreas ,feeling like  I was dying .  everytime  I go to the bathroom if I see piece of poop that breaks off and floats I obsess about it for weeks .  I had felt like I was going through  withdrawals again (I  never really got over the first couple of weeks went c/t) but now either I am tolerant to the .05 mg that I was on for the last 8 weeks ( or I am crazy.. losing my mind or really sick?) I started to tapper the Ativan ..now I take a quarter 3 times a day ( total .375).  Having insomnia ,lost ten lbs in a week .. not digesting my food .. which now I can no longer eat pasta .. anything fatty .. no bread ? Or I have yellow stools. I went to the psychiatrist today I asked him to give me liquid Ativan so I can tapper .( last month I asked for vallium he wouldn't give it to me) I told him that I was either going thru withdrawals or tolerance .. I said I am getting the chills again , can't sleep .. OCD , gi problems . He said he didn't think it was withdrawals maybe the Ativan was masking something?( & now I'm obsessing again)  he wants me to take lexapro & wants me to start 1 mg of klonipin @ night every night and half of 1 mg during the day prn.I asked if it's the same equivalent to Ativan he said Ativan is stronger , but klonipin would have 50 hours in my system? I just looked it up & 1 mg of Ativan is =10 mg of vallium ,I mg of klonipin is =to 20 mg if vallum .. I think this is a bad idea for me to take  klonipin? If someone can reply back I can't figure the math to tapper from the 3 quarters of .05 of the Ativan which I am now taking three times a day? Can I be going through withdrawals again or maybe never got  past the first wave of withdrawals when I went c/t in December is that possible ?.. or am I in tollerance now on this small dose . Can I still be having Gi problems from all this ?? 😰 Please help me. Really sorry fir the rambling long story .

 

I'd be happy to help you with your taper, but let me make sure I have the details right.  Are you taking .5mg in total each day, or .5mg three times a day?

[[be...]]

Chal is right. Subsequent withdrawals are often more difficult than the previous one, and sometimes much more. It happened to me. I went through three withdrawals, and the last one was horrific. I stopped 8 mg of Ativan CT after years of use. Benzodiazepines are a class of medicine that are really only meant to take for several weeks or less. Taken long term they usually end up being a very poor solution for what they were originally prescribed for. One can reach tolerance. I was sick for a long time never realizing that I had reached tolerance to it. If it was me I would taper the Ativan and decline the Klonopin. The recommended reduction rate for tapering is 5 to 10 percent every two weeks.

[Guest [...]]

I feel for you. I to am tapering off ativan. This is my second time around. The first time I cold turkeyed and seven weeks later had to be reinstated at a higher dose, get stable, and then began to taper. I can understand to a degree what you are going through. You have certainly been through it, and it can be tougher to come off of the second time around. When I cold turkeyed health anxiety got the best of me. You name it, I was convinced I was not going to make it. I saw so many doctors it wasn't funny. None of them pieced together it was withdrawal from the ativan despite me telling them. It was finally my family doctor that realized it, reinstated me higher, and then two months later I began my taper under his direction. I don't think it unreasonable to think that the withdrawals you are presently feeling plus not being fully stabilized can be a cause for what you are going through, though I AM NOT A DOCTOR.

Crossing over to valium or even klonopin is not unheard of either, but by ashton, valium to ativan is the most generalized idea. Many do it, and can do it successfully, others not so much. It really takes listening to your body as far as things go. I am not sure if you are taking (or recommended at taking ) .5 ativan a day, or three times daily. That can be a really big difference. I chose personally to taper down from my 2mgs a day (I take mine at night, 1 dose only and get crazy interdose withdrawals) directly from ativan instead of crossing over, though I am not above crossing over as I reach and get to 1 mg or lower. If you choose to taper from the ativan (or any benzo) the recommended amount is usually 5-10% of your dose about every two weeks, some can do weekly cuts and go a little faster, but for the most part, listen to our body! and don't rush. I know here in the US there is a concentrated liquid form of ativan too, which, since your amount is smaller, you may able to properly measure and taper from. So that is one idea too. Another is a liquid titration, where you would make a solution of your ativan for tapering, some do small daily cuts, as the thought is that it is more forgiving. So far, I just dry cut.

I know there is a lot to take in here and you can be easily overwhelmed. Just take it as it goes and do your best. Try not to read too many of the threads that might trigger you. Stick to success stories and etc. Those can encourage you. Please know you aren't alone. There is an ativan support group thread here on BB. If you follow this link it will take you there, where we all shareour experiences, ask questions, and support one another.

http://www.benzobuddies.org/forum/index.php?topic=44903.0

[[Bi...]]

I feel for you. I to am tapering off ativan. This is my second time around. The first time I cold turkeyed and seven weeks later had to be reinstated at a higher dose, get stable, and then began to taper. I can understand to a degree what you are going through. You have certainly been through it, and it can be tougher to come off of the second time around. When I cold turkeyed health anxiety got the best of me. You name it, I was convinced I was not going to make it. I saw so many doctors it wasn't funny. None of them pieced together it was withdrawal from the ativan despite me telling them. It was finally my family doctor that realized it, reinstated me higher, and then two months later I began my taper under his direction. I don't think it unreasonable to think that the withdrawals you are presently feeling plus not being fully stabilized can be a cause for what you are going through, though I AM NOT A DOCTOR.

Crossing over to valium or even klonopin is not unheard of either, but by ashton, valium to ativan is the most generalized idea. Many do it, and can do it successfully, others not so much. It really takes listening to your body as far as things go. I am not sure if you are taking (or recommended at taking ) .5 ativan a day, or three times daily. That can be a really big difference. I chose personally to taper down from my 2mgs a day (I take mine at night, 1 dose only and get crazy interdose withdrawals) directly from ativan instead of crossing over, though I am not above crossing over as I reach and get to 1 mg or lower. If you choose to taper from the ativan (or any benzo) the recommended amount is usually 5-10% of your dose about every two weeks, some can do weekly cuts and go a little faster, but for the most part, listen to our body! and don't rush. I know here in the US there is a concentrated liquid form of ativan too, which, since your amount is smaller, you may able to properly measure and taper from. So that is one idea too. Another is a liquid titration, where you would make a solution of your ativan for tapering, some do small daily cuts, as the thought is that it is more forgiving. So far, I just dry cut.

I know there is a lot to take in here and you can be easily overwhelmed. Just take it as it goes and do your best. Try not to read too many of the threads that might trigger you. Stick to success stories and etc. Those can encourage you. Please know you aren't alone. There is an ativan support group thread here on BB. If you follow this link it will take you there, where we all shareour experiences, ask questions, and support one another.

http://www.benzobuddies.org/forum/index.php?topic=44903.0

 

Excellent! 

[[Sa...]]

Hi, thank you so much . After my c/t withdrawal ( several weeks ) dr. Prescribed 0.5  Ativan bid ..  on Jan 9th . Two weeks later I took .05 at night and I cut the day .05 in half . Took that  For three weeks Now I cut the .05 into quarters  and taking only three quarters .0166 every eight hours . ( The dr. Will not prescribed me the vallum or liquid Ativan ) .He wants me to take 1 mg oh klonipin at night and half in the day . I can't do that I also think I cut too much I can't sleep ,having chills again and OCD thinking that there is something really wrong with me .. anxiety is coming back .. gi problems again .. no appetite poor digestion?

[[Sa...]]

Hi thank you , dr . Now prescribed Ativan .05 bid ( after my 3 week C/t withdrawals) took 0.5 at night then .025 in the am for two weeks , then I cut the .05 at night to half for two weeks.  ( so .125 at night .125 day. ) Last week I cut Ativan .05 into quarters and took only 3 of the quarters .. every 8 hours .0166? Feeling sick . I went back to the dr. Feeling like I am either in tolerance or withdraws again . I Asked fir him to either give me vallium  or liquid Ativan he refused . He wants  me to take klonipin 1 mg at night then half in the day .. I won't do that .  Feeling chills, gi problems ... digesting food .. insomnia.

[Guest [...]]

Hi thank you , dr . Now prescribed Ativan .05 bid ( after my 3 week C/t withdrawals) took 0.5 at night then .025 in the am for two weeks , then I cut the .05 at night to half for two weeks.  ( so .125 at night .125 day. ) Last week I cut Ativan .05 into quarters and took only 3 of the quarters .. every 8 hours .0166? Feeling sick . I went back to the dr. Feeling like I am either in tolerance or withdraws again . I Asked fir him to either give me vallium  or liquid Ativan he refused . He wants  me to take klonipin 1 mg at night then half in the day .. I won't do that .  Feeling chills, gi problems ... digesting food .. insomnia.

In my opinion, I think your body has been through so much it is honestly a mixture of both. Your body never stabilized from before and now your doses aren't doing you too well. Plus it looks like you are doing some big cuts there and at times uneven on your dosing. I would suggest maybe finding a dose and pattern at stick with it, whether twice a day, three times a day, and dosage amount. If you can, stay there for a little bit to see if you even out. Then cut only 5-10% of that amount, and go from there. I understand that your doctor wants you to switch over to klonipin..at 1.5mgs total daily? If you consider that, then you would need to crossover, substituting the Ativan to the k, if not you might get even more nasty withdrawals from the a until the k kicks in. Stabilize and taper, much the same way, but you have to listen to you body. I personally haven't seen many switch to klonipin, but I have hears of it. It may have more umph...the general consensus is 1 mg k=20mgs of Valium and 1mg Ativan=10mgs of Valium. If you choose to switch over, your body may tolerate it, it might not. Is your psychiatrist willing to work on the Ativan with you if you choose not to crossover to K?

Okay so currently at. 375mgs daily, broken into threes would be. 125 per dose.  Hold there for just a bit, I would say at least two weeks from when you made the last cut.  If from there you aren't felling worse, your body has been through so much,. Example cut 10% of the total. 375, making it. 338 total per day. You can either even out the cuts dividing that up, or choose to make the cut to one dosage (for example cut the full amount to midway dose). This is where titration might help too as the cuts can be hard to make to pills. But the key thing is here it really is important to find the doses and amounts and get a routine and stabilize as much is allowed. Has your psych considered up dosing the Ativan at all, seeing if you even out and then begin tapering? I know this is hard, I know! I am not experienced in klonopin, so maybe someone with k experience can chime in. My heart goes out to you in every way!

[[Sa...]]

Hi , thank you for your reply ,  no the Dr. won't give me liquid Ativan or vallium to tapper the Ativan , he wants me to take 1 mg of klonipin at night a (1/2  mg during the day  orb) I too think this is a bad ideas since my c/ t was horrible then the reinstated .05 bid Ativan tapper u still have gi issues and anxiety.

[Guest [...]]

Hi , thank you for your reply ,  no the Dr. won't give me liquid Ativan or vallium to tapper the Ativan , he wants me to take 1 mg of klonipin at night a (1/2  mg during the day  orb) I too think this is a bad ideas since my c/ t was horrible then the reinstated .05 bid Ativan tapper u still have gi issues and anxiety.

Well, switching over to the klonopin isn't unheard of, but that is a very high amount in my opinion to go to when you are coming from the amount of Ativan you are on now. Even though I am not a doctor Gi issues and anxiety do seem to go hand in hand with withdrawals. My concern is your weight loss too. I certainly cannot relate to a klonopin swith over, but can on how nasty Ativan can be. Maybe try asking others about switching from A to K on the substitute taper plan thread. They might be able to help you.