Is it possible to do an every other day taper from .50 and down off of Ativan?

[[Ar...]]

I am currently on day four at .50 from 1 mg Aug 21 (see my signature) and was wondering is it possible to do a taper every other day? Or do I really have to take it every single day? My symptoms are bad anxiety, sleep problems, weakness and feeling exhausted. However, they are not unmanagable....will they get worse if I extend to every other day? Will I Kindle if I go too long between doses? These are my biggest concerns, but I really want to get off of this stuff... Thanks in advance for the advice guys.

[[bu...]]

I am currently on day four at .50 from 1 mg Aug 21 (see my signature) and was wondering is it possible to do a taper every other day? Or do I really have to take it every single day? My symptoms are bad anxiety, sleep problems, weakness and feeling exhausted. However, they are not unmanagable....will they get worse if I extend to every other day? Will I Kindle if I go too long between doses? These are my biggest concerns, but I really want to get off of this stuff... Thanks in advance for the advice guys.

 

You can choose any interval you wish.  There would really be very little difference between and daily taper, and an alternate day taper. 

 

[[Ar...]]

So going every other day won't Kindle me? What about going one dose every few days? Or until it gets too unbearable?

[[bu...]]

So going every other day won't Kindle me? What about going one dose every few days? Or until it gets too unbearable?

 

"Kindling" (if it even is a real condition) means repeated withdrawals from high doses of a drug.  Alternate day dosing in no way meets that standard.

[[Ar...]]

Oh, so it can only happen with high doses? Half of 1 mg w/d wouldn't count as kindling?

[[Ki...]]

Its not kindling, its just slowly tapering. Every day, every other day, every third day, its just a " microtaper" instead of cutting some amount every couple of weeks. Some folks find they do better going every day and others ( like myself) do better cutting every two or three days and sometimes holding for a while. Everyone is different so the speed you go at needs to be dictated by how you feel if possible. But as long as you are going down, you are tapering. Its just a slow or a fast taper.

[[fi...]]

not to hijack this post but have a question for KittyBeanBag (and a comment for ARTY down after)...

 

KittyBeanBag..

 

re: "CYP2C19 ultrarapid metabolizer CYP3A4 rapid metabolizer",

 

How did you test for that? I didn't check where you are located (country?) but is this a standard test or does a specialist have to order it? Is it universally available? did you have to pay for it?

 

And i never thought to use grapefruit juice...I wonder if it would help me using ativan to taper off the combo of ativan + zopiclone.

 

I know i need to get a signature but i tried to use clonazepam as a cross over from both zopiclone (long term) and ativan (erratic recent -but enough) but had a paradoxical reaction so now going back to Ativan to get off the zopiclone first then taper the ativan... 'cause i can't do zopiclone alone right now...  - one night was all I needed to know that.  I had had a successful taper from ativan before but that situation was somewhat different and only a months use of 2 mg at bedtime.

 

which leads me to ask..the original poster ..ARTY5? why are you tapering so fast??

i know everyone is different and only you can decide what's ok for you but it seems your are tapering very fast - not giving your receptors time to get used to the new 'steady state'

 

unless i misread...

 

a) typical guidelines (as i understood) would be to hold a dose 1-2 weeks

and,

b) I can also add that last year i was on 2mg at bedtime for about a month and then tapered .25 every 7-10 days and then at the end even cut the sublingual 0.5s and took the larger pieces until the end where i took the smaller ones.  I used melatonin too - helped me fall asleep though didn't really help the quality of my sleep - falling asleep made the anxiety less - but did leave me a little low and hung over next day.

 

My point was doing this taper (2.0, 1.5, 1.0, 0.5, 0.25)** every 7-10/14 days, which by this boards standards is fast... i never felt much discomfort. I was lucky but i held the dose until i was sure i could lower it ..i vaguely remember 7-10 days...but at least 7...maybe 14 near the end... 

 

I know you are eager to get off the drugs (as am i!! <sigh>)...but sometimes a little patience makes the long term easier. 

 

again - i don't know squat compared to most of the boards posters..just my own little experience...thought i'd share....

 

....i wish you luck.....and myself too

 

i'm back now trying to get off 3-4 years of zopiclone and recently ativan (and a failed clonazepam trial) that all messed up my receptors big time.

 

i'll pray for both of us

 

firefly1

 

If you can tolerate the quick taper -i'm *NO* expert!! do what works for you....! i'm just sharing my experience...might be easier to let your body get acclimated to the new dose before lowering again. 

 

**something like that

[[id...]]

I am currently on day four at .50 from 1 mg Aug 21 (see my signature) and was wondering is it possible to do a taper every other day? Or do I really have to take it every single day? My symptoms are bad anxiety, sleep problems, weakness and feeling exhausted. However, they are not unmanagable....will they get worse if I extend to every other day? Will I Kindle if I go too long between doses? These are my biggest concerns, but I really want to get off of this stuff... Thanks in advance for the advice guys.

 

Since Ativan is short acting I'd be worried about doing "higher" doses every other day. It's recommended to split to lower doses and do twice a day, for example. That's how I tapered, but everybody is different.

[[sh...]]

I am currently on day four at .50 from 1 mg Aug 21 (see my signature) and was wondering is it possible to do a taper every other day? Or do I really have to take it every single day? My symptoms are bad anxiety, sleep problems, weakness and feeling exhausted. However, they are not unmanagable....will they get worse if I extend to every other day? Will I Kindle if I go too long between doses? These are my biggest concerns, but I really want to get off of this stuff... Thanks in advance for the advice guys.

 

Since Ativan is short acting I'd be worried about doing "higher" doses every other day. It's recommended to split to lower doses and do twice a day, for example. That's how I tapered, but everybody is different.

 

I agree with ideal.  I wouldn't take Ativan every other day.  I would split the dose and take twice daily then start a slow taper from there.

 

Stay strong!

sharkey

[[Ki...]]

 

Firefly I had the 23 and me test done with the medical side. It said I am an ultra rapid on one of the pathways valium uses and a rapid on the second. It also said I was more likely to have trouble with it but that kinda goes without saying doesnt it? So, since I was using ambien and xanax for sleep only I wanted to keep my valium dose once a day at bedtime if possible. I read around other sites and noticed how the " druggie" type forums had a lot of people taking their pills w grapefruit juice so if those people could use it, I figure it might help me have a more average metabolism. I wasnt looking to do anything other than to make it work like it was supposed to. I make a lot more of the enzyme that breaks down valium as well as a lot of other meds so why not try to make it more normal. So while its always a work in progress, some days none, some days 4 ounces... it does help. Tapering still sucks though!

not to hijack this post but have a question for KittyBeanBag (and a comment for ARTY down after)...

 

KittyBeanBag..

 

re: "CYP2C19 ultrarapid metabolizer CYP3A4 rapid metabolizer",

 

How did you test for that? I didn't check where you are located (country?) but is this a standard test or does a specialist have to order it? Is it universally available? did you have to pay for it?

 

And i never thought to use grapefruit juice...I wonder if it would help me using ativan to taper off the combo of ativan + zopiclone.

 

I know i need to get a signature but i tried to use clonazepam as a cross over from both zopiclone (long term) and ativan (erratic recent -but enough) but had a paradoxical reaction so now going back to Ativan to get off the zopiclone first then taper the ativan... 'cause i can't do zopiclone alone right now...  - one night was all I needed to know that.  I had had a successful taper from ativan before but that situation was somewhat different and only a months use of 2 mg at bedtime.

 

which leads me to ask..the original poster ..ARTY5? why are you tapering so fast??

i know everyone is different and only you can decide what's ok for you but it seems your are tapering very fast - not giving your receptors time to get used to the new 'steady state'

 

unless i misread...

 

a) typical guidelines (as i understood) would be to hold a dose 1-2 weeks

and,

b) I can also add that last year i was on 2mg at bedtime for about a month and then tapered .25 every 7-10 days and then at the end even cut the sublingual 0.5s and took the larger pieces until the end where i took the smaller ones.  I used melatonin too - helped me fall asleep though didn't really help the quality of my sleep - falling asleep made the anxiety less - but did leave me a little low and hung over next day.

 

My point was doing this taper (2.0, 1.5, 1.0, 0.5, 0.25)** every 7-10/14 days, which by this boards standards is fast... i never felt much discomfort. I was lucky but i held the dose until i was sure i could lower it ..i vaguely remember 7-10 days...but at least 7...maybe 14 near the end... 

 

I know you are eager to get off the drugs (as am i!! <sigh>)...but sometimes a little patience makes the long term easier. 

 

again - i don't know squat compared to most of the boards posters..just my own little experience...thought i'd share....

 

....i wish you luck.....and myself too

 

i'm back now trying to get off 3-4 years of zopiclone and recently ativan (and a failed clonazepam trial) that all messed up my receptors big time.

 

i'll pray for both of us

 

firefly1

 

If you can tolerate the quick taper -i'm *NO* expert!! do what works for you....! i'm just sharing my experience...might be easier to let your body get acclimated to the new dose before lowering again. 

 

**something like that

[[bu...]]

Maybe I misunderstood, but I don't think she's suggesting she will dose every other day, she means you will make a cut every other day.

[Guest [ou...]]

I am currently on day four at .50 and was wondering is it possible to do a taper every other day?

 

There's a reason why benzos are usually taken several times daily,

whereas antidepressants are usually taken once daily.

Short versus long half-life.

That's also the reason one could taper an antidepressant by taking it every other day.

It might also work with long-acting benzos, which is not the case for lorazepam.

You might not kindle but worsening symptoms aren't out of the question.

Hope this helps.