Lorazepam Taper - Confused?????

[[RU...]]

When I was first put on Lorazepam ( 10 years ago ) was started on 1mg for Anxiety and took it in the mornings to help during the day. After 6 years was up to 3mg and still took them in the morning for the same reasons. This was when I suddenly became ill, couldn't stop crying, depressed, panic attacks and a multitude of other problems including becoming Agoraphobic. Saw numerous doctors, psychiatrists etc. and not one person decided to tell me the truth - that it was the Lorazepam making me ill and oblivious to this I carried on taking the prescribed doses until I was on 9mg daily until I finally worked it out for myself by doing research and was horrified at what I discovered. I was then taking 6mg in the morning, and not understanding the 12 hour half life, took 3 in the afternoon at around 3pm as I had tried some at night and didn't get on well for some reason. Somehow I managed to cut 2 pills out with no problems ( or already felt so ill didn't notice ).

Anyway, I got stuck at 7mg ( 4mg at around 7am and 3mg still at 3pm. )

I am currently tapering by cutting out 0.25mg daily ( 6.75mg ) for 4 weeks and tomorrow I start my second taper by another 0.25mg ( 6.50mg ) etc. I am cutting these from my morning dose as that's when I take the most so when I get to 6mg daily it will be equal doses. Trouble is what do I cut then?  I have always had the majority in the mornings so that could be bad but taking it from the afternoon I have to go 16 hours until the morning. I read somewhere not to change the times I take them but I am so confused, no help from doctors ( useless ). Really don't know what to do???

( By the way, sorry for rambling on and making things even more confusing. This is my first post, don't know WHAT I am doing as my brain is not functioning and am having awful WD of every type you can think of. If you can understand my rambling then please HELP!! Pulling my hair out here - LITERALLY!! ) Thanks.

[[At...]]

9mg a day is a relatively large dose.  I worked my way up to 6mg, and my PsyD refused to go any higher.

 

May I suggest you study Table 3 in the Ashton Manual, which addresses a substitution withdraw from larger Lorazepam doses?  It is a slow method which may help reduce some of your symptoms.

 

My personal experience is that I went from 6mg/day to 4/mg a day and survived it okay.  Assuming my doc approves what I'd like to do and will write the prescriptions, I will be starting a substitution (Lorazepam to Diazepam) taper on Tuesday.  The latter part, I understand, is no less easy.

 

[[RU...]]

Thanks for your advice. I have to say that I did level on 7mg for about 6 months before starting this taper and tried other options first. Even at a new surgery though I have seen nearly every doctor there and nobody seems to have a clue how serious this is and what to do about it. One of them was going to help by giving me liquid Lorazepam as well as pills to taper but the way she was telling me to do it would probably have killed me knowing all that I do know about Lorazepam ( I do read the Ashton Manual when my confused brain lets me ). Another doctor gave me the equivalent of Diazepam to change over to but the morning I took it I felt so ill I thought I was dying and ended up having to go back to the Lorazepam. One doctor actually told me I would have to do it myself as no one was going to help me! This surgery is supposed to be the best in our area! I really do find it hard to trust anyone anymore and that's why I'm doing this alone with the help of my daughter.

Anyway am still confused and scared of everything. I have so many health problems now but my personal life is unbearable too. My daughter is only 25 and walking to take care of my 91 year old father 7 days a week and he makes things very difficult to say the least. I cant help as been Agoraphobic for the past 4 years and she is type 1 diabetic and suffering from extreme exhaustion and even been in hospital. I have been unable to do almost anything since these evil pills took hold of me 4 years ago ( been on them 10 years altogether ) and am now practically disabled. We have no money, no friends or family to help and nobody in the medical profession seems to care less even though they know we have both been suicidal.

Sorry to make this so long its just that sometimes it just all pours out. I know there are people on here far worse off than me but everyone's pain is their own even though we can all relate to each other in some form.

What scares me the most is that our so called life and bad luck seems to get worse every day and is getting so unbearable that I'm terrified all of this will end with us both dead one way or another. 

 

[[At...]]

Please be strong, Ruth, and hang in there.  The last week has been hellish for me as well, but I feel pretty good today, which is a welcome relief.  You will have a sense of accomplishment from making progress, but remember, it does take time.

 

The entire Ashton Manual is available online.  It really is a great resource for understanding what is happening to you and what you are going through.

 

Take it 1 minute, 1 hour, and 1 day at a time.

 

Lorazepam is 10x stronger than Diazepam, so it is difficult to make small incremental changes.  One way that you can do it is to order some 10mg syringes from Amazon or from a hobby store.  You can then dissolve an Ativan tablet in water in the syringe and, assuming it is a 1mg tablet, dispense it 1mg (=1ml) at a time when you do get down to lower doses.

[[su...]]

Start cutting 1/4 off lorazepam and stay on 3/4mg until you feel you don't have withdrawals symptoms,cut another 1/4 quarter and stay on 2/4 mg until you feel you don't have any withdrawals symptoms continue to do this until your weaned off of them.Dont rush the cutting,because the withdrawals could be worse,listen to your body and if you're not having any withdrawals symptoms,then cut again,buy if you are having withdrawals stay on the mg you are taking,until withdrawals symptoms are gone. This is the way i did it.Try to get the 0.5 tablets because they area better to cut them in quarters.

[[RU...]]

Thank you for your advice and support. I didn't even know there were 0.5 tablets?  I am taking all of this on board and will keep on and not give up. Just wish I had known about these pills and that it was them making me so ill 4 years ago and my taper would be over by now with far less pills to get off of as I was on 3mg when I first became ill and blamed my sudden illness on everything from menopause to a nervous breakdown to just going mad. My mind was so mixed up even then and the doctors kept trying me on various other pills without even cutting one down before giving me the next - just one day Seroquel the next day Aripiprazole and so on. It also doesn't help that the surgeries in our area are some of the worst in the country. Also the Mental Health care is awful and ended up making a complaint to the NHS and got nowhere. It seems unless you are lucky enough to have a good and understanding GP you really are on your own.

Anyway, thanks again.

 

[[At...]]

You mention the NHS, so I assume you are a UK resident.  I can't speak to doses available in the UK, but US has 0.5mg tabs available.

[[Wi...]]

On another note i highly recommend you switch to valium when you get lower on your short half life ativan. You wont regret it. Good luck in slaying this beast!

[[RU...]]

Thank you all for your advice and support. Slow to respond as its been a very bad week in more ways than one.

Good luck and success to all of you X

 

[[ly...]]

When I was first put on Lorazepam ( 10 years ago ) was started on 1mg for Anxiety and took it in the mornings to help during the day. After 6 years was up to 3mg and still took them in the morning for the same reasons. This was when I suddenly became ill, couldn't stop crying, depressed, panic attacks and a multitude of other problems including becoming Agoraphobic. Saw numerous doctors, psychiatrists etc. and not one person decided to tell me the truth - that it was the Lorazepam making me ill and oblivious to this I carried on taking the prescribed doses until I was on 9mg daily until I finally worked it out for myself by doing research and was horrified at what I discovered. I was then taking 6mg in the morning, and not understanding the 12 hour half life, took 3 in the afternoon at around 3pm as I had tried some at night and didn't get on well for some reason. Somehow I managed to cut 2 pills out with no problems ( or already felt so ill didn't notice ).

Anyway, I got stuck at 7mg ( 4mg at around 7am and 3mg still at 3pm. )

I am currently tapering by cutting out 0.25mg daily ( 6.75mg ) for 4 weeks and tomorrow I start my second taper by another 0.25mg ( 6.50mg ) etc. I am cutting these from my morning dose as that's when I take the most so when I get to 6mg daily it will be equal doses. Trouble is what do I cut then?  I have always had the majority in the mornings so that could be bad but taking it from the afternoon I have to go 16 hours until the morning. I read somewhere not to change the times I take them but I am so confused, no help from doctors ( useless ). Really don't know what to do???

( By the way, sorry for rambling on and making things even more confusing. This is my first post, don't know WHAT I am doing as my brain is not functioning and am having awful WD of every type you can think of. If you can understand my rambling then please HELP!! Pulling my hair out here - LITERALLY!! ) Thanks.

 

I wouldn't be afraid to change the times of your doses and would probably go to 3 doses per day if interdose wd is an issue (I had to dose xanax 4x/day for awhile during my taper).  I would not cross to Valium unless things become impossible.  Some do well on V - some do horribly.  Your current benzo is a "known" and your brain is used to it.  Just go slowly enough to keep wd low.  I think (my experience is) that  low sxs during your taper = a mild post-taper.

 

I have a very similar history of increasing benzos (and psych meds) and becoming increasingly ill as the years went by.  I, too, figured it out myself and started tapering.  I'm off now and doing very well.

[[RU...]]

I am so grateful for your advice, thank you.  I think out of all the replies I have had, even though they were all helpful and encouraging, yours is the most helpful as you have answered the main question I had and confirmed some of the thoughts I had lingering in my mind. From someone who has had very similar circumstances to mine and come out the other side too has made me decide to follow your advice and spread out the doses when I get to six. That makes much more sense than to have such large gaps in between doses and stops me from having the long period between my last dose and the morning one ( 17 hours ).

Congratulations for achieving what you have and I look forward to some day being where you are now.

Thank you