new to the site

[[ju...]]

my name is mike ive been on Ativan  1.5mg  since march 2013  ive been getting worse  got put on the Ativan for a general anxiety disorder  the pills helped about the first 2 years or so maybe a little more then summer 2015  had my first panic attack  went to the dr  after having a few over the next couple months hes told me I have a panic disorder  now since he retired in april  of 2017  thing have gotten extremely bad for me ive been slowly developing agorphobia I don't want to leave the house or travel far from the house  and just recently in the last month or so ive developed hypochondria I think my appendix burst or I have a kidney infection or ect  that sends me into serve  attack mode tonight was the worst attack ive every had lasted about for bout 2 hours of constant fear that something was wrong because my right oblique is hurting me and I was in constant deathly fear id have to leave the house to go to the  emergency room so I decide to join and talk to some people who have the same problems and can help  I want to taper off this NIGHTMARE of a drug because my problems in 2013 when I was put on have magnified by 1000 since then  and I think its the drug!!!  couple months back  the i  wanted to taper off  dr  had me doing it in 6 weeks so I tried it  it didn't work well at all needless to say I'm back at 1.5mg where I started 

[Guest [Le...]]

Hello, Mike - welcome to BenzoBuddies!

 

Ativan affected me the same way after several years of use - I developed both agoraphobia and health anxiety, as well as an array of other incapacitating symptoms.

 

Fortunately, all of it was temporary, and things are finally getting back to being normal. It takes some time and patience, but you’ll be able to taper off and begin your recovery, too. 

 

I'm so glad you decided to join the forum - you'll find plenty of information and support here. Our members have gone through all aspects of benzodiazepine use and withdrawal, so you'll be able to connect with others who understand what you're going through.

 

Here are a couple of links that may be a good starting place for you:

 

  General Taper Plans

  Withdrawal Support

 

Please take a moment to Create a Signature. This will allow members to see where you are in the process, so that they can better support you.

 

Looking forward to seeing you on the forum!

Leslie 

 

 

The Ashton Manual is an authoritative resource on what to expect during withdrawal and recovery. It provides information that can be very reassuring during any stage of this process, including a list of common symptoms with helpful explanations.

 

For those who are currently tapering, a starting guideline is that the dosage not be reduced faster than by 5-10% every 10-14 days, although some taper even more slowly than that. One exception: very short-term users of a few weeks or less may be able to taper somewhat faster.

[[Wi...]]

Everything you describe is SOLELY caused from ativan tolerance withdrawal. I highly recommend you switch to a valium taper ala the ashton method because of ativans short half life. Good luck buddy!